Signaller69's projects

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi Martin

 

Is John Tuner's photo any use?

From John Turner's coach album on Flickr. Well worth a look by all who model coaches.

[Signaller69]

11 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Martin

 

Is John Tuner's photo any use?

From John Turner's coach album on Flickr. Well worth a look by all who model coaches.

Very useful thanks Clive, that is exactly how I want to finish mine. Reminds me I need to add the label clips yet too! Will have a look at that album.

Cheers,

Martyn.

Edited October 1, 2019 by Signaller69
Edit to add that John Turners Flickr album is superb for Modellers of the late 60s / early 70s!

[Signaller69]

A quick "inbetweeners" job today. DVLR No.2 has had slight running issues since purchase and the oft-found early Bachmann split axles had done just that - split - causing a loose wheel and another to be out-of-true. Happily Peter's Spares do replacement plastic axle centres so the wheelsets were dismantled and the new ones fitted, the only difficulty was getting them quartered correctly during reassembly. It seems a lot better now.

The new parts are at the bottom, with one axle already fitted to the wheel bottom right. Fit is excellent.

 

Whilst the loco was in bits, I fitted a set of Shawplan Lazerglaze which I purchased at Wigan show. A little sanding was required (probably due to the repaint) but it makes a big difference. The front windows may come out again to allow painting around the opening with black paint which I should have done first of course!

Just needs some windscreen wipers now.

[jessy1692]

Nice job, i have a pair of 04s linked up as a multiple working pair and one has split its axles, did not know replacements were available, very handy to know!

Cheers

Jamed

[Signaller69]

7 hours ago, jessy1692 said:

Nice job, i have a pair of 04s linked up as a multiple working pair and one has split its axles, did not know replacements were available, very handy to know!

Cheers

Jamed

Thanks, the part number is "Peters Spares PS31 Bachmann Replacement Axle Set - 03 / 04 Shunter (and J72) 0-6-0".

Quartering is a little fiddly as you can't easily use the "look through one wheel to align the spokes of the other wheel" method, due to the small wheel size with big balance weights, so some trial and error is called for before pressing the wheels fully onto the axles.

Martyn.

[Signaller69]

Dunnington's resident Fowler "Churchill" (scratch body on Dapol Pug chassis, see p.26 of this thread for build info) has finally had the Narrow Planet name and works plates fitted, along with wheel guards made from Plastruct section. 

Narrow Planet even managed to add the correct works number for this loco, which was a nice bonus.

[saxokid]

On ‎16‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 00:38, Signaller69 said:

Dunnington's resident Fowler "Churchill" (scratch body on Dapol Pug chassis, see p.26 of this thread for build info) has finally had the Narrow Planet name and works plates fitted, along with wheel guards made from Plastruct section. 

Narrow Planet even managed to add the correct works number for this loco, which was a nice bonus.

More great work here

 

 

thanks neil..

[Signaller69]

On 01/10/2019 at 13:19, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Martin

 

Is John Tuner's photo any use?

From John Turner's coach album on Flickr. Well worth a look by all who model coaches.

I have now finished the Cut n' shut BG, numbered and based on this 1969/70 photo. Just needs NEM Kadees screwing onto the original coupling mounts.

Slight remnants of the moulded paint lines are more obvious on the photos than in the flesh due to shadows from the almost overhead lighting and I take my hat off to anyone who can get them perfect.

 

The SK (as it has become) has ground to a halt as I am short of enough HMRS white coach lining and can't be bothered ordering more at the moment.

But if anyone has their (usable) white lining from this sheet, in swap for the Maroon/ crimson & cream lining from the same sheet, drop me a PM.

[Signaller69]

Dunnington will require a couple of Presflo Cement wagons. The plain Bachmann ones, if they can be found, tend to be more than I am willing to pay so I purchased a Dapol kit to see if it can be detailed a little without splashing out much for additional parts.

 

For 50-odd year old moulds I was surprised how little flash is present. The body was put together first, all fitting together as it should. The 2 holes for the name boards were filled from the rear.

 

The chassis sides were bowed outwards very slightly but finger pressure soon straightened them; some small etched hand wheels where added to one side after drilling small holes for fine brass wire supports, working from Paul Bartlett's excellent photos. Once assembled, a square chassis resulted; a little weight was added as it cured on a known flat surface to ensure this. Looking at the brake gear, I thought the shoes and the complicated linkages were a little on the coarse side and was toying with replacing them with finer cast ones; however photos show the brake shoes to be fairly chunky compared to most traditional wagons, so I used those with the kit as supplied but a plasticard spacer was added where they attach to the chassis sides, so that the shoes align with the wheels. This in turn will require a little filing when the body is fitted as the lower sloping sides will now slightly foul the brake gear supports.

 

Next stage will be to add the outer brake hangers and support bar and see if the handbrake levers can be fettled a little to improve their appearance.

[MJI]

I do like the Airfix ones, I have a lot of them.

[ISW]

2 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

.... working from Paul Bartlett's excellent photos. Once assembled, a square chassis resulted; a little weight was added as it cured on a known flat surface to ensure this. Looking at the brake gear, ...

 

My 'trick' for a flat surface is to use a piece of thick glass. Tends to be flat (good), heavy (doesn't move), and resists most glues and tapes (easy clean up - use a sharp knife). The only problem is that it's clear and so you can't find it ... 

 

 

[Gibbo675]

3 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

Dunnington will require a couple of Presflo Cement wagons. The plain Bachmann ones, if they can be found, tend to be more than I am willing to pay so I purchased a Dapol kit to see if it can be detailed a little without splashing out much for additional parts.

 

For 50-odd year old moulds I was surprised how little flash is present. The body was put together first, all fitting together as it should. The 2 holes for the name boards were filled from the rear.

 

The chassis sides were bowed outwards very slightly but finger pressure soon straightened them; some small etched hand wheels where added to one side after drilling small holes for fine brass wire supports, working from Paul Bartlett's excellent photos. Once assembled, a square chassis resulted; a little weight was added as it cured on a known flat surface to ensure this. Looking at the brake gear, I thought the shoes and the complicated linkages were a little on the coarse side and was toying with replacing them with finer cast ones; however photos show the brake shoes to be fairly chunky compared to most traditional wagons, so I used those with the kit as supplied but a plasticard spacer was added where they attach to the chassis sides, so that the shoes align with the wheels. This in turn will require a little filing when the body is fitted as the lower sloping sides will now slightly foul the brake gear supports.

 

Next stage will be to add the outer brake hangers and support bar and see if the handbrake levers can be fettled a little to improve their appearance.

Hi Martyn,

 

I built a train of 24 of these some time last year and I found that when building the bodies there is a mould draught angle that fouls the fit of the parts. The problem is at the change of angle in the end pieces, a dry fit up will reveal it.

 

I pared down the brake blocks slightly and they look fine once they were painted black and also stand clear of the wheels. The only extra detail I fitted were the top air discharge pipe and the extra instruction board.

 

The one thing I didn't do was to put a strip around the edge of the roof which I didn't realise should have been there, unfortunately to late now that they are painted though. 

 

 

I also did some ICI salt wagons which required a different arrangement of the lower hopper and two pipes instead of one.

 

 

Gibbo.

[Signaller69]

1 hour ago, ISW said:

The only problem is that it's clear and so you can't find it ... 

 

 

 

I frequently have the same problem, often with the tool I was just using 5 minutes ago turning invisible......

[Signaller69]

28 minutes ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Martyn,

 

I built a train of 24 of these some time last year and I found that when building the bodies there is a mould draught angle that fouls the fit of the parts. The problem is at the change of angle in the end pieces, a dry fit up will reveal it.

 

I pared down the brake blocks slightly and they look fine once they were painted black and also stand clear of the wheels. The only extra detail I fitted were the top air discharge pipe and the extra instruction board.

 

The one thing I didn't do was to put a strip around the edge of the roof which I didn't realise should have been there, unfortunately to late now that they are painted though. 

 

 

I also did some ICI salt wagons which required a different arrangement of the lower hopper and two pipes instead of one.

 

 

Gibbo.

Nice work Gibbo, have to say I don't envy you building so many of them! I did have to open out one of the "mitred" joints between side and end a fraction due to poor fit and bend the angle of one end a tad but otherwise the body went together nicely. I may add a thin plasticard lip around the roof if it isn't pronounced enough, although I reckon it isn't particularly noticeable at anything other than close quarters, thanks for mentioning it though. 

 

I would like to add etched ladder and roof walkways; I have some for the Dapol Class B tank wagon which might provide them but the walkways are a little narrow without modifying them unfortunately so we will see.

[John Tomlinson]

In response to ISW and the use of glass;

 

If you attach some thin pieces of brown parcels tape round the edge, it does help you to find it!

 

You can also put a piece of graph paper underneath, which is visible, and helps check things are parallel or square as required.

 

John.

Edited October 24, 2019 by John Tomlinson

[Signaller69]

12 minutes ago, John Tomlinson said:

In response to ISW and the use of glass;

 

If you attach some thin pieces of brown parcels tape round the edge, it does help you to find it!

 

You can also put a piece of graph paper underneath, which is visible, and helps check things are parallel or square as required.

 

John.

Thanks John, good advice.

[ISW]

5 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

Dunnington will require a couple of Presflo Cement wagons. The plain Bachmann ones, if they can be found, tend to be more than I am willing to pay so I purchased a Dapol kit to see if it can be detailed a little without splashing out much for additional parts.

...

Martyn,

 

I did well then about 6-months ago to get a new Bachmann 3-pack of Presflo wagons for under £30. It was one of those links in the Bargain Hunters Mark 2 forum.

 

[Signaller69]

5 hours ago, ISW said:

Martyn,

 

I did well then about 6-months ago to get a new Bachmann 3-pack of Presflo wagons for under £30. It was one of those links in the Bargain Hunters Mark 2 forum.

 

That was a good find! Cheapest 3 pack I have seen recently is Kernows set at £49.95, but that is lettered for Delabole iirc, rather than "Presflo Cement" or similar. Seen Single ones on Ebay up for about £25 each, although I've not looked recently in fairness. 

[Gibbo675]

10 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

Nice work Gibbo, have to say I don't envy you building so many of them! I did have to open out one of the "mitred" joints between side and end a fraction due to poor fit and bend the angle of one end a tad but otherwise the body went together nicely. I may add a thin plasticard lip around the roof if it isn't pronounced enough, although I reckon it isn't particularly noticeable at anything other than close quarters, thanks for mentioning it though. 

 

I would like to add etched ladder and roof walkways; I have some for the Dapol Class B tank wagon which might provide them but the walkways are a little narrow without modifying them unfortunately so we will see.

Hi Martyn,

 

It was great fun, I had always wanted a train of Presflo's so I bought and built eight and then another eight, but then decided that the train looked too short so I acquired eight more.

 

I had fun with the livery details with various combinations of black and bauxite buffer beams, white and bauxite ladders and slight variations of lettering. No two are the same by way of slight differences.

 

Gibbo.

[26power]

Just in case you are not aware of this webpage: https://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/grcwandcement.htm

 

Have not yet read it myself but it looks like it could be useful.  Don't remember now where I found a link to it!

[Signaller69]

10 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Martyn,

 

It was great fun, I had always wanted a train of Presflo's so I bought and built eight and then another eight, but then decided that the train looked too short so I acquired eight more.

 

I had fun with the livery details with various combinations of black and bauxite buffer beams, white and bauxite ladders and slight variations of lettering. No two are the same by way of slight differences.

 

Gibbo.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to doing slight livery variations when I get round to that stage. I'm sure a couple of photos I've seen only show one vac cylinder on the odd wagon too. The link by "26power" refers to "most" being fitted with 2. Guessing these were AFI fitted? 

[Signaller69]

8 hours ago, 26power said:

Just in case you are not aware of this webpage: https://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/grcwandcement.htm

 

Have not yet read it myself but it looks like it could be useful.  Don't remember now where I found a link to it!

Thanks, very interesting, I hadn't seen that page before.

[MJI]

9 hours ago, 26power said:

Just in case you are not aware of this webpage: https://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/grcwandcement.htm

 

Have not yet read it myself but it looks like it could be useful.  Don't remember now where I found a link to it!

 

That site is run by the son of my old woodwork teacher.

 

I have a pile of photos and...............

 

a pile of photobucket errors.

[MJI]

4 minutes ago, Signaller69 said:

Thanks, very interesting, I hadn't seen that page before.

 

We used to call him Mark, was a year older than me.

 

Was also in the school railway club and was a school friend.

[Signaller69]

The Presflo undergubbins are more or less done. Small pieces of Microstrip were used to extend the brake hangers, with more being bent to shape to form the connecting bars across the W-iron. Once these were glued into place the centre section across the rear of the axle box was cut away to allow refitting of the wheelsets. 

I am using the buffers from the kit on this wagon, with the heads suitably thinned down, but may use Lanarkshire ones on any further examples as there were a couple of variations between wagons.

 

The body is not cemented in place (pun not intended), to allow spraying of body and chassis separately. This has caused some issues in fitting the end bracing plates in the correct alignment but it seems ok now.