The Evil Bus Driver Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Colin, when curving the glazing, I have always used boiling, or near-boiling water, with some cold water handy to splash on when I am happy with the shape. While nowhere near to your modelling standards, this pic illustrates the effect on a model Duple Dominant II coach (Pirate Models). Because of the size of these windows, I used a fairly thick material for strength. For full strips of glazing like this, I tend to use a former to get the curvature even; in this case, the draining board of the kitchen sink had just the right degree of curvature, and a short section of wooden skirting board moulding allowed me to press the glazing down a little without scalding my fingers. Oh blimey! Metrobus! The company I work for shares a management team with them. All our vehicles go to Crawley for MOTs now. It's very rare to pass their yard (The Brighton main line runs right past it) without a couple of Brighton and Hove vehicles in there. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Colin parks Posted January 30, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) Well I'm back again and doing doing the conversion of the 4 SUB to P4. Making up & fitting the Exactoscale wheels on this 'pseudo-composite coach' to its Hornby bogies was no problem. The matter of the brake blocks however, was. The blocks are set in line with the original 00 wheels, so the blocks have had to come off for now. They will be going back on new extended yokes made of wire and plastic sheet - but that will be dealt with in another instalment! Excuse the thumbnail image the editing program doesn't seem to be working. (Click on image for a better view.) Colin Edited January 30, 2015 by Colin parks 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted January 30, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hi Colin You must be getting some P4 track down now to start getting at least one unit ready for testing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crompton 33 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Welcome back Colin. It's not the same without you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) Hi SS. Well, I have built a double slip -almost. That was under the instruction of Howard (JFS) Bolton. It cannot be finished as the sleepers are to go down on the (future) base board first. This unit is off to Howard for rigorous testing on his layout which has some very complex point work. Colin Edited January 30, 2015 by Colin parks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted January 31, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 31, 2015 Nice to have you back Colin. I'm looking forward to some cracking builds again! I have to say that that compo is looking so right from that side on view. Andy G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) Thanks Andy. I will be doing lots of odds and ends to the stock but major work has to wait until I am better. (Had a stem cell transplant four weeks ago.) The major work once I get going is to construct a new layout for all this stuff to run on authentically! All the best, Colin Edited January 31, 2015 by Colin parks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibateg Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Nice to see you back Colin, my best wishes for a quick recovery, and I'm sure we are all looking forward to seeing more of your modelling. Best Wishes. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted January 31, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 31, 2015 Get well soon. Of course the best thing for recovering from illness, etc., is railway modelling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwr Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Colin Would an excursion into O gauge be therapeutic? Puts head below parapet again! Seriously though its good to have you back Paul R Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) More work on the P4 conversion. Whether re-fitting the brake blocks is really worth it is a matter of opinion: they can hardly be seen when fitted. A thing that was found out while looking at prototype photos with reference to this work is that not one photo showed a bogie brake blocks where they were on the centre line of the axles. Perhaps an engineer amongst us could explain? The first picture shows the production of the cosmetic yokes, grooved to accept the 22mm long x 0.5mm wire that holds the brake blocks at 19mm apart. The assemblies are then fixed to the bogies by means of 40thou. strips of plasticard. Its a bit of a bodge, but it is the easiest way to it. Only 2/3rds of the blocks can be seen anyway (but I know they are there!) Can't seem to attach photos today, so apologies for the format of this post. Colin Edited February 7, 2015 by Colin parks 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Market65 Posted February 7, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 7, 2015 How good to have you back, and modelling to such a high standard, and in P4, Colin. Love that work on the bogie which has given me some food for thought. Please keep up the good work, and hope that your health will improve further. With all best wishes, Market65. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 How good to have you back, and modelling to such a high standard, and in P4, Colin. Love that work on the bogie which has given me some food for thought. Please keep up the good work, and hope that your health will improve further. With all best wishes, Market65. Thanks Market65. The bogie brakes shown here were the fourth attempt at getting them to sit right. I'm a bit rusty with fine work, so it looks and is a bit of a bodge, but it does the job. Colin 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 A thing that was found out while looking at prototype photos with reference to this work is that not one photo showed a bogie brake blocks where they were on the centre line of the axles. Perhaps an engineer amongst us could explain? I think it's just a case of putting them where they will fit and be accessible for maintenance, being a very high maintenance item! When I first joined BRR's brake section, one of the first jobs I had was helping out with the development of new materials, as on express units like the Clacton sets and REPS blocks were being replaced two or three times a week IIRC. The best part about that job was that it was before the days of cheap data-loggers, so I had days of cab riding noting entry and exit speeds and time taken braking to calculate how much energy was being dissipated through the brakes in typical journeys. Being on the centreline of the axle is not essential: if the blocks in a clasp arrangement push below the centreline, they tend to lift the wheel, but the equal and opposite reaction of the block holders through the bogie frame tends to push the wheel back down again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hi David, Thanks for the clarification re. brake blocks. I had no idea that they would be changed so often. Thinking about the positioning of the brakes on the prototype, it does make sense that clasp arrangements above the wheel centreline would be more stable for track-holding. All the best, Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Glad to see you back, and the work as good as ever. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Ploughing on through the brake gear changes, all that was left to do was the powered motor coach. The number of Exactoscale coach wheels had been miscalculated and so Ultrascale wheels had to be used on the inner bogie as well as the Black Beetle motorised bogie. (This might change as new supplies arrive of the Exactoscale type.) In the first shot, the Black Beetle can be seen being fitted with Ultrascale wheels. These wheels have a substantial boss on them which needs to be reduced by careful filing to 4.7mm in length, measuring with Vernier calipers to take off just the right amount. The wheels can then be set in place on the original axles with a smear of Loctite 603 just to ensure that nothing moves. The back to back gauge was used to get the wheels just so and making sure that the bosses did not pull up tight on the BB mouldings. The second picture shows the Hornby motor bogie side frames. These needed some surgery. A cut was made with a piercing saw at each corner of the bogie headstocks and a section of 0.5mm x 20 thou. black plastic strip inserted. The widened the side frames by 1mm, but despite that, some filing was still required to get the frames to clear the Ultrascale wheels, which are 2mm across the tyres (unlike the Exactoscale wheels used on the other three coaches of the unit which are 5.6mm or so across the tyres). In the end the side frames went on. The shoe beams had to be fettled down on the axle boxes to bring them back to the correct width, with the pick up shoes at 29.4mm centres. The last job was to pack out the side frames locating points on the backs of the frames by 0.5mm to engage with the mould-on clips on the BB . It sounds like a lot of work, but having done it once, it should be easier next time (!). The last picture shows the inner bogie of the motorised motor coach. There was some fiddling around to get the brake blocks in past the pick ups, but it all went well in the end. I just wish the pictures could have been inserted in the text, but they just ended up as thumbnails. Any suggestions as to what to do about this?! Colin Edited February 10, 2015 by Colin parks 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 I just wish the pictures could have been inserted in the text, but they just ended up as thumbnails. Any suggestions as to what to do about this?! Hi Colin, After the file has uploaded, click Add to Post to insert it in the current text position. Like so many button and links on IPS software, it is badly worded. It should say "Insert in Post". By the time it appears, the file is already uploaded and added. regards, Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hi Martin, Thanks for the advice. I have always inserted pictures in the way you describe, but for some reason this method no longer - or at present no longer works! Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigermoth Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) At last good to see you back. Edited December 21, 2020 by Tigermoth Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Market65 Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hi, Colin. Excellent work again! Regarding the photo's, what I'm doing is to do what Martin described, but I use the 'enter' button to make the photo' appear one line lower down - below the last line of text, or if needed, hit the enter button again if some extra space is needed. This works for me each time. I hope that this will be of additional help. With best regards, Market65. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Next on the work bench has been the 4 CIG and its conversion to P4. This came about as the Ultrascale wheels arrived a month earlier than originally expected. These two shots show wheels fitted to the MBSO. As can be seen, P4 wheels do have flanges and weighing in at 365g, this coach is not going to jump off the rails easily! Ultrascale have certainly had their money's worth out of me on this vehicle as it already had their 00 scale conversion pack fitted (Hornby class 73). The trailer coaches are proving a little more tricky. I have tried the wheels in the bogies and noted that the pin-points of the Bachmann wheels have a fine powdering of plastic dust on them, which has caused them to not be very free-running any more. This unit has only ever run at one two-day exhibition, spending almost two years in its box, so the wear is quite serious. These trailer coaches will need to be fitted with brass bearings, thought there is precious little depth to accommodate the bearing without breaking through the fronts of the roller bearing covers. More of this later. Colin 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Market65 Posted February 14, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 14, 2015 Hi, Colin. I like that conversion very much indeed. I think that it has made the model look even more prototypical than it already was, and I would hope that the P4 wheels do have flanges! Looking forward to seeing those trailer car bogies, and how they turn out. Finally, I see that the photo' you've posted has still been attached in that other way, rather than where you would like it to be in the body of the text. If you can imagine the cursor just here, (), then that is where you click on the 'enter' key to post a photo' in a sentence, or at the end of a paragraph. Anyway, I am looking forward to more progress on the CIG. With best regards, Market65. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Bel Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Hi Colin, Great to see you back. The 4Cig looks excellent, it is amazing what a change in track guage can do for the looks of a model! I may have a go myself. Have you thoght about using the new Hornby 4Vep motor bogie frames on the Cig, they are usually available from Peters spares. Once again, great to see you back. Cheers for now, Ian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share Posted February 15, 2015 Thanks Ian. Yes I am back, but it's all stock and no layout at present. If I were starting the 4 CIG project now, the 4 VEP parts would definitely be the way to go, being exactly right for the 4 CIG (second series). They are moulded in styrene rather than the unforgiving and un-glueable polythene or nylon as used on the class 73 mouldings which needed much carving about and pinning on of parts. I note that the price of Hornby spares has risen quite a bit since two years ago, but you can virtually take your pick of bogie types suitable for SR and BR EMUs now. Who would have thought it possible even just five years ago! All the best, Colin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now