Frappingtons workbench - Sharp Stewart Long Boiler 0-6-0, Take 2!

[Frappington Jct]

Thanks

[hornbyandbf3fan]

It looks great

[Frappington Jct]

Time for an update! I've finished the repaint of the corridor coach from the last page, but as the newly painted side looks no different to the one I posted about before, I won't put pics up unless someone wants them. The main point of this post however is that the sentinel has been through the paint shops and is now just waiting on transfers and windows (though more about that later...) cosmetics wise (mechanically it still needs a motor bogie.) In turns of the paint scheme, I sort of based in partially on guesswork, partially on the railcars LNER livery and partially on the early BR livery carried by the GWR diesel railcars. The one main point where I was unsure was around the funnel. In photos, the surrounding roof appears to be the same colour as the chimney - or at least very similar. However, taking into account weathering, black and white photos and the fact that all the photos are in LNER livery I wasn't really sure. In the end I went with what you see below - standard carriage grey for most of the roof, and then black for the chimney and surrounding roof. This is done partially out of laziness as after the chimney is glued down and in situ it's rather awkward to paint without painting the surrounding roof and vice versa.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the big cosmetic thing still left to do is the windows. Looking at photos of the railcars in service, you'll see that the window frames are rather spindly. This provides a bit of a problem to the modeller. The most obvious way to do it is with thin plasticard strips, but then that would be a.) rather fiddly and b.) the glazing would be far from flush. However, my approach is slightly different and involves overhead projector film. The idea is that you print the window frames directly onto the glazing, making it flush! Simples! I haven't got a picture of this, as I haven't started, but when I do I'll take some pics. Anyway, enjoy the below pictures of the painted railcar

Edited February 10, 2015 by Frappington Jct

[Twright]

Good work, I look forward to seeing your idea for the windows

[Frappington Jct]

Thanks

[Frappington Jct]

So, an update on the Sentinel. I hadn't realized that I hadn't posted here since February until yesterday, but then again I have been working on my two challenge entries, so I have an excuse. Since February, I have managed to get one side of windows done, though not using the method I outlined above. In fact, I used the method that I said I wouldn't use, and built the frames from scratch. However, it was such a tedious job, that I didn't relish doing the other side at the time, and then forgot to post an update. I won't go into how they were built, as it's quite obvious from the photos.

 

 

The other major development has been the purchase and fitment of a Black Beetle motor bogie, which allowed me to watch it run for the first time under its own power last night, on my Grandads "Granby" layout. It was very easy to install, I simply cut a hole in the chassis, cut a rectangle of 60 thou. plasticard to mount it on, mounted it and let it run. Again, I'll let the pictures (and video) do the talking.

 

 

https://youtu.be/3tohdhMpEMs

 

 

 

[Twright]

Very nice, the window bars look very good, however boring it may have been.

[Frappington Jct]

Thanks, I'm quite pleased with how they came out

[Frappington Jct]

Rather than a railcar update, I've jumped back momentarily to the Stirling Single. Essentially, after a visit to Taunton MRE on Saturday I had a fresh supply of coal and some Deluxe Materials "Glue'n'Glaze", which were actually deemed for various other projects, but I decided that I could also find use for them here. Thus, I have now put real coal in the tender, glazed the spectacle plates and also replaced the coupling on the tender with a small tension lock.

[Twright]

Very nice

[Guest]

Really does look the part now! Well done on such good work.

[Frappington Jct]

Cheers both

[Frappington Jct]

Wow, it's been ages since I've posted anything here - and to be honest, it's because I haven't done much! The only real progress is that I've finished the windows on the sentinel, and the project has now stalled because I can't work out what to do with the glazing.

 

But anyway, I've got a new little project now - it hopefully promises to be a bit quicker than the railcar! Essentially, using my meagre annual bonus, I've bought an Electrotren 0-6-0 saddle tank (it had to come all the way from Spain!) and intend to anglisce it into a freelance Sharp-Stewart loco.

 

 

 

I have seen other people doing similar conversions, but normally representing a TVR prototype or simply using the chassis under something else. I wanted to do something a bit different, so am planning to make a fictional model based loosely on some of the traditional Sharp-Stewart inside cylinder saddle tanks from the late Victorian era. Obviously it won't be accurate or to scale, but I'd like there to be a passing resemblance. The one main difference between my model and most of the UK prototypes will be that mine is looking like it will have to have outside cylinders. I had hoped to be able to reverse the chassis, thus giving better looking wheel spacing. However, having had a bit of a play now I have the model, and I don't think it will be feasible. The chassis won't fit if you simply rotate it, if I were to enlarge the space then I'd lose part of the bodywork, and if I were to simply remove the cylinders and leave the chassis as is then I don't think it will look right.

 

The other mods which will happen will be the moving of the dome to closer to the chimney (and thus filling in the hole it left); removing the coal bunker; remodelling and shortening the cab; filling the gap left by the shortening of the cab with a representation of the boiler and lower cab extensions; on top of which new safety valves will sit; new, chunkier buffers; a new whistle and possibly some tool boxes.

 

So far, all I've done is disassemble the loco and test-fitted the dome in its new position (although since I took the photo I've changed my mind slightly and I think it'll sit further forward), and that's how it'll stay until this weekend, when a trip to Ally Pally should yield all the bits I need.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2017 by Frappington Jct

[Frappington Jct]

So, as ever, it's been a while since I've updated this thread - partially due to forgetfullness and partially due to me returning to uni. The Sharpish Stewart (working title!) has gone through I think 2 different iterations but has now reached a stage where I think I'm happy with it. Originally I was intending to use the original cab in a much cut down form, with a small section of exposed boiler, thus vaguely replicating UK prototypes such as the long-boilered locos used by the Brecon and Merthyr Railway or the NCB at Chasetown (?). However, much like the idea of reversing the chassis this had to be scrapped, although in this case it did get to the assembly stage. I decided that the cab was simply too small and the logistics of creating the exposed boiler was probably beyond my capabilities. As a consequence I decided to create something more along the lines of the Taff Vale locos, using the cab from a Dapol L&YR 'Pug' kit. I have differed from those TVR locos by not including a full rear bunker, rather a small coal container within the cab, reasoning that this is an industrial loco which doesn't need a huge range. The loco has also gained a safety valve from, I think, a Dean Sidings GCR L1 kit. I hope the photos below convey a sense of how the loco looks, although the camera makes the primed surface look a lot worse than it actually is! The one issue is that there is a gap between the cab and the boiler, which annoyingly I didn't notice until I'd cut the cab down to size. Again the camera makes it look worse than it is, and I'm relatively confident that once painted and weathered it will be barely necessary. Aside from that, the addition of cab steps and painting etc., the loco's just about done; although it won't be finished until Christmas at the earliest as I return to uni again tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

[Frappington Jct]

So, whilst work on the Sharpish Stewart did continue at Christmas (and over Easter as well for that matter), I both forgot to take any photos and update this thread, so once again there's been a rather long gap between posts! Excitingly however, the loco is now finished - not that there was a lot for me to do to get it to ths point! Essentially, all that was left to do was to paint and name the loco and add a crew. I umm-ed and ahhh-ed for a while as to what livery I wanted to adorn the loco, and eventually decided to go for a Furness Railway style crimson. In the end, it turned out the paint I'd bought was just a little bit pinker than the finish I was originally looking for, but I quite like it and as it's very much a freelance industrial it's not like it needed to be a specific colour anyway. Add to that a couple of coats of varnish, a Narrow Planet nameplate and a random set of crew from the spares box, and the newly christened "Chimera" is complete - for now at least.

 

It's pretty basic as a model and doesn't stand up to close inspection or comparison with the current crop of rtr industrials (the all seeing gaze of the camera doesn't help either!) There's no glazing, no handrails, no buffer beam detail, no works plate etc.; for now at least. With the exception of the works plate and the basic buffer beam detail, both of which are really only waiting for me to have an excuse to make a bigger order with respective suppliers, the outstanding jobs are ones which I'm not 100% confident that I will be able to complete without ruining a loco that I've become rather fond of. Furthermore, from a distance their absence isn't really that noticeable, to me anyway. They will probably be added in the future, but are very much long term goals! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Chimera' has now taken up residence in the display cabinet alongside my beautifully weathered Peckett W4 'Pegasus' (all credit to Grimy Times!) and my original bodge - BR Stirling Single 'Phoenix'. Can you spot the emerging naming theme? As mentioned above, from a normal viewing distance I don't think 'Chimera' looks too out of place alongside it's red box companion and certainly doesn't detract from the overall effect of the display. 

 

 

 

So, what next? Truth be told, I have no idea and little money to fund anything. At some point I will get round to finishing the railcar (it STILL needs glazing, an interior and a new bogie frame for the power bogie), but maybe some progress will be seen over the summer...

Edited July 1, 2018 by Frappington Jct

[Frappington Jct]

Just noticed this one page of the thread transcends 4 years worth of modelling - shows how fast I work doesn't it!   

 

Anyway, time for a new project!

 

'Not Harvey' from a 'Not Percy', or an approximation of a Dubs Crane Tank

 

I got some cash back off my rent not too long ago, and decided to take a plunge into the world of 3D printed models*! My chosen subject was a crane tank approximating the Dubs product currently resident on the Foxfield Railway - an engine I saw whilst at the steam gala earlier this year. 

 

 

 

I'm genuinely really pleased with the body as delivered - I was a bit sceptical beforehand as I'd heard stories about poor quality prints, but it's pretty smooth and the only bits that didn't print properly were the overly large coupling hooks, which I would have replaced anyway. Also, considering the body is technically meant to be representing a TTTE character (Harvey the crane engine) it doesn't look too far off the real life prototype - any major differences are of such a size that they should be easy to hide or could be passed off as 'design evolution'. The one big thing it's missing is the running gear for the crane (Harvey doesn't have it on TV show so I assume that's why the model doesn't, although it would be very hard to print to an acceptable quality), so I'm going to have to attempt to build it. I have some ideas for some parts of this, though other contributions would be very welcome!

 

 

 

The crane itself is a separate print and requires attachment to the body - I'll probably leave that until after everything is painted etc, as I'm not sure I'll be able to get it off again which would make painting it properly difficult.

 

 

The body was described as fitting the Bachmann Percy chassis (which I've substituted out for the Bachmann Junior 0-4-0 which is just Percy without a face) although I am yet to properly work out how to dismantle it, and when I do it's going to need rebuilding/cannibalising as it is stupidly over-engineered and the chassis doesn't come free in one piece, rather everything is integrated into one unit. I didn't know this until this evening... If it all goes a bit wrong I'm pretty sure I have a Hornby pug chassis spare somewhere, though that is a lot less delicate and may not fit in the body.

 

 

That's all for now, I can't do anymore until I get home from uni for Christmas but I'm hopeful it will be quite a quick one once it gets going. Lets see if I can manage that this time! 

 

*I'm justifying leaving this on this thread rather than making one in the 3D print sub-forum because it still uses an rtr chassis, and to be honest I think the chassis is going to need just as much if not more work than the body!

[Dave John]

Interesting. Technically I couldn't justify a Dubs crane tank but rule 1 and all that . 

 

Just an aside, The land on which Dubs built their factory was clay rich, so they built a brickworks and made their own bricks to build the loco works. 

 

Or you could go mad like I did and make the crane work ..... 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_john/8035090191/in/photostream/

[Nick C]

I used the Percy chassis under a model of the Southampton docks 'Ironside' - if I remember correctly, you undo a couple of clips underneath to separate the body from the footplate. The keeper plate unscrews to allow the wheels and rods to drop out, then a couple of screws on top of the footplate hold the chassis in, it then comes out upwards. I can't remember if the cylinders were integral to the footplate though.

[PenrithBeacon]

Could you please offer a link to this body ?

[Corbs]

Very interested in this! May I ask if you have a link to where you bought the 3D print from?

[Frappington Jct]

Interesting. Technically I couldn't justify a Dubs crane tank but rule 1 and all that . 

 

Just an aside, The land on which Dubs built their factory was clay rich, so they built a brickworks and made their own bricks to build the loco works. 

 

Or you could go mad like I did and make the crane work ..... 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_john/8035090191/in/photostream/

 

I'm pretty sure the crane should spin, but the design of the crane means it's not possible to make the chain raise/lower. As an aside, where did you get the chain/hook on your model from? Did it come with the kit or did you get it elsewhere?

 

I used the Percy chassis under a model of the Southampton docks 'Ironside' - if I remember correctly, you undo a couple of clips underneath to separate the body from the footplate. The keeper plate unscrews to allow the wheels and rods to drop out, then a couple of screws on top of the footplate hold the chassis in, it then comes out upwards. I can't remember if the cylinders were integral to the footplate though.

 

Great, thanks! That makes sense, I'll have a go at getting the chassis out when I get home at Xmas

 

Could you please offer a link to this body ?

 

 

Very interested in this! May I ask if you have a link to where you bought the 3D print from?

 

Certainly. It comes in two parts - body and miscellaneous details (cog and hook - not necessary if you want to source them elsewhere)

 

Body - https://www.shapeways.com/product/2WURSECZA/oo-0-4-0t-railway-crane-body?optionId=64413752&li=marketplace

 

Details - https://www.shapeways.com/product/VSFGU5WJQ/crane-engine-details?optionId=64413773

[Dave John]

The hook was from an etch of early coaches and was for the end of a safety chain. The ball is a split shot fishing weight. 

[PenrithBeacon]

I'm pretty sure the crane should spin, but the design of the crane means it's not possible to make the chain raise/lower. As an aside, where did you get the chain/hook on your model from? Did it come with the kit or did you get it elsewhere?

 

 

Great, thanks! That makes sense, I'll have a go at getting the chassis out when I get home at Xmas

 

 

 

 

Certainly. It comes in two parts - body and miscellaneous details (cog and hook - not necessary if you want to source them elsewhere)

 

Body - https://www.shapeways.com/product/2WURSECZA/oo-0-4-0t-railway-crane-body?optionId=64413752&li=marketplace

 

Details - https://www.shapeways.com/product/VSFGU5WJQ/crane-engine-details?optionId=64413773

A pity the body isn't available in FUD or whatever the latest acronym is.

[Nile]

You could try asking the designer to make available in whatever FUD is now, I don't see any obvious reason it wont work in that material. The clip holding the crane arm might be a bit fragile, not a major problem to fix if it breaks.

[PenrithBeacon]

You could try asking the designer to make available in whatever FUD is now, I don't see any obvious reason it wont work in that material. The clip holding the crane arm might be a bit fragile, not a major problem to fix if it breaks.

Great idea! I've asked the question.