DLT's NG Workbench - Back to The Hunslets

[DLT]

I rather like the livery on this loco, fourth photo down:  http://nrmcurator.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/edward-sholtos-return.html

[DLT]

Poor old Boadicea is looking a bit sorry for herself right now, having been dismantled (again) for her second facelift in as many years.

 

Taken the opportunity to remove the solid sides of the bunkers and replace them with more correct coal-rails.  I've used Plasticard to match the rest of the bodywork, black this time to make painting simpler.

 

The "coal" in the bunkers was made from track ballast, pressed into Blu-Tack and painted black.  It came out easily, as the Blu-Tack was hardened and crumbly.

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

Boadicea is looking a bit more healthy now, after three coats of Darlington Green.

 

The cab rear sheet has been dodgy for a while, and didn't fare too well in the dismantling process.  It will need a complete replacement.

 

Meanwhile I've been playing around  with the lining on my test panel.  The LMS cream/black lining has no curves, so I've tried painting a curved corner in by hand.  I found I had an old tin of Humbrol Lining Cream, from their much-missed "Authentic Railway Colours" range.  It had gone a bit thick with age, an advantage as I was able to put it on in one coat.

 

When dry I very carefully brushed black paint in to match the curve as closely as I could. (new brush needed for that job)

 

And I was quite suprised how well it turned out.  I reckon that on a loco on a layout, it should look fine.

Here's a couple of closer cropped photos.

  

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[gz3xzf]

Boadicea is looking a bit more healthy now, after three coats of Darlington Green.

 

IMG_1833 small.jpg

 

The cab rear sheet has been dodgy for a while, and didnt fare too well in the dismantling process.  It will need a complete replacement.

 

IMG_1847 small.jpg

 

Meanwhile I've been playing around  with the lining on my test panel.  The LMS cream/black lining has no curves, so I've tried painting a curved corner in by hand.  I found I had an old tin of Humbrol Lining Cream, from their much-missed "Authentic Railway Colours" range.  It had gone a bit thick with age, an advantage as I was able to put it on in one coat.

 

IMG_1840 small.jpg

 

When dry I very carefully brushed black paint in to match the curve as closely as I could. (new brush needed for that job)

 

IMG_1844 small.jpg

 

And I was quite suprised how well it turned out.  I reckon that on a loco on a layout, it should look fine.

 

Here's a couple of closer cropped photos.

 

IMG_1840 smaller.jpg   IMG_1844 smaller.jpg

 

Cheers, Dave.

Dave

I have tried painting by hand like that, my hands aren't steady enough so I am really impressed with the quality of that.

[DLT]

On 04/09/2017 at 17:40, gz3xzf said:

Dave

I have tried painting by hand like that, my hands aren't steady enough so I am really impressed with the quality of that.

 

Thanks Bryan, my hands aren't THAT steady I assure you!  I just had to do it quickly.  And it helps to keep a cotton-bud moistened with white-spirit close to hand, so you can quickly wipe off any cockups.

Anyway, if you want to see some REAL quality painting and lining, check out Ian Rathbone's work here:  http://www.ianrathbonemodelpainting.co.uk/gallery-2---4mm-scale.php

 

I normally take my photos after dark so I can control the lighting better, but the latest set were taken during the day with different light sources playing havoc with the white-balance.

I assure you the old and new colours do look very different, and I repeat the photo of my test peice below.

Old colour left of centre, new colour far right.

 

 

Cheers, Dave.

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

Edited, repeated post removed.

Edited September 5, 2017 by DLT

[DLT]

Due to its vulnerability and lack of bracing potential, the new cab rear-sheet is made of 15thou brass, instead of the original 20thou Plasticard.  

The first challenge is to make nice round spectacles, without a lathe.  My method is to wrap 0.7mm brass wire round a former, at least one and a half times.  

The wire will spring back so the former needs to be smaller than the finished diameter.  

I used 1/4" brass rod and ended up with rings just under 9mm diameter.

 

A ring can then be carefully snipped from the curved wire and the ends cleaned up.

 

Rings are then soldered to the cab-sheet.  Solder cleaned up, opening drilled/filed, and finally the ring filed down to about half the thickness of the wire.  

This finally (I hope) gives the appearance of a flat faced brass frame.

 

The final effect won't be clear until it's painted.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

Cab rear sheet is finished, and currently being painted.  I hope it wont show the rest of the loco up though!

Handrails are part of the unit, and I've replaced the others as well (or what was left of them...)  Like the rest of the loco, handrails had been plastic.  Slaters Microrod to be precise, horrible hard, brittle stuff.

Anyway, far more durable 0.7mm brass wire has replaced it.

 

 

 

Cheers, Dave.

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[Daddyman]

 

Due to its vulnerability and lack of bracing potential, the new cab rear-sheet is made of 15thou brass, instead of the original 20thou Plasticard.  

The first challenge is to make nice round spectacles, without a lathe.  My method is to wrap 0.7mm brass wire round a former, at least one and a half times.  

The wire will spring back so the former needs to be smaller than the finished diameter.  

I used 1/4" brass rod and ended up with rings just under 9mm diameter.

 

IMG_1857 small.jpg

 

A ring can then be carefully snipped from the curved wire and the ends cleaned up.

 

IMG_1860 small.jpg

 

Rings are then soldered to the cab-sheet.  Solder cleaned up, opening drilled/filed, and finally the ring filed down to about half the thickness of the wire.  

This finally (I hope) gives the appearance of a flat faced brass frame.

 

IMG_1867 small.jpg

 

The final effect won't be clear until it's painted.

 

That's a hard way to do it, isn't it? I always use slices of tube myself - but that's in 4mm; not sure of the availability of the right dia in 7mm. 

[DLT]

That's a hard way to do it, isn't it? I always use slices of tube myself - but that's in 4mm; not sure of the availability of the right dia in 7mm. 

 

Not hard at all, although getting them to lie flat took a bit of tweaking.  I haven't tried the slices of tube method, as you say perhaps easier in smaller scales where there is a bigger range of tube available.  

The diameter of my frames was about 9mm.

Cheers, Dave.

[DLT]

As soon as I started lining the loco something didn't look right.  The LMS lining is a pale lemon-yellow sort of colour, and while it looked ok on the test-panel it just looked wrong on the loco.  I tried a few and the ended up with GW Coach Lining which is black/yellow, but a deeper mustard-yellow.  I've just done one side so far, and the tanks are wide enough to line the ends.

 

 

What I was really looking for was a pale cream or straw coloured lining, but there's none in the HMRS range. Or does anyone know of another source of Pressfix lining?

Cheers, Dave.

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[PaulRhB]

She looks very smart in the new livery

[DLT]

She looks very smart in the new livery

 

Thanks Paul, she is pretty much finished now, I'll get some photos up later.

Cheers, Dave.

[Guest Isambarduk]

Not hard at all, although getting them to lie flat took a bit of tweaking.  I haven't tried the slices of tube method, as you say perhaps easier in smaller scales where there is a bigger range of tube available.  

The diameter of my frames was about 9mm.

Cheers, Dave.

 

Indeed but, that all said, the whole exercise is rather easier with a lathe and you can make them exactly the size and profile that you want ... you just need to find somebody with one.  Here are the spectacles that I turned for my seriously reworked Hudswell Clarke, RTR by Ixion Model Railways: 

 

See: www.davidlosmith.co.uk/GCR_Humber.htm#Cab

 

David

[DLT]

Indeed but, that all said, the whole exercise is rather easier with a lathe and you can make them exactly the size and profile that you want ... you just need to find somebody with one.  Here are the spectacles that I turned for my seriously reworked Hudswell Clarke, RTR by Ixion Model Railways: 

 

See: www.davidlosmith.co.uk/GCR_Humber.htm#Cab

 

David

 

Very nice indeed David, that's one heck of an upgrade to an already excellent model.

And thanks for the link to your excellent website, just had a very brief look, MORE stuff I've got to find time to read through!

All the best,

Dave.

[DLT]

Quite glad I made the decision to make a new cab rear sheet, here are the old and new compared:

 

The new one is on the right by the way...

 

A Press Release from the Marshwood Vale Railway:

"The MVR are admiring their latest acquisition, the 2-6-2 loco from the BHTC, recently returned form overhaul at Hunslets."

 

 

 

And on the other side I've taken the colour panel right round the end of the tank, rather than having a separate one.  If the various plates look a bit skew-whiff, its because they are temporarily fixed with Blue-Tac.  The nameplate now looks a bit small, perhaps NarrowPlanet will be getting yet another order from me!

 

 

 

Hmmmm, looks a bit "Heritage" now....

And a quick reminder of how Boadicea looked as-built, before all the upgrading started:

 

Cheers, Dave.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

I have now restored the photos from earlier in this thread that were lost to the Photobucket fiasco, by loading them direct to the forum (as I usually do).

They are on pages about 8 to 12, featuring my K1 Garratt, and Baldwin Gas-Mechanical, if anyone is interested.

Cheers, Dave.

[DLT]

The two Hunslets are finished, just waiting for some new plates from Narrow Planet.  The new lining made the tram loco Victoria look a bit sparse, so she has received extra lining as well.

 

Before I get started on my next standard-gauge project, I've gone back to the new Hunslet 2-4-2 locos.  I had some of the dimensions wrong on the initial chassis build, so that has been dismantled and reassembled.  The whole thing was sitting too high, and the frames were unnecessarily deep.  I've also solved the issue of the Alan Gibson cranks splitting, I will detail that later.

 

This particular Hunslet build started on page 17 of this thread, here:  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/35253-dlts-ng-workbench-an-old-hunslet/page-17

 

Cheers, Dave.

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

Regarding the problems of Alan Gibson outside cranks splitting and spinning round on the axle, here is my solution.  It involves beefing them up a bit, which is no bad thing in narrow gauge.

I've wrapped a strip of thin black plasticard round them; (15thou, cut to the same width as the cranks, approx 2mm) and while holding them together applied solvent, holding long enough for them to stick. 

 

 

 

Once its stuck, I've trimmed the ends of the strip and wrapped it round the little end.

 

I will open up the axle hole very slightly to make it less of a force fit, and secure it to the axle with Araldite.

Of course you could do this last bit before initial fitting, then it wouldn't split in the first place.

 

Dave.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

The next task is counter-weighted cranks on the driving axle.  This involves extending the crank at the big end.  Using a 2mm thick strip of black plasticard (two pieces of 40thou Mek-Paked together)  I drilled & filed a slot that the crank would be a fairly tight fit into, and then secured it with solvent.

 

 

And for now, I've left it overnight to harden.

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[DLT]

More progress with the counterweighted cranks.  Firstly I cut/filed the edges of the cranks to match the Gibson originals

 

I added "beefing up" strips to the sides, to taste.  Not structurally needed, but depends on the desired final dimensions.

 

Finally, all was cut/filed to final shape.

 

 I know it looks a bit hairy/scratchy/messy in the enlarged and sharpened photos, but I assure you it doesn't look like this in "real life".  

 

Apologies if all this comes across as a bit incoherent, just had my regular Friday evening appointment with a large Gin & Tonic.....

Edited September 9, 2022 by DLT

[Giles]

A very imaginative and effective way of producing them! They certainly look the part....

 

I come here to see some of the best NG modelling around.....

[DLT]

With regard to the crank splitting problems, the ones with the added counterweight are still fine, so I'm going to try the normal force-fit again to see what happens.  If it still doesn't hold then its back to the araldite.

Dave.

[Corbs]

A very imaginative and effective way of producing them! They certainly look the part....

 

I come here to see some of the best NG modelling around.....

Agreed! Dave's work has something about it that sets it apart.

[DLT]

Thanks very much for the compliments gents.

 

The second chassis is now on its wheels and all seems ok, I will now get it to the same stage as the first one. 

In theory, both chassis are identical, but there will be small differences in the light of experience.  I will probably only post updates showing the changes.

 

Cheers, Dave.