ECC Wheal Imogen / Rosevean Station: the expansion

[The Fatadder]

Having decided that the YGH is too much of a pain to not only remove the yellow but also add the missing vacuum bits (including the removal of the etched infill plate) I’ve changed my mind on the prototype and switched to an alternative wagon to model 982518. 
 

this is another electrical fitted Seacow with the grey stripe, so the yellow has been repainted before masking and painting the stripe.  The solebar on this (and the other remaining wagon) were also painted weathered black and it joins the queue for the electrical bits.   This gives a 12 wagon plus shark set of non light fitted wagons and a set of 5 plus shark which will be fitted with the boxes / lights.

 

 

again it still needs weathering and new numbers (which I still need to draw).  It was the Intercity logos remaining on the side that drew me to this specific wagon 

 

[The Fatadder]

A little more Seacow work this evening, with a start adding the electrical bits.  

5 cabinets were glued together from off cuts of plasticard. I think it has come out too big so it will get removed and replaced with a 3d print just as soon as I confirm the actual size!

For the wires on the end I made up a simple jig with drawing pins to aid forming the bends / alignment of the third wire.    I had planed to do the junction boxes properly, but with the number I need and the number of drills I’d brake doing it I’ve settled for an overlay

 

the actual wires up to the lights were bent up following the model as a guide, I’ve done one more than I needed so I have a template for the next wagon.  They were a real pig to glue in place!

 

Graffiti on the wagon is copied from the prototype, as is the enlarged slot on the left hand side.  Once again one of Tim Horn’s photos was used as a guide

[The Fatadder]

With the test build complete, last night attention moved onto the other 4 wagons in the set following the same process.  I think I am right in saying that a single Stingray could power itself plus 4 Seacow which is a stroke of luck!    There is still a fair bit more work to do until these are fully complete, given 4 of the 5 still need tops panels adding and they all need to be weathered.   But they are getting there...

 

The Stingray still needs to be fitted with a generator behind the protective plate at one end.  this could either be in a cage or fully visible.  I have no photo of that area  on the wagon I am modelling, so I am torn between which will be more difficult.  I will probably have a go at drawing a part to print (though once its in situ on the model you wont get a particularly clear look at it.

 

 

Here is the complete set posed on the layout

 

 

 

I took a delivery last night of the plywood to build the open frame section on the front of the Rosevean baseboard, (along with the backscene which probably wont be fitted until the scenics have progressed further.  Hopefully will get a chance to put it together over the weekend (although the weather looks to be against me.) 

Edited April 26 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

Last nights work weathering the Bachmann Seacow now that it’s had its paint corrected and the missing details added

 

 next up was some work on the limpet rake, converting a Loadhaul and another Yeoman POA into limpets.  Along with reviewing the rest of the rake to ensure I’ve got everything covered.   
 

This afternoon I’ve been working on the Rosevean baseboard. Building a plywood extension to the baseboard which will include the river.   There were a few issues (not least me mixing parts to resulting in the top 5mm too wide).  The timber isn’t great quality, but as this area is not going to have any track it’s not so critical.  Now it’s all assembled it needs a little filler in a couple of places, and will be ready for painting to seal the timber.  Then I need to get both scenic boards set up together so I can sort out the track alignments

[The Fatadder]

progress on the board…

the river bed is 6mm below the top of the baseboard as per the wheal Imogen board.  While the front extends upward by 20mm for the rest of the bank.

[The Fatadder]

 

still can’t decide on the large building at the rear, it still feels a little over dominating of the scene.  I wonder if it’s just a case of needing to see it along side the other board to even it out. 
 

the ply sheet in the foreground has been marked out for cutting for the platform top to shape.  
 

The back rear corner is intended to have the bottom of a wooded hill, while the river is marked to ready to start adding the terrain.  
 

At the front right there are two options, the original intention was a house built over part of the track bed for the lifted second track.    The alternative a bridge along the lines of Bugle.  Once the template is glued in place a mockup of the house should help test the sight lines to aid with a decision 

 

the other bit I’m trying to make a decision on is the headshunt. Again there are two choices between a bufferstop next to the 66 or extending off scene.   I’m erring toward the former as it  helps minimise the hole in the backscene and keeps all movement on the scenic section.
 

  Now to take down the Wheal Imogen board so I can get the templates glued in place….

[The Fatadder]

A little work on some Bachmann PNA in advance of a renumbering exercise.

 

I have a rake of 10 purchased when the model was released, I’ve seen a photo of a half rake on the sea wall at dawlish in my period.

So far the work has included removing the tops panels in advance of fitting the new numbers.  Along with removing the S Bachmann added to the Railtrack improving your railway branding on the sides.   In both cases they just rubbed off with a cocktail stick.

 

I also finished off a build of the alternative chassis version, using parts from a Cambrian SSA and some 247 developments brake handles.

[WCML100]

Nice work on the alternative chassis PNA. I have a few of them to do, was looking at RTR options on the market but couldn’t find any…

[The Fatadder]

A little work on a project that’s been in progress for many many years, a loadhaul Limpet.

 

Bachmann originally released a Loadhaul POA but not a limpet conversion, so back around the time of its release I bought one and cut the holes in the side, but never finished the work.

 

my chosen prototype was 390268, (I know Bachmann have since done this with their Limpet tooling…)

 

this wagon has the even side rib spacing (like the model) and the multi rib end (not like the model).  So last night the end ribs were partially removed and replaced with Evergreen 60by 40 strip.  The holes left over from the ladder were filled and it’s now ready for some orange paint.  Eventually it will get numbered along with the rest of the rake.

 

I now have 20 odd wagons awaiting the repetitive messy / noisy job removing the suspension springs.

 

 

First up will be the Bristol show, I will be on DEMU duties tomorrow / Saturday hopefully working on some Genesis FAAs.   

[The Fatadder]

A start on another project that is not particularly useful for the layout…

 

Ive always liked the EWS FAA container wagons (and intermodal wagons in general) however modelling Devon and Cornwall there has never been much of an excuse to actually use them.  A couple of years ago I found a photo of a couple of FAA with 40ft refrigerated containers on a working heading towards Exeter from St Blazey, followed by finding a couple more photos heading toward Cornwall, following which I completed the Genesis FAA build that I had started back at the Bristol show in the mid 2000s.     The build was a complete nightmare, bucket loads of flash, misshapen components (and eventually when I was finishing it off no instructions!)

 

Since then I have had an ebay alert setup to notify me of more kits for sale, resulting in the purchase of 3 part built kits last week which were delivered today.

A quick inspection and the parts quality is every bit as bad as I remember.   Alas the original builder doesn’t seem to have straightened out the parts before soldering on the end platforms.  The first was relatively straight and just needed a few tweaks, the second was curved along its length (but otherwise ok), the third was a mess with curves in all 3 axis.   The end platforms are also bent out of shape, so will need checking to ensure that it’s a deformed part and not a case of being soldered in the wrong position.   Normally on a second hand white metal kit I am pleased to see it has been soldered, in this case I think glue would have made my life easier

the starting position with the main body of the wagon

The badly misshaped buffer beam moulding 

 

On the whole the bogies don’t look too bad, I have Jon Hall’s bogie inner etches to use rather than the crude  white metal rubbish Genesis included.  The instructions are wrong in that they say to use 12mm wheels (they should be 11mm)

 

 

I have 3 sets of instructions thankfully, so marking out the holes for the end pipework should  be quicker this time.  I wont risk soldering the bufferbeams on (the white metal is so thin), but I am currently debating if I just bin them and replace with brass as per the last build.

 

how it should end up 

[The Fatadder]

A little more work this evening, before packing my stock box for the Bristol show tomorrow.    
 

First up all the bufferbeam parts were cleaned up, and flattened ready for fitting tomorrow.

 

while working on this I noticed one end of one wagon had not been soldered on squarely by the original builder.  So this was removed,  cleaned up and soldered in place square to the rest of the model.

 

the final job was some more straightening of the bodies, this time squaring up the sides back to the vertical.

 

it should now be ready to start drilling the holes for the end parts, hopefully someone at the show will be selling nickel

silver wire as I’m going to need a lot of it!

 

Will have a few finished wagons, and a couple of locos 

 

just need to finish work on time that I can make it to the show on time!

[The Fatadder]

I had a good time at the Bristol show on Demu duties, caught up with a lot of friends as well as people interested in the demonstration.  Have to say that was the best location we’ve ever had at the show right in front of the entrance. 
 

I’ve managed a fair bit of work on the FAA project, all of the drilling is now complete, the bufferbeams and buffers have been fitted to all three wagons and a start has been made fitting the brake details.   Once the girls are asleep hopefully I can get a bit more done this evening. 
 

I’ve stocked up on handrail wire from H&A models along with getting some tie bars to finish off the Rudd (and a pack of metal buffer heads for some Brent wagons). More importantly I also

picked up the Peco bulkhead flex track for Rosevean so I’m even closer to starting construction.   

[The Fatadder]

A little more on the first of the FAA this evening, with all of the brackets now added.   The plan will be to do the same on the other two wagons before starting work on the worst bit - adding the actual pipes.  
 

looking at the wagons again I am not happy with a couple of details on the sides, the container mounting points and the label clip on the side.  I think I will file these off and replace with a 3d printed part 

 

if anyone has a clear photo of the white data panels on the either side of the central mountain point I’d love to see a copy.  I’ve yet to find something that is square on and close enough to make out all the text

[The Fatadder]

more progress this evening with all the pipe brackets now in place (including the two I forgot to add to the wagon yesterday).

 

This was followed by adding the final parts to the underside of the wagon.  Next up is the hard bit, adding the actual pipe runs, though I’m half tempted to build the bogies instead…

 

im using Jon Hall’s etches y25 inners rather than the rubbish Genesis moulded  that pretty much requires lining up the two halves by eye!  The original spacers have now been used as ballast weights in some wagons for Brent!