Departmental, Test Trains and Cranes

[LongRail]

Latest Project is the Railfreight Exhibition Train.

Started with the Bachmanns Collectors club VGA and painted the ends yellow as by the time by railway is set the original red ends had been repainted in yellow

this is accompanied by a Mk 1 Exhibition coach and a RXB generator Van (which is a Palvan kit)

The last vehicle which is not complete yet is the VCA which is made using two Bachmann VAA sliding door vans, the remaining chassis will be used to make HSFV 1 from the RTC.

 

 

 

[Mr_Tilt]

Latest Project is the Railfreight Exhibition Train.

...............

the remaining chassis will be used to make HSFV 1 from the RTC.

 

 

Sadly for you the full size HSFV1 travelled up to Shildon from the ERM at Coventry today.

 

It's a MUCH longer drive to get a view of it now, sorry. 

[LongRail]

Kit thanks for the info I managed to,find a few photos on the internet but really need some shots from above as I think it had an open framework forming the chassis, may have to use a bit of modelling license

[Mr_Tilt]

I've got quite a few pics of the device, but most taken since we recovered it from the RTC and it has a socking great girder welded across it that was used for a track loading test way back when. The NRM are going to cut it off soon, thank goodness, and we should be able to make it look like it did it in the 60s and 70s with the rail packs aboard.

 

I'll try and post some of the pics on here, in the meanwhile this is what it WILL look like hopefully.

 

 

And this is what it looked like a short while ago. You can see the massive girder at the far end.

 

[LongRail]

Kit hanks the second photo is exactly what I am looking for

[Mr_Tilt]

Do you have a copy of this drawing Gary? It shows an early suspension setup but the frame is pretty much as it is, plus the blasted girder of course.

 

I have it at much higher resolution and could modify it to remove the rail packs if it'd be of any help? The packs are drawn wrong anyway, they were larger and more complicated in reality.

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Mr_Tilt

[LongRail]

Kit a higher res copy of the drawing would be useful I am thinking it may be easier to build from scratch

[LongRail]

Kit, I can work out the rail packs from your previous photo thanks. Inthink I can simplify them a bit but still achieve a reasonable representation need to buy some flxitrack with bullhead rail. I have been thinking about the axle mounting which will need a bit of movement to cope with curves, have been looking at the wagon compensation units http://www.dartcastings.co.uk/mjt/2290.php

think I can mounted on a central fixing bolt.

Looking to build the chassis in plastic with the bracing and cross members should reasonably solid and the rail packs should give the weight needed to keep it on the track hopefully

[Mr_Tilt]

Looking to build the chassis in plastic with the bracing and cross members should reasonably solid and the rail packs should give the weight needed to keep it on the track hopefully

 

That's keeping it REALLY close to reality!

 

Without the rail packs HSFV1 rides at the upper limit of its wheel deflection cables, which means it has ZERO suspension. The ERM guys found that out to their cost when they ran it along their test 'track' (the word 'track' here is used in its WIDEST possible sense....) and the vehicle derailed!! 

 

With the rail packs aboard the springs deflect enough to give it some proper suspension to deal with track irregularities.

 

I'll get on with firming up the hi-res drawing for you.

[LongRail]

I was pondering how with such an open frame could I articulate the axles without it all being visible and then looking at other stock for inspiration noticed that the invicta models CCT trucks have fixed axles on a similar wheelbase and they have no issues with track curves so its all good and no need to articulate

[Mr_Tilt]

Invicta's Bachman COV-AB, the one they use to model their Tribometer Train center van, is of similar wheelbase, and it isn't articulated either.

 

The real world Trib Train van was one of the ten HSFV5 vans, which used Taperlite leaf springs instead of the coil springs used on HSFV1, and was an attempt to build a production van using Prof. Alan Wickens' suspension ideas, and as such was of similar dimensions to HSFV1.

 

Sadly Invicta model neither the Taperlite suspension nor the corridor connections of the real HSFV5. 

[LongRail]

Kit this was my attempt at the sprung suspension on the optical car I think I can improve on this on HSFV 1

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82595-departmental-and-test-trains/page-2&do=findComment&comment=1502311

[Mr_Tilt]

The Optical gauging car and HSFV1 had different gestations of Prof. Wickens suspension.

 

HSFV1 has the almost horizontal lateral damper that goes from the outrigged bracket that's almost on the centre line of the wheelset and vanishes into the space above the wheel. The Optical car has a large vertical damper in the same position.

 

That lateral damper could be a right pain to model I suspect.

 

IIRC Prof. Wickens had over 20 different suspension arrangements built into HSFV1 during its life, this pic shows a very early version with the vehicle sitting on the old roller rig in the Engineering Test Hall, long before the APD Building was even thought of!

 

[LongRail]

Thanks kit another great photo. I will stick with the final suspension rendition Leonids like you model a fleet of HSFV1 with different suspensions

[LongRail]

I have been working on conversion of a Bachmann Class 150 to a class 950 track recording unit using the PH design etches

 

Made a bit of mistake and modified the wrong door, luckily I noticed in time and cut one out for the other side of the vehicle and grafted in place of the damaged one.

 

 

[LongRail]

Another project I have been working on is the wiring train built from the Southern Pride Models kits.

 

The Pantograph coach has a plastic chassis and brass sides and roof

 

The Cable Drum carrier are nearly all brass, the handrails are very delicate and I kept bending them so made packing pieces from MDF which worked very well and made them much easier to handle.

 

They are nearly complete, windows and Pantograph to add

I added additional details such as the orange cable conduit and the roller at the end of the roof for feeding cables across

[rob D2]

Nice work,

Can I ask what blue you used for the footbridge ? Is it NSe, looks a lot like Chiltern Railways which I may have need of

[ess1uk]

Some great work here

 

 

As I was reading this thread I turned on the tele and mr Tilt was on!

Spooky

Edited September 29, 2018 by ess1uk

[LongRail]

Track recording unit conversion to class 950 from Bachmann class 150/1 now complete (Almost as I still have to pick out the lamp bezels in black)

 

[LongRail]

Track recording unit returning to the Railway Technical Centre

[LongRail]

Nice work,

Can I ask what blue you used for the footbridge ? Is it NSe, looks a lot like Chiltern Railways which I may have need of

 

Rob the Chiltern Colours are

 

RAL BLUE 5002 (Think I used Revell Ultramarine blue)

(RGB = 0 15 117)

RAL RED 3020 (Traffic Red) (think I used Humbrol Ferrari Red)

RGB = 199 23 18)

 

I used to use the paint database at "http://scalemodeldb.com/paint" unfortunately it doesn't exists any more .

 

Just found this website but it needs a bit more research

https://encycolorpedia.com/cc0605

[LongRail]

Have completed my model of Test Coach 10, contacted Dave Bower who wrote "Rail Vehicle Testing" for assistance with the interior. Bit of modelling license required for the instrument racks however. The donor model was an Oxford Rail Mk3a with the window frames sanded down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LongRail]

New addition to the Departmental Fleet.

 

This is a 2 axle Van (ADC21055) this was often used with Text Car 1 and provided secure storage for spare instrumentation, racking and tables which were used in temporary test coach installations. It was also used as a comparison vehicle to those under test. The cables along the outside provided a connection as part of the testing.

 

This was a converted from a Bachmann VGA van with replacement taper light suspension fitted as per the original. I drew up the new suspension in 3D and then printed it out for fitting to the model. I have included photos showing the suspension components and that on the Bachmann model.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LongRail]

Have now finished Prometheus, photos showing the detail at the end of the coach in place and photos of 89001 which has been complected from a Silverfox kit using a Hornby range class 47 chassis. 89001 has drivers cabs which are 3D printed. The pantograph uses the base from a standard Hornby pantograph which has been filled to reduce the bulk and a new brass top arm made. The contact shoe is a "Sommerfeldt" ref 981 "HO Contact Shoe"

 

 

 

[LongRail]

This is the latest edition to my departmental fleet “Test Car 1” which often ran with the ZXA Van (ADC21055). The interior of the vehicle has 3d printed interior details along with the window blanking plates. The donor model is the Bachmann model.

This post

 

 

shows the construction of the ZXA van

In addition to the photographs of the model I construction I have attached a video of Test Car 1 with the ZXA van while carrying out test duties.

 

 

The second wagon is the Internal User Wagon IUO 24296 which is the Research Department Diesel Fuel Tank.  The donor model was Bachmann 38-777A which was the exact match for the wagon used and needed no modification other than the addition of the fuel system.

To avoid the problem of not being able print white text on clear transfer paper the section of the vehicle which are red, white and black section of the colour scheme was printed as a transfer on white paper and then applied to the model. A little bit of touching up was required but overall I am pleased with the results.