airnimal

Seen in a local public house. I've no comment to make. 

The second attempt ar the inner disk wheel trim cut out with a pair of dividers. To smooth the inner circle I used a piece of emery paper stuck around a similar size brass tube with double sided sellotape. I will make 4 new disks but with a reduced inner diameter because this one is much to thick but it does show promise. At least it will have the correct number of bolts instead of near enough. 

I have started to paint the interior with the first wash of black over a coat of Tamiya  XF-78.

The wash is a Citadel colour called Nulm Oil which is very thin and will need a couple of coats to build up the necessary depth of colour. 

I also have been looking at the wheels with there added etch rim. These are from Ragstone Model but are for a GER wagon but the bolt patterns are different for my model.  I did think of turning them over and adding different number of bolts but I might make some from scratch. 

I have cut out a plastic disc to see if this is feasible and I may go down this route. 

On 11/03/2024 at 22:05, Coal Tank said:

Nice Mike,what thickness plasticard do you use?

Which part are you referring to ?

I thought I had finished this wagon so I gave it a wash and then a coat of grey primer ready for the top coat of brown paint.  Then looking at it to check everything was still in place I have noticed that I have forgotten the hinges on the door ironwork.  I will be able to add them before I paint the brown top coat of paint but I am mad at myself for not noticing earlier.

ABC mini gearbox. Not cheap but quality very rarely is. Sorry for the poor photograph. 

13 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

I went to the Basingstoke show today - an interesting selection of layouts, as always - and spent some time chatting with various acquaintances.

 

I was dismayed to find that, as far as I could discover, there was no-one selling plastic wagon kits, apart from a very small number of Cambrian kits of hopper wagons on display on one stand and some Slaters O gauge kits on the C&L stand. This I find fundamentally puzzling. there was no shortage of stand selling plastic kits for scenic items - buildings etc. - many at least as complex as a wagon kit, if not more so. So, if folk are expected to want to buy these, why not wagon kits?

 

In a jaundiced mood, I might say that our hobby is largely no longer 'railway modelling' but has become 'scenic modelling' - this is something I find with the commercial magazines too. 

If you think you are hard done by, what about the poor old dinosaurs like myself trying to find obscure parts for scratch building.  Even if parts are produced very few traders will stock them because the market is drying up. With only the GOG annual meeting now at Stafford as a likely source of fittings we are left with mail order only. Would anyone in the right mind pay £5 p&p charge on a small component costing less than that. 

CKPR,  you are very kind, but it did make me laugh. 

Only a little progress because of household chores and my other half 's insistence on disposing of junk collected over many years in the event of moving house. It amazing the things we all hoard thinking it will come in useful one day. Our youngest daughter is now 34 and she left home at 19 yet we still have a wardrobe in the small bedroom with some of her clothes in. And the thought of emptying the loft fills me with horror.  

I have started to add the hexagonal bolts as well as making the small links in the couplings.  I don't think anyone makes these Victorian 5 link chains. So I had to make my own from some spare iron wire that I had in stock. 

There appears to be a problem posting. Mine appeared twice.

I have finished the metal work to my satisfaction which has got to be a first.  I had to make a second brake handle after I made a small cut to bend the last part and I went to deep and it broke off. A few naughty words were muttered.  There is just the matter of the detailing now with a few hours of adding hexagonal bolts. I have looked at a photograph in an Illuminated History of Southern wagons Vol 1, and there is a photograph by J.P. Richards of a similar wagon.

This appears to show hexagonal bolts rather than square nuts and bolts that are common on private owner wagons.  

The brake block was soldered to the brake brake hanger and drilled for a couple of fixing bolts to be added later. This was soldered to a base plate for attaching to the floor enabling easy removal for painting. 

I searched amongst all my etch parts for a brake lever that may have been suitable without any matching so it was cut from some scrap 15 thou nickel. 

The brakegear on this LSWR wagon is very basic and crude. I don't have any castings remotely like the drawing so it's back scratch building from brass. Years ago when I was working I was always on the lookout for materials that were going spare that could be used for modelling. 

Someone was throwing out some large brass washers in different sizes and thickness that I thought may come in useful.  So out this pile of washers was one that was 60 thou thick which was marked out and cut to shape. The brake arm was cut from a piece of 60 x 80 thou brass bar and filed down using my flat filing jig. I made this jig about 40 years ago and it has proved itself many times over. 

Now that the Arniston wagon is as complete as it's ever going to be I have turned back to the LSWR wagon.  The brackets for the tarpaulin bar has been dunked in Carr's metal black,  but I am not going to fix them permanently until after painting the body. 

We have not had any feedback from our estate agents about the second viewing on our house as yet. The first was very positive so unless the punter doesn't come back with a stupid low offer we may have some movement.  

The weather has improved dramatically this week and we have had a couple of good walks in the sunshine. Perhaps spring is on the way at last. 

42 minutes ago, Barry O said:

enjoyable day at Preston Show.. but boy the muppets on the M62 were causing chaos!

 

Her indoors has driven down to Chelmsford.. she reckons the muppets had moved off the M62 and were busy causing chaos on the A1...

 

If ever you are invited to a Sikh wedding ... go ! took me weeks to get over the one we went to!

 

Cruise liners do cause problems. In Tauranga in New Zealand the place is full at lunchtime them empty from a bout 3pm as the cruise liners take their passengers back on board.. in smaller places (like Akaroa) it is hopeless at lunchtimes...

 

Noticeably in Madeira the German based ships do tend to "hog" the best cafes etc in Funchal but don't spend much..The Brits generally pay their way.

 

We met an American lady last year in Auckland.. she had gone "exploring" the rest of the cruise liner passengers stayed in their rooms...lummy.. Auckland is  a great place to have a look around with lots to do and see.. but no.. they were recovring from their 12 hour flight from California (put it into perspective, it took us 23 hours of so to get to NZ from the UK.. They were mortified!

 

The cruise left Auckland and went to Tauranga, Christchurch, Fijorland, Wellington , Melbourne , Sydney.. then home.. thats New Zealand and Australia covered in 10 days.... tick in 

I am sure that cruising holidays help tourists see faraway places that they wouldn't normally get to see, but the idea of hundreds of people getting off for a few hours all in the same location just doesn't appeal.  I have been in several countries of the years when cruise lines have emptied there hoards only to be over run in the bars and restaurants before the lady with the umbrellas comes and collects them. They only ever appear to take them to the famous sites and very little else. I know we are all different, but it's not for me. 

I am still trying to weather this wagon with only limited success. I have toned down the underframe and made a half hearted attempt at the interior.  It certainly is a grubby wagon but the inside needs more coal dust and some of the wood needs making more distressed. I need to look at how other people make bleached wood. 

The late John Hodgson was a active member of the L&Y society.  I think he may have been  instrumental in setting up that society in the early 1950's. If you contact them they may be able to help. 

Mike

Johnson044,  I have in the past used both methods you describe. My L&Y brake van I built last year has a pre curved piece of 60 thou plasticard glued underneath with impact adhesive with gives a push fit inside the body. This has been very successful and I will probably do the same again on one of my LNWR vans. 

The other method I have used in the past on several van's I have built for other people but I don't have any photographs to show you. Both methods worked equally well but I do prefer the first one for the ease of use.

I have glued the axleboxes and springs to my Arniston wagon but I haven't weathered the underframe bits just yet. I missed a couple of ironwork parts on the interior that I still have to fit before I can paint the inside. 

Looking at some of the wagons still to finish for one reason or another, I have 3 brake vans that need finishing off. These all need better roofs from the basic one fitted when I first built them. 

One has roof made from a cut down vacuum formed plastic coach part. This was covered in tissue of one ply stuck on with Limonene and dirtied with powders. Another yet to be fitted was rolled from thin Aluminium sheet. These are harder to fit but don't suffer from bowing in the middle like some of the plastic ones do. 

I managed to get the shading on the second side lettering before attacking the weathering.  I haven't gone as far this time and the jury is out if either side pleases me. 

Can I ask a question from those more knowledgeable than myself. When I have used weathering powders and then sprayed matt varnish over the top sometimes the powders disappear.  Do other people have the same problem or is it something I am unaware of.  

I have blocked in the lettering with my nib and ink. It will need sharpening up and the shading applying before the weathering commences. It is not as easy as it looks this sign writing malarkey. I wonder why I don't see things clearly until after I have taken the photographs  ?