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Pugsley

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  1. 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!
     

  2. Pugsley
    It's not often I feel compelled to compose a more typical blog post with my general wittering (I think two in as many years is quite sufficient) but over the last few days I've been, well overwhelmed isn't quite the right word, but I've come to truly appreciate what a fantastic tool the Internet really is.
     
    Of course, there are the more immediate aspects, (one of which I'd probably best not mention here ) such as bringing together like minded groups to discuss their interests and share their models and information. Forums have allowed people to share their projects with others from around the world, and have allowed people to see some fantastic modelling that they may otherwise have never known anything about.
     
    Forums such as RMweb (other model railway forums are available) have also lead to a bit of a revolution in terms of passage of information. Want to know what loco hauled the 2F38 from Blackpool North on the 6th June 1992? Someone probably knows (an upside-down dog for anyone who can tell me, and yes, I do know the answer ). There is a veritable mine of information here alone, before you even start casting the web wider, outside of forums and other groups. There is also the social aspect, where online relationships, in the broadest sense, transfer into the real world. I've certainly met some great people, who I regularly keep in contact with, through RMweb.
     
    A special wagonphile mention must go to the Barrowmore MRG - I'd be struggling to do what I'm currently doing without the amazing resource created by putting the BR weight diagram books online.
     
    Before the demise of Fotopic, there were a huge number of images available to view stretching from the 60's to the present day. Want to find a photo of a particular loco in 1991? It was probably on there. The demise of Fotopic has left a bit of a hole in that respect, although it's great that a lot of people who had images on there have slowly migrated them to other providers - especially the like of Paul Bartlett and Martyn Read (and others) - their photos are invaluable to wagonphiles. It does, however, highlight one of the major Internet negatives - the transient nature of the content and the ease in which it can be destroyed - keep those hard-drives backed up!
     
    What's prompted this outpouring of Internet love? I've been searching the web for information on parabolic suspension for the tank wagon project. Although most of what I needed has been measured from prototypes, I find that no matter how thorough I think I've been, there's always something I've missed. Either something I didn't photograph properly, or a key dimension that I didn't measure, or if I did, I recorded it in such a way that I no longer understand quite what I did...
     
    Anyway, after a bit of deft Googling, I have now ascertained that the length of a Bruninghaus parabolic spring is 1200mm over the eye centres (when straight) Edit - I've since discovered that a UIC standard spring is 1200mm, the standard UK spring is 1400mm, which was the cause of much head scratching when dimensions scaled from photographs didn't match! For the UIC suspension, the bottom link pin is 750mm from the spring centre, there is a 150mm offset between the top and bottom pins and the pins are 288mm apart and 35mm diameter. The pin dimensions will be the same for the UK spring, but I'm guessing the 750mm dimension quoted above should be 850 for the UK spring. In short, everything I need to get my suspension parts drawn up and in the right place on the model. Stuff that would have been very difficult to obtain even a few years ago, and I would have had to take another 230 mile round trip to go and get the information that I didn't get first time around.
     
    So, in short, I think that this is a brilliant time to be doing what I'm trying to do and I'm now more fully appreciative of the role that the Internet plays in it, it would be a darn sight harder without it.
     
    If you've got this far, thanks for reading my waffle and I hope it's been interesting/struck a chord/not been a complete waste of time (delete as appropriate) I promise that the next post will be more interesting, with pictures and everything.
  3. Pugsley
    Railex has managed to do what several other shows have singularly failed to do this year, and that is to inspire me enough to get on with this layout. I've also got Chris Nevard to thank, as reading the description of Combwich in the programme sparked a Eureka moment - expanding foam filler!
     
    I'd been wrestling with how I was going to achieve the landscape that I desired, and this, combined with some flue tape (like gaffer tape only much, much stickier) is the answer. I considered blocks of extruded polystyrene, I have some left over from Chittle, but cutting it to the right dimensions and angles seemed like a lot of, messy, work. So, I've set about laying the tape over the areas to be foamed, then covering it in foam. I need to get some more, however, as the small can didn't go as far as I thought it might have.
     

     

     
    The foam will be carved to shape with an old kitchen knife. I also managed to pick up the last track components I needed and have now laid all of the sleepers, with the exception of the bay as that is a little close to the area being foamed, and once that stuff is stuck it's not going anywhere!
     
    More terraforming updates soon.
  4. Pugsley

    Spring bounce

    By Pugsley,

    An appropriate title in a couple of ways, one, that the first of the production primary springs have taken shape this afternoon, and the coming of Spring has given me a chance to get on with this madcap scheme.
     
    So, for starters, a view of the first bogie with one of the equalising beams in place, on the first two springs:

     
    To the front left are some more springs in various stages of completion. The long coil of wire behind the individual springs is how it starts. This is 0.61mm soft copper wire wound, under tension, around a 3.3mm drill bit, making sure the coils are lapped up tight to each other. The next stage involves stretching this out until there's roughly 1.5mm between the coils, which is the stage this particular example is at.
     
    The next step is to cut the large spring down to make the individual springs, which are 7 coils each. Each end is levelled and the spring recompressed, before the end is filed to make it sit level. These then fit onto the studs on the sideframe and the equalising beam. The next photo shows it in close up, with one of the prototype secondary springs loosely plonked in place to give an idea of what it'll look like:
     

     
    And this is what it's supposed to look like:

     
    It's close enough for me!
     
    The next job, after finishing another 14 springs, is to work out how far out the stirrup needs to be packed out from the front of the hornblock, followed by filing down the equalising beams to fit in the stirrups.
     
    It's been a long time coming, but it really does feel that the end is in sight for this project, at last!
  5. 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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  6. Pugsley

    Wax on. Wax off.

    By Pugsley,

    Well, more like slap on filler and sand off. It's coming on, with a little help from my new friends:

    The sanding sticks have proved to be a worthwhile investment for this project (I got mine from Netmerchants) not exactly cheap, but not ludicrously expensive either, in the grand scheme of things. More of this later though.
     
    Riveting - Part 1
    Through filling the second set of footsteps in the tumblehome of the loco, losing some of the moulded rivet detail around the area was inevitable. However, all is not lost:

    These really are good, I bought them ages ago for another project (actually exactly the same problem as here, but in 4mm scale!) but they've sat in a drawer for ages. They arrived from the US in roughly 4 days after ordering - sterling service. They are effectively blobs of resin on waterslide decal paper and apply exactly like a transfer. The instructions recommend fixing in place with Klear, which I would endorse, they may come off a little too easily if you don't (found that out the hard way).
     

     
    The results are worthwhile - this job would be a real bu**er to do if they didn't exist!
     
    Drilling down
    I've also taken the opportunity to finish off the two cab ends whilst the potential for distraction was reduced. At this stage I've drilled out the tail and marker lights in preparation for fitting the lighting at a later stage in the build. These were easy, selecting the right size of drill to fit the aperture, using the existing shallow holes as a guide, meant that the holes were automatically centred.

    The headlights weren't going to be so easy. In order to show the marking out a bit better, the headlight was coloured in with a pencil. The overall width of the light was measured in terms of both height and width. By calculating half of both dimensions, setting the calipers and using the outside of the light housing as a guide, I was able to accurately mark the centre of the aperture. Once marked, I carefully used a 0.5mm drill to find the centre marking and drill a pilot hole.

    Once the pilot holes were drilled (above) I opened them out with a 1.0mm drill, right through. this was then the guide for a 3.5mm drill that I only drilled part way down, so that the angle of the drilled hole forms the shape of the reflector. More on this in a later chapter.
     
    Riveting - Part 2
    I needed to make a blanking plate for the boiler exhaust aperture, so made one from 5 thou brass sheet that was to had. The blanking plate was measured, and the piece marked out before cutting with sharp scissors. They're not quite so sharp now
     

     
    Whilst at the Reading show back in December, I purchased one of the GW Models rivet presses, which I thought would be ideal for forming the rivets on the plate. It turns out that it was! I used the calipers to mark 2mm in from each corner and used the punch to create the rivet in this location. the plate was rolled with a bit of brass tube on a pad of kitchen towel to make it conform to the roof profile.
     

     
    After gluing it in place, I realised that it was sticking up far too far. I've since removed the boiler port so that the plate is now flush to the roof. The port was removed with a combination of scraping and filing and the plate re-secured with CA adhesive.
     
    Back to the start
    And now 'tis back to the start and the reasons for massive filler consumption and dust generation. Firstly, the cab mouldings required a lot of fettling in order to get them to fit and even then required a far bit of filler to get the profile to match the rest of the body, more than I expected TBH. Got there in the end, although I expect to have to do a little more fettling after the body is primed.
     

     
    This was the biggest use of filler - as the kit is supplied, there is one more bar in the cantrail grilles than there should be, 11 bars instead of 10. I'm not sure if this is a design error, or a design compromise - the joint between body and sides would be less straightforward if it had been stepped. I've filled this with the green stuff, but would use a suitably sized piece of plasticard in each aperture to be filled if I was to do it again.
     
    It's still a little rough round the edges in the cantrail grille area, this is one of the tasks to complete this week, along with assembling the bogies to a certain extent, although not quite for the reason you may think. More elaboration on that mystery in the next (thrilling?) episode....
     
    Thanks for reading - especially if you got all the way down here..
  7. 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
  8. 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...
  9. 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
  10. Pugsley

    You stud!

    By Pugsley,

    I've continued with the various outstanding jobs whilst waiting for the final design of parts to be returned from the etchers. The artwork was sent off on Wednesday, so the parts should be in my possession at some point next week.
     
    In the same manner as Chris Pendleton with his 4mm Deltic, I've used the springs on the JLTRT sideframes as the studs for mounting the parts for the primary springs. Here the modified sideframes can be seen:
     

     
    The mounts need a certain amount of cleaning up, but this can be done quite easily with the judicious use of files.
     
    The frames have all been cut to the same depth and diameter using a home made cutter, again shamelessly cribbed from the MRJ article. It's made from a length of 3/16 inch silver steel, drilled 3.3mm. The brass stud is turned to 3.3mm OD, with a 1.5mm tail, to fit into a 1.5mm hole drilled into the centre of each spring moulding.
     

     
    I also made the revised axles, again from 3/16 silver steel. They are each 45mm, turned to 75 degrees at the end, which will hopefully assist with centering them when the wheels are pressed on.
     

     
    The sideframes have been cleaned up where the moulded axleboxes have been sawn out and I've also removed the moulded securing hooks and lifting lugs - these will be replaced with etched parts, which are included on the bogie frets.
     

     
    Work this afternoon will concentrate on making up the rest of the traction motor units, and getting everything ready for the mark 3 bogie parts. The equalising beams need to be cut in half, and then filed down to fit in the stirrups, which will be soldered to the axleboxes.
  11. 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.
  12. Pugsley

    Tanking along

    By Pugsley,

    Oh, the irony!
     
    The tanks are coming together slowly, and I was getting bored of stabbing myself removing the springs from the 45 tonners, so started yet another new project in the form of a Bachmann TEA.
     
    I bought 3 of the tanks when Kernow MR Centre were selling them off cheap, thinking that I'd have to repaint them all, as the livery wasn't really suitable for the Total oil terminal, or the time period. However, a visit to Paul Bartlett's Fotopic site changed all that:
    http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p61948874.html
     
    This is a fairly straightforward weathering project, more than a detailing exercise, there are subtle differences between the prototype picture and the model, but I'm not going to do anything about them. I don't feel it's worth really detailing something that is fundamentally wrong to start with (barrel diameter) and most people won't notice anyway!
     

     
    So far, the moulded ladders have been removed and the gaps at the end filled (please Mr Bachmann, can we have tanks that fit together properly?), this was the best of the 3 in terms of the ends fitting the barrel, the next two are going to require a lot more work. I've also gone over the whole wagon with 1000 grit wet and dry paper, used wet, to matt down the finish, both to distress the paint and also to provide a key for the later weathering.
     

     
    At this stage I've built up the area under the tank slightly to vaguely resemble the prototype, and fitted an etched ladder. It's not the best, I'll admit, but it is an improvement on the original moulding.
     

     
    The first of the custom decals from the laser printer have been used, and I'm really happy with the results. In the pic above, the number, the 'no naked light' and 'not to be loose shunted' are ones I've designed and printed myself. I was worried that the yellow lettering on the shunting notice wouldn't work too well on the grey tank, but it's worked out fine.
     
    Next job for this one is to decal up the other side, then start on the weathering. I'm going to enjoy that
     
    Meanwhile, work also continues on the 45 tonners, with the next stage being the work on the barrels.
     

     
    The first 4 have got the 'Esso' style of walkway, with the ladder on one end of the barrel, instead of having a ladder down to each side, from a central platform, on one end. The S Kits parts consist of an etch fret and fairly comprehensive instructions. It looks like it should be fairly straightforward to fit.
     
    More as it happens!
  13. 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
  14. Pugsley
    Due to a varnish malfunction, what used to look like this:

    Now looks like this:

     
    And what used to look like this:

    Now looks like this:

     
    The moral of this story is, if you're using a varnish for the first time, don't use it on anything important. On the plus side, I now get to try the filter technique on the TTA, and set myself a huge challenge in replicating this:
    http://www.flickr.co...57603195747980/
     
    I wanted to do it before, but wasn't sure how I was going to do it. Now, these oils seem to be perfect for this kind of thing, so I'm going to give it a go.
  15. 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...
  16. Pugsley
    As a further distraction from the 37 bogie project, I thought I'd do a little more to the chassis for the Nitric Acid tanks. I'm using Alibre design for this as well, which has a sheet metal function, that calculates fold sizes and the half etched fold areas based on the parameters I specify. It's taken a while to get my head round, purely because there's so much it can do, and I'm not really familiar with CAD, so I'm very much learning as I go along.
     
    There's a few hours work gone into this so far, it would have been quicker apart from the sharp learning curve, so I've redone a few things several times to get where I am now.
     

     
    It's just the outer members at the moment, the next thing I'm going to draw up and add to the assembly are the axleguards (W-Irons), I've just got to work out a foolproof way of locating them, which I think is going to involve etching through and using Scale Hardware cosmetic rivets. All other solebar rivets will be of the usual half etched and punched through variety.
     
    Although this is going to be mostly etched, I'm planning on making as much use of castings as I can, in order to reduce construction time and complexity. I'm aiming for a compromise between the JLTRT speed and ease of assembly and the MMP looks and details. Only time will tell if I can manage it!
     
    Everything appears to look OK size wise at the moment, I've scaled the buffers down and fitted them virtually. They're the right distance apart (scale 1727mm) and there's only a tiny bit of bufferbeam visible on the outer edges, just like the prototype, so I'm happy.
     
    More as and when...
  17. Pugsley

    The Current State of Play

    By Pugsley,

    This is how things are at the moment:

    I hate electrical fault finding, but with much reluctance I have broken out the multimeter to try and find out why my 37 disgraced itself a few weekends ago, where it made all the right noises, but didn't actually do anything. I've put the first bogie on its 'custom stand' for easier access
     
    Fault number one was found quite quickly - one of the connections to the centre motor on the No 1 bogie is a bit dodgy, so that will have to be remade. Soldering in that confined space is certainly going to be interesting! I can't drop the motor out, as a bit of poor design has led to the motors being captive once the torque reaction arms are in place. If I ever do this again, that is going to have to be addressed.
     
    Closer inspection of the other soldered joints has uncovered another couple of areas of, shall we say, comedy soldering, which is probably also not helping the cause. Once these have also been redone, things should work a lot better.
     
    On the plus side, the pick-ups are all OK, well, except for the one that has dropped off, but we'll gloss over that.
  18. 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!
  19. Pugsley
    leave it alone....
     
    Having my Dad over for Christmas has been an ideal opportunity to give him a bit of tuition in weathering. Using one of his Christmas presents, I've demonstrated a few basic techniques using gouache.
     
    Before:

     
    After:

     
    The clean patches on the Kernow models are just that little bit too clean. Both of the patches were brushed over with a grime mix made from raw and burnt umber and black gouache. When dry, they were brushed over with a large, soft flat brush to add subtle streaking.
     
    Once satisfied with that finish, the white spillage was added and run over with the same brush, imparting a dirty tint to the white. This was repeated a couple of times to build up the finish.
     
    Twenty minutes later, you have a wagon that is a little bit different to the rest. Go on, give it a go.
  20. Pugsley
    As per the title, really. The 'third time lucky' parts are in the process of assembly, and I've now got to the stage where I'm testing that it all works before I get too far in the process. It all fits where it should, although I have made a bit of a mis-calculation with the positioning of the cross-members, in relation to the traction motor gears. Nothing that cutting a bit out can't cure!
     
    The cosmetic sideframe is loosely attached to the assembly, just to check everything is as it should be:
     

     
    I'm also checking the relative positioning of the equalising beams in comparison to the spring mounts on the sideframe. I think I'll need to extend the faces of the axleboxes to mount the stirrups on, but I have factored that into the design, and included parts for it.
     

     
    The method of assembly, the cross members are secured to the main frames with 10BA screws and bolts, seems to have worked well in getting the assembly square - the axles have fitted into the axleboxes without any trouble. I'll probably solder the parts together once I'm satisfied that everything is square and true. It's pretty much there now - it was screwed together on a polished, square, slab of marble.
     

     

     
    A trial axle assembly in place, just to check that the clearances have turned out as designed, which they have (thankfully!). It's all a bit tight, but again, I'm fairly sure it's going to work, which is a bit of a relief. In the pictures the wheels are set roughly to the correct back-to-back measurements, but the traction motor is not in the final position. That will be located by retainers on top of the cross members.
     
    I now need to dismantle the assembly, before making up all of the secondary spring mount parts and soldering them to the cross-members.
     
    It's nice that it's all coming together, at last! There's been times when I've questioned the sanity of what I was trying to do and I have been worried that I was trying to do something that I wasn't capable of. It seems that I'm scraping through OK!
  21. Pugsley

    Motoring on

    By Pugsley,

    Progress on the 455 has also reached a bit of a milestone, in as much as the MS is now substantially complete and I've fixed the first of my own design 'etchy bits' to a model B)
     


     
    It's still looking quite bare under there, but I'm expecting the underframe box masters from my co-conspirator in the next couple of weeks so a bit of resin casting after that should see the undergubbins of the MS attached.
     
    The trailer vehicles are coming on, but I've yet to decide exactly what bogies I'm going to use, I don't fancy removing the damper from all of the trailing bogies in the same way that I have with the motor bogies. I have some Dapol Sprinter sideframes that look reasonable, so will probably end up using those in the end.
     
    It's a bit chicken and egg at the moment - I feel I should be getting on with the layout, but on the other hand I need some stock to run on it...
  22. Pugsley

    His name? Number two....

    By Pugsley,

    I've finally finished the other cab (with the exception of touching in the LED wires in rail grey) - here's a quick shot showing the sunshades in position and the position of the cab lights.
     

     
    Other bits visible on the cab roof are the brake position indicator, and the switches/circuit breakers above the cab door.
     
    Next stage is to finish off the filling and filing of the main body sections, before assembly and further filling, but more of that anon...
     
    Edit - To include photo of the cab the right way round
  23. Pugsley

    Of weeny LEDs and orange

    By Pugsley,

    Success!! Well, second time around.
     
    Since embarking on the cab detailing exercise it didn't take me long to realise that there was little point in going to this level of detail, if no-one was ever going to see it. Sure, I know it's there and that's pretty satisfying, but every now and again everyone likes to show off a little bit
     
    So, to that end, I decided that the cab would need to be lit, for the purposes of showing off and atmospheric night shots, which I do have a penchant for. My quest for suitably sized LEDs led (geddit ) me to ebay after trying my regular sources. I found this seller:
    http://shop.ebay.co.uk/ledbaron/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686
    Who appeared to have exactly what I was looking for in terms of warm/sunny white LEDs. I've used the 1206 sunny white LEDs in the cab - ordered early Tuesday and delivered Friday from Germany, no connection etc, etc, but great service. I didn't think the prices were too bad either, given the current exchange rate.
     
    This was the result with the LEDs as fitted, with a 1.2k resistor on each LED, wired to a common return:

    Whilst not as blue as the normal white LEDs, it still didn't capture the orangey, slightly dingy, glow that you normally get from incandescent bulbs. So, a bit of orange paint and there was a vast improvement:

    It captures the look far better IMO. A fair bit of the detail can be seen through the windscreens as well:

     
    The beauty of the 1206 variants is that they are virtually the right scale size for the cab lights (according to my quick back-of-the-fag-packet calculations from photos ) I originally tried 680 ohm resistors, but these were far too bright. TBH, I might swap the 1.2K for 1.5K resistors, although the brightness looks about right now after adding the paint.
     
    I promise that these are the last cab photos I bore you with, the other end will look much the same as this....
  24. Pugsley

    Side two.

    By Pugsley,

    A little more, much the same as before. The tank spillage needs a bit more work, I'm not entirely happy with that bit yet, but everything else is coming on nicely. The underframe has been done in much the same way as before, but this time I tried using raw umber gouache to tint the Tamiya Smoke for the oily bits on the underframe, instead of using the gloss tan.
     

     
    It's worked rather nicely, so that's another combination of materials added to the arsenal!
     
    Next stage is putting a bit of grime and rust in the panel lines, and reworking the fuel spill area - maybe more progress later. The exhauster boxes need a little attention too, both on the top and the sides.
     
    OMS - http://www.last.fm/listen/globaltags/ghetto%20jazz#pane=webRadioPlayer&station=%252Flisten%252Fglobaltags%252Fghetto%2520jazz
  25. Pugsley

    More Gronk Progress

    By Pugsley,

    A bit more progress has been made with the 09 - I've still not been tempted back to making track, even though I really should be getting on with it!
     

     
    The powders and gouache have been broken out to add further dirt and grime, and I've also made a start on the underframe.I've decided to try a different method to the one I used on my last 08, which was straight out of the Martyn Welch book. This time I've used slightly different materials - acrylic gloss black, grimy black weathering powder, Europe Dust weathering powder, talc, and a bit of gloss tan. It's worked quite well, and I think it looks just as good as the Martyn Welch method (although it is ostensibly the same, but with slightly different materials), as seen here:
     

     
    At this point, a bit more work has been done on the grime, and the roof has been started in the form of the exhaust. I've used a rust powder and hairspray mix on this brushed on, and then dabbed with a moist cosmetic sponge to impart a bit of texture, and disguise any brush marks. Powders are used dry on top of this base to add variety of colour and soot. Progress so far:
     

     

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