MikeTrice Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 1 hour ago, jwealleans said: 62 is used for the painted teak bits like steel solebars, wheel centres, duckets and so on. Rightly or wrongly, what made my mind up was the fact that when i used it and looked at the finished vehicles, it looked just like the colour the LNERCA use up at Grosmont. The LNERCA have over the years found traces of original paint when stripping vehicles down. Humbrol 62 is a very close match to the colour they use hence my adoption and recommendation of it. 2 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chas Levin Posted June 14, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 14, 2020 1 hour ago, MikeTrice said: The LNERCA have over the years found traces of original paint when stripping vehicles down. Humbrol 62 is a very close match to the colour they use hence my adoption and recommendation of it. Thanks Mike, I didn't know this either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jwealleans Posted June 16, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 16, 2020 Couple of weeks' worth of updates from me, I've been a bit slack in keeping up with myself. This was last weekend, but it's always a big step forward when a new loco moves under its own power, even if it doesn't get anywhere. Not much more progress on the J6 since either although I have added more to the tender and added brake linkages to the other one. The isinglass BTL is pretty much complete - a bit of touching up to the cornices and on the ends and it's there. I'm pleased with it and won't think twice about another of Andy's kits when necessity or the mood takes me. This is a piece of horsetrading, an ex-GW BC to diagram E167 (I think). The sides were a commission from Worsley Works and the rest is Comet. They're nice to build, these and make a clean looking and handsome vehicle when finished. In among working on those I've been refurbishing a Kirk BG. This came to me last year in a job lot, nicely teaked but not lined and missing some detail. So far I've replaced the Kirk underframe bits with MJT (the originals were a mix of both) and added fixings for couplings. Above water it's been lined, rain deflectors added above the doors and holes made for brass handles where needed. The lining doesn't go round the toplights, the previous owner (who was a good modeller, I have quite a few items from his collection) had flush glazed it and whatever glue he used has gone white round the edges of each pane. Last night was a feast of pure self-indulgence. Some weeks ago, Crispy Dave of this parish revealed that he'd drawn up some etches for the single GN D343 Banana brake van. Cuteness embodied, if you like that sort of thing and Dave was kind enough to agree to let me have a set of same. For those who don't know it, this is the vehicle: The parcel arrived yesterday and suitably motivated, it was iron on and away we go yesterday evening. Two small frets, some handy construction notes, a set of axleguards kindly added and a diagram to check measurements against. Two and a half hours later.... It'll slow down now as I need to dig out axleboxes/springs, make a roof and add more detail, but you get the idea. It has sprung axles and rolls beautifully. The original was withdrawn and (presumably) broken up in 1923, but I don't see that as any obstacle to it appearing on Grantham when no-one else is paying attention...... 20 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMS29 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I'll be watching! It is one of our jobs in the south box! Tom 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted June 16, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 16, 2020 Why only one??? Ery nice vehicle though. Baz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Barry O said: Why only one??? From memory, most banana traffic came in through the west coast ports, mainly Liverpool, so the LNWR would have had most of it. It moved about between ports throughout the twentieth century. Edited June 16, 2020 by jwealleans Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted June 16, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) 30 minutes ago, jwealleans said: From memory, most banana traffic came in through the west coast ports, mainly Liverpool, so the LNWR would have had most of it. It moved about between ports throughout the twentieth century. Both the LNWR and Midland built substantial fleets of banana vans (a couple of hundred each) from around 1905; from Tatlow Vol. 1 it seems that the Great Northern built a smaller number around then. All three companies had access to the port of Liverpool, so it would seem that this was the first port through which the fruit was imported in bulk. Imports moved to Avonmouth, with the Great Western joining the Midland in handling the traffic, and later, Southampton - did I read that the LNER's stock of banana vans was transferred to the Southern to handle this? Edited June 16, 2020 by Compound2632 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted June 16, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 16, 2020 Blimey, that could only have arrived yesterday morning! Glad you got on ok with it, it has a few 'issues' which can be overcome but it was a bit of a test piece for me before drawing the vans I've now done. Were there any other issues apart from what was on the note ? Always handy to have some fresh eyes to spot mistakes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 18 minutes ago, Compound2632 said: did I read that the LNER's stock of banana vans was transferred to the Southern to handle this? You did; that was in the mid-1930s IIRC. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 5 minutes ago, chris p bacon said: that could only have arrived yesterday morning! It was there when I got home yesterday mid-afternoon. That and some transfers from John Peck - there was never any doubt which would be done first. Problems? Nothing major - some of the fold lines were maybe a bit wide, but that's a detail. I found that if I put ends inside sides it was way too wide for the fixing holes, which I had to extend anyway. Sides went on ends and I haven't checked to see if that's made it overlong. The body is a twitch longer than the underframe, which the drawing says it should be. Ducket tops were too small. Did you make new ones on yours? They look larger. One suggestion - I like the D & S style body to underframe fixing, but putting them right in the corner interferes with both the backs of the buffers and the springing wire. if you put a return on the end, you could sit them 5mm further inboard and they wouldn't interfere with either. Looking at the picture, I reckon there's a sliding hatch on the middle of the visible end, so the guard can place a lamp on that bracket without having to climb from the outside. Did you have any ideas about lettering? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted June 16, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 16, 2020 5 minutes ago, jwealleans said: Problems? Nothing major - some of the fold lines were maybe a bit wide, but that's a detail. Noted, it's quite a learning curve trying to get it so it'll bend enough without distorting. I have a feeling I drew it for one sheet thickness which I was going to add it onto, but then changed to another (thinner) and didn't amend the fold lines. I used the van as a learning tool as if it was terribly wrong I hadn't wasted too big a photo tool. Quote I found that if I put ends inside sides it was way too wide for the fixing holes, which I had to extend anyway. Sides went on ends and I haven't checked to see if that's made it overlong. The end should be inside the sides with the inner side forming a rebate, the issue is the underframe length, which again comes down to the fold lines. Quote Ducket tops were too small. Did you make new ones on yours? They look larger. Yes I did, they were some scrap etch. No idea what I did there. Quote One suggestion - I like the D & S style body to underframe fixing, but putting them right in the corner interferes with both the backs of the buffers and the springing wire. if you put a return on the end, you could sit them 5mm further inboard and they wouldn't interfere with either. I realised after etching what I'd done, the current ones are either a fixing in each corner but further in, or a seperate strip which is fixed across the bottom of the body with a central fixing through the chassis. Quote Looking at the picture, I reckon there's a sliding hatch on the middle of the visible end, so the guard can place a lamp on that bracket without having to climb from the outside. I wasn't 100% sure but I think looking at it now you're correct. Quote Did you have any ideas about lettering? I am looking at doing some lettering for decals as I need sheets of them, it's very much 'work in progress' though as time is the limiting factor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 Things have moved on, but not to completion as I expected tonight. My soldering iron has failed me - again - so another one is on the way from a different manufacturer. Antex have had their chance. This is what we achieved last night while it did still work: Some of the detail is speculative - the GA shows skylights on the roof, but I reckon they've been removed by the time of the photo. There is a handrail at the roof end, so there must be steps. The layout of those was derived from contemporary 6 wheelers. The vertical pipe at the other end is steam heat, I reckon and the lines scribed into the panelling are for the opening panel we reckon is there so the guard can put a lamp out without climbing. I'm open to any other suggestions people might have. 10 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted June 18, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) I've got just one query which I'm working on, then just as your new iron turns up and you finish, the redraw will be done.... Edit to add that the query has been answered, I'll put it in order and send it over for comment. Edited June 18, 2020 by chris p bacon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Revised artwork for the banana van is now circulating. In the absence of a soldering iron it was back to plastic: this Cambrian LMS D1830 van has been altered as per Mick Moore's article in MRJ 238 to a Pickering build of the diagram. A nice little project for a couple of evenings and it does make quite a visible difference. A weekend mainly doing other things including a long awaited reorganisation of the workbench which will be no bad thing. I did manage to do some work on this, which is another long awaited project: I shan't embarrass myself by mentioning how long it is since Mr. King cast the conflat - or the container (original courtesy of Caroline Middleditch) but I did finally get my finger out and have the lettering printed. I've used these letters before - I scanned letters from the HMRS sheet on a black background and made up text I needed - but the yellow seems to make the misshapes of some of the letters much more apparent. I'll have to revisit them before I have any more done. Some of the transfers were very fragile, even more so than usual and it was a relief to be able to seal them all down. Some more containers are in the paint shop and I'll need to make up some more conflats, but it looks as though we may have some for the Scotch Goods the next time Grantham is allowed out. Now, do none of you clever types with a 3D printer fancy doing a pressed steel B type? 13 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted June 22, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 22, 2020 (edited) On 18/06/2020 at 21:51, jwealleans said: My soldering iron has failed me - again - so another one is on the way from a different manufacturer. Antex have had their chance. They are fragile, aren't they, Antex? My current one has lasted a couple of years, but for a long time I only got 6 months or so out of them. Problem is, I'm invested in the bits, with lots of spares in stock, and they're easy to get hold of. I resorted to buying another as a spare in case this one fails - then at least I can solder a replacement element into the one that fails; I got a TC series for £35 (minus the "station" that it plugs into) from a company called CPC, who seemed to be the cheapest; if anyone is thinking of going down this route, make sure you check the number of pins in the iron matches that in the station. What manufacturer have you gone with for your replacement, Jonathan? Edited June 22, 2020 by Daddyman 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Bucoops Posted June 22, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2020 The silicone sheathed mains lead on my Antex CTCS failed a while back - I asked Antex about it and they said they had had some failures of it so were changing to a different type of cable and I could send mine off to be replaced for free. That one seems to be failing now after 14 months. But having just stocked up on bits I'm not too keen on buying a new iron just yet so I may attempt a rewire myself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted June 22, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 22, 2020 Gave up on Antex ages ago. Now use a temperature controlled Ayou one. Works for me! Baz 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 I agree, Antex are useless irons. I swopped to Ersa Pico a while back and have no complaints. Even the tips are better quality too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel W Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 You chaps are not exactly filling me with confidence over my new temp-controlled Antex soldering station. I'm assuming that at some point production shifted from the UK to China and lead to a decrease in quality? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon4470 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 If it is any consolation my Antex solder station has had one replacement iron in just under 20 years. (And that one wasn’t helped by a rodent that took a chunk out of the cable!). I suspect that the level of usage does affect the longevity. Mine definitely does not get used for long periods of time each day. When I bought the Antex I was told it was positioned in the market for the hobbyist. The other brands mentioned above look really good but, I think, are aimed at a more professional/ industrial market. They will be more robust. Jon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard i Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Had my antex for 20 years, and other than change the tip, it has kept on trucking................now watch it fail tomorrow because I have said this. richard 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) Yes, the older model Antex products were very good. In very short order I had to replace three Antex irons with failed heating elements and failed power leads. Plus the tips did not last very long at all. Edited June 23, 2020 by jazz 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 Seems to be a common theme developing here: I had an Antex which lasted me for years, but since it eventually gave up I've been through three in four years(ish). While I can afford it, I've gone for an Ersa unit, the same one Tony Gee recommended. 1 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted June 23, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2020 1 hour ago, jwealleans said: Seems to be a common theme developing here: I had an Antex which lasted me for years, but since it eventually gave up I've been through three in four years(ish). While I can afford it, I've gone for an Ersa unit, the same one Tony Gee recommended. I had an Antex XS25 for a long time, until I knocked it on to the floor and the shaft broke. The replacement only lasted about 2 years. I tried to replace that but couldn't get a mains version because "the plug doesn't comply with Australian standards, sir" so I bought a 24V version. So far, that's going OK. I like the XS25 because of the range of bits and because the bit sits outside the element, which helps get it into tight places. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted June 23, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2020 Someone should send this thread to Antex! 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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