West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

Can't see much without joining, can you? I might sign up - I'm looking for a font for the markings for this wagon, save me cutting them all out of photos. Someone may know what was used, or what i can get away with.

[Pennine MC]

French forums eh? S'pose it's OK if you've got an in-house interpreter

[jwealleans]

Ca y est, je suis deja inscrit. Il n'y a pas de probleme pour la traduction, alors que je rames un peut dans les termes plus techniques.

[jwealleans]

We're painted, lettered, weighted and about finished and the first real running happened last night down at the club. It's not quite complete - crew and backhead are to paint and install, crankpins to cut off and file down, coaling and weathering and remove the blobs of Araldite I got on the side when adding the lead weight. Here it is as it stands, though, with the added attraction of a video to show it passed the haulage test.

 

 

Not a duty you'd have seen one of these on.. shunting the drops at Brafferton.

 

 

More care, less Araldite.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w4Q1xAj8bY

Edited September 24, 2018 by jwealleans

[Worsdell forever]

Very nice Jonathan, one thing If I may point out, the number on the tank sides should be the 12" ones, with the LNER in 7 1/2".

[jwealleans]

You're not wrong, Paul and I had a few similar observations on the LNER forum. I renumbered my Sentinel at the same time and I must have gone onto auto-pilot. They came off easily enough - didn't even go through the paint - and are now correct.

[Worsdell forever]

Best have some updated photos then...

[jwealleans]

Love to... but I'm going all 7mm this weekend and then there isn't a club night because of the Bank Holiday. With a fair wind and a bit of luck I'll have the brakes fitted and painting complete then I can do a proper picture of it somewhere round Pilmoor.

[scottiedog]

With regard to Jonathan's post of the 5th August - David Geen will have a small supply of the cast whitemetal guard's van duckets on his stand at RAILEX NE at North Shields this forthcoming Saturday and Sunday. They will cost £1.50 a pair. I am helping him on both days. Should any member require a pair (or more!) please PM me and I will ensure that they will be put aside for you.

[jonhall]

Ca y est, je suis deja inscrit. Il n'y a pas de probleme pour la traduction, alors que je rames un peut dans les termes plus techniques.

 

Just as well your French is up to it, mine isn't - but at least Babel fish is my friend!I'll stick to photo's for the time being - they seem to go down well.

 

J

[jwealleans]

I worked over there in the early 90s and I've kept it up ever since. Using it regularly is the key.

[jwealleans]

A long wait between updates - a few shows, the odd busy weekend and some trips away for work can really mess up your modelling time. I have some things I need to get on with now, though, so hopefully there will be a bit more activity. In anticipation here's a summary of what's cooking on the bench at the moment.

 

 

This is one of the locos from Ormesby, which usually hauls the 'Coronation'. In about June of this year, while I was operating Corfe one Sunday afternoon, a small boy there with his family asked me whether we had 'Mallard'? 'Yes', said I, 'you can see it on the other layout at the far end of the corridor'. As they turned to walk out of the room, Colin came in from the other end of the corridor with it in his hands, it having failed. It has been in and out of shops several time since then over the summer. The problems have been pickups and electrical each time. It's got round to me; I've picked up a spare chassis on Ebay, stripped it down, replaced the motor and removed the DCC gubbins. The loco to tender coupling seemed to be part of the problem so that's been replaced with two wires and terminal blocks each end. I'll take it back on Sunday for running trials.

 

 

I'm still working on extensions to the Thurston fish train; this is a GWR H6 conflat (David Geen) with two of the adapted Bachmann containers I was working on back up thread.

 

 

These LSWR vans, also David Geen, were built by Peter Simmerson for Corfe I'll paint and weather these over the winter so we can put them into traffic for the new season next year. There are three (I think) different types here, all based on the same basic design.

 

 

This is also for Corfe. I was in London a few weeks ago and finished up early at the client. Being fairly central, I went down to Bond Street and dropped into 'Wheels of Steel'. He usually has a few interesting things in and I picked up two of these. It's a K's SECR van for those who don't know. This one had been glued together so I've disassembled it and soldered it together. This will be painted along with the LSWR ones and I'll put better brake gear on - Wizard Models do the necessary. The other was unbuilt and I'm keeping that one for myself.

 

 

I have managed to get the V4 brake van painted and it's now awaiting lettering. The Toad E I've just acquired from another member at Ormesby.

 

 

This was a buy at Peterborough last weekend. I could see it hadn't been very well build, but it was only when I got it open that I found it was the first brass kit I've ever seen which had been assembled with superglue and sellotape. The builder had also packed it up on the bogies which made it look very odd. It is complete, though and has stripped down pretty well.

 

 

I've put roofs on the French vans and have almost got all the rivets stuck on. There's some more detailing to do and then they'll be ready for painting. I'd like to have these ready for Tolworth. Joining the French wagon forum turned out to have been a good idea as when JonHall posted some pictures of the one in the NRM the members over there pointed out that it's painted completely the wrong colour. I have found a French supplier for the correct colour.

 

 

This is for Steve Pearce; I found a drawing in the Edwards Collection and used my two trips to London to make a start. They're on the back burner for the moment but I have finally started!

 

 

Finally the focus of activity at the moment; I have agreed to build the Framlingham branch train for the next Ely layout and have had the kits from Dan Pinnock since before Easter. At the time we're modelling it comprised a CK and BTK from the former Norfolk Coast Express 50' stock. I want to get these to a running shell state by Tolworth so our Sprat and Winkle Engineer can take them away, mount and test his couplings over Christmas. I've started with the Composite as you can no doubt spot.

 

I have a question about this set; there were folding steps, operated by compressed air, which were used at the branch halt. I have one photo showing them reasonably well, but I wondered if anyone could suggest any more. I've also assumed they were only on the corridor side of the BTK - is this correct?

Edited September 22, 2018 by jwealleans

[Worsdell forever]

Wow, quite a bit of activity there Jonathan, I can understand why the CCT has been lifted, there's not much clearance for the bogies to swing.

I hope somewhere in amongst that lot is something interesting and rare in a dark green box for me...

[jwealleans]

It is... do you want me to tease everyone?

 

 

I expect you're right about those bogies although I don't recall having problems with the other ones I've got.

Edited September 29, 2018 by jwealleans

[Worsdell forever]

Ok, mind made up - I'm collecting it tomorrow... :D

 

I'll email.

[jwealleans]

The dark green box has gone to a new home where I have no doubt it will be well looked after. You'll have to ask him what it is.

 

I had a morning and part of the afternoon at the bench today and got well on with the coaches.

 

 

The compo is now pretty much where it needs to be; it can come back for completion after the Sprat and Winkles are fitted in case any detail needs to be omitted.

 

I've started preparing the sides for the brake.

 

 

I've posted a query about the retractable steps for this coach if anyone has any information.

Edited September 22, 2018 by jwealleans

[31A]

"This is for Steve Pearce; I found a drawing in the Edwards Collection and used my two trips to London to make a start. They're on the back burner for the moment but I have finally started!"

 

Thanks Jonathan - looks like the start of another magnum opus, will be interesting to see how you get on with these!

[Worsdell forever]

The green box (1990 vintage it turns out) is currently sitting on top of my original green box, waiting.

[Pennine MC]

The green box (1990 vintage it turns out) is currently sitting on top of my original green box, waiting.

 

Well at least nobody can accuse you of being someone who just opens boxes

Edited October 26, 2011 by Pennine MC

[jwealleans]

Well at least nobody can accuse you of being someone who just opens boxes

I did that for him.

 

Mission accomplished with the coaches; rolling shells ready for the couplings to be fitted and trialled and then they'll come back for finishing off.

 

 

BT on bogies, buffers fitted to the outer end (I only had one packet so I'll have to pick up another from Andrew at Wakefield).

 

 

This is the set in the formation they appear in most of the Ian C Allen photos, so this is how they will run. They will have to be capable of being propelled as well as pulled - the complexity of the set arriving into Wickham Market is quite something - so the centre coupling is one of Bill's. I extend the pin and make it a fairly snug fit into a hole so it can't wander sideways when pushing. The corridor connectors will keep the coaches apart enough to stop the appearance of any coupling slack.

 

I gave myself a night off from the soldering iron during the week and finished off the final details on the French vans I want to have ready for Tolworth. I then painted them; one SNCF brown, one PLM red (I have photos of vans in PLM colours in England up to 1954, so I can argue that particular toss. The paint came from a supplier in France:

 

 

 

I'm not impressed, frankly: the coverage was poor and the paint very hard to work into corners. The brown is very close to SR freight brown so most of the van had a coat of that then the SNCF colour on top. The red is very garish (and there really are wagons that colour) but matt varnish and weathering will tone that down. I'll know for the next two to use colours closer to the final one as an intermediate coat.

 

Finally, having half an hour before dinner and the iron hot I started on this:

 

 

It says a lot for the accuracy and sound design of Roger's kit that it stayed together when essentially just folded up with a bit of superglue run along the seams. There's some nasty black goo inside it which didn't want to come off and it's taking some cleaning up to get the solder to stick, but we're on the way.

 

Steve - thought you'd be watching. What struck me when I started cutting out was how big these were. I remember you saying the Lilliput wagon looked too small on your layout. Here it is with the larger of my two opens.

 

 

I had another source for the dimensions - just as well as some of the Edwards ones were out - and they really were impressive things. I'm saving them for trips away, though, so progress may well be intermittent.

Edited September 25, 2018 by jwealleans

[31A]

Interesting picture of the two 'rungenwagen' there Jonathan, which confirms the impression I got when I tried a Liliput one on my layout. Will you be able to make any use of yours as a 'Christmas tree' for fittings for the scratch built version, or do you think the whole thing is just too small?

[jonhall]

 

I gave myself a night off from the soldering iron during the week and finished off the final details on the French vans I want to have ready for Tolworth. I then painted them; one SNCF brown, one PLM red (I have photos of vans in PLM colours in England up to 1954, so I can argue that particular toss. The paint came from a supplier in France:

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing these at Tolworth - probably the biggest gathering of scratchbuilt ferry vans ever!

 

www.tolworthshowtrain.co.uk

 

Jon

[jwealleans]

I shall pack them all in the box for Tolworth. perhaps we can have a parade?

 

Steve - there are none of the bits on the Lilliput wagon which I can use. The stakes were the most likely candidates but the older ones are just plain flat steel section so I can use Evergreen strip for them.

 

I carried on putting this CCT back together last night... and you know how a job just grows...I remembered Mick's similar build from a while ago... and an article he used in MRJ... and that I had a copy of said MRJ for just this purpose...

 

 

So here it is with revised (corrected) braking arrangements, brake lever moved to the correct end and spaced out from the solebar (otherwise the bogie won't pivot), extra bits of brake rigging added and the stirrup steps under one door only on each side. I've also added a bit of spare fret along the top of each end to give a better key for the roof to glue onto.

Edited September 25, 2018 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

That article by Peter Tatlow can lead you into some lengthy detailing....and I had two of these CCTs, the other bought some years ago as part of a job lot from Ebay and left in its incomplete state as received. In all, apart from the brake gear amendments, the right hand step is removed from both sides, body brackets added (10 each side), lamp irons, door handles and the stirrup step each side. I started making the body brackets from brass but quickly lost interest in that and made them from Evergreen strip instead. The beading on the one I'd stripped was also incomplete so that was reinstated using 10 x 30 thou strip.

 

 

Here they are in primer - one is now in brown. The additional brake gear can be seen below:

 

 

I'm just waiting for some replacement bogie castings to come though from Matt Chivers and then these can be finished off.

 

I don't think I posted a picture of this after I lettered it:

 

 

Not perfect, but not bad for a quid from Hattons.

Edited September 25, 2018 by jwealleans

[Mallard60022]

Just love that 'rescued' van JW. It wasn't me that tried building it with sticky back plastic and glue. I think I've got one of those (yes, in the 'collection') lurking somewhere on the other hand it might be an Isinglass van; I'll have to go and have a look.

Is the turnbuckle from the original kit?

P @ 36E