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Pugsley

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Pugsley

    Lining up ducks.

    By Pugsley,

    The lack of updates has not meant lack of progress, in fact far from it! The revised etches have arrived - on two sheets this time, 0.7 nickel silver for the larger structural parts, 0.5mm brass for the rest. Some of the parts were too tricky to fold in the initial design.
     

     
    There's still something immensely satisfying about send off a computer file, handing over some dosh and getting a shiny sheet of metal parts in return!
     
    Work has also been continuing on other aspects of the project, and the last of the parts required to start assembling the bogies should arrive this week.
     

     
    The wheels have now been reprofiled to S7 standards, which proved a little trickier than the theory suggested, but having said that, I did only manage to bu**er up one wheel! It was one wheel more than I was hoping to, but these things happen.... The wheels have also been reamed to 4.74mm, so they will be an interference fit on the 3/16in axles. One thing I discovered today is that Slaters axles are not 3/16 - they're slightly under (4.72 mm) - as I've had to drill out the hornblocks/axleboxes to fit the 3/16in rod that I have - which is spot on at 4.76mm.
     
    I've also milled down the central boss of the wheels so it is now only about 0.5mm proud of the tread of the wheel.
     
    The hornblocks have been milled down so they are now rectangular, as per the real thing, and the bearings are in place on the traction motor assemblies. I'm hoping that the 2mm tubing that will form the shafts for the intermediate gears will be here in the next couple of days.
     
    Hopefully, further updates during the week will show the first bogie taking shape!
  4. Pugsley

    Low fidelity?

    By Pugsley,

    Who needs expensive decals when you've got paper and blu-tack?
     

     
    I've started another project to give me a break from the 37, I thought it was about time I indulged in a spot of wagonry. Besides, now slow progress is being made on Bisley Jct, I really could do with some stock for the oil terminal!
     
    The plan is for 8 wagons initially. All will be fitted with S-Kits walkways, and various detail differences in chassis in terms of strengthening ribs, handbrake locations etc will be represented. To the untrained eye, it'll look like there is two types of tank, look a little closer and it'll become apparent that there are 4 different types across the 8 wagons.
     
    I'm also going to change the springs this time, for the later parabolic version. At least some of the wagons will feature springs by Cambrian, the rest will probably be built from strip.
     
    I've designed my own decals for the project, the testing of which is under way in the picture above. The Total logo is now the correct size, the Caib logo needs to be a bit bigger. The beauty of doing it this way is that I can tailor the decals to match each wagon as required, and I only have to get what I need, instead of buying large packs of transfers for only one or two items. Of course, this may turn out to be a more expensive way of doing things, I haven't had the price for the sheet back yet, but it will be sufficient to finish 16 wagons (13xTTA, 3xTEA) so even if it is relatively expensive, it shouldn't be too much per wagon.
     
    Not having to make TOPS panels from individual letters and numbers is probably the best advantage!
     
    More progress as and when, hopefully this week, when I can outline the mods required to each wagon. I need to do a little more to the 37 at some point though, I'm hoping to have the frame of one of the bogies fully assembled by the Bristol show, in a little under two weeks.
  5. Pugsley

    Mikkel made me do it ;-)

    By Pugsley,

    I wasn't going to, but here, by popular request , are some pictures of the internally complete No 2 end cab. Everything is pretty much the same as the other end, but with different rear bulkhead detail. The lights highlight the detail nicely, even in daylight! I decided to stick with the 1K2 ohm resistors in the end.
     

     
    The next pic highlights the need to clean the windows!
     

     
    Showing the position of the cab lights, and the sunshades in position.
     

     
    I'm hoping to have the rest of the body assembled by the end of the week, then it'll be on to the bogies
  6. Pugsley

    Mocking....

    By Pugsley,

    up the final ride height was one of this evening's little tasks (it's amazing what you can do with brass rod and blu-tack!). Now that I've got all 6 motor units assembled and test fitted into the bogie frames, I wanted to make sure that I could get squeeze everything in that I wanted to and check clearances.
     

     
    As you can see, it's all a little tight in there! The shiny bits on the cross-member are the lugs that the torque reaction arms will fit into, engaging into similar holes on the edge of the motor housing. The motors project a little bit above this, but not much.
     
    The other bogie, which is yet to have these mounts fitted:

     
    Someone asked a while ago about how visible the gears would be - here's a pic with the motor in roughly the final position (pretend that the file and cocktail stick aren't there )
     

     
    I don't think they'll be too intrusive once painted black.
     
    Next job is to solder the torque reaction arm mounts to the one bogie, then sort out the kingpin and secondary suspension mounting. The secondary springs need to be soldered in place before the bogies are assembled, as I'm not sure what effect that heat will have on the resin sideframes. Between the springs and the bearing plates, yet to be attached, there will be a screwed adjustment, so ride height can be adjusted to ensure the loco is level. The primary suspension, theoretically, doesn't need this as it is equalised. Both bogies are sitting level, with all 6 wheels on the marble, so I'm confident that all is square and should run OK.
     
    More progress later in the week, with any luck.
  7. Pugsley

    Monkey in the well

    By Pugsley,

    It feels a bit like the old maths question at the minute - there are three steps forward, and two steps back again. The bogie artwork is currently undergoing another tweaking, but I'm hopeful that the mark 3 version will be the final version, as I've just about discovered everything that could be improved upon, I think..
     
    It's mostly little things, like adding a couple of extra positioning holes on the parts that are soldered on to the mounting plate, but the frames have required a complete redesign. In this version, the axlebox guides will be soldered on to the main frame, with a spacer between to pack them to the right distance inside of the frame.
     
    As a part of the final redesign, I've been assembling the various parts, to check that everything works as it should. The following photos show the secondary suspension mount, with the original trial spring in place.
     

     

     
    Since taking these pictures, I've realised that the prototype spring is too powerful - it needed a force of 500g to compress about halfway, which I think means that the 37 would need to weigh 4kg for it to work as intended! I've since cut the prototype spring down to 7 coils, which reduces the spring force greatly (I'm not sure how much by yet, I haven't measured it). I've got some thicker copper wire on order, so will see what that's like, as I think that the brass might still be a bit too springy.
     

     
    This shows the revised spring length for the secondary suspension, alongside the first prototype primary spring, made from copper wire. I'm not sure if this is final length for this one, the revised frame etches need to be constructed first, so I can work out the height of spring required.
     

     
    The remains of the moulded springs on the kit sideframe, will be turned into locating studs for the primary springs. i had originally planned to replace the equalising beam mounts with an etched part that would actually pivot, but have abandoned that plan for now. I will give it a go at a later date, but with a suitable casting, the etched parts don't look as good as what's there at the moment.
     
    This funny looking part:

    Rests on the secondary springs, whilst also locating the bogie on the pivot. There will be some form of screw adjustment incorporated either into the supports that rest on the slide plates (see next pic), or from the secondary springs to the bolster to give the ability to adjust the ride height.
     

     
    The slide plates and the bolster bearing surface can be seen in the picture above. The plan to stack etched washer-like parts isn't quite working - I need more than I've planned for in the etch, so this will be replaced by a turned brass part of the required diameter, once the next version of the main etches are back, as I don't know what length the part needs to be to maintain the correct ride height at present.
     
    The final picture shows the mounting plate in place on the bogie, but it is too close, as mentioned above.
     

     
    There's a few more parts to test this week, then hopefully everything that needs it will be amended by mid-week, so the revised file can be sent to the etchers.
     
    More soon, with any luck
  8. Pugsley
    I'll start with the lesson in observation. When planning a model of a wagon, check what axleboxes it had in the period you'll be modelling it in, don't rely on more recent photos!
     
    I've been turning my attention to the Nitric Acid tanks again, as a little bit of a break from the 37 bogies (more of that in another post to follow shortly) so dug all of the research material out the other night. In a previous post, I'd been drawing up the SKF axleboxes, as that's what I thought I required but closer inspection of some older photos of the tanks, in UKF colours show them with Timken axleboxes (all except the Pedestal suspension fitted 949 and 950).
     
    Having realised my error, I've set about drawing up the Timken variant of axlebox. It's going to be quite a useful thing to do anyway, as it was fitted to such a wide range of air braked wagons, including the VAA and VBA vans, which I plan to turn my attention to at some point. So here is the current work in progress, on the floor this time rather than floating in mid air:
     

     
    It's shown in parabolic spring configuration, for use on the vans it won't need the circular spacer on the top, there's a few little tweaks to do, but it's more-or-less there. The text on the front projects further than it should, the same as the last one, due to the minimum size requirements for the 3D printing process. I'll sand the print to reduce the size of that before using it as a master.
     
    The SKF type wasn't a complete waste of time though, I can still make use of it on another type of wagon in the future.
  9. 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!
  10. 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:
     

     

  11. Pugsley
    Links for the next parts of the saga:
    14 - Done it! (well sort of)
    14A - Done it 2! (well sort of)
    15 - Stepping up a notch
    16 - Oh bu**er!
    17 - Paying the (sand)piper
    18 - BOGIES!
    19 - Lining up ducks
    20 - (Traction) motoring on
    21 - Getting closer but a long way to go
    22 - Monkey in the well
    23 - You stud!
    24 - Tanked Up (and Boxing)
     
     
     
    The focus for the next stage of this project is going to move from the blog section, to the normal forum bit as the additional interaction is going to prove useful, I think. I'll still put the occasional post in here for construction that isn't related to the bogies and certain progress milestones, probably.
     
    This is the drawing I've used to prove that the concept is sound, using the dimensions of the parts that I've found so far. It all fits in the space I've got available, which is a good start!
     

     
    The original copy is to exact scale size, the diagram above is enlarged for clarity.
     
    The dark blue bits at the top of the image are the chassis rails, on the floor moulding, that project downwards. The red box around the bogie is the maximum height allowable to ensure that the buffer centres are a scale 3' 5.5" above rail level (24.21mm), although I could allow myself an extra mm or two if required, there's variation in the real thing, after all
     
    The hornblocks are from Slaters, and the inner frames will be etched from either 0.70mm brass or nickel silver, I haven't decided yet. One thing to note, the wheels haven't come out very well in that picture, the larger floating green things you can see are the axle mounted gears, with the grey rectangle underneath being the rail. I'll upload a better diagram at some point.
     
    Now that I'm satsfied that the concept works, and I've found the right parts for the job, next job will be to finalise the motor and gear positioning before deciding on the design for the frames and motor mounts. What I learned when designing my class 455 etchy bits is going to come in handy here!
     
    The best part is, now that it's public, I'll have to get on with it and make it work!
     
    The adventure of the springy bogies will continue Here
     
    Edit - I've just noticed that this is chapter 13, I do hope that's not some kind of omen...
  12. Pugsley
    Having had the house to myself most of the weekend, I've used it wisely to get quite a lot of modelling done, both in real world and virtual. I've now created the axlebox for the Nitric tank project, and I'll probably do the Timken version at some point in the future.
     
    Behold the mysterious floating axlebox:
     

     
    The SKF logo is a little more prominent than it should be, but that's unavoidable due to the resolution required for printing. I understand that the minimum feature size for FUD is 0.1mm. I'll reduce the size with judicious use of wet and dry after printing.
     
    Just the rest of the wagon to go now!
     
    I've made a start on the second class 37 bogie as well, so there is a slim possibility that it might be sat on its bogies at Telford. It probably won't though
  13. 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...
  14. Pugsley

    Nearly the end(s)

    By Pugsley,

    After wasting time on various things that could most probably, well definitely really, wait, I've cracked on with the 09, to the point where it is nearly done, I think.
     

     
    On both ends, I wasn't happy with the black, it was looking too faded after the spray fade. Luckily, as I used Vallejo acrylics on the fade, I could easily remove it from the black whilst leaving the yellow intact. I applied Tamiya thinners onto the black, and gently rubbed it off with a cocktail stick. The thinners soften the paint so it comes off quite easily. You have to be careful not to touch the yellow, but that can be touched up afterwards, if required.
     
    The bonnet end has had a few washes to bring out the detail, with grimy black powders on the bottom of the radiator grille, and underneath. The bufferbeam is a mix of grimy black and hairspray, with different shades used sparingly on top.
     

     
    The cab end has had similar treatment, although I think I may have overdone the rust slightly under the lip under the cab windows, which I'll have a go at later. It's almost there now, just a few minor tweaks and I'll be happy with it. The connecting rods need a little more work, I'm not entirely happy with those, as do the cab handrails.
     
    I haven't quite decided about the pipes yet - I might fit them to the front, and leave them off at the back to allow any prospective purchaser to fit them, or the tension lock if they wish.
     
    Final photos to follow in the next couple of days.
  15. 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....
  16. Pugsley

    Oh bu**er!

    By Pugsley,

    Early indications are that there is a fundamental design flaw in the etched parts for this conversion
     
    To be honest, I'm a bit annoyed with myself for not spotting and thinking about it earlier. The problem is that the cranked design of inner frame, designed to bring the axlebox into the right place, without having to mill down the bogie sideframes, doesn't allow the axlebox to travel high enough up the guide.
     
    I've now got to decide whether I press on with what I've got, milling the sideframes to suit, or go for a redesign.
     
    Whatever I decide, I have to make this work, not only because I'll be fed up with myself if I don't, I've now chopped up the sideframes into two parts - the main frame and the axleboxes still attached to the equalising beams.....
     
    I guess that it was asking a bit too much that it would be a success first time.
  17. 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!
  18. Pugsley
    From the moment I saw this picture:
    http://gallery6801.f.../p61948874.html
     
    I knew I wanted to model it. Admittedly, I've not gone down the 100% fidelity route, so the details are still that of the Bachmann tank, representing a Met-Camm built example, but it's close enough, I feel. It certainly captures the essence of the prototype, in my opinion.
     
    The first stage was to mix up a wash of white spirit and grimy black powder, and give the barrel a good coat of that. Once dry, any excess powder was brushed off with a large flat brush.
     

     
    The whole tank was then covered with gouache, mixed up from raw umber, burnt umber and black. Liberally applied with a flat brush, it was left to dry before work with the powders started.
     
    Powders mixed from grimy black (which could be approximated with Mig Black Smoke and Europe Dust) and Mig Europe Dust were applied to give the matt, grubby look.
     
    After grubbing, the clean patches were created by removing the gouache and powders with a stiff flat brush and cotton buds, moistened with diluted screenwash. As the decals are laser printed, it didn't affect these, even without varnish sealing.
     

     
    The ends and other side now need finishing, before the whole wagon is given a coat of Vallejo matt varnish to seal everything in place.
  19. 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
  20. Pugsley
    Lack of progress on here doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything, far from it, I've spent hours and hours (what feels like an eternity!) soldering bits of brass together, and ended up with these:
     

     
    It hasn't been going very well - these are the best of the ones I've made, I've scrapped at least two, and the ones that remain have been re-soldered many times to reach this point.
     
    Each one is made from 1mm brass wire, a small chunk of 2mm hex brass and 0.8 wire, also brass.
     
    Unfortunately, I've got the 4 front ones to make now
  21. Pugsley

    Point(less) Update

    By Pugsley,

    With flights of fancy put on the back burner for the time being, where they should be, a milestone has been reached in the construction of Bisley Junction - the pointwork is more or less complete!
     
    The most challenging piece so bar was the B7 FB crossover:

     
    Which I'm rather pleased with, closely followed by the two bullhead rail points - flat bottom rail is so much easier to work with as it's obvious which way up the rail goes!
     
    The only thing left to do do all of the turnouts is to fit the tiebars. After considering several options, I've decided to go for functional stretcher bars of my own construction:

    For this I've used 0.5x1.5mm brass strip, 13mm long, with the last 2mm of each side bent to form an 'L' shape - the brass did need to be annealed to soften it before bending. Between the two brass strips is a piece of paper secured to the brass using epoxy resin, which sticks the parts together and insulates electrically. As an extra precaution I've also run thin superglue into the joint as well for added strength.
     
    The one pictured above is the prototype, which appears to have been a success so far, it's very strong, will be easily soldered to the rails and both sides are fully insulated from each other. I need to drill a hole for later fitting of the operating mechanism but other than that, it's complete. Just another 6 to make now....
  22. Pugsley
    It's been one of those days. One of those days when most things don't go the way you want them to. In fact, I've had the Sadim touch all day (the opposite of the Midas touch - everything you touch turns to sh*t) so it came as no real surprise that the start on the layout didn't quite go to plan.
     
    Once all the Templot plans had been put on the boards, I started putting stock in the relevant places just to check the visual appearance of the plan. I don't make detailed plans, as such, I have a 'vision' that I work towards, and due to my inability to draw sketches are out of the question, unless you're trying to visualise a layout through the eyes of a four year old. Is that mummy there?!? No, it's supposed to be a tree.
     

     
    So, all stock was put in various locations - tanks in the oil terminal, the 455 in the platform and two Mk1's in the bay platform, pretending to be a 2-HAP. I didn't like it, which wasn't totally unexpected with the way that the day had gone up until that point. In the pic above, the fiddle yard is off to the bottom of the picture and the viewing side is off to the left. The Bachmann wagon boxes liberally spread around are to assist with building the picture - I decided I needed some help once I decided I didn't like it the way it was.
     

    Looking from the front of the layout, over the other end of the oil terminal sidings, towards the station. The 455 is in the main platform, the '2-HAP' (if you squint, a lot, it might look like one) is in the bay.
     

    Looking across the oil terminal sidings, across the headshunt beyond towards the houses behind the railway - recently built and looking suspiciously like Bachmann TTA boxes.
     
    So, after the initial disappointment and irritation of it not working in the way I had envisaged, getting to the stage of thinking 'bu**er, I'm going to have to start again', I walked away for 10 minutes. On coming back to the layout, I hit upon the solution - just reverse the viewing side.
     

     
    I now understand why I've never seen a layout that slopes down at the back, it just doesn't work visually. Sure, in real life there are probably many stations that are flat at the front but slope away at the rear, but as a model it just doesn't work.
     

     
    The last change of plan is the large industrial building that was supposed to be to the right at the front of the layout, where the vans are sat in the pictures above. This isn't going to work, so I'm going to have to contrive another off scene industry to get the vans in and out. I think that the industry will now be a low-ish relief building coming out of the backscene enough to make the exit to the fiddle yard slightly less visible, providing just enough of a hint to justify the occasional train of vans entering and then reversing in to the off-stage siding.
     
    Jobs for the near future will involve turning the boards around and testing my theory - whatever happens next really hinges upon the results of that. Hopefully the change of viewing angle will do the trick, or it really is back to the drawing board.
  23. Pugsley

    Quick bogie update

    By Pugsley,

    Not much to say, other than slow progress is being made on the bogies. I've now assembled the first of the frames, and popped in the first motor unit to see how it all fits together.
     
    The good news is, it all fits together!
     

     

     
    The sideframe is just held on with blu-tack for the moment, but it all looks promising.
  24. 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
  25. 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: )


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