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Pugsley

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  1. Pugsley

    It's Been a Long Time

    By Pugsley,

    It has indeed been a long time, not only since I actually updated this blog, but also since the 37 project started, all those years ago. It was never intended to take quite so long and I still can't believe that nearly five years have gone by! There haven't been any updates as I didn't want to put any more pictures up until I was happy it was finished.
     

     
    I'm pleased to say that the 37 is complete for now. It's taken a little while to get the lighting right, after its maiden running session a couple of weeks ago, a video of which can be found here:
     

     
    It took a while to get it running as well as I'd like, the small pick-ups that I'd designed weren't quite up to the job, so I've installed some extra ones made of brass wire, which rub on the backs of the wheels. Although the pick up is only on 8 wheels, there are no problems with stalling, which is a relief.
     

     
    The motors are a little notchy at really slow speeds, but I think they're only 3 pole - I'm hoping that a bit of CV tweaking will mitigate that, if not cure it. In terms of the individual motors, the DCC chip has no problem with controlling them, it runs as if it's got a more conventional drive inside. One thing I have learnt though is that it behaves exactly like the real thing - if one axle breaks traction, it spins at high speed and takes the current from the other motors! Working sanders might be the next project
     

     
    At some point in the future I'm going to build another set of bogies for it, taking the lessons that I've learned during this project, of which there have been many. The motor units themselves could be made more compact with different gearing, which in turn would lower the ride height, which is my only minor gripe at the moment - it rides about 1.5mm higher than it should. That's a long term plan, however, as I have several other things that I want to get on with first, the Cargowaggons being the main one at the moment.
     

     
    The only other work has been minor cosmetic works. I've designed, and 3D printed, inserts for the fire pull holes on the noses - I decided to go the solid route as they normally fill up with dirt, so you can't see through them. I also fitted the pull handles from Tom Harwin's excellent 37 detailing etch - if you've a 37 to build, get hold of one of these. I wish it was available at the time I was building the body of mine, but I'd already painted it by the time he'd finished it.
     
    The only other significant alteration I've made is on the pipes - the tops and bottoms of the JLTRT cast pipes were cut off, and filed down to fit inside some small diameter silicone tubing, to give some movement and flexibility to the pipes. The tubing is pole float rubber, which can be obtained from angling shops, or ebay.
     
    It's been an enjoyable project and definitely challenging at times, but then that's all part of the fun. On to the next challenge!
  2. Pugsley

    Tampering

    By Pugsley,

    I've put the bogie work on the 37 to one side for a minute as I wanted to do some actual modelling instead of sitting at a computer drawing things. After a gentle prod by another member, I've remembered that there has been a little progress on my tamper since the last update on RMweb 3, here:
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=653897#p653897
     
    It's made a visit to the paintshop:

     

     
    I've replaced the etched handrails in the kit with some formed from 0.33mm wire - they look more convincing than the square etched ones. There is plenty more to do on this, but I wanted to get the main body colour on first, as some of the parts that need to be added are very fine, particularly the pipes up the sides, and I thought it best to get the main coat on first. Buffers (Hornby Class 50 buffers) are just poked into their holes temporarily at the moment.
     

    It's pleasing to view it from the side, as it shows the real difference between my model and the standard kit. The biggest difference being in this area:

     
    Structurally, it's complete, most of the parts to be added now is all the plumbing and there is a lot of it to do! I won't be making terribly rapid progress with this, more picking it up from time to time and doing bits when I get fed up with drawing.
  3. Pugsley

    More bogie progress

    By Pugsley,

    With the coming of Spring, almost, I've been able to get on with the class 37 bogies, with the key being the assembly of enough traction motors to test assemble the first one. It's been too cold to do anything in the shed!
     

     
    Putting the 3 motors in place showed exactly where the cross-members needed to be trimmed, to prevent the reduction gears fouling on them. A bit of a design cock-up there! These have now had sections cut out with a piercing saw, which doesn't seem to have affected the strength of the bogies at all. It looks a bit untidy, but it isn't going to be easily visible, so I'm not too worried
     
    A view of the other side, with the cosmetic sideframe from the kit attached with Blu-Tack! It's wonderfully versatile stuff, although something a little more permanent will be used in the end
     

     
    The last recent achievement has been adding the brackets for the torque reaction arms. These are soldered to the cross-members and will both prevent the motor rotating around the axle, and it will also locate the motors laterally.
     

     
    The arms will, quite simply, be made out of wire, probably 0.7mm NS, although I haven't made my mind up yet. They'll hook into the top holes on the motor brackets and the soldered brackets. The theory is that the motor will be able to move around the axle slightly as the axle moves up and down on the springs. The original plan was to have slotted brackets, so the motor could move up and down in the same plane as the axle, but these looked a bit too tall in the end, so I substituted some other parts that were included on the frets for a different purpose.
     
    I'm still learning as I go!
  4. Pugsley
    There are probably more time consuming bits to come but doing the detailing bits is going to be the most time consuming part of the whole project, it certainly has been in the case of the DTS I've been focusing on today, even more time consuming than removing all the raised detail!
     

     
    The first pic is here to highlight just how much of a difference the windows make. Admittedly it is additional expense on top of a rather expensive kit, but the difference is amazing - they really transform the model.
     

     
    Fitting the windows is quite straightforward - the instructions included are very helpful. Each window is cut from the fret, trimmed and filed to remove any remnants of the tags. Once lined up on the bodyside, I've put a small piece of masking tape to act as a hinge whilst keeping the window in position. I've then used Roket Hot thin Cyano applied with a scalpel blade to secure the window frame. This is ultra thin, so it penetrates into the gap around the window, which just needs pressing down gently. I've also added the new full length rainstrips, from 0.25x0.5mm styrene strip (Evergreen 100.
     

     
    It gets ever more time consuming (hence the project creep bit) when I keep noticing more and more detail differences between the 455's and other units using the same bodyshell. The biggest of these that I've noticed is the front handrails - seemingly unique to the 455/7's and /9's. As can be seen in the pic above, there is a section cut out of the valance that normally projects past the cab front where there is a handrail. I've also discovered that the /9's have a different bolster design on the DTS and TS to the other subclasses, so I can't use the parts that I had etched for this one. As a lucky accident, however, I do have some spares of another part which I think will do the job although not designed for it - a stroke of luck!
     
    I've yet to decide exactly what I'm going to do for the bogies on this unit - the DTS is temporarily standing on the ones included in the kit, but I don't think I'm going to use those.
     
    Next job is to tackle the MS
  5. Pugsley

    Unleashing the genie

    By Pugsley,

    Links for later parts of the saga:
    2 - What do you do in the bath?
    3 - Giving the Chopper a good workout
    4 - D, I, Why?
    5 - Interior design
    6 - Interior design - too
    7 - I'll be your number one
    8 - Of weeny LEDs and orange
    9 - The real slim Shady
    10 - His name? Number two...
    11 - Mikkel made me do it ;-)
    12 - Wax on. Wax off.
     
    I have probably just made a mistake, probably quite a big mistake - I've opened the big white box of joy...
     
    For those of you who are not aware of the big white box of joy, it contains a JLTRT 37 that I acquired earlier in the year and was trying to put off starting until I'd got a lot further with the various EM projects that I have on the go. This box has been calling me from the shelf for a few months now and I've managed to resist, until today!
     
    Before construction starts in earnest, I've decided to have a good look at the body parts to figure out what needs to be done to represent my chosen prototype - 37415 in the IC 'Mainline' livery.

    So far I've identified 3 panels that need to be removed, and several areas that need to be filled, as marked on the sides in the picture above. My first impressions on unwrapping the sides was of nicely defined castings with the minimum of flash. There was one bit that I wasn't too happy with though - on each side the window above the rectangular grille was connected to the grille below with a bit of resin. With a bit of care, and a fine pointed scriber, I've managed to remove this block and introduce a small gap between the window and the grille. No before pictures though, sorry.
     
    Other additions that will need to be made are bulkheads behind the drivers seat, which I think were added at refurbishment. I just need to find a decent photo that shows the detail, as there seems to be a couple of different types.
  6. Pugsley
    As the pictures in the printed magazine haven't shown up some of the subtle effects that can be achieved with the oil paints as much as I'd like, I've taken the liberty of putting the pictures used in the article, plus a couple of bonus ones, here. I'm not including the words though - this is in addition to the article, not instead of it
     
    Click each photo for a larger view.
     
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  7. Pugsley

    The Past

    By Pugsley,

    I guess it seems strange starting a blog about a layout with a post about an entirely different layout, but it highlights some of the thinking behind the new layout, and I feel it sometimes helps to have a little of the past to understand the present and the future. The old thread containing more info about the construction of the layout can be found here:
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=608
     

     
    Chittle was my entry in the 2007 layout challenge, which was for layouts with a total area of less than 6 square feet. This introduced a couple of compromises, particularly in terms of shape and, of course, overall size. The biggest compromise, for me, was the inability to capture the feel of railway running through the landscape as much as I wanted. I didn't want the layout to feel crowded, so the final track plan was as simple as possible, but this did limit operation somewhat. After operating sessions on Bleakhouse Road, I decided that whatever I did next needed to have more operating potential, and more shunting to keep me occupied.
     

     
    Starting from scratch, and never having built a layout before, I wasn't really sure what I was doing, so there was a large element of making things up as I went along. Initially I wasn't going to use point motors, but eventually decided I wanted to. Unfortunately, I hadn't designed the layout with them in mind, so ended having to chop holes out of the polystyrene, and glue plywood into the apertures, making much more work for myself than I ever needed to do. The extruded styrene did make for a strong and lightweight base though, and I will probably use it for a layout again in the future.
     

     
    Having more locos than anything else (that always seems to happen!) meant that it would have to be a small depot of some description, but I wanted it to be different - not another depot layout with a Pikestuff shed, and Knightwing fuelling point. I did end up with the Knightwing fuelling point (but used the less common roof option to try and disguise that...
     

     
    Various avenues of research led to Peterborough stabling point (the EWS one) as a basis for the shed and fuelling point. Again, I hadn't built a structure from scratch, so didn't really know what I was doing. I figured, in the end, that as it was to be an open building, so the interior would be visible, it would be a good idea to build it like the real thing. Wills sheets were used for the base of the building, glued back-to-back to give the necessary thickness, and brick patterns on both sides. The top of the structure as then built up with Evergreen styrene girders, styrene battening, and embossed plasticard cladding on that.
     

     
    During construction I put lights on one building as an experiment after fiding some LEDs that looked like industrial lighting in both white and yellow. It worked, so all of the building on the layout were equipped with working lights, with the hope that it would work for taking night photos on the layout. In the end it was something that worked quite well, and it was worth the extra effort.


     
    Scenery was a mix of static grass, and Woodland Scenics foliage, along with some brambles made from rubberised horse hair. Scenic methods mostly came from the Captain Kernow Scenery Clinic Service, which was most enlightning, although I used spraymount for speed, rather than the more usual PVA. The deadline was rapidly approaching by this stage!
     
    I didn't think it would be finished in time, but to my amazement it was, although circumstances at the time helped. Even more of an amazement was it winning I still can't get over it to this day. Following this, it appeared at both the main and SWAG hosted members days, and one exhibition. It's recently gone to a new home to clear space for the incoming project.
     
    There are many lessons I've learned during the construction and operation of the layout, probably too many to mention here - although the major ones are the operational interest, and not using points of too tight a radius - A5s are probably OK for small steam locos and shorter wagons, but cause problems with a lot of modern stock. Other lessons learned will crop up in the next update about the current project. See, I said there was a point to all this
     

  8. Pugsley
    I bloody love these water mixable oil paints that I've been using!
     
    I thought gouache was the wonder stuff, well it still is really, but these oils are even better and much more versatile. It's taken a while to figure out how to use them effectively, it requires a slightly different technique to gouache, but I'm now glad that I've persevered with them after the initial disappointment that I had.
     
    I've used them quite successfully, I think, on a couple of the TTA wagons that have graced the bench of late.
     
    Exhibit A:
     
    The inspiration:
    http://paulbartlett....b08c1#h303b08c1
     
    The model:
    Before:

     
    After:

     
    Pretty much all of the barrel weathering, with the exception of the streaking from the filling hatch, has been done with the oils on this one. The streaking is gouache, which is still the best method of achieving this kind of effect. The underframe is a mix of the oils and powder/hairspray, with additional powder used dry on top for variation. The powder/hairspray mix was usd on all the black bits of the underframe, with highlights and other colours added as required.
     
    The oils are great for adding subtle variation of colour, as they can be added sparingly and spread around, quite a long way, using a stiff-ish flat brush. They do dry pretty permanently, unlike gouache, after a period of time but the finish is still relatively fragile. They need to be sealed with varnish if the models that they're used on are going to handled regularly.
     
    They can also be used in wash form, with either white spirit, or water with a drop of screenwash in the case of these particular paints. They can also be used in a form of dry brushing to add very subtle highlights.
     
    Exhibit B:
     
    The inspiration:
    http://paulbartlett....17179#h2d017179
     
    The model:
    Before:

     
    After:

     
    Again, the barrel weathering is exclusively oils, including the spillage stains. So far, I've not found anything quite as good for doing subtle weathering as these, especially with the ability to add extremely subtle variations in colour.
     
    The oils aren't as opaque as gouache, so they're no use for the heavier effects, for example I tried them on the truly filthy ex Esso tanker, as seen a few posts ago, and the oils wouldn't cover the original livery, even brushed on neat. I ended up using the gouache for that particular model, which reminds me that I must finish the other side of it!
     
    This is probably going to sound a bit pretentious, but I think these materials allow the boundary between modelling and art to be blurred a bit. To explain, part of producing a painting of a wagon would be adding the highlights, shadows and other subtle variations to bring the subject to life. In a way, weathering a model of wagon works the same way, except that the wagon itself is the canvas, if you see what I mean. I am definitely no artist, but am using these paints in almost the same way as one would, I guess.
     
    Still, whichever way you look at it, I'm pleased with the results so far, and look forward to seeing what else I can do with this stuff. More soon!
  9. Pugsley
    I've not really acheived much of late, I haven't really felt like doing much and the large scale 37 has stalled as there's a few expensive bits I need to buy for it before I can continue. Over the last week or two I've slowly started to feel like doing something, so thought I'd turn my attention to some of the unfinshed projects kicking around the shelves behind the workbench.
     
    The quickest win was going to be the model of 37890, that I started nearly two years ago! It's been mostly complete since June 2010, when it appeared on the Class 37 display, to celebrate 50 years of the class, at the 2010 DEMU showcase event.
     

     
    I've modified the Blue Star socket on the front to look a bit more like the real thing, this just involves rounding the top with a file. I've also fitted the bufferbeam pipework, most of which is from a Hornby Class 50 detailing pack, with the exception of the vacuum pipes, which are of unknown origin (possibly Heljan?) - it's amazing what you discover when rummaging through the bits box!
     

     
    The Shawplan windscreen etch, and flush glazing really help life the Bachmann model, as do the Hornby 50 buffers and pipes. Lowering the ride height and moving the bogie sideframes slightly inward also make a great deal of difference to the appearance. I've also added the handbrake actuators (Shawplan) and chains (Detail Associates). Transfers were from Fox, and the etched arrows and depot plaques were also from Shawplan.
     

     
    I'm happy that this is now complete - just a little weathering now, which I'm quite looking forward to as it'll be the first time that I've used the water mixable oils on a loco. More progress soon, hopefully! I really should build a photo diorama as well - something else to consider.
  10. Pugsley
    I've finally managed to get all the bits I need to start this little project together, so I've made a start today - I've only had the kit since June...
     
    Opening the box (well, bag really )
    The parts are sealed in a series of bags, within one big bag. Each of the 4 cars is comprised of 2 ends, one roof, one floor and two sides. The instructions are pretty good - there is a part list for each car and a basic exploded diagram, but no numbers to identify the parts (some of which don;t apply to the 455, but more of that later)
     
    I'm using Jim Smith-Wrights etches for this build, although I'm just using the windows, doors and some other details - as his kit is intended to convert the Bratchell kit to a 455/8, which have a different front end to the later batch of units, the 455/9 end is included within the kit.
     
    Parts for the TS:

     
    I've modified the floor in the same way as tomstaf has with his, just to make the assembled cars easier to get into, as the floor just snaps into the sides. There is an inset part of the floor - run a sharp Stanley knife around the edge of this area repeatedly to cut it out. Once out, stick some 1.5mm strip around the aperture - this should be level with the top of the floor, although there will be a slight lip on the sides still, which will help align the strip.
     
    This photo shows the modification a little more clearly:

     
    As I'm using Jims windows and doors, I've removed all of the raised detail from the window surrounds and doors. There is a small lip around the edge of the doors that needs to be removed as well as the window surrounds and the central join. These were removed with a sharp scalpel, taking care not to damage the surrounding bodysides - the plastic is quite soft and easily damaged.

     
    The window surrounds are best removed by gently paring them down with a sharp scalpel to start and then carefully filing the remainder down - again great care must be taken as the plastic is very soft. Once all the detail is removed, the body can be assembled with Plastic Weld. The ends slot into the roof first, then the sides join onto the ends and roof. Dry fit and adjust until the fit is perfect - I found I had to fettle both ends of both sides for it all to fit together properly.
     

     
    The assembled bodyshell, with the etched doors fitted. These will receive a little more detail in due course - there are some small fittings at the base of the doors, either side of the shut line.
     
    One car down, three to go..
  11. Pugsley

    A brief glimpse

    By Pugsley,

    After what seems to be a very long time, the heavyweight 37 is finally finished. Unfortunately, I can't say too much about the methods used at the moment, as it is scheduled to appear in a future issue of BRM. So, all I can post at the moment is a couple of teaser pics to prove that I am actually achieving something from time to time:
     


     
    I'll put some more pictures up once the magazine is out.
     
    It hasn't turned out quite as well as I'd hoped as some of the materials and techniques used are a bit experimental, but it's still looking quite good, IMO. It has been good practice for the big 37 though, which I really need to overcome my fear of painting, which is the biggest barrier to progressing with it. Well, that and the fact that the first run didn't go so well, but I think that's down the back EMF being enabled on the chip which got confused by the signals from 6 motors. I now need to build a small length of track to use my rolling road on, so I can hook it up to the Powercab and start tweaking CV's. There'll be more of that in a later update.
  12. Pugsley
    Yes, it's been a while. It's been a very long while, in fact.
     
    Following the completion of the 37, I didn't really feel like doing any modelling at all. I think that, perhaps, a part of that was me thinking about how I could top that, and not coming up with anything, so nothing was done. I've now come to the conclusion that I don't have to top it, I just have to do something I'm going to find enjoyable. As a self confessed tank wagon perv it seemed only natural to ease myself back in with some tanks, so to that end, a couple of weeks ago 5 of my Bachmann TTA stash found their way onto my workbench, ready for conversion into some more of the Total tankers previously seen on these pages.
     

     
    The last batch concentrated on the 'Esso' type of catwalks, with the central single ladder at the end. This batch, with the exception of PR58255 all have the other type of catwalk, with the ladders extending down each side from the central platform. Some of the conversions are a bit more adventurous this time as two of the tanks to be modelled (PR58134 and PR58276) are both of diagram TT024A and were built with both chassis and tanks approximately 1 foot longer than the design represented by the Bachmann model.
     
    Here the wagons have been completely dissassembled, including freeing the metal weight, which was glued in pretty well, and are waiting for the surgery to begin.

     
    Here the surgery is complete - the weight has been used to secure the two halves of the chassis back together, before the resulting hole is filled with a combination of Evergreen styrene profile and microstrip. The extra length is evident in the photo - it'll be interesting to see if anyone ever picks it up in person.

     
    Now with the gap in the chassis filled, attention can be turned to removing the unnecessary strengthening ribs on the chassis, in preparation for adding new ones where required from strip styrene.

     
    This picture shows all of the wagons currently being worked on, with all of the required ribs removed.

     
    The one at the top will become PR58241 and has had all of the axlebox, spring and spring mount detail removed to be replaced with a different kind of spring mount, parabolic springs and Timken axleboxes, as can be seen in this picture (the Bachmann model features the SKF type of axlebox):
    http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brttanks/h2890b48a#h2890b48a
     
    Currently, all of the chassis have the new ribs stuck in place, some of which need to be trimmed flush with the solebars, on the two Standard built wagons, the ribs need to be filed back a bit and given a curved profile.

     
    Next steps are to make the brake gear and other underframe detail reflect the various prototypes, before slapping on a bit of paint. Then, after that, attention will turn to the barrels.
     
    It's good to be back
  13. Pugsley
    In the last post, I wrote about the track and wiring putting me off doing anything with the layout. I don't think that was the case in the end, the lack of progress with the layout was another symptom of my wider modelling malaise but I'm really glad I went down the route that I did in getting somebody else to do the bulk of the track and wiring.
     
    This update is long overdue in a couple of ways. One in as much as that this is the first update to this blog in two years, and the fact that the layout came back to the South West last year, and attended the annual SWAG members day as a last minute 'work in progress' demonstration.
     
    Looking along the length of the layout, from where the fiddle yard will be, down to the end. The VEP is stood where the main platform will be, with the oil terminal off to the left and the bay platform to the right:

     
    Simon has done a cracking job on the track and the wiring, I'm glad I asked him to do it for me. There's a little bit left for me to do in terms of laying a bit of track on one of the terminal sidings and a bit more wiring, then I can get on with the installation of the third rail.
     
    A wider view of almost the whole of the layout:

     
    I don't expect progress to be particularly rapid, there's a few workbench projects I want to get out of the way first, including the tanks that are currently on my workbench, and the 455 which is definitely going to be required for the passenger service on the layout. However, the intent is there and I'm thinking about what I need to do to get it completed for the first time in years, which can only be a good sign.
     
    I need a few more tankers to fill these sidings:

  14. Pugsley

    And So It Begins

    By Pugsley,

    What better to do on a sunny Saturday, then to put some good music on and break out the water mixable oils:
     

     
    So far, I've made a start on the No. 1 end nose and the roof, working along to the other end. This is just the initial colouring, there's more to come once this is dry in a couple of days. The whole weathering job is going to take quite some time, I think, as not only is it much bigger than anything I've done before, I'm going to have to put more in the way of details in, if it's to look as good as I want it to.
     
    More as it happens
  15. Pugsley
    Sometimes I wonder why I don't seem to achieve very much, other times it becomes painfully apparent!
     
    There is the normal distraction - a quick bit of web surfing becomes a marathon research session into something or other, which transforms into You Tube surfing for class 37 thrash, which turns into, well, you get the idea. It's almost as if my subconscious doesn't really want to achieve anything relevant to what I'm supposed to be doing!
     
    Where is all this leading? Well, one of my pet distractions has been finding a suitable location and idea for my forthcoming S7 foray. In most respects this is useful, but the timing is way out as I already have another layout on the go, and insufficient space for another in the house. TFMP is pretty easy going, but I think that filling the spare room with multiple layouts would be a bridge too far!
     
    So, introducing Partington Sidings. The basic concept is that the line between Glazebrook and Timperley remained open to traffic between Liverpool and Stockport into the '90's, but singled. Off this line, the other side of the ship canal from Cadishead, is a set of exchange sidings for a chemical plant at Carrington, alongside the one that is now operated by Nova Chemicals (although I think it may have been mothballed recently)
     
    Traffic will mostly be tanks, with some vans carrying bagged product. The wagons are moved from the sidings to the plant by the Allied Chemical Sentinel, but have to be moved in the right order, as there is a lack of siding space within the plant - so plenty of shunting required! Wagons are brought to the siding as an extension of the Trafford Park Sidings Speedlink feeder - normally an RfD 37 or 47.
     
    Given that this is going to be built in S7, so I have yet to build any any of the stock, it is a very long way off. Yet, I still waste my time working all this stuff out, and last night even spent time designing logos for the company shunter(s) which have yet to be built! The worst part is I didn't just do one, I ended up doing three showing the progression of the corporate image from the 60's to today! All very silly really....

     
    I will soon be opening the large white box of joy though, despite all my protestations that I wouldn't before significant progress on Bisley had been made - the 7mm attraction is growing stronger every day
  16. Pugsley

    A little pick-me-up

    By Pugsley,

    Slow progress continues with the bogie project, although the end of the first one is in sight, and as can be seen from the background of the pics below, the second is coming on quite nicely. It's taken me a little while to work out what I was going to do with current collection, but have settled on a fairly simple setup that picks up from 4 wheels on each bogie. I may add pick-ups to the centre axles at a later stage, but figured I'd try without to begin with, as it's easier!
     
    This is the final design of pick-up:

     
    It consists of an 11mm long piece of phosphor bronze strip, with a contact pad of brass soldered to one end. I've done this as I've read about phosphor bronze causing pitting on steel wheels if used in direct contact, the brass should alleviate this problem. For the first two I did, the strip is then folded in two, about 2/3rds of the way along. The second axle set was folded in half, which seems to work a little better.
     
    The collector arm is now a bit springy, helping to keep it in contact with the wheel, and is soldered to a piece of 0.7mm nickel silver wire, for strength. This, in turn, is soldered onto an L shaped bit of brass, soldered to the front face of a bit of copperclad paxolin. The whole assembly is glued on to the cross member of the bogie frame, as below.
     

     
    They're proving to be quite effective, although they haven't been tested on a track yet, I've tested the continuity using a multimeter and all is working as it should. They appear quite unobtrusive now and should be even harder to spot once painted. I was a bit worried with putting them on the outer edges of the bogies, but I think I've got away with it....
     


     
    There's not much more to do to this one now, although I need to cast some new brake gear for it. The kit includes lost wax cast brake shoes, which do sit very close to the wheels once assembled. With the kit, as designed, this isn't a problem as the metal parts fit into the resin bogie moulding. Unfortunately this is not going to work with my etched chassis as there will be a serious risk of short circuits through the bogie frames, so I'm going to make a copy of the kit parts in resin. I have used the kit parts on the outer mounts though, as these mount to the resin frames.
     
    It's all looking rather crowded now, and that's before the rest of the brake gear has gone in!
     

  17. Pugsley

    Setting the scene

    By Pugsley,

    The next project, now with Chittle well and truly out of the way, is an incursion into Southern Region territory, with a might-have-been line between Bagshot and Woking.
     
    The story goes something like this:
    The line was built in the early 1920s as an alternative to the light railway proposed between Sunningdale and Woking, via Chobham, which was never built. The line provided a direct connection from Ascot and Bracknell to Woking by branching off at Bagshot, and running through Lightwater, West End, Bisley and Knaphill before joining the main line again near St Johns.
     
    The line was electrified and the layout of the station modified in 1967, at the same time as the rest of the South-West mainline to Bournemouth was electrified. At the same time the station was remodelled to accommodate the new oil terminal, with a new station building and access built on the former goods yard. The branch line to Bisley camp was also lifted at this time.
     
    The line was closed to passengers in 1976, after the canal bridge near St Johns was weakened in a dredging accident and had to be demolished, with the line beyond West End being lifted. Oil trains continued to the local fuel distributor until 1984, and the loop was retained so that aggregates trains, now coming from the Reading direction, could continue to reverse into the terminal, as the terminal has no run-round facilities. The stone trains are routed through Bracknell, and access the line to Bagshot through the chord at South Ascot.
     
    A large expansion in the town, and the progressive nature of the Network SouthEast sector at the time lead to the station having it's passenger service reinstated in 1988. Luckily the 3rd rail equipment had been left, albeit isolated, when the passenger service ceased in the 1970s.
     
    The station was originally composed of an island platform, with the main station building, on a now mostly demolished platform, connected by a footbridge. The far platform road has been filled in, and it is in this space that the new station building has been constructed, with the rest of the platform left as a bay.
     
    One of the former main lines is extended slightly to act as a headshunt for the run-round and the other main line now forms part of the goods loop. The far platform line (which is now the bay) originally continued to Bisley Camp (hence the name Bisley Junction - Bisley village, further down the line, only had a halt. Evidence of this lines embankment can just be made out, but has mostly been obliterated by the housing development. With the expansion in the town, the oil terminal has started to receive trains again, and another local industry (office furniture) now receives bright steel in vans from the UK and coated steel from abroad.
     

     
    The station at West End is marked by the blue dot on the map, the Stone terminal by the purple. There is one additional station on the line, at Lightwater.
     
     
    Trackplan is more or less like this, and I hope the notes above help to make some sense of it:
     

     

     
    The inspiration for the layout comes from several sources, St Denys, Chessington South and Addiscombe. I've got this kind of thing planned for the terminus end of the layout:
    http://neillwood3163.fotopic.net/p51672801.html
     
    And that's about as far as its got, save for one try of the templot plans on the board, and a point and a bit (about 1/4 of the way through the second point :mrgreen: )


  18. Pugsley
    For those of you who asked about drawing up your own decals, yes you , here's a little info about how I've gone about it. I won't claim that this is the only or best way to do things, it's just how I've ended up doing it
     

     
    I use CorelDraw for this, although any vector graphics program would do the job. Inkscape is free, but I can't vouch for how good it is, as I've never used it. CorelDraw X4 home and student edition can be picked up for under £100 on ebay, older versions for even less (the current version is now X5).
     
    Of the 3 examples above, the blue wagon owner panel and the Hazchem panel have been done in the same way. They are just simple shapes with text added in the appropriate font. There are several useful font resources on the net, a few of which are listed below:
     
    Free font sites:
    http://www.fontyukle.net/en/
    http://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=114&page=1&fpp=20&text=58134
    There are many others.
     
    What the font:
    http://new.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/
     
    Is extremely useful if you have a good image of the text you want to create, as it'll tell you the closest match. It is a commercial site, so if you want one of the ones it highlights, you'll have to pay for it. Of course, there's nothing stopping you googling the name of the font in question... It has its limitations though, for example it'll only read dark text on a light background and it struggles if the letters are quite close together.
     
    If you can't get a good image, or you're looking at something that is light on dark, you'll have to trawl the font sites looking for something similar to what you require. It's time consuming, but ultimately rewarding when you find exactly what you're looking for, or something that's near as dammit
     
    In terms of company logos, it's a bit more restricted, but there are a couple of sites about that have vector images of corporate logos:
    http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/search/logo/shell
    http://www.seeklogo.com/search.html?q=norsk+hydro
     
    They're mostly North American logos, but not all. For example, the Total logo I've been using has come from the seeklogo site. These are downloaded as vector graphics, so can be opened up in your program and resized as necessary.
     
    If you can't get the logo you need, as long as you can get a decent photo to work from, you can trace the outline and then fill in as necessary. The Railfreight Petroleum symbol was done this way, and as they're standard size, in theory I could draw the Coal or Distribution symbols from it, now I've got the proportions right. It's time consuming, and a total ballache, but it is ultimately satisfying when it looks like it's supposed to I've done the Caib logos in the same way.
     
    The other source of images for use, such as the hazard diamond on the Hazchem panel, is Google images. They won't be the best quality, but if you're scaling them down to fit on a 4mm scale wagon, then no-one will notice!
     
    I try to scale from photographs if dimensions aren't known. Something like the Hazchem panel is straightforward, I know that they're 700x400mm (even if you didn't know, you can look it up quite easily). Other items can then be referenced to known dimensions from photographs. Failing that, if you're not sure, print them out on paper, stick them to the model with blu-tack and see how it compares with the photos.
     
    One thing to watch, if you're going to end up transferring the images between different programs is their interpretation of colour. For instance, in the image above, the Marcroft Engineering panel is too turquoise, but looks fine in CorelDraw and when printed from it.
     
    Of course, you'll spend all this time doing these little panels for your wagons, with all of the correct text and, once printed, you'll hardly be able to read any of it
     
    For those of you who've got this far without falling asleep, well done! I hope it's been of some use/interest.
  19. Pugsley

    Same difference

    By Pugsley,

    All four of the current batch of TTAs are now at the ex works stage. Now that the chassis and brake layouts have been changed, and all of the decals have been applied, no two are exactly the same! I was surprised just how different the placement of the various notices was, especially as the prototype tanks seem to have repainted at roughly the same time. Perhaps they were done at different locations? I don't know, but it makes for some interesting modelling.
     
    I'm happy with the appearance of the S Kits walkways, they make a big difference to the appearance of the model, and look great once weathered (but more of that later).
     
    Of the models pictured below, they are essentially of two different types built by Met Cam (PR58247 and PR58252) and Pickering (PR58261 and PR58265). Both of the Met Cam have been fitted with the pipework for steam heating coils, made from wire and plastic rod.
     




     
    I must add a big thanks to Paul Bartlett at this point, if it were not for the availability of his excellent photos these models would not be anywhere near as accurate. They're not rivet counting accurate, life's too short for that, but they've been modified enough to resemble the prototype in my eyes.
     
    The next step for these is weathering, which has been started but there's a fair bit to do yet. I have started weathering the Total bogie tank, however, which is going to be quite subtly done. This is progress so far:

     
    More as and when it happens
  20. Pugsley

    The whys and wherefores

    By Pugsley,

    This new blog format has deluded me into thinking that people may be interested in the reasons behind what I do, the inspirations and how it all started, really. They probably aren't, but I'm going to do it anyway
     
    It really started with the introduction of the Hornby Class 50, back in 2003. I'd had a model railway before, but sold up in 1993/1994 to start modelling US prototypes due to the superior models available. That too soon fell by the wayside once girls, cars and beer were discovered.
     
    The 50's were a firm favourite of mine from the days when I lived near the GWML and saw them regularly, and then from bashing the Exeter-Waterloo line in their final days. The release of the Hornby 50, to a higher standard than the US models I had, was an eye-opener, so the first releases were duly purchased. I was originally approaching from a collectors point of view, but soon realised I wanted more.
     
    During the time of my interest in US modelling, I bought Model Railroader every month, which was full of inspiring articles - it seemed light years ahead of Railway Modeller at the time, every month they'd have the 'Trackside Photos' section, where there would be some ultra realistic photos, similar to this:
    http://www.modelrailroadphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=3764
     
    There was also the annual photo contest, which took these photos to another level, with superb modelling and photography.
    http://www.trains.com/mrr/image.ashx?img=mrr-tp0108_01.jpg&w=600
     
    I wanted to achieve that kind of result, but railways soon got left behind. Once I rediscovered them, eventually I rediscovered this quest for realism as well, which happened around 2005 and is what lead me to both EM gauge, and weathering. I started searching around the Internet, and happened upon a couple of very interesting sites. The first was Mellow Mike:
    http://www.mellowmike.com/
     
    Amazing models, and very realistic. He's comes across as a bit up himself though (the old site wasn't as bad as the new one for that!) - no details about techniques, but plenty of inspiration. He is very good indeed:
    http://www.mellowmike.com/FR8_Cars/MRL50036_P1.html
    http://www.mellowmike.com/FR8_Cars/MRL54035_P2.html
    http://www.mellowmike.com/FR8_Cars/SOO_4Posed.html
     
    Inspired by what I found, I then discovered the Model Trains Weathered site, and forum. Now subscription only, I learnt a lot in terms of new materials and techniques, and the members there were very good at constructively criticising what I'd done.
    http://modeltrainsweathered.com/
     
    It was there that I learnt of the work of a guy called John Pitts. His structures were amazing, but what really captured my imagination, and inspired me to have a go, was this SD45T-2, in proper Southern Pacific condition:

    More pictures here:
    http://www.pbase.com/lumixfz30/abandonedreabuilding
     
    I then subsequently discovered some military modelling sites, and the models of Mig Jimenez, amongst others, which really leads me to where I am now. I think I'll leave it there - I should imagine anyone who started reading this has given up by now
     
    I leave you with this - my first attempt - it wasn't bad, considering, but I realise that both the techniques, and definitely the photography have improved an awful lot.
     

     
    Hopefully this has been of interest to somebody. :icon_mrgreen:
  21. Pugsley
    Possibly not the best catchphrase to use these days , but I thought I'd start the next 7mm scratch build project with a little quiz. Although there's still a lot to do to the Cargowaggon Twins to turn them into an actual model, rather than a collection of bits, I wanted to get another project under way in the design stage.
     
    I find that after a day at work, I often don't feel in the mood to do some actual modelling, and there's a good chance that I could cock something up through being tired. Hell, there's a good chance I could cock something up anyway! So, an hour or two of slaving over a hot computer seems a more realistic proposition of an evening, and it's much easier to rearrange virtual items than it is to rectify a physical mistake.
     
    So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you this:

     
    It's very early days yet, so I will be very impressed if anyone can guess what it is. Not so impressed to give the winner anything, though, so you'll only have the satisfaction of being correct, which can be very satisfying
     
    This is going to be a slow burn project (aren't they all!), so don't expect updates too regularly...
  22. Pugsley

    455 Progress

    By Pugsley,

    I've made a bit more progress with the 455, with all four bodyshells assembled. The bodyshells go together quite well, but I have had to do a fair bit of fettling to get the ends to line up properly with the roof and the sides to line up properly with the ends. No major surgery was required, just a little judicious filing here and there, particularly the vertical section of the rebate in the sides, where it meets the end of the roof.

     
    All 4 cars with filler applied around the ends, awaiting rubbing down. The most time consuming part of the last couple of weeks has been the removal of all the raised details around the windows and the doors - only necessary when using Jim's etches (which I'd recommend, as it moves the detail of the model into a whole other level). There are also a couple of other good reasons to use the etches, but more of that another time.
     

     
    The other thing that I noticed is that the cab roof finishes straight across in the kit, leading to a 0.5 (ish) overhang in relation to the end of the sides. This needs to be eliminated by gently filing the roof section from a point just left of the corridor connection to the outside edge - the real things curve at these points. Hopefully it is visible in the pic above.
     
    Next job is to finish sanding down the first application of filler, before skimming over with a second layer and gently sanding that back.
     
    On the plus side, judging by the level of interest so far, I don't think anyone will be announcing an RTR 455 any time soon Anyone want to buy some Replica Mk1's and some MJT parts...
  23. Pugsley

    37/7 Progress

    By Pugsley,

    An even greater lack of imagination with the title for tonights update, on the plus side it is a little more descriptive of what's actually occuring!
     
    Since last time Hornby class 50 buffers have been substituted for the Bachmann ones, which are too spindly IMO. To do this, twist the heads slightly to the right and pull, the head should come out with the spring. Drill down the Bachmann buffer housing with a 2.3mm drill, which will loosen the bond of the adhesive holding them in place. A little tug with a pair of pliers should bring the housing away - the Hornby buffers are glued in the holes left.
     

     
    The bogies have also been narrowed and the sideframes moved up slightly. Cut both sideframes off with a razor saw, inboard of the brake shoes, then file 0.3mm off each side of the keeper plate moulding. When reassembling, glue the sidframes back on so that the bottom of the brake shoe assembly is level with where they attach to the keeper plate. This moves the sideframes up about 1mm, and narrows the bogies by 1mm, improving the appearance.
     
    Next up - the paint shop!
  24. Pugsley

    First test

    By Pugsley,

    Links for the final parts of the saga:
    38 - A little pick-me-up
    39 - He ain't heavy.....enough
    40 - Tarmac Yer Drive Mister?
    41 - The Current State of Play
    42 - The Spaghetti Incident
    43 - What a difference....
    44 - A Quick Update
    45 - And So It Begins
    46 - It's Been a Long Time
     

    A further, small, milestone has been reached since the last update - the first bogie has been wired up and tested with an old Hornby controller. As shown in the photo below, it all works together!

    I did have two swap two wires over, as one motor was turning the opposite way to the other two (I think I must have had the motor the wrong way round when I soldered the wires on), but that was easily corrected.
     
    I've also added the cosmetic axlebox covers, cut from the kit sideframes, so it's now really starting to look the part. I've yet to add pick-ups, which will hopefully be to all wheels, if I can fit them in, and the various kit detailing parts such as the brake gear, brake cylinders and steps. I also need to move the brake hangers, on the end of each bogie, out a touch as well, which is something I hadn't even considered until I was chatting to someone at the Mark S7 meet a couple of weeks ago. Apparently I should be able to cut these off and reattach with butanone. I was given a better method for use on the next kit that involved chopping up the end cross-members and gluing together, but it's a bit late for that with this one.
     

     
    The top view shows that there isn't going to be an awful lot of space inside the frames once all of the detailing parts are added:
     

     
    The bogies will be connected electrically to the rest of the loco using disc drive connectors, which are the ideal size and have 4 pins - 2 track feeds and 2 motor feeds from the decoder. Following the trials with the Hornby controller, where the motors were run at full power for some time without getting hot, I think I can get away with wiring each bogie in series, then connecting both bogies in parallel. I'm not entirely sure what this arrangement will do to the decoder, it has been suggested that it may get confused, but I guess that there is only one way to find out!
  25. Pugsley

    The End.

    By Pugsley,

    In the immortal words of Jim Morrison:
    This is the end, beautiful friend
    This is the end, my only friend, the end
    Of our elaborate plans, the end.
     
    I'm never going to complete this layout - I've lost enthusiasm for modelling in general and 4mm scale in particular. If anyone is interested in buying an EM layout that is virtually complete track-wise, needing a little bit of wiring, along with various bits and pieces to complete, such as buffer stops, electrical bits plus some other bits, drop me a PM.
     
    Pretty much all of my 4mm stock will be cleared out at some point in the not too distant future - keep an eye on my workbench blog for more details of that. I'd like to give RMwebbers first dibs before the rest ends up on ebay. The 7mm stuff is staying for the time being and we'll see what happens.
     
    it's been a blast!
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