david65061

Nelson Well done that is a fantastic model. I particularly like the fact that the balsa wood actually looks like wood once it is painted. (no surprise really). It is important not to get fixated on one modelling medium and to use the best material to do the job. I now I am some times guilty of trying to work out how to make something and failing the sometime later I realise I should use a different material and it suddenly becomes easy. Any way you have shown that you can work well with different mediums. Keep up the good work. regards David

Dear all I got out and did some painting on Monday so my model is now in primer. I shows I have a few imperfections to work on but over all I am quite pleased. Once I have had a go with filler and perhaps another coat of primer it will be plain unlined matt black for the loco. regards David

Steve I hope you a feeling better. I think that the fact you have your modelling mojo back might be a good sign that you are recovering. I hope it is and we can look forward to updates in the future. regards David

Dear Colin The model is really looking the part. Cutting the old sides off and replacing them has been worth it. I know how annoying it can be to realise that you have done something wrong and just have to put it right. I hope you find a solution to your glazing problem. I am sorry I can not offer any suggestions. Steam engines do not have much glazing. Though your inspirational modelling is making me think about an electric unit of my own. I keep looking at pictures of north tyneside units but the large expanse of windows is putting me off. Any way keep up the good work and I can't wait to see the whole unit finished. regards David

Dear all On the homeward straight. I have made the fall plate. It is not attached permanently but just sprung into the cab. here it is in position. The foot step stays have been added. Now all I have to do are the guard irons and to get a screw coupling for the rear coupling. So when I get a nice sunny not very windy day I should be able to start painting the body. Not sure I will have time over easter but we shall see. regards David

Steve That is a great looking model. Intresting to see you have modelled it with a newer boiler. The kits all seem to come with the original boiler. Are you planning it to be 65033? I have built a model of it my self and you have got it in the correct condition. By the late 50s and early 60s they had all had so many little changes that they were all mostly unique. regards David

Steve Thanks for your comment. Once you have finished your model please post a picture so we can all see it. It is always nice to see how some one else has done. regards David

Dear all I have fitted the brakes to the loco. I used Alan Gibson Great Eastern loco bake shoes, which are made from plastic so no need to worry about shorts. I made the rodding out of two pieces of waste etch nickel silver from a previous kit. The brake shoes do not show up too well on the picture as they are black. I am slowly getting there. regards David

Dear all Slowly I have been making some progress amongst my other modelling. Perhaps I should start a work bench thread for all the odds and ends modelling I do so they could go somewhere. First was a representation of the back head. It is only a representation and not a true copy as that would be quite complex but at least it has more detail than a cast white metal one. the back head installed in the cab. I have corrected the ride hight on the tender with 3 layers of 20 thou stuck to the top. The tender now matches the loco. I have installed a coupling to attach the tender to the loco. I have seen other peoples threads where they have used some wire to make a simple hook so I thought I would give it a a try. simple loop on the loco. hook on the tender. the coupling in place. According to my list of jobs to finish I have four jobs left to complete before I am ready to paint the loco. Brake shoes and rods, fall plate, guard irons, front foot step stays and to sort out a screw coupling for the tender. Though I may think of other jobs if I have missed something.So it should not take me too long but I may be distracted by other jobs so don't hold your breath. regards David

Dear All How to make a brake standard. The parts needed, a small tube, small hand rail knob and two short lengths of wire. The hand rail knob goes in one end with 0.45mm wire forming the handle. 0.7mm wire forms a foot to attach it to the foot plate at the other end. The completed brake standard in position. I have also finished of the rails with three small bits of 0.7mm wire super glued in position to form the supports along the back edge. regards David

Dear All just a quick job tonight. The hoses have been added to the tender. .first the vacuum hose. luckily it comes through the foot plate so their is something to glue it into. then the steam hose. I think I have got the shape better than the front one. one of the good things about building North Eastern freight locos is you usually do not need to bother with any hoses. regards David

Dear All Its been a while as I have been playing with other projects but I did fit the vacuum and steam pipes yesterday. The vacuum hose on the front needed some help to make sure it remains firmly on the front of the loco I soldered a stub of wire on to the back so it could be glued into a hole drilled in the buffer beam. The altered pipe and an unaltered original. The completed pipes. I am not sure if the steam pipe is too long. running under the valence on each side are very prominent pipes. Steam one side and vacuum the other. These were bent up from wire then spot soldered in place. This involved very quick work with the iron soldering it to the brass bars representing the valences. I decided that this would be the most secure way of attaching the pipes as with glue they would be vulnerable to being knocked off. regards David

Dear Colin I have converted an 00 black beetle to EM. It was a long time ago so I can't remember all the details. You have to take it apart, remove the wheels then pull the axle out leaving the final drive cog behind. The new wheel set needs dismantling the axle reinserting picking up the drive cog. I had to glue the cog back on using loctite603. this must be quite difficult as I remember I nearly glued the whole mechanism solid or perhaps I just made a mess of it. once the new wheels were put back on I had a working em black beetle. It can't be that hard if I managed it as I find mechanisms and chassis difficult to get right. Good luck with the move to P4 regards David

Dear Kingfisher Good luck with the birth and after. I am sure for a while you will not be able to get around to modelling but eventually you will be able to get the odd hour here and there to get back to it. Any way it will be worth while missing modelling for a couple of months, baby's are great and your baby will be just fantastic. Anyway sleep is over rated. kind regards David

Dear Steve wishing you a quick recovery and I hope you'll be back modelling soon. Can you build models while sitting in bed? I am sure you will give it a good try. All the best David

Nelson It looks great well done. The rusty wheels look fine. You have got that light coat of weathering spot on. regards David

Dear Colin I am very sorry to hear you have diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I hope the treatment will not be too hard and you will be back to health in the future. I am sure every one on RM web will be thinking of you at this difficult time. All the best David

Dear Nelson The waggon is looking good. I know how exams get in the way of modelling. I am always on at my son to get on with his work and not to do the things he enjoys. (bmx, guitar and youtube in his case). Keep up the good work. regards David

Dear all I have done a little detailing on the tender. Lamp irons are normal staples cut to length and super glued in place. The coupling hook is a brass etching bought from a stall at a show but I can't recall which. The tool boxes are from Dave Bradwell. I bought a set of castings from his j27 kit for my J26 scratch build, so I will have to source another set for it. Being lazy it was easier to use the ones I had rather than source some new ones. I'm good at putting things off. I have fitted steps but I think I have made them too wide so they will need to trim them down slightly. I have added beading to the front coal space divider. I am getting to the stage where this loco is nearly finished and I need to sit and write a list of everything left to be done. At which point I discover there is still quite a lot of detailing left to be done. regards David

Dear All I have fitted pick ups to the loco and done a test run. first two pieces of gapped copper clad were glued under the chassis with epoxy resin. Then two 7mm pieces of wire were soldered between the copper clad to act as bush bars. Pieces of 5mm phospher bronze wire were then soldered to the bush bars to act as pick ups. I have never settled on a satisfactory system for pick ups so this time I thought I would experiment with just straight bits of wire. Once the pick ups were fitted I then attached wire from the bush bars to the motor terminals and it was time for a test run. After oiling the wheel bearings the loco ran smoothly up and down. It will certainly do with running in but I have managed to build a functioning chassis. Now for the final detailing. regards David

Dear Colin This is a fantastic build and truly represents the prototype. I have been following your builds with admiration and it has inspired me to improve my own modelling. I will miss not having one of your builds to follow but I am sure that the move to p4 will be successful and will produce an impressive layout. Though I would be interested in seeing you tackle a 313. I am running out of superlatives to describe your work so I'll just say good luck for the future. kind regards David

I had a similar experience with my jinty tank. I used the horn blocks but tried to use a compensation beam. Using the 4mm wire caused too much slop and it would not run. In desperation I soldered the horn blocks in position to get my self a smooth running rigid chassis. Not what I had planned to build. Once it was irrevocably soldered solid did I have the idea that I could have used 7mm wire to reduce the slop. The experience put me of using alan gibson horn blocks again so I never did try to see if 7mm wire would work. regards David

Dear Steve Thanks for your comment. I sure you could aim for a similar skill level. I am not doing anything very special I just take my time to make sure it is correct. You yourself show that you have got a similar skill level in the way you are splicing together your Caledonian coaches. You take your time to make sure the join is invisible between each section. I am just doing it with pieces of plasticard thats all. As for not painting it , It will be like this until the summer when hopefully we get a warm sunny windless day when it will have an appointment with some halfords spray paint. Until then I need to get around to the remaining detailing bits. The type of thing when it is fitted you do not notice but if it is left off it looks wrong. regards David.

Thanks for pointing that out I did not know that. Its worth knowing as the Alan Gibson range of frames is very extensive and you can use the universal coupling rods if there are not ready made coupling rods to match.

Dear All It has been quite a long time since I have posted as I did no modelling over the christmas and new year period and most of my modelling time since then has been spent on building a high level armstrong shunter kit, but I have managed to progress slightly. So what follows will be quite abridged version as I have forgotten exactly what I did as it has been a while. The slim liner+ gear box with the etch already folded up and the folds soldered to make them strong. Cutting the 2mm rod supplied to form axels for the gear wheels Gluing the worm on to the moto shaft using loctite 603 The chassis painted awaiting wheels and motor. Motor test fitted into the frames Alan gibson wheels and motor fitted A shot of the under side of the gear box showing how narrow the slim liner+ is. There is plenty of room for it with in the fire box. A couple of shots of the loco sitting on its chassis Next job will be to fit some pick ups so we can see the loco move by its self. The tender chassis will need some packing pieces adding to bring the tender footplate up to the same hight as the loco, this was planned to give me some room for adjustment. regards David