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railroadbill

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  1. railroadbill

    New glue used in Mainline Scot restoration

    By railroadbill,


    railroadbill's Blog
    On the Mainline Royal Scot repair I detailed in previous entry, it was necessary to fix the valve gear support bracket from one loco onto the other. It is held in place by 2 small pins, however one was broken off.  The plastic is quite soft and a bit soapy. I used  a new glue I'd just got, which worked very well with that material.
     
    It's actually a liquid plastic welding compound which sets when exposed to ultra violet light.  There are various makes of this now which seems a very new glue. This one is called 5 second fix, which is probably the cheapest one.  The adhesive is in the pen body and is just squeezed out a drop at a time. Nothing happens until you shine the ultra violet torch at the other end on it.  It works very well on the plastic I tried it on. I've also used it to hold ez-line in place when used as biplane rigging. 
     
    A friend in the US put me on to this, she makes dolls house accessories and needs to use very small spots of glue, her husband got her some of this, but hers came in a metal box with separate high quality torch and replaceable glue bottles.  That's Bondic brand, available here for around £20 a set.  The 5 second fix pen I bought is around £3 on e-bay etc. which is fine for a try out. Revell have started doing another pen version which is £10 for 2.
     
    So my experiment worked, probably get a version with more adhesive next time, I suspect that for £3 there wont be too much liquid in the pen I got. But it does work, I suspect it may be similar to fluids used in 3d printing as it is u/v light that sets it. It effectively welds rather than glues.  Also it needs to be on the outside of whatever you are joining as it won't set without the light being shone on it.
     
    Well worth a try for those tricky glue jobs.
     
     
  2. railroadbill

    Vintage Mainline Scot restoration

    By railroadbill,


    railroadbill's Blog
    More lockdown, here we go again!
     

     
    Back in June I dug out 2 old Mainline Royal Scot locos that I'd acquired years ago as part of a barter of various bits and pieces with a friend. He had a lot of equipment from his wife's late uncle who had a shed layout, and had the remains of my n gauge bits in exchange.  Both locos were in bad condition, one had valve gear damage one side, the other didn't run at all.  In my attempt at getting at least one to run again, last June I stripped down the complete chassis, cleaned it all up, popped it back together and - yes!  The chassis ran, then unfortunately the rear driving wheel axle sheared and a wheel fell right off. Think it's possible to get replacement axles but this had broken on a way that would make it impossible to use the wheel again and the plating was coming off anyway. So back in the bits box it all went. That's in previous blog entry.
     

    As far as it got the last time!
     
     
    Recently, inspired by Silver Sidelines's locos in his blog, I thought I'd have another go. This time, I took the left hand valve gear off the complete but broken axle loco chassis and fitted it to the running but broken gear one.  The old Mainline chassis was more sophisticated than I thought it would be, the bolt that holds the return crank on the central driving wheel was quite a slender turning.  
     

     

     

     

     
     
     
     
    Film crew recording loco.
     
    Anyway, it went back together ok, I now had a complete chassis. Tiny drop of electrolube on axles etc.  and whoopee, it actually ran ok!  Cleaned up the better of the 2 bodies, and the tender that had wheels, put it back together and had it running round the layout.  Ran ok without faltering, pulled a 4 coach train of mk1s round for well over an hour without stopping.
    So from 2 wrecks, one working vintage loco!
     
    I took a video of the engine running and sent it to my friend who showed his wife. She was impressed that an old loco of her uncles was running once again!
     
     
  3. railroadbill
    After reading Silver Sideline's excellent account of his Mainline and Bachmann split chassis locos,  I ran 3 that I had from years ago, and still run ok.  So far, so good.
     
    However, I have a couple of Mainline Scots that have been in the bottom of a spares box for many years.  They belonged to the  late uncle of a friend who gave them to me in a bundle of equipment,   part of a swapping session between us.
     
    One has a complete chassis,  but I couldn't remember it running, the other has broken valve gear one side but 20 years ago or so I had had that one running.
     
     

     
    So I though perhaps with very little effort I could have a working loco for nothing. This shows the broken valve gear.
     
     

     
     
    So I started with the complete chassis, took the keeper plate off and cleaned up the wheels and plated parts of the axles.  Smear of Peco electrolube on bearings and lubricated gears motor bearings valve gear etc.
     
    Gave it a run, actually ran fine up and down the layout, then.....oops!
     
     
     
     

     
    Not only did the rear driving wheel drop off, but a wire running through the plastic axle had sheered.
     
     
     
     

     
    The other chassis, with the broken valve gear, was in a much better condition, with the plating on the axle stubs having much less wear.
     
    So I could just take the valve gear from the chassis with broken axle and replace the broken set, or just put them back at the bottom of the box...probably worth one more go though!
  4. railroadbill
    Found some old style Bachmann tension lock couplings.
     

     
    The parkside cct kit came with bars with pegs for the older Bachmann couplings, so being in a retro mood...

     
    on they went. They are a bit short though, so perhaps nem sockets would be better.
     

     
    But finally on the layout,  behind Morgan Le Fey.  Must be on the southwestern somewhere in early 1960s. 2 Parkside cct and pmv vans, 1 Wrenn cct now with pinpoint axle bearings, all from lockdown project. Ex triang bogie van repaint a rear was already done a while ago.
     
    Train pics were done using bridge camera on aperture priority set to f8 which was as far as it will go, to try and get as much depth of field as possible. Seems  to have produced more "noise" though. Probably need some better lighting. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  5. railroadbill
    Firstly, I've finished off this Dapol kit of a 10 ton meat van. Runs well and now has 3 link couplings.  (Middle link needs a bit more of a squeeze, I've just noticed).
     
     
     
     
     

     
    And at the other end, one I've previously finished, an exGWR cattle van built 1925 that was converted to a fruit van in 1940. still running until early 1970s.  This one's In earlier freight bauxite.
     
     

     
    It started off as a really tatty old Hornby  long wheelbase cattle wagon that I was given.
     
     

    Plastic strips represent the planking that was added along the open upper section top of the full size van.
     

    New doors fitted.  Hole in end of roof filled.  Hornby metal spoked wagon wheels fitted.
     
    Cost? nothing!  (Apart from wheels paint and transfers that I already had. Oh, and the 3 link couplings).
     
  6. railroadbill
    More lockdown projects.
     
    Back again,  CCT van is a Hornby one that was originally in Thomas the Tank Engine livery. Resprayed and fitted with Roxey mouldings etched window bars, and Model Master transfers.  Coat of Testors Dullcote to fix it all.

     
    Unfortunately the roof was damaged so I cut a plasticard one to replace it. Wasn't quite sure what thickness would be best, so cut two. The thicker one has holes drilled as a template for fitting ventilators.
     

     
    I came across this tip on another RM thread a while ago but can't now find it.  The poster who suggested it came up with a good idea, taping or holding plasticard with rubber bands to a glass bottle (beer or wine will do!) and filling bottle with boiling water.  The plasticard then moulds itself to  a reasonable radius for van roofs.
    Great and simple idea, thanks to originator of this.
     

     
    This Lima CCT (same moulding of course) shows how the edge of the roof  goes flush to the van sides where it joins the body.  New roof not yet attached to reworked one, just resting on it.
     

     
    I thought I'd be better using the thinner roof  as it would bend easier to meet the body and not stick out beyond the body side.  I added more plasticard bulkheads to support the thinner roof. This is very much an experiment.
     

     
    As far as it's got so far, roof glued on. Will need transverse ribs, and curved gutters on each side, plus ventilators. Got some white metal castings of those. Think they were Comet?
     

     
    I got distracted.....
     

     
    And then it was Frog time!
     
    Stay safe, keep well.
     
    Bill.
     
  7. railroadbill
    BY and CCT nearly there, detail added and paint touched up.
     
     
     
     
     

     
    Parkside kits had reasonable detail to add on underframe, the BY has a lot more equipment (battery boxes, vacuum brake equipment etc. because of the guard's compartment.
     
    These vans are intended to run on the layout so I want to fit tension lock couplings. Parkside provide "twin peg"  parts for the older style Mainline and Bachmann couplings to fit onto.  I do have some spares of these, can only find 1 at moment... (I know I took some off trucks etc. when I fitted 3 link couplings) they are somewhere in a box in loft and not in my large "couplings" envelope for some reason..... Also have some NEM coupling fittings, plenty of spare nem couplings,  just got to find those as an alternative.  I have plenty of time for that, for some reason.
     
     

     
     
    Next one, BR CCT. This is a Hornby Thomas the Tank Engine one that I repainted a while ago in BR maroon, using Model Master transfers. It's got SE Finecast windows and Roxey mouldings window bars. It needs a new roof though. That's been a little tricky, more in next episode.
  8. railroadbill
    Another episode of my lockdown "finishing the next unfinished project" diary.
     
    2 unfinished Parkside Dundas kits, BY utility van (with guard's compartment) and CCT parcels van.
     

    CCT

     
    CCT and BY
     

     
    Underframes and wheels now also on BY. The wheels that came with the kits are romfords and rather nice ones.
     

     
    More details (buffers etc) added.  Turned metal ones.

     
    Some more underframe details to go on, but getting there. need to sort out couplings as well.  However, I've now found the instructions  which show where the dynamo and battery box and vacuum cylinder go on the BY so that's a big help. I've got lots of pics of both vans in various books but none showing that sort of detail.
    The transfers were modelmaster waterslide, very good imho.
     
  9. railroadbill
    During lockdown, I've been fishing out various projects that were started but not finished.  I've been very slowly getting together some LSWR stock to represent trains pre WW1 and just after the turn of the 20th century.  I also thought of a short GWR train to run at the same time.  So here we are, finally in operating condition, transfers applied matt varnish sprayed on, wheels and couplings  fitted.  The 6 wheel brake van is Oxford r-t-r with 3 link couplings fitted,
     

     
    These are 3 GWR  V4 and V5 type vans from old cooper craft kits.  Now finished and with 3 link couplings fitted. The kits  came with rather nice spoked wheels.
     
     
     
     

     
    On the track, the Scammel mechanical horse is rather out of era!
     


     
    Off round the layout, ok wrong emblem on loco but 45xx were first built before WW1 so maybe this could be a starting point for an appropriate loco...
    Just  to get an idea of the look of the train.
     
  10. railroadbill
    In terms of my own support during these strange times of social distancing,  I'm now doing some modelling as small, possible-to-complete projects.  I seem to have just too many things I've started and not quite completed (ok just started in a lot of cases)  so my game plan is to do small things that can be finished and put away or on the layout.  First project, fit pin point bearings to old Wrenn cct van that I bought cheap and repainted years ago. Now have free-running Hornby wheels in pinpoint bearings fitted. 
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