7mm and larger Modelling Down Under - Layouts & Modelling projects

[SMR CHRIS]

Marty your right re the Loco kits 

Most new ones are coming from DJH and there style has evolved making construction much easier than  even the HO models were

Re a starter kit ie X200 I don’t think it would work as has such limited running potential. Look at the Ixion 10 Manning waddle sold fairy poorly in AU and when on EBay often take weeks to attract a bid.

From my experience most who show an interest in the scale do so for the heft of the models even on a small layout a good size loco is preferred over a small one, 

 

A case in point My Moonan Flat Layout On Running nights there are about 35 locos that are DCC fitted for the guys to chose from the little 1021 0-4-0 or Juno 0-4-0 Andrew Barkley, have never been chosen as motive power and I can tell you the 57 or 58 is often requested but as it won’t fit the head shunt it’s not a option any way,  most will pick a 19 , 30, 30T, 32 or even a 38,  from the larger loco steam pool of  19, 20, 25, 30 ,30T, 32, 35, 36, 50, 59, 38, 57, 58, diesel wise they can pick between 79, 48, 49, 44, 45, with the 49 being the most often picked  my personal pick is the 50 for heavy goods loco but again others rarely pick it.  ,I have a soft spot for the 2-6-0 25 class myself but I can’t remember the last time one of the guys picked that loco.

 

The Auscision RTR 48 Class has proved a small Branch Line / Main line,  general use loco is a winner ie 100 models Sold out basically as soon as it was delivered,   now a lot of the Aus7 guys already had the kit version so,  didnt get the RTR,  but it sold out without them buying one so that says it’s the perfect combination model and the market was there for this size model 

The 49 class took a while to sell out the same with the 45 class only selling out recently after the 48 class lured a few more Modellers to the Scale.

 

This is the loco most want to use, from a pool of 25 DCC fitted steam and is the pick form 5 C38s on the roster 

[hartleymartin]

I believe that the 24 and 25 classes shared similar boilers to the 19 class. If memory serves me, they had the same white sizes as the 50 class and there should be a good number of bits and pieces out there already which should make it possible to put together a new kit for it. I do know that there is a brass kit for "Galloping Alice" which can serve as the basis for an early version of the Z25 class with the round-top boiler (I think the kit matches the last batch in their 1885-ca1901 configuration.)

I think part of the problem with Australian O gauge is that it is geared towards more experienced modellers and not enough towards the beginner's end of the market.

[robertc]

Replacement of urethane parts with w/m would be a big plus for me. I have steered clear of models with urethane as it has a checkered history being used outdoors at my place.

An ETS 48 might be a winner.  :> )

You can never have too many 48's.

 

cheers

 Bob

 

 

[SMR CHRIS]

next item on the ETS 30 tank 

new front buffer beam and buffers with Hook draw gear installed as well 

a few hours so far just to get one buffer to an acceptable operating standard the casting was all over the place one Down 3 more to go 

 

thought this may have been one of the quicker jobs but fixing the casting has been a time consuming job 

 

buffer Beam is balsa wood that has been treated with CA glue to harden 

before being mounted 

 

Timber buffing face installed and sprung Hook draw gear 

 

One buffer fitted time for some sleep buffer 2 tomorrow 

Edited March 12, 2019 by SMR CHRIS

[robertc]

Very nice Chris, I suspect there are going to be a variety of mods done to this model.

Be interesting to see what changes are made if the 30T is made for a few buyers.

Cheers

 Bob

[SMR CHRIS]

1 hour ago, robertc said:

Very nice Chris, I suspect there are going to be a variety of mods done to this model.

Be interesting to see what changes are made if the 30T is made for a few buyers.

Cheers

 Bob

 

A 30T  I think would be a very good option for ETS  hopefully they do it, hopefully they don’t put the premium price on it over their other models like they have with the 30 class,   like most thing the Australia tax is implemented.

If they do the 30T there will be plenty of additions that can be done. 

The best thing is won’t have to disguise the gap beside the boiler and the tank, I’m fitting the pipe work that is on the prototype along that area and hopefully won’t be visible. 

After the buffers, pipe work is the next thing,   esp the lubricator lines across the boiler down to the front .

 

my friends got there two 30 class yesterday as well

ETS hadn’t wired them up, may be because they said they were going to fit DCC to the model so left the wiring loose for motor and lights. Not a worry for us as,   I had mine in pieces within 10 minutes of its arrival.

 

[SMR CHRIS]

More details 

photo One 

First buffer beam finished with details second buffer fitted,  train brake air line fitted.

cyliners mounting screws removed castings squared and mounted to the running plate without the screws next will be to fill the screw holes 

photo Two 

lubricator feed pipes made and positioned on boiler top feeding to cylinders and air pump etc 

will remove paint and then fix in place.

 

 

[robertc]

This model does lend itself to many simple mods for personalising it. Yours will look very different by the time you have finished Chris.

No doubt this is proving to be a lot of fun.

cheers

Bob

[SMR CHRIS]

Thanks Bob 

i agree the model is a good one to detail etc it’s solid original build lend it self to detailing nicely 

like the prototype no two models will be exactly the same as we all add detail to the model in different ways and to specific prototype locos. There seem to be almost as many bunker versions as locos very few the same 

 

as RM was down for maintenance last night  is the latest addition

 

 

Buffer beam completed now needs painting.

cylinders mount screw removed and cylinder castings squared and then bonded to under side of the foot plate.

 

 

 

Lubricator lines fitted and painted 

pair compressor added details 

screw holes in foot plate filled and sanded back smooth.

 

Foot plate Painted air compressor and lubricator lines painted, buffers painted black 

 

 

 

[SMR CHRIS]

Had some time this afternoon to do a little more on the ETS 30tank

Rods was the next thing on the agenda. 

Having been inspired by Bobs addition’s to his ETS tank 

I got some evergreen 0.75mm quarter round and some 0.25x0.5mm strip to do a similar addition 

Main Rods  used the 1/4 round mounted on the face then once glued tapered the ends and filed the face flat to give a slightly lower profile but still have the rolled edge to give the impression of the fluting 

next the connecting Rods due to the rods being tapered to the cross head used the flat 0.25x0.5 

and have to say it’s made a huge difference to the previously toy look of the rods 

 

 

[SMR CHRIS]

Next item for the ETS 30tank was to fit some balance pipes between the main water tanks and the rear bunker water tanks 

 

again in evergreen styrene, 3.4mm round was used 

warmed in hot water and curved to suit

next I drilled and fitted pins to the  bent balance piped to assist with mounting, plus drilled the under side of the footplate to accept the pins and glued in position behind the steps linking the two side tanks 

[SMR CHRIS]

Finally for tonight 

started on the rear buffer beam to cover the gap the 3rail style coupler would have come through  and provide a mounting surface for the Hook draw gear,  the rear beam is Steel on the prototype without the timber overlay 

some 0.10 styrene sheet with a piece of 0.1x0.2mm strip for the top 

the required infill in the Noam was also cut from some styreneanf finally a rear plate of styrene for the spring on the Hook to load against 

A slightly larger than scale Hook is used on the rear for ease  of operation with a cast mounting plate as per the front beam is fitted 

 

buffers will be next a few hours cleaning up the castings to make them sprung and operational

 

Buffer beam preparation and the coupler slot that needs filling

 

Load plate 

 

 

Overlay mounted  and Hook draw gear fitted. Note slightly larger than scale hook for easier operation when trying to couple between carriages and the bunker a worth while trade off.

Edited March 27, 2019 by SMR CHRIS
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[SMR CHRIS]

 

 

 

Balance pipe painted small aditions are really changing the look of this now X toy train style model 

Note the good sizes hook on the rear will make for easier coupling between the  loco and passenger cars with corridor diaphragms 

 

 

 

Slightly older photo of the front buffer beam painted 

need to source some smaller loco numbers decals for the buffer beam 

this photo was before the Rods has there aditions 

The scale buffers really transform the front of the loco.

Edited March 28, 2019 by SMR CHRIS

[SMR CHRIS]

One last addition for tonight at 1am in the morning, So whilst packing up I found a set of 3D printed brake Hangers and Shoes (one of those I’ll get those may come in handy purchases,  so thought let’s see if they will fit the 30tank and with a few bits a styrene and some phosphor bronze wire the ETS 30 has some brakes will do the others side tomorrow when the glue has cured on this side.

the brakes certainly fill the gap nicely as it did look a bit bare 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2019 by SMR CHRIS
Add photos

[SMR CHRIS]

It’s like a never ending story adding parts to the ETS 30 tank 

more brakes made and fitted 

rear buffers made 

Rear buffer beam buffers fitted and painted painted 

unfortunately lost the brake hose some where on the work bench or I put it in a safe place that’s too safe lucky it’s a easy fit later on

its really starting to look like a model train 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SMR CHRIS]

On display at the Sydney Aus7 Modellers forum 

 

 

 

 

[robertc]

Coming along nicely Chris, but I am surprised you have not yet painted the gold whistle and safety valves  :>)

I believe Canberra was on the same weekend. Getting harder to find a spare slot.

cheers

Bob

[SMR CHRIS]

5 hours ago, robertc said:

Coming along nicely Chris, but I am surprised you have not yet painted the gold whistle and safety valves  :>)

I believe Canberra was on the same weekend. Getting harder to find a spare slot.

cheers

Bob

 

Hi Bob,    Canberra was on too over the weekend,     I may miss the forum next year if it’s on the same weekend again and take a layout down and exhibit everyone says it was a good show.

 

yes the whistle and safety’s I only painted the safety’s spring and set bar and the whistle stem not the whistle,  to me they  both look a little small and painting the set spring and bar and leaving the valves bright visually made them look larger,

I was still in two minded what to do with them until I found a photo from the front angle of 3039 on Friday  it’s not a full front on as has a End veranda car in the way but shows enough detail to see the safety valves whistle done and chimney 

  The safety valves are going to be swapped the late  type, ( I think they may be Ross or Ashton muffled pop type) as fitted to 3039 in the photo,  they look similar to 59class ones in the photo,  when I can find some casting of them.

 So to correct the whistle at the forum I picked up a new whistle casting,  along with a new dome and Chimney to try on the model from Bergs Hobbies parts.

Edited April 2, 2019 by SMR CHRIS

[hartleymartin]

I bought the same set of parts. Not sure about what locos they belong to though.

[SMR CHRIS]

5 hours ago, hartleymartin said:

I bought the same set of parts. Not sure about what locos they belong to though.

 

Martin the chimney is suitable for a 30   Or several other locos.   So is the dome,  the one I got needs a bit of filling at the lower transition I may have got one that’s slightly miss cast it  was hard to tell how good it was  in the plastic bags.

I have been looking at 30 class chimneys over the last few days and and there are so many variations

Skinny,  wide, flaired, heavy cast, light cast,   then the flanges to the smoke box, their seam to be as many differences again.

Even found one that’s more like a stove pipe at the top  note the dome in this photo as well 

 

 

And this is the chimney for 3039 as can be seen it’s a good chunky one with nice rolled top 

 

Edited April 2, 2019 by SMR CHRIS

[robertc]

Lots of little jobs can be done to personalise it Chris.

 

Maybe next year I will make Canberra myself.

Been many years since I was involved in running and exhibiting at those exhibitions. Often used to do overnight security too.

A great way to spend a night; surrounded by layouts :>)

cheers

Bob

 

[SMR CHRIS]

22 hours ago, robertc said:

Lots of little jobs can be done to personalise it Chris.

 

Maybe next year I will make Canberra myself.

Been many years since I was involved in running and exhibiting at those exhibitions. Often used to do overnight security too.

A great way to spend a night; surrounded by layouts :>)

cheers

Bob

 

Yes so many little items you can add,   every time I add a part look at a picture and see something else then think Mmm I could add that as well 

 

re Canberra I’m seriously thinking of going to Canberra next year or to the Other exhibition later this  year at the Special school.malkra 

[robertc]

Malkara, take a woolly jumper!

I can remember the first night I did security for it. I nearly clocked a club mate  who rocked in sometime after midnight to say hullo.  :>)

He was a copper at the time and was on night duty.

 

On another tack, have you heard of anybody trying to get a 30T off ETS?

cheers

Bob

 

 

[hartleymartin]

I've found a 19 class chimney and dome. Those were off the old Century Models kit. The chimney is the same height, but it is slimmer. Without having good dimensioned drawings to compare, I can't be sure, but it seems from photos that there were several variations on the one basic design out there.

[SMR CHRIS]

On 05/04/2019 at 09:32, robertc said:

Malkara, take a woolly jumper!

I can remember the first night I did security for it. I nearly clocked a club mate  who rocked in sometime after midnight to say hullo.  :>)

He was a copper at the time and was on night duty.

 

On another tack, have you heard of anybody trying to get a 30T off ETS?

cheers

Bob

 

 

 

Yes went down last year to Malkara and yes was a tad cool I had to put on a jacket but still was in Shorts 

 

Re ETS 30 T,  no to the tender version.

And yes to another 30 tank I have sent of a quote request to ETS for Chris Sim as he asked me for help in getting a 30.

 

interesting I compared my 30 to David’s one last week and his has Brass colour numbers printed for 3019,  my ones were very yellow compared to David’s