westernviscount

An oft forgotten aspect of the hobby, sitting (or standing) and running some trains!

Great work.

I am enjoying your work here John. I am impressed at the results that can be achieved at this scale. I am very much 4mm but I am very very tempted having seen your wagons. I also bought the 2mm association starter 16t wagon before xmas as a cheap experiment in soldered chassis building. I also picked up a bargain Bachmann graffer class 25. Not committed just yet but am very tempted.

Here are some pics of a completed Cambrian Walrus. The kit did not exactly fall together but it does make up into a nice model. The wagon is sprayed matt black using a humbrol acrylic rattle can. I have started using railtec transfers and I must say they are superb. Although they should optimally be used on a gloss surface I was very happy with the finish directly onto matt. The sides are treated with light applications of carr's weathering powders. Very light application of humbrol white to simulate ballast dust is also applied to the sides. All applications are done with a flat sable brush in a top down motion. I noted from photos that there is a heavier accumulation of brake dust on the end platforms. A very light spray of Humbrol matt varnish from a rattle can is applied. This is applied in a very quick shaking motion as the effects can easily be lost under a heavier layer of varnish. Another light layer of powders might now hold but this wagon will see high levels of handling due to the nature of my layout. The slight silvering around the transfers could have been avoided if they had been applied to gloss surface then a matt varnish applied over this but that doesn't really match the rate at which I like to complete a model!

I was able to dig out the van and the battery boxes use .4mm monofilament as you say and the vac cylinder rigging uses .6mm (using my vernier calipers) but my original commentary of the build says .5mm. So, my calipers measure the monofilament as .4mm amd this I assume is used for the periscope wiper also. Mine are missing and in truth I dont remember ever fitting them.

Hi @BampaOwl. It has been a while since I built this and it is "stored" at the moment. Is the monofilament used for the periscope lookout wipers? If so I think you would get away with .5mm brass wire. I might be way off of course. I hope this is of some help. I have the feeling my periscope wipers fell off after a post exhibition disaster when I dropped an entire stock box with contents spread nicely on the pavement!! I got away with it lightly I think.

Hi John, I use a good set of micro-drill bits. I say good as I bought a cheap set recently and they are useless. I usually use the ones stocked in hobbycraft https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/modelcraft-microbox-hss-twist-drill-set-20-pack/568811-1000 I use a pin vice and use a "back and forth" action as opposed to a continual turn. This seems to drill and gives me control. When doing the guards grab rails at the ends you don't want to go fully through. I have started using .33mm wire for which I used a .4mm drill bit. Without a larger hole the handrail will bend unless 100% accurate. To hold them, I test fit first to check they sit nicely then remove them and dab the ends with cyno. Like many, I place a blob of glue on some scrap material first for control. So, I would suggest your drill bits are not sharp enough as the plastic is not that hard in this kit. I hope this is of some help and let me know how you get on.

That's a nice slab. Surely the proportions should be 1 by 4 by 9 ;-)

Thanks Paul, A valid point and one I only have a weak argument for which is it isn't important to me. However, my knowledge of the prototype wagons is growing thanks to your photos and the books of Don Rowland so I am sure I will go to greater lengths in future projects. The numbers are as you will have noticed from a BR standard brake van sheet by railtec!! I may still amend before weathering and sealing though. Thank you again for the info Paul and for havimg the foresight to photograph so many vehicles!!

So a month or so of distraction I arrived at a state of completion...

Ha ha, he usually ends up on his back. He's waiting for the right brake van veranda to lean on!! Thanks sdjr, I enjoyed this one but wad trickier than I anticipated!

I have posted bits and bobs of this project elsewhere but it has been a while since I have blogged anything and I wanted record the progress with a "lockdown" project. Back in January I was given two Dapol LMS brake vans by my Dad. They were missing bits but he thought I might want to do something with them. Both were missing roofs and one missing an inner door panel. The plan was to revive at least one which I did, replacing handrails and scratch building a roof. The second van sat in a draw for much of the year but I felt it could be revived. I decided to have a go at an LMS Stanier reverse version. This came after reading a blogpost by @46444 where after improving the new Hornby LMS Brake, he mentioned the potential for making a stanier reverse. This would require some more heavy duty work involving the removal of the rail moulding below the roof line and the "swapping" of the the veranda sides. The verand sides were carefully cut out with a scalpel as I wanted to use them in the opposing corners. Here is one side tacked in place. New ends where scratched up from styrene with individual planks laminated on top. Thanks to the knowledge of folk on RMWEB i realised the duckets for the later version are too big so new ones were scratched from styrene. Also scratch built is the cabin door panel. Rivets were added and handrails made from .33mm wire. Lamp irons were made from the rungs of an MSE ladder I had spare! Due to the fact I cannot seem to orientate some of the pictures I shall skip to near completion. The footboards needed rearranging to match the new positions of the veranda openings. The barackets were carved away and new ones made fro styrene. Part of the sole bar braces needed to be scraped away also. A roof was made from styrene and a stove pipe made from brass tube. Small brackets above teh veranda openings are added as per the prototype. Transfers are a mixture of modelmaster and railtec, the latter being superb! End details are added from Lanarkshire Model Supplies icluding buffers, coupling hooks and vac pipes.The veranda were glazed using Humbrol Clearfix. Here is a comparison between the two vehicles. Painting involved the priming of the entire vehicle with halfords red primer then humbrol enamel browns and reds. Left to dry, a coat of tamiya Nato brown is painted over the top, left to touch dry then soaked in enamel thinners and wiped with a cotton bud. Here we see the comparison between the ducket sizes between old and newer vehicles. So here is a final Before and after comparison... Weathering to follow!

Yes that would be handy thanks. I miss the days of buying an affordable loco, buying some detailing parts and SE finecast flush glaze and really making unique loco you can feel proud of. I can't knock Bachmann and the likes but it just all seems so far out of reach for the average wallet and frankly tinkering with old stuff is a real joy. I am confident I can get my lima 31 to run nicely again. cheers

Thanks Jessy. I took a risk by buying class 59 bits from Lendons already. Have used Lendons before and am amazed by the prices!!! I improved a Hornby 121 with a new motor and replaced the pizza cutter wheels with a cl153 set. Runs as smooth as you like. I will try to re-purpose the Lima frames and see how I get on. Thanks again.

Are the Hornby railroad 59, 31, 47, 92 and 66 essentially the same? So a hormby railroad 31 side frame would fit them? Cheers

Edging towards the finish line today structure wise. New foot boards were fitted, formed from .5mm styrene and sanded to shape. Upright vac pipes by Dave Franks fitted. They needed gentle bending to the offset shape. Go too far and they will snap!! Outer end lamp irons were fitted next. These are made from .25mm styrene as the back plate. The bracket is made from the rungs of an etch ladder, cut out, bent to shape and glued into a .4mm hole. A bit of a cobble together but I am happy with the final look. I am beginning to spot glaring errors of the "How did I manage to do that?" variety so it is time to finish of, prime and get this sucker done! Parked up next to the later Stanier van for comparison. A detail shot of the lamp irons.

A tad more progress today. I broke my .4mm drill bit on the second hand rail hole of the evening. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to start at 10.30pm! No, it wasn't. After ordering a new set of drills online I found a .4mm bit in an old drill set as is the way of things. Anyway, hand rails are in place and I have also started to fit the L.M.Supplies buffers and hooks. I have used the packers as I have decided to finish it as a vac piped van.

This really looks like a really interesting subject for a layout. The scale of the ferry is quite unique.

Now then chaps, I have a decision to make here. I received some bits from Dave Franks this morning so I can go either way with tgis one. @hmrspaul when do you feel this example you show was piped through and painted Olive green? It looks in places on the paint work that bauxite might be showing through. Would anyone agree with this? Am I right in thinking Olive green arrived in the late 60's but would have been most common throughout the 70's?

More progress. I knocked up some lamp irons in the spirit of no expense incurred...

Yes, that was and is my understanding as I have re-read @The Johnster's reply and note the no difference between piped and vac fitted livery bit!!

Thanks @The Johnster. Sooooo, it is plausible to have a grey painted van with a vac pipe painted white?

...and in model form... Reverse in the foreground.

Hi @sandwich station. My limited understanding is this... The first link is of an LMS Stanier Brake Van https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/h1f01dca2 Now here is a Stanier reverse. Note the doors are in the reverse position to the first one. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/h2f226a74 What I dont understand is the reverse van looks like an older type but has a name that would suggest it proceeds the "normal" one. Answers I feel will follow below!!! GOD BLESS RMWEB ;-)

Thanks @Trog. I have only seen pics of these in unfitted guise. Could I ask, if there are pics of these vehicles with vac pipes does that mean they were piped through or were converted? Or neither?? Forgive me but proto knowledge isn't my strong point.