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TimC's 7mm Industrial Workbench - Ixion Fowler


TimC

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OK, its about time I put some effort into posting rather than enjoying others threads!

 

A while ago, Ruston of this parish had some art work done for some laser cut parts to make up a Ruston 88DS.  With his agreement, I duly acquired a set of parts from York Model Making.  After a suitable period of procrastination, I started and have got to the stage where I can see its probably going to come together so I will now share my efforts.  The tricky bit is forming the bonnet top but that is jumping the gun a little...

 

Also be warned I am a modeller who if it looks the part then I am generally happy.  There are some areas in this build where I have taken some liberties and my model is hence of a Ruston 88DSish.  

 

This is what you get from York Model Making a collection of parts, there are no instructions of course but its doesn't take long to work it out.  The laser cut parts cover the body except for the bonnet top and cab roof,  The chassis needs to be scratch built.  For the build I scaled a drawing to 7mm that appears in Ruston's book 'The Ruston Class 48DS and 88DS Locomotives' - an essential reference (the drawing was useful too  ;) )

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As there is no bonnet top, I started with the bonnet, no point in continuing if you can't get this done to your satisfaction.  I think Ruston had envisaged forming the top with a thin piece of pasticard or maybe brass but getting the curve right is quite difficult.  The radiator end is formed of a series of laminations.  I replaced one with plasticard with a hole in it so I could fit some mesh for the radiator front.  The laser etched parts are Romark (i think) which I find doesn't work as easily as plasticard.  

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My plan was to fill the top and form the profile by sanding it down.  Now the bonnet is very fragile as supplied so I added plasticard between the formers to make a base onto which I could put the filler and I also made up two strong removable plasticard squares to fit inside to give the structure strength while I (mis)handling it. 

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Then I started to fill and sand.  I used Daz modelling clay as the rough base and then Squadron white putty for the outer skin.  It took several sessions building it up and sanding it back.  I used nail emery sticks for sanding then resorting to very fine polishing sticks for the final finish.  Here is an early stage photo.

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While filling and sanding I protected the detail on the bonnet sides with masking tape, not shown above but essential for preserving the fine detail.

 

 

[i am going to break this into a series of threads, so stay tuned.....]

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The work on the bonnet took several sessions before I was happy with it.  I added some detail for the caps for the radiator and fuel tank and marked out the positions of the handrail knobs.  The fours sides of the cab are just balanced on to see what it looks like in the photo below.  The sides of the cab are made from three separate pieces, I added a piece of plasticard behind then to give them strength as butt joints probably wouldn't last with my hamfistedness...

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The buffer beams are three pieces laminated, I formed the distinctive cast fillets with yet more filler.  The buffer beams are not quite right, those that know the prototype will see what is missing but it'll do for me.  It is around this stage that I started to realise that the art work isn't quite 100% for size either, near enough for me but out a bit here and there.

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After drilling holes for buffers and coupling hooks I glued together the running plate, the buffer beams and the side frames. 

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You can never really tell what filling looks like until it gets a coat of primer.  Here I undid a few sessions of work by washing the bonnet prior to painting only to have a quite a bit of the putty go soft and fall off (it is very thin just above the bonnet doors/sides).  I also found that the surface finish of the Daz was quite rough where that had broken through to the bonnet top so it was back to the the putty and the nail boards....

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[There's more so stay tuned.....]

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Once I was satisfied with the bonnet then the body progressed quite quickly. Here though I made a boo boo.  I only had medium length hand rail knobs so I managed to source some short ones only then the glue in the medium ones to the bonnet top...Arghh!!!!  I'm not going near that filler with glue buster so they'll have to stay.  Once the bonnet is glued down to the running plate it is very rigid.  I had a bit of filling to do between the bonnet and the cab front too.  The chassis frames which are completely hidden also feature in the photo below.  The two sides are still soldered together as I've a few more holes to drill yet.  Door catches and a horn have been added and the lamp brackets on the bonnet front and rear of the cab are for spot lamps which will only be added once the model is painted.

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Now the laser cut parts had window frames but these were cut from inside the window apertures so the resulting windows are much too big.  I'm leaving this for the moment and I'll see what I can do when I get around to the glazing.  There is a bulge on this side of the bonnet side (it was for a donkey engine for air starting), this was made with some of the laser cut parts and yet more filler. 

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I have added lead to the inside of the bonnet and already the model has a good mass but I'm sure I can fit more in once the chassis is made and I know where it can go.

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So thats the 88DSish up to date.  Body wise I want to do the cab interior and I see my friend Jan (of this parish) has some very useful piccies in his gallery.  Then I need to think about the roof, the current plan there is to use nickel silver sheet. There are also cab steps to add and I have to make up some sort of representation of the axle boxes (another little challenge!).  Most 88DS have weights bolted onto the side of the frames below the running plate but not all - I guess mine might be one of the latter. 

 

However, I think that the chassis will take priority so hopefully before too long I'll have an update on its progress.

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That's looking good, Tim. You've got much further than I did! My first effort with the laser-cut parts I screwed up by using too much plastic weld on the thin plasticard bonnet top and my second effort, using 3D printed parts has gone in the bin after the parts became brittle and literally fell apart.

 

Seeing your progress with this makes me think I ought to have another go with another set of laser-cut parts and follow your lead with the bonnet top.

 

Keep up the good work!

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Thanks guys!

 

Jeff, yes 20 was an 88DS but it didn't have the cast buffer beam.  See http://www.flickr.com/photos/brian_trains/5055031310/in/faves-60080352@N06/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/12a_kingmoor_klickr/6270102569/in/faves-60080352@N06/

 

This 'thin' plate buffer beam is there on the ones with the cast ones too but it is the item missing in the artwork.  See in my pictures above how the buffer beam is the depth of the side frames where as the thin plate buffer extends below the side frames.  I didn't notice this until after I made up and glued together the running plate, side frames and buffer beams.  You could fashion them out of plasticard easily enough though.

 

The horn is a Maygib turning, you get two in a pack, a long one and a short one.  The short one went on my 48DS, this long one is a bit big but the workshop apprentices fitted it for a laugh :jester: .

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The chassis is now coming along nicely.  

 

I've used some Premier frame spacers, the bolts are not seen so I will lock those in place but i have soldered some strip outside the two end spacers too so the chassis is quite rigid.  The wheels are Slaters 3'1" plain discs, a little oversize but near enough, I did consider lowmac disc wheels too but these were too small.  An advantage of using wagon wheels is that they are 1/8th axle so I can use a High Level gearbox (nominally for 4mm scale) and I have ordered a 108:1 Loadhauler to go with a Mashima 1426 that I already had.  I will use delrin chain between the axles to give all wheel drive (my 48DS is single axle drive and can only manage 4 wagons - not that the 88DS is likely to see too many more than that!).  The axle under the cab end will be compensated.  I've used London Road Model hornblocks but I need to think about how I am going to pivot the axle.  I normally like the axle to run in a tube and pivot the tube but I have the delrin sprocket to consider here.

 

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Thankfully, despite making all the measurements on the fly, as I marked up the chassis for drilling, I managed to get the correct ride height for the buffers.

 

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Can't wait now until the gearbox arrives.....

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  • 3 weeks later...
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The chassis is now ready for testing down at the next Avon Gauge O Group meeting the week after next.

 

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The High Level Gearbox runs a treat (they always do), The motor sits on a blob of blue-tac and a piece of bent wire keeps it there.

 

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I needed shim washers to eliminate side play on the axles.  Thankfully, the delrin chain is just right - not too tight and no real sag - that was more luck than judgement.

 

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The pivot for the compensated axle is just a piece of round brass bar soldered at the correct height across the frames to give a level chassis.  A spot of oil helps lubricate the contact point with the axle.  A marker pen was used to blacken the outside of the frames but these cannot be seen once the body is on so it probably wasn't necessary.

 

Once I'm happy with the on-track running then I'll add the brake gear, sand pipes and tidy up the pick up wires (I think I have got it going the right way... that's what the B&R refers to on the spacer in the top photo - Blue/Red wires). 

 

I've been putting off the cab interior in the hope of finding something better than just bent wire for the control levers.  No luck so far but maybe I'll find something suitable at Reading next weekend.

 

 

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Ruston - Thanks! Was that the Ghia model you have drawn - the one with the heater!

 

Gordon - The wooden structure is a half(ish) width tool box/seat. See this picture from Halfwit's Gallery http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/22848-ruston-41243157-at-rowsley-october-2010/

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Hi Ruston, that's lovely, do you happen to have similar for a DE165 0-6-0, (Ex WR PWM65X) class 9765x? Either type will do, 97650, or 97651-4.

 

Also, have you heard from York Modelling yet any prices for the 48DS?

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I wonder if anyone else would like the Judith Edge Ruston DE165, the ex WR PWM, class 97/65x, done as 7mm?

 

I e-mailed him, but nothing as yet?

 

But I'm sure it would sell, they ran on BR(WR) for YEARS.

Every WR layout could have one: Cardiff Canton certainly needs one, it looked after the one based at Radyr. (PWM651/97651, iirc)

 

Plus almost all carried THREE liveries, the last of which was engineer's warning yellow.

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The only one we do is PWM650, which didn't get yellow livery (it's still in the remains of the BR blue). It is in the list of transfer to 7mm scale but the two chain drive locos (48DS and 88DSwill probably appear first. I have just finished the drawings for the test etch of the 48, this should be under way in January. All work on chain drive loco kits stopped while the delrin chain was unavailable but all seems OK now.

Michael Edge

Judith Edge kits

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  • 4 months later...
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Well its been a while.....

 

The 88DS got put on the shelf while I pondered how to do a reasonable job on the axleboxes and a representation of the cab controls/levers.

 

Over the past few months, I've started dabbling in O14 narrow gauge and took an interest in some of the 3D printed bodies available from Shapeways.  This is an O&K LD2.

 

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Now it needed a chassis so I taught myself how to use Blender (I can already hear the howls from the CAD savvy RMwebbers!) and produced the necessary 3D model to have a simple block 3D printed that makes up into this (pulleys, belt and gears are from Nigel Lawton, wheels are Gibson EM lowmac).

 

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I've done several designs now for different bodies and wheelbases and to my last order I added some bits for the 88DS, namely the axleboxes and the some control levers.

 

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The axleboxes look the part but probably don't bare checking with against the prototype with a vernier.  Try as I might, my old digital camera just wouldn't get a good focus on the translucent FUD axlebox but this gives you the idea.

 

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I've added some wire to represent the torsion bars (?).  The chassis side frames are quite thick and they are set back a bit too far to my eye but they'll do.  I've added some guard irons and I did make some cab steps just after Christmas - can I find them? - so I'll have to make another set (and then no doubt the originals will reveal themselves). 

 

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I settled for just modelling the main levers for the cab controls, I've added some wire to link them - hopefully, I've not got the throttle fully open with the brakes on but It wouldn't surprise me.  I had a sanding lever unit too but this pinged off in the direction of the log basket....  The brake standard is a brass spare from a kit supplier that I picked up at Bristol GOG show back in January.  The driver is from Heroes of the Footplate.

 

So not too far off now, the cab roof and the glazing units (hand cut flush ones) are next on the list and then I'll have to knock up another set of steps before thinking about getting some paint out. 

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  • 4 months later...
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Just getting back into the swing of modelling again after the summer.  The 88DS is all but there now, just some coupling links, a dcc chip to fit and maybe the little bit more weathering to go.

 

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It is painted with Railmatch acrylic SR light olive green.  I had to find another driver as the original was too tall to fit in the cab (Omen Miniatures do a few 1:48 figures and their man 'F6' was just the job).  The spot lamps are lenses from Little Cars.  Weathering is mainly with powders plus a bit of airbrushing to bring it all together.

 

Overall, I've enjoyed building the loco, it will not bear too much close inspection or comparison to a scale drawing of an 88DS but It looks the part and runs nicely so 'all good' in my book.

 

While the weather has been good for spraying and having seen Chaz's Ixion Fowler (as 'modified' by EDM Models) on Dock Green at Telford I've already got the next project on the bench - its actually BR maroon - the colour in the photo is a bit off under the living room's halogen lighting.  Hopefully, this'll be a quickie (famous last words....).

 

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