West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

Southern cattle wagon - identified as an MSE kit, for ex-LSWR diagram 1501 or 1502. I'm going to do this one for Grantham as it'll make something of a contrast to the LNER and constituent ones we mainly run; 3'6" wheels, 11' wheelbase, lettering layout quite different (the Southern seemed to put the numbers and information on the ends rather than the sides). I used as many of the original castings as were present. The lifting link brake lever was horribly fragile and broke in several places when being soldered. The other side is a 51L replacement.

 

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

Something a little different - I've been working on a small diorama for Ormesby Hall.  I picked up a wagon body for an LSWR van with open door from Gramodels (ref. 00415) some time ago - probably some years ago - and the urge just took me to complete it.  I took most of the idea from Paul Gallon who did something similar on one of his layouts.  Here it's 95% complete - I need to obtain some buffers from David Geen.

 

Apologies for the mobile phone quality photo, but there's no room to get a camera between this and the back of the layout (it faces backwards and is viewed using a mirror).

 

 

The workmen are Monty's, the bathtubs and mangles Langley and the ladder left over from a signal ladder from MSE.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

Been off on a little diversion the last ten days or so - not for me, I hasten to add - building a pair of Collett corridor composites.  Rather nice looking carriages I thought when they went together.

 

This is a diagram E128 of 1926 (ish - I'm still a bit hazy on all this):

 

 

 

This one a diagram E152 of 1935:

 

 

 

Both from Comet kits and went together very nicely.   Now in primer and hardening off ready for painting sometime next week.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[malcolmrhine]

El Presidente has gone to sit in a dark corner until the tremors pass!

[jwealleans]

Is that my coaches, or just his age?

 

Edit - and remind him not to forget my bacon butty.

Edited May 20, 2016 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

Been a few odd jobs over the bench this week. It's been too cold and damp to do much painting, so I've tried to get through a few of the little jobs which clutter up the workshop.

 

 

This LSWR PBV from Ormesby had been dropped. You can see the currently unpainted replacement buffer, the now reattached running gear and possibly the missing representation of the spring on the center axle. The underframe was 3 W-irons soldered along the length of some .5mm wire (apparently this was an early attempt at compensation, or at least a certain amount of flexibility. This had simply been unglued by the shock and so was just tacked back on. The body had cracked at the other side, which I've sorted by flooding the crack with MEK and now just needs me to match the paint more closely. The end is brown, not black - is that correct? I hadn't noticed until I went to repaint the new buffer.

 

 

This tricomposite was running poorly and has had the bogies replaced with MJT ones. That has also meant new wheels, but now runs really well. The old bogies are used as cosmetic sides on the MJT units which leaves them slightly overwidth, but it's not visible from the side.

 

 

This was an Ebay buy which turned out to have been assembled with Araldite and a trowel. The sides had also been wrongly bent up and it's been a struggle getting them to the right height. It's now been soldered together but needs vac gear and battery boxes fitting. It was built with gas lighting and westinghouse brakes only, but I'll finish it as one of the examples cascaded to the GE section for use on Wickham Market, which means electric lighting and vacuum gear. Fortunately I have another of these in kit form which had the layout of the fittings in the instructions.

 

 

Wagons almost done - LMS glass has had the chains added and the SR cattle wagon has been lettered.

 

 

 

Finally a Hornby J15 I'm weathering up for a colleague in Ely club. Renumbered to 65476 and working towards the condition shown in the several colour photos of her in the last days of steam in the GE section. Still some work to do but I think we're getting there.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

For anyone who doesn't follow the Grantham thread, we had a running weekend just gone. The C7 was trialled on the Sunday and seems to have been approved for use.

 

 

For anyone not familiar with it, there's a lovely picture of 706 just moving onto or off the turntable at Grantham in this book which is a bit of a lost treasure. The portrait of a C1 on the inside cover is worth the price alone. But buy a copy from your local independent bookseller. The shot above (courtesy Graham Nicholas) is intended to mirror that picture which was one of my principal sources for the refurbishment.

 

For anyone who missed it when I reposted it last year, this is the loco's former condition:

 

 

So, as you'd expect, some repairs and finishing off to do after the weekend but those are to one side in favour of a short self contained project this week. Arthur Kimber and I had been in touch regarding some etches I found out that he had for an NER Special Cattle Van. The motivation being a picture in this book of one being horse shunted at Grantham during the 1930s. Arthur has had another look at the etches and asked me if I'd do a test build for him. He also kindly agreed that I could post about it.

 

I collected the etches from the post office yesterday morning after they failed to deliver on Saturday.

 

 

There are two variants, the NER build and the LNER build just after Grouping. The difference seems to be in the extra vents at the bottom of each side in the LNER version. Those are the etches shown above.

 

Roger Chivers has had a hand in the evolution of this kit and his style is very much present in the fold up design. Once you have the overlays which need to go inside attached, you very quickly have a basic body shell. This was after about an hour and a half.

 

 

After that it's a small step to make it run. The design incorporates springing on a similar principle to Bill Bedford, which I find makes a very free running vehicle. By the end of the evening it was hurtling up and down the test track.

 

 

 

These are only etches and so I'll need to source castings (mainly from 51L, I imagine) but so far I'm very pleased with it and what faults I've found have been minor and easily rectified.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[micklner]

This one ? One of my favourite photos ! . Is Arthur selling these etches ? 

 

 

 

[jwealleans]

That's the one and yes, I think that's the plan. I have etches for both, so I'll be putting the NER one together next.

Edited June 14, 2016 by jwealleans

[trw1089]

That C7 looks a right picture Jonathan, beautiful work as always.

[micklner]

That's the one and yes, I think that's the plan. I have etches for both, so I'll be putting the NER one together next.

 

Thanks that makes the picture a NER version then ? , never seen any other photos of either version.  Thanks.

[jwealleans]

That is indeed the NER one - no louvres low down in the sides of the cattle compartment. There is a photo of the LNER one in the blue Historic Carriage Drawings book, about page 95, along with drawings of both.

I have a feeling there's a picture in North Eastern Record Volume 2 as well.

[ArthurK]

These special cattle boxes were indeed the work of Roger Chivers. He decided not to proceed with these and passed the artwork to me. The only basic changes that I made to these were to replace the fixed/rocking axles with a sprung system. Roger thought the these kits looked rather 'flat' which was the main reason that they were not released. Looking at the photo I had to agree with this and I have attempted to add more depth by adding a half etched layer above the recessed panels to push them further back. The strapping being all half etched also looks a bit feeble and have added an under layer to these. I am not sure if Jonathan intends to use these. I will leave that to his judgement. 

 

This project was funded by a client who saw the original etches at Scaleforum North a two(or was it three) years ago. I would need his approval to proceed with further sales.

 

If there are those who would like these the please get in touch.  I am sure that we can come to some arrangement.

 

ArthurK

[jwealleans]

Soldering is complete on the LNER vehicle.  I apply strapping with superglue, not owning an RSU.  There are also bits of plastic required for such as endposts, so the soldering iron is a bad idea.

 

 

While that dried after a thorough wash, I started the NER diagram (D 242).  This goes together on exactly the same lines and equally quickly.

 

 

 

Castings were ordered from Wizard Models last night.  Slightly disappointed not to find them on the mat this morning.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[Steve Taylor]

Definitely interested in these. Looking at the period picture, I'd say the majority of the depth required is on the sides is in the strapping, The louvres are accentuated in that view by both the angle of the shot and the ambient lighting making the relief appear deeper than it probably was.

[Paul Cram]

I'm also interested in them, both the NER and the LNER versions.

[MarkC]

Definitely interested too, Arthur, particularly the NER one

[jwealleans]

NER cattle van now soldered up and also awaiting castings. There were a few tiny niggles with this one as well but nothing major. The principal note I made was that the holes for the eaves doorstops hadn't been etched in. After taking the picture I checked drawing and photos, decided that they needed to be present and spent all of 10 minutes this morning drilling holes and adding them. I did also realise last night that I've got the solebars on the wrong way round - there's a small recess for the steps which is at the other end on both sides.

 

 

 

Both now at the same stage - three good evenings' work. If I'd had the castings to hand, they could have been well on the way to finished now. It would be nice if every kit went together this well.

 

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

That top man Andrew Hartshorne came up with the castings in yesterday's post, so we were able to press on with nary a pause.

 

For future reference if anyone is looking to go by this same route, i used the following:

 

NERC053 NER carriage vacuum cylinders, reservoirs and levers (1 pack will do both vehicles)

NERC007 NER no. 1D J-hanger oil axleguards

NERC021 NER post-1918 ribbed wagon buffers with blackened steel heads

 

These are the buffers for the LNER build, which are about 1mm too short. Mike Trice has done a set at the correct length which can be found in his Shapeways shop.

 

For the NER build I've used NERC028 NER 4-bolt fitted wagon buffers with blackened steel heads.

 

The axleguards need some material trimming off the top and the backs thinning, but then they tuck nicely between solebar and suspension unit and you can flash a bit of low melt in behind them and hold them in place.

 

The strapping is a fiddle - I could only do one side before my eyes started to feel it - but it always is. Concerned with the perceived lack of relief on the sides, I added the bump stop for the drovers door. The double thickness strapping seems to work well, I thought. The bottom hinge is made up of 20 x 30 Evergreen shaped to a half round. That is the same width as the etched timber behind it, but it looks a bit weedy so i may try 30 x 40 on the other one.

 

 

There are a couple of door bumpers missing from the drop door and I'll probably add some small chains as well, but this side is essentially complete. End posts from 60 x 60 Evergreen next, filed to a taper and then we can get on with the end detailing and the other side.

 

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

This may be the last cattle van update for a few days: the LNER van is all but ready for spraying. The roof can't be fitted until it's glazed.

 

 

NER van also well on the way, but we've found some missing items on the etch so it's stopped until I receive them.

 

 

Arthur is reworking the etches so I expect all those who order the revised version to finish these much more quickly than me.

 

On its way off the bench - and I was going to photograph this outside, but the weather here in the north east is awful again this afternoon - a Bachmann WD for one of my friends at Ormesby Hall.

 

 

 

Finally, while I was in the mood, a mystery kit. This came to me from John Houlden when he sold off his 4mm stock. It is just a body etch, very basic, instructions written by someone for whom English wasn't a first language and no clue as to the author or origin. There were two in the lot I bought, the other being a banana van.

 

 

I did start a thread to enquire on here but had no joy. John thinks he bought it from 247 Developments, but Gary can't help me either. Anyway, it looked the kind of thing I was in the mood to do, so the body was soldered up - I ignored most of the internal reinforcement as they seemed mainly to be for people who wanted to glue it together - and then a chassis made up of Paxolin. Bill Bedford sprung units and Mainly Trains brake gear and it's well on the way.

 

 

I'd still like to know the origin of the kit if anyone has an idea.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[Neil Aust]

Hi Arthur

 

Would be interested in a kit for the NER cattle wagon

 

Regards

 

Neil

[jwealleans]

I'm sure Arthur will pick them all up, but requests for the kit are probably best made by PM or on Arthur's kit thread.

[jwealleans]

Having a day off is definitely A Good Thing. Cattle Vans now complete, bar the shouting. I see there's a little roof touching up to do and they need couplings.

 

 

 

I know Arthur's immersed in the drawings at the moment, but they will be worth it. I shall be running these on Grantham if anyone comes to see it at a show and would like a closer look.

 

65476 now complete with fire irons and electrification flashes. The owner will add crew and coal.

 

 

 

Also complete bar weathering in due course and destined for Ormesby Hall, a D & S LSWR open

 

 

... and the Maple Models brake van.

 

 

This should have had a lot more detail, but the resin is so brittle that I was doing more damage than good every time I touched it. In the end I painted it as it was and that's how it will have to stay.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

Tonight I went back to one or two outstanding items.

 

The refrigerated van, I have concluded, was shot down from 7mm etches. The strapping was awful, far too thin and overetched and the end ladders disintegrated when I tried to cut them out of the etch. I've made replacement strapping from Evergreen strip and will order replacement ladders from MSE then ext time I have an order for them. For the moment, then, this goes in the 'awaiting parts' road.

 

 

A longtime lurker in the same road is a GN D 303 XBV, built in january 2014. It's been waiting for axleboxes and buffers which, thanks to Mike Trice, we can now obtain. I had to remove the lower stepboards to get it all to fit together, but it was stuck back together and painted tonight. Here is the underframe in primer so the printed parts are more easily seen:

 

 

Here later tonight, painted and with the body posed on top.

 

 

This is required for iteration 1 of teak set 5 on Grantham. Now it is almost complete we can look to form that train correctly. I should also mention that if you're going to build your 1938 demonstration train to go with your Stirling Single then you'll need two of these. BCK0429 from Bill Bedford.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

Another job almost complete, the two GW brake compos we haven't seen for a page or two. I had a deal of trouble with the lining on these as the HMRS Pressfix I used pulled off and rolled up badly. It's the first time I've really had a problem with Pressfix transfers but they were very poor. In the end I went to Modelmaster and I'm much happier with the result. Just don't run a ruler along them.

 

 

 

Part of the last train formation for Grantham is an unusual Great Northern brake composite, diagram 218BB. It's unusual in that it has two coupe compartments, one each First and Third. You can see the Third on the extreme left, next to the lav, while the first is near the middle, between the Third and First class complete compartments. This is one of Bill's kits and tonight's work has mainly been about making up the sides, fitting droplights, bending and adding a strip along the top of the sides for the MJT roof to adhere to.

 

Edited July 12, 2018 by jwealleans