What's on your 3mm workbench

[maridunian]

I don't know anything about the Mail Coach, but it might have been Versatile Plastic. As you say tough as old boots (which can be a plus) and cheap. Yes, filling the surface with coats of primer and rubbing (400 Grit Emery - dry) and scraping down (primer, not plastic) between coats will get you there eventually. 

 

Here's an N Gauge Janus in VP. Four coats of primer, two of gloss black. Handrails strong enough to take any layout knocks. 

 

Mike 

[Golden Fleece 30]

The Mail coach was not cheap.  Rough Yes, cheap No.

 

Unfortunately I am not one to keep painting, rubbing, painting more rubbing etc. This was bad enough just doing it once lol

 

The green was after it had been rubbed down and you can see how little plastic showed through showing how much filler was needed and then not enough.  The doorways were impossible.

 

Garry

Edited April 10, 2021 by Golden Fleece 30

[Robert Shrives]

Hi Yes the mail coach was WSF / renamed versatile plastic and its creator now offers finest detail plastic for designs. 

I think that Shapeways does not really care as stuff sells and the miniatures/railways stuff is a micro part of the business so our voice is not heard or felt relevant. Home printed resin based models  like Lennys are much more what is needed.   

 

The cycle of sand/fill/sand etc takes the "gloss" of what should really be a great way to improve variety on models - cost is such that if using a rtr chassis in 4mm no saving will be made. At least in 3mm with building chassis it is all part of the accepted "process" for getting a model made.  The idea of a 3D print model could be a timesaver in this process but faffing on the body looses the advantage. So I can appreciate Garry`s reluctance at this point.

 

The GWR railcar I have been showing recently is finest detail plastic and the sides do show layering, Lenny`s sourced Railbus has next to nothing and was a wash and clean in IPA and air dried and on with the paints, a pure joy.    What has yet to be perfected is a clear print suitable for flush glazing inserts  that will be the next challenge in the miniatures developments.

 

I look forward to getting some of the TTA tank kits from Mike via Shapeways as they make the best use of the medium and process to develop repeatable PITA parts like the dome ends - a piece of plastic tube means the tanks is smooth.    Simon on here on the 3D print sub forum has printed 4mm and 7mm models at Shapeways for the framing/ribs and mounts on plasticard to overcome layering.  But has now invested in his own printers to do details and these are much better than Shapeways efforts - It means that kits become just that with mixed media printing and the holy grail of design , print, paint and play 3D printing is just that.   At least each generation of developments eases us nearer.      

Robert 

[maridunian]

All fair points. Having spent a lifetime's modelling filling and filing, it doesn't bother me. I actually do very little rubbing down - gentle scraping with scalpel blades held at 90' to the surface works for me. For the recesses on the Janus bonnets, a chisel-ended blade did the job of squaring up the edges. 

 

Mike

 

 

[Golden Fleece 30]

The start of my Tri-ang TT 10201 loco. The bogies (Tri-ang A1A) were initially made for a class 40 but I made some better ones and kept these to one side just for this loco. I will have to paint the bottom piece under the buffers black though.

 

Garry

[Robert Shrives]

Garry , 

Any chance of a pic of the underside of the bogies, I am interested ( to copy!) how you mounted the pony wheelset. 

thanks

Robert 

[Silverfox17]

2 hours ago, Robert Shrives said:

Garry , 

Any chance of a pic of the underside of the bogies, I am interested ( to copy!) how you mounted the pony wheelset. 

thanks

Robert 

 

As these are built to still go around Tri-ang curves there are no pony wheels fitted Robert. That includes the 40's and the Peak. 

 

Garry 

[Robert Shrives]

Garry,  Very clever !  Back in the day  Bernard Taylor who no doubt will see this in an article on Practical Model Railways ( remember that one ?)  had an article on a class 40 and to disguise the lack of a pony truck had a round pencil segment glued just off rail head so a low level view you could see "wheels" not a chuck of wrong daylight.   

 

IIRC on the 1Co bogies the axle ends of the pony could pass through a hole in the side frame - that would be fun (not) to model... 

thanks

Robert 

[Silverfox17]

28 minutes ago, Robert Shrives said:

Garry,  Very clever !  Back in the day  Bernard Taylor who no doubt will see this in an article on Practical Model Railways ( remember that one ?)  had an article on a class 40 and to disguise the lack of a pony truck had a round pencil segment glued just off rail head so a low level view you could see "wheels" not a chuck of wrong daylight.   

 

IIRC on the 1Co bogies the axle ends of the pony could pass through a hole in the side frame - that would be fun (not) to model... 

thanks

Robert 

I had thought of the dummy wheels just like the A1A when I was doing it but at the time never got around to it, possibly because when on test you could not see in that area on the main layout and only from above when on sharp Tri-ang curves.  Never thought of the pencil idea though, I was going to remove the bottom of a wheel flange. 

 

Yes the axles did protrude at the front ends with a square hole around. If I was more concerned I would drill into the frame (they are quite thick) and put a short piece of rod in. 

 

I never got Practical Model Railways. In those days way back Railway Modeller was a common purchase with Model Railway Constructer occasionally and Model Railway News rarely. 

 

Garry 

[Golden Fleece 30]

Finally made a start on the Tri-ang TT Black 5 after about 3 or 4 years and this shows how much material I had to remove from the magnet after grinding as much as I dare from inside the firebox. The body should be about 1mm lower but it is as much as I dare remove inside the firebox without coming through. You can just see in the cab how close the magnet is to the body which is why the top pole piece needing filing. Need to start thinking about valve gear soon.  This was one of Lenny Seeney's first 3D printed steam locos, and, like most of them it was not made to fit a Tri-ang chassis but a more homemade scale one.

 

Garry

[Golden Fleece 30]

This Leonard Seeney body arrived today for later production in my workshop (kitchen actually). I will draw a chassis up to take the XT60 but it will have Romford wheels as they made the axles which I bought a long time ago thinking they will come in handy one day. Luckily I had a nice set of Romfords I was going to use on the 8F so no wheels to buy.  Plenty of room in the body for some weight too.

A nice touch with the body is the front grill is a separate piece making painting a doddle.

 

Garry

[NCB]

On 10/04/2021 at 12:56, Robert Shrives said:

Hi Yes the mail coach was WSF / renamed versatile plastic and its creator now offers finest detail plastic for designs. 

 

 

I've had a fair amount printed in finest detail plastic. For the models in question I think it's fine. Here's a couple of Cambrian 2-plank wagons, body, buffer shanks and axlebox/springs from Coast Line Models, on my own etched chasses:

 

 

I've had a Cambrian Albion 2-4-0 in the same material and it's good enough. Don't think I'd use it on a coach. I'm sure materials and cost will improve.

 

Nigel

[whart57]

What period do those two planks come from?

[MartinWales]

9 hours ago, whart57 said:

What period do those two planks come from?

Cambrian 2 planks were built from the 1890's on with some surviving into the 1930's under GWR ownership

[Golden Fleece 30]

The 08 is now painted and varnished and ready for me to draw up and make a chassis for it.  As usual it will have an XT60 motor but will have Romford wheels as it needs the extended axles.

The paint looks as if it has been put on thick but it is just the varnish giving the effect so I may have to tone it down a little.

 

Garry

[NCB]

On 17/04/2021 at 09:06, whart57 said:

What period do those two planks come from?

 Think Alan Jones used plans dating from around 1900 for these fixed-side 2-plankers. But they are very similar to considerably older wagons. Early ones had variations in the chasses such as Y hangers instead of V hangers.  Drop-side 2-plankers were more common than fixed side. On the Cambrian 2-plankers were the most common wagon by far.

[maridunian]

That's my 3D printed 35T tanks completed but for couplings. The Class B will get some heavy weathering, typical for them in service. 

 

 

The Class B has a chassis printed in 'Versatile Plastic', but under a few coats of rubbed down primer and two of gloss black, its coarser initial surface is not apparent. The open design of this chassis will test the resilience of Fine Detail Plastic under the Class A in any collisions with heavy metal Triang stock, but obviously takes less elbow grease to make presentable.

 

Prints available from my 3D model shop.

 

Mike 

Edited April 19, 2021 by maridunian

[maridunian]

Apologies if this retreads a path that's been walked to exhaustion.

 

I've been playing with a Berliner Bahn/Zeuke V36 to see what potential its chassis might offer. 

 

 

The short answer is 'quite a bit'. The motor at the rear drives a small gearbox at the front, which in turn drives a brass screw that runs the length of the chassis. This offers the chance to move axles about - each sits in a 2mm square slot in the polystyrene chassis block. 

 

Here's a minimal change, swapping the jackshaft with the forward axle to produce an 0-4-0 which brought Hudswell Clarkes to mind. 

 

 

Not a scale model of course, and lots of surgery still to do, but looks to me like it could be a really useful engine!

 

Mike 

[whart57]

My workbench has been turned into a carriage building workshop

 

 

The story of these is that I measured up a number of Thai third class carriages when I was in Bangkok a dozen or so years ago. I made drawings which were published in Continental Modeller and also drew up the artwork for etched brass kits. Though, as with Worsley Works, I prefer the description "scratch building aids".

 

I got some etches made and built a couple. The experience suggested some modifications to the artwork and I got a second batch made. I built these to the point where I could confirm the artwork was OK and then put them in a cupboard while other things got in the way. A couple of years later I was preparing another etch when I noted that repeat jobs were half the price. I confirmed with PPD that they still had the masks, they said they had, so I ordered another two sets. These languished in my flat-pack drawer for six or seven years until a couple of factors combined to make them see the light of day.

 

One factor is that the 3mm Society fortnightly Zoom call I organise needed a topic, and making etched brass kits suggested itself. That requires examples and though I hope others will provide I still like to keep something of mine in reserve. Hence I needed some kits in various stages of construction.

 

The second factor is that scenery building on my Thai layout has now reached the second board, most of the structures on the first board have been built albeit not all are painted yet. (Painting is a summer job as it has to be done in the shed and not the railway room.) The prominent feature on the second board are the carriage sidings, and they need carriages in them. When I've built the seven unfinished kits I'll have eleven carriages, which should suffice

 

Thonburi - carriages parked on the sidings next to the platforms

Edited April 24, 2021 by whart57

[maridunian]

Just arrived back from Shapeways is a 3mm bodyshell of a Nasmyth Wilson 0-8-0 industrial shunter, designed to fit the chassis of a Berliner Bahn/Zeuke BR81/DR92. 

 

 

More information about the prototype loco can be found over here. 

 

Mike 

 

[03060]

11 hours ago, maridunian said:

Just arrived back from Shapeways is a 3mm bodyshell of a Nasmyth Wilson 0-8-0 industrial shunter, designed to fit the chassis of a Berliner Bahn/Zeuke BR81/DR92. 

 

More information about the prototype loco can be found over here. 

 

Mike 

 

 

Have just read through the other thread, now that looks like a nice, rugged industrial loco. Whilst I didn't recognise the prototype, the name 'Emanuel Clegg' does seem familiar to me, possibly from photos seen either in Bylines mag or one of my many Industrial railway books, I'll have a rummage.

 

Great work with the 3D print / RTR chassis combination. 

[03060]

Found the photo that I was thinking of, a very good full page colour photo in Industrial Steam by Ian Allen (ISBN 0-7110-2230-5) showing the loco in an unkempt condition.

Edited April 25, 2021 by 03060
Extra info added.

[maridunian]

5 hours ago, 03060 said:

Found the photo that I was thinking of, a very good full page colour photo in Industrial Steam by Ian Allen (ISBN 0-7110-2230-5) showing the loco in an unkempt condition.

Thanks - is there any clue what the underlying colour might be? 

 

Mike 

[03060]

20 hours ago, maridunian said:

Thanks - is there any clue what the underlying colour might be? 

 

Mike 

 

Black all over with red buffer beams, coupling rods ....and valve gear !

 

The reference to being unkempt refers mainly to the smokebox which is badly scorched from just below the handrail upwards. The cab door and valance from this point backwards is rusty along with the top of the cylinders and the first boiler band. All of the wheel rims are rusty although the centres are still black. The nameplate is red with white lettering.

 

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Ian.

Edited April 26, 2021 by 03060
Extra info added.

[maridunian]

Thanks Ian! 

 

Mike