Nile's Mostly Freelance Bodging Bench - Pre-Grouping Locos

[Compound2632]

I know they may be way too expensive by the time they get shipped and vatted in the UK but https://www.archertransfers.com/ does resin cast bolt heads and rivets as waterslide transfers (US speak decals) in an amazing variety of sizes and rivet patterns.  I have used their products to simulate rivets on a number of HO US freight car projects and an oil tank for an SP steam engine conversion.

 

They are available from several UK suppliers.

[Nile]

I have the Micro-mark version which I used on my narrow gauge gun powder van, but they aren't ideal for this sort of job.

This is what it looks like with its top coat of Lufthansa blue.

[Nile]

With the body painting done I was able to paint and finally fit the w-iron units. To these have been added some axleboxes and springs (GWR) from 51L. The V hangers are the original Lima parts, added to and extended with various bits of plastic strip and rod. The brake levers are leftovers from Slater's Midland wagon kits, their shortness being just right here. Mains fuse for gas tank, rating not important.

[chuffinghell]

I like the use of the fuse, although I’d have to disagree with the importance of the fuse rating....3amp would be a preferred choice in this case

[Nile]

That's a shame as I have loads of 5A fuses.

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Cut up tent pegs are good for gas tanks, they give you weight as well.

 

manna

[Martin S-C]

A simple short length of plastic tube for the brake cylinder is a great idea too. I have just bought several sets of brass Dean brake cylinders, gas tanks and gear as etches from a well-known supplier when I realise I could have made what I needed out of scrap and spent the money on something useful like a couple of bottles of Saint-Émilion.

[Nile]

Quite right Martin, it all ends up painted black anyway.

A bit more scratch-building now as footsteps are needed below the doors. Some brass strip from the scraps box plus some brass rod, inserted into holes drilled into the floor.

 

The upper steps are 20thou plastic card glued to the underside of the body. Other bits added in this photo are door handles and couplings from Roxey, and buffers from 51L. The grab handles have been picked out with brass paint.

[Martin S-C]

I used to make my door handles out of bent brass wire but recently bought some brass turned ones from Comet/Wizard/51L and they are very sweet crisp little things and look so much better. It looks like you are using something similar Neil.

[Nile]

And now for some photos of the finished item. Apart from some pipes at the ends the main addition here is the roof, which now looks less like the site of major roadworks. Three torpedo vents and a lamp top are enough for me.

 

[Martin S-C]

What always struck me about these mouldings was how high up the lowest footstep is. Compared to your average RTR coach I wonder how a worker could shin up that huge first step!

 

e.g., this kitbash used the basic Ratio 4-wheeler ends:

 

[Nile]

That's the problem good thing about posting your work on rmweb, other people spot things you've missed. People may have been fitter 100 years ago, but they'd need very long legs to reach those steps. This simply will not do, so I've made some more steps from 20thou black plastic card. As an experiment I've stuck them on with Matt Medium, that avoids any glue showing up around them. They haven't fallen off yet.

 

That wasn't the only thing I'd missed. Inside there should be another internal partition at the end that the seat is fixed to. I'd forgotten about this and glued the seat to the end wall. Fortunately I hadn't used too much glue and was able remove the seat and add the partition, as below.

[chuffinghell]

If the stuff I did turned out half as good as yours I’d be a very happy man

[Nile]

Next : A brake van bash.

 

I've acquired a few of these Oxford Rail brake vans, excellent value even if you aren't modelling the GWR.

 

Removing the buffers releases the body and interior.

 

Leaving a useful 6 wheel chassis.

 

Now I just need a new body to put on this chassis. I happen to have a Parkside kit for a MR brake van that was going to be converted to a SECR version, but I used a 3d print instead. As the body is just the right length for this chassis I'm going to use this, with some modifications. I've made a start on the lower one in this photo.

[Compound2632]

Next : A brake van bash.

 

I've acquired a few of these Oxford Rail brake vans, excellent value even if you aren't modelling the GWR.

 

There are those who would assert that these models are of better value to non-GW modellers than GW modellers...

 

Looking forward to seeing how this shapes up The 6-wheel goods brake is an essential item if you want a pre-Grouping flavour.

[Martin S-C]

Quite right. When I saw the Oxfrod Rail 6-wheel brake van I thought "from the solebar down this has potential".

[uax6]

Whats the length and wheelbase of the chassis please Nile? I wonder if it could form a base for some HR road vans....

 

Andy G

[Nile]

Length = 78mm  (that's the chassis unit, i.e. the distance between the backs of the buffer beams)

wb = 21 + 21 mm

 

I seem to have started something.

 

 

 

[now corrected]

Edited December 18, 2018 by Nile

[sem34090]

Sadly it seems to be too long for an SECR brake...

 

And certainly too long for an LBSCR one too.

 

Did the LSWR have any six wheeled brakes?

[Compound2632]

As others have said above, these brake vans are really only good for conversion use. As soon as I saw them for the first time I immediately thought of doing a MR-esque 6 wheeler brake van.

DSC01294.JPG

I'll actually do it one day!

- Alex

 

The Midland 6-wheel brakes were 5'0" + 5'0" wheelbase and 18'1" over headstocks, whereas the final 4-wheel brakes with verandahs at both ends that became the first LMS standard design* were 20'0" over headstocks. If you can live with the error in wheelbase of 2 mm overall, you could probably get away with shortening the body sides by just removing a couple of planks either side of the centreline. You'd have to trim the Oxford underframe back about 4 mm and use the headstocks etc. from the Parkside kit - which would be no pain. On the other had, there's a brass and whitemetal kit from London Road Models (ex-D&S), though I still haven't finished mine. That's mostly due to having got hung up on lampirons. (No, not at street corners...)

[uax6]

Length = 178mm  (that's the chassis unit, i.e. the distance between the backs of the buffer beams)

wb = 21 + 21 mm

 

I seem to have started something.

 

So that's a 5'3" +5'3" wheelbase and 44.5' length?

 

I'm guessing the length is actually somewhere around 18 foot.

 

Sadly its a tad short in both wheelbase and length for HR use ;-(

 

Andy G

[BernardTPM]

If it's a 20 foot over headstocks design, then 78mm for the underframe excluding the headstocks sounds about right. I think the extra '1' is a mistype.

[Nile]

Correct Bernard, well spotted.

[Nile]

Body now assembled along with a new floor made from plastikard.

[Compound2632]

With the enlarged verandahs, this is going more-or-less* where the LMS went from the late Midland design, though retaining more Midland features.

 

*less = no duckets.