DanielB Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Over the last few years I've collected a rather eclectic mix of 7mm scale models, some great, some not so much. I figured now is the time to make a thread on whatever my 7mm projects tend to float across my workbench. I currently model in N, HO and O gauges, so my attention tends to flit between them. At the moment, my attention is with my HO layout - West Allen Street - and getting it detailed and ready for the Mansfield Exhibition in March 2016, and a box of 7mm wagon parts I got from the marketplace here on RMWeb. My 7mm collection consists of said box of kit parts, a LOT of old Lima 16T mineral wagons (all of which will be getting detailed and such as and when I get round to it), and some OO gauge donor chassis which will hopefully go into some scratchbuilt locomotives, when I get round to that. I also have 5 Atlas freight cars, a Plymouth switcher and this beast - a Weaver ALCO RS3. I do plan on making an American O gauge layout at some point in the future, as they were all bargains I couldn't pass up, but for now I'm sticking to the box of wagon kit parts with the intention of building a small industrial layout. I am still up in the air as to what precisely said industrial layout is going to be, so for now I'm just working on freight stock. Here's what I'm working with - a collection of parkside, lima, and peco wagon parts. So far, I've got a couple of 21t mineral wagons, a 27t mineral tipper wagon, a GWR toad, and a standard 12t BR box van that are in a situation where they just need detailing to be considered ready to roll - running/brake gear, handrails, etc. I also have a second box van body which needs a chassis building from scratch - that's going to be a big project but I think I can manage it. Last night saw most of the parts inspected, the partially complete kits broken down to their components and cleaned up ready to be re-used. I then put together the aforementioned van body and rebuilt the 12t box van. Whoever built it previously made a real mess of it, as the bottom of the van was melted and warped, which meant the rest of the van wasn't square - including the side frames. The wheels were at such an odd angle that the barely turned OFF the rails, but just kept derailing when they were. Here's the van bottom once I'd broken the kit down: Ouch. And now with a replacement fashioned from some thick plasticard I had in my spares box: Now the van is square and the wheels turn. One wagon back to a working state - it needs the sideframe details sorting, but it's a start. Next came the 27t mineral wagon. This one was missing the full axle boxes and brake gear from one end, and is missing 3 of it's 4 buffers. Working from photographs found online, this is what I have ended up with after an few hours work: It might not look exactly the same as it should, but I think it passes the test. Rivet counters will likely hate it, but I couldn't care less - that kind of mindset is never satisfied! Overall, I think it's been a productive evening! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Hi Daniel. It would be nice to see an 0 gauge layout based on USA practice. It would make a change from all the British layouts featured in this section of the RMweb. How about concentring on USA 0 gauge. Rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Hi Rod, There are.... at least three O scale layouts in the USA and Canadian section of the forum, including F-Unit Mad's excellent Portway Center. Well worth delving into the dark side section of the forums! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Not a lot to report in terms of progress on the iron ore wagon for now, though I've done some work on the bufferbeam on one end - which was totally missing from the kit. I've also done a little more work on the brake gear. All is not lost in terms of images, as I decided to have a go at fashioning a 3 link coupling from brass wire to go on the end of the wagon that DOES have a bufferbeam. It's a bit wonky, but I don't think it's too bad for a first attempt. They'll only get better, right? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 A pair of small flat nosed pliers will help you straighten the links where the joins are. Some modellers put a riny dab of solder in the join but I rarely bother. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Just for Railwayrod (& hope Dan doesn't mind the slight thread hijack) if you search for "Portway Center" on the forum, here's a taster of what you'll see....The green boxcar hasn't derailed... Edit: Save you searching, here's some US O Scale layouts on RMweb (sure there's been a few more as well)... Georgetown by Gordy Cannondale Part 2 of Gordy's Empire Englefield by Northroader Midland Ohio by Northpoint Portway Center and Schiller Point, both by Yours Truly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 Love that shot of the wonky boxcar Jordan. Here's a couple more shots of the scratchbuilt axle boxes to give a better impression of how they were made: And here's last night's progress - an attempt at a cardstock LNER Y7 - granted it'll need a lot more work, but it's a start! I've got another cardstock loco in progress too, but there's not much to show on that one yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 From information I can gather, the boiler is about 1" diameter. You might be able to find either a cardboard tube from aluminium foil or even a piece of plastic pipe the right diameter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 I've gone for the Jim Read method - thin card rolled to the correct diameter, glue up and then washed with Shellac to give it strength. I'm working on two boilers using this method at the moment, and it seems to be working on both of them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 Tonight's progress was made on another loco project - can you tell what it is yet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Tonight's progress was made on another loco project - can you tell what it is yet?The standard reply to that, shouted from a distance, used to be (before certain Court cases) "No Rolf, we're not standing far enough back..!!!" Still applies, with the size of O Scale!! interesting work, Dan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 The drawing underneath is a bit of a give away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 To progress this thread a little more, I've been buying up a stock of 7mm models and materials for further projects. So far I've ordered: A pack of Slaters assorted 7mm people. 14 assorted Slaters embossed plasticard sheets and plastruct rods. 6 sheets of 2mm lite ply. An Atlas plymouth switcher converted over into a UK industrial diesel. A Lima 4F. I may need to order some copperclad sleepers, but otherwise I should have enough to allow me to build a small micro layout to go with all this rolling stock I've been accumulating. I'm not sure whether the 4F will remain as it is, or become a donor chassis to another industrial shunter. We shall see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 If you would like to try it, the Atlas Plymouth Switcher can be cut down into quite a nice little 0-4-0. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/60529-atlas-plymouth-to-hibberd-planet-conversion/ I acquired it from the original builder. I had started to do my own version when I found that one of the axles was bent and it put a rather sudden end to what was going to be a cheap-and-cheerful project. However I did keep everything and I'm thinking about using some of the body parts on a new scratch-built mechanism. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I'm not sure whether the 4F will remain as it is, or become a donor chassis to another industrial shunter. We shall see. Probably depends on what you think of the chassis - and the wheels & "connecting rods"* in particular - once you see it for real. * I use the term 'connecting rods' rather loosely; you'll see what I mean.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Technically, they are "coupling rods" Honestly, it isn't that hard to build a basic rigid chassis using spacers, 1/16" thick brass strip, slater's wheels, an etched gearbox. It can all be very easily done on a drill press. Doing a sprung chassis using slater's hornblocks is a little more work, but nothing impossible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Technically, they are "coupling rods".Yeah my bad got my connecting & coupling rods mixed up Lima's efforts on the 4F are still pretty poor. They don't couple or connect to the middle axle at all..!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Eh, if it's a mess to work from, then I'll just swap the couplers out and keep it as is. It was only £60 so I'm not complaining. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Well, it arrived this afternoon, and I see what you mean. Not the greatest mechanism in the world. Still, with some detailing work it shouldn't look too bad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Not the greatest mechanism, but it will keep going and going. Your main problem will be the very big flanges on the wheels. If you push the wheels out so that the back-to-back is 29mm it should manage on Peco track. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Thanks for the advice guys. I'll see what I can do with the loco - it's a cheap addition to my rather small loco fleet and will allow me to run trains whilst I find a better quality alternative sometime down the line. Tonight I've been working on my first structure in 7mm scale. I really like the layout of the Hellandbridge level crossing, but wanted to transpose the style of it into a Derbyshire setting - as that's the region I'll eventually be modelling when I get a layout underway. Here's a photo of the crossing from a few years ago, photo copyright of C R Jennings, found via Google Images and shown here under fair use. The house on the left appears to be made of ashlar/cut stone, with a rendering layer over the cottage itself, and the lower garage section just whitewashed. I've started on the garden wall and the garage level with the staircase up to the cottage door. I'm planning to work on the upper floor this weekend. The structure will be low relief as - together with the other cottage - will form the scenic break to the fiddle yard on whatever layout I build. The building method is copied from Mike's wonderful work on Reely Grate, Primrose Hill and the Muck Works. A core of 2mm Lite Ply clad with Slaters embossed plasticard. The door is made from chopped up coffee stirrers liberated from my local fast food place - my colleagues at work grab me a handful every time they go in there, so I've got LOADS. The strips of wood are glued to a thin card backing to keep them together, and hinges and bolt base plates are the same thin card. The keyhole was drilled with a pin vice. (Random Slaters figure for scale) More to come later this weekend, I hope! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 It's been a while since I updated this thread, but that is unfortunately because the going has been slow. I have managed to get a couple of baseboards put together to make a 7mm micro, and I've continued with the buildings for the scene based on the Hellandbridge level crossing. Here's the mocked up scene showing the progress I have so far: It still amazes me how huge everything is in 7mm scale! Also, I had an hour last night so I threw together a little lean-to shack from offcuts of Lite Ply and some slaters corrugated plasticard. There's ALWAYS room for these things on a layout, so I'm sure I'll find a place for it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dava Posted December 21, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 21, 2015 Just check there is clearance for the Dapol 08 you have yet to buy - very tight like on the original! Dava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielB Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 If they ever release it! The way I see it, if my Atlas Plymouth will fit through then an 08 certainly should! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dava Posted December 22, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 22, 2015 Sure, the Plymouth is wider, unless you narrow it as I did.That's the one Martin Hartley now has. I like the layout BTW. Dava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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