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Pugsley

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Blog Entries posted by Pugsley

  1. Pugsley

    Doing a jig

    By Pugsley,

    No, I've not taken up Irish dancing, but have had a bit of an issue with the traction motors. I've made a bit of an error when calculating the relative position of the gears, meaning that the teeth mesh too tightly, leading to tight spots if anything is even slightly out of position. Sadly, the 42 tooth gears that mount on the axle were slightly out, mostly due to the way that I'd held them in the chuck when drilling them out to fit the axle.
     
    I then tried mounting them in the chuck by the boss, but can't tighten the chuck enough to stop it moving, without crushing the boss, particularly when reaming out to the final dimension. This meant that they were always ever so slightly out of round, leading to jamming.
     
    So, thoughts turned to how I could hold the gears adequately during this operation, and how I could make it consistent across all of the gears. In the end I came up with the idea of drilling two holes in each gear, and using these to screw the gear onto a mount that would fit in the lathe chuck. To ensure that the holes were consistent across the gears, and on the mounting block, I made a drilling jig out of a piece of 0.5mm brass.
     

     
    Whilst I made one of the holes slightly off centre, it didn't really matter as the position will always be relative to the other. As seen in the photo, the jig is drilled to 5.9mm in the centre, to fit over the boss of the gear. The holes are drilled to 2.2mm, clearance size for 8BA. The jig is used to drill one hole in the gear, then an 8BA screw is slipped into the hole, to maintain the jig position, whilst the other hole is drilled.
     

     
    Apologies for the slightly crap photo, but this shows the mounting block. The centre was drilled out to 5.9mm, to fit the gear boss, then a drilled gear was used to mark out the position of the two mounting holes. These were drilled out to 1.8mm, then tapped 8BA. The gear to be drilled is fitted onto the mount, secured with two 8BA screws, then the whole assembly is mounted in the lathe chuck, gripped on the outside of the block.
     

     
    This shows the whole thing assembled, with a gear for drilling, ready to be put in the lathe. Early indications are that it has pretty much worked, although I will have to do a small bit of bodging on a couple, by filing a small amount off the teeth. Still, it's a whole lot better than previous
  2. Pugsley

    BOGIES!

    By Pugsley,

    No, I've not been shouting that word in libraries in homage to Dick and Dom, but I've actually started work on the springy bogies of 415.
     
    Quite a productive weekend has seen me prepare the 42 teeth gears for fitting onto the axles and make a start on the axles themselves.
     

     
    The gears originally had a 2mm hole in the centre. I enlarged these by drilling 3.5mm, 4.3mm and then reaming to 4.74mm for an interference fit on the 3/16ths axles. Which brings me, neatly, to the axles themselves.
     
    The original plan was to have solid, one piece, axles, but further thoughts turned to how I was going to set the back-to back measurements effectively, with all of the traction motor gubbins in the way. The solution is to have the axles in two halves, which will screw into one another, allowing for adjustment.
     
    One half is 23mm long, drilled 2.5mm and will be tapped M3. The other half is 28mm long, but has 5mm turned down to 3mm, ready for threading M3. Once the axles are assembled, I'll see how the threadlock holds, if it's not sufficient I'll drill through the two halves and taper pin them.
     
    Next jobs are to thread the spigots and tap the holes in the other halves, before drilling and reaming the wheels to 4.74mm.
  3. Pugsley

    (Traction) motoring on

    By Pugsley,

    The first of the traction motor assemblies is approaching completion, just the fitting of the motor gear to go now (I'm not counting the axle assembly as part of the motor unit - I've still got to thread all 12 parts of those!)
     
    Side view of the motor assembly:

     
    The first one has been close to disaster a couple of times, due to me not really having a clue how best to put them together I've now worked out the best sequence for doing it, which should make the next 5 go together a lot quicker.
     
    End view of the motor asembly:

     
    I've also discovered another design fault - I've made the bracket fit the motor extremely accurately, however I hadn't taken into account that the shaft bearing of the motor protudes from the casing by about 0.5mm, which meant that the bracket wouldn't fold square. I've now had to drill the hole for the motor shaft out to 4mm, so it sits nicely in the support frame.
     
    View of the motor with wheel, giving an idea of what is visible behind the wheel. With the gears painted black, it shouldn't be too bad :

    It's all a (fairly steep at times) learning curve, I guess
  4. Pugsley
    The first of the traction motor units is substantially complete! There's been a bit of trial and error whilst determining what diameter shafts to use for the 1st stage gear. 2mm was too hard to get into the gears square, despite being designed for that diameter shaft.
     

     
    I've used 1.9mm diamter tubing for the first, with the intermediate gears glued onto the shaft with industrial adhesive, which is supposed to withstand pressures of 3,500psi It's glued everything nice and solid - I've tried turning the gears on their shafts and I can't shift them. The final drive gears will be cross drilled and pinned to the axles to make sure they're totally secure.
     

     
    The pictures give a good idea of how the finished assembly is going to look - the wheels are set roughly to the correct back to back measurement (31.30mm).
     

     
    1 down, 5 to go!
  5. Pugsley
    I've put a small article on the Showcase about colour variation with oils, as the format seemed to fit a little better over there. The article can be found here:
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/showcase/?p=2289&preview=true
  6. Pugsley

    The novelty...

    By Pugsley,

    Still hasn't worn off. Sorry if this is now getting a bit boring, but I'm enjoying myself, which is the main thing! Tonights experimenting has revealed that the oils can be matted down nicely by stippling in talc.
     

     
    as demonstrated on the W irons.
     
    I've also been experimenting further with the addition of highlights and shadows, doing it a little more on this one than the others. Again, it seems to work, but I think it has to be carefully controlled, or the model could end up looking like a caricature of a tank wagon.
     
    I've played around with the barrel as well, putting larger patches of crimson, blue, white and yellow on before manipulating them first with a dry, and then with a moist, brush, using dabbing and scrubbing motions, as well as running the brush down from top to bottom. It seems to have added a slightly blotchier effect to the barrel, which I kinda like.
     
    Time to carry on playing!
  7. 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.
  8. Pugsley
    Links for the next chapters of the saga:
    26 - Getting somewhere at last!
    27 - OMG, I think it's going to work!
    28 - Getting there slowly
    29 - Quick bogie update
    30 - More bogie progress
    31 - Spring bounce
    32 - A milestone moment!
    33 - Doing a jig
    34 - Back to life...
    35 - Mocking....
    36 - I dont believe it!
     
     
     
    I decided to finish another 'quick win' task before starting on the bogies - fitting armrests to the seats included in the kit.
     

     
    The armrests are filed from 1x2mm Evergreen styrene strip, to more or less the shape and size in this picture:
    http://briandaniels.fotopic.net/p61285107.html
     
    Next up, bogie assembly!
  9. 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.
  10. Pugsley
    As you may have gathered from the title, things aren't going quite according to plan with the 37 bogies, I've discovered a problem with the design of the plate that links the 4 secondary suspension points and the central bearing. If I mount it in the way I'd planned, the travel of the bogie rests on the top of the middle traction motor when the axle is at its highest travel. Seeing as the normal planned position for the central axle is towards the top of its travel, this causes a bit of a problem.
     
    If I set the assembly up as intended, as shown below, the top of the bogies, where they meet the slide plates, will be nearly 29mm from rail height (give or take a flange depth ). This doesn't sound too bad, until you consider that the bottom of the body needs to sit 25mm above the ground in normal running, and the slide plates are only a millimetre or so above the bottom of the body. I can turn down the parts that fit into the secondary suspension springs, but that brings the clearance problem into play.
     
    As things are now:
     

     
    This closer view shows the problem with the bottom of the plate and the traction motor - if the height is reduced by the required 3mm, the plate will be sat on the top of the motor, stopping the movement of the suspension.
     

     
    It also shows that the bar arrangement to stop the motor rotating under load needs a bit of attention - I needed to wedge a screwdriver underneath to get it to sit in the right position! I think I'll have to fix the bar at the bogie end, and open out the hole in the motor to a slot, so that the motor can move up and down, but not rotate. The movement is constrained by the current arrangement, but it can still move too much at present.
     
    The parts that fit into the secondary springs have been turned from brass, drilled 1.8mm and tapped 8BA, so that there is a form of ride height adjustment incorporated, as there is no equalisation on the secondary suspension and the loco will look a little odd if anything is out with the ride height. I decided that I couldn't work to the level of accuracy required to get everything identical, and a screw adjustment seemed the easiest way of levelling everything up at the end.
     

     
    The secondary springs are made from 0.7mm soft brass wire.
     
    The solution to the problem is going to be to raise the bearing part of the plate up to fit much closer to the floor of the loco. There is quite a bit of room to allow this, as shown in the next picture. It also means that I can use the etched packing pieces, rather than having to turn up new pieces to fit.
     

     
    Ironically, this brings the design of the bogie even closer to that of the real one! The 3mm or so gained by doing this should offset the clearance problem discovered earlier, meaning that everything should be able to move as intended. I plan to cut the existing plate into 3 sections, then re-attach the central bearing part, spacing it upwards in the process. I may also take the opportunity to slim the central section down slightly.
     

     

     
    The threaded bolt protruding from the chassis will be cut down as much as possible leaving just enough clearance to slip a nut on the end, to retain the bogie when the loco is lifted up. There will be enough movement for the suspension to work, and the force will be transmitted through the central bearing, just like the prototype.
     
    Unfortunately, this minor setback means that the bogies definitely won't be ready for Telford, but I'm hoping that I can get at least one finished for the S7 Society meet up at Mark, in October.
  11. 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.
  12. Pugsley

    Back to life....

    By Pugsley,

    Back to reality. I've given the virtual world a bit of break for the minute, instead turning back to the 37 bogie in the, possibly vain, hope that I'll have one assembled for Telford.
     

     
    The picture above shows the last of the motors undergoing final adjustment (cf. bodging) and testing before assembly. I am pleased to confirm that they all actually work, having been tested on my ancient Hornby controller.
     
    More soon!
  13. Pugsley

    Tanks a bunch

    By Pugsley,

    The first of the 45 tonners is now almost complete, with just tidying up and painting left to do. i also need to fit the catwalk that fits above the buffer beam, on the solebar, but will fit that once the barrel has been painted.
     

     
    The kit instructions are quite straightforward, but I did struggle with one bit, folding the legs on the catwalk. I got my head around it eventually, and took the following photo to illustrate the correct way of folding:
     

     
    The legs need to be folded over to the outside, despite the half etch fold line being on the inside. In the picture above, the first two legs have been folded over, the rest haven't.
     
    The first of the 102T tanks is also now complete and ready for weathering.
     

     
    Let the fun commence!
  14. Pugsley

    Spot the difference

    By Pugsley,

    I've made a start on the chassis of the first TTA, replacing the springs and making it look a little more like the prototype it's based on.
     
    Whilst looking mostly similar, 45t Monobloc oil tanks are a minefield once you get into the details. Suspension brackets are different shapes, there are different rib quantities and spacings, different handbrake arrangements, etc, etc. There are also different lengths, but more about that later.
     

     
    So far, the detail that isn't required has been removed, with new detail added in place, the SAB load sensing valve has gone and the brake arrangement has been changed. The new handbrake came from another wagon, which will be modified to have a completely different arrangement when its time on the workbench arrives.
     
    The Bachmann model is based upon a Pickering design, the one currently on the bench is being modified to represent a Powell Duffryn built example. Eventually the fleet will consist of examples from Pressed Steel, Pickering, Powell Duffryn, Standard Wagon and Rootes Pressings, hence the variety in the fleet. The first batch of 4 comprises of 2 Powell Duffryn and 2 Pickering examples, the latter requiring very little modification in terms of the chassis.
  15. Pugsley

    Tanked Up (and Boxing)

    By Pugsley,

    Whilst waiting for the final bogie parts, I've decided to start on all the little detail jobs that need doing on the 37 - 8 sandboxes for the sanding gear to fit on and the pipework between the fuel tanks. You will remember my attempt at sanding gear on an earlier entry - I've subsequently discovered that MMP do a class 37 sanding gear set, so I bought one of those instead. The thought of making another 4 assemblies filled me with dread!
     
    The main parts of the sandboxes were cut from 0.33mm brass, cut into a strip 3mm wide, by 11mm long. The edges of the cut strips were coloured with permanent marker to help see the marks for forming. The parts at the top of the picture are the strips bent to shape.
     

     
    Lines were scribed at 4mm and 7mm, working from one edge. These were used as guides for pressure to be applied using a Stanley knife blade, which marked where the bend should be and scored to make folding easier.
     

     
    Once folded up, sides cut from 0.127mm brass, to the approximate shape, were soldered onto the formed strips. These were then trimmed to shape as closely as possible using sharp scissors, then filed to the exact shape. In this pic, the three stages of the process can be seen, working right to left.
     

     
    These now need to be drilled in the centre, for the sandpipe assemblies to be soldered in, before mounting them on the chassis of the loco. I'll wait until the bogies are in before mounting them.
     
    I've also knocked up a representation of the pipework between the fuel tanks, out of 1.2mm brass and 0.7mm nickel silver wire, with the larger pipe being 1.8mm dia microbore tube. The pipe fittings, such as flanges and unions, are made from styrene sections.
     

     

     
    I've been assured that I should receive the new design of bogie parts tomorrow, so the next update should be the first completed bogie, with any luck!
  16. Pugsley
    Actually not that kind of resurfacing, more a stalled project bubbling back to the surface for a little more attention. this happens from time to time, and frequently they sink back again, still incomplete, but I'm hoping to actually have this one finished by the end of the year.
     
    Yes, the 37 has made a comeback, now that the distraction of the IZA Ferrywagons is over for the time being. Actually, a fair amount has been achieved since the last update, with most of the wiring in place, the chip installed (although it can be removed for painting) and the speaker enclosure built. This is how things stand at the moment:

     
    I never thought I'd be pushed for space in a 7mm loco, so how crowded it's starting to look in there has come as a bit of a surprise! There is a mini DIN plug to go at the number 2 end, which will transfer the power to the body for the radiator fan motor, cab lights and speaker. Unfortunately it is only a 6 way plug and socket I have, so there will be an extra connection for the cab light common feed, but that's not the end of the world, just slightly less tidy that I would have liked. The miniature connectors on each end of the chassis are for the tail/marker/head lights at each end, so again the body can still be removed completely from the chassis.
     
    One of the reasons for the stall was that I hadn't quite worked out how I was going to secure the bogies, as well as saving up for the sound chip. The real thing uses steel rope to stop the bogies detaching, so I thought that I could possibly use the same sort of process. The first experiment was with stainless steel microbraid from Eileens, which really just is miniature steel rope. It soldered beautifully to the little tubes i bought to represent the crimped joint, but was too inflexible and would have required some form of springing mechanism inside, which wouldn't be easily hidden and seemed like bloody hard work. So came the revelation:

     
    Elastic thread! It's a little thick in original form, but I found that one of the cotton layers came off quite easily, leaving one layer of cotton and the rubber core remaining. I figured that the remaining sheathing would be rough enough to glue nicely to the chassis, and the rubber bit remained springy. So, the final solution is as shown above, which seems to work quite well and engages the etched hooks quite nicely. When the bogies are complete, there is another metal part to be glued to the bogie, under the hook, which will stop the retainer dropping out, which it will at the moment if everything is compressed enough.
     
    Whilst they don't retain the bogies quite in position, they stop it falling all the way out and keep it nice and level when it does drop, if the loco is lifted other than by its bogies. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than nothing! It also doesn't look too overscale, although I think it is slightly.
     

     
    A close-up of the miniature connectors for the lights. The connection to the decoder will be soldered to the Veroboard and run under the chassis and into the main body thorough the gaps where the motors should be, if the kit was built conventionally.
     
    The plan is to have it running round the S7 test track this coming Saturday, so I need to pull my finger out, although I only really have the speaker to mount and wire in before connecting everything up to get it running. The lights etc won't be installed until the body is painted, so I have a fighting chance at least
  17. Pugsley
    Following on from the post the other day, I've managed to get a better picture with the help of a little Klear, water just wasn't working properly. I've also spent another couple of hours on this effect this evening (in the same place) and I think it's pretty much there now. (apologies for the slightly blurry photo)
     

     
    Other things are moving with the project as well, the artwork for the bogies was finalised over the weekend and the etching company think that they will have it done towards the end of next week. Body works will probably take a back seat once the etch arrives.
     
    Only another three quarters of the loco to set about with the burr.....
  18. Pugsley

    Interior design - too

    By Pugsley,

    Since discovering TFMP's camera has a macro mode, I've managed to take some decent photos of the completed engine room bulkheads.

    No 1 end
     

    No 2 End
     
    Again, working from photos I've added grime washes with gouache and used powders sparingly. Looking at the photos I've found of 37 cabs, the engine room bulkheads don't seem to get as grubby as the nose.
     
    Just the cab interior to weather now, then I can crack on with installing the other cab fittings and get the other nose bulkhead completed. I'm going to try and make some track circuit clips to fit on the brackets - it may prove a bit tricky to do convincingly, but there's no harm in giving it a go!
     
    The painted flags look a bit naff close up (the out of focus pictures from my camera helped disguise that!), but in the context of the finished loco should look OK. It'll be quite had to see most of this detail anyway, but at least I know it's there! The cab lights should help a bit though.
  19. 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
  20. Pugsley

    The Spaghetti Incident

    By Pugsley,

    Progress continues slowly with the 7mm 37, and I'm currently in the middle of adding all the wiring for lights etc. This is how things looked the other day:

     
    It's all a bit tidier now, but I am running out of places to put all of the wires - and the ones for the cab lights, speaker and cooling fan aren't even visible in this picture!
     
    I've given up casting the brake shoes from the kit - I'm now in the process of drawing up my own and will get those from Shapeways, or possibly give iMaterilise a try, as I've not had anything from them yet. I'm also going to look at adding additional pickups to the bogies as I'm not totally convinced that the original solution is going to work that well - there is more movement in the axles than they can cope with at present.
     
    I've also started creating a length of track, so I can set the chassis up on the rolling road, to get that running sweetly by tweaking a few cv's. It looks like this project will have taken the best part of 3 years to complete, and it's not even there yet - yikes!
  21. 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:

  22. Pugsley
    It feels like I'm finally getting somewhere with this project now. The revised parts are back, and I've assembled the first of the bogie frames.
     

     
    The guides are now separate pieces that are soldered to the main frame etch on top of a 0.25mm spacer. Of course, I did the usual and didn't put quite as many spacers on the etch fret so had to make a few myself. The picture above shows how the parts are assembled (it needs tidying up yet!). A 0.7mm hole is drilled through all of the parts and 0.7mm wire used both as a guide to ensure everything is lined up, but is left in place as a pin to provide additional support.
     

     

     
    A couple of shots of the axleboxes in place give an idea of how the whole thing will sit together. One down, three to go!
  23. Pugsley
    The next, somewhat elastic, deadline for getting this 'ere 37 finished is now Guildex in Telford. I'm hoping that, even if it's not actually painted, it will be mechanically operational, which took a step closer today with the arrival of this, from the etchers:

     
    I'm pleased with the way it's come out - pretty much everything has come out as planned, with the exception of the writing on the axlebox stirrups. I knew I was pushing my luck with it, as it was on the small side, but it isn't legible, as I'd hoped it might have been. On the plus side, you can see that something's there, so all is not lost:

     
    This weekend will now mostly be spent beavering away in the workshop, to try and get everything ready for assembling the bogies. I just hope that there's no major flaws in the design!
     
    There is a real sense of satisfaction when the shiny bit of metal, made from your artwork, comes through the door
     
    In terms of major bodywork, the loco is mostly complete. I've got to trim some of the bufferbeams away to mount the ETH gear, but the other major job was to fill in one cut-out on the side of the loco, and make another.
     

     
    This is one of those reasons that prototype photos are essential if you're trying to accurately recreate a particular loco - especially with 37's as they are a minefield of detail differences.
     
    Whilst studying photos of 415, I noticed that the semi-circular cut-out present on the model isn't there. There is a recess behind the cut-out, to thin the skirt in the visble section, so this was filled with two bits of 0.25 x 3.2mm, cut to fit (2.9mm IIRC), superglued in place. Once dry, I filled the hole with Holts Knifing Putty - which I've discovered is better than most model fillers, and cheaper too!
     
    The new aperture is based on dimensions scaled from a side-on photo of 415, found on the web. I marked the hole out, and started it off by drilling 1.5mm holes towards the corners. These were then joined, carefully, with a sharp scalpel. The hole was finished to size with small files.
     
    I made a list of all the things that needed doing the other day - I won't be putting it here, as it's too long! Suffice to say that there is plenty to keep me occupied for a while
     
    I've got a weekend to myself, so I'm hoping to achieve a lot this weekend - updates as and when
  24. 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..
  25. 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.
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