Exhill Works and other adventures in 7/8ths

[Graham T]

Nice work with the roof John.  What temp did you cook it at?

 

(Serious question!)

 

[John Besley]

15 minutes ago, Graham T said:

Nice work with the roof John.  What temp did you cook it at?

 

(Serious question!)

 

 

I made up a block and sanded the sides for the profile, then using a piece of paper worked out the outside circumference, cut the plasticard slightly oversize both width and length. marked out the centre of the section and a reference centre line on the block.

 

Turned the oven onto 200 and waited for temperature to get to the setting, then popped the block with the plasticard centred over into the oven and waited for this to go floppy, took it out and with a second block of wood to hold the plasticard in place pressed the both sides down against a former to give the shape required.

 

Quick run under cold water and jobs done.... I did have to do this twice and may well have to do it again .... but see how it looks

 

[Graham T]

Useful tip, thanks.  You didn’t have any trouble with the plasticard sticking to the wood?

 

[John Besley]

Once the roof was formed with it still on the plywood former clamped it in the vice and used a carpenters marking gauge scribbed the sides to width to cut them down,  then trimmed to length with a razer saw

 

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by John Besley

[John Besley]

1 minute ago, Graham T said:

Useful tip, thanks.  You didn’t have any trouble with the plasticard sticking to the wood?

 

No just peeled straight off, make sure you've brushed off any splintered etc. As otherwise you will have these as perfect imprints... (fortunately these where on the inside)

[John Besley]

No 5 is now No 4, there is a reason for this as I'd not checked my referance point first...

[John Besley]

Carried on with the build  - mainly the radiator and the bonnet side panels and doors...

Not too sure about the radiator as I think its too tall... I might well knock up another design feel free to comment

 

[John Besley]

... and now with an alternitive one I just knocked up

 

 

Whats the general opinion..?

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Just to be a nuisance (sorry), I like the rounded profile of the first option, but agree it seems a bit tall (can’t see it would need to be quite that big).  So I’m afraid my vote would be for option c) a lower rounded profile radiator.

 

At least it’s the styrene mock-up stage: when I had a go at scratchbuilding a coach a couple of years back it had six sets of sides before I was satisfied I’d done my best, but it was worth it in the end.  Thanks for inviting comments, Keith.

[Graham T]

I don't like option A I'm afraid.  B is for better, although the top end needs something (I appreciate it's only a mock-up with more to do anyway).

 

But I must confess that I think Keith's option C might be the best!

 

[John Besley]

OK, I've settled on the square topped rad and tidied it up, finished off the section in front of the cab along with the bonnet top plate taking shape, then made up an exhaust pipe and silencer.

 

Silver soldered up some 3mm square tube for cabside stiffeners to stop them sides turning in.

 

Bit of head scratchings to think what to make up as a radiator protector .... some sort of 'bull bars' might be in order, but we'll see...

[John Besley]

Bonnet access cover made up and deliberately bent on a corner, fitted window trims and cab beading (that was fun...) made up a fuel filler cover then added rivets to buffer beams and bonnet tops.

 

 

[John Besley]

I am pondering the drivers seat any ideas any one?

 

I had originally thought of making the seat base the fuel tank like original Landrovers - my series 3 lightweight had tanks under both front seats, Landrover Defenders used the space for the battery instead... so couple of options there .... I could put a battery there and fabricate a seat frame... old car seat?

Open for suggestions 

[John Besley]

We need a visit from Rentokil...

 

 

[Morello Cherry]

A bit late to the party, but first things first, this is superb modelling and I take my hat off to you. But I agree with the earlier comments about the figures. I dabble in 16mm and I just can not get with the figures used in it, there is just something (it is the heads) that isn't 'right' about them that jars, whether this is an SM32 or your layout. Having gone to so much work to get so many little details right (such as the detritus behind the workbench, the rusting skips, the flora) the figures distract (because of their poor and comedic/garden figurine look) from the brilliance of the rest of your modelling.

 

Having had a grandfather who built his own 7 1/4 inch steam loco, the workshop gives me serious (and good) flashbacks to his workshop where he was building it. It created a real Proust's Madeline moment for me because looking at your model workshop I could suddenly smell my grandfather's workshop (a curious mix of metal, oil, wood and creosote) again after 20 odd years.

[John Besley]

I know where your coming from on this... I have looked at the cost of 'scale' figures and working it out these would come to around £40.00 each.... (See January 2 post Page 9) 

 

At some point I might well have a further think on this point and size them up.

 

But my view is that this style of narrow gauge modelling is a caricature of the real thing - in practice I am not aware of any 10.1/4" Estate railway being used as depicted by Exhill, in real life I guess the minimum gauge would be 18" and in 7/8 would use gauge 0 track / 32mm.

 

To do that for Exhill would require a much larger baseboard for the same track footprint.

 

But I do take the point about the figures... wonder if I can get some heads only frlm Modelu.... be an intresting experiment

 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by John Besley
Schpelling

[Phil Parker]

Have you looked at Model Earth Design? (https://modelearth.co.uk/)

 

They might be the right compromise between caracature and realism. I tend toward the former for my garden stuff, but have wondered what I'd do for more scale work.

[CameronL]

13 hours ago, John Besley said:

We need a visit from Rentokil...

You need a works cat.

[John Besley]

52 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

Have you looked at Model Earth Design? (https://modelearth.co.uk/)

 

They might be the right compromise between caracature and realism. I tend toward the former for my garden stuff, but have wondered what I'd do for more scale work.

 

I have a couple of Model Earth figures from his Short Staff range, both of the drivers on my two loco's and the one for the new Bo-Bo I am working on,  the original figures where all from Rob Bennett apart from the BR driver from Exmouth Junction 72A, this uses a Model Earth head and home made body based on a photo of a driver I found at Tempelcombe.

 

I was looking at some other Model Earth figures the other day, but could do with some wearing boiler suits - something that Simon hasn't done yet. 

 

As far as I can make out Rob Bennett has stopped making 7/8ths figures, unless anyone knows differently.

[Phil Parker]

1 hour ago, John Besley said:

 

As far as I can make out Rob Bennett has stopped making 7/8ths figures, unless anyone knows differently.

 

Rob is still taking comissions - can't see why he wouldn't do 7/8th.

[Morello Cherry]

2 hours ago, John Besley said:

I know where your coming from on this... I have looked at the cost of 'scale' figures and working it out these would come to around £40.00 each.... (See January 2 post Page 9) 

 

At some point I might well have a further think on this point and size them up.

 

But my view is that this style of narrow gauge modelling is a caricature of the real thing - in practice I am not aware of any 10.1/4" Estate railway being used as depicted by Exhill, in real life I guess the minimum gauge would be 18" and in 7/8 would use gauge 0 track / 32mm.

 

To do that for Exhill would require a much larger baseboard for the same track footprint.

 

But I do take the point about the figures... wonder if I can get some heads only frlm Modelu.... be an intresting experiment

 

 

 

While not an estate railway per se, the 7 1/4 inch railway that my grandfather had around the garden was used to move things that were too heavy or too far away for a wheel barrow. It is amazing how much you can fit in a 7 1/4 bogie carriage. (The garden was long and thin and the final third had been used a nursery business by the previous owners). So it all seems totally plausible to me :)

 

I totally appreciate that it is another cost and that you have to decide where you make the investment. It is a very minor criticism, but my sense is that figures who were less visually distracting would bring the brilliance of your modelling to the foreground.

 

[John Besley]

Hmm food for thought... 

[John Besley]

1 hour ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Rob is still taking comissions - can't see why he wouldn't do 7/8th.

What's his web site as I can only see him on Facebook- I don't do Facebook...

[Phil Parker]

7 minutes ago, John Besley said:

What's his web site as I can only see him on Facebook- I don't do Facebook...

 

Then you are out of luck as his website IS on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/busybodiesfigures/?locale=en_GB

 

Just click the link. It won't hurt you.

[John Besley]

As mentioned earlier here is the BR driver along with the Model Earth Short Staff driver...

 

 

And for something different the SR AWS - Synchronised Robot Automatic Weilding System ...