Down Under Work Bench

[Sithlord75]

Back at the workbench this afternoon after the innings break in the 2nd Test and I got the first of four B7 (two left two right) Finetrax points out of the packet and made a start.  Pleasantly surprised to have a working turnout by stumps - twelve overs later.  
 

 

This evening I added enough easitrac bases to fit an Ivatt 2-6-0 then 8 copper clad sleepers before building the LNWR buffer stop which according to my information was at the end of the platform at St Albans.  So I guess we could say the first spikes have been driven.  

 

 

 

At some point I’ll spin the layout stuff onto its own thread but for the moment I’ll leave it here.

 

 

[Sithlord75]

Not strictly on my workbench but considering the most famous locomotive in the world turns 100, I spent sometime this evening hunting around for these photos - back when photos were on film and relatively expensive to develop.  It was April 1989, I had either just turned or was about to turn 14 and 4472 (together with NSWGR C38 class 3801) were in Brisbane preparing for a day trip to Casino in northern New South Wales.  I should have been at school but as luck would have it...  And then I got to cab it at Casino loco, be on the footplate as it was turned and get a ride back to the platform.  (The next loco I got a cab ride on was "Beatrice" at the B&ER.)

 

7 trips to the UK and this is the only time I've seen it!

 

 

[Caley Jim]

I can (almost) match that!

Tweedbank (having travelled down behind her from Waverley 15.05.2015

 

She went north on the WCML last Wednesday with her support coach, passing through Symington near here, to (I think) Edinburgh.

 

Jim

[Sithlord75]

Avid readers (of which there are many) of Dr @Nick Mitchell's Wagonologie thread will be aware that he built a Stephen Harris Catfish and wrote about it last year.   See here.  Those with longer memories than I will possibly remember I said the said post would be handy as I have 11 examples of same and would at some point find they would swim to the top of the to-do pile.  They aren't all for me - 6 are for @Anthony Ashley who is building the North Wales line (most of it anyway) in his garden shed in N gauge (have a look at his thread here but do make sure you've a bit of time - he's been at it for 9 years at least), the rest for me (we actually ordered 10 but Stephen thought we might need a spare - very nice of him).

 

Anthony came over last Wednesday for our knitting club meeting (a kind of forced visit - I'd been to visit him on Monday last and left my glasses behind!) and we took a look at the kit.  I'd mis-placed my instructions (Stephen kindly emailed replacements although they arrived after knitting but showed we'd been mostly correct in our guesses and told me where the bits I could identify had to go) so we spent a good portion of the evening looking at pictures in a book I have on civil engineering wagons, and searching the internet - RMweb was for most of the time returning a 503 error and the only one showing up wasn't Nick's.  It re-appeared the next morning, along with the instructions.

 

On Wednesday I got most of one hopper done and sort of looked at the chassis.  At the ZAG meeting I got another hopper done - Anthony feeling that as he hadn't built any etched rolling stock yet, these may not be the best place to start!

 

My current start of play is below.  The reputation Stephen has (and which I was reminded of at the ZAG) of being a first class designer who's kits whilst on the surface are fiddly but go together with ease so long as you take your time, is well deserved.  It's a shame 6 of them will be on N Gauge (for those who didn't read Anthony's blog, he is modelling, other than Conway and the castle, Penmaemawr which had a quarry.  A number of Catfish were lettered "Return empty to Penmaemawr".  The ones I'm having a out of period for St Alban's but there is always Rule 1 - although why the St Albans branch used ballast from North Wales is anyones guess!).

 

[Sithlord75]

Whilst I haven’t posted for a while I have been fairly busy - just not taking a lot of photos!

 

I did take some tonight of a pair of the horse boxes @VRBroadgauge designed for me last year.

 

I’ve been adding the detail you can’t (or isn’t worth the trouble to) etch - ventilators, brake cylinders, emergency brake gear. Lots of fun and help make the models.

 

LSWR to the left, GNR to the right.  

An orderly queue for interested parties who’d like their own etch can form by dropping me either a PM or looking up my email address in the newsletter - contact for the SEQAG.  Not sure on pricing before you ask!

[Sithlord75]

Following a query in the Any Question Answered forum, and getting a very useful answer in the form of @Compound2632’s build of the 4mm - and a sight of the picture in Essery & Jenkinson’s Midland Carriages: An Illustrated Review I decided that the D418 MR Van which I’d started needed some serious additions and some slight modifications.

 

These included: rain strips (mine are in a different spot to Stephen’s), the gas lights (which prompted the question in the first place - I ended up finding the remnants of a plastic extrusion from Etched Pixels so used those), the end steps and handrail and partitions inside to stop the view.   The picture below shows the end of the weekend.  Still have to put the running boards on and maybe lamp irons.  Sadly, working gas lamps were a bridge too far.

 

Hopefully the weather is kind for it to be painted - lining will be “interesting” I think!
 

[Compound2632]

4 minutes ago, Sithlord75 said:

the D418 MR Van which I’d started

 

Which reminds me - there was mention of modelling the partitions, to stop daylight being seen through the louvres at oblique angles. In fact one should not be able to see daylight through the vehicle at all. The louvres are slats at 45 degrees, blocking the line of sight, so the usual recommendation is to put black plasticard behind them on the model. Not yet done on mine!

[queensquare]

39 minutes ago, Sithlord75 said:

Following a query in the Any Question Answered forum, and getting a very useful answer in the form of @Compound2632’s build of the 4mm - and a sight of the picture in Essery & Jenkinson’s Midland Carriages: An Illustrated Review I decided that the D418 MR Van which I’d started needed some serious additions and some slight modifications.

 

These included: rain strips (mine are in a different spot to Stephen’s), the gas lights (which prompted the question in the first place - I ended up finding the remnants of a plastic extrusion from Etched Pixels so used those), the end steps and handrail and partitions inside to stop the view.   The picture below shows the end of the weekend.  Still have to put the running boards on and maybe lamp irons.  Sadly, working gas lamps were a bridge too far.

 

Hopefully the weather is kind for it to be painted - lining will be “interesting” I think!
 

Looking good Kevin, I’m glad the louvres look solid as I have a couple of these to do which are a little over etched and the bars have all but disappeared. Not sure what I will use yet.

As for lining, it’s barely visible on all the pictures I’ve seen so I’m inclined to lightly dry brush the beading at the weathering stage and leave it at that.

 

Jerry

[Caley Jim]

I produce the 'gold' lining on the beading round the lower panels of my coaches by gently scraping back to the brass along the corner of the beading.  On the upper beading, where the panels are white, I found you had to take nearly all the paint off the beading before you could see any lining, so gave up on that!

 

Jim

[Sithlord75]

39 minutes ago, queensquare said:

Looking good Kevin, I’m glad the louvres look solid as I have a couple of these to do which are a little over etched and the bars have all but disappeared. Not sure what I will use yet.

As for lining, it’s barely visible on all the pictures I’ve seen so I’m inclined to lightly dry brush the beading at the weathering stage and leave it at that.

 

Jerry

You’ll find the chassis was in the parcel I sent you which will make things easier too.

[queensquare]

5 minutes ago, Sithlord75 said:

You’ll find the chassis was in the parcel I sent you which will make things easier too.

It is, many thanks. I shall probably do a few of my NPCS stash on the next few Monday Club nights whilst I gather in all the bits for my next Tucking Mill loco.

Jerry

[Sithlord75]

The World Test Championship (also known as the Warmup Match for The Ashes - better to be playing India to get your eye in than Ireland I think) has been on at The Oval the last few evenings (days - delete as appropriate) and I've been listening to the coverage (it has been televised down here but I prefer Aggers and Co to the talking heads on Channel 7) whilst working my way through yet another take away container of etches.  

 

In this case some Victorian Railways WT wagons for @VRBroadgauge to add to the collection.  A bit of a tricky wagon to model in flat pack with some clever bits of design to help get things bending in the correct direction.  Two in the picture - another one was built by Bruce (or Steve) and another by Phil Badger.  I built one I think back in April and then these two.  Bruce reckons 4 is enough but I think he ended up with 5.  Those keen to see what the real ones were like can check out this page.  Assuming warm weather tomorrow they'll end up red.

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Sithlord75
clarification

[Sithlord75]

I'll preface this by saying I do actually own a lathe - presently it isn't in my shed and I haven't used it much.  I should sort a space for it, get some "stuff" and practice.

 

However, just because one doesn't have a lathe (either at all, or handy) doesn't mean one cannot do some basic things for 2mm modelling.

 

I was looking for some tail traffic for a short passenger train and came upon my Farish CCT.  Now, being as it's four wheels, it tends to look a little silly running with the 10+ Mk1s behind a 8P steam locomotive.  So I figured why not?  I had a look at some turned down wheels presently in the bogies of some Farish Mk 1s and figured I could do something similar with some very, very basic tools.

 

It doesn't get more basic than this!  The file is from a set I purchased years ago from the local $2 shop (Pound Shop if you like) for probably $2 for 10.  It's got a triangle shape but only cuts on the front face.  The battery dremel is showing it's age - something like 10 years ago I got it having seen one at one of our Australian Supermeets.

 

The results of a few minutes can be seen here - the new shine on the wheels shows where the faces were reduced slightly to allow for the moving on the axle to the correct back to back.  I also filed from the back to thin the flange and reduced the flange.  So far, so good.  Hasn't derailed having pushed and pulled it though everything it's going to run through - and few areas it most likely won't go on again.

[2mm Andy]

13 hours ago, Sithlord75 said:

 

The results of a few minutes can be seen here - the new shine on the wheels shows where the faces were reduced slightly to allow for the moving on the axle to the correct back to back.  I also filed from the back to thin the flange and reduced the flange.  So far, so good.  Hasn't derailed having pushed and pulled it though everything it's going to run through - and few areas it most likely won't go on again.

Has Wansbeck Road emigrated South then, Kevin?

[Sithlord75]

1 hour ago, 2mm Andy said:

Has Wansbeck Road emigrated South then, Kevin?

You'll have to wait for the next newsletter Andy 😉

[Sithlord75]

I realised when I went looking for this thread it has been a while since I posted!  Activity has been limited, I admit, due to a) work, b) the loss of my mojo and c) I did spend quite a bit of time working on Wansbeck Road to freshen up the presentation (new backscene board, new lighting rig (which would comply with Australian electrical requirements!) and a touch of paint).  The mojo has returned a bit - so hopefully there'll be more regular posts on both this and my layout thread in 2024.

 

With that in mind and in keeping with @queensquare's tradition of Christmas posts (which I copied last year) I'll leave you with the pic below of J39 No 67931 arriving into Wansbeck Road with a motley collection of empty coal wagons.

 

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, Sithlord75 said:

I realised when I went looking for this thread it has been a while since I posted!  Activity has been limited, I admit, due to a) work, b) the loss of my mojo and c) I did spend quite a bit of time working on Wansbeck Road to freshen up the presentation (new backscene board, new lighting rig (which would comply with Australian electrical requirements!) and a touch of paint).  The mojo has returned a bit - so hopefully there'll be more regular posts on both this and my layout thread in 2024.

 

With that in mind and in keeping with @queensquare's tradition of Christmas posts (which I copied last year) I'll leave you with the pic below of J39 No 67931 arriving into Wansbeck Road with a motley collection of empty coal wagons.

 

This post reminded me to tell you that I inspected your work on York Road station at Warley. I'm glad to say (and Tim agreed with me) that it looked like a crock of sh1t.

Edited December 24, 2023 by St Enodoc

[Winchat]

8 hours ago, Sithlord75 said:

I realised when I went looking for this thread it has been a while since I posted!  Activity has been limited, I admit, due to a) work, b) the loss of my mojo and c) I did spend quite a bit of time working on Wansbeck Road to freshen up the presentation (new backscene board, new lighting rig (which would comply with Australian electrical requirements!) and a touch of paint).  The mojo has returned a bit - so hopefully there'll be more regular posts on both this and my layout thread in 2024.

 

With that in mind and in keeping with @queensquare's tradition of Christmas posts (which I copied last year) I'll leave you with the pic below of J39 No 67931 arriving into Wansbeck Road with a motley collection of empty coal wagons.

 

 

Thank you, Kevin, and I return my compliments to you and wish you and your family all the best for the Christmas and New Year.

 

Also, I extend my compliments and best wishes to all 2mmFS members and in particular those who I meet during the year on Zoom conferences.  You all were a source of inspiration, help and encouragement.  All important given I am a lone modeler in the wilds of the Adelaide Hills.

 

The grandchildren have descended from Canberra and have commandeered the computer, 3D printer, paint shop and work bench.  Turning out railway models nope but rather models of Japanese science fiction characters.  Guess it will be a quite modelling period for the next week or two.