Pixie's Workbench - 2mm/ft Diesels and a 305mm/ft Cavalier

[StuartM]

The Silver Pullman is awesome, v impressed

[Pixie]

Thanks gents. I'm really pleased with how the Blue Pullman came out, the Farish model really is superb. Just need to build the other 6-car unit to go with it now!

 

 

Pix

[modfather]

Talented barsteward. Don't get too busy, Bryn says theres mark 2's with your name on...

[The Fatadder]

Pullman looks stunning, makes me start wanting to dig out my 4mm Triang project....

Know what you mean on lack of stuff to show, don't think I've finished anything since the spring

 

Family are doing well thanks, looking forward to little ones first Christmas.

[Pixie]

Evening all,

 

A few more 'long-termers' have rolled off the workbench today in the form of a quintet of Harris CovHops and a pair of Masterclass CCTs. Both very nice kits, although I can't claim to have built the CCTs - I picked them up from Trevor Hale and just painted them. Typically, I notice Farish have now released their versions of these. Right on cue, eh?

 

 

 

 

 

Also finished are a trio of Prestwins from the 2mm Assocation kit, although I believe Mr Harris is behind these also. He's certainly a very talented chap.

 

 

Finally, an original 5-car Freightliner set which is just awaiting the inner vehicle couplings added and then they're ready for service. I'm starting to get in the mood for a good soldering session so I may start building the other three sets I've got stashed away over the festive break.

 

 

The skeleton framing in these is really cool, it's almost a shame to load them up with containers. I plan to use this reasoning to put off building containers for as long as I can get away with!

 

 

 

Sadly, just as my mojo is reaching it's peak, I have to return to work tomorrow.

 

Bah humbug,

 

Pix

Edited December 23, 2014 by Pixie

[PaulCheffus]

Finally, an original 5-car Freightliner set which is just awaiting the inner vehicle couplings added and then they're ready for service. I'm starting to get in the mood for a good soldering session so I may start building the other three sets I've got stashed away over the festive break.

The skeleton framing in these is really cool, it's almost a shame to load them up with containers. I plan to use this reasoning to put off building containers for as long as I can get away with!

Sadly, just as my mojo is reaching it's peak, I have to return to work tomorrow.

Bah humbug,

Pix

Hi Pix

 

Who makes the freightliners? I have the Worsley Works kit but those look slightly different. How are you planning to do the outer couplings as I haven't yet found anything suitable though I am trying to use Microtrains ones.

 

I've build a few of the Stephen Harris Covhops along with a few of his other kits and agree he is certainly a talented modeller.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[117puzzler]

Hi pixie excellent work. Sorry to backtrack but would it be possible for you to elaborate a little on the "chopping" of the battery box and fuel tanks on your clas 25's and 37's as they really do Benefit from the mod. And would like to have ago on mine.

[justin1985]

Hi Pix

Who makes the freightliners? I have the Worsley Works kit but those look slightly different. How are you planning to do the outer couplings as I haven't yet found anything suitable though I am trying to use Microtrains ones.

I've build a few of the Stephen Harris Covhops along with a few of his other kits and agree he is certainly a talented modeller.

Cheers

Paul

I'd also love to know where these etches are from!

 

Justin

[modfather]

Puzzler - look at the two pics of 5227. There is little depth to the tank sides, it's a case of removing the tanks, cutting and boxing it out then refitting.

[117puzzler]

Thanks foe the reply modfather

 

With my loco stripped down I am also guessing that some machining of the internal casting is Also required.

 

Happy days. Right time to start cutting my new loco up.

[modfather]

Can you get away with cutting the bits out then paint the chassis black, I don't know how much you need to cut away to get the right reveal.

[2mm Andy]

I'd also love to know where these etches are from!

 

Justin

I'm sure Pixie can confirm, but Stephen Harris did some Freightliner wagon etches which weren't widely advertised. I think I saw a reference to them in the covering letter that came with some other wagon etches from Stephen.

 

Andy

[117puzzler]

Modfather- having looked through a fair few photos I can't see any "daylight" through the tanks and equipment so I will probly leave as mush casting as I can. Thanks for the pointers.

 

Adam.

[Pixie]

Afternoon all,

 

Back in front of a laptop and not on an iPad now so I can actually write something without having to prod at a screen.

 

Is it propped up against a wall of stock boxes there? Intriguing !

Yes, well, sort of! By day I work for an artist material manufacturer and one of the pastel sets we made goes into a big wooden box with three drawers. Unfortunately one year we had a batch arrive from the Far East that were no where near good enough quality to turn into gift sets and they had to be scrapped. Fortunately for me, I managed to cobble enough bits together to make the wall of drawers you see behind the nameplate. One of my jobs for 2015 is to add partitions in them and also beef a couple up so they can be portable.

 

Its things like the comments about build quality and dodgy mechanisms that concern me about 2mm/N gauge as at present my collection of locos have spent most of their time sat in their original packaging awaiting the day when I get cracking on something again. That said I am not into shunting etc I much prefer watching the trains go by, listening to something suitable musically and doing my bit for wine, whisky or beer tasting for the nation as part of my own quality control policy...

Sounds like a good way to spend some time Kevin! My comments on mechanisms are really me being picky and wanting to have a couple of mainline locos geared up as shunters for Parkend, where speeds never really get above a scale 20mph. For a watching the trains go by scenario, the new generation of Farish ready to run N gauge is very good and I wouldn't be re-engineering at all. Dapol stuff, in my experience, is much more variable. I picked up a couple of their Westerns before Christmas which are pretty good and the 22s would be fine if I wasn't going to shunt with them. Likewise, the 122/122s are very good runners. Sadly, the six Hymeks I've had have all been terrible. Maybe I've been unlucky but there seems to be other reports of them not being great.

 

Who makes the freightliners? I have the Worsley Works kit but those look slightly different. How are you planning to do the outer couplings as I haven't yet found anything suitable though I am trying to use Microtrains ones.

As per Andy’s comment, the Freightliner flats were from a run made by Stephen Harris some time ago. They came in fixed sets of 5 vehicles (Two outers and three inners) and were produced to order. To be honest, I’m not sure how I heard about them, but it was either by word of mouth or the Association magazine. Stephen’s a very helpful chap so a polite phone call may yield something. Some stumpy DGs are included on the etched and poke through the buffer beams at the right height. Blank bufferbeams are also included if you want to do them without couplings. For the internal couplings you use a 1x1mm bit of brass and some bits on the etch to represent the fixed couplings.

 

They’re certainly nicer to build up that the Worsley Kit, which is certainly the scratch building aid it’s marketed as.

 

Hi pixie excellent work. Sorry to backtrack but would it be possible for you to elaborate a little on the "chopping" of the battery box and fuel tanks on your clas 25's and 37's as they really do Benefit from the mod. And would like to have ago on mine.

Hi Adam,

 

I’m quite lazy in the way I’ve done the modifications to the underframe tanks – so it’s much more of a visual placebo than a true reflection of accuracy. For the 37, it was a simply case of cutting away the bits that are recessed and replacing them with much thinner material – as it comes, the Farish moulding has a wall thickness of around 2mm and I replaced it with some 10 thou plasticard. The gap between two tanks was also sawn out to show a bit of daylight, although this is mostly in shadow for a lot of the time. I also removed the clips that hold the tank onto the chassis casting as I was lowering the body on the chassis. There was no modification the chassis block – just the plastic fuel tank moulding. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll get a photo… it’d be a lot easier to show visually than explain!

 

For the 25/2, like 5227 show up the thread, it’s a bit simpler. Just cut off the recessed bits… that’s it! The way the plastic tank moulding fits over the chassis block means the latter is about the right depth to no need to add any plasticard. Again, no material from the metal chassis block was removed. For a 25/3 or a one of the four boilerless 25/2s (like 5181), then I removed the water tank completely and cut the recessed bits from the fuel tank. As the water tank was removed, then I did have to saw off some of the chassis block but it’s not a big job. Again, I can get some photos if that’d help.

 

Pix

Edited January 2, 2015 by Pixie

[Kempenfelt]

Crikey Pix, we leave you alone for a year without tempting you with a corrupting beer tour and you do wonders in the modelling department!! The not so blue any longer Pullman looks fantastic, really like those cov hops too!

 

Best wishes fella, happy 2015!

[117puzzler]

Thanks for the reply pixie. With the few suggestions on hear already and a load of pictures i have had a few days cutting and chopping the loco up and I am going to start the boilerless 25 next. Would you say that removing the lump of casting to represent the boiler less 25/2's effect the locos performance?

 

Adam

[117puzzler]

Pixie, I forgot to mention. Some photos of the 37 would be lovlely.

 

Adam

[D869]

I'll get some photos when I'm at home Jerry - it's a bit of a bodge at the moment but one of the slightly larger Faulhaber motors (either 10mm or 12mm diameter?) that drives to one bogie and the other one had been stripped down to free-wheel. The motor is a snuggly fit into the Dapol chassis block and accepts the universal joint from the old Dapol lump. Greasing the universal joint seems to get rid of most of the grinding noises and I could just about build one concentric bogie from the two that came with each locos. The wheels are certainly a bit pants, on a rolling road you can see how out of true they are. Andy Carlson rewheeled one with Association 08 wheels which may be a better option.

Thanks for the mention but it was actually my son, Chris, that did his 22 this way (I am feeling a bit negative wrt Dapol design and build quality at the mo so have not invested). He used the 8mm extended axle driving wheels and turned the ends down to pinpoints. The idea came from Nigel Ashton's Manor chassis instructions.

 

The 8mm wheels are bigger than scale for the 22 so it would be worth asking the wheel people if they can do some 7mm spoked wheels on extended axles. I remember reading about a very nice EM2 in MRJ that had some spoked wheels made using the drop-in axles, so custom combinations are not unheard of.

 

Regards, Andy

[Izzy]

Having tried with limited success to rescue a friends Hymek, as a Western region modeller he now says he views model releases from Dapol with dismay, as it means a decent loco will not appear. The bodies are good, but the running quality not. He'd love a 22, but dare not take the chance. I am trying to devise a new/re-built chassis design for the Hymek.

 

With regard to the 22 and it's apparent wobbly wheels, would it be possible to re-rim them with 2mmSA rims? Machining off the current tyre to enable the fitment of the new rims should overcome/iron out excentricity unless of course  - and this is only a thought - that the issue is with the axle coning and not the actual wheel, ( this is all assuming the current coned stub axle/interference fit wheel is used).

 

Izzy

[DavidLong]

Having tried with limited success to rescue a friends Hymek, as a Western region modeller he now says he views model releases from Dapol with dismay, as it means a decent loco will not appear. The bodies are good, but the running quality not. He'd love a 22, but dare not take the chance. I am trying to devise a new/re-built chassis design for the Hymek.

 

With regard to the 22 and it's apparent wobbly wheels, would it be possible to re-rim them with 2mmSA rims? Machining off the current tyre to enable the fitment of the new rims should overcome/iron out excentricity unless of course  - and this is only a thought - that the issue is with the axle coning and not the actual wheel, ( this is all assuming the current coned stub axle/interference fit wheel is used).

 

Izzy

 

As always, there is someone with a contrary story. My D6320 is an exemplary runner. It has a CT Elektronik chip in it and smooth starts and stops are just normal for it. It is easily as good as my Farish 24s but then Bachmann have had years of producing diesel chassis for their North American locos so tend to know what's what. The wheels were turned down by Gordon Solloway and show no signs of a limp. The same story would go for the Class 121 although the hollow plastic body does produce more of an echo than the Class 22 with its solid chassis block.

For the Hymek I can only concur with other comments. What a disappointment, lovely body, shame about the mechanism. I have a spare Faulhaber 816 motor available and I wonder if replacing the Dapol motor with it in a similar manner to Steve's transplant on the Class 22 would be a goer.

By the way, I have two early Dapol Class 73s on which the mechanisms haven't required any work apart from making space in the block for a hard-wired CT chip. Again the smooth stopping and starting has been ideal on a small layout.

Here's a gratuitous picture of the pair:

 

 

Detailing by me, lovely finish by Mr Mercig .

 

David

[Pixie]

I think I've worked out a way to do the Parlour Second

Well, I’ve had a go!

 

 

A lucky eBay bid a couple of weeks ago left me as the proud owner of another Farish Blue Pullman. This time one of the understandably unloved yellow ended versions. I'm not quite sure the reasoning for this release, but full credit must be given to Farish for tooling up the retro-fitted dampers on the bogies in the process. This bargain-priced, poor-seller is actually more useful to anyone modelling them in their later years than its prettier Nanking Blue sister.

 

Instead of doing another straight repainting as the other ex-Midland set, I decided to have a go at an 8-car Western set or, at least, the more difficult parts of one. The donor set would gave me 2x MBFL (or Midland Driving Firsts, as I’ve always called them!), 2x MFLRK (Kitchen Firsts) and 2x TPFL (Parlour Firsts) to play with. From this, I’d need to create a 2x MBS (Western Driving Seconds), 2x MPSL (Parlour Seconds) and 2x TFLRK (Trailer Kitchens). This still would leave my to source another pair of Midland Parlour Firsts, but as they identical between both trains they can wait.

 

Anyway, back to the model in hand. First up, everything was broken down to component parts. The Western Kitchen seemed like the easiest place to start. Taking the trailer chassis of the Parlour First and combining it with the body from the Kitchen First is the basis of the TFLRK. The main difference between the bodies of the Midland and Western types is the former having a smaller window for the staff compartment, but conveniently these can be stolen from the donor Parlour First.

 

 

For the second class vehicles, I decided to 3D print some window strips (a bit like Tri-ang did with their 1960’s model) instead of trying to cobble them out of Plasticard. Luckily the profile of the Blue Pullman is flat over the windows so it’d be fairly easy to match them with some careful measuring. An evening was well spent in 123D and a week later a package from Holland arrived. I must admit I find doing things in 3D a bit tedious, but it is very satisfying when your virtual sketches turn up as physical items.

 

 

The Parlour Second was first on the hit list once the prints arrived. Doing the Western Kitchen had left me with a ‘Powered’ chassis, most of a Parlour First body and small window – conveniently, exactly what’s required! The windows were cut out of the Parlour First body and replaced with the 3D printed strips. The removed end was grafted back in and it started to resemble a coach again.

 

The Western Driving Second was the same approach – essentially cut out the windows of the Midland Driving First and replace with the 3D print. I do still have to work out how to do the body side destination blind, but that shouldn’t be too tricky.

 

 

I’m quite pleased with how it’s turned out so far, even in unflattering grey primer.

 

 

 

 

There’s still a lot of smaller details to address on the vehicle ends and the underframes but I think this might just work...!

 

Cheers,

 

Pix

[Strathwood]

Another superb creation is on its way to the Western Region's mainline near you soon.

 

Out of interest what mods have you performed so far on your Dapol Westerns?

 

Kevin

[Pixie]

Thanks Kevin.

 

For the Westerns at the moment, not much - I've only prised the wheels out and send them away for turning down. I've drawn up an etched overlay for the wheels to hide the big holes Dapol put in them and also started on a jig to help drill out the holes for the handrails on the front. The cab windows could do with an etch perhaps, but that's really it. I must admit, with a little fettling and re-greasing, the mechanism in these is pretty good, even if it's a bit growly.

 

I've also made a start on drawing up a 123 in 123D I mentioned a while back. A couple of kind souls very generously supplied measurements on the 126 at Bo'ness which has helped greatly, especially with the Swindon profile. The TS core is almost ready to test print and will be joined by an etched inlay for the windows. It's designed to fit onto a re-bogied Farish CEP chassis, with Farish Mk.1 roves.

 

 

Also started drawing the cab in 2D before translating it into 3D. There's a few issues I know of at the moment, around the headcodes in particular, but it's a start.

 

 

Pix

Edited February 11, 2015 by Pixie

[Strathwood]

Another top job is eagerly awaited by your followers, as you know the Swindon Class 123s are a favourite of mine, happy memories of them flat out through Southall under the footbridge heading for Oxford, first stop Slough.

 

Kevin

[Strathwood]

Evening folks,

 

Still here and still quietly plodding away with things in the background. I tend to have a look at the forum everyday but get sidetracked by the seemingly endless amount of RTR announcements that are happening at the moment. I find it all a bit bemusing! All these promised models are very exciting, but they're not really any good to me until I can buy them are they? Anyway, I digress!

Sort of, but nothing really photogenic! All of the basic colours are now finished and it's all varnished, but stalled at the decaling stage - initially as I thought no one did them, until some kind sole pointed out that Fox did. I've now got a set and no reason to get it finished, expect I find putting transfers on models tedious. I will finish it this Christmas... going to Warley last weekend reminded me it's been floating around half finished for almost two years.

 

(BTW - Any chance of a Seventies Spotting Days in South Wales please Kevin?!)

 

I've not been entirely idle over the last year or so - probably most note worthy is that I've been pushing on with Parkend Marsh Sidings. It's made a breif appearence on the forum but I'll post something a bit more in-depth if there's interest. Most people have probably heard me harp on about this at some point, but the Marsh Sidings were originally built as an interchange between the railway and the tramways that went deep into the Forest of Dean. I'm modelling it in its twilight days, between 1968 and 1973, when the tramway had long gone and the sidings were used for loading coal and ballast by lorry. I cheated on the baseboards and bought them from Model Railway Solutions in Poole and over the last two years I've laid the track, wired it, made it look presentable and now just enjoying shuffling wagons about to get the running up to scratch. Nearly there, and this winter I hope to move onto the scenic side of things. Here's a quick photo of the layout doing its best impression of a dumping ground this evening.

 

L]

 

The layout party piece will be (hopefully!) working tipper lorries. Most of the summer I've been tinkering with this and I'm now at the stage where my little test rig lorry reverses in, decelerates to a stop, pauses for a moment, backs up to the wagon at a slower rate, pauses for unloading, before taking off again to a off-scene bit. Next step is to swap the test lorry for a proper one (currently awaiting some etches) and add the mechanism to make it tip its load into the wagon. I had a slight rethink on the operation of this recently - originally it was to be controlled by the DCC controller and would require the operator the activate the reversing/unloading/driving off cycle with the press of a function key, as I'd planned to actually load the wagons from the lorry. Doing this for 8 hours straight, over 2 days at an exhibition will be mind-numbing so I've dediced to automate it, with the wagon it loads into having a false floor. It'll have the added bonus of being something moving on scene whilst I shuffle off to do something in the fiddle yard. Currently it does a cycle every 3 minutes which is about right I think.

 

 

 

I've also been working on quite a lot of rolling stock for Parkend. Firstly the Farish 25/1 turned up which I'd been really looking forward to. I think the model is very good, although it shares the slightly iffy cab shape as it's 4mm brother. Luckily Bachmann fixed the bodyside grille issue, which would of been tricky to fix. First one completed was 5227 which had a spell on the WR and made it to Parkend at least twice during it's short stay on the region. I've also got 5181 on the workbench at the moment, one of the four boilerless 25/1s. Let's hope 2015 brings a 25/3!

 

 

5227 is more or less out the box apart from adding Association wheelsets, weathering/painting and carving the fuel tanks about to add a bit of depth. As they come they're rather flat.

 

 

I've also got a pair of Dapol 22's, which fit into the Dean Forest vibe nicely. Much like the Dapol Western, they're certainly accurate models but the build quality is terrible. Motors in both have been replaced Faulhaber coreless ones which transform them to silky, shunting locos from the jumpy dogs they were before. Body-wise they're unchanged so far, but I fancy doing one of the later ones that were built with the headcodes.

 

Type 3s were rarer in the Forest but certainly appeared in later days, so I've modelled 6606 in it's early 70s state. It's a standard issue Farish product but lowered, fuel tanks carved around again and a few Shawplan bits thrown in for good measure.

 

L]

 

Running again was a bit iffy so I've replaced Farish's motor with some sourced from China via eBay. Sadly the link is now dead so I can't share, but they were only around £2 a throw and feel much better at slow speed running compared to the Farish lump.

 

 

Wagons for the layout are also coming together. After years of bullying and nagging, Bryn very kindly sent me a batch of Herring ballast hoppers to build which are almost done. Herrings are the signature wagon for Parkend and there was some kind of beer-fuelled agreement of 'You make me some etches, and I'll build the layout!' a while back. I'm indebted to Bryn for making these available and certainly owe him big time. Buffers are 3D prints from the 2mm Shop and all they're waiting for is decals, which I found today that John Isherwood now supplies. Result.

 

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Also finally completed were a rake of Stephen Harris Dogfish. They're lovely, well-designed kits but due to the complex nature of the prototype, soldering up all the bracing and handrails were enough to push a man over the edge, especially when you're doing 7 wagons in a batch. Never again.

[/

 

Up to this point it probably seems that I've been on the straight-and-narrow, soley focusing on Parkend and related wares. Fat chance. Characteristically for me I've still been working away on all manner of things that really don't fit in with any project I've got planned. Below is the latest batch, which I've spent the last fortnight painting. From left to right there's a trio of Met-Cam Units, a Mk.1 LFK, a Met-Cam TBSL, a couple of original batch Warship, a couple of final batch Warships, a couple of Brush 4's, a pair of choppers and a whole brace of wagons. It's fair to say I don't want to see masking tape or thinners for a long time. All that's left now is the 'joyous' task of putting transfers on them all.

 

[/

 

Not modelling related, but certainly featuring railways, my best friend and I recently spent two weeks wandering around Japan. Beautiful country, beautiful people, beautiful food, beautiful sights. If you ever have the chance and the slightest inclination, go!

 

 

 

I think that's more or less everything of note... I'll stick some more bits up once I actually finish something!

 

Cheers,

 

Pix

How has it gone with transfers etc on all of those very blue projects? Likewise with the progress on the eight car Pullman set?

 

Must say I could go along with several Class 123s to make up a decent rake myself, might be tempted to do a couple of coaches though still in green as mixed sets were to the fore in late 1967 early 1968.

 

Kevin