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RedgateModels

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Blog Entries posted by RedgateModels

  1. RedgateModels
    Some progress on the tender. Basic chassis is soldered up and ready for pickups, dragbox and NEM pocket sorting.
     
    I've also been detailing the body, adding wire handrails and brake handles. I've also added the brass strips on the top of the coal space and fixed in a section from a scrap tender to replace the broken corner of the top lip at the front of the coal space (see where I've sanded down etc in the second photo - the replacement bit is black plastic too)
     

     

     
    I want to produce the rear tender steps/platforms that were fitted to later versions of this tender and also the tool tunnel in the coal space then it's about done for the body - apart from painting black and lining out that is
     
    EDIT:
     
    Tender ladder soldered up last night - boy is that a tricky job, good thing I had the +1.25 readers on
     
     
     
     
  2. RedgateModels
    Final few shots of the DJH Duke before it goes back to it's owner ready for Xmas day
     

     

     

     

     
    Pretty pleased with the finish and the Narrow Planet plates look as good as ever. That's the workbench cleared (nearly) ready for the two Golden Arrow Crosti 9Fs to be finished in the new year
  4. RedgateModels

    Not another Neverwazza!

    By RedgateModels,


    General
    A spoof photoshopped photo posted on Facebook has coincided with me having a Triang Evening Star with a disintegrated tender frame going for spares. So ladles and Jellyspoons, we have the BR Standard 9MT Tank Engine
     
     

    Black outline is the stock 9F, red the 4MT Tank. Green is the extended tanks and bunker (well it is a 9F) which also moves the rear pony to a more suitable place. The blue line is where the bottom of the tank front needs to be raised to clear the weighshaft and line up with the bottom of the footplate.
     
     

     
    Looks do-able with a bit of cutting and shutting etc. Also got to get motor drive down to the 9F drivers as the donor is tender driven. Might use the Bachmann 4MT motor etc, might not. Time will tell.
     
    Just need a cheap 4MT tank engine now, oh and some time LOL
  5. RedgateModels
    Following a delivery of nuts and screws from EE's yesterday much progress ensued last night
     
    We have rear pony soldered up and installed, axle bearings soldered in place, all frame spacers fixed, motion bracket test fitted and cylinder framing screwed in place.
     
    Here's a photo of the loco sitting on the drawing, which pleasingly seems to have everything lining up so far
     

     
    and here's a front 3/4 view
     

     
    Keen observers will see that the drivers cannot be fitted at axle #2 position, they will foul the motion bracket. Much modification of the Comet etch will ensue!
     
    I still need more angle on those cylinders too ...
     
    UPDATE:
     
    Removed the motion bracket and reamed out the bearings to accept the remaining drive wheels. As expected, it's failed the mirror test - as ever the rear drivers are a few thou too high. So with Iain Rice's book in hand I will be removing the bushes and fettling the holes to resolder them a tad lower.
     
    Better the faff now rather than later when all the brake rigging and springs are added
     
    Sound project is 99% there using a couple of the generic Loksound 2-8-2 projects and some Britannia sounds for whistles and safety valve. Should be able to fit a 52x18mm bass reflex speaker in the smokebox and a bit of the boiler but must leave some room for lead!
     
     
  6. RedgateModels
    got the lettering done on the other side this lunchtime, so 'tis done
     

     
    Going to leave it for a few weeks for the transfers to "set" then I will start the weathering. I'm going to use a combination of the techniques described by David Spencer in Hornby Mag Issue 6 and bounce spraying the underframe. I'll take it slowly as this little wagon has took a lot of time so don't want to mess it up in the weathering stage 😃
  7. RedgateModels
    So, the little coach has made another step towards completion. All the HMRS transfers have been applied and the end strapping has been painted black.
     

     

     
    Some pipework to attend to, all the brasswork (handles etc) to add then it should be ready for varnish
  8. RedgateModels
    OK, new year's eve and a package arrived from Mainly Trains today, complete with these beauties
     

     
    21mm drivers, 13mm tender and rear pony wheelsets and a 12mm wheelset for the front bogie. I have just about all the components to hand now to start the chassis construction. Ramrig is lending me a tender drive brit so I can trace the chassis - I need to make sure my scratchbuilt one will fit the bodyshell
     
    Took a few moments whilst waiting for our chinese meal to arrivew to fit the wheels to axles and lay out a few bits on a scaled up plan - gives you a better idea of how it will end up
     

  9. RedgateModels
    Found some time over Easter to paint the lighting pelmets, satin black on the outside and gloss white on the inside. A trip to Maplins and 60 quid later I had the LED lighting strips and power supply etc.
     
    I hooked them up one evening just to see how bright they were, blimey!
     

     

     
    Once the paint was dry, they were fitted and tested
     

     
    All that is left to do is finish painting the supports white and do the final wiring
  10. RedgateModels
    I've been dropping a few status updates about this build and have been talking to Wenlock of this parish about the kit and some of the shortfall in the instructions. Pictures were requested so I thought I'd better get a blog entry going
     
    So the chassis is more or less done, footboards are waiting for a delivery from Eileens as the 8" Hold and Fold does not come with a centre screw and does not hold the full length of the etch well enough as it stands. Buffer housings will complete the job prior to painting. The wheels are only held in temporarily and the brake pull rods will be added after painting.
     
    here's some pics
     

     

     

     
    The safety loops are my best effort to understand the instructions before talking to Wenlock and seeing his photos. I might follow his lead with the outside legs and add a plastikard beam to the chassis to fix them to, as they are now they look a bit odd! On the other hand, no-one's really going to see them once it's on the track ....
     
    Observe the springs which were originally fixed incorrectly to the underside of the stop. The use of a scalpel to remove them and refit to the axleboxes resulted in a pretty deep wound to my left thumb which is still hampering my efforts to build this coach
     
    I also have an all 3rd (T9) to build so I'll probably end up finishing them together to cut down on airbrush sessions. Need to get to a show to get some PP cream and brown too - not my normal colours you understand.....
  11. RedgateModels
    Here's a quick snap of the Sentinel as it stands this lunchtime
     

     
    All I need to add is the "RA 1" lettering (will have a dig around in the transfers box tonight) and then it's varnish time
     
    I am going to have a go at oil finishing the steel buffers, not done this since school, but I have a blowtorch and some nice dirty engine oil - what can possibly go wrong
  12. RedgateModels
    Basic rivetting is complete on the 7mm Sentinel and sealed under satin black. I am going to add the extra detail on the cab and tank sides but not today
     

     
    Next step I suppose is to start to get to grips with that Bob Moore lining pen or wimp out and use HMRS pressfix ...
  13. RedgateModels

    My first V

    By RedgateModels,

    Following Brain Harrup's excellent example here I've made my first V
     

     
    It's a 1 in 6 - taken with a similar one from a Waverley point kit (the Waverley is the one at the top)
     
    Nose is a bit blunter than I'd like, but it should be okay.
     
    Right, one more #6 and a #5 to do then it's onto switch blade practice
  14. RedgateModels

    A Growth Spurt

    By RedgateModels,

    Following two consecutive weekends helping out on other's trainsets I have unashamedly nicked sought inspiration from Ian Morton's shake the box for track plan and Chris Nevard's Catcott Burtle for the water feature at the front and have come up with the new, bigger, improved 4gig
     

     
    I've got to extend the depth of the current 4ft board by 6" and make another 4x2
     
    I'm currently cobbling together a Scalescenes goods shed, again the OO kit enlarged on the printer to O scale to ensure it will all fit in. The siding next to the shed and coal staithes will be inset, so I'll probably use DAS clay and then scribe some concrete type joins in it etc.
     
    So, Santa, please bring loads of cash for a shopping trip to Marcway for lots more sleepers and BH rail. The double slip looks fun to make
     
    The layout is already penciled in for Wycrail 2013, so I'd better get a move on
  15. RedgateModels
    Loco body all lined out and I've picked out some of the pipework in very much the same way as Hornby do on their current Britannias - although I've used a light grey for the lagging rather than white. I think this looks more subtle.
     

     

     
    Yes, this is the deflector that got superglue over it and needed rubbing back and respraying as revealed on one of my status updates Those Narrow Planet plates do look the dogs
     

     
    And finally, a quick shot of the cab showing the cream roof and a few details picked out ready for a crew to be installed
     

  16. RedgateModels
    At the Mickleover show it occurred to me that a short siding running up to the end of the coaling stage would
     

    Provide somewhere to store the Colliery "loco coal" wagon
    Fill a space that is a bit empty that has been bothering me for a while

     
    So if I ripped up the shed road up to somewhere next to the coaling stage and slotted in a steamline short radius point would give something like this:
     

     
    The Anyrail diagram is very approximate, I've not measured anything, but I only need enough of a spur to get a Parkside 5 plank wagon in, although I bet a loco hides up there at some point!
     
    I have a spare output on the accessory decoder for this board so automating it would not be too much of a headache.
     
    So, should I go through all the heartache of ripping up the existing track and ballast for a little more operational potential?
  18. RedgateModels
    Yes,
     
    I've finally got round to finishing the lining on the Duke of Gloucester - prompted by Narrow Planet sending me the proof for the plates which have now been paid for and will be away at the etchers soon.
     
    As soon as the plates are painted and in place the whole loco will be varnished then I can get it back together for an ex-works photo shoot. It will probably get a "2 weeks into service" weathering after that.
     
    I also have a DJH example in for refurbish, well, rebuild chassis wise I've also ordered a set of plates for this one too.
     
    Will be good to compare the two side by side sometime to see if it's true about the DJH boiler being too short
  19. RedgateModels
    OK, the decision seems to have been made. The Airfix kit and Bachmann tender appeared yesterday and last night I offered up various bits of kit to the chassis and boiler.
     
    There is a difference in mould quality, I had hoped that by using an original airfix kit the plastic might be crisper than the Dapol kit, oh well.
     
    A few issues to consider:
    The motor is wider than the outside dimensions of the firebox lower/ashpan
    The nice painted backhead does not fit the airfix footplate - and the airfix backhead includes part of the cab wall anyway
    I either need to cut the bottom of the smokebox off to set it into the footplate, or cut the footplate with a curved front to accept the smokebox as is. If I cut the smokebox the, frankly silly tubeplate detail behind the door will have to go.

    I've also printed out the Beattie drawings for the 3MT and 4MT to compare, and Beattie not withstanding there are some obvious differences between the two apart from the boilers
    The footplate narrows above the cylinders much more on the class 3 than the 4 - filing needed, bye bye rivet detail ....
    The sloped section of footplating at the front is further back on the 3MT - this will have to be ignored.
    The blower tunnel is shorter and the control valve is more to the front on the 3MT with consequentially different pipe runs
    The frame cutaway for the ashpan is deeper on the 4MT - not a problem as I will have to fabricate dummy sides to cover the motor etc once the Airfix bits are hacked off to get the footplate over the motor

    Next step is to get some photos of the RHS of a class 3, as I need to confirm pipe runs/injectors etc. The plan is to use the Airfix injector lump at the moment, shouldn't look too bad once painted black ....
  20. RedgateModels
    well, for now at least.
     
    All the main components are in place and plumbed up
     

     

     
    Handrails and the regulator linkages next then it's probably deflectors.
     
    The chassis needs revisiting as the lubricator supports are still missing and I'd like to add the sandbox filler tubes and possible a sandbox or two between the frames - all fixed to the boiler lower. I've plenty of exhaust steam pipe left to add a representation of it emerging from between the frames up to the running plate before it then drops to the injector.
  21. RedgateModels
    Quick snap of '023 in an almost state of readiness for the paint shop.
     

     
    Just got the undercab footstep to fabricate - I've ordered some Evergreen 1.5mm angle which should arrive next week. The fiddly bits have served as a good practice for the other one I am building for a member and '023 will wait in this condition until I have worked the commission one up to a similar point.
     
    The plan is to deliver both to Dave Roome at the Doncaster Show for weathering, so I'd better get my finger out
  22. RedgateModels

    Cylinders

    By RedgateModels,

    As I mentioned in the comments of the last entry the cylinders got soldered up the other night. Well now they are fitted to the chassis
     

     
    I had to add a small amount of packing to the front edge to get the correct angle for them. The original chassis design was based on a Comet Britannia front end so the angle was not quite right. A single strip of scrap etch from the cylinders kit was perfect.
     
    Here's a shot of the loco with the body on
     

     
    Note the cylinders are slightly too far back, as soon as I can solder the packer on permanently it can be trimmed back allowing the cylinders to move forward a bit.
     
    It's starting to look like a real one now
  23. RedgateModels
    A few productive evenings has the coach up to the point of paint (nearly!)
     
    just got the gas control gear to add to the non-step end and that's about it until it's painted. I hope to get to the Derby Show to pick up some paint, so progress will halt at this point for a few weeks. I'd better get on with the layout
     

     

     
    I've added the luggage racks but as yet have not raided my wife's wardrobe for some "mesh" as alluded to in the instructions! Some cheap seated figures are on their way from China via eBay to populate this and the S9 all third so the roof will not be fixed down for a while yet.
     
    So, finish the end detailing and get some primer on then ......
  24. RedgateModels
    Ok, there wasn't really any doubt that I would have to shorten the body of the 2-8-2 was there?
     
    so, after some careful marking out with my trusty Rotring compass/dividers, having worked out the cut width of the razor saw, two vertical cuts were made in the smokebox between the chimney and boiler join (note slight over cut with the saw marking the running plate )
     

     
    The cuts were made here to preserve the rivet detail and superheater at the boiler join. Further cuts through the running plate were made further back where the lubricators will be located.
     
    The remaining plastic where the boiler meets the running plate was cut with my trusty Swann Morton #10 and the body was well and truly broken!
     

     
    After cutting a 2mm section from the running plate and a bit of tidying with a file the body was made whole again with EMA Plastic Weld. A slight squeeze once the plastic was soft bedded the two bits together nicely.
     

     
    Really happy how well this went. The body now matches up in all dimensions to the Cox weight drawing.
     
    Next job, remove the plasticard packing added the other night and strip the paint off ready for all the moulded detail to be carved off
  25. RedgateModels
    Thanks to Dave Holt for pointing out a glaring error that resulted in a massive gap between the rear driver and the firebox/ashpan. Turns out that I made a last minute change to the frame drawing when I compared the tracing with that of a Comet Britannia chassis. This threw the whole chassis forwards by approx 2mm (6" in the real world), but meant that the cylinders were at least in the correct place on the chassis.
     
    So last night I unsoldered the rear mounting from the frames and repositioned it 2mm further forward resulting in a much better looking gap
     

     
    Of course this left a gap at the front which I filled with some plasticard packing
     

     

     
    However, Dave is right. According to Cox's excellent "British Railways Standard Steam Locomotives" (Ian Allen, first published in 1966 and would sell well if reprinted ) the 2-8-2 as designed was 6" shorter than a Britannia (2-8-2 in red below)
     

     
    So, do I chop the body to lose 2mm? it looks like the smokebox is longer on the Brit as the boiler specifications are identical. cutting a section out immediately ahead of the smokebox/boiler join would pull the chimney back above the cylinders.
     
    If I don't do it my concern is that there will be a gap between the cylinders and the front fall plate and it might look odd with the chimney forward of the cylinders.
     
    I plan to cut the footplate to take cast lubricators, so some making good will be needed on the top surface of the footplate in any case. The razor saw becons .......
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