William's Workbench - LBSCR, LC&DR & SER in 4mm, and Gauge 1

[Lacathedrale]

Thanks, Bob - I had (before disassembly) fixed the red vee and green vee and the adjacent yellow wing rail together as a single sub-assembly. My idea was that the plane from the diverging route on both the red vee and green vee really must be bang on and so using the jig might make sense. Given that it's now disassembled, that's not such a big concern :)

 

I decided to take it easy from P4 tracklaying by fitting screw link couplings to my LBSCR coaches to test them over the reverse curves of the Edwardian Terminus throat. I'm not sure what possessed me to think that would be relaxing, a large scotch was definitely required. 

[Lacathedrale]

The 54' Brake Third is coming along OK:

 

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by Lacathedrale

[Nick C]

Really looks the part! Though as you're doing it in Brighton days, shouldn't it have an air pipe on the end instead of vacuum? Branchlines do a casting suitable for coaches.

 

Also, regarding your comments the other day about the difficulty of coupling with links - try using a bit of wire bent into a pig-tail shape, you can then extract it by twisting between your fingers. Try both left-handed and right handed to see which works for you (possibly both, depending on which way you're doing the coupling)

Edited October 27, 2022 by Nick C

[Lacathedrale]

You know, I didn't realise there was a different connection for air and vacuum brakes - which wouldn't hurt as bad if I hadn't already done three coaches with what is evidently now the 'wrong' hose :( 

[Lacathedrale]

An 1880 LCDR Luggage Van:

 

 

The camera is being very cruel to me but I'm quite happy with it, honestly - straight and square, all of the bits worked as intended, etc. It is fitted with EM gauge wheels as per all my other Victorian stock and will be finished in varnished, unlined teak. 

 

I'm not really 100% sure on whether to keep the Victorian stock in EM - in theory I could re-wheel them for use on the Edwardian terminus layout and nobody would bat an eyelid, but I want to let it all shake out first...

[Skinnylinny]

On 28/10/2022 at 15:19, Lacathedrale said:

You know, I didn't realise there was a different connection for air and vacuum brakes - which wouldn't hurt as bad if I hadn't already done three coaches with what is evidently now the 'wrong' hose :( 

The connection at the end of the hose is one difference, as well as air brake hoses often (always?) having an isolating cock/valve on the standpipe. The biggest visual difference (to me, at least!) is that vacuum brake flexible hoses are "ribbed" to prevent them being crushed flat by atmospheric pressure, while Westinghouse hoses are generally smooth.

[Mikkel]

14 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

An 1880 LCDR Luggage Van:

 

 

The camera is being very cruel to me but I'm quite happy with it, honestly - straight and square, all of the bits worked as intended, etc. It is fitted with EM gauge wheels as per all my other Victorian stock and will be finished in varnished, unlined teak. 

 

I'm not really 100% sure on whether to keep the Victorian stock in EM - in theory I could re-wheel them for use on the Edwardian terminus layout and nobody would bat an eyelid, but I want to let it all shake out first...

 

Oh that is very nice. Max cute factor. The LCDR were good at that!

 

[Lacathedrale]

Trust the process. Trust the process!

 

 

Heavy Charcoal underframe, and a mixture of white/sandy skintone/charcoal for the roof. The body sides, lacking Vallejo Pumpkin, are a mixture of Sunny Skintone and Fiery Orange to an approximate shade. It's got Vandyke Brown oil paint slathered over it now, but I'll wait for that to dry before any further shots! 

[Lacathedrale]

Getting there….

 

[Lacathedrale]

Someting to push around all my grouping-era 2mmFS stock:

 

 

 

[Lacathedrale]

<removed>

Edited December 9, 2022 by Lacathedrale

[Lacathedrale]

I've been slowly getting into 3D printing for my wargaming hobby and decided to try some railway stuff as well. It turns out that G1MRA 'Fine' and G1MRA 'Standard' are pretty close when it comes down to brass tacks:

 

 

 

Ripping these off a resin-printer build plate was not fun at all, though!

[Lacathedrale]

After a replacement motherboard, the FDM printer is alive!

 

 

 

I think this is mostly going to be for larger consumable-type items: off-the-shelf STLs for Gauge 1, for example. I have also started modelling up the windows for my Edwardian Terminus and have some ready for a test print, but it's too cold to run the resin printer at the moment!

 

 

 

[Lacathedrale]

Definitely out of era, but my first effort at 3D printing has come out OK - an LMS D1666 5-plank open:

 

 

My justification for this rather out of character diversion is twofold: I have a yard-long Gauge 1 display track I built a few years ago I can't bring myself to throw away, and that my daughter was watching Thomas the Tank Engine - which is widely known for its use of G1 props - and I'd briefly considered getting a few of the large-scale toys for her until I found out they cost more than the printer itself and at that point it was a no-brainer. Whether there's anything more substantial than the very (!) notional idea of some kind of G1 effort remains to be seen...

 

I have printed some components in ABS-like resin and they've come out quite well too

 

[Lacathedrale]

Cheeky little Cambrian kit of an LBSC open:

 

 

Apologies for the weird angle, I was trying to illustrate how AK Ultra Matte Varnish really does cut down any surface glare

[Lacathedrale]

The dangers of 3D printing, it's very easy to re-scale things...

[Lacathedrale]

Annoyingly, the one SER wagon I'd scratchbuilt was also the same one available from Prickly Pear - though a little more crude I think my scratchbuilt version holds up well?

 

[Schooner]

Both look good, and the same-same but different effect is also a boon to rakes of these earlier wagons too, I find.

 

I don't suppose you have a Prickly Pear catalogue to hand do you? A quick internet search suggests they've got some kits which would be of interest, but only a phone contact which isn't ideal...

 

EDIT: Btw, the numbering on your scratch wagon is excellent. How did you do it, please?

Edited November 2, 2023 by Schooner

[Lacathedrale]

48 minutes ago, Schooner said:

Both look good, and the same-same but different effect is also a boon to rakes of these earlier wagons too, I find.

 

I don't suppose you have a Prickly Pear catalogue to hand do you? A quick internet search suggests they've got some kits which would be of interest, but only a phone contact which isn't ideal...

 

EDIT: Btw, the numbering on your scratch wagon is excellent. How did you do it, please?

 

I don't have a catalogue I'm afraid. I seem to remember the range (at the time) was this open wagon, some bolster wagons and ballast wagons? I could be mistaken!

 

As for the lettering I can't take credit - both wagons are lettered up with Fox Transfers!

[Nile]

I have a PP 'catalogue' I can scan. It's only an A5 sheet.

[fulton]

9 hours ago, Schooner said:

 

 

I don't suppose you have a Prickly Pear catalogue to hand do you? A quick internet search suggests they've got some kits which would be of interest, but only a phone contact which isn't ideal...

He is only a one man outfit, best to phone to see what is available, has a small stand at Scaleforum, where I am normally tempted by something!

[2mm Andy]

16 hours ago, fulton said:

He is only a one man outfit, best to phone to see what is available, has a small stand at Scaleforum, where I am normally tempted by something!

I wrote earlier this year enquiring about his kits and enclosing an SAE, and got a handwritten letter a week or so later. Wagon kits available included a North British Rly 4 plank fixed sided open wagon, the SER open wagon William has built and a SER ballast wagon. Paul noted that he was hoping to have an LNWR dumb-buffered loco coal wagon available at Scaleforum (which was back in September). The kits I ordered are very nicely cast/etched with good instructions. I haven't built them yet though.

 

Andy

[WFPettigrew]

21 hours ago, 2mm Andy said:

Paul noted that he was hoping to have an LNWR dumb-buffered loco coal wagon available at Scaleforum (which was back in September).

 

He did, it was!  And looked very nice. 

 

l came away with one of the North British wagons which is now in the kit stash awaiting its time on the workbench. 

 

All the best

 

Neil 

 

PS @Schooner if you want to write, the address is:

Blackdown Mill House

Mill Lane

Punnet's Town 

HEATHFIELD
TN21 9HX

 

 

PPS isn't Punnet's Town a superbly evocative name for a layout?! 

[Lacathedrale]

I've always shied away from making couplers, I don't know what it - maybe because they are functional rather than aesthetic and I'm nervous about them not working - but honestly I just need to get on with it. As such I'm finishing up some half built 2mm wagons and starting to get some couplings done:

 

 

These are DG couplings, widely used in 2mm/N/3mm for delayed uncoupling. The main body is a single piece, bent to provide a hook and buffing plate. The movable section is a squared loop of phosphor bronze wire with a steel dropper soldered in.

 

I have of course forgotten to blacken them before building - typical!!

[Lacathedrale]

They only bloody work, don’t they! Huzzah!