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Rods_of_Revolution

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  1. Rods_of_Revolution

    Clay Dries

    By Rods_of_Revolution,

    My small Cornish layout is based around a China Clay works, I'm planning on calling the layout Trevowgwyn. I made the name up using a book of Cornish etymology, so there is no real place, though I imagine it being on a branch north of the Cornish Mainline between St Austell and Par. Trevowgwyn is supposed to mean White Towns.
     
    The first structure is the clay dries itself, I wanted something quite big as my layout represents a modern dries. As I wanted to keep the layout small I have modelled a slice of the dries. The building has a wooden frame which is then clad in Evergreen sheet; The doors are 3D Printed and glued on in various states from closed to open, this helps give a feeling that it is alive, rather than having the doors uniformly closed or open.
     

    Main overview of the dries.
     

    Close up showing the 3D Printed doors.
     
    I have some additional vents, steps, doors and walkways to add. Once they are added the model will be complete.
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
  2. Rods_of_Revolution
    Bit of an update on the PRA; Gave it a clean up and a bit of paint, just need to add the decals on some "cleaner patches" I will paint on and it will more or less be finished. The other PRAs are currently in primer, as is the Polybulk.
     
    Also in the photograph is 50149 which is currently undergoing weathering; Call it an act of Defiance (Get it?!) but I won't be attempting any cab rebuilding because I would probably struggle to make it any better. I also think the black window surrounds of the RfG livery help hide the errors with the windows, In addition to the weathering I have run a seam of slightly lighter yellow across the top of the nose to make it appear bigger than it is. Does it help? You tell me!
     

     
    I apologise for the poorer quality photographs; When I finish the models I will take them outside on my Machen diorama and take some quailty pictures (if I ever see the sun again....).
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
  3. Rods_of_Revolution
    My N Scale PRAs arrived today! I have given the one in the foreground a dusting of primer so I can better see the detail; I have also mounted it upon the Peco chassis I am using, which although isn't technically correct is getting used because I have lots knocking about. The one in the background is as they arrived from Shapeways.
     

     
    The steps, handrails and ladders arrived warped (as normal) so I did my usual trick of dropping them in near boiling water out the kettle and they, as if by magic, return to the correct shape. I can only assume they have some sort of material "memory".
     
    Next steps will be carefully smoothing, followed by painting, decals and weathering.
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
  5. Rods_of_Revolution
    After searching for a coupling which was reliable, unobtrusive and still allowed for easy shunting with a shunters pole I was at a bit of a loss. The rapido is plain ugly and poor for shunting, the DG I found fiddley to assemble and tricky getting them to couple and uncouple if not perfectly assembled and mounted. The Micro Trains couplings are ok, but expensive and still fairly unreliable if not quite lined up right.
     
    So, I had a bit of a brainwave, a year or so ago I read an article by Jim Smith-Wright and he had used magnets and elastic to create connecting brake pipes. I thought perhaps I could mount something similar in a central position and use it as a coupling; N Scale being smaller, the stress on the coupling being less.
     
    I did a few experiments and I have devised a visually unobtrusive, easy to shunt and cheap method of coupling.
     
    It's fairly simple;
     
    I purchased the magnets from here. I then drilled a 1mm hole centrally in the buffer beam either end. One end I used some superglue and just pushed the magnet strait in the hole.
     

     
    The other end I glued in a short length (length depends on wheelbase and minimum radius curve the model must negotiate) of elastic; To the end of this I glued another magnet.
     

     
    Now I have couplings which are much smaller and more covert than Rapidos, couple regardless of height and are cheap to make.
     

     

     
    Things to watch: Make sure the polarity of the magnets is correct, or else they will repel each other!
     
    Hope this is of use to someone!
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
  6. Rods_of_Revolution
    What makes this Sentiel Cornish? It's a model of ECC's No.P403D "Denise". I built the model completely from photographs as I couldn't find a drawing anywhere. The things of note on the prototype are the huge exhaust pipe and the left hand walkway which is covered with some additional equipment (airbrake gear?)
     
    I've applied an undercoat to the 3D Print of the Sentinel, some clean up is required but the print is excellent overall. The handrails, despite being 0.32mm in diameter, came out beautifully.
     

     
    Next job is obtaining the chassis, hopefully the Japanese can help out with something this small!
     

     
    In addition to the Sentinel I have been working on my Polybulk, which although Farish will be producing their model soon I feel is worth while completing. Hopefully she won't look out of place next to her RTR sisters!
     
    The Y25s are my second attempt at bogies in the "Frosted Ultra Detail" material and after making alterations to the first design I have something that works quite well. I have used Parkside Dundas wheelsets; I don't know if they are the correct size but the wagon sits at the correct height, so that's good enough for me!
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
  7. Rods_of_Revolution

    37175

    By Rods_of_Revolution,

    I know Pete was eager to see 175, so here she is;
     

     
    Could be better, could be worse! Still plenty to do, all the detail parts, headlamp, windows back in, finishing up the weathering. The 3 part plow is a 3D Print, so it's a bit of an experiment!
     
    I decided on 37175 as she was in Cornwall during the 1980s but also in Scotland, so at somepoint I expect a Dapol 26 will cross my bench to become a partner for 175 on my other (non-existant) layout set in Scotland. Better finish the Cornish one first though eh!
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
  8. Rods_of_Revolution

    Clay Hoods

    By Rods_of_Revolution,

    After a member (I won't name names as they may wish to remain anonymous!) on here kindly offered to sell me some clay hood kits he no longer required I became the proud own of 12 Parkwood clay wagon kits.
     
    I built the kits and mounted them to Peco chassis, I then finished them off with Parkside buffers and Scalescenes OO clay hoods rescaled down to 1:148 (This took a little trial and error and to get the width right I had to print them longer than scale and then cut them down). I still have to trim the hoods a little and finish the weathering. Here's the first four, the remaining 8 are in various stages of completion
     

     
    37175 is poking her nose into the picture, more on her another time!
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
  9. Rods_of_Revolution
    This post outlines some of the stock I am building, buying and weathering for my layout in progress "Penwithick". Penwithick is a modern china clay facility in Cornwall, the layout will be set in the late 80s/early 90s and built in N Scale.
     
    Class 08 and STS TTA Slurry Tank

     
    The 08 is Farish and the Slurry tank is built from a 3D Print I made along with TPM roofwalks and a Farish TTA chassis.

     
    This is the Clay Tiger fresh out the printer, it will sit on TPM Y25s. I have had decals printed from artwork I created. Hopefully it will come together quickly!

     
    This is a Dapol Cargowaggon; I have weathered it as per several pictures I have seen.

     
    Dapol "Silver Bullet"; Lightly weathered as I got fed up with wearing shades each time I got it out the box

     
    Also in various states of construction are PRAs, Tullis Russell Hoppers and an ECC TCA. I aim to produce at least one of each type of wagon used on clay trains.
     
    I hope this is of some interest,
     
    Regards,
     
    Jack
  10. Rods_of_Revolution
    Time for an update on the Tiger!
     
    I picked up some OLEO buffers at Leamington Show and filed the tops and bottoms flat to produce Tiger-like buffers.
     
    I sprayed the Tiger white and painted the cover grey (After a debate as to whether it was grey, white or grey but covered in white ). This wasn't without it's issues as the masking for the grey pulled away some of the white which then had to be touched up.
     
    Next I applied the decals I had printed, I missed out a couple as I was paying per colour and found it was better(cheaper) to use fewer colours. Weathering will be tactically applied where these decals should be.
     
    Anyway, hopefully it looks more like a Tiger than it did!
     

     

     
    Regards,
     
    Jack
  11. Rods_of_Revolution
    I thought I would post an update on work I've done in the New Year.
     
    I have been bending and soldering wire to make up the various details on the "Clay Tiger". The brake pipes and walk ways are an approximation and not exact as I tend to pertain to the Jack Ray philosophy of a recognisable model of the prototype running within a credible context, or something to that effect....
     

    I have attached various bits of brass work; Wire and a mixture of scavenged TPM parts. Buffers are still on the list to obtain and apply.
     

    I have undercoated with a cream colour as the material colour is white and it makes it easier to see where I have sanded, drilled etc Next the model will be "pre-shaded" with a mid-brown and then spray painted white, decals will be applied and then the model will be weathered.
     

    Sample of the decal artwork I drew up and had produced for Tiger.
     
     
    To fulfill a request in my previous entry, here are some more pictures of my 08.
     

     

     

     

     
     
    Kindest Regards,
     
    Jack
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