airnimal

With the sunny weather this morning I was able to spray the roof with a rattle can. I then dusted the canvas part with some weathing powders. I will not be able to paint the body because I have not finished the solebar details until I get the etch w-irons.

Compound2632, I have gone with what it says on page 199 of Vol 2 ( However, another possibility is the change from roof openings on both sides of the van, as Drawing 479 implies, to access from one side only , which is definitely the case from Drawing 3003 onwards.) As I have used drawing No 479 to build my model so I will go with doors both sides.

Most of the body is now done with the first attempt at the canvas roof. I have laid a double thickness of tissue paper on and coated it with a mix of resin-w and water and I will let it dry before cutting it to shape over the door. I am not sure this is going to be a successful but untill it dries I will not know.

Doncaster, your brake van is a fine piece of work. A couple of questions on your technique on how do you fix the lamp irons and the middle brass footboard. I have a set of buffers the same as you model but where were the axleboxes from. Not that I am likely to model a G.N.R. brake van but a open wagon might appear one day. I have put the nuts on one end with the coupling pocket. That's one side and one end done, just got to do it all again on the other side.

Compound 2632, it would be nice to do the exterior in bare wood but I don't think my rendition is of wagon interiors is good enough. As for the canvas roof door I will look at tissue with a coating of diluted P.V.A soaked in. Continuing with the bolt details cut from 10 X 25 thou I was wondering if the bolts were to big. That works out with bolts that scale out at just over 1"1/6" square. If I go down to using 20 thou it works out at bolts that would be 7/8" square. I have had a quick look through L & Y wagons but could not find details of bolt size. It may be there but without a long look in depth I couldn't come across it.

Thanks Ian, I know I am not alone in not getting on with kits. The L&Y van body is coming on with a few bolts and ironwork. I chamfered the bottom of the body side with a scalpel.

Regarding the topic of dumb buffers being at the fixed end, this was the opposite of some Duke of Bridgewater wagons in a photography in Oldham Library. There are a number of wagons in this large panoramic view all with the same arrangements. Anybody who is into early wagons will find so much to study in this wonderful large view of Oldham Clegg Street goods yard. Oldham Library has blown the nine photographs up of this yard and placed them together and printed them on one wall in the library.

My friend and I come over because he likes fish and chips in that part of the world as well as a good show. I have put the first of the hinges on with a few square bolts to see how it looks. Still a long way to go.

Thanks to everybody for there information about G.W.R wagons, I am out of my comfort zone here. They will be put away untill I have looked into it further. A little more work on the L&Y van has seen the handrails go on. The handrails are 18thou steel piano wire. I believe Ambis do a etch set of w-irons for this van so I may go to the Wakefield show because Hobby Holidays are there who stock the Ambis range.

Thanks Marc, I will have a look. I have lost my mojo just of late. Not sure if it's the onset of winter or lack of progress on my part but I find I make more mistakes and bad judgments than in the summer. I went to Slaters the other day to pick up some S7 wheels and when I was there I bought some mouldings for a couple of G.W.R wagons thinking it would speed progress. Coming home I realised I don't have a clue how to kit build. I have been building things my own way for so long I have got out of the habit with kit building. I would have to change the axleboxes and buffers and would I be able to get seem less joints between parts. I could have saved my self some money and done my own thing. They say there's no fool like an old fool. Anyway I have done a bit on the L&Y van but progress is slow. I think I am getting withdrawal symptoms with not doing any cycling. I know it has only been six months since I came back from Aus but I would love to go somewhere warm again. I know I won't get any sympathy because most people struggle to get one holiday a year and I have done very well for myself in the past ten years. I wonder how long I can continue to cycle before my old body says enough is enough. The bike in the photo is my "Airnimal " hence the name.

Thanks for all the input regarding L&Y axleboxes and w-irons. I do have a contact that may have some cast one's but I have not spoke to him for awhile. Mark how do I access your Shapeways shop ?

I said yesterday that I didn't have any castings for this van but I had look in my box of wagon buffers and low and behold a set of L&Y buffers complete with buffer heads. I have checked all my etch w-irons from various companies but none match the L&Y profile.

Compound, I like the early red livery like yourself far better than the latter grey. The layout that I had the privilege of visiting had some wonderful locos and rolling stock on it, it made me quite envious. A bit more progress on the L&Y van with the end stanchions put on with the help of another spaceing jig. They have been left over long untill the glue dries out before they will be trimmed to size and thickness. I found a old roof in my box of spares that has just the right curve that will do. Not sure why I stared this van as I have neither w-irons or castings for this van so it will go in the must finish one day box along with about 10 others.

Steve, I have made a small length of track using Ambis rail in 7mm scale with stone blocks cut from plastikard.

Thanks Andy. I will have to wait untill my own technical support arrives home from China next week. That is my son-in law who has gone there for 3 weeks on business. He understands all the things my old brain cannot grasp. Untill then I will put up a couple of photos of my visit to a gentlemans layout that I had the pleasure of visiting last week.

Does anybody know if it possible to upload a short video ?

I've fitted the floor and solebars and put a couple of extra layers of plasticard in both the sides and ends. I have added another 60 thou piece plus a layer of colour plastic in 20 thou inbetween to make it like plywood. I always make multi layers with odd number to save the sides from warping and use Limonene to glue it all together. I have to be more careful using Limonene because it takes a lot longer to dry and I am forever getting fingerprints on the outside surface of and model I make.

Yes the wide plank version. I am pleased with the progress and the fitting of the parts. Because the sides are made from 60 thou and the headstock from 100 thou there is a ledge inside to fit the floor before the solebars go in.

Hello Richard, you are man after my own heart. I try to take some modelling project with me when travelling. Time is so precious that I feel it is a crime to waste what time we have been given. I model in 7mm scale and managed to part build over 300 wagons in works time/down time/diner time. I even managed to take a large bag of white metal castings to clean up while waiting to go into court when on jury duty. Regards Mike

I know I shouldn't start anything new with so many half finished wagons but .... Anyway I had a visit from a member of the L&Y society last week and we ended up talking wagons. So when the gentleman left I got out my two L&Y wagon books and had a look at one of the early van to Dia 3. I have always wanted one of these vans so it wouldn't do any harm would it ?

The etch w-irons have arrived and anybody who ordered them should have them shortly. If anyone else wants any, there are only 12 wagon worth left. They are priced at £3.25 per wagon post paid. PM me if you require any.

Sorry to gate crash this tread but I made a model of Killin station about 30 years. It was made in O gauge for a gentleman in Manchester for his Caledonian railway.

Unfortunately there is very little information available and even fewer photographs than normal to go on. Vol 3 of LNWR wagons just says both ends were vermillion and nothing else. I don't think we will ever known unless new information turns up.

I have painted both ends with another coat of vermillion but the open end will still need some more work. The photos show my poor painting skill. I have also made up the brake wheel by soldering two etch parts together and rounding them off in the mini drill. There is still a fair bit of work to do I have decided to have a couple of sheets of etch w-irons of my LNWR wagon design. They will not be available for about a month so if anybody wishes to have some this will be the last time I am likely to have any produced. I am not going to make any money from them so I will be selling them at cost. They will cost £3.25 per wagon plus postage. P.M me if you need any.

Gentleman, I could not achieve anything like the standard of the coaches especially the painting. But when the opportunity arose to acquire them I did not hesitate or feel guilty about buying them. I was just a normal working class lad who left school at 15 without any qualifications but I worked hard putting in very long hours. I use to cycle 18 miles a day to work in all weather's doing 12 hour shifts or longer sometimes not having any days off for weeks on end. After 19 years service I was still made redundant and shown the door for for the third time. I only posted the photos to show the standard I wish I could achieve but I know I never will. Jim, I couldn't do what you do in 2mm. I couldn't make 4mm scale work for me so I am full of admiration for your skills. I suppose I should be able to make a reasonable wagon having scratch built over 400 wagons over many years of trying.