What's on your 3mm workbench

[Phil Mason]

Flipping heck! Marvellous stuff. The possibilities are endless. Looks like every club should have access to a printer and, of course, somebody with the skills to get things done. 
 

I was going to say "skills and interest" but that's not right. Hopefully, your posts will help to generate the interest as, indeed, others on here are trying to do in 3mm generally. 
 

Thank you for sharing. Exciting times!
 

Phil

[Phil Mason]

I'm at York at Easter with Bluish. It has a little display area to hide what passes as a fiddle yard. 
 

if anyone on here is going to York and would like to display a 'workbench' model (completed or not) you're more than welcome - the more the merrier! It's stand 80 on the first floor. 
 

Thanks in anticipation 

 

Phil

[bradfordbuffer]

8 hours ago, Phil Mason said:

I'm at York at Easter with Bluish. It has a little display area to hide what passes as a fiddle yard. 
 

if anyone on here is going to York and would like to display a 'workbench' model (completed or not) you're more than welcome - the more the merrier! It's stand 80 on the first floor. 
 

Thanks in anticipation 

 

Phil

Will do Phil!

[bradfordbuffer]

16 hours ago, bradfordbuffer said:

More 3d3mm stuff

 

From cults3d for a couple of quid got a OCA airbrake wagon (I know the society does one)several stl files included in down load 2 presupported 4mm versions underframe and body and several for you to scal, support and print...

I done 2 in the flat result good body detail no clean up needed but buffer beams splayed out under body suffered from elephant foot as resin had no where to drain and sat giving a bulging bottom! 2hr print 30p in resin Slight re model needed.

The pre supported file was scaled and printed 2 body and 2 underframe 9hr 60p in resin for print,one body suffered from the attack of godzilla and de laminated (also puncturing the resin vat plastic bottom FEP resulting in resin leak lucky I fit a screen protector on so no expensive replacement of LED screen) 
Body has quite a few print lines but a smooth bottom.
Underframe is nicely detailed but is too narrow for 14.2mm wheels with not as much material as the vga van so I will rescale a 1mm wider so will test again 

The designer has several post 80s wagons on and a lot of lines detailing stuff

Also just found another designer who does a blue spot wagon grampus continus welded rail train roller wagon and a viaduct inspection crane on a warwell wagon all in n gauge so should print up in 3mm ok he also has a PWM 060 shunter but that's 20quid and needs underframe but does a none working one so if you wanted a static model for pw yard it's a good one

 

Forgot to add link

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/oo-model-railway-br-oca-ballast-wagon

 

[Red Devil]

8 hours ago, Phil Mason said:

I'm at York at Easter with Bluish. It has a little display area to hide what passes as a fiddle yard. 
 

if anyone on here is going to York and would like to display a 'workbench' model (completed or not) you're more than welcome - the more the merrier! It's stand 80 on the first floor. 
 

Thanks in anticipation 

 

Phil

I'll be going, will bring some RC mech stuff  that I'm playing with if ok with you?

Quick edit to say I'd be going anyway but if it had been elsewhere I'd be going too as I particularly want to see Bluish.

Edited March 6 by Red Devil

[Phil Mason]

Thanks for your kind support guys but I've got to tell you Bluish is TINY! 
 

Hope to not cause too much disappointment there but  am looking forward to seeing all this stuff for real. 
 

The layout should be in Model Rail in a week or so where Chris Nevard's brilliant photos will, no doubt, make it look massive! 
 

Next year at York (and I hope this isn't spilling any beans) there should be a whole bevvy of 3mm layouts. How about a 'thicket' for a collective noun? 
 

Phil

[Phil Mason]

Some work on one end with various bits of hardware added. I find getting things positioned accurately really difficult. The headcode box in particular is subject to change. Probably my astigmatism kicking in. 
 

I have just thought of a method, though. Next time I shall try sticking the relevant bit of drawing on and then punching through the paper to mark the plastic underneath for position of lights etc. 

 

I'm not sure about the tumblehome area around the buffer cowl area so that may need attention. Also the side is getting de-laminated and will need some superglue. And that handrail looks bent. 
 

As always, two forward and one back...

 

P. 

Edited March 7 by Phil Mason
Spelling

[03060]

4 hours ago, Phil Mason said:

Some work on one end with various bits of hardware added. I find getting things positioned accurately really difficult. The headcode box in particular is subject to change. Probably my astigmatism kicking in. 
 

I have just thought of a method, though. Next time I shall try sticking the relevant bit of drawing on and then punching through the paper to mark the plastic underneath for position of lights etc. 

 

I'm not sure about the tumblehome area around the buffer cowl area so that may need attention. Also the side is getting de-laminated and will need some superglue. And that handrail looks bent. 
 

As always, two forward and one back...

 

P. 

 

Morning Phil,

 

That's looking really, really good and I'm amazed at how you've managed to capture what I think is a very awkward body shape.

 

One thing that I meant to mention when you were redoing the nose side grills was that there are also two versions of cantrail grill dividers plus both welded and rivetted roof panels to be aware of as they were built by two different companies, Vulcan Foundry or RSH; sorry I can't remember which details belong to which locos but it's best to try and have a look at a couple of photos of your chosen loco just to be safe.

 

You may, of course, be already fully aware of this but I thought it was worth mentioning just in case.

 

Best wishes,

Ian.

[Phil Mason]

Thanks, 03060. It should really be a bit more 'humpty backed' but I was lazy and didn't add much more curve than the Triang roof. 
 

You're right, of course, about the details and I may well end up with a bit of a hybrid. It's a matter of choosing an example that might have worked over Woodhead around 1980. They weren't common! 
 

I'm looking at 37140 at present. But I'm going to go through all my books again to see if there is any documentary evidence. 
 

I've no idea why I embarked on this other than I had a chassis which is proving not particularly suitable and will need further work. 
 

Of course, this isn't a 'master class'. Far from it; its 'work in progress', warts and all. If I can help to inspire somebody else to 'have a go' at any form of modelling, that's far more important than ending up with a perfect model for myself. 
 

And in the process we are learning all the time. So thank you for your input. 
 

P. 

[TT100 Diesels]

Nice to read all the work bench posts and progress from Phil and co above. So a minor update from me on the 45/1. 

 

 

More filler, patches and 'plating over'. About there with the filler eliminating and sheeting over the boiler access steps (both sides). Patch and first pass filler to fill in the roof boiler exhaust port after filing down the raised bit. On the body side, plasticard patches to represent the two plated over grilles (on both sides). Filler repairs to a 3d print groove and a solebar chip repair.

 

 

After sanding flush second pass headcode filler, some defects still evident all 4 so third pass filler drying off.

 

As ever, with this sort of thing, its all about methodically keeping going round the loop so to speak.

 

Still, its getting closer to a /1.

 

Cheers

 

D.

[bradfordbuffer]

37 minutes ago, TT100 Diesels said:

Nice to read all the work bench posts and progress from Phil and co above. So a minor update from me on the 45/1. 

 

 

More filler, patches and 'plating over'. About there with the filler eliminating and sheeting over the boiler access steps (both sides). Patch and first pass filler to fill in the roof boiler exhaust port after filing down the raised bit. On the body side, plasticard patches to represent the two plated over grilles (on both sides). Filler repairs to a 3d print groove and a solebar chip repair.

 

 

After sanding flush second pass headcode filler, some defects still evident all 4 so third pass filler drying off.

 

As ever, with this sort of thing, its all about methodically keeping going round the loop so to speak.

 

Still, its getting closer to a /1.

 

Cheers

 

D.

Just needs a rake of mk2 a/b&c on a lime Street to Newcastle! 

[03060]

6 hours ago, Phil Mason said:

Thanks, 03060. It should really be a bit more 'humpty backed' but I was lazy and didn't add much more curve than the Triang roof. 
 

You're right, of course, about the details and I may well end up with a bit of a hybrid. It's a matter of choosing an example that might have worked over Woodhead around 1980. They weren't common! 
 

I'm looking at 37140 at present. But I'm going to go through all my books again to see if there is any documentary evidence. 
 

I've no idea why I embarked on this other than I had a chassis which is proving not particularly suitable and will need further work. 
 

Of course, this isn't a 'master class'. Far from it; its 'work in progress', warts and all. If I can help to inspire somebody else to 'have a go' at any form of modelling, that's far more important than ending up with a perfect model for myself. 
 

And in the process we are learning all the time. So thank you for your input. 
 

P. 

 

This web site can be very useful for tracking down particular Class 37 engine movements over the years, Phil. This is the page for 37 140 around 1980 but if you use the Fleet History tab you can track any of the 308 examples through their lives, some photos are also linked to each loco. I appreciate that you may not wish to be 'tied down tightly to a particular loco' .... but there may just be one to suit your scenario ? I use this site a lot for identifying 37s on the West Highland Line.

 

https://www.class37.co.uk/fleet.aspx?strnumber=37140

 

Regards,

Ian.

[Heacham]

On 03/03/2024 at 22:09, 03060 said:

Well some progress made with the fish van yesterday but not until I had realised that I had made a bit of a mistake (also spotted by @Phil Mason) with the solebar overlay ethches which should have had the top couple of millimeters bent over at 90' which I had originally been aware of but had managed to either forget or convince myself not to do as there was no fold line in the etches, this can be seen in the first photo ... the solebars being much deeper than the buffer beams ... having filled the swear box I decided that I needed to remove them again, bend them and refit them which lost me an hour or so but looks better for it (see 2nd photo.)

 

 

I did manage to fit the small bracket details onto one side only, one of these took nearly as long as the solebar rectification as it just wouldn't take for some unknown reason.

 

There is also a flaw with kit that I am aware of and still need to address. 
 

This flaw is that the initial 5 sided etch (including floor) folds up to make a lovely square, open box BUT the etched side and end detail overlays have unfortunately been etched to the same size as face they are to fit onto when they should have been a tad bigger to give butt joints where they meet, as it is there is a roughly 0.5 mm recess on the outside of all 4 corners. The instructions did mention this area would need fettling with brass strip (so the designer was aware of the flaw) but  had I fully understood why this was then I think that I would have cut down (rather than folded up) the original 5 sided etch into separate pieces, filed them down a little before soldering back into a box shape that would then be slightly smaller than the overlay lengths and allow them to butt up to each other.

 

My options now are to try filling the recesses with either wire or strip and then file to shape, fill with a filler (not sure that this would work) or more drastically seperate all of the sides and floor using a piercing saw and do what I should maybe have done in the first place ! I'm still undecided about this but might as well try option 1 first and see how it looks ... who knows, it might even work !!

 

I was hoping to do this tonight but a late and tired return home from a visit to Newcastle has convinced me to get a good nights sleep and see if I can pinch a couple of hours in the morning before I prepare for a night's OT shift with a very quick turnaround back onto days for the rest of the week. I'm conscious that I don't have much useable time in which to finish this wagon before it is needed for display (Mar 16th) but I'll try.

 

Hopefully more positive news later in the week to report.

 

Regards,

Ian.

 

Ian 

 

If memory serves me right I think these were shot down from Jedenco 4mm kits so you are doing well even getting it together this far. They are notoriously difficult to build and are full of dimensional errors they were designed in the 70s and 80s before CAD  and I don't think they went through a test etch build up before being released . One of my friends had a Hopper waggon kit in 4 mm that the hopper was supposed to fold up but it was so far out the only option was to scratch build a new hopper. 

 

Good luck with the build.

 

Simon

 

[TT-Pete]

This just came up in my YouTube feed, lovely!

 

 

 

[03060]

Fish van update,

 

I'm afraid that I've missed my goal of getting this project finished for next week's Kingsbury meeting as I haven't made the progress that I'd hoped for this weekend and a week full of night shifts has now curtailed any more work being done until after the event.

 

I found that I had another 'rectification' to make when I realised that the buffer beams were too high on the ends of the van, this being down to my interpretation of where the end overlays should be positioned which I think I've got right going by the two drawings that I have but haven't been able to confirm from the two photos that I know of which partially show van ends.

 

When the buffer beams are in there correct position there is a good 1mm gap between them and the end overlays into which I decided to solder a filling strip which looks Ok ... interestingly Alan Smith dug out his model and he had elected to position the end overlays lower down onto the top edge of the buffer beam, the 1mm 'space' at the top being mainly covered by the end vent but this gives uneven visible plank spacing on the end whereas I interpreted these planks to be evenly spaced from the drawings. Not really a major issue but it did use up some valable time whilst I decided how best to rectify it. I suspect that the end overlay etches should have been a mm longer !

 

What has really slowed me down was putting the small details on the sides, ie strapping, corner plates and door rails. It took me a long time to do the first side last weekend and so I deliberately saved this until I was in the right frame of mind this weekend ... however both the  'Ping Fairy' and the 'Carpet Monster' had other ideas and I now have 2 bits to either still find or remake !

 

These bits are definitely fiddly to get right and for some peculiar reason there are some shield shaped brackets that will stick in any position other than the correct one ! One of these is not right and so far has resisted all attempts to to be repositioned ... I'll have to break out the bigger iron !!

 

Anyway, to cut a long story short what with this, the brake gear still to do, castings to fit, roof to cut, cleaning up, painting, lettering and varnishing still to do ... it ain't going to happen in time as realistically I only now have next Friday evening available. Hey-ho.

 

Having said all of this I'm enjoying making this kit and think that I will have a nice little model once finished.

 

If anybody is going to the Kingsbury meeting next week please say hello, I will try to remember my name badge (Ian Evans.)

 

Regards,

Ian.

 

 

[TT100 Diesels]

Thanks Pete for posting Aireworth, blimey, that was under my radar! What a magnificent townscape, in 3mm, awesome, but would be great in any scale to be honest. Such a gem and first time I have seen or heard of it. Nice to see triang stuff mixing it with kits as well, to me it all looks "right", trains melding into the landscape........

 

Ian, sorry to hear your woes on the fish van, but sounds like you have a plan. Totally agree with the mantra of only attempting difficult stuff when up for it / in the mood. Good luck with it.

 

Cheers

 

D.

[TT-Pete]

4 minutes ago, TT100 Diesels said:

Thanks Pete for posting Aireworth, blimey, that was under my radar!

 

I saw it in Railway Modeller a good few years ago and thought it was superb.

 

And are you aware of the connection between Mervin Turvey of the 3mm Society and the TV prog Midsomer Murders?

 

 

[Phil Mason]

9 hours ago, TT100 Diesels said:

What a magnificent townscape, in 3mm, awesome,

Indeed! Surpassed only by the sublime bit of Vaughan Williams...

[Phil Mason]

37 update. The body is almost finished after various detail additions and subtractions. The latter are in the form of a multitude of holes and footsteps, sand fillers etc.

 

 

It's got to the point where I need to add a bit of paint so I've a better idea what it'll look like and see the shortcomings. I'm not a fan of primer. My belief is that, in the smaller scales, it just adds an unnecessary layer of the wrong colour. 

 

Rainstrips are missing, as are the doors. I'm going to add the latter (from 10 thou) separately with clear stuff behind for the window. That's why I've had to smear the blue around. 
 

BR blue is one colour it's impossible to mix from my set of basic colours. I think this is because it's a pure pigment (monastral blue), so I do use 'Railmatch'. Their paint is more like a translucent dye but works quite well on my primer of Tamiya flat blue. 
 

I'm still not sure how to finish the headcode. Being c1980, it'll have two domino spots. 
 

This link, hopefully, leads to a photo of the real at nearby Guide Bridge. It's not therefore impossible that it worked to (fictitious) Bluish:

 

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2331064

Phil
 

PS I think it looks OK, with paint masking my defects rather than highlighting them. Proper paint job to follow...

Edited March 13 by Phil Mason
Additional comment

[BetweenTheTunnels]

On 11/03/2024 at 10:18, 03060 said:

I'm afraid that I've missed my goal of getting this project finished for next week's Kingsbury meeting ......

 

If it's any consolation Ian, I have missed my goal of actually getting to Kingsbury!  I was hoping to go but family life has got in the way and work has decided to intercept on my hope (or was it expectation) of getting to the East Mids Area Group Bingham meeting in early April :(   .... Like Thomas said .. I will get there, I will get there (.. one day soon).

 

In terms of my own 3mm progress, I am still plodding onwards with my 3mm plastic wagon kits .. seems a bit simple after the superb 3D printing, modifiying and brass work on here lately.  But hopefully will have some progress on my thread below on the J50 chassis soon.  Im reasonably happy with the CAD drawings for the etches now, and the motor and gearbox from High Level Kits has arrived.

 

Richie

[03060]

Have just picked up a copy of Model Rail on my way to work so my weekend's reading will mainly be of a 'Bluish' nature !!

 

 

 

Edited March 14 by 03060

[Red Devil]

1 hour ago, 03060 said:

Have just picked up a copy of Model Rail on my way to work so my weekend's reading will mainly be of a 'Bluish' nature !!

 

 

 

Goes against the grain for me to buy anything with blue in the name, but I'll have to call in somewhere and grab a copy, I will console myself with the fact that it's a smaller version of Reddish.....!

[bradfordbuffer]

1 hour ago, 03060 said:

Have just picked up a copy of Model Rail on my way to work so my weekend's reading will mainly be of a 'Bluish' nature !!

 

 

 

as peter kay said....bit of blue for the dads!!!!

[bradfordbuffer]

On 12/03/2024 at 13:47, Phil Mason said:

37 update. The body is almost finished after various detail additions and subtractions. The latter are in the form of a multitude of holes and footsteps, sand fillers etc.

 

 

It's got to the point where I need to add a bit of paint so I've a better idea what it'll look like and see the shortcomings. I'm not a fan of primer. My belief is that, in the smaller scales, it just adds an unnecessary layer of the wrong colour. 

 

Rainstrips are missing, as are the doors. I'm going to add the latter (from 10 thou) separately with clear stuff behind for the window. That's why I've had to smear the blue around. 
 

BR blue is one colour it's impossible to mix from my set of basic colours. I think this is because it's a pure pigment (monastral blue), so I do use 'Railmatch'. Their paint is more like a translucent dye but works quite well on my primer of Tamiya flat blue. 
 

I'm still not sure how to finish the headcode. Being c1980, it'll have two domino spots. 
 

This link, hopefully, leads to a photo of the real at nearby Guide Bridge. It's not therefore impossible that it worked to (fictitious) Bluish:

 

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2331064

Phil
 

PS I think it looks OK, with paint masking my defects rather than highlighting them. Proper paint job to follow...

Phil may be something like this for headcode on your 37....I have never used the items but the reputation of railtec speaks volumes 

G

[Phil Mason]

Thanks Bradford, that looks a useful resource but I've done a bit of '2D'(!) printing. Just some circles in PowerPoint on the computer, saved as Jpeg and scaled to the right size using photo software and printed on normal paper. I've then given a couple of coats of Humbrol (spirit based) ' Gloss Cote'. It looks OK but I think my printer needs calibrating or something because it's very slightly fuzzy. Certainly not as crisp as Railtec but they'll blend with my general 'grunge modelling'. 
 

Here's the Beast body complete apart from buffer beam junk, windows and cab handrails. The first blue 'primer coat' is just about to be touched up using my 4:1 blue:green Tamiya mix before an overall RailMatch 'Rail Blue'. Then it's varnish, decals and weathering before the glazing and hand rails. Nearly done! 
 

Thank you so much guys for the Bluish interest; I've also a thread on here which I don't know how to link to but a search will surely find...
 

Phil