BR traction instructor Posted August 3, 2023 Author Share Posted August 3, 2023 (edited) Another eye bending day applying decals letter by letter/number by number but tomorrow should see one side of all six tipplers decal complete and ready for the underframe and body weathering, once the other sides are finished... BeRTIe Edited August 3, 2023 by BR traction instructor 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted August 15, 2023 Author Share Posted August 15, 2023 (edited) Decals complete and sealed with matte varnish. Painting largely done and weathering underway. My technique is to group the build together and carry out small amounts of weathering in order, on the least convincing model at any one time. Balance and intensity will be crucial indicators of when to stop. Tools in use at this stage are wooden toothpicks, rustyish shades of enamel paint and a medium sable brush with some enamel thinners on the bristles. Weathering powders will be the last stage, once any paint contamination of springing areas has been removed and weathered wheelsets fitted... BeRTIe Edited August 15, 2023 by BR traction instructor 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 (edited) Getting close to a result that I'm happy with...just a little more touching in of individual detail... BeRTIe Edited August 29, 2023 by BR traction instructor 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted September 1, 2023 Author Share Posted September 1, 2023 (edited) Developing the route to a P4 diagram 1/161, 1/162 hopper further has resulted in a body of correct length & width from four segments but required the removal/replacement of the hopper side detailing. The bodyside/end tops will be 1mm brass angle with corner fillets as per the prototype. Back in one piece and it fits the modified Rumney underframe... BeRTIe Edited September 1, 2023 by BR traction instructor 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted October 3, 2023 Author Share Posted October 3, 2023 (edited) 8J22 Penmaenmawr to Hope St debuts at the SLW class 25 launch this weekend behind 25042. 8F22 Penmaenmawr to Sandhills ex ironstone hoppers debuted at Macclesfield in the Spring this year hauled by SLW 24091 and will receive 5 x diagram 1/161, 1/162 hoppers as they are completed to complement the consist. The vanfits (courtesy of IAK of this parish)/first hopper form the fitted head and provide brake force, a common use of such spare wagons in the 1970s... BeRTIe Edited October 3, 2023 by BR traction instructor 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted November 7, 2023 Author Share Posted November 7, 2023 (edited) A clean sweep at the Spalding exhibition this weekend underscored the value of hard work in modelling...Mostyn was the only P4 layout there and took all three trophies available/will feature in a local article by the vice chair of south holland district council... BeRTIe Edited November 7, 2023 by BR traction instructor 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 (edited) The prototype 1/161, 1/162 ex ironstone hopper (1 of 5) for Mostyn is progressing again. Ambis and Rumney (from a spare kit) components are being added to the modified 9ft Rumney tippler underframe to replicate a diagram 1/161 type. The prototype should be on the layout in the Penmaenmawr to Sandhills hopper rake for the Railex Aylesbury exhibition in May... BeRTIe Edited January 21 by BR traction instructor 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 (edited) The prototype hopper underframe is almost at the end of the soldering stage, just the tiebars and footsteps to add. It will then get a thorough clean ready for the superglue/Araldite stages. The overlength brake levers are modified fully tapering ones from Ambis WV5 etch, whilst the brake lever guides are modified Rumney ones (Justin is supplying the correct ones on a separate etch for the production batch)...the ties for the bottom of the guides are fashioned from Colin Craig ladder etch stays. The overall height of the wagon is just about bob on at 38.5mm. Tiebar and footstep added along with a plasticard strip (will disappear behind the body end supports) at each end of the hopper body which is allowing the body to sit at just the right height as it is sanded, ready for tacking and Aralditing into its final position... BeRTIe Edited February 17 by BR traction instructor 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted February 18 Author Share Posted February 18 A key point in the construction, getting the body square, level and centred on the underframe for tacking together... BeRTIe 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 (edited) Adding the end plate of the hopper support first allows another check of alignment between hopper and underframe. A 1mm strip has been soldered top and bottom of the end plate. A piece of 8mm square styrene has been superglued inside the end plate to act as a mount for the side plates of the end support. With end and side plates of the hopper end supports fitted... BeRTIe Edited February 20 by BR traction instructor 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 (edited) Whilst waiting for some unequal brass L section from Cambrian, for the prototype, a start has been made on the sole diagram 1/162 with plate W irons... BeRTIe Edited February 28 by BR traction instructor 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 (edited) Current state of play with the production batch of four diagram 1/161, 1/162 hoppers. Bill Bedford BWF006 BR open W irons are fitted to three of these four... BeRTIe Edited March 8 by BR traction instructor 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 (edited) Plenty of cleaning up to do yet but the bottom door release handles, mechanisms, shielding and body side supports are going onto the prototype. Poorly milled/off centre T section brass caused some work to be redone/sections thinned on the nearer body support. The ladders have been rescued from an earlier attempt at one of these hoppers by the late David Goodwin. Spring stops, buffer steps and smaller body supports fitted, just two leaf spring/axleboxes to fit, a couple of solebar details & two more main body supports to fabricate and fit then it is a few end rivet strips before priming and then just the rivet detail to complete construction... BeRTIe Edited March 17 by BR traction instructor 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted April 13 Author Share Posted April 13 (edited) Mauch Chunk, 1950s American steam & diesel is now a Barrowmore club layout, the O gauge Johnstown road Cambrian layout now stored pending an outcome. We have spent the last week progressing various issues on MC and its stock prior to the layout being dismantled to allow Mostyn to be erected in the clubroom for its May Railex Aylesbury exhibition prep. Building two 40ft box cars plus a 40ft stock car from HO kits, fettling various tank car running issues as well as fettling 7 vintage 2&3 axle bogied Central New Jersey/Santa Fe coaches/baggage & mail cars to get them running on the layout for the first time has been my contribution. Converting the 3 axle bogied ones to body mounted Kadees, making & adding gangway end bellows amongst the work done. On the loco side the main issue dealt with was a Camelback that wouldn't run in reverse and shorted in one direction. Stripping the gearbox tower revealed a missing stepped washer that needed a replacement fabricating from the spares box, whilst painting the rear of one wheel cured the intermittent short that was ailing the beast. Testing each area of the chassis with a multimeter whilst trying to replicate the conditions for the short proved somewhat more time consuming than the remedy. This is the HO kit stock car, which needed a roof repaint in red oxide primer this morning to repair some wayward glue damage... BeRTIe Edited April 13 by BR traction instructor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted April 15 Author Share Posted April 15 (edited) In the meantime construction is complete on the prototype diagram 1/161 hopper, it is in red oxide primer/getting the Archer rivet detail added... BeRTIe Edited April 15 by BR traction instructor 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
26power Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Perhaps it is the angle of the photograph but that looks like an overly large gap between the bottom of the axle box and the tie between the two arms of the W-iron? The axle box tiebar in turn looks low, not that far above rail level? (Apologies if I have some of the terminology wrong). I looked back through the thread at your pictures of your iron ore tipplers, where these points didn’t seem to be issues, and also had a quick look at what I think is the prototype being modelled on Paul Bartletts website: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brironorehoppersmall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted April 16 Author Share Posted April 16 (edited) ...the gap that you refer to must vary according to the weight carried by the wagon on the prototype and the style of axlebox fitted. The leaf springs will become more flattened out/deflected under heavy load and that gap consequently greater. This hopper is modelled fully loaded. The gap being smallest when the prototype wagon is empty/leaf springs hardly deflected. The Tipplers retained the Rumney plate style W irons of their prototype whereas the W irons fitted to the hoppers are Bill Bedford open ones. The alignment of buffer centre height relative to that of a SLW type 2 diesel is what might be expected for a fully loaded hopper... BeRTIe Edited April 16 by BR traction instructor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
26power Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 Thanks, I understand what you are saying. Presumably then the Bill Bedford W irons need altered to reduce that gap, if modelling an empty wagon? As I said, it was just something that caught my eye in your earlier picture - one of those things you can’t unsee when you’ve seen it! Well done with your persistence to produce accurate models of these vehicles! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted April 16 Author Share Posted April 16 (edited) ...bending the leaf springs uniformly upward (in this instance) a little would help to accurately replicate an empty wagon. The W irons have stated dimensions and altering those would produce a less rather than more accurate result. Thankyou...we have various otherwise unavailable diagram variants in the pipeline for Mostyn. BeRTIe Edited April 16 by BR traction instructor 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) Rivets everywhere is the order of play with these hoppers with any added as decals needing to be similar to the moulded ones already on the body. The remaining Archer resin ones are being quickly consumed by the prototype hopper and a couple of Railtec rivet variants now on order to provide for the four production hoppers to follow. The lines of rivets added are sealed with matte varnish to keep them in place and each session of riveting allowed to completely dry before the next is contemplated. The Railtec rivet detail strips arrived the day after ordering and look to be a good match with both the moulded rivet detail on the body and the Archer resin type already in use... BeRTIe Edited April 18 by BR traction instructor 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 (edited) Rivet work on the prototype diagram 1/161 hopper continues slowly but surely whilst progress on the production batch of four 1/161 & 1/162 hoppers sees them at the rolling underframe stage... BeRTIe Edited April 26 by BR traction instructor 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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