'O' gauge ? first tentative steps. Corrugated goods shed part 3: Painting and weathering

[spenc]

Hi David

I'am glad to here the motor bogie is better than the old one mine is with Shawn so hopefully mine will come back  better best of luck with your 121 it is a good kit to build.When i glued the sides & cabs i brushed plenty on then left it for 24 hours hope that helps.

Steve

[David Siddall]

Cheers Steve I'll bear that tip in mind :-)

 

Shawn and Richard at Easybuild are already working on incorporating the issues I raised into the instructions and I've seen a first draft of the revised version (very impressive and includes a new line drawing of the motor bogie indicating clearly what to do with the 'top hat' bush). I'll post a link when they're available from the Easybuild website so anyone who's interested can have a look. Shawn has emailed to say he's also sourcing a supply of the correct size Allen keys required to tighten the grub screws on the new worms and gears so he can include one in the motor-bogie pack in future.

 

I gave the motor-bogie another running-in session yesterday and it's getting quieter and smoother all the time. Richard's advice is always run-in this under load at a mid' power setting and to clean both worm and gear thoroughly to ensure any tiny bits of swarf created as they bed in are completely removed.

 

Work is impeding modeling progress a bit at the moment but I hope to start on building the body this weekend.

 

TTFN

 

David

[David Siddall]

Well I certainly wasn't expecting... a Slaters ConFlat A waiting for me on my desk at 7.30 this morning! Otherwise unappealing reminders of the turn of another year have their compensations :-)

 

David

[David Siddall]

The updated instructions for Easybuild's 121/122 DMU which include more details about how to build the latest version of their power bogie can now be downloaded from their website. Richard will be updating the instructions for their other models in due course so the new motor bogie diagrams and guidance in the 121 instructions may help those building their other kits until the process of updating is complete across the range.

 

David

[Warspite]

Well I certainly wasn't expecting... a Slaters ConFlat A waiting for me on my desk at 7.30 this morning! Otherwise unappealing reminders of the turn of another year have their compensations :-)

 

David

 

David

 

Does this mean that it might possibly be your Birthday? If so, a Very Happy Birthday!

 

If not, I've got the wrong end of the stick ........

 

Stephen

[switcher 1]

The updated instructions for Easybuild's 121/122 DMU which include more details about how to build the latest version of their power bogie can now be downloaded from their website.

Thankyou for posting that link, it will let me see if I might be a future customer.

[David Siddall]

Does this mean that it might possibly be your Birthday? 

Thank you Stephen, it does and it is, and your wishes are much appreciated. I was trying to be discreet about it but I got such a delightful surprise when I staggered to my desk at sparrow's fart this morning (with every expectation that it would be just another day of desperately trying to keep up with my overflowing 'to do' list) that I had to mention the gift – hopefully without being too blatantly triumphalist ;-)

 

Just about to pack it in and switch off after a delightful 13 hours of birthday graft... hey ho!

 

D

[The Nth Degree]

Many happy returns!

[spenc]

Hi David

Happy Birthday

My motor bogie came back today all built what a great job Shawn has done no noise great slow running he was building mine when you rang him hows your kit coming on ?

Steve

[David Siddall]

Thanks folks, another year older but I doubt any wiser ;-)

 

Spenc: Totally second what you say about Easybuild customer service, Shawn and Richard really do look after their customers! No progress on the 121 since last weekend, 14 hour (plus) days all week due to the amount of work we need to complete to compensate for the fact we're currently suffering from that curse of the micro business enterprise - a customer who thinks it's OK to take 90 days to pay their bills (and it's a big one they owe us). Grrrr!

 

So... can't stop... gotta to get back to grafting but hope to get in front of my workbench for a few hours over the weekend.

 

D

[David Siddall]

Eastbuild 121 DMU – the bodybuilding begins ;-)

 

Hornby seem to be taking a bit of stick at the moment for reverting to moulded detail where previously they'd used separate fittings but I have to sympathise to an extent after spending what seems like half a lifetime drilling locating holes and fitting hinges and door bump-stops the the sides of my 121! Even after consulting prototype photos I'm still not sure whether the hinges on a late 1960s example would have had the butterfly reinforcing plates behind the hinges so I've decided to leave them off. Life's too short and if that's a mistake so be it...

 

I nearly fitted the door handrails and handles as well but realised (just in time) that since this is going to be a green example (with small yellow warning panels) the cream stripe would be an absolute bu66er to apply with all that furniture in the way! They'll go on after painting.

 

 

Sides drilled and fitted with door hinges and door bump-stops. I made a right horlicks of scoring the bottoms of the guard's doors (which open inwards) hence the patch repair one one side and cut-outs on both (the latter apparently prototypical on the examples fitted with central door-locking!). Easybuild fortunately pre-score all the vertical door shut-lines although the process does tend to produce a slight protruding 'lip' which needs to be sanded back (all mentioned in the 'destructions'). I'm going to reinstate the tumblehome below the bottom of the guard's doors once I see how the floor fits.

 

 

The vertical door shut-lines tend to vanish a bit after sanding so I re-scored them using an old watch-maker's screwdriver and the edge of a triangular needle file. Also, when drilling the roof for the vents, I found that if you follow the measurements provided by EB the outside edge of the channel which will eventually hold the roof retaining nuts is right underneath. This can cause the bit to wander and slightly elongate the holes. If I was doing this again I'd move the holes a couple of mil' further outboard.

 

 

The roof loosely in place... definitely starting to look a bit 121-ish :-)

 

 

However, there's still a lot of fettling to do before the roof will match the cab ends. The mismatch at the joint looks particularly exaggerated in this shot but applying a little pressure from above flattens its profile a bit and the step is reduced – a fair amount of filling and filing in prospect though! Can't make up my mind whether to build up the cab roofs or reduce the main roof moulding at the ends – since the headcode box is a fold-up etch which needs to match the curve of the cab roof perhaps I'll build one before I make my decision. 

 

This shot also exaggerates the one issue I have with the Easybuild 121 and that's the body-side profile which to my eyes looks a bit too rounded. However Shawn (who drives preserved DMUs and measured several examples in the process of designing the kit says its as it should be? I'm still not 100% convinced, none the less 1) the body-side and cab windows windows are the correct height and profile – which is more than I feel can be said for the competing example; and 2) the bodies don't seem to look as chubby in green as in blue/grey. I finally made my decision as to which 121 to go for based on the green Derby three-car set on the EB stand at Bristol.

 

Well, there's another weekend gone... nose back to the grindstone tomorrow :-/

 

BFN... David

[two tone green]

I have got to ask, what are the switches for David ?

[David Siddall]

I have got to ask, what are the switches for David ?

Absolutely nothing to do with the 121 at all Andy but that's the chaotic nature of my work bench... I recovered them earlier whilst the soldering iron (used for melting the hinges into place) was hot. They'll be used to isolate the loco holding tracks on the fiddle-yard whilst the layout's still running in DC mode.

 

D

[two tone green]

Work bench chaos, yes I know all about that as well. But I know where everything is as its all on the workbench.

 

You used a soldering iron to fit the hinges, brave person. I drilled I think a 1mm hole and the hinge T pushed into the hole. Having first passed it through the H bit as per the destructions.

 

The cab windows, have Easybuild got around to doing the laser cut windows for it yet or do you still have to cut them out from the awful plastic they supply. Its the one bit of the kits I could not quite get to grips with. Such a nice kit, a few niggles, but the cab windows were an afterthought. If they have not do the laser cut ones, do take the time to make them up before fitting cab ends to body side. Far easier before than after.

 

3mm Bi Colour LED's are a nice fit for the head lights and I have some very nice lenses for them if you need any. Find the centre of the head light and drill it out to 1mm and then open it out carefully to the rim. Line the hole with silver foil to act as a reflector and to cut down on light bleep from the LED into the cab moulding. I used speed tape but it very very expensive, free for aircraft users, but cooking foil will do.

 

Do as much in the cab though before fitting to the sides. Its make life far easier in the future. Lesson learned and all that.

[David Siddall]

Whilst I drilled 1mm holes for the hinges as instructed they were a bit tight, a deft touch with the soldering iron allowed them to bed securely into place.

 

The cab window glazing is a rather flimsy sheet of 'cut-it-out-yourself' clear plastic. However after filing up individual cab windows for the Hymek and fitting them flush I'm going to give the technique a go on the 121 too.

 

Thanks for the tip re. lighting, have only considered it in the vaguest sense so far – I'll bear your suggestion in mind.

 

Since the instructions are a bit vague on the subject of cab interiors (and converting to DCC and fitting lighting would be retrospective) I thought I'd have a go at building removable units in the style of r-t-r diesels (e.g. the Hymek).

 

 

David

[two tone green]

Hi David,

 

Shame they have still not got around to doing the cab windows glazing. It does tend to let the kit down a bit.

 

As for retro fiting the cab interior including lighting, access becomes a tad harder once the passenger compartment, drivers cab partition has been fitted. It can be done but far easier before hand. Don't forget as well it will all be under the drivers control desk which is supported on two vertical shaped bits of plasticard.

 

Have fun.

[David Siddall]

My on-going email dialogue with Shawn at Easybuild has resulted in the 121s new motor bogie really stepping up the performance ladder! Today, at his suggestion, I took a look at the meshing between the worm and gearwheel.

 

First off I elongated 'one' of the motor-fixing holes in the sub-frame allowing the motor to swing through a slight arc. This provided a means of accurately adjusting the relationship between the helix of the worm and the teeth of the gear-wheel. Gently bringing the worm and gear closer together until neither would turn (under finger-power obviously, not with current applied to the motor!), and then easing the two fractionally apart and locking the motor in place has reduced the noise the mechanism generates to little more than that produced by the chassis of my sole remaining 4mm scale loco, a Bachmann 57xx Pannier! 

 

The improvement in slow-speed performance is also significant! After removal of the chemical black from the wheel treads and flanges and the above tweaks it really will creep away from a standstill and can happily maintain an almost silent scale-walking-pace crawl. The level of over-run on DC after the power is shut off is also pretty remarkable – the sort of coast you'd normally expect would require a thumping great flywheel (or DCC) – and it's still only an un-weighted motor bogie running on its own, in 2-wheel-drive mode, without the benefit of the Delhrin chain!

 

I'm liking this a lot. In fact so much so that I nicked another hour from the working day and folded and soldered up the two etched-brass headcode boxes without mangling the delicate route-indicator box frames of either or even so much as singeing my fingers :-)

 

Again, big thanks to Shawn for his patience and incredibly prompt responses to my emails.

 

David

[Donw]

A good example of PPO David persistance pays off.

Don

[David Siddall]

A good example of PPO... persistance pays off.

Thanks Don... and a fair amount of 'A&G' too – that's 'advice and guidance' ;-)

 

David

[David Siddall]

Made a little more progress with my Easybuild 121 today...

 

Test fitting one of the etched headcode boxes helped by a little 'Bluetak' – a bit of a challenge to create the radiused the edges and corners shown in prototype photos. As it's going to be to lose that mis-match in height between the roof and the cab ends despite the fact that the main roof section is now secured in place and down as tight on the body-sides as it'll go!

 

The un-powered bogie part complete and running exceptionally smoothly. I'll probably remove the metal-black from the wheel treads and faces of the flanges and fashion some pick-ups to match those on the motor bogie...

 

...and a little further along. I eventually decided to retain the rocking central pivot with brass wire hoops – didn't fancy the possibility of adhesive getting where it wasn't wanted! Soldering the guard-irons to the end channels was a pain (literally) and the cause of a fair amount of invective!

 

2nd coat of filler applied in the process of blending the roofs and cabs. Patience – and another coat or two – required methinks?

 

This is probably going to take a lot longer than I imagined...

 

David

[the penguin of doom]

You can never have to many filler sessions David.

 

All looking good so far though.

 

Cheers.

 

Sean.

[two tone green]

Hi David,

 

Shame about the mismatch in roof profile and cab roof. I was quite lucky with my 108 as both ends matched. It was the non cab ends that there was gaps between the end wall and roof. But not so visible as the actual roof.

 

You have done a nice job with the head code box. I had a devil of a job getting mine to fit and ended up packing the side walls out with filler and filing flat to get the right contour.

 

Have you had to trim the length of the guard irons. I had to cut mine back by 1.5 mm as they hit the rail head as the bogies went over points.

 

Keep up the good work.

[David Siddall]

Hi David,

 

Shame about the mismatch in roof profile and cab roof. I was quite lucky with my 108 as both ends matched. It was the non cab ends that there was gaps between the end wall and roof. But not so visible as the actual roof.

 

You have done a nice job with the head code box. I had a devil of a job getting mine to fit and ended up packing the side walls out with filler and filing flat to get the right contour.

 

Have you had to trim the length of the guard irons. I had to cut mine back by 1.5 mm as they hit the rail head as the bogies went over points.

 

Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the moral support Andy... I was getting a bit narky with it yesterday and rather tending to agree with their statement that:

 

"Whilst no special skills are required to construct this kit, please remember it is not a ‘shake the box and out comes a completed model’ kit! Some parts will require fettling as with any kit and taking your time with those tasks will be reflected in the final results".  :-/

 

Getting both headcode boxes to look the way I wanted them did take rather a lot of – 'fettling'...

 

...but re. the roof fit thing, to be fair, Shawn did warn me and the instructions include the following advice when it comes to fitting:

 

"Take time now to inspect the fit of the roof against the end moulding. Due to the different means by which the roof and ends are produced, it will be found that the alignment of the roof and the ends require some blending.... It is recommended practice to apply filler in a few thin layers rather than a single thick layer, rubbing down each layer as required with wet and dry abrasive papers".

 

I guess I'd equate it to a Slaters wagon kit – a bit more of a challenge for a beginner than it might at first appear but capable of producing a fine looking model with a bit of perseverance and research. I guess I've just been a bit spoiled by the Peco and JLTRT wagons I built previously :-)

 

My guard irons are actually about a mil' clear of the track 'sans modification' but now that you mention it I'm thinking that they could probably do with losing another mil' – just in case both were to manage to come into contact with the rails at the same time and create a short through the brass cross-bearer to which they are attached. Folding said cross-bearers was also bit of a s*d... you'd have thought a moulded part would have been a relatively low-rent addition to the bogie sprue but 'hey ho', they're done and look fine with no unsightly wrinkles despite being savaged by a hamfist with only the most basic of tools ;-)

 

D

[two tone green]

It can be a bit of a test of your sanity at times. For me the worst bit has been the headcode boxes, the curved profile was way off the shape of the roof. possibly since I got mine two years ago things have been tweaked on the etches to make them a bit closer to the profile of the cab roof.

 

Your do look good, nice one.

 

As for the guard irons and cross members, folding up the cross members I found not too difficult to do and all I had was some smooth flat nose pliers to hand in my apartment. Better tools at home. You are right about the possibility of shorts as the guard irons hit the rails, that is what caught me out. Put the bogie on the track and gave it a push and with the nice free rolling action it set off down the layout and buzz, the lights went out on the locos on the layout !!!

 

As for being spoilt by JLTRT, well I may just have a different opinion there.

 

Just changing the subject to one of your earlier photos, have you checked the clearance between the motor and the aluminium bush on the floor. Unless the new motor bogie positions the motor further back on the bogie, the motor will clash with the aluminium bush and the bush will need filing to give the clearance allowing the bogie to pivot properly on all its axis.

 

But keep going David, it is looking good already and I know you will make an excellent job of it.

[Father Dougal]

Hello there David. How much soldering have you had to do on the easy build kit? I plan to get one for my fledgling layout, but aside from soldering pick up wires to rail joiners I am not confident at any kit that involves anything too technical until I develop my skills. Any tips or advice?