Nifkin's Bridge Part Deux - The Lengthening!

[97406]

The first windscreen assembly is soldered and ground to shape.

 

[97406]

After being sprayed with a coat of etch primer, the windscreens have been attached using flexible cyanoacrylate. More flexible cyanoactylate was then applied over the joins with a cocktail stick and filed/sanded down - repeat a few times until it's smooth. I started with a flat needle file, then some 400 grit wet and dry and then a second pass with 800. Rail blue acrylic paint (thinned) was applied to the bottom edge of the screens with a small pointy brush and any exposed metalwork touched up with thinned etch primer. It's ready for the top coat - Railmatch BR blue is a perfect match, it seems! 🙂

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by 97406

[jcarta]

This looks sooooo good

 

[97406]

Research into the prototype with 40063 has found a ramshackle oil drainage solution in the form of a narrow bendy pipe under the solebar with a T section and downpipe. You can see it in Skelton80s Flickr image below. I will check if there was a similar appendage on the other side and fashion it/them out of wire. There’s a lot of interesting little variations like this in the class.

 

 

I’m contemplating 40139 for the new split box 40 with the water tanks removed and communication doors removed at the number 2 end.

 

[97406]

After masking the rest of the body, the cab roofs and screens have been sprayed in Railmatch BR Blue. The window grommets were then picked out with a black sharpie, followed by a coat of varnish. I've soldered up a Shawplan radiator fan grille which will get a coat of etch primer - next on the agenda.

 

[97406]

Here's 40063 pretty much done bar a few minor tweaks when the dust has settled.

 

 

[woodenhead]

On 23/09/2023 at 05:56, 97406 said:

Research into the prototype with 40063 has found a ramshackle oil drainage solution in the form of a narrow bendy pipe under the solebar with a T section and downpipe. You can see it in Skelton80s Flickr image below. I will check if there was a similar appendage on the other side and fashion it/them out of wire. There’s a lot of interesting little variations like this in the class.

 

 

I’m contemplating 40139 for the new split box 40 with the water tanks removed and communication doors removed at the number 2 end.

 

I think Mr S 80 used the same camera and film as me, some of those look like shots I would have taken.  He's just taking his pictures a couple of years later than I did.

[03060]

3 hours ago, 97406 said:

Here's 40063 pretty much done bar a few minor tweaks when the dust has settled.

 

 

The weathering, particularly of the underframe and bogies, has certainly brought the loco to life, it looks very purposefull, great stuff !

 

Regards,

Ian.

[97406]

One area to improve after 40063 is the base of the screens which were a little uneven due to being lightly soldered and the heat from grinding the base of the screens melting the solder.

 

For the next one, one of the devices below works a lot better as it's a larger radius and it cools a little as it grinds! I also grind off a proportion of the backplace before soldering the inner screen assembly and use more solder around the base of the screens the excess of which can be removed with desoldering braid after completing grinding it down.

 

I also observed that the seam around the upper edge of the screen assembly was much more pronounced at the number 1 end of my model of 063 than the number 2 end, so I now position the inner screen as low as it can go in the surround before soldering.

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by 97406

[97406]

Various bits and bobs done on the chassis today. I lowered the bogies. This involved removing the bogies and unscrewing the pivot piece from the top of the bogie towers. I then sanded 0.8mm off the thickness, checking regularly with vernier calipers. Afterwards screw them back on.

The height difference can just be made out in this poor photograph.

 

All done

 

 

 

[97406]

In addition, whilst the bogies were off, I unclipped the plastic chassis and unscrewed the bogie water tanks as 139 had them removed.  There is a pair of switches to control the cab and tail lights in DC mode. I cut the wires leaving enough length left on the chassis to solder them together. Brown to yellow, red to green and blue to orange.

 

 

Finally the 'Eiffel Tower' bracket that held the water tanks in place on the real thing was scavenged from one of the pre retool Bachmann 37s - remove the water tanks as above, steal the part and replace the water tanks on the early model.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by 97406

[97406]

The motor’s running a little rough so have ordered a spare from Bachmann for the very reasonable sum of 22 British Pounds! Have also ordered some spare bogie footsteps as they sometimes get knocked off by old Sausage Fingers here!

Edited September 28, 2023 by 97406

[Southwich]

Great work Tim - 40s looking excellent.

 

Kind regards,

 

Will

[sb67]

40 063 looks superb! The weathering is spot on 👍

[97406]

21 minutes ago, Southwich said:

Great work Tim - 40s looking excellent.

 

Kind regards,

 

Will

 

Thanks, Will. There’s still a bit of a learning curve, but I think I’ve pretty much worked out the best way of doing the Shawplan screens. Have just stripped one of the nose ends and removed the communication doors with some of those ladies’ emery boards. These are great as the sides are smooth so you can work right up to any raised details without affecting it. I’m thinking of doing the same with the disc headcode one that I recently bought and turning it into 40044 with a flush end. Like the 37s, there’s so much variety with class 40s.

[97406]

There you go, Will. Number 2 nose end done and ready to be repainted.

 

[97406]

Buxton 37s used to spend a lot of their time resting in between duties at Nifkin's Bridge in the late 80s and early 90s. Seen here whilst I wait for the primer to dry on 40139.

 

An industrial plant belonging to Dyer-Bollicle Bitumen Ltd. is springing up over the fiddle yard.

 

[97406]

There were a few things that weren't quite right with 40063, so I redid the number 2 end's screens and glazing and also removed and refitted the glazing at the number 1 end. I repainted the blue, touched up the weathering on the affected areas with the airbrush, blending into the existing paintwork and weathering. It's pretty much there now.

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by 97406

[97406]

The work on 40139 is progressing. The smoother number 2 end has been primed and resprayed and the loco is awaiting domino headcodes and other bits and bobs.  I need to sort the chassis jumpers out as they're almost completely wrong!. 37034 alongside will get Laserglaze and weathering soon too.

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by 97406

[97406]

40139 was completed today and is pictured here sat whistling away alongside 063.

 

[97406]

The unmodified number 1 end.

 

[97406]

[97406]

Every mantlepiece should have at least one.

 

[97406]

Some pictures from a recent depot visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mallaig1983]

Official visit or through the fence? Looks a well timed visit either way. Luck you 👍😀