airnimal

I am fortunate that I had in stock the correct longer buffers and the single brake shoes fitted to these wagons. I had them from Adrain Swain about 20 years ago and they fitted the bill perfectly. To fit the brake shoes I cut a couple of bits of brass angle to the required size and then soldered the shoes to these after first tinning with low melt solder. I then cut a couple of bits of Evergreen strip and sunk a 12BA nut with the soldering iron the way I mount my wheels. This makes for removable of brake shoes easy for painting and allows adjustment to position them close to the wheels. One of my pet hates is brake shoes with a gap that you could drive a bus between. Sorry rant over. One problem I have with these wagons is that the works drawings has end stanchions but the photos don't have any fitted. Were different batches built with them and others without ?

To continue with this saga I decided in the end to start again. This has been a struggle from the start but I was not going to admit defeat. First problem is I am running out of 60 thou plasticard and some sizes of Evergreen strip. I had to use some old scraps of plasticard and even broke down some reject wagons to source material. Another problem was I have been struggling with accuracy when marking out. I decided to check my Moore & Wright square by using a straight edge along both sides and was shocked to find it was way out of true. This explains some of my many failures over the last few years ! I shouldn't be surprised because I have been using it for 53 years and even good tools wear out over time. So after many attempts and more than a fair share of rejects I am now at a reasonable stage and may complete them. I even remember that the wheels and bolsters are off set having fallen in that trap last time when I made the dumb buffer version. Chris, many thanks for you kind offer regarding the number plates. I will be in touch in a few days time.

Sometimes things just don't go according to plan, not in my life anyway. When I had the etched number plates done I forgot to record which numbers went with which wagons. Some were easy to find out about using the 3 volumes of the L.N.W.R. wagons books, but some were obtained from photographs / books and other sources. As I get older I now can't remember where some of this information was located. I did have a set of numbers done for these Dia 13 timber wagons even though I had not built them. Half way through I checked the numbers against the drawing only to find out that the numbers I have were for the early wagons which were a shorter length. You quess it I had made a later pair of wagons. Do I scrap these and start again or have some new number plates made ? I could saw the ends of both wagons and and reduce the length which would make more sense.

After making the 4 headstocks I drilled them all for the white metal buffers from A.B.S on my home made headstock jig. I had one of my blond moments and drilled them all when only 2 wanted drilling ! So the 2 redundant ones were plugged with Evergreen rod. The 2 headstocks didn't need drilling because the 2 wagons were permantly coupled together without buffers in the middle. After drilling I opened the holes using different broaches to the required size and then countersunk them with my home made de-burring tool given to me many years ago by a old tool maker.

ScottW, I have used the Kold Blak on this occasion but I have also used the Super Blue as well. I cleaned the wheels with Meths before I leave the wheels in the liquid for a few minutes. I cleaned them with a paper towel and then polished with a fibre brush in a mini drill before repeating for a second time. The solebars on these wagons did not have the standard cutout but ones with a less pronounced shape. So I have made these by filing by hand using my small hand vice so they are all the same.

All the plans this year now look to be scrapped but at least we have a hobby we can do at home. Now we are all locked down and nowhere to go we will have to make the most of it while we can. I don't have a top draw of unbuilt kits like most modellers, only boxes of parts. So out with the bits to see what we have and prepare the parts for a couple of Dia 13 bolster wagons. Cleaning the cusp of the etches and modifying and preparing the wheels still took a good few hours. I have included some photos of the modified Slaters S7 wheels and some Slaters unmodified finescale wheels. All those propaganda photos by the P4 society many years ago worked for me. Remember those big chunky wheels falling off the track......

Gentlmem, you are very kind and you comments mean a great deal to me. I belive we need to be our own worst critics otherwise our standards would stand still. Talking of the master builders, my friend whom I am building this brake van for bought a Beeson loco body of E bay for a Stanier 2-6-4 tank of all places. He then asked Geoff Holt to rebuild it and add a fully working chassis to complete it. This appeared in Geoff's book and in M.R.J. and I had the pleasure of viewing it. It is a wonderful work of art. One small aspect was missing from the loco and I reluctantly mention it to my friend hoping not to upset him. After all he had spent a lot of money getting this loco to this stage and it may have been seen as bad manners to point this small omission out. But he took it in good heart and asked me if I could rectify this small omission. What was missing was the small end stops on the handrails on the smoke box door. So I had a look at how Stanley Beeson did his on his models and it appeared he soldered small washers on the ends of the handrails. Not wanting to go near this beautiful model with my soldering iron I asked my friend if he could extract the handrail from the model and slide it out from the handrail knobs without disturbing the beautiful paint. I had being pondering over how make the ends when I was still working at my last employment when I was taught how to make a thermocouple by tig welding a non magnetic and a magnetic wire together. I don't have any idear what they are used for but watching the wires melt in to a small ball gave me the idear. So I took a small length of nickel wire and place it in a vice and shot a small charge from the tig welder at it. It instantly burnt to a small ball like a lollipop. I then put this in a mini drill and shaped the ends with a needle file. We used lots of small bore stainless steel tube that matched the size of the handrails on the model so a length was cut to the right size. My friend was then able to replace the handrail and slip in the new ends all without disturbing the magical paintwork.

Jim, the letters look to me to be painted by someone who's had a few drinks. The letters don't have consistancy with thickness. Signwriters used chisel shape brushes which would give the letters the same thickness throughout the letters. This model is for a friend who was a art teacher and he has a very fine collection of models including works by James Beeson, Tony Reynalds, Geoff Holt and a host of top class model makers. His collection is stunning. I don't ever think for one moment my work comes close to these masters of the model world but if my friend is going to put this brake van in his collection then I at least want want it to be half decent. I would be horrified if he placed this next to some wagons lettered by Alan Brackenborough. I just hope he keeps it separate which I think he will do as he already has a small train of my work that just needed a brake van for.

I have fitted the lamps on the side with epoxy after drilling a couple of holes in the upright timber. I made a pair for my own model while I was at it. I drilled a a couple of holes in a bit of wood to hold them so I could spray them. Looking at the photo's I will have to revisit the poor attempt at the tare weight letters. i am pleased with the paint but I will weather it down quite a bit. The roof is just a temporary until I cover it with tissue paper. Still to do are the windows and one or two bits to finish it off. I have sent a photo to my friend of this model but he will have to wait for the restrictions to end before he can take delivery.

With the weather being so kind to us I have varnished all the ballast wagons and painted the basic shell of this latest ballast brake van for my friend. I have had to borrow a roof of one of my own vans because I have run out them. I am about to start on painting the red ends. I am using Citadel paint from Games workshop.

Guy, this brake van is a ballast brake. They were according to Vol 3 of L.N.W.R wagons, were converted from Dia 16 vans with the end panels were removed. I have built a N.L.R brake van about 15 years ago for a gentleman in London. It was scratch built before I did my kits for the L.N.W.R. Managed to do about 18 mile bike ride today in the lovely sunshine. It was a pleasure with the roads being so empty.

I should finish all the nearly built wagons before starting something else but where's the fun in that. In times of stress I will be doing a ballast brake van for a friend from my old stock of resin bits. So I have cut the end panels out and made a new sill from Evergreen strip. I have also made a couple of lamp brackets from brass tube with some brass bolts. With the weather bright and sunny I will get out on my bike later today, must keep as fit as possible with not being able to walk to the pub anymore.

Lady luck has paid me a visit. I stuck the cast letters down on a piece of cardboard and sprayed them with white primer but they were horrible. So I dropped them in some stripper and when I took them out they were fine without any glue on the back but with the paint still good. So I use some Epoxy to glue them on the ends. I think they look reasonable.

There has been a small amount of progress on these ballast wagons. They are nearly finished but I wouldn't like to build 3 wagons together at the same time again. With all problems going at present I think I will have to reassess what my future holds in modelling terms. I cannot see us moving house this year now so I may have to build the small layout here with what available space I have. I tried to paint the cast letters that go on the ends of these wagons without success. They are so small that they impossible to hold so I have put them in paint stripper and will try a different method next time.

Very impressed. Although I have been building for a very long time I still blunder through without you precise planning and execution. I would love to have more control then perhaps I wouldn't scrap so much. Just shows we are all different and there's more ways to skin a cat. Looking forward to learn something new. Mike

Compound2632, I have used some old Colin Ashbury springs that I bought many years ago from him at the old Blackburn show when it used to be in the town hall. They were 50 pence for 4 and the same for his w-irons. I have now used all the springs but I have plenty of the w-irons left which I probably will not use. I have nearly finished the first these ballast wagons with just the brake block to paint. It has been a long journey and I wouldn't want to build too many more. The dust covers were a good idea but a pain to get right and I think I need to try a different glue to fix them to the wagon with.

I have just started to experiment with covers for the axleboxes to keep out dust. I have obtained some wine bottle top foil in black from a friend. I then smoothed them out and glued some black tissue paper on top with resin W. This looks as though it has promise and will prove the answer but before I can do any more I have had the call to wear my grandad hat and go and rescue my daughter with two sick children.

Well I have removed the label clip and attached the plates and put the diamond tranfers on along with the tare weight. I couldn't get the tare weight in the right space because the tranfers are slightly oversize so I may remove them and try and paint them by hand as I have done with the letters H.D which was Holyhead district.

Richard, I may try to flatten them as you suggest. I made a few more than I needed so I will try some of those away from the wagon first. In the meantime I have been trying the finish the ballast wagons. Here my observation skills or lack of them have let me down once again. I tried to clean the plates to leave the white letters proud but ended up taking the plates back to the nickel underneath. I think they still look good untill I placed them on the wagon only to find I have put the label clip in the wrong position even though I have a clear photo of the wagon in question. Worst was to come because I have made the same mistake on both of the small ballast wagons but only on one side. How bizarre. Its not the end of the world because it is easy to remove them and touch the paint up. You would think after 40 years scratch building I shouldn't be making these elementary mistakes but they keep happening. Is modern life to stressful or are we trying to pack to much in ?

I have made the 5 link coupling from some .8mm brass wire to finally finish the N.S.R. one plank open. Looking at the photo of the real wagon I may change these because the smaller links look much the same as the 2 outer links only shorter. I have made them more round on my model. I have also cut out the number plates for the L.N.W.R ballast wagons and mounted them on some 15 thou plastkard and sprayed them white. I will let the paint harden for 24 hours before attempting to paint the background black.

CKPR, thanks for the comments. When I do the floors I put some texture in the plastic with coarse sandpaper or a wire brush. I then use a series of different foam backed abrasive clothes to smooth out the flat surface. A quick brush with a old toothbrush gets rid of the waste out of the grooves. When the wagon is finished and washed and painted with the base body colour put on I give it a couple of thin coats of Humbrol 103 or 121 and leave to dry for a day to go hard. Just recently I have tried Tamiya XF-57 with similar results but I prefer Humbrol. After a day I then brush dark coloured powders in to the surface. That's all. I have tried to do wood other ways including following Martyn Welch's The Art Of Weathering but without success. This wagon has had a couple of thin coats before the powders being applied.

Although I haven't done the 5 link couplings I have more or less finished this N.S.R wagon. For a simple wagon there has been a good few hours in it plus a few wrong turnings along the way. I should now finish the L.N.W.R ballast wagons now I have the etch plates by by Chris Brown.

Not having cast axleboxes or springs I have had to modify some Midland one from Slaters plastic kits. They are not 100% correct but under a coat of paint they will be hopefully pretty near. One slight problem is that the springs are very slightly off centre, not that many people will notice.

I decided to letter the other side of the Buxton Lime Firms wagon today but with a bit more of a worn appearance. This will still need a lot more lime stains on the interior.

Kit PW, I am pleased that you find my rambling of interest. I do try to show different aspects including blunders and warts because not everthing goes according to plan. I am never afraid to scrap something that I don't feel comfortable with. This wagon is going reasonable well but I have just made a mess painting the interior woodwork. Two steps forwards and one step back. So I have rubbed most of the paint off and I will try again tomorrow.