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STEF Ferry Van in 4mm - scratchbuilding to a deadline


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This thread was originally part of the start and finish a model in a week topic, however I've asked the Mod's to seperate this content out into a thread of its own

 

 

Day one was Saturday 14th July

 

With the CMRA modellers day to get a head start this is the view at about 1030 this morning - I have a plan fron the Standard Ferry Diagram book, and an article in French (with a google translation) and a photo.

 

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And a modest collection of Evergreen strip.

 

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Two sides and two ends.

 

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Which I glued together and went for a wander round the other demo's whilst they set - when I came back I couldn't work out why the model was much longer then the plan - I had trimed the height, but forgotten to trim the length, so apart it all came, and I then cut the sides to length..

 

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Then having plotted the door locations, I added spacers/formers for the roof, leaving this as the state of play at 12.30 when we were called to lunch

 

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After lunch I cut a bit of 20thou for a roof

 

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Buffer beams, solebars then corner caps

 

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and a start on the door frames

 

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Jon

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Another couple of hours last night had the door frames done, and then this morning out with the Guilotine and all the door hinges were cut.

 

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Current state of play is this

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I now need to think about transfers so that when the time comes I have them available - either order from Andy Hart or make my own? EDIT - I've also discovered Carpena Decals do something suitable as well - I shall try and order some of those as well.

 

Jon

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Another hours work and I have door locking bars and the underframe trussing.

 

I've also started thinking about the roof hardware, and the ice hatches, and this is where I hit a problem.

 

post-336-0-03392900-1342373672.jpg

 

The drawing I'm using clearly shows only one ice compartment, later versions of this diagram show two, but they also show ladders both ends. The Ferrovisme article clearly describes two ice compartments, but there are other photo's (and diagrams) showing just one end platform. I can't quite decide what to do. Either way I'll be making up whatever the ice hatch looks like, as I've only seen photo's of the cutout type, or the filled from the side type, never a flat on the roof type.

 

The other inconsistency is over ventilators - the photo in Ferrovisme seems to only show 4 (from a low angle there might well be more on the other side), but the article describes 6, and later goes on to point out the number increases on the later rebuilds from 6 to 8. I'm considering putting 8 on as four pairs, as this seems to be most common.

 

Next step will be to fire up the soldering iron for some w-irons and footstep fabrication, but that might have to wait until tomorrow.

 

Jon

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Day three sees me swapping the solvent for solder.

 

MJT plate W irons, and the discovery that the Brassmasters jig dosn't include 23'3 7/8", a design flaw if you ask me! Even 23'3" is only just possible. It looks like I'll need to pack the units off the floor a bit, but I haven't decided by how much.

 

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Whilst I had the soldering iron out I cobbled the footsteps together

 

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The next thing I need to think about sourcing is springs/axleboxes - any suggestions? - my collection of these is practically non-existant, I haven't found a photo of one running on UIC double-link, which is hardly surprising given that they seem to have been withdrawn c1969-70

 

EDIT - MJT GWR swing link springs seem to have some potential, but don't have enough leaves.

 

 

post-336-0-85800000-1342471618.jpg

 

I've also ordered a set of STEF transfers from Carpena http://decals-carpena.com/8753.jpg four sheets of transfers came to £34, to which LloydsTSB has added a further £10 in transfer charges.

 

Jon

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You can get those axleboxes and springs from AMF87. They're ex-Huet and cast in bronze... eye watering price but they're very nice castings and came through very quickly. I used the same ones for my ferry vans. It's not easy to see form the photo but they do have the backward rake to the front of the axlebox.

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You can get those axleboxes and springs from AMF87. They're ex-Huet and cast in bronze... eye watering price but they're very nice castings and came through very quickly. I used the same ones for my ferry vans. It's not easy to see form the photo but they do have the backward rake to the front of the axlebox.

 

Hmm, they look very nice, but even before you add the postage and bank transfer charges they are expensive!

 

Progress tonight - fettle and fit the footsteps, drill holes for the buffers (Andy Hart's) and drill and mount the ventilators from Kuswa Modellbau - really nice plastic injection mouldings, but there is 6Euro's worth on the top of that wagon!

 

At that point I regard the body as done and ready for the paintshop.

 

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A quick coat of Halfords white primer went on about 10 minutes ago.

 

Jobs remaining

Clasp brakes (to order from MJT)

Springs and axleboxes (to order from MJT)

Vac and airbrake equipment - TBD.

Paint.

Apply transfers (on order).

 

Jon

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I had to swallow hard, but I still have an account over there so no bank charges and we got him to post to the MIL to save on the P & P as well.

 

 

I suppose MIL's have to have some sort of use :girldevil: ...

 

No photo's from me this evening - STEF is still in the shed at the bottom of the garden (paintshop), but has gained a coat of Halfords Ford diamond white - tomorrow should allow the roof and/or underframe to be painted, but after that I get stuck waiting for parts to arrive...

 

Jon

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Day 6, and no sign of the orders for transfers or castings, fo it seems likely the week will be exceeded unless two packets turn up in the post tomorrow - a leason to those thinking of building models on a tight timescale - make sure you have all the bits to hand.

 

Grey roof is a Revel tinlet, that I wasn't very impressed with (drying far too quickly to get a good finish) and it will need another coat, then a Humbrol matt black underframe.

 

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Jon

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On Tuesday I got home from work to discover a packet from MJT, which included clasp brake shoes and GWR swing link springs/axleboxes, so I soldered them to the W irons I already had, then gave them a quick spray of primer, glued them to the chassis, and painted them (and a few other bits of the underframe) black. I also added a representation of air brake gear using an MTK/NNK SR EMU EP cylinder, and a random Vac cylinder from my parts bin.

 

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Then today the postie delivered my Carpena Decals - just as well I bought both the STEF sheets, I felt the 'STEF', and 'Refrigerant' text is slightly bigger on the later (right hand) sheet, which helps disguise the HO scale a bit.

They are very nicely printed, and for the most part are grouped into wagon sets, which makes things quite straightforward, however they are rather thick, so they didn't settle into the groves between planks very well.

 

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The STEF was seperated into individual letters and spread to help mask the fact that it is HO, and to get across the central rib.

 

There was a set of lettering for a ferry wagon on the sheet, so I've used most of that, although I suspect the number may not match the wagon I have modelled, but I guess it's near enough.

 

I didn't notice the UIC numbers on the second sheet until I was well advanced into applying the older numbers, I don't think any of those are for a ferry van, and cutting up UIC numbers (and calculating the correct check-digit) is too much like hard work, I could have used a non-ferry UIC number from the later sheet, but even with a UIC number the reality is that these vans were withdrawn twenty years before my modelling period.

 

There are a couple of jobs remaining, the vac pipes that were also in the MJT packet have been painted and just need glueing on, however my superglue has gone off :( Label clips have been added since the photos were taken, and the wagon still needs a handbrake lever - but its so long that I can't imagine being able to adapt anything else, so I'll draw one up for etching, but will have to wait until have enough bits to make an entire sheet.

 

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Jon

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So a little bit of history about the prototype.

 

The French magazine Ferrovissime (issue 47 published April 2012) has a 3 page article on STEF ferry refrigerator vans, most of the info I have is from that article.

 

Here is the BR diagram from the Standard Ferry Vehicles diagram book.

 

post-336-0-22012700-1343478002.jpg

 

which is interesting because it shows only one ice compartment and no laders, later versions of Dia E143 shows ladders and ice compartments both ends, however I think this probably reflects that these are rebuilds of earlier wagons, and that there are several differences between them.

 

STEF was a subsidiary of SNCF responsible for managing the french temperature controlled wagon fleet.

 

These wagons were built in 1933, and spent the first twenty years of their existance in domestic services, however they were rebuilt by several different builders in the 1950's, the type I've modelled is probably one of those rebuilt by CGCEM in 1954 as an HIA.

 

In 1966 it would have been recoded into the UIC system as a Idfs and given a UIC number.

 

These were withdrawn c1970.

 

Jon

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  • 2 weeks later...

Very, very nice scratchbuild. Once you had soldered together the wheelset assemblys, what glue did you use to secure the brass to (presumably) the plastic floor?

 

F

 

p.s. The Brassmasters wheelbase spacing etch/jig seems a useful tool, what wheelbase spacings does it cover?

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Very, very nice scratchbuild. Once you had soldered together the wheelset assemblys, what glue did you use to secure the brass to (presumably) the plastic floor?p.s. The Brassmasters wheelbase spacing etch/jig seems a useful tool, what wheelbase spacings does it cover?
Superglue (yes it is a plastic floor)There are two brassmasters jigs, a short one, and this the long one, IIRC there are 0-22ft in 1ft intervals, and a +1'3" and +2'6" slot to allow further adjustment - although it appears I can't read the drawing and mine are nicely square but 2ft too far apart - never mind!

Where can I get some of your go faster modelling pills?

I'm a bit all-or-nothing, so once I get going I'm trying to keep the momentum up, otherwise it will be months before I pick up a tool.Jon

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  • 8 months later...
Fools rush in - I hope that I'm wrong!

 

But ..... surely the wheelbase of the model is longer than that shown on the diagram of the prototype?

 

The relationship between the outer edges of the doors and the wheel centres looks wrong.

 

If I am missing something, which I hope that I am, then ignore me!

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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But ..... surely the wheelbase of the model is longer than that shown on the diagram of the prototype?

 

The relationship between the outer edges of the doors and the wheel centres looks wrong..

 

Alas you are correct - I somehow added an extra 2ft into the wheelbase - which is probably OK because you are the first person to notice, and because it also keeps the footsteps from interfering with the spring hangers, but I didn't plan for it to be that way.

 

Jon

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