Adam's EM Workbench: Farewell for now

[Adam]

Mainline originally.  

 

As these are so common/cheaply obtainable I have wondered if the width issue could be addressed by using just the sides with some more suitable ends - Ratio?  Never got further than wondering though!

 

Thanks for that - it's a thought, but one I won't pursue since it looks just fine as it is and only next to a scale model of a GW van (and then, most likely, only end on) would the discrepancy be obvious. Geoff Kent, for what it's worth, left it alone!

 

Yes, I'm sure it would work, if done with care. I would expect the Ratio ends to be a little finer than the sides from the Mainline moulding but I doubt that would matter; I'm happy with it as is.

Adam

[Colin parks]

Mmm. What is that wagon chassis on the left of the picture going to become Adam?!

 

Colin

[Adam]

Mmm. What is that wagon chassis on the left of the picture going to become Adam?!

 

Colin

 

It's going to become a Palbrick A, Colin. There are three more chassis in a similar state - two with Morton brakes and the 8 shoe version as well - and they'll all be Palbrick Bs. Eventually.

 

 

 

 

The 8 shoe chassis has gained its springs and a floor and so on since but I haven't photographed it. I should add that the only reason I'm contemplating these wagons is that John Isherwood [Cambridge Custom Transfers] does the lettering. Aiming to do four at once though is probably a sign of approaching insanity.

 

Adam

Edited September 5, 2015 by Adam

[Fat Controller]

It's going to become a Palbrick A, Colin. There are three more chassis in a similar state - two with Morton brakes and the 8 shoe version as well - and they'll all be Palbrick Bs. Eventually.

 

Palbrick_1.gif

 

 

Rumney_chassis_2.gif

 

The 8 shoe chassis has gained its springs and a floor and so on since but I haven't photographed it. I should add that the only reason I'm contemplating these wagons is that John Isherwood [Cambridge Custom Transfers] does the lettering. Aiming to do four at once though is probably a sign of approaching insanity.

 

Adam

Building wagons because you've got/can get the transfers? I can identify with that.

[Adam]

Building wagons because you've got/can get the transfers? I can identify with that.

 

Yes, and here's a wagon I don't yet have transfers for - Railtec will provide, eventually. There's a host of vehicles I'd like to do that I can't letter right now, but well, I've got quite a lot of things on the shelves:

 

 

And here is where the Palbricks have got to - they're all the same at this stage and don't look awfully Palbrick like but one 10' wheelbase Morton-braked chassis looks much like another.

 

 

The fruit van has inched forward too with buffers refitted, safety loops (office staples) and vac' cylinder in situ and those fiddly little struts between the bottom of the verticals and the solebars. There's a nice little step below the doors - presumably because of the fact they were built for Weymouth traffic and would have regularly worked the quay, though Fruit D's have something similar.

 

 

This side on view shows where it will go:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/elmtreephotos/9235852955/

 

Adam

[Adam]

Now this is a departure. Somewhere is a forgotten drawer are some guilty secrets: coaches. I suppose one has to have them... Anyhow, dragged from the depths is a Bachmann mk1 BCK which is intended to form the rear of a rake of Western Region stock which dad and I have knocking about. I rewheeled the thing and did a certain amount of detailing ages ago, but have only now got around to thinking about tedious things like corridor connections. There are lots available from the trade and at one point, I considered using a set of Masokits items but dad has had success with the idea Chris Pendlenton (lifted in turn from Mick Wakefield) described in MRJ 200 and this is straightforward, simple and quick. It goes like this:

 

 

Disassemble, score around the corridor moulding. You can remove the moulded corridor by sliding a curved scalpel blade between the corridor moulding and the end - there are four spigots holding it in and a couple wiggled out, while the rest were cut. Cut out around the scored line with a piercing saw (you can chain drill if you like but I generally confine myself to a hole in each corner: it makes less mess) and through the full width of the end as far as the outer face of the buffer beam. Check that the corridor moulding can pass through the hole easily and if not, ease with a blade.

 

Next, thicken up the corridor - you need to add 2.8mm of material according to Mick Wakefield - a couple of layers of 40 thou' and one of 30 thou' will do it though I can't see why 3 layers of 40 thou' wouldn't do the job. Allow to set and then trim.

 

 

Next, a backplate must be added to the corridor, trapping the corridor in place, and yes, that's more 40 thou. Remember to trim the top corners to clear the roof strengthening ribs. For this to work, springs are required. These are from 0.31mm phosphor bronze and soldered to a piece of scrap brass:

 

 

 

These are mounted a little behind the end (you'll need to trim a bit of the floor of the interior moulding) and, this done, secured the spring to floor using a leftover screw from something or other and a smear of epoxy since I really don't want to take the lid off again any time soon. So here's the finished item, first pressed in:

 

 

And released:

 

 

I might get around to the rest of the details soon. Or maybe not.

 

Adam

[Adam]

After what seems like an age, some modelling. Just bits and pieces really, but some appreciable progress. The most basic is slapping a coat of paint on the hoods of my pair of Coil R which really gives a good impression of how it will look when done. I think the hoods now give an excellent impression.

 

 

 

From the coaching stock end of the bench more progress has been achieved though I have come to halt in both instances through lack of parts. The reworked Bachmann BCK wants for a set of buffers (one pair retracted, one extended) and couplings. End detail includes a lamp, alarm gear, dropped knuckle coupling and a couple of steps - the hanging step is anchored through the headstock so should be durable enough.

 

 

I've rejigged the brakegear too using parts from Masokits and replaced the brake cylinders: every 4mm Mk 1 I've ever seen has massively undersize vacuum cylinders so this one has ABS examples, along with vac' pipes and steam heat bags.

 

 

The second vehicle for my WR rake, a Hawksworth, is no longer carmine and cream but there have been a handful of casualties - a commode handle some nicely moulded gutters and a handful of vents. Now the handle is easy and the gutters fairly manageable (tiny bits of 0.8mm angle) but the vents will have to be ordered in before I can paint the thing maroon. Would it have been easier to buy a maroon one? Um. Perhaps.

 

 

Other details - lamp irons and corridor connections - are from Masokits, as is the brake gear which makes a difference. Even better, there are lots of spares for future coaches.

 

 

Adam

 

[Fat Controller]

That Coil R is lovely; memories of Llandeilo Jct in the 1970s. I believe they were used for some deliveries to Trostre tinplate works.

[Mark Forrest]

Great work as always. Assume the "casualties" on the Hawksworth were the result of stripping the livery off; what did you use to strip them? I've a couple of maroon Hawksworth BGs set aside awaiting repaints into blue and I'm wondering whether to remove all the paint or just the lining before respray.

[Adam]

Great work as always. Assume the "casualties" on the Hawksworth were the result of stripping the livery off; what did you use to strip them? I've a couple of maroon Hawksworth BGs set aside awaiting repaints into blue and I'm wondering whether to remove all the paint or just the lining before respray.

 

Thanks - just Modelstrip in the usual way - the damage was caused by heavy handed scrubbing so my fault. On the original livery, the cream was applied over the red so I judged that the layers would show under the maroon - in your position I'd probably just take the lining off and spray over the top. Much easier. I'd want to do the roof anyway since I'd like it matt.

 

Adam

[ullypug]

Very nice as always. Guess what's on my modelling bench? A pair of Hawksworths and a shed load of Masokits etches!

Just working my way through the bogies at the moment. Must have a deadline or something!

[Adam]

Very nice as always. Guess what's on my modelling bench? A pair of Hawksworths and a shed load of Masokits etches!

Just working my way through the bogies at the moment. Must have a deadline or something!

 

Thanks Andrew - Warley's a way off isn't it? Shame your check rails are so close to the running rails or you could borrow my rake, assuming I manage to get the bits to finish it before the weather turns.

 

Adam

[ullypug]

Thanks Andrew - Warley's a way off isn't it? Shame your check rails are so close to the running rails or you could borrow my rake, assuming I manage to get the bits to finish it before the weather turns.

 

Adam

As we all know, there's a very straight forward answer to that one. You do have a wheel puller don't you!!

 

Since the last message I've been pleasantly surprised how easily the curtains came off with a IPA soaked cotton bud. One down, one to do...

[chrisf]

Adam, I like what you are doing to that Bachmann BCK!  I picked one up for £16 but I'm beginning to wonder how much of a bargain it was.  Having looked at the drawing in Parkin I am not convinced that the toilet window at the second class end is in quite the right place.  The interior moulding has taken a few liberties, such as not making both first class compartments the same width or the three second class ones likewise.   I expect that I will be fretting about this until I have had the chance to run a tape measure over one of the 37 preserved examples.

 

Chris

[Adam]

Interesting Chris, but the question must be asked: how 'wrong' (if it is?) is the Bachmann BCK? Is is worth a full scale rebuild? It's quite possible, of course - I have a half a 4TC done in precisely that fashion - but would require a total repaint and in maroon in particular you'd struggle to notice. Similarly, I've had the thing in bits several times and not noticed the interior dimensions at all. The fact between dad and I we have three of these (and the same number of TSOs which is rather unbalanced) is more of a problem! Anyhow, further work on the coaches will have to wait until the final bits turn up.

 

Apart from anything else, most observers will see the rake rather than the detailed effort and I'm resigned to what I call 'drawhook blindness'. Even the most loco-centric would struggle to miss this, however because it's huge: TRESTROL. Even the name sounds big. This is a Trestrol AD from the kit designed by "macgeordie" and marketed in penny numbers I guess through this forum [thread here] as well as the similar, but vac-piped, Trestrol MO. You get a great big brass etch and some smaller Nickel Silver ones for the trestles and the bogies. Anyhow, I can report that so far, so good. There aren't nearly so many rivets as one might expect, but all that should be there are there, so far as I can tell, and everything fits with a modicum of tidying up. There's an awful lot of wagon, but the advantage of building something this size is that you can get a long way quite quickly.

 

 

The first side has gone on in the shot above - the tabs locate the sides neatly and spigot all the way through which means that there's a nice tight, positive location holding the floor overlay in place  Below, you can see that the second side has gone on and that the first of the two intermediate beams has been assembled but not yet installed. The heavily riveted top flange took on a distinctly banana-like bend prior to assembly but it's straightened out ok. 

 

 

 

At this rate of progress, given a clear run, I should have a wagon by the end of the week.

 

Adam

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2015 by Adam

[Arthur]

I've got one of these in my own 'to do' pile so I'll be following this with particular interest Adam.

[Adam]

I've got one of these in my own 'to do' pile so I'll be following this with particular interest Adam.

 

We've (well, dad) has one of the MO etches as well. As I said, thus far, everything has fitted correctly and located very tightly and positively. The only real challenge has been handling a vehicle of its size. Lots of tack soldering, lots of flux. I did the bogies a while back and those were a bit of a fiddle, but that's largely a function of their being quite small. Thus far, I haven't actually consulted the instructions...

 

Adam

[Adam]

 

It's still big, about 10" over headstocks, or will be, once the headstocks are actually added. Mercifully, the parts get a bit smaller from now on and won't need so much heat from the iron.

 

Adam

Edited October 2, 2015 by Adam

[Adam]

So here we go, next phase along the road, the end frames look a bit like this and were a bit of a fiddle.

 

 

The small holes just visible behind the headstock are for springs for the couplings - such a long wagon with three links will probably benefit for these but not until after painting. It is also now on its bogies which are fitted to little pivot arrangements so as to ensure all wheels are on the track - the pivoting cradles are arranged at right angles - and I've added a short length of tube to the pivot screw as this pretty ordinary picture shows:

 

 

 

 

It should be noted that I have the bogies the wrong way around - the levers should be at the ends of the wagon. This is easy to change and will be done on final assembly. Otherwise, the Palbrick project also inches forward and the chassis are almost done.

 

 

Adam

Edited October 12, 2015 by Adam

[Adam]

And now, we actually reach the disticntive bits, the trestles. These are, inevitably, fiddly, but the end result will be good (they require some wooden packing - I have the coffee stirrers in stock... http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brtrestrolao/h488f5dfe#h488f6442).

 

 

The unseen stuff is the easing of the drawhook holes to allow for springing and all those shackle lugs, ten natty little fold-ups. The shckles themselves are quite nifty, but I'll come to those later. Getting there.

 

Adam

[Enterprisingwestern]

Cheeky sod request time Adam;

Any chance you could index your builds please?, I'm having the devils own job plagiarising your magnificent efforts.

 

Mike.

 

Currently searching for herrings.

[Adam]

Cheeky sod request time Adam;

Any chance you could index your builds please?, I'm having the devils own job plagiarising your magnificent efforts.

 

Mike.

 

Currently searching for herrings.

 

Don't hold your breath on that, but t EDIT - now indexed.

 

The Herring starts here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37002-adams-em-workbench-trestrol-part-4/?p=1823530

 

Adam

Edited October 12, 2015 by Adam

[Enterprisingwestern]

Don't hold your breath on that, but t EDIT - now indexed.

 

The Herring starts here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37002-adams-em-workbench-trestrol-part-4/?p=1823530

 

Adam

 

Many thanks Adam.

 

Mike.

[Adam]

Many thanks Adam.

 

Mike.

 

No problem Mike; didn't take as long as I'd feared. Now all I have to do is to keep it up to date...

 

Anyhow, the Trestrol has now received a coat of paint and is, temporarily, back on its bogies. One thing that I hadn't spotted until now is that the wagon displays a list towards the trestle side bit I daresay a bit of lead under the other side should balance it up (there is some space, believe it or not!). It is nonetheless impressive.

 

 

 

Adam 

[Porcy Mane]

You've done Mr. MacD proud with that. I really must make a start on mine. Love the prototypical upward curve of the frame.

 

Porcy

Edited October 15, 2015 by Porcy Mane