airnimal

Jim, I didn't take you comments as criticism, I welcome all input. I am just struggling a little bit with frustration at not being able to get what I want. This lockdown doesn't help but as we are all in the same situation I mustn't moan to much. At least I have my first covid jab a couple of days ago. While I decide what to do about the lamp brackets I thought I would look at the buffers. Because I only have one photograph of my chosen van with only a partial view I am having to have an educated guess at the number of bolts holding the buffers in place. I used some backing plates that came with some Peco buffers but I have decided that I would make replacements with 5 bolts rather than the 4 bolts on the Peco ones. So I cut out some plates from 20 thou blue plastic and drilled a hole through the centre and before mounting them on a 6 BA bolt and turning them in my mini drill. I used a pair of dividers to mark out the position of the bolts. I will glue them on after I remove the Peco ones.

Jim, if it doesn't please you then there's no point in modeling. This last attempt is still not right to my eyes so I am going to have a few days off and come back to it again. You ask what it wrong, well it's not true and straight as well as not being strong enough. I don't know a lot about Scottish history but something about a Robert and a spider spring to mind !

Hopefully I have got close to what I want. It's still not perfect but I am not sure how far I can go with this. Close up shots are cruel to the finish with scratches that will not be seen at normal viewing distance.

I think I have got the profile I require now after hours of trying. It still may need a bit of work with a file to narrow across one side. But at least I feel happy now I am on the right track. I just have slice off 6 all the same size.

Clearly these last attempts are not tall enough and a few thou to wide. So not having a suitable milled brass L section I need to find a alternative method. Fold up thin brass is possible but I want to make them in bulk so that they are all the same size and shape. So is origami a possibility ? I have managed the first fold after scoring the back and squeezing it in the vice, so I will continue and see if this is the answer. Because brass would crack at the first fold I have used nickel.

Thanks Chris, I am struggling with these lamp brackets. I think the reason is I don't have the right material for the job. I think I need the T section to be another. 1mm taller. Had a go with the piece I soldered up just awhile ago and cut a section to see if it was what I am after. It is but..... I still think the idea is sound but with the wrong material I am going around in circles.

I think the principle is sound for the lamp brackets but part of the material is to heavy. I am not happy with the L section so I am going to make another stab at it but using some 10 thou nickel. I have scored a line on to a small piece of 10 thou with my Olfa cutter and folded it into an L section. Then I have soldered it to a small length of milled brass T section. I can cut the nickel piece to the longest bracket I require and shorten the smaller lengths as required. The ones already made will go in scrap box.

Needing 6 lamp brackets all the same I thought that making them individually was a recipe for disaster and inconsistency. So I soldered the T shaped section of brass to the L section of brass after trimming the L section to the size I wanted. After cleaning I cut the first one off and I will have enough left to do many more wagons or brake van's.

Mol_PBM, Chrisbr, thank you both for the input and kind offers. I have found my cover slips and remembered I already had a tungsten scriber leftover from my last workplace. I had just done one as a quick experiment and I think it is going to be successful. What I shall do is cut all the glass panels out of CD covers and use them as templates to use when I finally get around to painting the van.

I have cut the windows out of a CD case just to see how they will look. Close up work always looks worst than it is in real life. I am sure real glass would be better but everytime I try and cut microscope slides I nearly always end up breaking them.

Nothing much happened today but I have turned up a chimney.

I have had to make a new pair of L shaped brackets because the first pair were not long enough. I finally finished all the brakegear and connecting pull rod. So it's back to making the lamp irons and completing the rest of the body details.

Adam88, I remember Norman's Dale models at the Manchester exhibition, I have been to everyone for 60 years. I am sorry that there will not be any working brakes or moving brakesman. Even if I could I'm quite happy with what I've made. The L conecting brackets have finally been made. I soldered 2 pieces of nickel together and drilled the holes before cutting them out with a piecing saw. I have to work out if these brackets go inside of the handle frames or outside. The 4 drawings in the wagon book have 2 of each so which is the right way ?

Still to make yet is the L shaped brackets underneath but I done the moving T handle. I am not going to solder this in so that I can move it to any position.

The bracket holding the brake shaft to the body has been made from a bit of tube and nickel strip. I cut the tube to size after soldering it to the strip and drilling for the Masterclub bolts.

The sidetfames have been made and soldered to the brake shaft. Onwards to the L shaped operating bottom brackets before I make the handle and mounting plates.

I have started on the brake handle and linkages. The handle is a length of .95mm brass tube with a 14 BA screw soldered in. The part that it screws into was made from 1.5mm square brass bar. I drilled and tapped it 14 BA before cutting a small section with a piecing saw.

Noel Coates states in Vol 2 that the LMS inherited 3500 Dia 3 but very few remained after the 1930,s although some lingered on as service vehicles.

I am pleased that this method has worked well and I have a free running underframe that all comes apart for easy painting. I am going to make a bracket that also will be mounted on one of the W-irons to support the crank arm from the brake standard. I think this is a job for tomorrow because we have had 2 of our young grandsons here today. They are 18 months and 3 years old with enough energy to run rings around me and my wife, they never stop. Both mum and dad are teachers so we have them every Wednesday as they are in our bubble.

Try Severn Models. They do some nice etched kits in most scales.

Here is a photograph of them seperated. This will make them so much easier to spray paint them. One of my pet hates is trying to paint in tiny crevices and behind wheels.

Guy, I think there is enough clearance even with the amount of up and down movement for me not to worry about shorts. I have used this method before and I havn't had any trouble. I have decided to solder up all one side of the brakegear and cut the brake shaft in half because trying to wiggle this in with the tumblers both side was beginning to get a little tricky. I will put a bit of tube over the brake shaft to join them together later.

First side done. I have soldered the brake shoes to the W-irons so that it all comes apart for painting but I haven't soldered the cross shaft in yet. The brake push rods are just folded over at the tumbler end and will be glue up solid after painting. Just the other side to do now before I start on interesting bit making the outside guards handle and connecting brackets. Now it is in you will not be able to see much of it with the footboards on.

I have put the cross shaft for the brakgear in but I have not soldered them in yet. But I have soldered the tumblers and brake activaters in readiness for the brake shoes. Still to make are the brake push rods which will be next.

I have made some plates to represent the sliding sledge brake but I think they are over scale. I have also being modifying some of my own castings for the wooden brake shoes but I'm not over happy with the progress on these. I may cut some out of double sided copper clad strip.