Nick Holliday Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Load of old Bullocks! - D1661 & D1840 Cattle Wagons Greetings, Due to a lack of home broadband for the last couple of days, I have been unable to post what I have been up to. First job was to complete the ex LMS cattle wagons, which jumped the queue. Four Parkside kits have now been all but completed, buffers and the last bars on the doors need doing, before priming and painting. Three received RCH axle boxes, as per the prototype, but one was treated to ex LNER boxes, creating a slight difference. Painting will commence once the weather is good, the three with RCH boxes will be portrayed in rather poor external condition, odd planks repainted to represent repairs, but the one with LNER boxes will have slightly better paintwork, suggesting that it was overhauled not too long ago. Couplings are made up from Ambis parts and the brake pipe - through pipe on these - are from Lanarkshire. MJT axle boxes complete the build. IMG_0226.JPG Three with RCH axle boxes. IMG_0227.JPG ex LNER axle boxes compare to RCH In Geoff Kent's books two and three there are quite a lot of prototype photos showing a number of examples, which is where I gain most of my inspiration from. The David Geen D1840 wagons are close behind, Masokits screw link coupling and axleboxes to to, unfortunately I ran out of RCH boxes, which escaped the list at Wells a couple of weeks ago. IMG_0225.JPG Axleboxes and couplings to go. David Geen provides you with a lovely etch for the strapping, which includes the rivets, something which I will need to add on the Parkside models. Kind regards, Nick. Sorry to be a little late on this one, but I couldn't help but notice that both the Parkside and Geen kits have included the slotted adjustment rails for the moveable partition on both sides of the door. This makes sense from a production point of view, since only one mould is needed, but, to the best of my knowledge, only one adjuster would be required, at one end of the wagon, with just the single moveable partition. This can be clearly seen on the two prototype photos, so some careful cutting and filing work would appear necessary, I'm afraid, before painting. I am surprised this isn't mentioned in their respective instructions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted October 11, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) Greetings to anyone still following! Filled with enthusiasm after Scaleforum, I've decided to leave a wagons for a while and finish off a couple of locos, which frankly have been on the bench for way too long! Back in March of last I started work on one of Chris Gibbon's High Level 57xx chassis. I decided, with advice from David B, to opt for CSB or Continuous Sprung Beam, rather than compensating the loco. A few years ago an article on CSB appeared in Scalefour News, most, if not all, of the article appears on the CLAG website. I haven't done this as a step-by-step guide. More 'chunks' of progress. It has been slow, although the number of 'man hours' probably doesn't exceed much more than 12 or so. It has take me longer, because I've never done this before! (So go easy!) I did fall into a pit, involving cutting the hornblocks out, before setting the chassis jig up, but David came to my aid and fixed the problem! So once again many thanks David. Anyway here are a couple of photos showing how far I've got. Looking down - the sprung beam is the temporary brass wire running the length of the chassis. They do spring up and down beautifully. Side on shot, showing some of the work. This is currently where I am up to. Inside value gear is in - non-working! It is straight inside, camera lens at work! View from the side with the coupling rods. Really this is now pushing my skills set to the limit! I haven't quartered wheels before, I do have the GW wheel press, but I'm going to ask for a bit of advice at DRAG tomorrow, to find out how to do it. The same with the gear box. Even in its present state, I'm really proud of what I've done. I've gone out of my comfort zone massively, but have a real sense of achievement. I'm probably going to do a bit of work on the body this evening - a change is as good as a rest. Anyway any comments, advice, please do say. Kind regards and thanks for looking, Nick Edit - Typo Edited October 11, 2015 by Brinkly 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ullypug Posted October 11, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 11, 2015 Nicely done Nick. I've got one of these kits to do at some point so I'll be interested to see how you get on. Don't know for certain but you might have to file down the hornblocks on the driven axle to get the final gear train in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted October 11, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 11, 2015 Nicely done Nick. I've got one of these kits to do at some point so I'll be interested to see how you get on. Don't know for certain but you might have to file down the hornblocks on the driven axle to get the final gear train in. Thanks Andrew, I will make a note of that. Hopefully I will be able to get it running soon! Kind regards, Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon A Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Nicely done Nick. I've got one of these kits to do at some point so I'll be interested to see how you get on. Don't know for certain but you might have to file down the hornblocks on the driven axle to get the final gear train in. Chris Gibbons (High Level) sells thin horn blocks. Gordon A Bristol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted October 11, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 11, 2015 Chris Gibbons (High Level) sells thin horn blocks. Gordon A Bristol Hi Gordon, I have fitted the thin (space savers) to the front, as per the instructions. I think the rear should be ok. But Andrew's suggestion it is certainly something to remember. Kind regards, Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted October 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 12, 2015 Hi Nick, very impressive, and thanks for posting the images which illustrate nicely how CSB is set up. Together with Russ's articles over on CLAG I am now finally begining to get my head around what it is and does (it helped when I realized that the very black-art sounding abbreviation simply means continuous springy beams!). I admire you for pushing your boundaries all the time. Because it's a hobby, it's so tempting to just stay inside the comfort zone. Thanks for the inspiration 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Nick I'm sure you've read the build on the CLAG website, but James does point out that both front and rear drivers require the space-saver blocks, especially as you're putting the dummy inside valve gear in. Nice work... regards Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted October 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 12, 2015 Back in March of last I started work on one of Chris Gibbon's High Level 57xx chassis. I decided, with advice from David B, to opt for CSB or Continuous Sprung Beam, rather than compensating the loco. A few years ago an article on CSB appeared in Scalefour News, most, if not all, of the article appears on the CLAG website. Excellent work there Nick having seen it tonight! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted October 26, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 26, 2015 Dapol Class 22 Conversion I've wanted to convert my Class 22 over to P4 for quite a while now. At the 2014 Railex show one of the traders had this Class 22 for sale. I managed to get it for a very good price (£80 if I remember rightly). Anyway I'd already read Tim's blog entry on converting this particular model, so I purchased the required wheels from Ultrascale, which arrived after a couple of months (July 2014) and that is as far as I got. However, I've done it! All converted and running nicely. I won't post a 'how too' guide, as I haven't thought of this myself and frankly if it wasn't for Tim's excellent blog, I doubt I would have even converted it within a few hours. But here are my results... First job was to remove the keeper plates, both came off really easily. I know Tim's put up a real fight. Here you can already see the P4 wheels in place. This photo shows the original wheels (left) with the P4 ones. Here is the Ultrascale wheel nearing completion, a cut was made into the top of the axle and one half of the wheel, the wire (0.33 brass) was then soldered to the axle and the hub of the wheel using 100 Deg C. solder from Carr's. Both wheelsets in, with the keeper plates fitted - quite alot of material needs to be removed. One completed loco. Runs smoothly on my bit of test track. Hopefully tonight she can have a spin on TT2. Thanks for looking and thank you Tim for your excellent instructions! Kind regards, Nick 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted October 26, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 26, 2015 Well done, Nick. So there are at least two locos in the world now converted this way. Can't believe that mine was three years ago. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted October 29, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2015 (edited) Greetings, I'm pleased to report that the Class 22 did work, couple of slight niggles with one of the axles, too much side play, but an easy job to fix. Two of the pick ups also weren't quite touching the bearings, but again a quick fix to sort at home. Whilst at DRAG I filmed my work; two short clips showing D6311 in action. The next job will be to fix all the detailing parts and a crew, plus paint the yellow warning panel green, as I want her to look as she did between 1960-1963. Whilst watching a couple of DVDs (Steaming into.... series) and looking in my vast collection of books, I discovered to my delight that D6311 ran regularly on Bodmin in the early 1960s and was photographed on the Launceston branch in 1961! So huge bonus. The second clip shows 4658 in action hauling Brian's (Taz) Comet B-Set and an ex GWR coach which came to DRAG from the estate of the late Alan Pulley. Brian has stripped the coach down and rebuilt it, transforming it completely. The bogies have been a bit troublesome, but now run really nicely. Brian can explain what he did, as I can't remember! 4658 was allocated to Laira between March 1946 to February 1963, and I'm particularly lucky to have a number of photographs showing her on the Launceston branch, or in and around North Road station. Tim (CK) very kindly converted her (cough, cough) 7 years ago and I still haven't finished her! Shame on me! Once completed she will be allocated to one of the freight turns on Horrbridge. She will feature soon on here I promise! As a slight side note we used Ultrascale drop-in wheels which cost £37.50 at the time, the loco being £35 from Hattons. Opposed to £70 for the wheels and £80 or so for a pannier now! Huge difference since 2008. Anyway thanks for reading and watching. Kind regards, Nick. Edited October 29, 2015 by Brinkly 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted June 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2016 It's good to see that someone else has one of those right angle clamp type jigs. Mine was feeling quite lonely! Chris A bump for this thread and a request for an UK seller of the Coffman clamp as usrd ny Nick, Chris and others please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meld9003 Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 A bump for this thread and a request for an UK seller of the Coffman clamp as usrd ny Nick, Chris and others please. Branchlines sell them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted June 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2016 Branchlines sell them I was hoping for an online facilty for ordering not a box numbered address.Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisf Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I got mine from Finney and Smith, who ISTR are no longer trading. Yes, I know, unhelpful. Let me have an e-rummage. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Worsdell forever Posted June 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2016 I got mine direct, postage cost a bit but I didn't know of any other supplier then, the only one mentioned was Finney and Smith and as Chris says they had stopped trading. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Jackson Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I ordered mine from Branchlines, paid via cheque and the whole process was fast enough, very pleased. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted July 30, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2016 Greetings, I thought, now that the summer holidays have arrived, that it was about time to update my workbench thread. I haven't made, or built, a huge amount of stock of late, partly down to a lack of time, but also motivation. My modelling Mojo faded away post Scaleforum and has only fairly recently returned. However, good progress has been made over the past couple of days. Mostly modifying and improving RTR products and finishing off some old kits. Since early last week, I have also been computer less. My 6-week old laptop decided to stop working, as did my dear old desktop PC. Both have now been fixed (replacement screen wiring and a new power pack respectively), so whilst dinner is simmering away I felt now was the right time to share my efforts with the world! As I think most people know, I’ve decided to model to finescale 00 standards again, rather than P4. I have to say to date this was the correct decision! My God, how much easier is it to produce a ‘decent’ 00 gauged wagon compared to P4. I had quite forgotten! I never timed myself building etched W-irons, but it must easily add several hours of additional work to a wagon, to achieve (quick start the car!) a similar end product – bar gauge and possible running qualities. Something working in P4 has taught me, is the finer details and making sure an item runs as well as it should. So it certainly wasn’t a waste of time. I doubt I would be working to this standard if I hadn’t given P4 a try. Anyway enough of my waffle. To work! Not everything is finished, as I’ll explain along the way, but all the stock here runs. Anchored Tanks On Thursday afternoon I purchased a pair of these rather nice tank wagons. Both were a complete impulse purchase from Dave Harding’s shop in Exeter (well worth a look if you’re in Exeter) – I went in to collect some Smiths couplings! One is presented in Benzene silver livery (a type A I believe) and the other is in Shell/BP black livery (a type B I believe). I doubt either would really have worked over the Launceston branch, but they look nice and in fairness there was a tarmac plant at Tavistock during my chosen period, so the fuel carried might have been used there… clutching at straws I know! Both are really nice, excellent detailing, although looking at photographs of the real thing and the model in Geoff Kent’s book, I wonder if the tanks are a wee bit short. I might be wrong, but I wonder. I’m not fussed by this either way, both are very nice models and certainly fill the gap in the tank wagon range. I decided to improve these a little. I did, rather stupidly, fit tie-bars to the Type A wagon and now realise they didn’t have them, but they came off easily enough. Both wagons have had replacement Jackson wheels, as I felt my eye was drawn to the huge flanges. The tension lock coupling was removed, but the washer retained and lastly a coupling hook and 3-link chain was fitted – Smith’s products. Snip, snip! No tension lock. Just the tie-bar to remove! D'oh! No tiebar to remove. Completed pair, I think the wheels look a little better. Eventually, both will be weathered to represent how they typically appeared in traffic in the late 1950s. Box Vans and a Brake Van The next set of wagons are a mixture of box vans, all Bachmann products, with different parent companies. I have fitted instanter couplings and vacuum pipes to each wagon, removed the horrid tension lock and have started to fit tie-bars. Not all are finished, but do run nicely. Two of the BR standard box vans have been stripped, as one was bought with an awful weathering job (£2.69 with free postage on eBay!) and the other had been sprayed a dark grey colour and was due to feature on one Mauice Hopper’s layouts. However, it was surplus to his requirements, so I bought it from him and stripped it back. Both will be primed and painted in the near future. Within the mix, are a pair of shock vans, one of GWR origin, the other BR. The BR built example was weathered a few years ago by myself, although I’m not sure what happened to the buffers. They seem a bit pitted. Once detailing has been completed I will file these down and repaint the heads. One SR planked box van can also be seen, this is again a Bachmann product, purchased about 10 years ago. It was in SR brown livery, I gave it an early repaint, but it didn’t look too good. So it joined the BR ply vans in a bath of paint stripper! It too will be repainted in Bauxite at some point in the near future. Side on End-on view, with new vacuum pipe. Last of all, a BR standard brake van. This is the excellent Hornby product, I removed the horrid tension lock block and fitted a coupling hook and Instanter coupling, I also fitted a Lanarkshire Models upright vacuum pipe and painted it white to represent a through-piped vehicle, as per the information in Geoff Kent’s third book. I feel she is a little light, so some additional lead roofing sheet will be added tonight. I will also fit a simple bar between the clasp brakes, as it seems quite naked without it! Brake van undergoing improvements. A Trio of Conflats Fairly self-explanatory, I purchased these wagons from Maurice Hopper last summer. The containers are better suited to a diesel era layout, but the wagons themselves are fine. Usual detailing, I drill a small hole near to the centre to enable easy fitting of the vacuum pipe, again a Lanarkshire item, and remove the horrid tension lock fitting. I did however, cut away the mounting block to retain the washer. Otherwise dimples appear in the floor of the wagon; how do I know this? Well I’ll leave that to your imagination! One straight from the box. One block to be removed. The trio nearly completed - chains to secure the containers remain outstanding. Over the next couple of days, I will strip the containers and spray them white, representing a more suitable livery for a 1950s layout, and fit chains to attach them to the wagon itself. Tie-bars will then complete the build. Open Merchandise Wagons Lastly, for this post at any rate, are a selection of 5-plank open merchandise wagons. I built a pair of Parkside kits and fitted Lanarkshire buffers; one had ridged buffers, the other treated to sprung! Both will be painted and weathered to represent a hard life. The final instalment are some upgrades to the dear old Airfix 5-plank wagon. I bought a selection of bodies off eBay several years ago. All were very cheap (less than 50p a body), but some had little pieces of iron work missing – usually the end pieces – although nothing a strip of T plasticard couldn’t fix. I used the old Model Rail article for the upgrade work. The two shown here are identical, bar the axle boxes (one has RCH boxes, the other LNER), and represent unfitted versions of ex LMS Diagram D1892. Lanarkshire buffers, Smiths couplings and Parkside chassis (kit PA09). I did carefully remove the axleboxes and springs from the W-irons (a la Geoff Kent) to add a bit of variety. Another five are currently nearing completion, two additional unfitted examples and three fitted – two with LMS J hangers and one retro-fitted by BR. New buffer beam and modifications to the axle boxes. Just coupling to go. Pair await painting and weathering. Anyway I hope this was of interest or use to someone. I hope to complete a few more wagons soon and hopefully get cracking with the layout. Kind regards, Nick. 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted July 30, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2016 Forgot to add! On Monday evening I tested some of the stock on TT2. 6990 Witherslack Hall - old model, but runs beautifully. 5569 on the same train. 4658 again on the same train. Kind regards, Nick 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted July 30, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2016 A bump for this thread and a request for an UK seller of the Coffman clamp as usrd ny Nick, Chris and others please. Sorry Robin. Branchlines sell the clamp. Kind regards, Nick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Taz Posted July 31, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2016 Looking good Nick. One word of caution. The Bachmann model of the LMS box van (second from left in your photo) is a pretty poor representation of the real thing. The roof profile is completely wrong (I think it is based on the tooling from the original Mainline van with the working doors). I've got a couple as well but I think they are only good for practicing weathering on. All is not lost though as you can save the chassis and put it under one of you Airfix 5 planks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted July 31, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2016 Cheers Brian, I didn't know that. I might well do a bit of chassis swapping! Kind regards, Nick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazz Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Hi Nick' The Coffman clamp looks interesting. Personally I have never been a fan of clamps with the exception of 'helping hands' I use for soldering white metal loco crew together. I also use a mains soldering iron at 400 deg for white metal. (exception os very small parts then I drop the temperature to around the 200 marks. As mentioned above, the trick is a very quick soldering technique or you end up with a blob of white metal. Never happened yet though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted July 31, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2016 Thanks Ken. I really like working with white metal; I think it is partly down to it setting very quickly! Kind regards, Nick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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