Great Southern Railway (Fictitious) - Signalling the changes...

[Annie]

Exactly like that, in fact. It's good to see that the design seems to be variable in a way that includes my bodge to get things more easily buildable. 

 

In the meantime, I have given up on writing instructions for this evening - I'm about half way through the instructions that should cover three of the kits, and today has been a very long day with the Trans Pride Scotland march in Edinburgh - and have had a look at some of the drawings that have been sent to me by Edwardian of this parish. Using my previous Stroudleys as a basis for panelling etc, I've managed to produce this much of the design for a D.158 48' Brake 3rd.

 

48 Foot.png

 

I still need to have a long, hard think about how to tackle the bogies, but that is a project for another day!

I do like that coach side Linny.  Would you think me an utter criminal if I 'borrowed' it for litho coach experiments.

[Skinnylinny]

I do like that coach side Linny.  Would you think me an utter criminal if I 'borrowed' it for litho coach experiments.

Not at all! I've not done the ducket yet, but I could send you a higher-quality image if you'd like?

[Annie]

That would be very nice of you Linny, - thanks very much.  

[Skinnylinny]

You're very welcome! Do you have a preferred file format? 

[Annie]

Either PNG or BMP would be fine Linny as I work with both.

[Annie]

Here's your coach side Linny put together on a 50ft GER brake 3rd with your artwork adjusted to suit this particular coach's layout.  This was originally a very simple model put together by its creator when he needed some coaches in a hurry so the sides were very basic.  Needless to say your artwork has completely transformed this simple model.  Windows are based around a rain spotted glass texture that I'm using for a lot of my digital coaches now.  Lettering and representations of door handles and handrails still to do, but even at this stage I'm absolutely delighted with the result.

 

Edited April 1, 2018 by Annie

[Annie]

Details added. I decided that this coach belongs to the fictional Great Central & Eastern Joint Railway since I'm building up a combined GER and GCR digital layout at the moment.  Just need to make a third class and first class coach now.

 

[mikeandnel]

Exactly like that, in fact. It's good to see that the design seems to be variable in a way that includes my bodge to get things more easily buildable. 

 

In the meantime, I have given up on writing instructions for this evening - I'm about half way through the instructions that should cover three of the kits, and today has been a very long day with the Trans Pride Scotland march in Edinburgh - and have had a look at some of the drawings that have been sent to me by Edwardian of this parish. Using my previous Stroudleys as a basis for panelling etc, I've managed to produce this much of the design for a D.158 48' Brake 3rd.

 

48 Foot.png

 

I still need to have a long, hard think about how to tackle the bogies, but that is a project for another day!

 

Hello Skinnyjinny

I would also like a copy of the artwork for the bogie brake please, if that is possible.

My preferred format is .jpg

Thanks in advance

Michael

[Skinnylinny]

Details added. I decided that this coach belongs to the fictional Great Central & Eastern Joint Railway since I'm building up a combined GER and GCR digital layout at the moment.  Just need to make a third class and first class coach now.

 

 

Oh wow, that looks excellent! It's great to see my work getting used in ways I wouldn't have thought possible. Incidentally, the other three coaches I'm planning on doing from the set (same length) are a full third, a full first, and a lavatory composite. Would you like the artwork from those as they happen as well?

 

Hello Skinnylinny

I would also like a copy of the artwork for the bogie brake please, if that is possible.

My preferred format is .jpg

Thanks in advance

Michael

 

Hi Michael,

 

I'll pop a copy of that in a private message shortly. Enjoy!

 

Linny

[James Harrison]

Stunning work all round chaps and chapesses.  Are you planning to do the 50' carriages as card kits too?- because I'd be up for buying a few sets.  They're not a million miles removed from GCR Edwardian stock, you see....

[Skinnylinny]

Which 50' carriages? The 48' ones will possibly also be released as card kits, though I need to figure out how to implement bogies, and what sort of underframe detail I can manage (the Stroudley 4-wheelers have almost nothing on the underframe, which makes life much easier!). I'm looking into it!

[James Harrison]

Ascribe it to my misreading!  They are 48' carriages!  (Honestly, get with the programme, Harrison....)

 

Still watching with interest. 

[sem34090]

Linny - I was wondering if (upon putting together some of my own artwork in Sketchup) you could perhaps add some designs of my own to your range? I intend to cover perhaps a few multiple units and railmotors. With the latter I was wondering whether a combination of 3D Printed loco section and bogies could be combined with laser cut coach section? I also intend to cover the likes of the F9 and possibly the LNWR's Cornwall where a similar principle could be employed to keep costs down. Besides this I have a few coaches I may cover.

[Annie]

Oh wow, that looks excellent! It's great to see my work getting used in ways I wouldn't have thought possible. Incidentally, the other three coaches I'm planning on doing from the set (same length) are a full third, a full first, and a lavatory composite. Would you like the artwork from those as they happen as well?

 

 

Linny

 

Yes please very much  

 

Since the base meshes I'm using are for 50ft coaches I had to do a little adjusting and remodelling around the guard's compartment, but it wasn't difficult to do. The only real change I made was to add my own artwork for ventilators at the top of the doors.  I've done a full brake/passenger parcels van mostly by cutting and pasting the artwork and I'm reasonably happy with it.

It would be really excellent to be able to use your other artwork as it becomes available, - especially the composite as I always struggle a bit with creating those due to the different compartment spacings.

If anyone would like the artwork for the 50ft fullbrake/passenger parcels van I'm quite happy to pass on a copy with the GC&EJt. lettering removed. I can remove the representation of door handles and handrails as well if all you need are completely blank coach sides.

[Annie]

Stunning work all round chaps and chapesses.  Are you planning to do the 50' carriages as card kits too?- because I'd be up for buying a few sets.  They're not a million miles removed from GCR Edwardian stock, you see....

I am slowly working on some artwork for GCR coach sides, but it's still early days with it at the moment.

 

They are likely to be more representational rather than actual prototypes though.

Edited April 1, 2018 by Annie

[Edwardian]

Well, the brake 3rd body seems to go together well enough - back to the instructions, I guess...

 

IMG_20180331_214737389.jpg

 

The roof/ducket interface isn't quite perfect, as most photos seem to show the top of the duckets forming a smooth curve with the roof, with no visible join, but doing that in card would mean the roof and ducket sides would have to be one unwieldy piece, so I've sacrificed prototypical design very slightly here bu putting the roof on top of the ducket covers.

 

OK, that is stunning.  I can't wait!

 

 

Exactly like that, in fact. It's good to see that the design seems to be variable in a way that includes my bodge to get things more easily buildable. 

 

In the meantime, I have given up on writing instructions for this evening - I'm about half way through the instructions that should cover three of the kits, and today has been a very long day with the Trans Pride Scotland march in Edinburgh - and have had a look at some of the drawings that have been sent to me by Edwardian of this parish. Using my previous Stroudleys as a basis for panelling etc, I've managed to produce this much of the design for a D.158 48' Brake 3rd.

 

48 Foot.png

 

I still need to have a long, hard think about how to tackle the bogies, but that is a project for another day!

 

Fantastic.  Room in my heart for a set in umber and white and a set in umber!

 

I think it is worth seeing if bogies can be produced, however, if card bogies prove a problem, there are at least two alternatives:

 

247 Developments have re-released a lot of their whitemetal bogies.  These include the Fox 8'. 

 

Alternatively, you can obtain the bogies from Ratio kits as separate components.  The LNWR 8's can be subtly altered to better resemble the Fox pattern.

[Skinnylinny]

I'll definitely have a look at making my own bogies from card (probably with tab-and-slot construction to make them as hard to build non-square as possible). The 247 Developments Fox bogies come in at £7 (presumably a pair? The website doesn't specify) and would lend some useful weight.

The Ratio LNWR bogies would be the right wheelbase, but would need a few bits chopping off and don't have the distinctive curves highlighted here in red (being rather more angular on the Ratio ones)

 

[Edwardian]

I'll definitely have a look at making my own bogies from card (probably with tab-and-slot construction to make them as hard to build non-square as possible). The 247 Developments Fox bogies come in at £7 (presumably a pair? The website doesn't specify) and would lend some useful weight.

 

The Ratio LNWR bogies would be the right wheelbase, but would need a few bits chopping off and don't have the distinctive curves highlighted here in red (being rather more angular on the Ratio ones)

 

Curves.png

 

Yes, that is the main issue.

 

My preference is for the 247 cast ones.  For not much more money, you get exactly the right type, I believe.  Yes, the price is per pair; 1 coach: £7.

 

I just picked up 2 pairs of Dean bogies from them at York; £7 and £7.50 per pair.

[Skinnylinny]

The fact that 247 also offer the bogies pre-assembled (and painted, if you wish) is a big pro. I'll consider making some card bogies but having them available as an optional extra to the coach, thus letting people buy the 247 ones if they prefer.

[Skinnylinny]

Aaaand another basic body-side design done - this time a 48ft Lavatory 1st/3rd composite. The lighter grey windows are frosted/etched glass for the lavatories themselves, the outer compartments being third class and the two middle ones being first class.

 

 

[Edited: And another one: This is the 8-compartment 3rd:

 

]

Worth noting: These drawings just let me get the bits in the right place. Actually turning them into kits takes a fair bit more work, but I think these bodies will go together fairly neatly. I'll place an order for some whitemetal Fox bogies and see how they can be attached to the body.

Edited April 1, 2018 by Skinnylinny

[sem34090]

May I ask if I can use your sketchup files to aid the creation of further coach types? I may then be sending them back to you to add to the range, should you wish.

[Skinnylinny]

Sure - I've got four coach sides just now, but I haven't done the ends yet - the plain coach ends are the same as my Stroudley 4-wheelers, but the end ducket of the brake is subtly different so I need to fiddle with that still.

From top to bottom: All-first, Brake 3rd, All-third, Lavatory composite. And yes, the compartments on the brake third really are that much smaller than those on the all-third!

 

 

[sem34090]

Cheers, Linny. I really think this process is much better suited to making coaches than 3D printing is.

 

One question: would it be possible to design the tumblehome into the 3D CAD then get the laser cutter to also form the curve?

 

PS: Liking the Atlantic B12-Bash on your website! Needs a coat of GSR GER Blue though, or at least LNER Green!

Edited April 1, 2018 by sem34090

[Skinnylinny]

It's certainly easier to get a smooth surface than 3D printing, and at the moment it's much cheaper for larger models too. Sadly I can't make the laser cutter cut tumblehomes - it can only work in 2 dimensions. However, the Hacklab *does* have a CNC milling machine. Learning the software for that will likely take a much longer time than Sketchup, but eventually I hope it might be possible to learn to use the milling machine to make injection moulds out of aluminium. The details we need as modellers may be too small for the machine though. We'll have to see. 

In the meantime, I am getting ready to head home, having cut my first 48 foot coach bodyshell (minus the roof) - the lavatory composite. 

 

And thanks for the comment on the C3 Atlantic. I noticed that the LNER uses C and a number for 4-4-2 locomotive classes, and they had C1, C2, and C4-C17. This left a gap in the class structure, and the LNER didn't inherit any Atlantics from the GER, so I decided to create one. With the help of a club member, I found a gap of four numbers within the range allocated to atlantics, that were never allocated in BR days, so the loco is a non-existent class with a non-existent number, that fits neatly into the existing system. Great for upsetting rivet counters!

Going back to the bogie coaches, I would love to get these out in plenty of time to let people build a train for their new Bachmann H1 and H2 atlantics to pull. Just imagine, a Marsh Umber 4-4-2 sweeping through the station with six umber-and-white bogie coaches, while an E4 glides into the platform in the other direction with a train of Stroudley four-wheelers... Might even convince me to extend the period of my layout back a few years...

Edited April 1, 2018 by Skinnylinny

[Edwardian]

It's certainly easier to get a smooth surface than 3D printing, and at the moment it's much cheaper for larger models too. Sadly I can't make the laser cutter cut tumblehomes - it can only work in 2 dimensions. However, the Hacklab *does* have a CNC milling machine. Learning the software for that will likely take a much longer time than Sketchup, but eventually I hope it might be possible to learn to use the milling machine to make injection moulds out of aluminium. The details we need as modellers may be too small for the machine though. We'll have to see. 

 

In the meantime, I am getting ready to head home, having cut my first 48 foot coach bodyshell (minus the roof) - the lavatory composite. 

 

IMG_20180401_230714787.jpg

 

And thanks for the comment on the C3 Atlantic. I noticed that the LNER uses C and a number for 4-4-2 locomotive classes, and they had C1, C2, and C4-C17. This left a gap in the class structure, and the LNER didn't inherit any Atlantics from the GER, so I decided to create one. With the help of a club member, I found a gap of four numbers within the range allocated to atlantics, that were never allocated in BR days, so the loco is a non-existent class with a non-existent number, that fits neatly into the existing system. Great for upsetting rivet counters!

 

Going back to the bogie coaches, I would love to get these out in plenty of time to let people build a train for their new Bachmann H1 and H2 atlantics to pull. Just imagine, a Marsh Umber 4-4-2 sweeping through the station with six umber-and-white bogie coaches, while an E4 glides into the platform in the other direction with a train of Stroudley four-wheelers... Might even convince me to extend the period of my layout back a few years...

 

This looks superb; I have wanted some of these for years!

 

I could probably dig out some info on set formations.

 

If these come off, you may find yourself pressed for the 54' non corridors and, especially useful for Atlantic or I3 owners:

 

- City Limited corridor set

 

- Southern Belle Pullman set

 

Any takers?

 

All I'll need then is a B2 and B4 and I'll be in business as a Brighton mainline modeller; time, real estate and spondulicks permitting.  We may yet see Merstham.