Rob Pulham Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 In between finishing off my shelf queens I have also been messing about with making a few wagon loads. I started by wanting to make some pipes. Having looked around for something suitable and finding nothing I raided the recycle box, taking out a couple of tins that canned tomatoes came in. Using a pair of snips I cut down the side and chopped the bottom and the rim off. Then I ran them through my rolling bars to flatten it out so that I could mark it up. Once it was flat I squared the edges and marked each one into 3 sections. I cut them out and re-rolled them into smaller diameter tubes. The two cans yielding 6 tubes. I held them together with wire and soldered them with a roll of plumbers solder that I had kicking about the bench (I only used this because I still wasn't sure how well they would turn out and I had got this for nothing so would lose nothing if they still ended up in the recycle box). Once soldered I gave them a wash and a blow over with some Halfords grey primer and this was the result. The next one is nothing more scientific than one of the small cans that Pilchards come in. This just had the top and bottom taken out and a coat of primer. Last up for the moment is from one of my never through anything away because it might be useful stock. The idea came about from a photo on Paul Barlett's wagon site that I stumbled upon when researching the pipe wagons - a wagon load of cable drums. With the mental light bulb on I remembered that when making up the base boards for the layout I had cut a series of holes in the ends for the wiring to pass through. To make these holes I used a hole cutting saw which left me some nice round sections of plywood that I had hoarded. Taking some of these pieces I sanded the edges down to smooth out a small rim where I had drilled from both sides. Then I stuck some cut down matches to the edges with pva to create the drum. I had picked up a large bag of matches from a craft shop some time ago with vague ideas and they have finally been used for something. Regards Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Very nice - I like the corrugated tubes and am impressed that the corrugations survived your rolling. I might well have a go myself. I also like your cable drums, however I think they would look better if the hole through the middle didn't have splintering from the pilot drill that's in the middle of your hole saw. I think a careful drilling of the ply' before use of the holesaw might avoid the effect, though I appreciate that you were using leftovers from an earlier job. Didn't cable drums have discs over the sides carrying maker's name, cable type etc? There was an article in MRJ, in Martyn Welch's wagon loads series, that dealt with cable drums. I will look it out later and post the issue number. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Didn't cable drums have discs over the sides carrying maker's name, cable type etc? There was an article in MRJ, in Martyn Welch's wagon loads series, that dealt with cable drums. I will look it out later and post the issue number. Thanks Chaz, Yes some of them did - I plan to do some in the next bunch using printed labels. I also plan to add the square reinforcing plates that I have noted on some photos to the ones that I have already made . This should tidy up those splinters that you mention. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Martyn Welch's wagon load article, #7 cable drums is in MRJ issue 72. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 So when are you making the cable wagons? I know the SR had a few because of the eletrification. I presume they would of gone to the cable manufacturers to be loaded. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I see no need for a special wagon - a Lowfit or even a 5 planker might well serve. I seem to remember such wagons being loaded with drums although I can't offer any photo' evidence at the moment.... Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 A little household repair job this week yielded another to the selection - Our header tank was constantly dripping so I fitted a new siphon valve. Chopping the thread off and a blow over with red primer left me with this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matador Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I always keep a piece of Aluminum foil at the side of my spray booth to test paint flow from my Airbrush on and of course to clean the Airbrush out at the end of painting. After about a month i put it in an old blender and it makes perfect scrap metal. David A Brit in the USA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 While at a recent show (O gauge North West at Manchester I think) I noticed a demo of a Gent making a timber load from strips of Microstrip which looked quite interesting. It gave me an idea for a use for a box of coffee stirrers that I bought from eBay a few years ago. Before seeing the demo to make such a stack of timber I would have cut some coffee stirrers to length and then glued them all together into a stack. What this gent did was make a hollow stack with short pieces in place at the ends. In terms of what I planned it would not only use less coffee stirrers but also allow me to make use of the cut rounded ends which would otherwise be surplus. I started by using a 7mm scale rule and a square to cut 14 stirrers to a scale 16’ long (they were a scale 20’ overall allowing for 2’ to be cut from each end. These were then stuck together 2 high by 7 wide to make a base. To glue them together I used Crafters Pick PVA superglue. This is much thicker than normal PVA and gives a good grab for all sorts of things. Next using the cut rounded ends and some lengths of some sticks that were not straight/flat I built up the ends and some inner supports Finally finishing with a lid the same as the base. The stirrers that I used for this trial scale out at 11” wide boards and I plan to make some more with smaller scale boards using the same techniques but scoring the top boards and the ends to represent narrower finished boards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I used a red marker pen to colour the cut ends of a timber load. Works well but is probably best done before you glue the pieces into a stack. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 The stack I made were to a scale 16ft. 6in long, as being 11inches wide they are a useful representation of the wood used for solebars. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 I collected one of these at Leigh show from Paul at EDM Models Having got it I was keen to give it a try so having picked up an idea for another wagon load while watching the many youtube videos of Pete Waterman's layout - (just got an infinity upgrade from my puny 1.2mb that I have suffered with for years which makes watching youtube an absolute pleasure!). So this is what I came up with. The nails are .3mm holes drilled and then touched with a pin point dipped in a dilute solution of Vallejo Charred Brown acrylic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
81A Oldoak Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I collected one of these at Leigh show from Paul at EDM Models Having got it I was keen to give it a try so having picked up an idea for another wagon load while watching the many youtube videos of Pete Waterman's layout - (just got an infinity upgrade from my puny 1.2mb that I have suffered with for years which makes watching youtube an absolute pleasure!). So this is what I came up with. The nails are .3mm holes drilled and then touched with a pin point dipped in a dilute solution of Vallejo Charred Brown acrylic. Very nice and the nails are so convincing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
daifly Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Rob The nice square-cut timber ends on your latest project look so much more convincing than the coffee stirrer wood load in post #9. Those photos show ends that are crushed as part of the cutting process and are nothing like the very squared ends of bulk timber. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 The ends can be tidied up by sanding with 1000 grit or smaller, or use a chopper and again a quick sand off. I have found some stirrers difficult to stain (I use potassium permanganate solution) as some are sort of wax coated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwr Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I too have collected stirrers and found that different coffee chains used different widths and lengths. I used them on my Black Notley layout to make level crossing timbers Paul R Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 I have been tinkering around painting some of the wagon loads that I have made from coffee stirrers and thought that I would share them posed in my latest wagon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Would they have been left exposed while travelling, or would they have been covered by a tarpaulin? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 Hi John, Perhaps both depending on the weather and distance of travel - I have been experimenting with tarpaulins but I haven't perfected them enough to share yet.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I think it is down to the timber. PAR would probably be covered but sawn I expect would just be tied in. Much the same as at the timber yards. Sawn is outside and the PAR is kept under cover. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Great idea and I like the way you have created the impression of the nails. Fences next ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
81A Oldoak Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Very nice packing cases. I had a summer job in 1978 while at university working for an export packing and shipping company. I spent much time building packing cases from scratch. The timber was unplaned planks that had to be measured and cut to length. We asembled the panels on a big sheet of thick steel laid on the floor of the warehouse. The nails were then hammered through the battens at an angle of about 50-60 degrees and were automatically bent up into the inside of the panel planks as they reached the steel plate. Crude, but effective. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I have been tinkering around painting some of the wagon loads..... I'm not sure how much overhang was allowed on a load before a match-truck or similar (empty 3 plank etc) was required. Here's my overhanging timber load in an ex-LNER 6 plank coupled to an ex-GWR match truck. If I was doing this again I think I would look for some thinner rope rather than the ship's hawser. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
81A Oldoak Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Very nice packing cases. I had a summer job in 1978 while at university working for an export packing and shipping company. I spent much time building packing cases from scratch. The timber was unplaned planks that had to be measured and cut to length. We asembled the panels on a big sheet of thick steel laid on the floor of the warehouse. The nails were then hammered through the battens at an angle of about 50-60 degrees and were automatically bent up into the inside of the panel planks as they reached the steel plate. Crude, but effective. I forgot to add that the full-size real packing cases were as realistic as Rob's models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Hi Chaz, Your wood stack looks more realistic than mine - I originally made it for a deeper wagon than the 4 plank and in hindsight it's a bit too uniform but I am pleased with the colouring. I felt that the new wood of the coffee stirrers didn't scale well and bizarrely didn't look like wood. For anyone who is interested it's Vallejo Model Air wood diluted with slightly dirty water water (I had been washing brushes in it when weathering the NBR wagons). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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