What's on your 3mm workbench

[TT100 Diesels]

19 hours ago, Phil Mason said:

I've always been convinced that the normal Gaugemaster controllers are significantly better than Duette/Clipper on N gauge. I've no idea why that shouldn't be the case on 3mm but to be honest, I've never tried because the Duette works  reasonably well on most 3mm (Roco, Piko Tillig etc). So whether the 'Combi' is different from the other Gaugemasters, I don't know. 
 

Meanwhile, I had meant to post a pic of my completed 08 as a (inferior) comparison but I can't find one and it wouldn't be on my bench anyway. But I did find these which were on my bench at the time of the phot. 

 

Afraid I'm distracted with N gauge (boo hiss!) at present but I really must get back to the best scale ever for toy trains, 1:100! 
 

I was reminded to make the 'scale wars' comment because I've just received some alphabet decals from the States in 0.06", 0.08" and 0.10". It truck me that, of course, these are 6in, 8in and 10in in 3mm. Pity I don't rate the transfers. 

 

Phil

 

I hope Phil does not mind me saying this, but he is being somewhat modest, the THREE class 26 ers are all scratch build body shells. I would call that phenomenal modelling. 

 

Cheers

D.

[TT-Pete]

21 hours ago, Robert Shrives said:

Can you now fit a decent can motor over the small affair fitted ?

 

Robert, drop-in Faulhaber motor conversions were available from DAS-TT a few years back including can motor replacement for the BTTB motor with Schwungmasse, replacement gears and driveshafts. Various BTTB loco types were covered including E194. I bought a bunch and am still working my way through them -

 

 

[Phil Mason]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but the only bits of the Berlinerbahnen loco I'm using are motor, gears driveshafts and wheels. 
 

If I replaced the wheels as well I'd have nothing left!

 

Anyway, thanks for your interest guys, it's provided me with a bit of incentive to get cracking  on the cl 37 bogies. 
 

Phil

 

PS Who's this random bloke twittering on about his train set in a little box when I'm trying to type? Very annoying! 

[bradfordbuffer]

2 hours ago, Phil Mason said:

Maybe I'm missing something here, but the only bits of the Berlinerbahnen loco I'm using are motor, gears driveshafts and wheels. 
 

If I replaced the wheels as well I'd have nothing left!

 

Anyway, thanks for your interest guys, it's provided me with a bit of incentive to get cracking  on the cl 37 bogies. 
 

Phil

 

PS Who's this random bloke twittering on about his train set in a little box when I'm trying to type? Very annoying! 

Encouraging you to sign up to gold membership! Gets rid of him......or you are on a dating sight just swipe right!☺

[TT-Pete]

Ho hum. It's back to work next week. :^(

 

Glazing

 

A few developments; the 25 cabside windows are glazed with strips of perspex held in by "glue n'glaze", with a film stretched across for the windscreens. Straightforward and simple, done.

 

The 24 however is going for the à la manière de' @TT100 Diesels treatment; individual small pieces cut from strips of Ferrero Rocher box lids and filed to size for each aperture. Held in place with "glue n'glaze". Each one different and fiddly and laborious and patience-sapping and time consuming. This may take a while and I may be gone some time...

 

Presflo woes

 

So, like I said I am reporting back.

 

Now exhibit A - this atrocity is a bastard combination of the etched n/s components up to the point where I abandonded ship, plus the Society plastic underframe parts araldited in. I mean yes, I know it's wrong, but is it an "acceptable" or "charmingly gets away with it" kind of wrong? An acceptable "wrong" that still allows you to scuttle off and build a rake of them in spite of it? Compromise; it looks like a cement wagon to me. If it then also quacks like one... I mean Who carries an accurate snaphot of what Presflo brake riging looks like around in their heads with them anyway?

 

But so what, I'm kind of bored and had it with the Preflos for the time-being anyway, so now that I know how to make them if I can live with the inaccuracy, it's back to the cupboard with them.

 

Cos' something far, faar better caught my attention when scrabbling around in the depths of the Cupboard of Abortive Modelling Shame - rythmic sounds emmanating from a wooden CORPS DIPLOMATIQUE cigar box - possibly - a Thumper?
 

Indeed. A class 204/5 "Hampshire" DEMU 2-car unit. A type that would have run local services on the West of England main line near here.

 

A Worsley Works kit that I last worked on in 2016.

I'd got a fair way on with it, but it was then subject to the effect of a general mojo loss around that time, so was packed away. The big difference this time round being knowing how to use a Bill Bedford handrail bending jig...😁

At the start in 2014.

I chose a Mike Chinery power bogie to power it, these are designed for 12mm narrow gauge modelling in larger scales, I have no idea how well or (if) this will perform!

 

Additional electrical pickups are built into a standard Tri-ang coach bogie at the rear end of the power car.

 

All wheels replaced with Romford 10.5mm metal wheels and pin-point bearings.

 

 

Happy New Year and Gudden Rutsch! to all.

 

Peter.

 

 

[Phil Mason]

Mmm, wouldn't date a railway modeller. It'd do my head in!

 

However, I do get some ads for quite racy underwear popping up. No idea what's going on there. 
 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I thought I'd better get the Colin Marsden Locomotives Illustrated for the cl37 project.  Before getting finger happy on the 'net I thought I'd better check my own book shelf. Lo and behold:

 

Doh! Didn't know I had it. 
Anyway, there are no decent bogie pictures in it. But that's taught me something: "don't fuss too much about bogies". They are dirty and black and down below and nobody is too fussed about them. 
 

With the above in mind, here's my attempt before mass production by the resin casting technique. 
 

 

I'm casting them for four reasons:

 

1. I can't be bothered to make more than one. 
2. Any mistakes I make will be less obvious because both bogies will be the same. 
3. If I ever do another 37, I won't need to do the bogies again and

4. If anybody else thinks my efforts are up to their standards and would like sone side frames I can do them. 
 

Phil

[TT-Pete]

36 minutes ago, Phil Mason said:

I'm casting them for four reasons:

4. If anybody else thinks my efforts are up to their standards and would like sone side frames I can do them. 
Phil

 

Ooh yes please. I'd be up for 4 sets of 4 (for 4 locos total) please. Let's talk terms! 🙂

 

 

[TT100 Diesels]

TT Pete, totally with you on the Presflo chassis musings, a good consistent weathering and they will look the part. I mainly use re wheeled Triang for short wheelbase wagons like you have done some of your stuff. I don't attempt to pass them off as "exact scale", like my recent Triang brake van tarting up, they are what they are but look good on the layout (well in my humble opinion).

 

Re 24 glazing, a tip, don't use ferrero rochet lids, its too thick, they take an age to whittle down to size, I now use 0.6mm thick clear styrene, it is still a painstaking job but compared with FR lids, massively easier. I have to thank Phil Mason for putting me on to that, it has been a great help. One other tip, if you are whittling them down to size, make them a nice tight push fit so they hold themselves in place and lock in with thinned gloss varnish from behind, very carefully by small brush on the aperture just by the glazing, the mix should capillary into the glazing / frame interface without actually touching the brush on the glazing.

 

Oh, and look forward to seeing the thumper finished !

 

Speaking of Phil, have to say, the scratched up 37 bogie frame looks great. Nice work as always from the master scratch builder.

 

Cheers

D.

[Phil Mason]

Here it goes in the mould. I'm unsure if all the bubbles are worrying or not. Bubbles aren't good, but I'd sooner have them riding to the top than stuck on the model. We'll see tomorrow! 
 

 

It's great to see some modelling being done but there's some great modelling being done! Thanks for sharing, everybody. I love the blue 'rats' - coming on nice. As is the power bogie in the Thumper chassis, something I've not done but I ought to learn. We've s 123/4 Transpennine unit somewhere that needs motorising...

 

Phil

[Michael Edge]

For moulding items such as this I start by poking  some moulding rubber around all the fiddly bits, especially undercuts and small holes with a coktail stick first. Let this settle for a while and watch for any gaps or bubbles. Finally pour in the rest of the rubber from one corner, letting it flow over the pattern - don’t just pour it on the top. Yours looks like the same sort of rubber and Lego box I use

[Phil Mason]

Good advice, Mike. 
I'm getting lazy, as well as impatient, in my old age. Also, I think I beat up the mixture a bit too much and got some air in. I should have 'folded in' the catalyst like my grandma would do with the flour in her cakes...

 

This rubber is some cheap stuff off the net, it's not as good as Sylmasta. 
 

Phil. 

[Michael Edge]

Show us how it comes out then.

[Phil Mason]

Not perfect but they'll do. There are two or three small bubbles. I should have done what Mike suggested but the resulting lumps are easily removed from the casts. 
 

The pic is not very clear, I'm afraid. 
 

Phil

[Michael Edge]

The bubbles are in the sort of places I would have poked the rubber in first - I had to learn this from the same sort of experience.

[Phil Mason]

I've thinned down the resin cast dummy sideframes and taken off as much material as I dare from the donor chassis whilst maintaining its strength. The overall width is just about right. 

 

With a bit of paint and some more junk chopped off the donor, it's looking a bit more like a 37 bogie. 
 

 

I've still no idea if this whole thing will work out. That's the beauty of modelling - a voyage of discovery as you solve problems and develop new skills. 
 

Phil

[Phil Mason]

With some more hacking at the chassis, I've got the width down to 22mm, sufficiently narrow to fit the (as yet unmade) body. 

 

That concludes my work bench for 2023. May you all make some wonderful models in 2024!

 

Phil

Edited January 1 by Phil Mason
Soelling

[Phil Mason]

Chassis now complete but I'm going to have to shave more off the bogies because they will foul the body going round corners. It may not even work at all - that's the danger of 'workbench' blogs. You get to see the failures as well as success!

 

 

Great article on cl20s in MT, by the way everybody. Dave sets a very high bar to try and follow. 

 

Phil

[TT-Pete]

@Phil Mason kindly sent me some of his cast bogie sideframes which look very nice cleaned up and given a coat of primer:

 

I've got a project in mind to build a split-headcode Smetham 37 using machined-down Triang A1A motor bogies once it's warm enough to use the bench grinder in my shed workshop so they will be useful for that. So many projects, so little effective time management. :^)

 

And oh! It looks like I've actually finished something for a change!

So she's now in revenue-earning service, those PIKO Taurus mechs really are superb runners;

 

 

 

On 29/12/2023 at 21:42, TT100 Diesels said:

Re 24 glazing, a tip, don't use ferrero rochet lids, its too thick, they take an age to whittle down to size, I now use 0.6mm thick clear styrene, it is still a painstaking job but compared with FR lids, massively easier. I have to thank Phil Mason for putting me on to that, it has been a great help. One other tip, if you are whittling them down to size, make them a nice tight push fit so they hold themselves in place and lock in with thinned gloss varnish from behind, very carefully by small brush on the aperture just by the glazing, the mix should capillary into the glazing / frame interface without actually touching the brush on the glazing.

 

Agreed 100% and thanks for that tip. I got some 0.6mm clear sheet from Squires http://www.squirestools.com/  and it is indeed much easier to work with than FR lids. Just one slight difference being that I am applying "Glue n' Glaze" from behind applied with a cocktail stick, same principle with capilliary action and the point of the stick gently nudges the blob into place. Windscreens done, now gradually working my way through the cabside and door windows, stay tuned...

 

On 29/12/2023 at 21:42, TT100 Diesels said:

Oh, and look forward to seeing the thumper finished !

 

'Ere you go:

 

 

[Phil Mason]

Enlarged, I can see a few bubbles from the mould - thought it was OK! Because the resin is very brittle, they'll probably pop off with a touch of a craft knife. One next to left hand brake cylinder, for example. Like I said before, people don't really look 'down below', so they'll probably be OK. 

 

Phil

Edited January 17 by Phil Mason

[TT-Pete]

Progress on the class 24 has been considerably intrerrupted by this "work" thing of late (note to self: must find way to be able to stop doing it as soon as possible, Euromillions currently not working) and even using @TT100 Diesels tip the glazing seemed to take ages, but now finally complete.

The class 205 Thumper has been trial assembled and put through it's paces, the Chinery motor bogie is superb with smooth slow running and a sensible top speed, I've still got a couple in reserve so will no doubt be using them again.

 

 

Now to do all those dratted door handles and grab rails. How many are there? Lots, but hopefully not this many...

 

 

[TT100 Diesels]

Hi TT Pete,

 

The Derby two is looking the biz now, great to see the glazing finished, it is HARD though, I find it laboriously painstaking, but always enjoy it when its finished!

 

205 looking crisp, looking forward to seeing that finished.

 

Cheers

D.

[Phil Mason]

Would love to see the type 2 taking a suck of gas at Bluish MPD this Easter at York if you can make it, Pete? 
 

I've finished my dalliance with N gauge for the mo, so back to worK on the 37. 

P. 

[Phil Mason]

I've finally got round to some work on the body (after decorating three rooms to keep the boss happy!). I'm still unsure if this is going to work at all. Certainly I'll have to revisit the chassis to allow the bogies to swivel but at least the body side vents are in. The cant rail ones are also going to be a problem. 
 

 

Being shy of boiling 40 thou wrapped and tied round a bit of broom handle, I took the easy option and used a Triang coach roof out of the scrap box. The roof space was needed to accommodate the motor which prevented a flat false roof like I've done when using the Taurus chassis. 
 

 

The roof profile is clearly wrong at this stage but hopefully that will be rectified as work progresses. 
 

Phil

[Phil Mason]

The Triang coach roof is much closer in profile to the nose ends, so I think they've gone on OK. 
 

 

Phil

[bradfordbuffer]

7 minutes ago, Phil Mason said:

The Triang coach roof is much closer in profile to the nose ends, so I think they've gone on OK. 
 

 

Phil

See through rad grills in 3mm whatever next! Cracking work.

G