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alanbuttler

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Blog Entries posted by alanbuttler

  1. alanbuttler
    It's 1954 and another cold start to the day at Pensyflog. Mr Pritchard's woodbine smoke hangs in the cold air as he pauses on his morning walk to chat with Mrs Williams. What could they be chatting about I wonder... maybe Richard Burton on the radio narrating the recently deceased Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, or how her garden looks uncommonly colourful for the time of year, or perhaps more likely they are just talking about the weather
     

  2. alanbuttler
    A damp Sunday morning at Porthmadog shed. 
     

     
    GWR 43xx No.6324 stands outside Porthmadog loco shed, a sub-shed of Machynlleth 89C.  The two road structure was built by the Cambrian Railways in 1907 and survived until August 1963.   
     
    This is a box fresh Dapol Mogul and awaits light weathering, renumbering and reallocating to 89C.  This is the second of the dioramas built for Modelu by Dan Evason of Tunnel Lane Model Railways and is photographed in natural light.
     
     
     
  3. alanbuttler

    Mk1 Transit for Barton Road

    By alanbuttler,


    Weathering
    The Barton Road diorama is suitable for a few time frames between 1950 and 1980 so I've been collecting vehicles to pose in the scene alongside some suitable Modelu figures.  The 1970's period interests me the most, with Bath Road 03's working the Avonside branch cement works and distillers.  First up on the list of vehicles to weather is an Oxford Diecast Mk1 Ford Transit.  This is my first attempt at weathering a vehicle and I've been following Mick Bonwick's blog notes on the process.  Any feedback is much appreciated!
     
     
    First step this morning was to apply Humbrol Matt Cote and the model left for the day whilst I got with printing orders.  This evening I set about my first attempt at applying some MIG Productions neutral wash to the body work. The photo I'm working from shows some grime on the lower panels and quite a lot of rust on the bonnet just above the radiator grille and around the headlights.
     

     
    After leaving for 10 minutes the wash is removed using some white spirit to get the desired level of road grime.   A little AK Interactive Fuel Stains is used around the filler cap
     

     

     
    Originally rust had been added using a very fine amount of powder, then I'd remembered I bought some Gundam Real Touch paint markers some years back and had been yet to try them.  The set I have comes with Black, Brown, Green, a sort of burnt Orange, Pink and a blurring pen. These pens have two tips, a fine tip and a brush tip.   First job was to line out the windows using the fine tip black pen.
     
     
     
    With some success using the black fine tip I experimented with the brush tip of the brown pen for applying rust to the front of the vehicle, the sills and around the wheel arches.
     

     
     

     
    It looks a little heavy handed in close up, I think the whole front end needs toning down.  I'll apply some Dullcote in the morning and later experiment with some neutral tone powders.  Any tips, thoughts, critique much appreciated!
     
    I couldn't resist seeing the transit parked up on Barton Road.  It now awaits a driver!
     

     

     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  4. alanbuttler

    No. 9000 on shed at Portmadoc

    By alanbuttler,


    DETAILING
    January 2015 was the last time I did any modelling and Modelu was still a figment of my imagination. I was working out my 3 months notice from my IT job, living in Wales with my mother and spending my evenings trying to get my new 3D printer to work consistently. This Dukedog project was one of the first successes in those early days, with 3D printed top feed, sandboxes and whistles (these are in the product range). No 9000 was destined for Oswestry Works, but it looks just as good at home on Dan's Portmadoc diorama.
     
    Next job is to lightly weather and and some shed staff.  9018 is still in the same state as it was 5 years ago, awaiting repainting and weathering, the Prairies need renumbering and detailing and the Collett was going to get some sandbox linkages and a few other details.
     

     

  5. alanbuttler

    Dusting off the workbench

    By alanbuttler,


    Diorama
    My last post to this blog was the last time I did any modelling, way back in February 2015 when I was detialing stock for Oswestry Works.  Modelu took over my time completely from then on and the hobby became full time work.  5 years later and I'm blowing the dust off the paints and preparing stock and figures, not for Oswestry unfortunately but for 3 diorama's I've had commissioned for showcasing Modelu products.   All that work on Oswestry Works will come to fuitition at some point as it would also serve as a fantastic scene for displaying products.
     
    Dan Evason of Tunnel Lane Model Railways has worked his magic on 3 dioramas for Modelu, depicting different periods in order to get the widest possible time settings.  I hope to do them justice with figures and stock. 
     
    Bristol Barton Road Crossing
    A 14" square diorama of the Barton Road crossing of the Avonside Wharf branch in Bristol. This was originally the terminus of the Bristol & Gloucestershire railway, the line crossing Avon Street and fanning out into wharf sidings.   In modern times the line became a branch from Lawrence Hill to a cement terminal, scrap yard and distillers, seeing traffic hauled by Class 03's and later 08's.  In the steam era Pug's worked the branch.  On the stock list are a BR Green 03, BR Blue 03, BR Blue 08 and a BR early crest Pug.
     

     

     
     
    Portmadoc Loco Shed
    A two road sub-shed of Machynlleth, this shed has always captured my imagination seeing the mix of smaller locos in a residential setting.   Stock list includes Collett Goods, 4500, 4575, Dukedog's, and Ivatt 2MT.

     

     
    Barmouth South
    This diorama will be used as a multi-period from the 1950s up to the 1990s.  Stock for the steam era includes Manor's, Moguls, 74xx, 58xx, Collett Goods, Small Prairie Tanks and Dukegods.  The diesel era includes Class 24s, Class 25s, Class 31's, Class 37's, Class 40's,  Class 101 and Class 150 DMU's.

     

     
     
     
     
  6. alanbuttler

    5726 - First attempts...

    By alanbuttler,


    DETAILING
    So here goes, first foray into detailing! There are so many good articles written on detailing Panniers that it seemed like the best place to start. In particular, the blogs Albion Yard, Chronicles of Penhydd, the many posts on RMWeb and George Dent's excellent book Detailing and Modifying Locomotives have given me a head start in theory, now to put it all into practice...
     
    5726 is first up on the workbench to undergo the basics: new smoke box dart, lamp irons, real coal, windows, renumbering, shed plates, works plates, vacuum pipes and scale couplings. I'm also planning to replace the brake gear and am still pondering a new chassis and even re-gauging... but that's another matter...! Having no experience of etched kits or soldering I do look upon chassis construction and EM/P4 with a bit of trepidation, as much as I'd like to do it.
     
    Anyway, keeping things simple for now... progress so far on 5726:
     

     
    I made a rookie error with replacing the rear windows - too much glue! I'll see what it looks like when repainted but I'm tempted to start again.
    Next steps are fitting the mainly trains lamp irons, replacing the front spectacle windows (might have these opened if I can), adding coal, fitting sandbox pull rods and new sandbox covers, brake rigging and renumbering.
     
    There is a nice rear facing image of 5726 in the March Steam World, hauling a mixed freight through Oswestry station.
  7. alanbuttler

    5726 - Detailing progress

    By alanbuttler,


    DETAILING
    Before I get into the detailing progress, here's a little background on 5726. I chose this particular pannier as it was an Oswestry resident for 6 years, from 1953 until withdrawal and It was also quite rare for a 57xx to be on the books at Oswestry, being one of only 2 (the other being 5700). Covering this time span it will be suitable for a few scenario's when recreating scenes in the works diorama.
     
    The majority of 89A allocated tanks were the smaller 16xx's employed tirelessly in the yards, or 54xx auto's for the Gobowen and Ellesmere lines and the ubiquitous 74xx's on all manner of duties. Looking at the registers 5726 was in the works at least 3 times between 1954 and 1959, here's a couple of entries:
     
    August 1954

     
    October 1958

     
    Back to the detailing. Made quite a bit more progress, firstly the pull rods being fitted. I've used the RT models etch and kept the original molded sandbox filler lids that I removed from the body earlier. The Bachmann body has them too far forward, they need to be set back about 5mm.
     
     

     
    The pull rods are quite delicate but seemed to handle the required 90 degree twist in the hold and fold:
     

     
     

     

     
    The left hand pull rod has another linkage, which I'm sure isn't quite right looking at photographs, but I've made a best guess with it. The instructions with the etch also recommend using 0.3mm brass wire to link all the linkages together, but unless I'm reading this wrong, that would mean the wire going through the open space in the body, making it impossible to remove the chassis without removing the wire. Again I've made a best guess and used a 10mm length of 0.3mm wire to link the two left hand linkages together, using photographs as a guide:
     
     

     
    Overall I'm pretty happy with the linkages, them being by far the most fiddly. The hold and fold really proves its worth, even tackling the minute rod fittings which come on the RT etch. I've fitted the grab rail above the front step, though on this side slightly off skew! Doh!
     
     

     
    Close up of the front. Mainly trains lamp irons and etched checker plate, Romford scale couplings and wound brass vacuum pipes, Markits smokebox dart and steam heat pipe. To fit once resprayed 247 developments 89a shedplate and smokebox number.
     

     
    Rear - more MT lamp irons and the very delicate Mainly trains replacement windows. Made a bit of a bodge of these but I'll see what they look like once painted.
     

     
    Before she's off to the paintshop there are a couple more things to do, I've decided to replace the quite crude molded whistles and shield with the Comet etch. I've had a couple of Markits whistles arrive, but these are the short variety which I think are incorrect, but I'm not entirely sure which ones are right! If anyone has any pointers that would be much appreciated
     

  8. alanbuttler

    Gauge Decisions...

    By alanbuttler,


    DETAILING
    I've previously given which gauge to model some thought, when starting out again last January with a couple of small diorama's to get myself back into modelling. I'd toyed with the idea of going to EM but was a little put off initially, not thinking I'd be up to the challenge of re-gauging, or chassis building or all the other tasks finescale modelling presents, so I stuck with OO. That was a year ago now and I've gained some confidence in modelling, some good tools and a little more experience. So now I'm reviewing the decision again, prompted by the detailing projects and the prospect of building new chassis for various locos. The same thoughts have come back: if I'm going to go to the trouble of building a new chassis, then I might as well go for EM gauge as detail and precision are my main drivers for dioramas.
     
    A couple of things make the decision a easier - For the foreseeable future I'll only have enough room for small diorama's with limited operation, so any conversions can have a little more room for error (hopefully?!) than ones destined for larger layouts with lots of points. The Works doesn't have any points at all, just the traverser, so if I make some beginners errors I'm hoping the simple track diagram should be a little forgiving! I could be taking utter rubbish as it's all new to me, but these thoughts make me feel a little less daunted. If I'm deluding myself, put me out of my misery
     
    I'm also hoping that some of the newer Bachmann locos won't need new frames, just need new wheels, or maybe even having their existing wheels pushed out... which is something I keep reading about, but have no idea how to do, or what locos are capable of having it done.
     
    Before committing fully I decided to build up a panel of EM and OO track, get them side by side, take a few photos and compare the difference. By chance, I saw in the classifieds on here that Mallard60022 was selling a Comet framed EM gauge 57xx Pannier at a decent price, so I bought it. I've been on the look out for a cheapish 57xx to be a candidate for conversion to no.5700, an Oswestry based Pannier, this one in particular without a top feed, so this will do the job nicely. It also allows me to properly compare OO with EM and to see if it the effort and cash is really worth it to my eyes and tastes.
     
    Here's the outcomes:
     

     

     
    The track just looks better and more in proportion, though the OO gauge can be improved by trimming down the sleepers (as per Mikkel's blog), this is a test stretch of OO I made and weathered last year:
     

     
    Adding the Panniers to the test tracks next:
     

     

     
    And finally, two shots of 5726 on each chassis side by side:
     

     
    The finer frames of the Comet chassis look much more realistic and the near prototypical width looks great. So that pretty much decides it! Next step though before I take the plunge is to gauge (!) how much of a task ahead of me I have. In theory I'm looking at the following conversions:
     
    New chassis - Manors, Moguls, Dean Goods, 14xx
    New wheels (or pushed out wheels?) - Panniers, Prairies, Collett Goods, 4MT, Ivatt 2MT's
     
    Any advice on the above would be greatly appreciated! I'm off to the London Festival of Railway Modelling on Sunday so I'll stop by the EMGS and see what I can find out
     
    Many thanks to Mallard60022, Andy M and Geoff of "Chronicles of Penhydd/Rails to Llangunllo" for their advice!
  9. alanbuttler
    One of the last detailing jobs for 5726 is replacing the molded whistles and whistle shield. For this I've used the Comet GWR Detailing Etch which has short and long whistle shields and a pair of Markit's turned brass whistles.
     
    It took a little while to work out which of the 4 versions of whistle were the ones required, Markit's provide Long, Thin and two variations of short. Here's a comparison of Long, Thin and Short type 1 against the original mold:
     

     
    I'm not 100% sure, but I think the prototypical combination is the long and thin types. Either way they are a world apart from the originals!
     

     
    Another thing I'm not sure about - should the bottom of the shield be flush with the pannier top? If it is, then the top of the shield is too low, so I've gone with a best guess for now. Photos are quite hard to find as the whistles are usually obscured by steam or other parts of the pannier.
     

     
    So that's it, she's ready for a coating of Halfords Matt Black before adding the final details - brass spectacle windows, real coal, new BR early logo, etched 89A Shed plate and the etched number plates. Hopefully one evening this week!
     
    Then work starts on a Dukedog, when I can finally decide which one it will be! Croes Newydd's 9004 (the best of the surviving 90's according to her driver!) or 9014 (last to be withdrawn along with 9017), both with topfeeds, or 9005 with its near 100% lifetime allocation to the Cambrian, with sandboxes to be modelled above the footplate, or 9018, an Oswestry favourite with parallel buffers! All present nice short projects to detail their individual variations. I'm thinking the top feeds and sandboxes could be a nice trial for the 3D printer...
  10. alanbuttler
    Things have been a little quiet on the detailing front but I've managed to get a little time on 5726 again this weekend. It's becoming a test bed for detailing techniques so I'd imagine it will be a while yet before we see her finished!
     
    Coming back to it after a break, the whistles and shield still don't sit right with me. The shield is too close to the cab for starters so that needs addressing. Plan is to attach short lengths of handrail wire to the end of the whistles to extend them out further from the cab front sheet, enabling the whistle shield to be placed in a more prototypical position and angle. If this method works, I'll use it on the rest as I think it makes a nice difference seeing the whistle feeds taking their correct path into the cab front and not from out of the top of the firebox. More on that the next post.
     
    Today's tinkering has been concentrated on removing the handrails and forming up a finer replacement. I've been following Iain Rice's method in 'Etched Locomotive Construction' of using 0.4mm brass handrail and split pins instead of handrail knobs. For the cab and grab rails I'll still use Alan Gibson 0.45mm short knobs however.
     
    Fitting split pins into the body has been a challenge, as with an etched kit the pins can be folded out inside the boiler and soldered. No possibility of that with plastic! So I've been trimming down the split pins to handrail knob length which seems to work ok. The gaping holes left by the plastic handrail knobs have been filled with modellers putty and left to harden overnight, ready to re-drill with smaller holes for the split pins. The moulding lines have also been sanded away from the tank sides whilst the handrails are off.
     

     
    Yesterday I attempted my first once piece boiler handrail, with a few methods tried mainly without any success! I finally settled on using a candle to heat the wire and form the boiler curve and injector drain pipe kinks which was much easier.
     

     
    The last 2 tasks have been driven by a little adventurous purchase I made at ScaleForum North a couple of weeks back. After seeing the quality of High Level Kits in the flesh I couldn't resist investing in one! As preparation for the chassis, the other work has been removing the moulded pipework from under the running plate, ready for replacement with copper wire. The front and rear steps have also been filed down ready for fitting to the chassis once its built. Whenever that will be... I need to refocus on the works buildings now and stop getting distracted by detailing and going in at the deep end with an etched chassis!
  11. alanbuttler
    The 90xx Dukedog classes were obviously synonymous with the Cambrian system and as you'd expect many of them passed through Oswestry Works over the years, in fact probably all of them did at some point! Modelling the works gives a good excuse to model a number of Dukedogs and I've been researching not just which ones frequented the works the most often, but the many varied combinations of components, such as position of smokebox lampirons, sandboxes above/below the footplate, small/long/no whistle shield, parallel or tapered buffers, fluted or fish belly rods.. the list goes on! (for an excellent and comprehensive list of variations see http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-dukedogs.html)
     
    1954 to 1959 is the main focus of the diorama as this is the period I have found works registers for. The table below shows which 90xx's were in the works and how often:
     

     
    Dukedog's that stand out for me as options to model are as follows:
     
    9005
    - 3 times in the works between 1954 and 1959
    - Spent her whole life on the Cambrian (allocated to MCH, ABR and OSW)
    - Above footplate Sandboxes
    - Tapered Buffers pre 1958(?) Parallel afterwards
    - Fluted rods
    - In store in Oswestry for 2 years before withdrawal in July 1959
     
    9017
    - 4 times in the works
    - Oswestry Works carried out minor overhaul before her departure to the Bluebell
     
    9018
    - 3 times in the works between 1954 and 1959
    - Parallel Buffers & Tall Whistle Shield
    - Red background plates and GWR Button Motif still just about visible on the tender!
    - Withdrawn 1960
     
    Finally either 9004, 9014 or 9022, to represent the class with a topfeed. Most likely Croes Newydd's 9014 as she featured on railtours
     
    Another aspect to the research has been the great fortune of having Bluebell's 9017 only 40 minutes away at Sheffield Park! I made a visit a couple of weeks ago and spent a bit of time with her getting some reference photos. It'll sound daft I know but after spending so long looking at photos, books, websites etc, actually seeing 9017 in the flesh felt like visiting an old friend!
     
    Anyway....
     
    Here's some of the reference photos, I hope they may be of use to anyone else looking to add a little extra detail to the Bachmann Dukedog:
     
    1. Traces of the cab spectacle windows filled in

     
    2. Footstep on the tapered buffers

     
    3. Steam heatpipe fittings

     
    4. Pipework under the running plate

     
    5. Same pipework where it enters the cab

     
    6. Front pony detail, will be a challenge removing that unsightly coupling pocket from the Bachmann!

     

     
    7. Smokebox, Handrail, Chimney details

     
    8. Fisheye shot inside the cab

  12. alanbuttler
    The 56xx class of 0-6-2T tank engines were infrequent visitors to Oswestry, from what I can find only one a year would receive attention during the 1954-1959 period. These were predominantly 84E Tyseley or 84F Stourbridge Rd locomotives employed on freights and passenger workings in the Midlands. Locomotives of the Red route class had to navigate their way to the works at Oswestry via Gobowen with only a handful of sidings unrestricted for their weight category.
     
    This chart shows the entries recorded for the period 1954-1959 (excluding 1955):

     
    This trend continued right up until the closure of Oswestry Works, with 6644 being captured on camera as late as June/July 1965 (note 9F behind!):
     

    [Photo courtesy of Oswestry Family & Local History Group]
     
    I picked up a late crest Bachmann 56xx from the RMWeb Classifieds recently, this will be detailed an likely modelled as one of the later visitors to the works. I'm really looking forward to working on this class, it's always held a fascination with me since seeing the layout "Blaenavon" in Railway Modeller in the mid-1980's.
     
    5643 is currently visiting the Bluebell Railway which was a nice surprise when I was there recently to get photos of 9017. Only problem was there was no chance to get any detail from the boiler/tank tops!
     
    1. 5643 on shed in the evening sunshine

     
    2. Buffer beam detail

     
    3. Lubricators

     
    4. R/H Sandbox linkages

     
    5. R/H Cab Step and injectors (?)

     
    6. Buffer detail

     
    7. Vacuum and Steam heating pipes

     
    8. L/H Cab Step, Sandboxes, Injectors

     
    9. L/H Front pipework behind the bufferbeam

     
    10. L/H Sandbox linkage and lubricators

     
    11. Smokebox door

     
    12. R/H front frames and sandbox

     
    13. R/H rear pipework

     
    14. Unknown device on R/H - any ideas?

     
    Full set here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cambrian_al/sets/72157644247589256/
     
    Cheers
  13. alanbuttler
    I always get an extra buzz seeing a preserved locomotive that spent some or most of its working life on the Cambrian, especially if it's one I plan to feature in the works. 2516 is up there at the top of the list along with Cambrian stalwarts such as 9017, 7802, 7808, well any Manor to be honest!
     
    During the few days I spent working in Swindon this week I was able to spend an evening walking around the works, what's left of it, and the McArthur Glen Outlet centre. The whole experience left me feeling quite jaded and depressed. I don't like shopping centres at the best of times, walking around those halls which were occupied by such artisans and craftsmen of the GWR, now replaced with corporate sterility with barely a reference to the past was a bit too much. In fact if you look at the website for the centre there is no mention of the history of the buildings whatsoever. There are about 5 overhead cranes left in situ and other items of heavy machinery flanked by fashion manikins. It left a hollow feeling, seeing a site of industrial heritage occupied by such icons of consumerism. At least its all still there I guess!
     
    The town centre isn't much better, within a few minutes walk of the hotel there were 5 types of cash converters, 4 betting shops and numerous closed up shop fronts, soon to be betting shops no doubt. The place felt desperate and was in stark contrast to the towns history of caring for its employees welfare. Seeing the derelict Mechanics Institute was enough for me and I headed back to the hotel under a cloud! Some pictures are here for those who wish to make up their own mind, I might have painted too black a picture.
     
    Anyway, enough gloom... STEAM at least was very enjoyable and seeing Caerphilly Castle, 2516 and Ditcheat Manor. Ditcheat Manor looked fantastic in BR Lined Black, I've seen a photo of her at Oswestry delivered brand new fresh from the works in the same condition. Another to add to the list...!
     
    2516 is presented in a slightly odd format, with the tender separated and a walkway around one side. It does however mean you can get a good look inside the frames an in the cab, but its a shame the tender is separated. During the period I'll be modelling, by this time only 2516 and 2538 were still active on the Cambrian. 2516 was also during this period repainted into GWR Green for use on railtours, though I've not yet been able to ascertain when and for how long.
     

     
     
    1. R/H Profile

     
    2. Bufferbeam and smokebox

     
    3. Reversing lever and inside motion

     
    4. Some kind of drain under the firebox?

     
    5. Pipework under the R/H cab step

     
    6.

     
    7. Cab

     

     
    8. L/H Profile

     
    9.

     
    10. Cab details

     
    11. Inside motion (surely a reason to invest in a High Level Chassis!)

     

     

     
    12. Bufferbeam

     
    13. Smokebox

     
    14. Tender

     
    15. Toolbox and water gauge

     
    16. Toolbox and fireirons

     
    17. Tender

     
    18. Tender Bufferbeam

     
    Full set here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cambrian_al/sets/72157644213689338/
  14. alanbuttler
    Oswestry had a number of 74xx Panniers on its books, as well as Machynlleth and Aberystwyth, so I'd been keeping an eye out for a cheap NuCast 64xx/74xx whitemetal kit on Ebay when one came up a few months back. I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to kit building in anything other than plastic, the only contact I've had with whitemetal was a brief foray into Warhammer 40k when I was 18 and that didn't involve any soldering so probably doesn't count! The rough plan is to use the kit to get some experience and build static under repair in the works. The kit came without a motor or gear box, but has wheels and axles at least and spacers for OO gauge.
    74xx's were used in various tasks on the Cambrian such as station pilots and yard shunters, though rarely on passenger services outside of Barmouth being non-auto fitted. Prototype wise, there were 5 or so 74xx's that spent most of their BR lives on the Cambrian.
    7405 - Oswestry until 1962, spending its final year at Carmarthen 7406 - Aberystwyth until withdrawal in 1962 7410 - Machynlleth to 1954 then transferred to Oswestry until withdrawal in 1961 7417 - Mach to 1960, Oswestry for a year then back to Mach for the end, withdrawn 1961 7434 - Oswestry (from new), to Mach in 1959, back to Oswestry in 1961, withdrawn 1962 7410 shunting on the Coney Green at Oswestry (Ben Brooksbank via Wikimedia Commons)
    A notable addition is 7428 which spent it last couple of years as station pilot at Aberystwyth (coming from Croes Newydd in 1960), still with GWR letting adorned on the tanks in yellow chalk. This tradition was kept up even after she was withdrawn at Oswestry and left on the cripple sidings pending its last journey to the cutters. (A great colour picture here on Rail Online)
    All 5 were frequent visitors to the works:

    7410 seems like a good choice seeing as it spent so much times visiting the works.
    Onto the build. Being a first timer, I'd started the build using 2 part epoxy, for the cab and splashers. This seemed to go ok-ish, but minimising the amount of excess epoxy was tricky. That was about 2 months ago... in the mean time I've bought a soldering iron and got on with the rest of the body. I had to modify the tank/boiler assembly considerably to get it to sit flush on the cab and frames and its still not as good as it should be. It's been a good learning experience though, using a soldering iron for the first time and learning as I go. I've been using Iain Rice's Whitemetal Loco Construction and George Dent's Kit Building for Railway Modellers Vol 2 books, both which I would be lost without.

    Dry fit of the boiler/tank assembly. Some work needed to minimise those gaping holes!
    There is another issue with the running plate being slightly out of alignment, so looking straight on the whole loco is slightly lopsided. As it happens 7410 was in the works in 1954 for bent front and rear buffer beams amongst other things, so I could just about get away with the poor quality of my construction It's rapidly becoming more of a test bed than a model that will actually be usable but I'm learning a lot so not all bad.
     
    There are a few missing items in the kit, no top feed for starters, that I'll 3D print, but there should also be a cover under the smokebox, in front of the tank supports. Using some scrap brass etch I fashioned a cover with the piecing saw, I think it works, but not under any close inspection! So far, so... ok. Learnt a lot and feel a bit more confident with a soldering iron, especially after trying brass to whitemetal. There needs to be a little more time cleaning up the body before I can get stuck into the list of detailing tasks. More to come shortly.


     

  15. alanbuttler
    Whilst the NuCast 74xx build has taken up space on the workbench, I've still got the disassembled remains of 5726 which I began detailing back in March to finish. Much of what I've done to 5726 needs doing to 7410 and more so I thought it would be a good time to share some photographs of preserved Pannier's which helped with 5726. Tom Foster is about to start out detailing on his blog here, hopefully some of these pictures will be of use Tom
    As you'd expect many panniers passed through the books at Oswestry works, but there were also some classes very foreign to the Cambrian - 15xx's from Old Oak Common, 94xx's from Tyseley and even a 97xx Condensing tank. The mainstay however were the small 16xx class, auto fitted 54xx, 74xx and 57xx and the later model 8750's. Its the panniers from the Cambrian sheds I'm mainly interested in as they visited the most often, in particular I short listed 4 panniers to feature, 5700 (without a top feed), 5726, 3638 from Brecon 89B and 3789 from Oswestry 89A:

    Oswestry Works - 5700 Class visits

    Oswestry Works - 8750 Class visits
     
    It was at a trip to Didcot back in May that I was able to get a proper look at some of the trickier components to see in photographs, such as the sanding apparatus and inside motion. The small diagram which comes with the RT models sandbox linkage etch I had a little trouble deciphering until I'd seen the real thing.
    The sandbox pull rods appear to operate via a single rod from the cab, which connects to another rod which passes under the boiler, then pivoting a right and left pull rod:










    One day I might actually see a Pannier on a platform where I can get some photos of the tank top, though this area is very well covered in the volumes of the Pannier Papers. 5726 is currently minus all its handrails after I planned to replace them with finer 0.45mm brass wire and Alan Gibson handrail knobs. The new hand rail is bent to shape ready for fitting, but something tells me it will find its way onto 7410 before then...!
  16. alanbuttler
    I'm back in Wales for a few days and to keep up the momentum of progress I figured I'd set myself a small project, something that doesn't take up too much space or need too many tools - making some injectors to replace the whitemetal ones with the NuCast 74xx. By the time I'd packed the reference books, tweezers, pliers, components, lamps, soldering iron etc I might as well have brought the whole tool box, but that's another matter.
     
    Whitemetal kits and etched kits are completely new territory for me, so for about a year before I bought a soldering iron I read, read and read so more. Not that it changed much, I still didn't feel confident enough to even open the wrapper on the Dean Goods chassis, certainly not the High Level Pannier I'd bought eagerly at ScaleForum months ago, still sat neatly packed in its box... time was the main factor, I needed a clear head and some hours set aside to have a go. Now I've got a bit more free time there are no more excuses left. Soldering iron has been bought, Whitemetal kit attempted. No turning back now!
     
    I'd first heard of Iain Rice's Building Whitemetal Locomotives and Etched Loco Construction through Geoff Forster's blog Chronicles of Penhydd and I managed to find them both very cheaply second hand. As well as explaining the whole process extremely clearly and with some humour from time to time, it's the level of scratch built detail that really captured my attention - vacuum pipes (with pipe couplings!), backheads, washout plugs and so much more. It was the injectors that caught my eye though as these are nearly always poorly reproduced in plastic. So here goes, an attempt at creating one of these small Iain Rice masterpieces.
    A few months ago the components were collected:
    1/16" Brass Capilliary Tubing for the Injector body 0.75mm Copper Wire for the steam and water pipes 1mm Copper Wire for the Top feed and Overflow pipes 16BA and 14BA washers and nuts for the fittings and valves
    74xx Scratchbuilt Injector components by CAMBRIAN AL, on Flickr
     
    Before starting however I realised I had no idea what all these mysterious pipes actually did. So a bit of reading up was the first job and thankfully the Bluebell Railway have a full description of the process, documented when they replaced the injectors on 9017:
    To help get my head around the various pipes, valves and their purpose I put a 3D model together in Sketchup. This is based on the 74xx, though there is an additional thinner pipe from the water inlet valve which goes into the cab - I'm guessing this is how the fireman controls the water inlet from the tanks?
     

    74xx Injector - Sketchup design for possible 3D print by CAMBRIAN AL, on Flickr
     
    Just getting the thing drawn on paper was a challenge, its the kind of device that no matter how many times I look at it I spot another pipe I'd not seen before, or then looking at it in reverse, on the opposite side of the tank might as well be the first time I've seen it. A few sketches and the 3D model helped though and I think I've now grasped the concept!
     
    For a test I've started out with just the basics - fitting 2 types of wire to the capillary tube and fitting a washer and nut. Straightforward enough I thought, before I started to employ every tweezer I owned and still needed an extra hand. After a while of remelting all the solder and the whole thing falling apart for the 10th time, I switched tactics - drown the whole unit in flux, melt the solder onto the new item to introduce and quickly jam it in place before the solder hardens.
     
    Or alternatively, tomorrow I'll try to do the whole lot in a 10th of the time with super glue (I'm sure it will still be a challenge though!)
     
    Or, I'll 3D print the body and still use the wire for piping...
     

    74xx Scratchbuilt Injector test by CAMBRIAN AL, on Flickr
     

    74xx Scratchbuilt Injector test by CAMBRIAN AL, on Flickr
  17. alanbuttler

    74xx Injectors Part II

    By alanbuttler,


    DETAILING
    In the last entry I was trying and failing to get an injector built with the soldering iron. I had some good advice about using 188 deg solder combined with 145 deg to build up the injector without it melting into a lump, I'll give that a go when I'm back home in Brighton. In the mean time I've retried the process using super glue. It's been pretty successful, except I've not been able to make it small enough - without the pannier body to give it some sense of scale, it looks ok but it still needs to be about 20% smaller to fit between the running plate and the tanks!
     

    74xx Injector scratch build test by CAMBRIAN AL, on Flickr
     
    For the time being I'll put this little side project to one side, there is still much to do in Illustrator to get the works ready for the laser cutter. Once the 3D printer is up and running it will be a good test of its abilities.
  18. alanbuttler
    I've started this blog for the motive power side of things, keeping the Oswestry Works Diorama thread more works build/research focused. Motive Power for the Works project is based on the original works registers which survive at the National Archives in Kew. Thumbing through these historical documents inspired me to recreate scenes from different periods based on what would have actually taken place to add a new dimension of realism and interest. So far I've seen the 1954 works register which has a considerable array of GWR, BR and a former Cambrian locomotive, Class 15 no 855.
     
    Here's a sample of pages from the 1954 registers:
     




     
    The full 1954 register is in a google spreadsheet here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aoqn2BX3AhTDdE5DRTU4RUlIZmkzaXJSVTloVUEwRFE&usp=drive_web#gid=0
     
    I'm completely new to detailing, scratch building and weathering, so progress will be quite slow but hopefully still interesting!
     
    First up will be a batch of 5 locomotives to renumber, detail and weather, to represent the works in the summer of 1954:
     
    5726 - Oswestry allocated pannier, I believe used on freight workings on Ellesmere line
    3638 - Brecon allocated pannier
    9018 - Machynlleth allocated Dukedog
    7803 - Machynlleth allocated Barcote Manor
    46514 - Oswestry allocated 2MT
     
    I've started out with 5726, in the registers for August 1954, more to follow on that shortly
  19. alanbuttler
    My continuing lack of modelling progress due to working away is counter balanced by it taking me near to shows, preserved lines and museums around the country that I otherwise wouldn't get to. Looking at the last month its been a bit of a whirlwind tour with there seemingly always something within an hour of the office that is worth seeing! The last couple of months I've been lucky enough to get to MOSI, Wakefield for Scaleforum, the NRM, York Show, Llangollen, The W&L, Didcot, The Bluebell and now Swindon and STEAM.
     
    As a result I've been lucky to get access to many of the preserved locomotives which feature in Oswestry Works. Although as pointed out preserved locos have had many modifications and enhancements after preservation that would not be present during their first lives, there still is no substitute for spending some time with the real thing. So here is the next instalment of reference photographs, this time its 5322 which I saw looking glorious in BR Black at Didcot last weekend.
     
    Firstly a look at the classes activity in the works for the period 1954-1959 (minus 1955!):
     

     
    6371 and 4377 have both been earmarked for modelling, 6371 being a Machynlleth resident 1954-1960 and 4377 from 1955. This great reference photo of 6371 on Rail Photo Prints has really whet my appetite, though it has highlighted some major variations to 5322, particularly the body work around the reversing lever and the boiler supports.
     
    1. 5322 on shed at Didcot

     
    2. Pony truck and buffer beam

     
    3. Lamp brackets and footsteps

     
    4. L/H Cylinder drains

     
    5. L/H Cylinder

     
    6. Lamp Irons

     
    7. L/H Sandbox linkages

     
    8. R/H Sandbox linkages

     
    9. R/H Profile

     
    10. Inside Motion

     

     
    11. Cab

     

     
    12. Storm Sheet

     
    Full set here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cambrian_al/sets/72157644568638885/
  20. alanbuttler

    5726 - Pipework and Pull Rods!

    By alanbuttler,


    DETAILING
    It's been 8 months since I did anything to 5726, it being the first locomotive that I'd attempted to detail. It was turning into a bit of a test bed to try out techniques, some worked well, some didn't and some need revisiting (again!).
     
    It's been a big help seeing the progress Tom Foster is making on his Panniers and we've both being taking inspiration from similar sources - PMP's Albion Yard and George Dents excellent Detailing and Modifying RTR loco's, both which have been invaluable to the beginner in detailing.
    The push I needed to do some modelling again was reading James Wells post about his 57xx project, detailed and weathered to a high standard in a short space of time. Cheers James!
     
    The last time 5726 was out it was in quite a sorry state: hand rails removed; whistles removed and refitted a few times, still not happy with them; and lastly I'd started to remove the moulded pipework along the running plate with a view to replacing with brass and copper wire. Today's tasks have been to finish the handrails, redo the sandbox pull rods and replace the moulded pipework. Jobs for 2015 are to have a go at 3D printing a new whistle/manifold/shield assembly, build the etched chassis and finally paint and weather.
     
    Handrails - I'd started work on replacing the handrails back in April and would have finished that step today had I not run out of handrail knobs... the main tank handrail is finished, using AG 0.4mm brass wire and handrail knobs. Now just the small tank grab rails and cab rails to finish.
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
     
    Sandbox Pull Rods - Both Tom and James have fitted their RT sandbox etch in a more prototypical manner, which looks much better, so this was the first task to rectify. Previously I'd had the pull rod fixed to the top of the sandbox lid, where in reality it should be attached just behind the lid to a short pivot. I used AG 0.4mm handrail wire and soldered it to the end of the pull rod, then positioned into a small drill hole in the running plate.
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
    Replacement Vacuum and Injector Overflow pipework - this was another task inspired by reading Iain Rice's Etched Loco Construction and something also on the list for 7410. It was surprisingly easy to remove the moulded pipe work with a flat tipped Xacto knife blade, working along the running plate. Before starting out, as with trying to make my own injectors for 7410, I needed to understand what I was trying to recreate first. To help with this I'd recently picked up a BR era copy of the Handbook for Railway Steam Locomotive Enginemen, which has descriptive colour coded diagrams of everything, just what I need for my non-mechanical brain!
     
    Looking through the Pannier papers and at other photos, it looks as though the vacuum pipe runs the length of the left hand side - for these I used AG's 0.7mm handrail wire. The slightly smaller diameter steam heating pipe runs the length of the right hand side, usually insulated in cloth cladding - 0.4mm handrail wire seemed about right for these. For the small fastening clips I've folded over 1mm phosphor bronze strip and used 14BA washers for the pipework joins.
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
     
    The injector overflows look like a slightly larger diameter pipe to the vacuum pipes - for those I used 20 SWG copper wire and 16BA washers for the joins. I'm not 100% happy with them, the bends need to be a bit neater but I'll see what they look like when painted. Overall though, I'm happy and its been another good learning exercise! Next update will be once the handrails are sorted and I've had a go at printing the whistle assembly, or part of it so I can still use the turned brass whistles.
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
     
    5726 - Detailing progress
  21. alanbuttler

    5726 - Steam heating pipes

    By alanbuttler,


    DETAILING
    Happy new year all!
     
    Today I've finished the replacement pipework on 5726. For the injector overflow pipe I've used slightly smaller washers, reamed out to fit the copper wire as I think they look a little more to scale than my previous effort. For the steam heating pipework I fancied having a go at creating the effect of cloth cladding so I've experimented with some surgical tape. Micropore has a fibrous texture and I think might be just about fine enough to look something like the real thing.
    The handrails have also been completed, using Markits short 1.6mm knobs, not Alan Gibson as I'd originally thought.
     
    Last job now is the whistles and shield before painting finally!
     

    Steam heating pipes - Micropore around 0.4mm handrail wire by CAMBRIAN AL, on Flickr
     

     

     

  22. alanbuttler
    Other B9 Creator users have had some impressive results using Spot-HT resin, in particular for small highly detailed components (see Rab's creations!). The main difference with this resin to the proprietary B9 resins is that you cannot use it for casting, it is also much less viscous which should mean that it settles quicker. I'd just about enough life left in the layer of PDMS for another print, so today I tested printing some detailing components using Spot-HT. The test parts I've roughly drawn up in Sketchup, some will need a little more work depending on the results of the print. The test pieces were:
     
    4x Pannier tank rear steps
    1x Top feed for 74xx
    12x GWR Whistles pairs and mounting bracket
    14x Steam heating hose cocks
     

     
    First up, the steps have come out really well, with a thickness of 0.5mm they look just right. The rivet detail has come out nicely but I will probably increase the size next time round. There is some flash to remove from the edges of the steps, due to the positioning on the build table. Another thing for next time is printing these small components on a sprue. They were a devil to get off the build table without damaging! That said, this material is pretty tough even before curing under UV light.
     

     
    The whistles have lost quite a lot of their detail but I think this is down to the clouding of the PDMS. However, the small nut on top of the whistles has printed really well, considering its 0.25mm wide its pretty amazing! The steam heating hose cocks also look pretty good, with the addition of a turned brass pipe and handle made from 0.4mm handrail wire. However both these items are slightly overscale, I'll have to get the micrometer out next time and make them more accurate!
     

     

     
    For now that's it for printing. I'm waiting on my spare vat to return from the USA as its being fitted with a replacement for PDMS called Nuvat, developed by Evert on the B9 Creator forum (details here). This new material should last a lot longer than PDMS.
  23. alanbuttler
    After what was in retrospect disappointing results with Spot HT – through my own ineptitude I must add, I went back to the tried and tested 1:1 mix of B9 Creator Red and Cherry resin. This isn’t to say one is any better than the other, but with little life left in the layer of PDMS silicone before it needs replacement I didn’t have the leeway to experiment further with Spot HT.
     
    This last batch of prints has been more experimentation with what level of detail is possible. Second time round I reduced the size of the whistles and the steam heating cock to be a more prototypical size, even more challenging for the printer. After quite a few false starts (left the projector lens cap on, build table not calibrated properly, not enough resin, ultrasonic died), I finally got a successful batch of prints of the highest detail so far.
     
    This feels like uncharted territory because I’ve not wanted to let myself believe that it was capable of this kind of detail, until I’d seen it with my own eyes, coming out of my own printer.
     
    The whistles came out almost perfectly, considering that some of the detail in the design was under 0.25mm it would be impossible to see with out a macro lens or magnification. Once cured these fine parts are quite robust, they aren’t indestructible but they did handle tweezers and finger tips, positioning them and trimming away traces of Tacky Wax under a magnifying glass! It’s the detail presented on these that has really left me speechless.
     

     
    The beauty of this resin is it’s use to complement traditional materials, in this case matching up the whistles and mount with a Comet whistle shield etch and two strands of 36 swg copper wire to represent the whistle pipework. The whistle print stood up to the finicky task of glueing everything together well, with impatient tweezer nibs looming, third hands full, trying not to drown the details out in glue. This is the kind of detail I was hoping to attain after a few abortive attempts last year.
     

     

     

     
    So with that done I think I’m out of excuses as to why 5726 can’t be finally painted and have its correct numbers fitted!
  24. alanbuttler
    With 5726 waiting on some final bits (smokebox number and shed plate) I thought I'd make a start on the trio of Dukedog's that will feature in the works. At this stage its detailing I'm concentrating on, converting them to P4 will be a challenge for later when I've developed some better skills...! There is a well documented process to convert a Dukedog to EM on Alan Gibson's website, hopefully this could be a good starting point.
     
    The 3 Dukedog's will give some opportunity to model some of the slight variations between the class members as detailed by Russ Elliott on the GWR Modelling website. Another great source is Railway Bylines Vol 16 issues 2 and 3 (Jan & Feb). Both have 14 page or so articles on the life of the Dukedogs and some great photos. For the works I've selected first in class No.9000, No.9004 and No.9018, all 89C:
     
    9000 (great reference photos at Dovey Junction, Aberystwyth and Machynlleth)
    Sandboxes above the footplate (determined by the particular donating Bulldog frame) Top feed No whistle shield Small Dean/Churchward tender Fluted rods Lamp iron on smokebox door Black background number 9004 (On shed at Portmadoc, in store at Wellington)
    Top Feed Short whistle shield Fish belly rods Lamp iron on smokebox door Red background number 9018 (On freight at Aberdovey, not long till the end, Oswestry)
    Parallel buffers Tall whistle shield Red background number Fish belly rods Faded GWR shirtbutton motif on tender Other options in the future might be 9005, 9014, 9017... can you tell I like Dukedogs... Looking at the works registers for the period I'll be modelling, there are plenty to chose from. 9018 spent it's last days in store out on 'the batter' siding at Oswestry. Along with 9017 and 9004, these were the last of the Dukedog's to see service in 1960. I'd picked up a cheap Bachmann GWR Dukedog from Ebay with various parts broken or missing - the perfecting starting point for 9018 as most of the stuff which was missing I was planning to replace anyway!
     
    First up are the buffers, I've used Alan Gibson parallel Collett versions. I can't say how easy or hard it was to get the original ones off - they weren't on there in the first place! The remains of the old buffers are part of the chassis casting, so these were filed down slightly before fitting the replacements.
     

     
    Next was the electrical conduit for the ATC equipment - a small pipe routed through the cab front, down through and then along the running plate to the ATC kit under the front buffer beam. This was a pretty straightforward task with some 0.4mm hand rail wire and some holes drilled in the cab front and the running plate. Photos from a trip to the Bluebell to see 9017 in store helped with this.
     

     
    Next step, though probably a little early considering what else there is to do, was to fit the fine whistle and mounting bracket. I'd printed this a few days ago after a couple of days of fine tuning the B9 Creator settings. This is the finest detail I've got so far, though amazingly there is still some room for improvement looking at what others are achieving! It's fitted to a Comet Model's long shield, part of the LS74 GWR detailing etch.
     

     

     
    That's it for 9018 now until a few orders come in next week - I'm waiting on cabside numbers from 247 Developments and smokebox numbers from Pacific models. For 9000 and 9004 I've final samples of the 3D printed top feed and sandbox prints currently curing in the UV oven. Both these designs needed some revisions as the first round of prints weren't quite right. The top feed was a pig to design, not having an diagrams to work from just photos, but I think I've got it somewhere near now. Sandboxes are quite straight forward, there are 2 types, the more common type with the pull rods running along the top, and a less common variation with pull rods running along side the sandbox.
     

  25. alanbuttler
    A number of the Dukedog’s had above footplate sandboxes as determined by the frames of the donating Bulldog. No.9000 and No.9005 will feature in the Works, both of which had this particular trait. There is also another slight variation, No.9000 and No.9005 had their pull rods above the filler lids, whereas 9008 had them running along side the sandboxes, in between the wheel splashers and springs (it’s quite hard to make out, but here is a picture courtesy of the GWSR)
     
    This evenings task was seeing how the 3D printed sandboxes for 9000 and 9005 would fit. I’ve had to tweak them a few times to deal with the slight lip on running plate near the rear wheel splashers. First job though was to remove the front sandbox lids from the running plate. These are part of the metal chassis and were not going to budge with a knife, so I threaded a piecing saw blade between the boiler and the running plate in order to cut them away.
     

     
    First complication was that the front grab rails needed removing in order to get a decent cut. These are also metal and quite hard to remove cleanly, in fact I only successfully pulled one, with the other three snapping off and leaving the peg in the chassis. After taking off the sandbox lids I re-drilled these ready for fitting replacements.
     
    The sandboxes ping off their build supports really easily, but they do need a little cleaning up with a knife or needle file to ensure a flush fit. The build support penetration can be configured, in this case it was set to 25 microns, so if you remove the supports carefully they just need a quick once over with a file.
     
    I’ve experimented with what angle to build them at quite a bit, the best detail being printing them in the normal orientation, but this does mean the base of them is rather uneven – this is due to the resin dripping away and some of it curing. I’m sure that can be resolved, once I replace the layer of silicone in the printer I should get even sharper prints. But for the time being I’ve rotated the prints 45 degrees which gives best of both worlds.
     

     
    On the top of the sandboxes I’d added the short spigots for the pull rods to connect to, more as a test if anything to see if the printer would cope with them. It did, but in practice they are useless, there is nothing for the pull rod to attach to and its too fine a point for glue. These were clipped off and 0.4mm handrail wire used instead, allowing the brass strip pull rods to be soldered to the handrail wire.
     

     

     
    With that done the next jobs were to bring No.9000 up to the same basic detailed level of No.9018 – replace all the buffer beam fittings, add the ATC electrical conduit etc. The top feed also needed fixing and the pipework modifying, all tasks which involve a fair bit of handling and not ideal after just fixing the sandbox pull rods! Next time round I’ll put them on last as the pull rod connection to the spigots is quite delicate.
     
    For the top feed I started out with some 24 swg (0.559mm) copper wire, taped to the boiler with some Tamiya masking tape to get the right shape.
     

     
    With the wire tacked in place it can then bent to shape, with a pair of 16 BA washers added to represent the pipe join before it dips behind the wheel splasher
     

     
    I had originally attempted to make the thin metal pipe casing out of Tamiya masking tape, but I couldn't get the right shape. Something to revisit when I've more patience!
     

     

     

     
    Last job now is all the smaller tasks, lamp iron on the smoke box door, replace the whistle, screw link couplings, vacuum pipe and checker plate steps on the buffer shanks. The top feed could do with a little modelling putty to remove that slight gap also - a side effect of the angle I printed the top feed at results in the underside not being completely smooth as it should be. Something that I can work on, or just file out more! That's it for now though, juggling the soldering iron and tweezers trying to make the pull rods has just about finished me off
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