Southern Railway Modelling - Miscellaneous Project work

[Jack P]

Wow.. It's been a fair wee while since I posted last. 

Winter hit pretty hard and the workshop needs a bit of work to be slightly more habitable + get rid of moisture.

 

I've been slowly chipping away at the EM converted WD and the Z, with the Z being the focus over the weekend. 

 

Pipework under the bunker was pretty fiddly and I decided the best option was to attach it to the chassis. 

 

Looks a bit weird with the body off. Not a perfect representation, but fairly close. Sanding gear bent to shape too.

 

The next step is to complete the brake gear, and figure out how/where I'm going to re-mount the springs and any other miscellaneous pipework that lurks under there.

 

You can see the motor cradle here. Some work is still needed, at present the cradle supports the motor when the forces acting on it are pushing it down (reverse) but when they go the other way, the motor tends to hit the backhead. 

 

Wheels all in place and rods mounted. The first two crankpins are markits threaded examples, and have been serious reduced in size in order to clear the crosshead and connecting rod. Lots of thinning down needed as the clearances are tight!

 

Here's a quick video of running trials with the thinned down crankpins/crosshead and connecting rod.

 

Anyways, that's all for now. I hope you are all keeping well!

[Adam]

That's really coming on nicely, Jack. Pipework is essential to the character of steam loco models, but it is a right fiddle to do (I like that motor mount, too - very neat).

Adam

[Lacathedrale]

I really love that contrast between glossiness and matt finishes on the locos you've weathered, are you able to share how you achieved that please?

[RAY NORWOOD]

Hi Jack. That looks fantastic Jack. Is the motor and gearbox from High levels.

[Blandford1969]

Interesting that you have taken the O gauge approach with the injector pipework, which does look good and must be less likely to be damaged. 

[Tony Teague]

9 hours ago, Jack P said:

You can see the motor cradle here. Some work is still needed, at present the cradle supports the motor when the forces acting on it are pushing it down (reverse) but when they go the other way, the motor tends to hit the backhead. 

 

 

 

Jack

As you know I am not a great builder of locos, but when I took lessons from a certain Mr Wright, his suggested approach was to fix down the front end of the motor by using a stiff wire to connect one of the terminals directly to the chassis; this acted both as a connection and to prevent the motor from rocking upwards when in forward motion.

See my E5X chassis below:

 

 

Tony

[Jack P]

15 hours ago, Adam said:

That's really coming on nicely, Jack. Pipework is essential to the character of steam loco models, but it is a right fiddle to do (I like that motor mount, too - very neat).

Adam

 

Thanks Adam! I'm trying to channel my inner Dave Holt with this one. Lots of the pipework is lifted straight from Nick Dunhill's 7mm Z - I know that you shouldn't model a model, but his is so well researched that I'm putting my qualms aside in this instance. 

 

14 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

I really love that contrast between glossiness and matt finishes on the locos you've weathered, are you able to share how you achieved that please?

 

Thanks William! Mr Color Super Clear III is my go to gloss varnish. It's a lacquer, and has excellent thinning properties. I also let it fully cure for a few days (in the sun if I can), after which it's a super strong base for my enamel weathering. The Matt is the tried and tested Gunmetal/Tan Leather/Matt black in varying quantities, more brown for the chassis, and less for the smokebox/upper areas. I also gently buff the smokebox with a cotton bud after the paint has dried. I also use powders and don't seal them, which further adds tonal variation and matt effect. 

 

I hope that helps! 

[Jack P]

14 hours ago, RAY NORWOOD said:

Hi Jack. That looks fantastic Jack. Is the motor and gearbox from High levels.

 

Thanks Ray, the box is. I'm sure it's a Loadhauler+, the motor is very similar to the HLK one, but is from NZ Finescale. 

 

13 hours ago, Blandford1969 said:

Interesting that you have taken the O gauge approach with the injector pipework, which does look good and must be less likely to be damaged. 

 

Yes, I actually copied Nick Dunhill's 7mm Z. In the end it was for the best, plenty of soldered connections to the frames (hopefully) means this tangle won't go going anywhere. 

 

12 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

 

Jack

As you know I am not a great builder of locos, but when I took lessons from a certain Mr Wright, his suggested approach was to fix down the front end of the motor by using a stiff wire to connect one of the terminals directly to the chassis; this acted both as a connection and to prevent the motor from rocking upwards when in forward motion.

See my E5X chassis below:

 

Tony

 

Tony, Hope all is well!

 

That's an excellent Idea, and one I've used before. However, the chassis is electrically dead and uses Gibson wheels, so no luck there.

The option I will probably solder the motor terminals to wire which connects to PCB inside the chassis, with the pickups branching off this.

It should stop the motor from bucking, but I do still need a little bit of flexibility for the CSB to work. 

Tender locos should be easier, as I plan to adopt the American pickup method there.

[Lacathedrale]

9 hours ago, Jack P said:

 

Thanks Adam! I'm trying to channel my inner Dave Holt with this one. Lots of the pipework is lifted straight from Nick Dunhill's 7mm Z - I know that you shouldn't model a model, but his is so well researched that I'm putting my qualms aside in this instance. 

 

 

Thanks William! Mr Color Super Clear III is my go to gloss varnish. It's a lacquer, and has excellent thinning properties. I also let it fully cure for a few days (in the sun if I can), after which it's a super strong base for my enamel weathering. The Matt is the tried and tested Gunmetal/Tan Leather/Matt black in varying quantities, more brown for the chassis, and less for the smokebox/upper areas. I also gently buff the smokebox with a cotton bud after the paint has dried. I also use powders and don't seal them, which further adds tonal variation and matt effect. 

 

I hope that helps! 

Thank you! I’m very interested in the transition from gloss to Matt on the boiler cladding- is that a case of applying a wash and buffing it out in the middle of the panels, or are you using powders to dampen the glossiness?

[gz3xzf]

Hi Jack

Looking really good, I like the pipework attached to the chassis, I have attached the sand pipes to the chassis on a couple of builds.

How is the motor support attached to the chassis?

[Jack P]

On 28/06/2022 at 19:20, Lacathedrale said:

Thank you! I’m very interested in the transition from gloss to Matt on the boiler cladding- is that a case of applying a wash and buffing it out in the middle of the panels, or are you using powders to dampen the glossiness?

 

I have developed a bit of a technique, and that usually involves spraying the loco with a mucky colour and then using a damp brush with thinners to wet everything and streak down. Once i've done this and it's dried, i'll buff the panels with a cotton bud, and usually this leaves a bit of grot around the boiler bands. I usually go back in lightly with the airbrush after this just to highlight some areas. 

 

If I can find the time (and if I remember) I'll film it the next time I do it. But If you have any other questions in the interim, let me know!

 

On 30/06/2022 at 04:14, gz3xzf said:

Hi Jack

Looking really good, I like the pipework attached to the chassis, I have attached the sand pipes to the chassis on a couple of builds.

How is the motor support attached to the chassis?

 

Howdy Bryan,

 

Thank you!

The motor support is soldered to a bit of brass as a baseplate, which has been araldited inside the frame. The front of the support arm was filed flat and is up against a frame spacer, with some more araldite smeared in there. Seems pretty secure, but we shall see!

[Lacathedrale]

Ah, so it's a gloss coat underneath, with a matt wash/streaking that's buffed off the boiler? Lovely!

[Ribird]

On 03/07/2022 at 14:19, Lacathedrale said:

Ah, so it's a gloss coat underneath, with a matt wash/streaking that's buffed off the boiler? Lovely!

Jack loves spraying gloss on anything he gets his hands on 😉 From what he has shown me, Jack barely uses any powders, more for very certain parts (@Jack P correct me if I'm wrong)

[Lacathedrale]

While I'm here I may as well also confirm - airbrush for the gloss varnish, and then for the tan/gunmetal/black mixture are you washing that over the parts, or airbrushing for full coverage?

[Ribird]

On 05/07/2022 at 05:59, Lacathedrale said:

While I'm here I may as well also confirm - airbrush for the gloss varnish, and then for the tan/gunmetal/black mixture are you washing that over the parts, or airbrushing for full coverage?

From what he has shown me, on a good chunk of the loco is full coverage, cleaned off, then lightly sprayed back in certain areas, like rivets and edges of tenders. But does depend on the look he going for. *full coverage doesn't mean a heavy spray. 

 

He really has mastered what he does. 

[Jack P]

On 05/07/2022 at 22:59, Lacathedrale said:

While I'm here I may as well also confirm - airbrush for the gloss varnish, and then for the tan/gunmetal/black mixture are you washing that over the parts, or airbrushing for full coverage?

 

I airbrush the muck on, in a sort of 'general' application, and then re-activate it with thinners to streak it. This also seems to have the added benefit of making the remaining paint very receptive to being cleaned with cotton buds. 

 

I still don't think I'm doing the description justice. I'll get  a video!

[J-Mo Arts]

That would be much appreciated! 

[Jack P]

I took some glamour shots last night - they definitely aren't perfect, so please excuse the dust and other debris!

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Jack Pedersen, on Flickr

 

Haven't really done much over the last few months, but hoping to finish a couple of projects and provide an update!

[Jack P]

Time for a quick update, I think.

 

Had a fun ride the the hospital a couple of weeks ago. Managed to get (mild) Pneumonia (on the back of a particularly nasty cold, that turned into an inner ear infection).

All is well now, but it presented as shooting chest pains on the left hand side, and the inability to take full breaths, this meant I started to black out from lack of oxygen. I had considered it might be something much worse, so counting myself lucky really!

 

 

In much more important matters, all modelling work has now ceased. I have packed up shop.

But only 'briefly'. 

 

My workshop has been damp from the moment we moved in. Frustrating when metal starts to rust, and paper documents go soft. 

The primary cause of this was the equipment left on the decromastic roof that was the pre-heater system for the pool. Basically a large copper pipe run covered in a glass panel. 

The pool equipment was removed from inside the shed (long before I arrived), but the roof had never been dealt with so all the old leaky crud ended up turning the roof support framework into this:

 

 

Yikes!

Further to this, there is also leakage around the windows on both sides (I call this section the 'old' shed). This has cause some serious rot in the exterior cladding, but for the most part the framework is totally fine.

 

 

You can see that on the far right hand side of the above image. You'll have to take my word that it's also present on the left.

 

So first things first, A new roof. Greyfriars coloursteel to match the house. This came out really nicely.

 

 

Luckily my Partner's (well, Fiancé now actually..)  dad is a builder, so he had a connection for the roof and we managed to do it for about half the price of the quotes we'd got.

Future father in law also provided me with all the timber i'll need to fix the rotten stuff.

The next step was to tackle the interior on the 'new' shed. This is where my workbench is and was added by the previous owner. 

 

Transform! (sort of)

 

All the miscellaneous shelves and bits and pieces have been removed in advance of the next steps.

The plan is to put builders paper down and then insulate the wall, new wiring will be run while we have space, and then the walls will be clad in some nice interior ply. The same will happen in the 'old' side, but we will need to batten out the brick and deal with the wood rot first.

This will allow me to install some creature comforts like decent power outlets, a new workbench, good lighting and a small wall mounted TV. The main thing stopping play at the moment (aside from the weather) is the door, as designed it's very crude. So we are getting someone to look at installing a decent door, which will provide a weathertight seal and a proper handle. Exterior lighting and security cameras are on the list too, we'll run some bigger cable into the shed to support the upgrades, and Data while we're at it.

 

The end result of this rather large project is that I will have a comfy space to work from, and when it comes time to move we can market it as a hobby room/home office/etc.

Really hoping to have this sorted before the end of spring, so that I can enjoy it during summer. I've not done any modelling for the best part of 2 months and i'm champing at the bit to get back into it!

 

The old side of the shed will have workbenches set up that will allow me to have a permanent location for me 3D printer, curing machine, as well as some new tools..

 

 

I had been reaaally hanging out to get my hands on a Proxxon lathe, specifically the 250/E for it's powered lead screw. The issue with that is getting one to NZ ex-europe, not only are they rather pricey (for a mini lathe), shipping and import tax kicks it into the price bracket of a lathe with significantly more features. (Approx. $3kNZD or £1500gbp) So when this popped up from a local machinery store, on sale at $900NZD, it was too good to pass up. I've also got my hands on a live centre, tailstock chuck and some cutting/boring/parting bits. So once everything is set up, I should be able to crack on and start teaching myself what to do.

I've also picked up a Proxxon Mini Milling machine rather cheaply, which should be another tool that will be exciting to learn to use. I hope that these tools will come in handy and make a meaningful difference when it comes to modelling. 

 

As a quick reminder that I do more than waffle on endlessly, here are some pics from the last 12months (a reminder to myself and you guys that I actually do something!)

 

 

Until next time!

Edited October 5, 2022 by Jack P

[Tony Teague]

Hi Jack

Sorry to hear about the damp etc, but congratulations on your engagement!

The work you have done to create a new worshop looks impressive.

Tony

[Jack P]

On 08/10/2022 at 06:08, Tony Teague said:

Hi Jack

Sorry to hear about the damp etc, but congratulations on your engagement!

The work you have done to create a new worshop looks impressive.

Tony

 

Hey Tony!

That's ok, it's a great learning curve!

Thank you! I managed to keep the ring a surprise so it was a nice little addition to our holiday away!

 

 

On 11/10/2022 at 12:18, 313201 said:

Hi Jack P

 

Hope you are feeling better, I had pneumonia myself back in December 2018 and spent a week in hospital 

 

Very impressive models with a high level of detail, well done

 

Much better now thank you! I'm certainly glad we are coming out of winter. 

Thanks for your kind words, I'm reeeally hoping I'll have some updates to the modelling at some point!

[Jack P]

Quick update on the workshop:

 

The floor in the 'new' section was very roughly cut out, and really needed surface finishing. It didn't need to be dead level as the benches will be fixed to the wall, and checked for flatness against them.

Having said that, I was a bit anxious about having a crack myself, because I didn't want the end result to be absolute garbage.

 

One of my friends runs a flooring business, so a quick call to him, and some bags of self levelling compound (at cost even!) and we were away.

 

 

Came out really nicely. After it dried I hit it with a scraper to remove any bubbles and other little nibs etc. It isn't the prettiest floor (although with a proper polish it would come up nicely), but it doesn't matter because it's going to have carpet tile over the top. 

 

The next major thing was the door. This has been one of the major hurdles of the job so far. What I really needed was a proper external door, but finding one that fit the existing hole was borderline impossible, as it's not a standard size. 

 

I managed to pick up a decent timber external door with an Aluminum frame (in this gorgeous red colour). 

The next job was to strip it back, and it was a bit of a mission - but the end result is this very well made door, that is in excellent condition. I've bought a new handle/deadbolt set that are keyed alike, and will go in once the door has been painted. 

 

 

It will go in on the right hand side of the existing door. It's an internal opening door, so i'll also look at putting an awning in over it. 

One of the unrealised knock on effects of moving the door location is that I will have more internal space for a big L shaped workbench!

 

 

I managed to rope my brother in to helping me out with digging around the outside of the shed. The concrete blocks had a little bit of damp creep onto the internal walls. So my intention was to seal them up, and while I'm in there i'll backfill with gravel and put some weedmat down, and pavers around the outside to stop any vegetation ruining my hard work.

 

 

Once the wall had been cleaned and dried I applied a tar based sealer. In the first image you can see what looks like a plumbing pipe. This houses the current incoming power for the shed. The next step will be to take this out, and run new 6mm cable + data out to the shed, and re-locate it into a much more accessible spot. Once this is done, I'll cut the pipe away and fill the hole, before finally filling the trench in. There's no massive rush for this - which is great.. because the sealer takes 30 days to cure fully!

 

The final major exterior job is the cladding. Unfortunately the cladding is a bit worse for wear, and above the section i've dug out, the exterior wall has clearly had some serious moisture ingress. Thankfully none of the internal framework is damaged, but i'll need to re-clad most of the 'old' side. Even worse, I'll need to lose the windows. The frames are absolutely rotten through and very leaky. I might see if I can find some second hand/reclaimed double glazed windows, but worst case I'll just need a really good internal lighting setup. All the internal ply will be screwed on, so if it's really dire, I could fit something later on. 

 

I've done some measurements of what's needed (excuse the crude drawings). Standard sheets are 1200 x 2400 and I've done some measurements/further crude drawings to really minimize waste. I can get the odd shaped bit, Long thin bit and the short angled bit out of a single sheet. and then I think with some careful planning i'll only need 4 more sheets to get the rest. 

 

 

I feel like progress is being made. The list is definitely getting much shorter. Once all the exterior work is done, it should be (relatively) quick progress getting cables run internally, insulation strapped in and interior ply cut to size and fixed in place. My Partner's dad is going to help me make a false floor for the 'old' side. Which will make the finishing work a bit easier as there's less battening/attaching wood to concrete.

 

That's all for now. Apologies that this isn't train related. But we are getting much close to train related content resuming!

[Jack P]

More progress over the weekend. 

 

Joists in place for the new floor.

There's still a concrete lip at the front, where you go from the new to the old. Better planning on my part would have meant we had raised the joists up and had the new floor go out over the lip. There's still time to do that, we will just need to add strips to the tops of the joists. Otherwise i'll just add some grip tape and call it a day. 

 

 

 

It was absolutely bucketing down on Saturday, so we had to work inside to do all of the cutting and measuring etc. 

 

Sunday was nicer. Windy but sunny, so we made a start on getting the door in place. 

Had to cut a whopping great hole in the side of the shed, put up some new studs, and then get the framing in place. 

 

 

 

 

Bad news, the door is upside down in the frame. or more accurately, the door is the correct way up, the frame is upside down. This means the frame and door will need to come out again. 

It's not so bad though, it's only been tacked in place.

There's also a gap around the bottom of the door where it isn't sealing properly. I'm a bit confused about this, as the door appears to be straight, and so does the frame. But the frame is metal, so maybe it's warped somehow? I'll have an expert come and have a look and see what can be done. The door isn't a standard size either, so if the frame is poked, my options are a new, custom made frame, or a new door and the associated work to get it to fit in the gap. 

 

The weather-proof tape is temporary, The lowest part of the building where it meets the tile was not raised when the shed was built, so we are going to need to figure out a belt and braces approach to water tightness in that area to stop any leaking/damp creep/etc.

 

Slowly slowly, but this photo shows the space I will have available for a big L shaped workbench.

 

 

Reeeeeeeally hoping to get things sorted before the end of the year, It's been a long time without the ability to do any modelling, and with all the new arrivals (both on their way and imminent) I have plenty to be getting on with. Not to mention my unfinished projects. The Z is getting on for 2 years WIP.

 

 

[Jack P]

There is something modelling related that I haven't posted about in a while, and that's the EM conversion of the Bachy WD.

Honestly the more I look at it, the more I think I should've just tackled the Bradwell kit. Ah well!

Looking back, I'm not sure i've actually posted about this before??

 

Lanarkshire models Tender chassis and heavily modified brassmasters LMS pony truck. Both are sprung, the tender is CSB and the Pony is just some springy wire bearing against the axle as per the instructions.

 

 

Gibson wheels with harvested Bachman gear wheel. Testing the return cranks for positioning.

 

 

Miscellaneous details added + repaired brake column

 

 

Current state of play

 

 

I ended up making spacers for the connecting rods big ends by turning down some Markits crankpin washers, a fiddley exercise but worth the effort. Of course I then found some washers that would have been a perfect fit - no matter.

 

 

I managed to fernagle the loco tender connection, so that it still connects in the regular way. Once it's done, it will effectively be permanently coupled. 

Still plenty to do, the motion needs fettling + blackening, and the crankpins all need attention. I also need to make a few other detail bits that southern locos seemed to have. 

It certainly won't be the most accurate WD out there, but the end product should be ok!

 

That's all for now

[Jack P]

Ooooh, another model project update.

 

I've long been wanting a large gauge display loco. I've toyed with the idea of a 7mm kit, but I fear that will be a slippery slope - Wanting to add motor/gearbox, then i'll need some track to test it on, etc, etc.

So my thoughts then turned to Gauge 1 European locomotives. Really my first exposure to model railways was playing with my grandad's Marklin sets, I never met him, but tinkering in his workshop and playing with his trains obviously impacted me fairly significantly.

Next issue, cost, can I justify a fairly large bill for a loco that is (incredible, but) static? No.

So what other options do I have?

 

 

A 1/35th scale plastic kit (nearly G1) of a German Kriegslok. A Hattons bargain, and just the ticket. 

The plan is to finish it in the black and red colourscheme, and while it's unlikely to be perfect, or even vaguely accurate, it will scratch the itch and pay homage in one.

 

Obviously I won't be building it out of the box, so I ordered some extras:

 

Sprung, turned buffers, photoetch detail sets, and some transfers from Archers. I've also got a wealth of photographic material to hand.

I'll post a link to the build when it happens, as it probably won't be here.

 

Something different eh!