Mr Simon's N and 2mm Workbench - pg29> N V1 2-6-2, 2mm L&Y class 23, assorted wagons and stuff

[Dr Al]

No problem - I've been researching for my own - I have two just arrived from Shapeways.

Not sure why yours is a 'test' one as they are available on shapeways! Either way, they look pretty nice, and I'm hoping for a quick easy build on mine.

Cheers,

Alan

[MrSimon]

It was a test when I got it but it's been sat a box since March so it probably isn't any more

 

You'll probably have both of yours finished before mine, but I'm aiming for Warley...

 

Cheers

Simon

[Dr Al]

It was a test when I got it but it's been sat a box since March so it probably isn't any more

 

You'll probably have both of yours finished before mine, but I'm aiming for Warley...

 

Cheers

Simon

 

 

I think this will be a very quick build - the primary reason being that the starting point is of such high quality. There are but a tiny few things I could nit pick on; but fundamentally Steve has done a really excellent job on these - the design shows well thought out approach.

 

I look forward to seeing your builds, and hope mine will be done reasonably quickly - they've sped straight to the top of the queue!

 

Cheers,

Alan

[MrSimon]

I agree - it's definitely the best designed steam kit I've encountered.

 

I did a bit more tonight, it seems pretty straight forward but there are a few bits that will definitely be a challenge; mostly to do with the DCC that I confuses me...

 

The body has been in the building box for a few days between the class 60 and the yellow MK3 (both of which had some paint tonight) and I couldn't get over how small it was, even though I've always thought of V1s as quite large tank engines.  Then I got the N class out and that seemed even smaller in comparison!

 

I needed to rub the corners of the false boiler-bottom where there was a bit of over-moulding on the chassis

 

After this the chassis slid on perfectly.  I still haven't completely uncoupled the tender because I don't want to mess it up.

 

I'm guessing I un-solder the blue and the red from the circuit board, poke the wires through the hole in the tender and then solder them back on again?

 

Then I'm guessing I cut the longer black and red wires right at the base by the tender-splasher and do I re-solder them to the main loco chassis?  Can I just pick any metal bit or does it have to be near the bottom (with one wire soldered to each half of the chassis)...?

 

I'm impressed with how small the new Farish motors are!

 

Cheers

Simon

 

 

[Dr Al]

Hi,

 

I've not got need for DCC (I'm guessing you do), so the chassis is simple - desolder the two wires coming from the motor (red and blue in your case), and unfathom them from the tender which can then be put aside. I just tinned these wire ends and crimped them to the chassis sides with the front securing bolt as below, therefore directly connecting pickups to motor:

 

 

To be honest, for DCC I'd just hardwire a wired decoder, rather than trying to muck about with the PCB. I concur on the necessity to file the small lumps off the corners of the chassis boiler base to get things to fit.

 

In terms of the body, my first one has handrails now (you'll need 35 knobs per body, that's assuming you don't drop any like I did!), and just needs a cleaning up going over. There is a little bit of layering on mine, but not the worst I've seen on a 3D print - mine was shapeways FXD.

 

 

Hope this helps! (and apologies if this is a slight thread hijack - I was getting the pics together to post elsewhere when I saw your latest post!)

Cheers,
Alan

Edited July 24, 2018 by Dr Al

[MrSimon]

 

Hope this helps! (and apologies if this is a slight thread hijack - I was getting the pics together to post elsewhere when I saw your latest post!)

Cheers,

Alan

 

It does thanks!  

 

 

Does anyone know about decoders?  I soldered the wires to the PCB and tried it with the blanking plug and then the chip to check that I'd soldered it right (and not ruined the chassis) It ran well but the PCB and chip wouldn't fit in the body (there wasn't enough length in the cab for the massive PCB) so I hardwired it.

 

Now it only runs in one direction - have I fried the chip?

 

Thanks in advance

Simon

[Dr Al]

Check you haven't shorted the red wire on the left onto one of the small black components (Cap?) directly above them - and possibly also the other red wire has similar. It may be that those aren't meant to be joined electrically - check a stock picture of the decoder.

 

HTH,

Alan

[MrSimon]

Thanks Al - I think there's definitely a bit of spillage with the solder.  While it's still kind of working I'm going to paint the wheels and motion.

 

 

Today was the handrails.  Three packs of N Brass handrail knobs and some 0.33m wire.  I thought I was going to get all the detail bits fitted but I'd forgotten to buy buffers.

 

I only lost two, and they didn't go to the floor-monster; they flicked somewhere on my desk...

 

The handrails around the front.  I had to test fit the chassis to check I didn't have to trim the ends of the knobs, it seemed to fit.

 

The back.  I cut off the printed lamp irons and replaced them with ones I made with wire.  

 

6 lamp irons on each end... seems a bit Southern to me!!

 

The front.  I'm going to order buffers, the valves near the cab, and a set of front steps.  

 

I've got to make a cab floor and get my head round fitting the rear truck (and I need to source a wheel) then I can get my paints out!

 

Lots to do!

Simon

[Dr Al]

I've got to make a cab floor and get my head round fitting the rear truck (and I need to source a wheel) then I can get my paints out!

 

Lots to do!

Simon

 

Interesting - shows yours was an early test one, as the 3D print now comes with a separate cab floor piece. It's a fairly simple part though, so should be able to be replicated in plasticard in your case - if it's any use I can take a photo of it.

 

I've now done the first rear bogie - not sure if you have the 3D printed moulding for it? If so you'll need a Dapol NEM mount, some PCB, some stiff wire and some soft wiper contacts - Steve posted his solution on his own threads I believe, possibly here, but definitely on the N Gauge Forum, so have a look there. I have done essentially the same thing and it looks like it will work quite well, although I simply have not had time to actually test it yet.

 

HTH,

Alan

[MrSimon]

Interesting - shows yours was an early test one, as the 3D print now comes with a separate cab floor piece. It's a fairly simple part though, so should be able to be replicated in plasticard in your case - if it's any use I can take a photo of it.

 

I've now done the first rear bogie - not sure if you have the 3D printed moulding for it? If so you'll need a Dapol NEM mount, some PCB, some stiff wire and some soft wiper contacts - Steve posted his solution on his own threads I believe, possibly here, but definitely on the N Gauge Forum, so have a look there. I have done essentially the same thing and it looks like it will work quite well, although I simply have not had time to actually test it yet.

 

HTH,

Alan

 

Thanks Alan,

 

I'll have a search around for the instructions and build the rear truck.  I got a print for it but I've also bought a print of 6 spares, as I know I'll break one!

 

Also, this might solve the problem I was having (am having) with the A5 truck.

 

Cheers

Simon

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody!

 

Bit of a busy few sessions on my desk, firstly, the buffers came for the V1:

 

 

 

The body is now ready to paint, I'll get on with it this weekend; just the bogie and cab floor to build, and then all that lining...

 

This class 60 is getting more and more finished.  I've transferred and varnished it - now I just need to weather and glaze it and then just need to wait for the nameplates...

 

 

It feels weird to transfer it before finishing all of the painting, but that's what I did!  I need to varnish these in, paint the ends and tidy up the underframe, and do the roof.  I've got two more coaches to do from scratch, and the other one to finish off...

 

Lots to do!

 

Simon

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody!

 

Bit of an exhausting afternoon...

 

Five exhausts gone over with the gunmetal and rust in different levels of dirty-rustiness.  And while I had the paints out I rusted the inside of the V1 bunker.  When the exhausts have properly dried I'll do the underframes and then give the roof a going over with the powders.

 

I detailed and staffed the cabs from the two class 60s (one is on driver training/giving a lift) which I need to finish painting.  I'm going to put some drivers in the two class 66s too I think.

 

Lot to do

 

Simon

Edited August 11, 2018 by MrSimon

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody!

 

Busy afternoon avoiding the rain - the V1 has had a coat of black all over, and both 60s and the Shank's Pony are drying after I painted the wheels and underframes.  

 

 

This coach is now as complete as the first one, I'm not sure whether to start the next one or finish some other stuff off.  The coach is the usual yellow, but it looks weirdly orange in the light in the back yard.

 

I'll get some pictures of the 60s tomorrow when they're dry.

 

Lots to do

 

Simon

[MrSimon]

Hello everybody!

 

Here are all the underframes I got finished over the weekend:

 

 

 

This one is pretty much done, I think maybe another layer of dark powders on the roof but I might strip this layer off before I do.  Other than that (and I might not even do that) it's finished.

 

 

I need to find some more pictures of this to see how dirty it got, particularly around the exhaust.  When I test ran it earlier it had picked up another split gear which'll need fixing before I call it complete.

 

 

This has only had the underframe and exhaust done, no work on the bodyside/roof yet.  When I test ran it there was a lot of red light visible in the cab.  I'm going to have to find where it is and paint it out... but other than that it runs well.

 

Lots to do!

 

Simon

[shanks522]

Top work on the Loco weathering Simon, Looks spot on.

 

Graham.

[jonas]

Mate leave 60006 as it is. Looks spot on!

[MrSimon]

Thanks guys - I think I probably will leave 006 how it is, I want to take some better pictures of it (and the mainline 37) as the camera seems to have bleached the blue quite a lot - the colour looks much more saturated it real life... One for the weekend I think!

 

Cheers

Simon

[Atso]

Lovely work Simon and Alan!

 

Sorry for the delay in posting here, I've been really unwell over the last month.

 

Simon's V3 is one of the initial test prints I did before finalising the design (I offered it to him as part of a swap for some etches) and therefore is slightly different to the 'production' version that Alan is building. On my test build of the V1, I made up the floor out of plastic which formed the basis for the printed version. I like Alan's solution to rewiring the motor, so simple and much easier and neater than the method I used!

[grahame]

Mate leave 60006 as it is. Looks spot on!

Yep, very effective weathering.

 

G

[MrSimon]

Lovely work Simon and Alan!

 

Sorry for the delay in posting here, I've been really unwell over the last month.

 

Simon's V3 is one of the initial test prints I did before finalising the design (I offered it to him as part of a swap for some etches) and therefore is slightly different to the 'production' version that Alan is building. On my test build of the V1, I made up the floor out of plastic which formed the basis for the printed version. I like Alan's solution to rewiring the motor, so simple and much easier and neater than the method I used!

 

Thanks Steve - sorry to hear you've been ill - I tried soldering on the hottest day we had down here and thought I was going to pass out!

 

The loco's all in black now, I'm just waiting for the black paint to full harden so I can give it a quick coat of gloss and start on the transfers.  Also need to start the rear truck.

 

Do you have a picture of the cab floor assembly, or is it just literally a bit of plastic thats the same shape as the hole?

 

Thanks

Simon

[Atso]

Hi Simon, I'll take a screen grab of the part from the CAD as soon as I've got access back again - silly program logged me out for no reason and now won't let me log back in!

[MrSimon]

Ah brilliant, thank you!  I varnished the loco this evening so I can tackle the beast that is mixed traffic lining over the weekend... 

 

In other stock news two pairs of the new Dapol GBRF wagons came today.  They seem be great mouldings but the bar coupling is insane:

 

 

I understand giving a bit of extra length to get round tight corners, but these are on my bit of 9" radius (the inner circuit on Gresby) and there seems to be plenty of room... 

 

So I tried something instead of the bar - spare Dapol knuckles from fish vans etc!

 

 

 

Much better.  If anything it's maybe a little close, but only about a millimetre

 

I don't think I'll miss the bar if the couplings aren't massively visible, but this has made a massive improvement.  I'm still not 100% on keeping them though, I'll have to see how they look on the layout...

 

Lots to do!

Simon

 

 

[BernardTPM]

Given these don't have buffers, it makes you wonder what radus curves they wanted them to go round: two inch?

[MrSimon]

I know right!  Even I wouldn't lay curves that tight!!

 

 

So after quite a lot of prevarocating (see Gresby thread) I sat down to do the lining on the V1/V3 and I got this far:

 

I'd run out of corners.  Meh.

 

One of my other little projects to prevent me from having to do mixed traffic lining is this:

 

 

It's one of the AtsoCad pigeon vans, I ordered it when I got the new rear truck prints.  Other than a bit of cleaning (very little) it's basically ready to run.  Here it is in Halfords Grey.

 

And here it is with more-or-less finished underframe and ends, and the first coat of faded crimson on the sides.

 

Better get some transfers ordered... lots to do!

 

Simon

[millerhillboy]

Simon

Enjoying seeing your progress with V1/V3 project, its coming on well. I'm one step behind you and have the N-Brass knobs and handrails sitting waiting to find the right frame of mind to start on.