Using Inkscape and the Silhouette to create coach bogies

[RSEhlers]

I found this one online which will apply to the one in this post.

[RSEhlers]

I found a couple more pics that some may find useful, seems that there are many names and parts as I keep finding more every time I look. I had to reduce the size from  5000x7000px as the size of each was over 4 meg but the quality is still ok..message me and I will point you to the originals..

 

[JCL]

Thankyou, theres some interesting information there. I'll have a look properly this evening when I get home.

 

Cheers for sharing.

[Londontram]

Hello Jason, this is a useful thread and I will go over it very carefully and I wish I'd seen it a week ago as I've just done this on the Silhouette,

Its the test build of a fox 6 wheel bogie for a project I've got which is to super detail some old Triang Grampian coaches. Its cut on 20 thou plasticard which is doubled up making all sides and parts 40 thou thick, the bearing holes were marked out with the cutter which does a lovely job of making them all level.

 

   It fitted with top hat pin point bearings and the center bearing holes are elongated up wards by 1mm allowing the bearing to move up and down. The bearings for these have had a length of wire (in this case some 0.5 hand rail wire soldered to the edge of the bearings which when fitted acts as a spring to let the center axle rise up and be pushed down so always remaining in contact with the rails.

Here's the bearing with the wire soldered on

and here are the two bogies together

I had at this stage planned to use Wizard white metal springs and axle boxes but after seeing your thread may now think again. Still as I said this is just a test build the next stage is to fit them to a coach to see how they run.

[JCL]

Now that looks really interesting, and at .040" there shouldn't be any/much flex. That was the problem that I had with mine. The springs are a little bit fiddly, but using Mike's method of building them all together at the same time with tabs connecting them really helps keep everything square.

[Londontram]

Yes I thought being a six wheel bogie it was quite long and it might flex a bit so went for the laminated 40 thou thickness and although not shown in the photos I put some 40 thou 2mm wide bracing strips on the underside of the base plate as well so its a case of belts and braces.

 

As well as marking out the bearing holes I also marked out the pivot point which to avoid to much swing out at the front of the bogie and to avoid the middle axle I've set it 2mm to the outside of the center axle so its going to be interesting to see how this performs when on a coach and tested on the track, Andy aka uax6 advised me on this saying he gets the best performance on bogies he's built by positioning the pivot point to one side (The forward side) of the center axle.

 

      I find that with top hat bearings and I use Hornby metal wheel sets that 24mm wide seems to be the ideal size for the gap between the side frames so made the "base" plate this wide. In an earlier test build of a wagon where I built the W irons into the solebars and these was set at 25mm apart I tried adding  40m strengthening strips to the inside edge (Unnecessary as it turned out) this making the gap 23mm and this made the axles in the top hat bearing to tight and the axles were trying to push the sides out which as well as deforming the sides caused the wagon to run tight still this is how we learn.

 

I went about the side frames by drawing a rectangle over the plan as you did but then drew circles again over the plan to create the curved cutouts to the lover part then using the path then difference buttons to get the shapes. I also did only one side and copied it rotated and lined it up to create the complete bogie like you

Edited November 17, 2016 by Londontram

[JCL]

Interestingly, on the GA for the GNR G1 0-4-4 tank I've drawn up, the pivot for the bogie is also slightly forward of the bogie centreline, so there is a precedent there.

 

In reality, apart from providing a little bit of bracing, the springs and box are just decoration, so I'd say if it runs well now, you're home and dry.

[Dave John]

Interesting thread, I'm taking notes for when I get back to making some stock. 

[gobbler]

Very interesting thread J.

Impressed with the quality of the finished product.

The silhouette cutter is a bit pricey for me, so for the time being I'll stick with my method of square, scalpel and vernier.

 

Scott

[agt613]

Thanks for this exciting tutorial, Jason. I am trying to use your process to make a Fox bogie for Caledonian stock. In Inkscape, when I select all outside edges plus sprues and click path-union, they do not become one mass but retain dividing lines. I am also finding that the edge curves are then represented with a chord line across from one end to the other even though they have been drawn using 'edit path through nodes rather than as a quarter circle. Please can anyone advise on what I am doing wrong? Thanks, Graham

[MikeTrice]

Are you able to upload an example svg file or pm me one? Daft question, are all elements to be joined closed paths and have all objects been converted to paths first? Generally speaking I have had few problems with the union command.

[JCL]

Mike, I've had a lot of problems myself with that union command over the last few weeks while trying to create the coach beading. It doesn't seem to be particularly consistent for me.

[MikeTrice]

Can you send an example?

[kada33]

Hi to Jason & Mike I'm in the process of producing a SVG drawing of Springs using the same method Jason explained in this Topic. The difference is I'm doing this in Gauge 1 for a 6 wheel GWR Milk Siphon.

I'm using the latest version on Inkscape 1.0.1 and the Path Union has worked for me but there doesn't appear to be an Undo except using Ctrl Z several times. Break apart doesn't have any effect. Am I missing something.

 

I only need the Springs and they will only be cosmetic. In G1 there are very few add extras available so this seems a good way to produce them.

Dave