Traeth Mawr -Building Mr Price's house , (mostly)

[ChrisN]

 

You mean this?

 

North British by Alan Jones, on Flickr

 

Mine's sat betwixt Cambrian Lime Wagon and Cambrian 4 plank as we speak. Just in time for you Chris, the build date on the printed works plate reads 1893. One was at Portmadoc in 1936 still carrying NB livery, whose to say one didn't make it earlier?

 

 

Jubilee wagons, Queen Victoria's Jubilee was 1887.....

 

Thank you both.  I am sure that one will certainly appear on the Coast Line at some point.

[ChrisN]

Finally an update on the coaches; it has been so long I had to check myself what I had posted about them last time.  The reason for lack of updates?  Just life, a couple of holidays, one with internet, one without.  Grandchildren sitting, son's 30th birthday, (and he is not my eldest!), and people round, (I do talk to people in real life when I have to).  I think some of you have wondered where I have been, which is nice but it has been thankfully nothing untoward.

 

I was wondering last time if I filed one side of the 10 thou strips that made up the ventilators would they make the slats more obvious?  Well I tried it and the main effect was to make the strips curly.  Obvious really when you think about it but that is why I am an experimental physicist.  I then stuck 4 of them together side by side, but the 5th I managed to stick across the others, a combination of artificial light and poor eyesight. I did pull it off once I realised and stuck it in the right place. At the next session I then cut up the original strip to put in the doors but after a few found that some of it had not been glued together properly, which I then did.  Rather than waste good modelling time I then looked at the other strip and found some I could use, so continued with that.  I am not sure I can tell which is which so I doubt you will be able to on this image.

 

 

I then added a plasticard strip above them, they should have been 40 thou square but in the end I could only fit 30 x 40 thou.  So really nearly finished, except for door handles, grab rails and glazing.

 

I then continued to add the upright frames but had a good look at the first two sides.  Despite my best efforts some uprights where not perpendicular and others were just wibbly wobbly.  I fixed what I could but thought how I could make the second set of sides better.  Measuring the position of each strut would not work, I had already proved that so I made myself some spacers out of brass strips from a Shire Scenes coach side fret.

 

 

The spacers are 3mm and 7mm wide.  To give an idea of the size the squares are 1 inch, or to be more consistent the squares are 25mm, and the spacers are 3/32 inch and just over 1/4 inch.  In the other square is the smallest coin of the realm, a 5p.  (The 1p is larger.)

 

Of course if the first one is wrong then the rest will be, go on ask me how I know.  I redid the first one making sure it was perpendicular and then used the spacers.  I developed a technique where I put some Humbrol Poly cement on a short section at each end of the strut which as you can see below runs across both sides, and then placed it checking with the spacer at one end, then the other.  This meant that I did not have to try and measure the width, keep the strut still and apply Plastic Weld, which may or may not work, all at once.  Once firm and its straightness checked with a steel rule the rest was glued with Plastic Weld while the spacer made sure it was still the right spacing.  Easier to do than to say, almost.  As it was important that the previous strut was dry and so firm before measuring the next one I did one at one end a night, and then one at the other.  This was actually alright as I did not have much time anyway.  If I had done a door width on a previous session I could do the door framing and then as I got more time the cross frames.

 

 

This is where I was on Friday.  Since then I have had about 4 hours of modelling, two while also writing this and I am on the last frame before the guards door.  The cross frames are held in place with poly cement.  The widths measured mostly using the spacers, except for the doors, and then filed to size.  You may also notice that the planking at the guards end was not scribed before the struts were glued on.  Oops!

 

I am thinking of making the door handles and grab rails with bent staples unless anyone has a better idea.  This week is a long week at work, three days not two, so I doubt very much will be done before the weekend, if then even so do not hold your breath for more updates soon.

 

If you have been, thanks for looking.

[Edwardian]

It already looks realistically uncomfortable!

 

I should really be attempting something similar, so well done on making progress.

[MikeOxon]

to echo 'Edwardian'. splendidly rustic!  I like the idea of running the strips across both sides to provide a longer length for alignment - I may copy that.  Don't our coins look cheap and nasty these days

[Simond]

Chris

 

I think it would be worth using brass wire rather than staples for handles & suchlike: it's easier to form, it will be round, not square in cross section, and if you avoid painting it, it will look rather like brass...

 

Best

Simon

[ChrisN]

It already looks realistically uncomfortable!

 

I should really be attempting something similar, so well done on making progress.

 

 

to echo 'Edwardian'. splendidly rustic!  I like the idea of running the strips across both sides to provide a longer length for alignment - I may copy that.  Don't our coins look cheap and nasty these days

 

Hi,

Since I have started these I have noticed how many narrow gauge coaches have outside frames, but they are all to small to modify. 

 

Uncomfortable? Ha, wait until I have put the half back benches in that act as compartment dividers.

 

Making the sides together back to back seemed a good idea.  Only one set of measurements so the less chance of error, and the longer lengths show up errors more and at least I will know they are equal on either side.

 

New coins?  Nothing can compare with the thrupney bit

[ChrisN]

Chris

 

I think it would be worth using brass wire rather than staples for handles & suchlike: it's easier to form, it will be round, not square in cross section, and if you avoid painting it, it will look rather like brass...

 

Best

Simon

 

Thanks.  I may have got to brass wire eventually, but as I do not use it as much as you it did not come straight to mind.  I have 0.5 and 0.6mm wire but that is probably to thick, I will have to think about what to use.

[Simond]

It seems to be available in all sorts of sizes. 0.4mm would be something like 30mm so just over an inch.

 

About £2 on eBay for a coil of 18m. More if you buy it already straightened.

 

Best

Simon

[Budgie]

New coins?  Nothing can compare with the thrupney bit

The new pound coin due out shortly should.

 

Talking of coins, have you tried drilling through them? The one penny piece is not good for much, but drill 6.5 mm. through it and you've got an M6 "penny washer".

Edited August 14, 2016 by Budgie

[ChrisN]

The new pound coin due out shortly should.

 

Talking of coins, have you tried drilling through them? The one penny piece is not good for much, but drill 6.5 mm. through it and you've got an M6 "penny washer".

 

Hope you are well.

 

I assume the new pound will buy what the coin of the same shape used to buy when it was legal tender?

 

Is not drilling a whole in Her Majesty's coin illegal?  Is it not Denmark that has holes in its coinage?

[Simond]

It's certainly not good manners to drill holes in 'er Majesty's 'ed, though I doubt it's actually treason.

 

You'll also notice that "copper" coins are now able to be lifted with a magnet. I doubt fundamental physics has changed much, so I suspect they're just copper plated.

 

Best

Simon

[Budgie]

Is not drilling a whole in Her Majesty's coin illegal?

Dunno. Who's going to find out?

[Edwardian]

The new pound coin due out shortly should.

 

Talking of coins, have you tried drilling through them? The one penny piece is not good for much, but drill 6.5 mm. through it and you've got an M6 "penny washer".

 

It certainly used to be, and hopefully still is, an offence to deface coins of the realm.

 

You bad man.

 

Dimes (worth significantly less than pennies) are great to mount war-games figures on.  And cheaper than washers.

Edited August 14, 2016 by Edwardian

[ChrisN]

It's certainly not good manners to drill holes in 'er Majesty's 'ed, though I doubt it's actually treason.

 

You'll also notice that "copper" coins are now able to be lifted with a magnet. I doubt fundamental physics has changed much, so I suspect they're just copper plated.

 

Best

Simon

 

Simon,

I had never noticed, perhaps everything has changed now we have found the Kibble Particle, sorry, Higgs Boson.  (Prof Kibble was my lecturer on Quantum Mechanics and I still have his book on classical mechanics.)

 

Silver coins have not been silver for a long while either, must go and find a magnet.

[ChrisN]

Dunno. Who's going to find out?

 

I doubt anyone will, as long as you do not tell anyone or post it on the internet. 

[ChrisN]

It certainly used to be, and hopefully still is, an offence to deface coins of the realm.

 

You bad man.

 

Dimes (worth significantly less than pennies) are great to mount war-games figures on.  And cheaper than washers.

 

Are not those plastic bases even cheaper when bought in bulk? 

[jcm@gwr]

a dozen at a time !

[corneliuslundie]

Eileen's Emporium has straight brass wire in 0.31 mm. 0.376 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm and above. may be more expensive than in a coil but it is much easier to use.

Excellent service. Put your order on the website and it almost always arrives next day. I'm sure they will be at Scaleforum if you want to browse, though that can be an expensive process, there is so much on the stand. I shall be topping up at Expo EM North.

Jonathan

[ChrisN]

Eileen's Emporium has straight brass wire in 0.31 mm. 0.376 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm and above. may be more expensive than in a coil but it is much easier to use.

Excellent service. Put your order on the website and it almost always arrives next day. I'm sure they will be at Scaleforum if you want to browse, though that can be an expensive process, there is so much on the stand. I shall be topping up at Expo EM North.

Jonathan

 

Jonathan,

I had hoped to pop into the local model shop near where I work yesterday but they close at six and we did not leave until six thirty, maybe next Monday when I know it will be quieter.

[NCB]

I can vouch for Eileen's stuff. I use mainly the straight nickel sliver wire and have packs up to 1mm in diameter stashed away. Very useful. Can remember the horrors of trying to uncurl the coils which the trade tried to get you to buy.

[Quarryscapes]

I can vouch for Eileen's stuff. I use mainly the straight nickel sliver wire and have packs up to 1mm in diameter stashed away. Very useful. Can remember the horrors of trying to uncurl the coils which the trade tried to get you to buy.

 

On the other hand the coils are excellent for fencing wire due to the 'rusticity' of them! 

 

Wizard also do straight lengths - and in my experience are even better at service than Eileens. 

[NCB]

Just bought the latest Back Track, thinking that part 2 of the article on Cambrian locos would be in it. Nope! Suppose it will appear sometime.

[ChrisN]

Just bought the latest Back Track, thinking that part 2 of the article on Cambrian locos would be in it. Nope! Suppose it will appear sometime.

 

Thank you.  I actually went to my local W H Smith's yesterday to get a copy but they had sold out/ not got any in so was unable to buy one.  I will now wait until the next issue to try again.

[lanchester]

On the other hand the coils are excellent for fencing wire due to the 'rusticity' of them! 

 

Wizard also do straight lengths - and in my experience are even better at service than Eileens. 

This is almost certainly a dumb suggestion, but some wine bottles come with a cage or net of very fine brass or brass-effect wire over the cap - could that be useful, and enjoyable, for those very fine details? Not having a micrometer screw gauge to hand, as one doesn't these days (just like you rarely find motorists with a set of feeler gauges around their person, spark plugs for the setting of) I don't know the diameter but I reckon could be 0.1-0.2mm?

[ChrisN]

This is almost certainly a dumb suggestion, but some wine bottles come with a cage or net of very fine brass or brass-effect wire over the cap - could that be useful, and enjoyable, for those very fine details? Not having a micrometer screw gauge to hand, as one doesn't these days (just like you rarely find motorists with a set of feeler gauges around their person, spark plugs for the setting of) I don't know the diameter but I reckon could be 0.1-0.2mm?

 

Thank you,

I am sure that is not a dumb suggestion but I would have to find some first and I do not drink very much these days, however I will look out for such a bottle the next time I go shopping.