Pragmatic Pre-Grouping - Mikkel's Workbench

[wenlock]

Lovely Mikkel!  I particularly like the oily finish on the coupling rods.  I too am very envious of your paint brush collection! :-)

 

Dave

[Mikkel]

Looking good Mikkel.  How many brushes do you need to paint an engine (even a GWR engine)?

 

Ray

 

Lovely Mikkel!  I particularly like the oily finish on the coupling rods.  I too am very envious of your paint brush collection! :-)

 

Dave

 

Thanks gents, and yes I do tend to hoard paintbrushes! There’s a Danish hobby store chain that do their own range at a very reasonable price given the quality. I suppose I’m addicted. Nothing like breaking in a new, flat smooth brush 

 

After this loco I'm thinking og doing a 2021 ST, much inspired by your magnificent loco, Dave (not that I can come close to that). I have an old Sutherland whitemetal kit that could form the basis for the body.

[Brinkly]

I do rather like these old locos, they do look solid!

 

Lovely work Mikkel.

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick.

[NHY 581]

Splendid saddle tank Mikkel.

 

Another fine model.

 

I do struggle with recreating the oily connecting rods on my own models. How do you do it?

 

How about an Aberdare?

 

Rob

[Edwardian]

I had better follow up on the status of my GWR 1854 ST. Just to recap, the body is a much modified and detailed Finecast kit on a Bachmann 8750 chassis.

 

The paintjob isn't my best effort and needs more work, but at least the shade of green is more or less what I wanted.

 

DSCN1906_1200.jpg

 

Next steps are lining and detailing. The latter includes adding this nice loco jack from the BGS range to the footplate.

 

DSCN1916.jpg

 

Superb.  I love the colour and the finish.  Very realistic.  As a model, I'd take it to be 7mm, it has presence.

 

Now, where's that 'Envy' button?

Edited September 6, 2016 by Edwardian

[Mikkel]

Thanks all.

 

I'm afraid the oily effect on the coupling rods isn't that good in reality. It's a trick of the light. But now I have something to strive for!

 

I agree about the solid presence of GWR saddle tanks (well some of them). I tried to capture it by making sure the body wasn't too high on the chassis.

[Mikkel]

How about an Aberdare?

 

Rob

 

Yes please   

 

It's too big for my current layouts though!

[MikeOxon]

......

How about an Aberdare?

 

After the hideous Krugers, it's good that this swansong of the old, outside frame/inside cylinders GWR came out such a handsome, well-balanced design.  Too late for my miniature world unfortunately.

[Mikkel]

Almost done with the lining on my 1854, and couldn't resist taking her for a spin - loose boiler fittings and all.

 

 

The footplate crew are winging their way from Andrew Stadden. By the way, he is working on a new set with loose arms for flexible positioning, they should be ready in a few weeks or so.

 

 

I was looking forward to detailing the loco with a jack and a cab sheet, but looking at prototype photos I couldn’t find an 1854 that actually had either of these features - so I had better leave them off. Funny how these things seem to have differed from class to class and loco to loco.

 

Lamps will be those delicious new offerings from Alan’s Modelu range.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Mikkel

[BG John]

I need to do something with mine, now I almost have a layout to run it on. I think after the best part of 40 years it needs some improvement over the bendy whitemetal Wills chassis.

[aberdare]

Mine needs updating too, like John mine was built almost 40 years ago.

 

I think you have definitely shown us the way to go here Mikkel so thanks for that, mine will be used at the Junction (eventually) as there was a saddle tank based there though it was an outside framed one which I think was numbered 1923**

but without consulting my notes I can't be sure but I know in the early days it was known as 'Dromedary'.

 

Now see what you have done though, another project logged on the to do list

 

Great work as usual

 

Jim

 

edit.* I was miles out it was 1325

Edited September 10, 2016 by aberdare

[BG John]

I've got a Perseverance Pannier chassis to build, either for mine, or the Hornby 2721 I'm planning to backdate to an 1813 class when they first got panniers (originally intended for the 2721s) in 1904. Or I might cobble something up using new frames and the original chassis for the saddle tank, as I'm a cheapskate! Being EM, I've got a bit of space to play with, but it's also the cause of some the problems with it, as it shorts on the body.

[ChrisN]

Almost done with the lining on my 1854, and couldn't resist taking her for a spin - loose boiler fittings and all.

 

 

 

The footplate crew are winging their way from Andrew Stadden. By the way, he is working on a new set with loose arms for flexible positioning, they should be ready in a few weeks or so.

 

 

I was looking forward to detailing the loco with a jack and a cab sheet, but looking at prototype photos I couldn’t find an 1854 that actually had either of these features - so I had better leave them off. Funny how these things seem to have differed from class to class and loco to loco.

 

Lamps will be those delicious new offerings from Alan’s Modelu range.

 

Mikkel,

It is a nice loco, I wonder if one managed to get down the branch from Dolgelley to Traeth Mawr?  Perhaps I should concentrate on locos that did run there.

 

It is good news about the Stadden figures.  It is much easier to stick on parts than to cut arms off and stick them back.

[drduncan]

Mikkel,

As always your work leaves me green (GWR loco pre 1906 naturally) with envy.

Duncan

[Siberian Snooper]

I need to do something with mine, now I almost have a layout to run it on. I think after the best part of 40 years it needs some improvement over the bendy whitemetal Wills chassis.

Wills now do an etched chassis for it, but you have too trim the ends a bit as they did at scale length, which doesn't take account of the whitemetal castings.

[Donw]

Very nice Mikkel .  Alan Brackenborough modelled his 7mm 633 tank with a rolled up  cab sheet which was fixed to the top of the cab front. one of those details rarely modelled but with no Cab roof it clearly showed.

 

Don

[Mikkel]

Thanks all, I'm becoming quite a saddle tank fan, and they look nice in groups (herds?) so more are being planned.

 

The Bachmann chassis really doesn't require much modification to fit this size of loco - although its important to be aware that the motor and gear arrangements have changed several times over the years (I posted a pic of two types at some point earlier in the thread).

 

In fact, I was looking at the Bachmann 64xx chassis here, and thinking that the motor looks even lower than the one I've used under my 1854. I have a 2021ST body kit and although I originally thought it wouldn't fit over the 64xx chassis I'm now more optimistic. The chassis would need re-wheeling with eg Alan Gibson's 2021/850 wheels and other items - not unlike Geoff's EM conversion here. 

 

I also have hopeful plans for an 1813 like John, although the earlier variant with side tanks on a Bachmann chassis. Will require a scratchbuilt body though. 

[Mikkel]

Very nice Mikkel .  Alan Brackenborough modelled his 7mm 633 tank with a rolled up  cab sheet which was fixed to the top of the cab front. one of those details rarely modelled but with no Cab roof it clearly showed.

 

Don

 

The funny thing is, looking at period photos of 1854 STs they don't seem to have those hooks on the cab roof for fixing the cab sheets, or any sign of the rolled up sheets themselves. But I don't have a proper top view of an 1854ST to be 100% certain. I wonder when this feature was actually introduced, maybe not until the footplate crews got sufficiently organised to demand such luxuries?

[drduncan]

Hi Mikkel,

Do you have a drawing for the 1813 side tank? If you do would you mind sharing it?

Duncan

[Mikkel]

Hi Mikkel,

Do you have a drawing for the 1813 side tank? If you do would you mind sharing it?

Duncan

 

Hi Duncan, sadly not. My idea was to use Jim's approximation here: http://www.gwr.org.uk/nopanniers.html . I know it's only a sketch but my thinking is that for such an unusual and rarely modelled loco, a sketch is better than nothing.  Apart from that there are of course some useful measurements and details and photos in the RCTS volume on six-wheel locos.

 

The straight tanks would help make the scratchbuilding manageable ( I hope!).

[Mikkel]

I've been working on a railside merchant's warehouse for Farthing, inspired by this building.  As usual I have adapted the prototype to suit my tastes and setting.

 

Here are some photos of a dry run assembly, the sides are just stuck together with Bluetack.

 

 

 

 

I moved the doors to the outside as a means of hiding the rather thick Wills corrugated sheets. This seems to work as intended.

 

 

 

The timber staging (is there a better term?) was built from stripwood, while the main deck is from model shipbuilders' sheets.

 

 

 

Below is the alternate side. Still lots to do! I plan to take a needle file to the windows, to see if I can make the glazing look a bit finer. Otherwise, I'll have to build some better ones myself.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2016 by Mikkel

[Edwardian]

Excellent looking build of a very good subject.

[ChrisN]

I've been working on a railside merchant's warehouse for Farthing, inspired by this building.  As usual I have adapted the prototype to suit my tastes and setting.

 

Here are some photos of a dry run assembly, the sides are just stuck together with Bluetack.

 

 

 

 

I moved the doors to the outside as a means of hiding the rather thick Wills corrugated sheets. This seems to work as intended.

 

 

 

The timber staging (is there a better term?) was built from stripwood, while the main deck is from model shipbuilders' sheets.

 

 

 

Below is the track side. Still lots to do! I plan to take a needle file to the windows, to see if I can make the glazing look a bit finer. Otherwise, I'll have to build some better ones myself.

 

 

 

Mikkel,

Clever idea using shipbuilders sheets, it is looking good all round.  I assume that the side is going to have a door where the steps are?

[Mikkel]

Excellent looking build of a very good subject.

 

Thanks Edwardian. One challenge with corrugated iron structures is that they don't automatically contribute to the period feel of a layout. For example I tend to think of corrugated as something that belongs in a later period than the 1900s where this layout it set. That isn't really correct of course, as corrugated iron was used around the world long before then (and by the GWR from around the 1900s) - but our impression of a layout is not always decided by fact!

 

So I need to work on giving it an Edwardian feel with the detailing, eg by decorating it with some period enamel signs etc. I still have some signs left from the sheet I used on "The bay". As one side of the building is (theoretically) close to a public road, I think I can justify that.

 

 

[Mikkel]

Mikkel,

Clever idea using shipbuilders sheets, it is looking good all round.  I assume that the side is going to have a door where the steps are?

 

Thanks Chris - and yes I forgot to mention the door, there will be one!