What's on your 3mm workbench

[Golden Fleece 30]

59 minutes ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Sounds like fitted with decent sound chip

Ha ha, I will not have DCC or sound in any loco.  At shows I usually walk away from layouts with sound as it is terrible in my opinion. Nothing sounds right.

[bradfordbuffer]

20 minutes ago, Golden Fleece 30 said:

Ha ha, I will not have DCC or sound in any loco.  At shows I usually walk away from layouts with sound as it is terrible in my opinion. Nothing sounds right.

Some sounds good but most too loud and get more than two locos and sound can be lost...I help out an a dcc layout at shows...the kids love f2 horn! And wave a train...

There's good and bad in everything 

[Golden Fleece 30]

9 minutes ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Some sounds good but most too loud and get more than two locos and sound can be lost...I help out an a dcc layout at shows...the kids love f2 horn! And wave a train...

There's good and bad in everything 

Yes, my argument at shows is if you can hear it while at the next layout it is too loud. Some shows you can still hear layouts when in another room which is bad.  When exhibiting once the layout opposite was so bad we had to get the manager to tell them to switch off as my wife had to turn her hearing aids off and it spoilt any videos of my layout.  Then, I have yet to hear one that sounds right as all sounds are from 12" to the 1' which does not scale down to 7 or 4mm to the foot.

[Golden Fleece 30]

Another fine RTR loco from Lincoln Loco works, this time a class 52 Western. As usual central motor, 8 wheel drive and pick-ups, and no tyres.

[queensquare]

Not strictly  on my 3mm workbench but I hope I will be forgiven for a blatant plug for Larkrail this weekend where we have two 3mm layouts from Bob Brown  and Mike Corp. Full details here;

 

Jerry

 

[Robert Shrives]

Hi Just a wild update to show my Vic Berry lookalike pile of partly started loco/dmu projects. 

Many are LL (Lenny Seeny ) products  but include 3SMR brass 40 and 73. Shapeways sourced 158. GWR razor car and class 120. A Bruce Smetham Western at rear of first photo.  Some run on chassis others will offer swap bodies

 

hopefully not too scary but it does knock on the head the "nothing is available" arguements.   

Not shown are a mass of Worsley works coaches, emu and DMUs all part started. Hopefully life not too short to actually finish a few in time.

Robert    

  

[Robert Shrives]

 

Two pics from 3mm glos group meeting yesterday .  AB  COVvan in rf brown and a brake van, fitted with working directional sensitive    tail lamps, fitted with wiper pickups.  "photo plank" is the house and camping coach siding from Minsterley.  For taking pics camping coach shunted clear. 

Group of  8 met up for the day and progressed pet projects together, lubricated with coffee and biscuits etc.   

 

 

 

Also had a play with new Hornby track which ran quite happily.

Robert      

[TT-Pete]

Evenin' All, been a bit quiet here of late, anyone left in 3mm or have all defected to 1:120? :^)

 

Anyway, the next project to make it's way to the top of the roundtoit pile is a resin/brass class 25 on a modified Piko Taurus chassis. I've got a choice of two options for the bogie sideframes, resin or whitemetal, which ones look better to you?

 

Resin:

 

Or Whitemetal?

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by TT-Pete

[03060]

42 minutes ago, TT-Pete said:

Evenin' All, been a bit quiet here of late, anyone left in 3mm or have all defected to 1:120? :^)

 

Anyway, the next project to make it's way to the top of the roundtoit pile is a resin/brass class 25 on a modified Piko Taurus chassis. I've got a choice of two options for the bogie sideframes, resin or whitemetal, which ones look better to you?

 

Resin:

 

Or Whitemetal?

 

 

 

The resin ones look better to me, Pete, as the whitemetal ones look a bit cumbersome but maybe that would change when painted a darker colour.

 

Regards,

Ian (most definitely still 3mm .... a lot of N .... several O .... a bit of 009 .... and just a smattering of 00 !!)

[bradfordbuffer]

1 hour ago, TT-Pete said:

Evenin' All, been a bit quiet here of late, anyone left in 3mm or have all defected to 1:120? :^)

 

Anyway, the next project to make it's way to the top of the roundtoit pile is a resin/brass class 25 on a modified Piko Taurus chassis. I've got a choice of two options for the bogie sideframes, resin or whitemetal, which ones look better to you?

 

Resin:

 

Or Whitemetal?

 

 

Whitemetal....but either bogie frames to long or wheel base to short?

[TT-Pete]

Thanks @03060 @bradfordbuffer , the whitemetal ones have more detail but are indeed cumbersome, the wheelbase on both sideframes is the same, and although the chassis is a bit on the short side, the wheelbase issue seems to be accentuated on the whitemetal ones and less so on the resin. I think I'm leaning towards resin, but as Ian says they will look very different with some paint on. I think I'll finish the body/chassis and make a decision when I'm at the point of fitting couplings...

 

[TT100 Diesels]

Not long off the work bench is my fork lift truck, a lovely west hill wagon works TT120 job. I did have a little wobble over is it really big enough for 3mm but in the grand scheme of things its probably ok.

 

Was a good test of detail painting though, lots of 10 / 0 superfine brush action.

Pre weathered, brand new from the fork lift shop.......

 

Size comparison with a 3mm resin moggy thousand. 

 

And in size context, sitting on a 2 pence piece.

 

And round the back of the engine shed. It has been weathered since. Think there is a depot shot of it on my HPJ layout thread if anyone is interested.

 

Pity west hill wagon works don't also do stuff in 3mm, but the 120 stuff is a not bad compromise.

Edited June 25, 2023 by TT100 Diesels
Spelling

[TT100 Diesels]

Some more recent workbench activity, a society COV-AB (VAA / VAB in tops money) made, then converted into RDB999900, tribometer test train test vehicle. 

Biggest job was cleaning out the van door catch pockets, full of moulding "overmould". Be honest, not a pleasant job. But putting it together is relatively easy though. Added the gangways from plasticard plus some body end detail. Underframe wise, added vertical damper brackets and dampers on the suspension. 

 

Additions are fairly obvious from this raw build pic. Please ignore the small triangular sliver of plasticard on the body end, cutting swarf not noticed till after the pic was taken.

 

Finished and weathered in freight brown, sitting next to its brother in rtc red on blue livery. Both the same vehicle, one to go with the 24 (1980), the brown one to match trib train operations with the 23 (1975).

 

Most of my major work bench stuff has ended up in Mixed Traffic as no doubt any 3mm soc members will have seen, so not really much live actual work currently to share, anyway hope these two posts are of interest.

[Phil Mason]

I think I did the master for these van sides some 30 years ago. I probably knocked them up in an afternoon or so and I'm amazed and humbled that people have made such nice models of them. 

[Phil Mason]

I think I did the master for these van sides some 30 years ago. I probably knocked them up in an afternoon or so and I'm amazed and humbled that people have made such nice models of them. 

[Phil Mason]

Sorry folks, still learning how to use this thing! Reply went in twice. 
 

Just to prove I'm doing something, here's a dummy loco under construction. Spoked wheels are from Arnold, rolling bogies made up from bits of brass and balsa and resin cast sideframes. I'm just sorting out the buffers (4mm wagon buffer heads on telescoping brass tube). I just love 3mm - the ability to cobble bits together. 2/2.5mm is too small to do this (as an average modeller) and in 4mm I'd probably have to think about expensive sprung brass buffers. 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Phil Mason
Soelling

[TT100 Diesels]

They are a nice kit Phil, the only downer is the door handle pockets, they tend to require a fair bit of cleaning up with over mould present. But given the vintage, they are great and now they have been re issued by the 3mm society shop complete with chassis as well, I must say it is tempting me towards an air braked van rake.....

[TT100 Diesels]

Bit of cross posting, I did a van reply and the 76 build post above appeared.

 

Very nice, another "Tommy" nearly ready for duty !

 

Cheers

 

TT100

 

[Phil Mason]

It seems to have gone together OK and rolls freely. The 'chassis' is a bit of MDF to be a tight fit in the body with some copper clad paxolin 'Thixofixed' to the bottom to which the press studs are soldered. 

[Phil Mason]

Lights and roof detail done. Time for bed!

[Phil Mason]

Almost unbelievably, the roofs of these locomotives were painted 'primrose'. The shade I've quickly mixed is far too yellow but it'll soon get dampened down with a heft coat of 'dirt'. 

[Phil Mason]

Today's progress. Cab door handrails are wire but the front rail is plastic. I've no idea if this will work. 
The light holes have been filled with clear 'stained glass paint'. This will dry clear by morning. I did the lights themselves from bits of 3/32" brass tube. 

[TT100 Diesels]

Fantastic progress Phil, I assume you are going all out to have this one ready for duty on Bluish layout for this weekends railex at St Johns, Stoke.

[Phil Mason]

Yup, another late night should see the windows fitted, accompanied by Radio 3's 'Night Tracks'. I find it amusing that their other programme that accompanies my modelling in the evening is 'Late Junction'. Anybody out there who doesn't think they are into 'classical' music should give these a try - a fantastic eclectic mix from renaissance to contemporary, taking in folk, jazz and world music on the way. 
 

The clear stained glass paint has done its job. I cut the first windows to size and applied it to the inside. Like anything, a little care is repaid. Given a completely even coat it would probably be invisible. Daubed on in a thick lump it's still OK but differences in thickness will probably show up. This loco will be its first major trial. I say 'loco' but this build is more like doing a parcels coach. 
 

So yes, it'll be available to be shunted round by the 'near ready to run 08'. 
 

I'm looking forward to St John's at the weekend, what with Delyn y Coed and some beautifully finished state of the art' diesels from TT100. 3mm 80's D&E fest - bring it on! 

[TT100 Diesels]

Yes, I too am looking forward to it. Its nice of you to say what you think of my diesels in the above post, but as for state of the art, well I think that is reserved for the class 24 that has been ultra detailed, painted, weathered and finished by Andy Clayton Resprays, which Jim may have with Delyn Y Coed, the other 3 mm layout you mentioned above.