The Bigbee Line Posted April 28, 2019 Author Share Posted April 28, 2019 First priming coat applied. also gave a couple of un-fitted versions a priming coat of grey. I need to bend a batch of door bangers (springs) from brass and shape up some brake levers and slides. My next vehicles will be re-cycling a couple of coach underframes into Carflats. So am looking for early livery pictures. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted April 28, 2019 Author Share Posted April 28, 2019 While sorting through stuff, I came across some twigs cut for HO pulp racks. Must be at least 10 years old. Just need to find the other boxes. Should have enough for 2 minerals. Some are a bit thin. But look ok. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted April 30, 2019 Author Share Posted April 30, 2019 I’m on the Home straight. Now have all conversions underway. My current conundrum is the shade of grey. What is everyone else using? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Almost anything, I think, Ernie. I remember older wagons carrying a dark grey with a blueish tinge, then there was a light grey (again with a blue tint to it). Rebuilds, which started appearing in the late 1960s, were similar in shade to the right-hand wagon in the first photo. The first two colours had more than a hint of the 'Grey Funnel Line' North Atlantic camouflage, and the later colour was redolent of warmer waters. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted April 30, 2019 Author Share Posted April 30, 2019 Thanks Brian. I took the the plunge and created a grey, white plus a little blue mix in Tamiya Acrylics. Here’s the first 3.... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 In daylight the grey did have a slight bluish tinge. I coated another body. Here are 4 with the tops painted. Depending on what’s underneath the shade does vary. I’m now looking through 1960’s pictures for a base colour for the underframes and wheels. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 (edited) ADE908882, built to carry armour plate. Branded RSE, at Tonbridge West Yard in the 80’s. Any idea of what it carried? No auto brake, just a through pipe for air. Edited May 1, 2019 by The Bigbee Line 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 48 minutes ago, The Bigbee Line said: ADE908882, built to carry armour plate. Branded RSE, at Tonbridge West Yard in the 80’s. Any idea of what it carried? No auto brake, just a through pipe for air. I think, by this time, they were part of an assortment of wagons used to transport large concrete bridge beams and similar. Other members of the fleet included Hymacs, Lowmacs and other, more unusual 'Specials' When not in use, they were stabled at Whitemoor; I think they worked from Wensum. As built, the Armour wagons had a flat wooden deck; this one looks as though it has some sort of bolster or bearing-pad amidships. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
45568 Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 Hi Ernie, For my 4mm unfitted vehicles I use Tamiya spray cans. On the left is TS-81 'Royal light gray', on the right with a 'blue-green' hint is TS-32 'Haze Grey'. Bit difficult to show outdoors as it is a bright day here. Tamiya have a good and useful range of spray cans. https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/tamiya_spray/kit85001.htm TS-4 is good for coach/van roofs, alternate with TS-48 for variety. A good range of browns for underframe etc. weathering too. Cheers from Oz, Peter C. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 3 hours ago, 45568 said: Hi Ernie, For my 4mm unfitted vehicles I use Tamiya spray cans. On the left is TS-81 'Royal light gray', on the right with a 'blue-green' hint is TS-32 'Haze Grey'. Bit difficult to show outdoors as it is a bright day here. Tamiya have a good and useful range of spray cans. https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/tamiya_spray/kit85001.htm TS-4 is good for coach/van roofs, alternate with TS-48 for variety. A good range of browns for underframe etc. weathering too. Cheers from Oz, Peter C. Those are very nice, Peter; what's the origin of the models? Having just bought the new David Larkin tome on 'Absorbed Steel-Bodied Minerals', I find myself inspired by the sheer variety of such types, but put off by the number of rivets... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
45568 Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 15 hours ago, Fat Controller said: Those are very nice, Peter; what's the origin of the models? Having just bought the new David Larkin tome on 'Absorbed Steel-Bodied Minerals', I find myself inspired by the sheer variety of such types, but put off by the number of rivets... Hi Brian, These two are old Ian Kirk wagon kits for the GWR 20t mineral, diagram N23?? The mouldings are very crisp, and they still appear on Ebay from time to time. Whilst other Kirk wagon kits were taken up by other manufacturers, this one seems to have slipped through the net! I ordered Larkin 2 yesterday! I am building up an 'empties' of 20-21T minerals from various sources. Old MAJ kits can be found for ex. L&Y wooden bodied examples. I have recently added coke boards to a Hornby 20t wooden mineral as shown in the first Larkin volume. Cheers from Oz, Peter C. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted May 5, 2019 Author Share Posted May 5, 2019 I have also just ordered 'Volume 2'. A bit of a 'wagon nerd' book, but right up my street. I now have 10 ex Big Train / Lima Minerals in various stages of reconstruction... To help me keep track I've added them to a spreadsheet.. How sad can you get? But it lets me see what needs doing to this 'mixed bag' ..... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted May 5, 2019 Share Posted May 5, 2019 12 hours ago, 45568 said: Hi Brian, These two are old Ian Kirk wagon kits for the GWR 20t mineral, diagram N23?? The mouldings are very crisp, and they still appear on Ebay from time to time. Whilst other Kirk wagon kits were taken up by other manufacturers, this one seems to have slipped through the net! I ordered Larkin 2 yesterday! I am building up an 'empties' of 20-21T minerals from various sources. Old MAJ kits can be found for ex. L&Y wooden bodied examples. I have recently added coke boards to a Hornby 20t wooden mineral as shown in the first Larkin volume. Cheers from Oz, Peter C. One of the 'signature trains' of my youth, during the late 1960s/early 1970s, was the trip working from Llandeilo Jct yard to Carmarthen Bay power station. This was formed of a mixture of 21t and 24t minerals; as unloading was via a rotary tippler, it could have vehicles without end-doors. Thus, on top of the BR Standard 1/110, there'd be former Loco Coal wagons from LNER, LMS and GWR, and ex-Private Owner wagons. Some had no side doors, some no end doors, and some with two end doors. I've gradually assembled about 30 or more vehicles, from a mixture of sources, including Parkside (both 21t and 24t ones originally came from Kirk), modified Chiver's Fineline, and the Airfix/Dapol/Hornby. The Chivers ones started as vac-fitted types, but have had top doors removed, and new underframes fitted, with an assortment of brake types. One day, I'll build something to run them on,,, 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted May 5, 2019 Author Share Posted May 5, 2019 This afternoon I sneaked in some white lines. Looking at prototype pictures, they are not to exact. I used masking tape and white acrylic, patted on in an effort to make it not too solid... Quite stark at the moment, weathering down will help I'm sure.. The area below the body is next to get more attention, looking to have a 'standard' underframe mix. Probably a combination of what's in the paint box... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted May 6, 2019 Author Share Posted May 6, 2019 I found some more cut “logs” in a box and topped up my wagon. Not sure how prototypical as a load. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 As they say, 'and now for something completely different'. Tonight Mathew I laid the boards to deck out a carflat. I have 4 Landrovers ready to load. I've got some nice buffers to add after 'clipping' the tops. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted August 13, 2019 Author Share Posted August 13, 2019 I’m trying to get Brighton Works “more finished”. But at the same have yet another tidy up. So during the tidy up I decided to batch together the various bits of part built projects. One box was labelled “GW 4 plank” containing various Coopercraft bits. I’d intended to fit some self contained buffers as the kit buffers were a bit weedy. However I got a criticised for thinking of use these buffers, at the same time reviews highlighting the deficiencies of the kit. What was I going to do? As I was looking to use the underframe under a Big Train Mineral the world was my oyster. Browsing my SR wagon books. I came across a SECR 9’6” wheelbase 5 plank open. With a bit of butchery a possibility. The part built body suffered from flimsy headstocks. So I used the CC moulding to brace the headstocks. Tomorrow I will saw off to leave a 10mm section at each end. The headstocks have been padded out to give a firm base for the buffers. . The underframe is made from T section with some scrap sheet behind to make an assembly can be screwed to the body. The axleguards are an eBay purchase. Near enough for me (purists groan at this point...). I will add add a thin strip to form what is the lower web. Do do I need to have brass bearings? Can the axles run in the white metal? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Adrian Stevenson Posted August 13, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 13, 2019 I would go with some brass bearings. They are really cheap from Slaters. Cheers, Ade. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted August 13, 2019 Author Share Posted August 13, 2019 3 minutes ago, Adrian Stevenson said: I would go with some brass bearings. They are really cheap from Slaters. Cheers, Ade. Thanks, just need to drill out the axleguards a tad. Might shorten the axles a bit to keep the solebar the right distance apart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted August 14, 2019 Author Share Posted August 14, 2019 (edited) The first solebar is “set” so I can try it in position. I had previously cut out the middle of the CC casting that held the weight. One solebar will be glued. The other will have 2 small screws. For that purpose I am recycling any electrical item for whatever can be re-used, including very small screws. Here is the corner, the T section is a good height match for the headstock. Finally a couple of shots showing the “mechanical bond” to retain the axleguards. Edited August 14, 2019 by The Bigbee Line 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Progressing well. Are you going to add a bottom flange to the sole bar? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted August 14, 2019 Author Share Posted August 14, 2019 2 hours ago, N15class said: Progressing well. Are you going to add a bottom flange to the sole bar? Yes. It was hidden in the “small print” of an earlier post.... ........I will add add a thin strip to form what is the lower web...... thanks for the reminder. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted August 14, 2019 Author Share Posted August 14, 2019 Not much modelling time today. Adjusting brakes on real trains. When I got home I found some evergreen for the bottom web of the solebar. Not quite wide enough but it will do. Just need to add a few detail items to the solebar itself. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share Posted August 15, 2019 Between other work I’ve set up the second solebar. Getting the axleboxes equidistant. Now I need to set them the correct distance apart and fit bearings to suit. then prepared the buffer shank to bond in the headstock. Here’s my buffer alignment jig.... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share Posted August 15, 2019 I had a “dry run”, taping the solebars in position. A 3/4 view. Not too bad. Buffer height is about 1.5mm low, I still need to add bearings that will jack it up a little. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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