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MikeOxon

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  1. MikeOxon
    Someone once said that “I assume ...” is one of the most dangerous statements that can be made.
     
    In my previous post , I described my study of the valve-gear of early locomotives, starting from the Stephenson ‘Patent’ design, which set the template for much of the first half of the 19th century. I managed to find detailed drawings of the valve gear on Gooch’s Goods locomotives and I assumed that the arrangement in the Waverley class would have been similar – after all, the boilers were of the same dimensions and both types were built in the same period.
     
    Just as I had made a sketch of my assumed layout, I saw a drawing of the Waverley class locomotive in Gooch’s own notebooks (now in the National Railway Museum) This drawing, together with those of many other early Broad Gauge locomotives can be found on the web at https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/more-like-this/90744559?family=editorial&sort=best#license
     
    When I looked at this Waverley drawing, I noticed that it showed the upper slide-bars, with a fitting, apparently mounted on them, that looked like a trunnion, to carry the cross-shaft for operating the reversing gear, above the rest of the motion.
     


    Extract from Gooch drawing showing Valve Gear
     
    If my reading of this drawing was correct, it meant that the valve gear was not the same as that on the Goods engines, where the shaft lay below the motion.
     
    Before making any more assumptions, I decide to look for corroborating evidence. One again, fellow members of the Broad Gauge Society came to my aid and provided me with a clearer copy of the NRM 4742 drawing, which I showed in the previous post
     
    Although this is a very ‘busy’ drawing, with a confusing array of components all overlaid on top of one another, I was able to pick out some of the key features of the valve-gear from all the surrounding details. My own interpretation of this area of the drawing is shown below.
     

    Extracts from NRM drawing (enhanced)
     
    Since this NRM drawing is in good agreement with the other drawing from the Gooch notebook, I am now reasonably confident that, taken together, they represent accurately the layout of the valve gear on the Waverley-class locomotives. There are other features on these drawings that remain unclear to me but I am satisfied that I have found answers to my original queries.
     
    So, now I had to decide what to represent in my model ...
     
    For convenience in assembly of my model, I decided to fit my simplified representation of the ‘motion’ to the chassis, thus allowing the body to be separated easily. This meant some re-arrangement of the back of the smokebox (which enclosed the cylinders in the prototype) from the way it has been implemented in the BGS kit for the Gooch Goods (on which my model is based).
     
    I decided to fit my non-working gear into a ‘module’, which could be placed between the sandwich frames, extending forwards from the motion plate to the lower part of the smokebox, surrounding the cylinders. I took material from the nickel-silver fret of motion parts, included in the BGS kit, to make two cross-members at these two locations.
     
    The tops of these cross-members were trimmed, by means of jewellers’ snips, to follow the lower curve of the boiler and thus act as supports for the front end of the upper body. I clamped the two cross-members together and ‘tack-soldered’ their edges, to hold them together, while I drilled two holes to take the piston rods, which would hold the cross-members at the correct distance apart. The piston rods are represented by lengths of 1 mm copper wire. The initial layout of the module is shown below:
     

    ‘Motion’ module outline
     
    The valve rods, which were of thinner wire, were threaded through in the same way, between the piston rods. I can now see why more advanced modellers prefer nickel-silver to brass, as I found it was very satisfying to solder : once flux was applied, the solder ran like mercury across the surface!
     
    I had planned to finish this post triumphantly, with a photo of the final assembly, but I have gone down with a heavy cold and, while I have cut out the various parts, I haven’t actually managed to fit them all together – bleary eyes and trembly hands conspire against such delicate work! This hasn’t stopped me from assembling the parts I have made, with a little help from Photoshop, to show how it will fit together (I assume!)
     


    Mock-up of Final Assembly
     
    The slide bars are simply U-shaped ‘snips’ from nickel-silver sheet, held together by a wire running across the engine to represent the transverse lifting rod for the reversing gear. After a few failed attempts at soldering these, I decided it was too ‘fiddly’ for me and resorted to superglue. The problem with trying to solder these tiny parts is that adjacent joints persist in coming apart. I am sure all those amazing 2mmFS modellers find this sort of thing easy but I do not.
     
    I suppose this doesn’t look like much, especially when compared with the amount of research I did, to find out where things should actually go! It does, however, fill a gaping space with some ‘realistic’ gubbins. I shall not continue behind the motion plate, because that area will be hidden by the sand boxes and, at some time in the future, I may wish to fit a gear-box and motor in the space.
  2. MikeOxon
    It’s a while since I’ve posted anything here and this entry is more in the nature of a ‘placeholder’ than a description of actual progress. It is hard to believe that it’s almost three years since I started building my model of GWR No.184, which was the (standard gauge) locomotive that started my interest in earlier locomotive designs.
     
    That model was a fairly simple build, although I did manage to make some basic errors, largely by failing to understand the compromises needed, when designing for the non-prototypical 00 gauge. As a result of these errors, my original model, while looking very attractive, would not run smoothly, because the outside cranks had insufficient clearance from my over-wide outside frames. Because the model looked nice, I was reluctant to pull it all to pieces and start again.
     
    Then I started looking at Broad Gauge models and realised that the standards adopted for these models are usually much finer than those I had been used to, when modelling in 00 gauge. Whereas I had previously been pleased to produce a good ‘impression’ of the prototype, I felt that I should strive for higher standards in my ‘new’ gauge.
     
    As described in previous entries, I managed to overcome the difficulties in building a mail coach, in a condition appropriate for the 1860s, and then started looking at an appropriate locomotive for a mail train. I already have a ‘Rover’ class ‘single’ built from a K’s ‘Milestones’ kit, which has allowed me to built a small diorama, including the mail coach.
     

     
    My aim, however, was to construct a ‘Waverley’ class 4-4-0, by using the Broad Gauge Society (BGS) kit of a Gooch Standard Goods to provide the boiler. The BGS kit presented some difficulties but I eventually succeeded in completing the boiler assembly and also constructed a pair of inside ‘sandwich’ frames.
     
    It was not difficult to produce a similar set of inside frames for the 4-4-0 and so generate a basic framework for the new locomotive.
     

     
    It than became apparent that further progress was going to be more difficult than I had anticipated and, as a result, I have been pondering various possibilities.
     
    The exposed driving wheels, with their bicycle-like splashers, are such a large part of the ‘character’ of these locomotives that I feel it is essential to achieve a good representation of these features. I suspect that it will be very difficult to cut out suitable shapes, by hand, in thin brass sheet, without introducing distortions that will spoil the overall effect. In another thread in these forums, however, I read a discussion of electrolytic etching, which seems to offer a potentially useful technique for making those rather demanding outside splashers. This method will, however, require a lot of experimentation, before I shall be able to produce suitable components.
     
    I am still unsure, however, whether this will result in a strong enough structure to provide both a good appearance and appropriate clearance around the wheels, to achieve smooth running. My current thought is to cut out some components in plasticard, by using my Silhouette cutter. If only the cutter could work on brass sheet!
     
    My other thought is to provide a separate internal chassis to hold the running gear in a sort of ‘bogie’, which will make my current, rather lightweight frames purely ‘cosmetic’. This would mean building a small chassis, very similar to that which I built for No.184, and mounting it underneath the firebox of the existing boiler. An advantage, arising from this, would be that I could suspend the resulting ‘bogie’, to provide some flexibility in the wheelbase of this rather long 4-4-0.
     
    My last concern is whether I’ll be able to obtain wheels that will adequately capture the appearance of the real locomotive. There seems to be no commercial source of 4mm scale, 24-spoke 7-foot driving wheels so, again, I shall probably have to make a compromise. Otherwise, I’ve been contemplating whether I could possibly build my own spokes inside a commercial 28mm diameter rim.
     
    So, my current problem is that of seeing many difficulties and not yet being sure of how best to overcome them. It may take some time but my experience is that, eventually, a solution will become clear.
     
    In fact, this has recently happened in the case of No.184, where I realised that I could cut away the existing outside frames, without damaging the rest of the model. I then used some short lengths of BGS bridge rail, to strengthen the remaining part of the chassis and to provide attachment points for new outside frames, at a narrower spacing.
     

     
    This has given me the free-running that is needed, so that it is worth continuing to add a motor and gearbox, to complete that model
  3. MikeOxon

    Making a Sandwich

    By MikeOxon,

    Having sorted out my ideas about the make-up of the Mail Train involved in the Bullo Pill accident, I have been turning my attention to the locomotives. The Mail Train was headed by one of the big ‘Waverley’ class (a.k.a. ‘Abbott’ class) 4-4-0 engines, for which no model kits are available. The unfortunate cattle train, which the Mail Train ran into, was headed by a Gooch ‘Standard Goods’, for which the Broad Gauge Society (BGS) supply a kit.
     
    The Gooch ‘Standard Goods’ engines were the most prolific of all broad gauge engines and were large 0-6-0s by any standards. The cylinders were the same 17” x 24” size as Dean’s much later ‘Standard Goods’, while the boiler was of larger diameter and the grate measured 19.2 sq.ft., against only 16.4 sq.ft. for Dean’s version. For an 1852 design, these were remarkably large and powerful engines. They did not spring into existence ‘out of the blue’ but were a progressive development from Gooch’s earlier ‘Pyracmon’ and ‘Caesar’ classes.


    Gooch Standard Goods ‘Nemesis’
     
    An important feature, from my point of view, is that the boiler was identical to that fitted to the ‘Waverley’ class 4-4-0 engines, so I want to explore the possibility of converting the BGS Goods engine kit into a model of the Mail Train engine as well.
     
    At first glance, the BGS kit looked rather intimidating, with a very complex pair of etched brass frets and a variety of additional castings. The instructions looked rather sparse but pointed out that “these are essentially simple engines …. less difficult than at first appears”
     
    I gained confidence when I read further comments by other BGS members who have built this kit. In particular, Christopher Jones confirmed that “An awful lot of the etch - esp. in 4mm - is stuff you don't really need .… the etch also provides lots of spares (great for the scrap box) and bits for alternative versions. There's quite a lot left over when you've finished!”
     
    The instructions suggest starting with the chassis and I decided to do this, especially as I wanted to see if it might be possible to alter the layout to a 4-4-0 design. The etches for the frames are in two parts, representing the inner and outer ‘flitch plates' of the sandwich frames. The instructions simply state “raise the rivet detail and sandwich a length of Bullhead rail or brass bar between the two etches”
     
    I decided that I needed to learn a lot more about sandwich frames – how were they really constructed and what were the relevant dimensions? According to John Gibson in his book ‘GW Locomotive Design’, “the sandwich frame … consisted of two iron, later steel, plates, which were quite thin, 3/8 or ½ inch, with oak blocks some 4in or 5in thick between them, the whole being fastened together with bolts and nuts.” This told me that the ‘flitch plates’ provided in the kit needed to be spaced between 1.3 mm and 1.7 mm apart, to represent ‘real’ frames in 4 mm scale. There is a good description of building a ‘real’ pair of sandwich frames in Harry Holcroft’s book ‘GW Locomotive Practice’.
     
    Since I have a Silhouette cutter, I thought it would be interesting to try and represent the wooden central layer between these outer plates by means of a card ‘infill’. To do this, I first scanned the brass fret at actual size, selected the frame components, and then used the ‘find edges’ filter in Photoshop to produce an outline drawing, as shown below:
     

     
    After a little simplification to remove unnecessary features, I imported this drawing into the Silhouette ‘Studio’ software and used the ‘Trace’ command to convert my line drawing into cutting plans.
     
    The ‘trace’ software actually produced pairs of lines corresponding to the inner and outer edges of my drawn lines. To ensure that my card ‘infill’ would lie within the outline of the flitch plates, I deleted the outer lines around the edges of the plates and removed the inner lines around the various apertures in the plates, as shown in the diagram below:
     

     
    I cut out six sets of card frames and laminated these into a pair of three-layer frames, by means of bookbinders adhesive.
     
    Before assembling the frames, I used a centre punch to raise the rivets on the outer flitch plates, following the guide marks on the backs of the etches. I then soldered a length of BGS Bridge Rail along the top inside edge of the outer (embossed) flitch plate to act as a spacer from the inner flitch plate. After tinning the inner plate, I aligned this with the outer plate, using both the Bridge Rail and the card infill as spacers. I then sweated the frames together along the length of the Bridge Rail.
     
    A very important point about using card rather than, say, polystyrene, is that it was not affected by the heat of the soldering process. I was able to confirm this by removing the card infill after soldering and finding it was undamaged – barely any signs of charring. I could then wash the brass frames thoroughly, to remove any flux residues, and re-insert the infill when the frames were dry again. The card is a firm fit between the outer plates and I have not used any adhesive to hold this infill in place. I anticipate that the final painting will be sufficient, when the locomotive is finished.
     

     
    I felt that this was a satisfying process, which has resulted in a strong frame with a good ‘solid’ appearance, when viewed from any angle.
     
    I also feel that, with the help of the Silhouette cutter both to cut out the infill and to scribe the outlines of the flitch plates by means of a diamond scribe tool, I shall be able to produce my own sandwich frames to the dimensions needed for a ‘Waverley’ 4-4-0.
     
    The next task will be to proceed with construction of the boiler and how it might be fitted to alternative frames.
  4. MikeOxon
    After my previous entry about the Gooch Standard Goods, I had thought that adding the smoke-box would simply be a case of copying the method I had used to fix the firebox. In the event, things were to prove not so simple!
     
    The main parts for the smoke-box comprise front and back plates, a wrapper (with a hole for the chimney) and a ring, described as “boiler ring (back of smokebox)”. A moment’s thought pointed out to me that this ring would have to be threaded around the boiler before attaching anything to the front – one trap for the unwary eliminated
     

     
    Unlike the fire-box, there are also half-etched overlays in the kit, to represent the rivet detail on the front of the smoke-box and on the wrapper, so I wasn’t going to have to raise lots more rivets!
     
    There were, however alternative overlays for horizontal or inclined cylinders, while the main wrapper also has dotted lines, to indicate where to cut off small sections, in the case of horizontal cylinders. This sent me off on another piece of research, to decide which version I should use.
     
    The RCTS volume covering Broad Gauge engines doesn’t appear to mention inclined cylinders, nor could I determine much from the various photographs I have of these goods engines. The Oakwood Press volume of Mike Sharman’s drawings does, however, clearly show inclined cylinders on the Banking Class ‘Plato’ and, less clearly, on Standard Class ‘Cato’. No doubt I could obtain the relevant information from the Broad Gauge Society but, since I am planning to use the boiler for a Waverley Class 4-4-0, which both drawings and photographs confirm to have had horizontal cylinders, I chose this option.
     

    Waverley class 4-4-0
     
    So, following the method I had previously used successfully for the firebox, I formed the smoke-box wrapper around the etching for the smokebox front. This was easier than in the case of the firebox, because the sides of the smokebox are straight, rather than having the complex curvature of the firebox.
     
    I remembered to thread the ring over the boiler and then soldered the ‘smokebox back’ to the front of the boiler, exactly as I had done at the firebox end (previous post). To fit the ring, I tinned the joining surfaces of both the ring and the smokebox back-plate and then used my soldering iron as a mini-hotplate, by clamping it lightly in a vice.
     

     
    By this method, I could hold the back-plate, already fixed to the end of the boiler, against the hot iron, while teasing the boiler ring into position with tweezers. The iron melted the tinned areas and the two parts were joined, with no damage to the rivet detail on the ring. So far, so good.
     

     
    Sadly, I had not foreseen the next problem! Unlike the firebox, the length of the smokebox was not sufficient to allow me to insert my soldering iron so as to complete the joint of the wrapper to the back-plate I tried a longer pointed soldering bit, which could just reach, but I couldn’t see what I was doing and, sadly, ended up melting a blob of solder over those nice rivets on the smokebox ring :(
     
    Time to pause and re-consider my strategy. I turned to Iain Rice’s book on ‘Etched Loco Construction’ for inspiration and found a few options. I decided that my best bet would be to remove the smokebox front and, instead of starting from the front, I would attach the wrapper to the smokebox back in the first instance.
     
    Since I had already formed the shape of the wrapper, this was fairly easy to carry out. Next step was to ‘sweat’ the smokebox front onto the wrapper. Since there is an additional overlay, I did not need to worry too much about getting solder on the face of the smokebox front so, as with the ring, I laid the front on my clamped soldering iron and then applied flux and solder from the inside of the smokebox.
     
    I found it quite difficult to hold everything in alignment but, eventually, the front of the smokebox was secure. The fit wasn’t as good as I had hoped but the gaps on part of the curve will hopefully be covered by the etched overlay.
     

     
    Now that the parts were all fitted together, I used some desolder braid to remove the excess solder that I had carelessly run over the detail of the boiler ring. This worked pretty well
     

     
    From this stage, it should now simply be a case of adding detail overlays and various boiler fittings.
     
    I realise that this entry has only covered a very small part of the overall construction but it serves to document some areas that I found difficult. I intend to turn my attention next to the design of a chassis for the Waverley class 4-4-0 “Rob Roy”, onto which I shall mount this boiler.
     
    Mike
  5. MikeOxon
    EDIT - before getting excited about this 'new evidence', please see the reply from K14 at Didcot GWS, below. The 'red wagon' mystery continues....
     
    This is just a brief addition, to draw attention to new evidence regarding 'red' GWR wagons. I am grateful to Miss Prism, who referred to it in Mikkel's Pre-Grouping thread.
     
    This new information adds further support to one of the conclusions, in the discussion following my previous blog entry, that red lead may have started to be used on the GWR as a preservative on iron wagons and then continued as a 'tradition' on later stock. It also indicates that the use of red extended to the underframes of wagons.
     
    I hope that analysis of the paint is to be carried out (or in progress), to confirm the composition and hopefully to indicate whether these new finds are indeed the original paint applied to this wagon.
     
    Mike
  6. MikeOxon

    Still Here

    By MikeOxon,

    It's quite a while since I've posted anything here - too many (pleasant) distractions have got in the way of modelling, of late. I keep getting 'flash-forwards' to a strange 21st century world, full of confusions - so different from the settled era we enjoy under our gracious Queen Empress Victoria.
     
    I've been playing with a new ultra-wide-angle lens on my Olympus camera and it creates some interesting perspectives, if placed very close to a model and stopped down, to provide a reasonable depth of field [9mm FL at f/16, with subject lit by bounced flash] My old Tri-Ang 'Lord of the Isles' (with extra Tenshodo SPUD motor in the front bogie) stands up to close scrutiny surprisingly well, though I'm not sure what all that ironmongery ahead of the buffer beam is supposed to be
     

     
    I still have plans for my new Broad Gauge scene but turning them into reality is taking time.
     
    Mike
  7. MikeOxon
    As I have been delving into 19th century history, I have inevitably become interested in the broad gauge period of the GWR. Throughout the Winter I have been doing a lot of reading but very little modelling. Almost everything about the broad gauge was 'different' and I have been 'stalled' over how to make a start.
     
    Last year, I joined the Broad Gauge Society and then, last Saturday (19th March), I visited the annual exhibition by the Abingdon Model Railway society. I was looking for inspiration for future modelling and found plenty in the 7mm-scale model of Bristol Goods Shed by Peter Boyce. I took several photos of the locomotives and track work, and had useful discussions with other BGS members. The following photo that I took of the yard outside the main shed conveys something of the 'atmosphere' of the period, though I have no intention of trying to build the complex mixed-gauge pointwork in the first instance!!
     

    Bristol Goods Shed by Peter Boyce at the Abingdon MRS 2016
     
    Another exhibit that attracted my attention was a model of the GWR (standard gauge) station at Whitchurch Town by Jeff Geary, also in 7mm-scale. There is no doubt that models in this scale make very impressive exhibits. There is a real feeling of 'weight' and the mechanical parts, such as coupling rods, look as though they are 'up to the job', unlike their smaller scale counterparts.
     
    My photos demonstrated all the problems of taking photos at exhibitions, with lots of background clutter and awkward perspective, from having to work through 'gaps' in the visiting crowd - and I was pleased to see that there were good numbers of people enjoying the exhibition.
     
    As many of my readers know, I enjoy photography and so have done some work with 'Photoshop', including 'blocking out' backgrounds, selective 'cropping', and perspective adjustment.. By such methods, it is possible to convey something of the 'atmosphere' created by the model.
     
    I know there is some debate about how far photography should 'falsify' a scene but I strongly believe that cropping out extraneous material is justified. the following photos are 'before and after' scenes to demonstrate what I have done.
     

    Whitchurch Town by Jeff Geary at the Abingdon MRS 2016
     
    I think that the editing helps to bring out the atmosphere of a country station in the evening, so well caught in the modelling - I like the small boy looking through the fence at the passing train!
     
    I have not forgotten North Leigh during all this activity and, in fact, have experienced another example of truth catching up with my fiction! I recently visited the beautiful Wilcote chapel in the (real) North Leigh church, built around 1439. The chapel contains effigies of the Lord of the Manor, Sir William (d.1410) and his wife, Elizabeth Wilcote.
     

    The Wilcote Chapel, North Leigh
     
    So, even if it was a bit before the time of my model, there really was a Lord of the Manor at Wilcote!
     
    The tender for No.184 still needs wheels and completion of the chassis. I shall try to fit this in amongst everything else. In the meantime, here is an Amy Wilcote painting of Mr Dean's latest express locomotive hurrying through North Leigh, past an ancient relic from the 'Old Worse and Worse'
     

    Ancient and Modern by Amy Wilcote
     
    Mike
  8. MikeOxon

    Truncated Posts

    By MikeOxon,

    As others have already noted, recent 'updates' to this website played havoc with many entries.
     
    EDIT 21st Feb -I am very pleased to see that the problems have now been sorted, This blog appears to be readable again .
     
    I am sure that this has given sleepless nights to the administrators, so appreciate their efforts. I hope, too, that their service provider has learnt some lessons about managing data for an international audience.
     
    At present, many of my posts in this blog are severely truncated. The 'chop' seems to have fallen whenever I have used a special character, such as a hyphen, double apostrophe (used as a symbol for inches), apostrophe, accented character, etc. etc.
     
    Perhaps it will be sorted - only time will tell. I have used this blog as a diary, to record my various experiments in construction techniques, lining, lettering, and so on. I know from your feedback that several of you have found this information to be useful, but a lot is currently inaccessible. I hope that those who wanted the information have downloaded what they need but, if anyone is stuck, please PM me and I'll try to help. I have kept PDF copies of what I wrote for my own use.
     
    It may serve as a salutary reminder that 'cloud storage' is no more infallible than any other method. I think I may now go and print my PDFs and put them on my bookshelf for future reference
     
    Mike
  9. MikeOxon
    Whereas there are 'umpteen books about the development of the steam locomotive, relatively little has been written about early railway carriages. One of my aims in making models of some earlier carriages was to hep me visualise the changes that took place in the mid-19th century.
     
    As railways moved from purely industrial uses to the carriage of people, the first thought was simply to mount benches inside ordinary wagons. The next step was to adapt the road carriages of the time to run on rails. Even Brunel, considered visionary in so many ways, did not appreciate the potential of his broad gauge, since his initial idea was to use large diameter wheels outside the body of the carriage itself - just like a road carriage. Thus, he missed the potential for much larger vehicles, by failing to leave sufficient clearance around his running lines.
     
    It was not until the second half of the century that designers began to think of railway carriages in a different way and to move on from the 'stage coach' roots. During the 1870s, the Midland Railway imported some American style Pullman cars, which were on a completely different scale from what had gone before.
     
    The GWR had started on its own course with the broad gauge but, by the middle of the century, the writing was on the wall for this system and the fortunes of the railway were in steep decline. There was no incentive to invest in new broad gauge stock, while their first standard gauge coaches came as acquisitions from other companies. These coaches were usually built by specialist contractors (often with their roots in stage-coach construction) such as Joseph Wright and Sons, Saltley Works, Birmingham. (not to be confused with the Saltney works of the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway)
     

     
    When Joseph Armstrong (formerly of the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway) arrived at Swindon, he faced the need for the GWR to build its own standard gauge stock and a new carriage works was built at Swindon, starting in 1868. The Lot system for new carriages and wagons had started in August 1867 and it seems likely that there was a period of 'working up' for the new works, with some orders completed at Worcester or Saltney. The early carriage designs were of the simple slab side and flat end variety, with additional embellishments being incorporated as the local skills developed.
    Lot 57, finished in May 1872 was the first of a new generation of carriages from the completed shop - followed in January 1873 by the 1st class coaches (later Diagram R2) shown in the above illustration.
     
    I took the following photo in the Swindon Steam Museum, where an exhibit shows the method of construction used in these early carriages
     

     
    The dramatic change in scale of the new generation of carriages produced after 1872 is clearly illustrated by my two models of passenger brake vans. The earlier design (on the right) is of the slab-sided variety, probably built at Worcester or Saltney in the late 1860s, whereas the later Diagram V5 dates from 1892 and is on a completely different scale.
     

     
    The increase in the size of carriages during the 1870s, when designs finally moved away from their road-vehicle roots, only really came home to me when I built the models.
     
    My last photo shows two trains passing at North Leigh Station. On the left is the down local 'Ox and Cow', heading for the 'County' end of its run, made up of old-style carriages and headed by the former OW&W locomotive GWR No.184 while, on the right, is a 'modern' train, including a V5 van and some clerestory coaches, headed by a Dean 2-4-0, No.3505
    .

     
    Mike
  10. MikeOxon
    As an excuse for not having added all the finishing touches to my early GWR composite coach, I wrote that I was planning to build its companion coaches that appear in the 1873 New Milford photo.
     

     
    Whereas I found a good side-on photo of the composite coach, I have not found anything similar to help me determine the dimensions of these other coaches. Because of their small size in the New Milford photo, and their angle, I found that I could not estimate their length with any accuracy. So, I decided to assume that the compartment sizes were similar to the end compartments in the composite.
     
    From the above photo, there appears to be a fair bit of white panelling between adjacent compartments, which suggests that these may be 2nd class rather than thirds but, on the other hand, there are only two oil lamps on the roof, such that one lamp is shared between two compartments.
     
    In contrast, a side-on view of an early 2nd class coach, shown in Great Western Way, 1st ed. P55, has smaller-seeming compartments, each with an individual oil lamp. I have made a 'colourised' version of this latter coach, as shown below:
     

     
    I suppose that the design differences between these coaches reflect the rapid evolution of railway carriages through the first half of the 19th century. After all, it was only a few years earlier that 3rd class passengers travelled in open wagons and seats were fitted to the roofs of some coaches 'for those who preferred to travel outside'! [ref 'Our Iron Roads', Coghlan, 1838]
     
    Faced with a dilemma, I decided that the solution was to follow both courses and build two coaches. I decided that the New Milford coaches might be old 2nds, downgraded to 3rd class, which seemed to be quite a regular occurrence at the time. For example, the old coach that shed a tyre and caused the accident near Oxford in 1874 had been downgraded in this way.
     
    The other (GWW) coach looks to be an even older design, with its curved-top windows and open spoked wheels, but I decided that it would provide additional variety to my stock. It's not my intention to take my whole model railway back to the mid-century but simply to include some of the older coaches that would have persisted on branch lines until around the end of the century.
     
    For the New Milford coach, I started from the drawings I made for the composite, shown in a previous post: I then made all four compartments the same size as the outer compartments in the composite, resulting in an overall length of 23'. It's not easy to make out the wheelbase from the photograph, so I kept this to the same 13' as in the composite. I realise that my dimensions are only approximate and that, if ever I find a better photo, a re-build may be necessary The result of my ‘cut and shut’ job on the composite drawing is shown below:
     

     
    For the old 2nd, shown in GWW, I scaled the photograph to give a similar height to that of the New Milton coaches. This resulted in a wheelbase of 12', which seems appropriate for the overall length of the vehicle – around 20’ 6”.
     
    I drew the coach sides, using 'Autosketch', and cut these out with my Silhouette cutter, to produce three laminations - the outer two on photo paper, printed with the image of the real coach, while the innermost is of plasticard, so that it can be 'welded' to the floor and ends. The actual construction of both coaches followed exactly the same process that I described in my previous blog entry:
     
    I've now built several 19th-century coaches, using laminated sides cut out with my Silhouette cutter. The cutter proved especially useful for replicating the curved-top windows in the early 2nd class coach. The dirty marks at the ends of the cream sides are not the result of my sloppy painting but are present on the original (1880) photograph!
     

     
    I've gradually improved my technique and, this time, I decided to apply a coat of Humbrol ‘Satin Cote’ to the printed sides, before removing them from the Silhouette backing sheet. This made it easier to apply a smooth overall coat of varnish and did not affect the ease of removing the sides from the backing sheet or of the 'chads', for the window openings. It also made the printed surface less vulnerable to damage from the Bookbinders' adhesive that I used to glue together the laminations. This adhesive provides the necessary 'slip' to allow the laminations to be registered accurately and does not seem to introduce any warping of the sides when it hardens.
     
    So, I finish this post with a couple of shots of these old coaches on local trains at North Leigh. They are not finished but I was impatient to see how they looked on the layout!
     

     
    Definitely not the types of carriage in which young Blanche would wish to be seen! I suspect she might have referred to them rather disparagingly as 'cattle trucks' - indeed, I believe that this rattling old local to Oxford was known colloquially as the 'Ox & Cow'.
     

     
    Now that I have refined my construction techniques a little, I really should re-build the Wilcote family saloon. It’s hard to believe that it’s 18 months since I built my first Silhouette coach sides!
     
    Mike
     
    ps I really must build a proper tender for No.184
  11. MikeOxon
    As an update to my previous post, I have just received a CB09 holder and packs of both 45 and 60 degree blades from China I ordered these from http://stores.ebay.co.uk/win-win-mechatronic?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 on 29th December and they arrived, very well packaged, this morning, 6th January, which I consider excellent service.
     

     
    The holder is a nicely machined aluminium tube, which fitted smoothly and firmly into the Silhouette Portrait carrier. To fit a blade, it is only necessary to unscrew the black cap at one end and slide the back, rounded, end of the blade into the holder. Then remove the protective cap from the blade and slip a spring (provided) over the shaft. Align the black cap carefully, so that the blade slides into the small aperture and tighten it up. The blade projection is adjusted by the knurled knob at the other end of the holder and there are no click stops, so it must be adjusted by eye. The blade components are very small, so you may need tweezers for handling them, and a magnifier to see how they fit together.
     

     
    I bought some 60 degree blades as well as 45 degree ones, like that originally supplied with the cutter, as I have read that they are better for thicker materials and, more importantly, for finer details. The difference in the blade profiles can be seen in my following photograph of the original Silhouette cutter alongside the CB09, with a 60 degree blade fitted.
     

     
    The acid test was to re-cut the same coach side with both types of blade; the results are compared below:
     

     
    I cannot see any difference in the quality of the cuts. There are two rather square-looking corners (ringed in red) that appear identical in both cases. Re-examination of the drawings revealed that I had failed to 'trim' these to rounded corners! I think it is a testament to the cutter that the error is clearly visible!
     
    It remains to be seen how well these blades last but, at about £7 for five, they represent a very considerable saving over the Silhouette product, which can only be bought as a complete blade and holder assembly.
     
    Mike
    Next Post
  12. MikeOxon
    I meant to mention, in my previous entry, how I made the curved plasticard roofs for my early GWR coaches. I have read about wrapping plasticard sheet around an empty wine bottle, filled with boiling water, in order to 'set' the curve. Somehow, I'm always uneasy about pouring boiling water into glass bottles, so looked for an alternative - beer cans came to mind but these seemed of rather too small a diameter for my coach roofs. After searching around the kitchen (strange, alien place), I found a stainless-steel coffee jug that seemed just about the right size. As shown below, I taped the rectangle of 20 thou (0.5 mm) plasticard, for the roof, to the side of the jug, using broad strips of masking tape:
     

     
    I was pleased to find, after the water in the jug had cooled, that the plasticard had acquired just the right curvature and sat neatly on top of my coach sides. Only time will tell if the new shape is permanent.
     

     
    In building these coaches, I have realised that there was a revolution in the construction of railway carriages during the late 1860s, as their stage-coach origins were finally left behind. The new coaches of the 1870s were on an altogether more massive scale, with much more robust framing and iron solebars. I have taken a couple of photos to illustrate these changes:
     

     
    The train on the left is composed of the Dean type coaches (mainly Ratio kits), typical of the late 19th century, whereas on the right is a mix of earlier designs. I like the undulating roof line created by the juxtaposition of low, almost flat roofed stock, with the more impressive clerestory roof stock, much used by the GWR.
     

     
    I regret that the coaches are not yet finished (pace Mikkel). When I have finished enjoying contemplating the various styles that they represent, I shall get down to all those fiddly details
     
    Mike
  13. MikeOxon
    Having shown my printed coach sides in the previous post, 'all' I had to do to complete the coach was to assemble the 'box' structure and add wheels. These small tasks have taken some time, as a result of other distractions but, apart from final detailing, I can now show the coach on the track and alongside some later (1870s) GWR designs.
     
    In order to complete the coach body, I needed ends and a floor. I used my 'Silhouette' cutter to make curved-top ends from 20 thou plasticard and cut additional parts to act as compartment separators. The floor is a simple rectangle, cut by hand from 40 thou (1 mm) plasticard. Since the innermost layers of my laminated sides are 20 thou plasticard, It was easy to assemble the body, using MEK-type cement to weld everything together. I fixed one side and one end to the floor first and, when these were firm, added the opposite parts. I then placed partitions at the appropriate places, which also serve to maintain the spacing of the opposite sides, along their length.
     

     
    For the undergear, I used MJT 2299 W-irons (temporarily out of stock again but, fortunately, I had some in hand). I find it easier to make the narrow transverse folds first and then fold the W-irons (opposite to instructions). I mounted one unit on the rocking plate and filled the space between the tabs on the fixed unit with a rectangle of 40 thou plasticard. I marked the centre-line along the underside of the coach floor as well as the positions for the two axles, at 52 mm (13ft equiv.) spacing. I glued the two units to the floor with bookbinders adhesive and allowed to set.
     

     
    The springs are MJT 2248, 4' 6" springs on J-hangers which, unfortunately, come with oil axleboxes. (I may file these down to represent flat-faced grease boxes, but have left them for the moment). I then added sole bars, made from strips of plasticard fixed below the edges of the floor. The MJT 2299 etch includes several detailing items that are useful for representing the fittings on wooden sole bars. I still have to fit the lower foot-boards and there are many other details to add. Since I am considering building the companion all-third coach, which also appears in the 1873 New Milford photograph, I shall probably wait until both are constructed and then add detailing in a 'batch process'.
     

     
    As usual, it is difficult to appreciate the relative sizes of different coaches, from the illustrations in books. I had already noticed how low the sides appeared to be, while I was building the coach, which seems to reflect that the average height of passengers was lower in the Victorian period than nowadays. To visualise the difference more clearly, I included the coach in a train made up from other GWR 19th-century coaches. In the following photo, the coach immediately behind the current one is an S5, dating from 1874, described in a previous blog post This is followed by a clerestory U29, described at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1405/entry-13364-six-wheelers-wip-update/. At the end of the train, the light has caught the ducket of a V5 PBV, which I built using 'Shirescenes' sides on a 'Ratio' chassis.
     

     
    I decided to photograph this train from the opposite direction that I usually choose, when photographing North Leigh. My usual choice is partly because it is slightly more difficult to use the camera from the other side but also because I need to do a lot more work on the scenery at the 'Oxford' end! The creamery building can be seen behind the train but the back scene is far from complete, except for a small area around the lime kilns, which can be seen in the background, beyond the narrow-gauge engine shed.
     
    Perhaps showing this view will spur me into doing some more work on the scenery at that end of the layout
  14. MikeOxon
    Since my previous entry, I've been spending some time thinking about possible coaches to model for my North Leigh branch. I have found that information rapidly becomes much more sparse, as one delves earlier into the Victorian period
     
    There's an additional twist, in the case of GWR coaches, in that the early GWR was a broad gauge railway and the earliest narrow (i.e. standard) gauge stock only came into the company as a result of acquisitions. There was a long, depressed period, when the company was in financial difficulty and the writing was clearly on the wall regarding the broad gauge. Very little new stock was built for many years until, eventually, a new carriage works was built at Swindon in 1868 The Lot system for carriages and wagons had been introduced in 1867 and was now revised for the new, more sophisticated designs, starting with Lot 57 for 15 standard gauge six-wheel carriages, finished in May 1872. After that date, the progress of the designs has been well-documented
     
    Before the 1870s, most railway coaches had been built by specialist builders and many of the coaches that were acquired by the GWR had been built originally by the firm of Joseph Wright and Sons, Saltley Works, Birmingham.
     
    I've been doing a little 'armchair research' into this earlier period, with the help of books such as Russell's 'Great Western Coaches', Vol.1 and Slinn's 'Great Western Way'
     
    The earliest railway coaches continued many of the design features found in contemporary road coaches. There were no brakes and the frames were of wood, often with papier-maché panelling. Simple square ends and sides were the norm, which makes these 'box' shapes relatively simple to scratch-build.
     
    To help me decide where to start, I have made 'colourised' images of various early coaches, to show how the styles developed.
     

     
    My first group, of 1st-class coaches, suggests that the 'stage coach' style may have persisted longer for these vehicles. They were painted all-over brown until October 1864, when it was decided that the upper panels should be painted white. This became 'cream' after varnishing. Initially, it seems that the white was applied overall, including mouldings, but later, these were picked out in brown. It seems that several older coaches were 'upgraded', losing features such as luggage racks on the roof and acquiring Mansell wooden wheels, for quieter running. By 1872, the 'familiar' style appeared, which set the pattern for very many years thereafter.
     
    It is with this later, more sophisticated, style that the rounded corners to mouldings, now painted black, and the curved 'tumble-home' to sides and ends became established. Other later design features were the looped grab handles and straight-bar door handles, which replaced the earlier 'ring' handles.
     

     
    From around 1854, almost all the coaches that were built were 1st/2nd-class composites, with a separate luggage compartment. 3rd-class accommodation tended to be provided by 'downgrading' older 2nd-class stock. My series of illustrations shows the gradual evolution of the familiar style.
     

     
    Before the introduction of continuous brakes, 'break' (sic) vans were an important component of all passenger trains. As early as 1844, the Board of Trade had recommended that a break should be attached to every fourth carriage and GWR Rule 54 (1865) stated that "No train is to be started from a station without proper and sufficient breaks, lamps, and guards." The provision of a guard's look-out was an important feature, to enable him to observe the state of his train.
     
    So, I have plenty of food for thought and potential for some fairly simple model-building, especially in view of the simple box structure of the earlier designs. The curved window openings of the 1st class vehicles also offer an attractive feature, which can easily be produced by use of my 'Silhouette' cutter. All that remains is to try and establish some dimensions and start cutting
     
    Mike
     
    Next Post
  15. MikeOxon
    The 4mm 'Ratio' kits of GWR 4-wheel coaches have long been popular and probably provided an introduction to kit-building for a great many modellers. The moulds have been re-furbished and they continue to be available at an attractively low price. There's also a lot of useful prototype and construction information in an article by Mikkel at http://www.gwr.org.uk/proratio.html
     
    I built several of these coaches back in the 1980s but now I want to add a little more variety into my late 19th-century trains. I have already described building a V5 passenger brake van, using Shire Scenes sides and, since this left me with a couple of spare T47 sides from the donor vehicle, I started to think about doing some 'kit-bashing' to create other diagrams.
     
    One type of vehicle that I wished to model is the 4-compartment third, with central luggage compartment, which was a much-used type in the Victorian period, when everyone seemed to travel with a mountain of luggage! A few measurements showed that the central luggage section was exactly the same length as one compartment, so I decided to try cutting out sections, with double luggage doors. from my T47 sides, then inserting these into the space left after cutting out the central compartment from a new S9 (all-third) kit.
     
    The plastic used in the current production 'Ratio' sides is of quite a soft 'cheesy' consistency and can easily be scored with a scalpel blade on the face. When folded back, the side split cleanly along the score-line. Whereas I split the S9 sides as close as I could to the ends of the middle compartment, I made the T47 parts slightly wider than necessary, so that I could pare them back with the scalpel, to match exactly the correct overall length of the coach side.
     

     
    The type of coach for which I was aiming was diagram S5, of which 24 were built in 1874 - ref: http://www.penrhos.me.uk/Sdiags.shtmlBeing of an earlier design than the S9 (1891 - 1902), there are several differences that are not represented correctly by my simple conversion - the S5 had deeper eaves and a simple arc roof, rather than the later 3-arc elliptical roof. They were originally built on 6-wheel chassis but, since I have previously built this type of chassis, using Brassmasters 'Cleminson' kits, I know how to convert the Ratio kit. For the moment, though, I have completed them as 4-wheel vehicles.
     
    I then started thinking about ways of a achieving a more accurate appearance. Previously I have made laminated coach sides by using my 'Silhouette' cutter. Now, I realised that I could use the 'Ratio' mouldings to provide a firm support and also to create the tumble-home in the lower body. Furthermore, the coach could be built first and the new sides glued on afterwards! This method automatically provides all the lining and lettering, and the outside framing can be added as an additional cut-out layer. For the S9 to S5 conversion, the cut-outs for windows match the locations in the 'Ratio' sides, so I simply skimmed off the surface relief and laid the printed sides over the resulting smooth surface.
     

     
    Now that I compare the results of the two approaches, I am surprised by how obvious the differences are! (and not confined to my less-than-brilliant painting of the 'cut & shut' sides). I think that the relative proportion of the eaves panels and the windows completely changes the 'jizz' of the sides. Adding the 'Silhouette'-printed overlays to the 'Ratio' original has successfully turned back the clock by around 20 years
     

    Stella-class no.3505 heads the Oxford express through North Leigh
    The leading vehicle is a V5, followed by S5, then U29, U4, and S9
     
    Inspired by this visual effect, I am now considering building some earlier types of coach for my layout. It seems that quite elderly coaches persisted on secondary services, long after their 'best before' dates. For example, the Inspectors' report on the severe accident near Oxford in 1874 http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9435895.Devastating_train_crash_wrecked_Christmas/
    provides full details of the make-up of the train. The train was double-headed by a pair of 'Sir Daniel' class 2-2-2s and there were 15 coaches, all of either 4 or 6 wheel designs. The root cause of the disaster was the breaking of a tyre on one of the wheels of the leading coach. This coach, No.845, had originally been built in 1855, as a second-class coach for the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway. It had been downgraded to third-class in 1873 by the GWR but was still in regular service on the OW&W main line, between Oxford and Wolverhampton, before being totally destroyed in the accident.
     
    So, a 20-year old coach from the early days of railways was still in regular use in 1874. It is also worth noting that all the other coaches in the train were un-braked except for three 'break vans' that were near the beginning, centre, and end of the train. The number and type of each coach is given in the accident report.
     

     
    Accident reports are very useful sources of detailed information about the make-up of trains in the 19-th century and for tracing the introduction of innovations such as communication cords and continuous brake systems. I shall use this information to guide my choices of coaches for future model-building.
     
    NEXT Post
     
    Mike
     
    Reference: 'Wheels to Disaster', Lewis & Nisbet, Tempus Publishing, 2008
  16. MikeOxon
    In my previous entry, I 'mocked up' photos of various styles of roof that I could apply to some of the existing buildings on my layout. My aim was to re-create the appearance of traditional Cotswold roofs, such as would be found in the countryside around North Leigh.
     

    Houses in Snowshill, Glos
     
    That initial survey led to me replacing the roof on one my buildings with plastic sheet cut from the Wills 'dressed stone' pack (SSMP202). The sheet replicated the way in which the stone courses are widest near the eaves and then diminish towards the apex of the roof After painting with a mix of acrylic colours, chosen to portray the characteristic appearance of real Cotswold roofs, the model took on much of this regional style:
     

     
    Nevertheless, I felt that the plastic sheet looked rather 'flat' and homogeneous, compared with a real Cotswold roof. I happened to read an item on Julia Adams' blog, which showed photos of some buildings at Pendon museum. These buildings are made from card, with each tile applied individually. As readers of my blog will know, I like to look for short-cuts and, in this case, my thoughts turned to the Silhouette cutter.
     
    Details of the construction of a Cotswold stone roof can be downloaded as a PDF from http://www.stoneroof...ate roofing.pdf From this reference, the lowest course uses the longest slates, known as 'cussoms', with a visible length of about 357mm. The next rows are called 'followers', with visible length 216mm. Much smaller slates, known as 'short cocks' are used higher up the roof, with a visible length of only 127mm. My first step was to take a photo of such a roof and then to select individual rows of slates, in the various sizes used for the construction of the roof:
     

     
    I adjusted the size of the image to 4mm scale and then opened the file in the Studio software supplied with the Silhouette cutter. I then added 'cut' rectangles around each row of slates and duplicated the rows to make a sheet of parallel rows of slates. [EDIT - after drawing the 'cut' rectangles by hand, I realise that I could use the 'Trace' function in the software, to do this automatically.]
     
    After adding alignment marks in the cutter software, I printed the sheet onto card, using my colour ink-jet printer. On placing the printed sheet in my Silhouette Portrait cutter, the machine first found the registration marks and then cut out each row:
     

     
    I had thought of using the Silhouette to scribe outlines of individual slates as well but decided that it was easier and quicker to do this by hand, using the tip of a wax carving chisel to emboss the joints. Then I laid the strips on the plastic roof of a building, starting at the bottom of the roof and using the grey bands that I had printed, to set the overlap of each successive row:
     

     
    The finished roof has the advantage that the rows of slates overlap each other, as in a real roof. This is most clearly visible along the edges of the roof, as seen in the following photo of this type of roof applied to my saw-mill:
     

     
    While I quite like the result, it still has a rather 'regular' look and really needs the dedication that is required to cut and fit each slate individually!
     
    I decided to try one final method, which is similar to one I used many years ago, when I first built some of the other structures on the layout. For my final roof, I applied a thin coat of plaster filler to the surface of a plastic roof, using a spatula plus a wet finger, to achieve a smooth finish:
     

     
    I then scribed horizontal courses into the plaster, using a wax-carving chisel and made vertical indentations to mark the individual slates. Finally, I painted the surface of the plaster with a mix of acrylic colours, to achieve my desired effect.
     

     
    I have to admit that, although this is the least 'accurate' of my three attempts, it is my favourite, largely because the texture of the plaster has reproduced the appearance of stone much more effectively than plastic can do. I guess it is a case of 'artistic impression' versus 'technical merit'
     
     
    Finally, I show an overall view of the 'quarry end' of my layout with all three roofs visible. The narrow gauge (009) line that meanders between the buildings is largely invisible between the various stone walls:
     

     
    Mike
  17. MikeOxon

    Visualisation

    By MikeOxon,

    I've been spending some time thinking about scenery and how to make my simple scenes more appropriate for 19th-century England.
     
    As I have described in earlier posts, my layout started life as a 'kiddie' layout, to interest my then small son. Many of the buildings are from very old kits and include several Faller buildings which, while very nicely detailed, have decidedly non-English appearance. For example, this is the workshop associated with the quarry on the narrow-gauge (009) section of my layout.
     

    I like the 'romantic charm' of many of these buildings, so have been thinking how I might 'Anglicise' them a little. One of the most obvious differences lies in the roofs, which are wooden shingles of a type almost unknown in Britain. So, my first step has been to consider some of the alternative sheets available from Wills kits. But which to choose?
     
    I hit on the idea of using photography and some Photoshop trickery, to help me decide. In the process, I discovered that wonderful material called 'Tacky Wax', which does exactly what the name says. A very thin smear of this wax on the back of a panel of Wills roofing allowed me to attach it temporarily to the roof of the existing building. In this way, I could quickly compare slates (Wills SSMP203), dressed stone (SSMP202), and sheet+batten roofing (SSMP229). I photographed the building with each sample sheet 'tacked' in place, then used Photoshop Elements to select the roof area from each photo and paste it onto the original building. (I didn't even cut the sheets but trimmed the excess in Photoshop).
     
    All the photos were taken under exactly the same lighting conditions. The results are shown below:
     

     
    For my chosen model location in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, I have no doubt that the 'dressed stone' (Wills SSMP202) looks the most suitable and, with careful painting and a little applied 'moss', should give quite a 'realistic' appearance. I feel that this way of using photography has helped me to visualise how I want to go forward with my modelling.
     
    I have had another important revelation recently. Having spent a career soldering electronic circuits, I couldn't understand why I was having so much trouble with soldering brass models. Then the penny dropped - 'lead-free solder' I've bought a large reel of 60:40 and things are back to normal! Now, my bit stays bright, wets easily, and makes joints in seconds. So long as babies do not chew my model engines, I should be ok.
     
    Finally, an atmospheric painting of the quarry area from Amy's easel. I feel that she has captured something of the Gothic gloom in the dark recesses hollowed out from the limestone hills.
     

     
    Mike
  18. MikeOxon

    Into the New Year

    By MikeOxon,

    Here we go again into a New Year, to meet a new set of challenges and opportunities! I find that I have to be in the right 'mood' for scratch-building and it certainly cannot be rushed. Before Christmas, I had too many other things on my mind and, as a result, my first tasks this year have involved dismantling much of what I had done on GWR No.184 and re-doing it, to what I hope is a better standard!
     
    There is no doubt that 'rolling your own' makes you appreciate how much effort most kit-designers have to put into their creations. My model is now reaching the stage where I have to think about sourcing all those extra fittings - springs, backhead, displacement lubricator, etc. It would be so nice to reach for a pre-packed little plastic bag, with all the right bits thoughtfully provided. So, may I offer a New Year toast to all kit designers!
     
    There's really very little to show, in the way of loco-build progress, but I have filled in the space between the raised parts of the outside cosmetic frames and the driving wheel splashers. I used 'Milliput', carefully smoothed into position, by means of a combination of wax-carving chisels and my own wetted fingers. It will all be covered over when I add some thin brass sheeting, to 'finish' the top surface of the footplate and the splashers.
     

     
    I've also been doing more reading about railway operations in the 19th-century. While a lot has changed out of all recognition, some features were established very early and have stayed much the same, ever since. For example, I was interested to see an illustration of level crossing gates in the 1852 book "Our Iron Roads" by Frederick S Williams.
     
    [additional text taken from "Our Iron Roads", 7th edition 1888] : "The sketch represents a pair of such as are commonly used on the Great Northern Railway. They are massive, strengthened with iron, and hung on stout timbers deeply embedded in the earth. They are twenty-six feet and a half in length, and cost about £50. There are small wickets for foot-passengers. In the middle of each gate is a large round board, painted red, by means of which an approaching train may see the gates closed across the line. At night a red light is substituted."
     

     
    So, my Airfix kit gates are possibly not too anachronistic in appearance after all. Here is another of Amy Wilcote's paintings, showing the crossing leading into North Leigh station yard, with the newly-built creamery buildings on the right and sidings and cattle dock beyond. Records suggest that the large Fowler Ploughing Engine had been brought in to supply steam to the creamery, following a failure of the new boiler.
     

     
    Happy New Year to all my readers ,
    Mike
  19. MikeOxon
    After completing the main structure of No.184, I have been adding a number of rather awkward parts, in order to complete the 'brasswork'. This is the last chance to show the model, before adulterating it with white metal and plastic components, and then seeing everything disappear under a coat of grey primer!
     
    The fitting of these additional parts is difficult on a locomotiive with lots of flowing curves that are hard to measure accurately. My method has been to make paper templates, cut out by a process of 'trial and error'.
     
    First off were the splasher tops, which I tucked under the footplate in front of and behind each wheel arch. Fitting these around the cab sides was particularly awkward but, once the paper parts had all been marked out, it was then easy to transfer the measurements to brass sheet.
     
    I found that 'Cornwall Model Boats' supply assorted packs of thin brass sheet in 1, 2, 3,and 5 thou thicknesses. (their website is worth a look, as they have many items potentially useful for railway models) I used the thickest of these sheets (5 thou - 0.125 mm) for both splasher tops and footplating, while the others have been used for various small 'finishing' jobs,
     

     
    I was pleasantly surprised to see that very little 'filling' was needed between the splashers and the boiler - the gaps had looked much larger when the wheel arches were 'open'. At the same time, I didn't experience any problems with wheel clearances, so this part of the construction went very smoothly.
     
    The next step was to add the curved footplating. I first filled the curves behind the cosmetic outside frames with 'Milliput' putty and then, once again, used paper strips, laid over the curves, onto which I marked the positions for cut outs, to accomodate the splasher fronts and cab sides. After transferring the pattern to 5 thou brass sheeting, and cutting it out with a scalpel, I used super glue to fix the sheets in position on each side of the engine. I started to lay the sheeting at the front end of the chassis, pressing it down firmly, to follow the curves over the driving axles, and ensuring a straight edge, overlapping the cosmetic outside frames.
     

     
    The join between the raised top of the firebox and the boiler was my final problem, which I wrestled with for some time! I first fitted boiler bands in front of and behind the area where the parts needed to be joined. I used jewellers' snips to make several short cuts into the leading edge of the firebox, where it is raised above the boiler, and then carefully folded these down to make the curved joining fillet. Finally, I cut a sliver of 1 thou brass shim to cover over the curved 'fingers' that I had made with the snips. It is not perfect but I hope that it will be adequate, one it has been painted. I added the other boiler bands, once the boiler and firebox had been joined together.
     

     
    In some places, the side frames, formed by folding the sides of the main platform, were deeper than the cosmetic outside frames. I found it helpful to make a series of snips along the excess depth before using a sanding drum on my mini-drill to trim off the excess (10 thou thickness) metal.
     

     
    So far, everything seems to fit and the chassis rolls freely, so here is a last look at the structure in its shiny brass finish:

     
    There's still quite a long way to go but I can now be confident that a 'rolling' model will be achieved In the first instance, I shall power it with my 2.500 gallon Dean tender but I have left plenty of space between the frames, with openings below the boiler, to accommodate a motor in due course.
     
    Mike
     
    Continue to next part
  20. MikeOxon

    Through a Time-Warp

    By MikeOxon,

    I've mentioned before that one of the reasons why I like to model unusual prototypes is so that I can compare them with more familiar stock. Here's an example:
     

     
    The Dean 4-2-4T was built around 1881, to explore the idea of a high-speed express tank locomotive for use when the broad gauge became extinct. It failed because of a severe tendency to de-rail, probably from poor bogie design, coupled with the large amount of water sloshing to and fro' in the long side tanks.
     
    In comparison, the Collett 'Large prairie' (Dapol/Airfix kit), of which the prototype was built in 1935 for fast suburban services, has very similar overall length. The side tanks are both shorter and taller, which should help weight distribution and, of course, with six coupled wheels, adhesion is much greater.
     
    I find it interesting to be able to visualise the similarities and differences between these two designs from 75 years apart!
     
    Mike
  21. MikeOxon
    In my earlier post about the 'Scale Link' kit for a horse bus, I mentioned that I had another of these kits to make a 'Victoria' carriage, which I've now constructed.
     
    The 'Victoria' was an elegant 4-wheel vehicle, with a low and wide entrance, suitable for use by ladies wearing the voluminous skirts of the period. My example is destined to be loaded onto an open carriage truck, for the use of the local Lord of the Manor, on his annual trip to London for the Season. His wife and daughters will enjoy seeing and being seen in the Park in this handsome vehicle.
     
    Like the previous kit, this one is very delicate and somewhat fiddly to build. The first task is to identify the various parts on the fret, as the main body has a very complex outline and some of the links look more like sprue than component!
     

     
    The main body is designed to be folded to shape but is completely devoid of any tabs to facilitate holding the thing together, when formed. I decided to hold the parts in position, by hand, and then run a little superglue, with the aid of a cocktail stick, along the various joint lines.
     

     
    There's a choice of two hoods on the fret, one raised and one folded. Amazingly, the raised hood has a couple of tabs to help hold the top of the hood to the sides. Unfortunately, the appearance is nothing like a real hood, seeming as though it is made of plywood rather than fabric.
     

     
    Since my carriage will be a wagon load, I thought it most unlikely that the hood would be raised in transit (like an open umbrella in a strong wind), so I was happy to discard this part and used the folded version instead. Similarly, I discarded the rather skeletal lamps, deciding that these would be removed for travel and stored safely in the groom's compartment of the accompanying horsebox. .
     
    As with the horse bus, there are some extremely delicate parts - the steps, for example, are held by a 'thread' of brass, whereas the real coach seems to incorporate these as part of the flowing mudguards.
     
    Having learned from my previous encounter, I assembled the wheels onto their axles before fitting these to the minute slots in the hyper-thin springs. I used a dot of superglue to secure the wheels and their washers to the flat strip 'axle'. Alas, I got some excess glue on the hub and, in trying to remove it, seriously bent the hyper-thin spokes on one of the wheels. The real coach had pretty delicate looking wheels but I hope they were stronger than these!
     
    I think the angular mudguards also need replacing, to create more flowing lines that would reflect the elegance of the real carriage. I suppose that, for transport, I should throw a tarpaulin over the whole carriage but, even if the model is far from perfect, I intend to leave it exposed.
     

     
    I removed the shafts from the fore-carriage, for transport, and will lay these under the coach, on the bed of the carriage truck. That is the next vehicle that I have to build but that is another story....
     
    Mike
  22. MikeOxon
    Since my last entry, I have been making slow progress with my coach construction. In fact, there has been a lot of trial and error, as I tried to find a way of incorporating printed sides from my Silhouette cutter.
     
    I have not scratch-built coaches before, so had a lot to learn, for which the various posts by Mike Trice in the Silhouette cutter thread: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79025-a-guide-to-using-the-silhouettecameo-cutter/?p=1278380
    have been particularly helpful
     
    Although I had previously found that it is possible to use an inkjet printer on styrene sheet (by coating the surface first), I could not get as crisp an image as when using real photo paper. I've now evolved a system where I use photo paper for the outer layers of the coach side and 10 thou styrene for the inner layer. This allows me to weld the sides to other styrene components by means of MekPak (or similar).
     
    Another problem I had to address was how to achieve the curved 'tumble home' in the lower part of the coach sides. I finally hit on a method that uses a curved brass chassis to support the lower sides. I started with a simple rectangle of 10 thou brass sheet then scored and bent the edges to the required profile. I find brass is much easier than plastic card for this sort of task, as it holds a curved profile of its own accord.
     
    The brass platform also provides some weight, low down, and provides a secure fixing for the Cleminson chassis. I then glued the laminated sides to the outside of the ' upturned boat' profile of the chassis. For glazing, I used overhead-transparency acetate film, folded to a U-shape, to fit between the sides and under the roof.
     

     
    I built the seating and partitions as a separate module, which could be dropped inside the curved sides of the chassis. The 'seats' are simply cut from a length of styrene square tubing and serve to hold the 20 thou plastic card partitions in a vertical orientation. Side bars made from plastic card strips prevent the floor from bowing - which it does, if not reinforced in this way.
     

     
    The various parts fit together as shown in the following photo:
     

     
    The roof caused me a lot of head scratching. I tried building a box section for the clerestory out of plastic card but found it difficult to get the right profile. It could probably be done with thin plastic card and a lot of transverse formers but this was clearly going to be a fiddly assembly task.
     
    Then I thought I would try folding thin (5 thou) brass sheet, which proved surprisingly tough to fold to the profile I wanted. It would have been easier with proper bending jigs, as I was just using a vice and pieces of angle aluminium as a former. As it was, I had to work on the metal rather too much, to achieve the profile I wanted and it cracked along one of the folds. I repaired and stiffened the structure by running solder along the insides of the folds but, I think I will fabricate the next design from separate sections, soldered together. The rather rough bits will be covered by thin (10 thou) plastic card roof sheeting and by the printed clerestory sides, which I made in the same way as the main body sides.
     

     
    The structure is now coming together and I feel that it is going to work - after severe doubts earlier on in the process!
     
    Mike
     
    Next Post
     
    PS - I notice that I put the roof on the wrong way round for the photo! The clerestory lights do line up with the compartments!
    PPS - The sides are only tacked together with Bluetac for the photo - I hope to achieve a better fit in the end!
    PPPS - Th final coach can be seen in 'Railway Modeller', Nov.2014, "Computer-aided Cutting"
  23. MikeOxon

    Six-Wheelers - Chassis

    By MikeOxon,

    This is an update on progress with building my GWR 6-wheel coaches. I have printed the sides, using the Silhouette cutter, but there is still work to do on the upper sides - why did I have to choose to build clerestory roofs!
     
    I have, however, built the Cleminson chassis from the 'Brassmasters' kit, so will share my experiences with this, so far.
     
    The kits are very well presented with detailed instructions and the 'extra bits' needed to complete them - wheel bearings, nuts and bolts, and brass rod. The etches themselves are very crisp and of an appropriate strength and thickness. I have scratchbuilt a simple Cleminson chassis before, so was able to appreciate how well thought-out this kit is. The way it can be adjusted for wheelbases from 18 feet to 27' 6" is very clever and I think the instructions do well to recommend using a highlighter to mark the options for the model under construction. It would be very easy to look at the wrong row of figures, otherwise!
     
    I suppose it is fair to assume that anyone making these will know a fair bit about what they are doing, but a few points could usefully be explained in the instructions. The two plates at the ends of the chassis have to be registered with marked slots and orientated correctly but it is not explicitly stated to which side of the chassis plate they should be fitted. Once you are into the swing of things, it becomes obvious but it would be good to be sent in the right direction at the outset. Some explanation of the function of the three 'pips' on the strengthening bars would also be useful.
     
    A minor problem is that many of the holes in the etches are fractionally under-size - better that than the other. I found it was necessary to ream them out a little for the (supplied) wheel bearings to fit and, also for the various 0.9mm brass rods to be inserted. I had already folded the parts, when I realised this and it is quite tricky opening out the holes in the very fragile brake shoes. I used a 0.95mm drill in a pin vice but it could still snag sufficiently to bend the brake hangers and mess up my careful alignment with the wheels. The small slot in the centre section also needed easing a little to let this part slide freely.
     
    I strongly recommend that anyone following in my footsteps should check all these clearances and open out wherever necessary before removing parts from the fret - I shall certainly do that next time.
     

     
    A final minor caution - put some loctite (or similar) on the nuts that hold the end pivots - they fall off in no time, if you don't!
     

     
    I'm pleased to see that the result does its job perfectly under my coach so, all in all, I think this is an excellent and well thought-out kit.
     
    Next job is to build the clerestories
     
    Mike
    Next Post
  24. MikeOxon

    Fortibus es in ero

    By MikeOxon,

    Well, only two buses actually, but the latest one has given me enough trouble for 40! I described building a GWR horse bus from a white metal kit in an earlier post and commented then that an etched brass version might provide better details. I've now tried the etched brass kit from 'Scale Link' but it's not been easy! In fact, decidedly 'trying' at times.
     
    If you suffer from any signs of hamfisted-ness or less than perfect eyesight, do not attempt this kit! By 4mm standards, it is very fiddly and, as I progressed, I felt often needlessly so!
     
    The etch is only about 7.5 thou (0.2 mm) thick and hence, bends very easily. The instructions suggest building the box structure of the body first, which is only held together by a micro-thin strip above the rear door! I found there was no strength in the body, to allow me to either glue or solder the floor-well into place reliably.
     

     
    In the end, I flattened out the body again and soldered the floor-pan to one of the sides and then folded the body around the floor-pan, to solder the opposite side. This worked fairly well. Throughout the construction, however, it is impossible to apply any pressure, when attaching parts, as the structure just collapses. I found this very frustrating on several occasions.

     
    The instructions suggest fitting tiny details, like the lamps (very basic, with no back, bottom, or top) and the handbrake-lever, early on, where they would subsequently be very vulnerable to damage during the rest of the construction. I would say "do not do this!". There are many other places where both the design and instructions leave something to be desired. For example, although there is a very fragile brake lever, there are no brakes on the wheels!
     
    To assist construction, I used Blu-Tack to hold some of the tiny parts together during assembly..This was particularly useful when soldering the axle strip to the notches in the springs on each side of the body.
     

    The use of such a thin fret is a liability in several areas, not just from its lack of strength. For example, the wheels are only a scale 1/2 inch thick, rather than about 2.5 inches for the real coach. The axle itself is just a flat strip, so the wheels do not rotate, despite a complex construction involving two minute washers inside, and a washer and hubcap outside the wheel. The designer apologises for there being no working door handle but I would much rather have seen some etched spring detail, brakes, and ribs on the roof in the correct orientation.
     

    An advantage of etched brass is that some fine details, such as the rails around the roof, can be included but there was no obvious means to connect these at the corners. I left short lengths of the sprues in place, to facilitate connection, but there was still very little attachment area and, in trying to hold these joints together, I inadvertently broke off the rear rail - what was that about ham-fisted!
     
    I'm not even going to attempt fitting the micro-fine strips that are intended to form the beading around the body sides, though I might try sticking them with the paint, later.
     
    So, in summary, a delightfully delicate but somewhat flawed design. I feel that a mix between the rather 'chunky' white metal kit and this 'fragile' etched brass version could have resulted in a very good overall model. Next time, I'll scratch build one!
     

     
    I have another of these kits, to make a 'Victoria' carriage, but I am going to think how to provide a more robust structure, before starting the build, and I'll probably use different wheels.
     
    Good news - I've heard that my Cleminson chassis kits will arrive shortly - apparently, there has been a problem in the sorting office, which delayed my order - so I'll soon be able to put together some coaches, using my laminated sides
     
    Mike
  25. MikeOxon

    V5 Full Brake

    By MikeOxon,

    The parts I need to complete building my 6-wheel coaches have not yet arrived so, in the meantime, here's one that I made earlier!
     
    I've mentioned before that one of the factors that triggered me into thinking in terms of a 19th century layout was that I'd already built the three types of 'Ratio' GWR 4-wheel coaches. I then came across a photo, taken in 1911, of a short train behind a 'Stella'-class locomotive at Leamington station (see http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrls826.htm ) The mixed formation of coaches comprises a van, a brake composite, and an all-3rd, and I felt that I would like to create something similar, for use with my own 'Stella' (converted from a Dean Goods).
     
    As I actually had a duplicate brake-3rd, I decided to turn it into a V5 passenger brake van, by using the Shire Scenes etched brass sides. These are attractive for a beginner in etched-brass construction, since they are designed to be glued to the existing Ratio chassis, roof, and ends. The only aspects that I found a little difficult were forming a smooth 'tumble home' to the sides, and folding and attaching the guard's look-out.
     

     
    It was not immediately obvious to me which way round the inner drop-light surrounds should be fitted, since the etched side is actually towards the inside of the coach. The key is that the holes for the door handles must line up with the main side panel. The folded tabs form the door 'hinges' when pressed through the sides. The guard's look-out has long side tabs, which are tricky to align with the slots in the sides. Because the etched sides are thinner than the original plastic sides, the ends are folded back to create a double thickness where they meet the coach ends. I made the joins with superglue.
     
    The V5 sides are intended to be used with the shorter version of the Ratio chassis, whereas I had the longer one under my brake 3rd. Since the wheel base is the same in both types, however, it is not difficult to remove the excess length from each end. The roof is a bit more difficult as, in order to retain the rain gutter shape, it is necessary to remove a section from the centre of the vehicle and then butt the two halves together. I managed to cut them very cleanly with a 'Silky' saw and then cemented the ends together with liquid poly, but there is still a fine line showing.
     

     
    The completed coach makes a good companion to my 'Stella', to make a rough replica of the scene shown in the Leamington photo.
     

     
    Mike
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