S7 scratch building

[airnimal]

I have cut the brake handles from 20 thou nickel and used some Anbis brake racks to finish the brake gear. 

When I bend up the brake racks I solder a small piece of the nickel in the bottom to add strength. This helps when the wagons are handled and prevents them being squashed. Looking at photos of L&Y wagons some of them have a large boss or round fixing nut on the end of the lever. I tried a 14 BA washer but this looked to small so I cut a larger piece from a small brass tube. 

[Poggy1165]

Hope it isn't a silly question, but how do you secure brake lever guides to the wagon? I find superglue is fine at first but is not reliable long-term. 

[airnimal]

Brian, I solder the lever to the brake rack from the back where it isn't seen. These brake racks from Ambis have holes in them at the top where I pin them to the wagon sides. I use lace pins with the head reduced in size with a needle file in the mini-drill. I drill the hole in the wagon side the same size as the pins to make a tight fit. Hope this helps. 

[airnimal]

Progress has been slow putting the details on. The washers on the side rails need rubbing down and drilling to fit the coach bolts providing I can drill in the middle which is not easy. My new magnification loops are not arriving for a couple of weeks so if I can't see what I'm doing I may leave it untill they arrive.

[airnimal]

A bit more done with rope rings done on the ends and door chains on the sides.

[Dave Hunt]

Hell's bells Mike, talk about perfection! Among all the other things I have to do for my Midland MPD layout to become a reality is to make a breakdown train to go with my 15 ton crane, a dozen or so Slaters coal wagon kits and a couple of brake vans. If I try to emulate your level of detail and workmanship I think I'll have to apply to the Almighty for a life extension!

 

Keep up the good work Mike, it's inspirational.

 

Dave

 

PS, you may have mentioned it in a previous post but how do you scribe the planking so well? I've got an Olfa scriber thingy - is that good enough?

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by Dave Hunt
added PS

[airnimal]

Dave, it doesn't look like I will be building a layout anytime soon because of lockdown / house hunting / many other reasons. In fact I have come to the conclusion I will never get to build a layout for myself so I may as well keep building the parts of the hobby I enjoy. 

 

I use the Olfa P-cutter 450 the same as yourself. When scribing I always keep the blade sharp and only lightly scribe any lines. If I have to do the line deeper I always count the number of times I scribe the line and make sure all lines have the same number of passes with the cutter.

 

To keep the blade sharp I tickle the blade with a diamond disc in the mini-drill as shown. 

 

I decieded to to have a go at drilling for the small coach bolts through the black washers. The washers are punched out of my shall piece of black plasticard and glued onto the body and left to dry. 

I then rub them down to almost nothing before drilling for the coach bolts. These are .5 mm spherical rivets from MasterClub. I am sure I have posted all this before but memory problems have long been part of my makeup so if I have I can only apologise. 

[airnimal]

Took advantage of the fine weather yesterday to "paint my  wagon" as Lee Marvin would sing. 

I missed a couple of bolts off the sides in my haste to finish which I may be able to add later. The paint is very dark but I will lighten it later when I come to weather it. I must thank Barry Lane for the numberplates which make a big difference to the overall look of this wagon. I have chosen a number from the ones Barry supplied which could fit any wagon because some couldn't be traced to any particular wagon. 

[Western Star]

I shall be pleased to give the LYR wagon a home any day - superb.

 

regards, Graham

[airnimal]

I have painted the W-irons and the brake gear in between showers and strong winds. 

The cast W-irons need a lot of metal removing to leave just the axleboxes. First I cut as much of the parts off which were not needed with side cutters and then placed the remaining bits on the belt sander with care. I took just enough off without removing the tips of my fingers to leave the axleboxes the right size. The springs I am going to use are Slaters Midland plastic ones although not quite correct will have to do ( standards slipping ).

I only have these solid spoke wheels left in my stock of parts but they can be changed later.

Once I do the other axleboxes I will then be able to paint them along with the springs before I do the final assembly.

[airnimal]

One of the photographs I'm working from shows that there wasn't any ironwork inside other than a small corner plate. All the bolts look like they are countersunk. So after my usual painting I have added dabs of black ink. I may go over this at a later date with rust colour. I will do more work on the weathering when I have finished the other parts needed to complete    

this wagon.

[MarcD]

Just managed to get hold of a copy of "Wagons of the coal trade". I'm going start drawing them out shortly.

And I have just ordered a HD3D resin printer. its not scratch building but it does mean all my fitting and patterns can be done in house. and they can have more detail than before. 

 

Marc

[airnimal]

Marc, I'm pleased you have obtained Len Travender book. His other book on Railway Equipment Drawings is also well worth seeking out. So with  all this new information it looks like good times ahead. Will you be selling parts separate ?

 

Finally finished this L&Y wagon. I have made a few errors and omissions but I'm sure that goes with all the wagons I make.

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by airnimal

[kitpw]

....that's another marvellous example of the art (and engineering) of railway modelling.

Kit PW

[Caley Jim]

Lovely weathering on the ironwork, Mike!  

 

Jim

[MarcD]

Some parts are already but they are on our shapeways site. But as soon as get going with the new machine I'm going to make most fittings available to order.

Marc

[airnimal]

I keep saying I'm not going to do locos but like an itch that needs scratching I keep getting out the box holding the part built box tank.

The coal bunker is one area that is problematic is very similar to the corners of LNWR tenders. 

I have made the front and one side to see if this is going to be a runner or not.  I have made a base from 2 mm brass in which I have drilled some holes and tapped them 12 BA. I have soldered both the front and side to this base plate some I can hopefully screw the complete bunker to the footplate.  I am hoping to use brass tube of the right diameter for the corners and cut the top into a fan shape and flood with solder before filing back.

[Tricky]

6 minutes ago, airnimal said:

I keep saying I'm not going to do locos but like an itch that needs scratching I keep getting out the box holding the part built box tank.

The coal bunker is one area that is problematic is very similar to the corners of LNWR tenders. 

I have made the front and one side to see if this is going to be a runner or not.  I have made a base from 2 mm brass in which I have drilled some holes and tapped them 12 BA. I have soldered both the front and side to this base plate some I can hopefully screw the complete bunker to the footplate.  I am hoping to use brass tube of the right diameter for the corners and cut the top into a fan shape and flood with solder before filing back.

Exquisite. 

[Buhar]

I know you prefer plasticard as a modelling medium, but for metalwork might a swage block help?

Alan

 

[airnimal]

Alan, thanks for the suggestion regarding the forming block with the different sizes punches. I don't have one of these but I do have a good selection of steel rods to use as formers. 

 

Now is is another tale of woe. I cut most of these parts along time ago but I made a basic mistake which has now come back to haunt me. When I cut out the bunker front I didn't take into account the the curve front which has now shone up to take a scale 3" out of the overall width. So the bunker part doesn't fit the top which is the correct width. 

 

What to do now ? Put it back in the box ? Throw it at the wall ? Take up stamp collecting ?

[kitpw]

Commiserations - I wish I could think of way of correcting matters without re-making some of it - but I can't.  Throw something else at the wall, maybe come back to it later? It looks as if it's going to be a fine little engine so worth pressing on somehow!

Kit PW

Edited June 14, 2020 by kitpw
spelling!

[Northroader]

Looks like a new front and back for the bunker, it’s a shame, but you’ll look back at it and laugh, I’m sure. It’s too well crafted to junk now you’ve got this far.

i might be tempted to bring the wings in a bit on the rear spectacle plate, but then I’m a bodger.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Northroader

[Adam]

How frustrating! Though arguably less so than finding that parts in a kit are palpably the wrong size - but when you've measured and cut the parts yourself it cannot help but feel like a personal failure. It isn't. It's just a hazard of trying to create anything and of course we've all been there. It'll be ok, deep breath and a cuppa (or whatever) and it'll be ok.

 

Keep up the astonishing work.

 

Adam

[Dave Hunt]

It would be a great shame to let work of this quality go to waste Mike. Persevere and I'm sure that another miniature masterpiece will result.

 

Dave 

[airnimal]

I believe I should have stuck to my guns and not tried to go back to building loco's. 

Perhaps with the present climate being in lockdown for 3 months has not helped my frame of mind as well as getting to be a grumpy old ba*tard. 

 

Anyway i tried again to make a new bunker without success. I made a new base plate with brass rod for the corners instead of brass tube and some new parts for the plate work. I made up some test pieces to make sure the rivets would be  in line and spaced correctly before trying again.  Lady Luck deserted me once again. More scrap for the bin

 

Other things didn't go according to plan last week including receiving my magnification loops which was a present from my wife for my birthday. There is nothing wrong with the quality it's just I can't get on with them. I took advice on what to buy and they do the job perfectly but I just don't like them. I feel guilty because it is what I choose for a present.

I think I need a holiday before the men in white coats come knocking on my door.

Edited June 15, 2020 by airnimal