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iD's 3 Axle GWR Siphon: Now Fully Completed


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I think you still need the filler panels where the G & W go. Lovely looking bit of work.

Thanks for the reminder, I'll be adding those when I clean up the body before undercoating. As it will be running in 1930s condition, the panels will be correct.

 

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As it's running in the 1930s if you want fidelity then it is worth checking the numbers against the changes. Many lost their Westinghouse brakes by this kind of time iirc and the either side brakes came and went along the way. Some photographs show them with the lower footboards removed but I cannot remember when this started to occur.

 

I built the first vehicle of this type in N gauge in the same way you have used here. When I wanted more in 2mm I designed an etch for all the 6 wheeled types. It is always interesting to see other people's journeys where they are similar. The body looks like a great piece of work and these things often look better still with a lick of paint.

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  • 3 weeks later...

STATUS REPORT:

 

I've been assembling the Brassmasters Cleminson 6 Wheel Chassis Etch, and was planning to post photos this weekend. It was going together beautifully when my temperature controlled soldering iron failed. Oh bu99er. Unless anyone knows how to fix a temperature controlled soldering iron that's permanently stuck on 25*C, I have to wait until the replacement arrives (modellers in the UK are really spoilt by have so many useful specialist shops. Even a "generic" store like Maplins is a treasure trove compared to hardware shops here...)

 

In the interim I cut out and fixed the filler panels...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally, the replacement soldering iron arrived and I could finish the etched Cleminson underframe for the Siphon.

 

First off is the Siphon on the chassis placed next to a CooperCraft GWR Provender Wagon (which I built and painted when I was waiting for the replacement iron). I put the two together to check the Siphon's ride height - which does look good to me.

 

post-123-0-41131000-1347395505.jpg

 

And on its own:

 

post-123-0-94536400-1347395528.jpg

 

And the completed Cleminson etch:

 

post-123-0-60905600-1347395594.jpg

 

I found the Cleminson etch to be absolutely delightful to make - NO cursing, swearing or temper tantrums involved. I did, however, make a minor cock-up on the assembly (I filed something off that should have stayed put, having misread the instructions), but a quick question to Brassmasters and their very prompt reply soon sorted that problem.

 

Next stop, after cleaning the Cleminson bogies again, is to complete the underframe, slosh paint around the interior and then.....(drum roll) "do the roof" (shock, gasp, horror) - something I am not really looking forward to...

 

As always....

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well progress of a sorts. The underframe is finished (apart from snipping off the centre axle brakes - easy enough to do, thanks for catching that Nick), step boards (scale) added and first brown undercoat sloshed on. As can be seen here:

 

post-123-0-67975000-1348411415.jpg post-123-0-78148300-1348411431.jpg

 

post-123-0-16899300-1348411454.jpg

 

And I even go the ends sorted out (as brought to my attention by buffalo)

 

post-123-0-51600900-1348411590.jpg

 

Unfortunately, with the stepboards in place, the Siphon will NOT do train set curves (I only have the curves from a Hornby trainset oval in house and have been using Hornby track for my curved testing), although it runs fine on the Code 80 straight track that I have as my "test track".

 

I'm hoping that when I do start laying the track for my layout, then either [a] the Siphon will go around those curves or my skills will be good enough to rejig the underframe.

 

The paint job looks (and is) very sloppy. This is due to following a series of instructions from a military modelling site for a almost flawless brush finish (which I have done before). Basicall you slosh on some very thin paint, let dry very well, clean up/sand down with very fine sandpaper or a radial bristle finishing brush (which is what I use), repeat. Nick (Buffalo) do you know what was the colour of the V hangers and W irons etc on the Siphon? - presumably body colour overlaid with grot.

 

Looks like I just may miss the scratchbuild deadline for this by the skin of my teeth - oh Bu99er.

 

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Lower stepboards on the prototype had cutouts to clear the moving axleboxes. Your working radius would probably have dropped considerably as a result.

 

Good luck with the roof. I tried to coldroll thin plasticard for a 3-arc shape, and it just didn't work at all. The only real solution in my view is heating over a shaped (wooden) former. If you take that route, the need for lateral support (your internal shaped formers) will probably disappear - what is more important to keep the roof shape will be longitudinal support.

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Lower stepboards on the prototype had cutouts to clear the moving axleboxes. Your working radius would probably have dropped considerably as a result.

 

Good luck with the roof. I tried to coldroll thin plasticard for a 3-arc shape, and it just didn't work at all. The only real solution in my view is heating over a shaped (wooden) former. If you take that route, the need for lateral support (your internal shaped formers) will probably disappear - what is more important to keep the roof shape will be longitudinal support.

Believe or not, the lower stepboards DO have cut outs, I may need to make them a bit bigger and fiddle around withe Cleminson etch.

 

I'm not going to cold roll or heat form the roof, but try to shape it over the formers, using a few layers of 5thou plasticards. This may be successful - we shall see

 

The under frame would be black.
Thanks, will add black tomorrow
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The end looks good, Flavio. That little bracket for the lamp iron is so noticeable once you know it's there. Yes, belatedly, I agree with the others that the solebars, buffer beams and below should be black, though Slinn & Clarke note that the stepboards were normally unpainted wood. Perhaps they were painted black later, but from photos, the stepboards invariably have a much lighter and dustier appearance.

 

Nick

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Hi Flavio

 

" I'm not going to cold roll or heat form the roof, but try to shape it over the formers, using a few layers of 5thou plasticards. This may be successful - we shall see "

 

If you're going to laminate it can I suggest that you use strips until the final top layer as this will help to maintain the shape. I would suggest that the first strips laid lengthwise followed by over the roof strips or if your feeling particularly masochistic diagonally at 45 degrees across the roof until the final layer, please remember an odd number of layers and let them dry first.

 

Cheers SS

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The late Alistaire Rolf of No Nonsence Kits showed me how he overcame making roofs for MTK railcars. These were very solid

 

He built up the roof using strips of 80 thou plasticard making an upside down U shape, when it had dried thourghly he sanded it to shape using a former, I guess 40 thou strips could be used as this would involve less sanding. The first 2 or 3 strips were about 8mm wide, the rest were the full width required

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Thanks for the roof tips. I'll see how it all works out over the next day or so.

I used to form roofs in 1mm styrne sheet by cutting parallel 'V' shaped grooves into a flat piece with an old knive blade using a steel rule as a straight edge. I put the grooves closer together where the curve needed to be sharper and then the trick is to bend the roof to shape by clamping one side and bending each groove slightly (ie like folding an etch with the groove on the inside) Support the full length and try and bend the full length in one go. Start from one edge with the widest side clamped and as you bend it to shape, gradually work back revealing the grooves by releasing the clamp and sliding the next groove out until you reach the last one. As you progress, the roof shape will be formed from a series of flats. The trick then is glue it over some formers to keep the shape and gently smooth the shape on the outside when the glue has dried. The advantage of this is you need much less filler than cutting out strips and gluing them together and the roof can be fabricated much more quickly without individual strips sagging as they are assembled.

 

Regards

 

Mark Humphrys

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Well I did manage to finish the GWR Siphon for the October 1st deadline, so at least two out of my three entries made it to the finishing line (the other two being the Old Blue Last Pub Knock-Off and the Halwill Goods Shed). The model still requirese weathering and some minor touch-ups but to all intents and purposes is complete

 

Am I pleased with it? Well yes and no. Yes, I am pleased that I was able to completely scratchbuild a wagon (excepting chassis at least); No, I am NOT pleased as it falls far short of the standards I had set myself - I find it rude, crude and socially unacceptable (a bit like iD, really). Anyway, here are the "provocative polaroids" (nudge, nudge; wink, wink; say no more!).

 

post-123-0-58305700-1349120418.jpg post-123-0-39013200-1349120446.jpg

 

post-123-0-70627300-1349120455.jpg post-123-0-16593300-1349120471.jpg

 

post-123-0-94772300-1349120476.jpg post-123-0-17535700-1349120670.jpg

 

The body is passable, as is the underframe, but the roof is not terribly satisfactory. Furthermore the roof does not have any vents simply because the reference drawings and photos I had at my disposal did not show any roof vents. Although these are easy enough to add later.

 

I think I need to go back and improve the roof and the finish, but I'm not sure if this model is worth the effort to do so, so I really am tempted to bin it. But there again, I just might keep it as a reminder of my first efforts of scratch building wagon (much like fond parents retain the crayoned scribblings of their once toddler children).

 

Anyway, over to you for comments, criticisms and cruel, scornful laughter.

 

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Hi ID

 

If this was my first attempt at scratch building I would be more than happy with it, I think that whatever you have learned from this build will enable you to improve on the next. As for binning it that is something I could never do if I had built it and I would revisit it later. I need several of these for my layout and you have encouraged me to have a go sometime in the future so definitely not a wasted exercise.

 

A final word, I would happily run it as is, I think its great.

 

Jim

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I would keep it. I have some n gauge models from over a decade ago that I cannot part with. One is a scratch built siphon, oddly enough, mounted on hacked up peco brake van chassis, another is a representation of a U21 luggage composite with a similar chassis. They're a bit basic but they have sentimental/historical value to me.

 

Based on the photographs I think you are selling your efforts and the results thereof short.

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