Jump to content
 

Etched Pixels

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,006

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Etched Pixels

  4. Etched Pixels
    The open coach I built a while back has died somewhat so it seemed to be time to build something more robust, and perhaps a little less "garden railway" looking. The body is a narrow gauge coach off Shapeways which has been slightly anglicised by paint job and then fitted on a scratch built chassis using T scale parts to run on 3.1mm soldered track.
     
    The weight may need adjusting - with a vehicle that size on 15" track the weight needs to be low but at the same time the mechanisms can't haul much weight,
     
    The Eishindo 103 has a separate gear box and motor so I may just have to put a "proper" motor unit together - that would also improve running considerably although I have a few things to do before I can really test the weight and motor situation out properly.
     

     

     

  5. Etched Pixels
    Things have been a little slow owing to a number of deliveries for other railway lines and the continued bad weather keeping the paint shop closed. It wasn't helped today when the works closed for the cricket.
     
     
    Another Nightstar sleeper has however joined the formation, which leaves two more to do to build the full rake.
     

     
    and while tidying up the scratch etches I decided this slighty faulty horsebox could be rescued even if not sold. Its now waiting some filling and the paint shop, the wonky bits having been adjusted after the photo
     

     
    and another Thompson has joined the paintshop queue to go out in lined maroon
     

     
    I've also put my clay wagon (flat) tarpaulin artwork up. It's too big to attach on RMWeb so can be found at
     
    http://www.etchedpixels.co.uk/Gallery/claytarps.tiff
     
    Those match the Parkwood/NGS clay kit.
     
    Alan
  6. Etched Pixels

    TPM GWR full brake

    By Etched Pixels,

    Bernard (TPM) did some very nice sides for the K40 full brake that abused a Dapol B set as a donor. This build instead uses a generic 3D printed shell with etched trussing and the usual white metal detail. Given the underframe of the B set needs major work and the roof would need redoing anyway I think its an easier way to do the build (It doesn't really work for the BTK as that re-used the Dapol recessed door)
     
    Sides are just tacked on for the moment as I'll need to take them back off for spraying.
     

  7. Etched Pixels
    One reject old NSprays/Heritage N body shell (99p)
    Some filing and filling
    Some old white metal ventilators from the scrap box
    Four buffers
    Some bent wire
    An old Poole Farish GWR railcar chassis
    Two DMU bogie outers
    Couple of old BHE DMU underframe castings I had handy
     

     
    Dapol it ain't but everything came from the junk box so quite a saving. No need for a sound chip either, it sounds like a DMU already !
  8. Etched Pixels
    Picked up one of these from Plaza Japan to play with and to maybe replace the scratchbuilt chassis in the WCPR 'Flying Matchbox' at the moment. The 3D print/scratchbuilt one isn't very reliable to say the least.
     

     
    The Tsugawa wheelbase is a bit long and it'll need a resistor or two as it is meant for 4.5v max.
     
    The design is interesting as the chassis block is produced using a long gear chain that consists of identical gears held in places with pins from each side, and at the end by wheels (also split axles). The axles and pins fit into the same exact gear moulding.
     
    This of course means that you can swap them around (I put the end gears back in so I can find them if I ever want to swap it back)
     
     

     
     
    Turns out the screws foul the wheels but you can drill new 1mm holes and tap the screws into those instead.
     

     
    All fits below the windowline and I think with care I can get the decoder and resistors hidden too. I'll pass on sound for the moment.
  9. Etched Pixels
    The Dapol chassis block was about the right size but the motor is held in place by the body, and also in the wrong place. With a lot of careful packing and the motor turned the other way it all fits into the longboiler and can be held in place by a pair of screws drilled and tapped each end of the chassis block.
     
    That way around even the NEM pocket for the front end is in the right spot.
     
    I guess I should have used a black terrier... paintbrush time to follow.
     

     
    Now what to do with the terrier body. Anyone want one for a 2fs chassis building project ;-)
  11. Etched Pixels
    This took a bit of squeezing. It's the Zimo MX648R and a Dapol M7 chassis with a tidied up Highfield G5 body kit on top modified to fit. The speaker and decoder just about fit in the back of the loco although it's a very tight squeeze.
     
     
    Pardon the lousy camera work
     
    http://vimeo.com/36930371
  12. Etched Pixels
    Its that time of the year again and another freebie to print and fold up in card or photo paper. For best results print the tiff one at 1200dpi, but there is a jpeg as well. For larger scales either adjust the DPI or scale it in a print program accordingly.
     
    In N this fits the Peco 15' wagon chassis (or brake van if you think Santa needs footboards)
     
    Alan
  14. Etched Pixels

    Thompson BZ

    By Etched Pixels,

    And then suddenly it's August and hardly any modelling time has happened.
     
    The last couple of weeks I have had a bit of time however and got the Thompson BZ kit design done. This needs a few adjustments (making the roof extend over the ends a spot, moving the steps) but I'm pretty happy with the test run other than that. It rolls beautifully and it'll handle 9" curves.
     

  15. Etched Pixels
    Having built a test body I've been assembling the second revision of the coach. Some end detail left to add and then it needs the sides and roof fitting.
     
    The main structure is a piece of H shaped plastruct beam with extra material over the top sides to provide a key to shape for the body sides and then everything else glued onto it..
     

  16. Etched Pixels
    After the bogie coach I thought I'd try something a bit smaller and more complex. The main problem with T scale wheels is that they are designed to be held in bogies and the bogies have points that go into the wheels not pinpoints on wheels. They are also of course very small.
     
    For this wagon I drilled 0.4mm holes into the centre of each wheel (down the existing dip) and superglued fine wire. The next problem was bearings. After about five failed experiments I hit upon the answer- N gauge handrail knobs, with the loop for the wire acting as the bearing.
     
    It runs, although its a bit rough. I got slightly too much glue on the rods into the wheels seems to be the reason so I know next time what is needed to get smoother running. Then again after the number of obscenities emitted I might build a bogie wagon instead !
     
    Needs more paint and weathering but it'll pass with a bit of dirt.
     

     

  20. Etched Pixels
    Last night I realised that it would be a lot stronger if the ends had tabs that folded round and could be glued down the middle of the sides (as a sort of 3 layer sandwich). The goings on in the corners will be hidden by the overlay bits anyway.
     
    So here is rev 2. I've also added an explicit creative commons license to it so people know it can be reused and how
     
    The previous one will work on thin card, this one won't as the thickness is only going to work for paper. If you are using thin card you don't need the extra tabs so you can cut them off !
     
    Fold up the ends and glue them, then fold up the sides. the light grey tabs each end go into the middle of the respective side to hold it all together firmly.
     
     

     
    1.tiff
     
    and have fun fiddling - if someone wants to make a pro wedding one feel free (please though don't make it the Peco purple as a matter of taste !)
     
    You can actually get very good quality off a modern printer and a bit of judicious use of painting tools. This is one I did a while ago as a bit of fun for a ferry van conversion (sides fit the Mill Lane Sidings ferry van)
     

     
    2.tiff
  21. Etched Pixels
    I've been meaning to draw up some templates for making paper wagons for the Peco chassis for a while as its a great way to knock up all kinds of fun wagons, and if you overlay the strapping with black painted plasticard etc can look really good.
     
    This one is just a paper build on a Peco 10ft chassis
     

     
    If you want to make your own then the artwork is below, print at 600dpi and have fun. The tiff one is the best quality and most likely going to just print right, the jpeg is there too just in case.
     
    For OO you'll need to resize it. I don't know what the dimensions of the OO chassis are so you'll have to work it out
     
    Print on nice stiff quality paper (the one above is on cheap paper as tester) and make the folds sharp. Fold up and glue (for laser print titebond woodglue is awesome for this, for inkjet you need more care but spraying the back of the sheet with spray mount might well do the trick).
     
    Cut out four of the corner bits and wrap them round the corner to hold it together.
  22. Etched Pixels
    Some more modelling done despite the weather. The SR USA tank now has glazed front side windows and the buffer beam corrected, the next Balloon trailer is under way (and in SR green this time) and I started building a Bain Clerestory. This latter one is a shrink from a 4mm PC models etch so a bit fiddly. It also has sides with folded in solebars and overlays that join to separate ends and various cross pieces for the buffer beam and underframe bits.
     
    In the end I assembled the ends, buffer beam and framing and buffers into two units and fitted those to the sides as one piece, just so I had something less fiddly to join the bits together at each end. The footboards then also got soldered on. For the main underframe detail I think I'm going to assemble a plasticard floor and glue them onto it rather than fiddle soldering them across.
     
    The one good bit of news is that Chris Higgs resin roof fits beautifully so one part of the model will actually be a lot easier than the OO kit it's based upon!
     

  23. Etched Pixels
    Think I need to do the roof out of something other than stainless as its a bit of a ... to shape.
     
    After this one I have a giant to follow (although there is something ironic about a T scale giant)
     
    Still having to do a bit of thinking about the floor - I have the trussing fine and a bit of plastic rod will do the tanks, but getting the solebars right is going to need some experimentation. Thank goodness Peco sell large packs of T scale round buffers in packets labelled 'track pins'
     

  24. Etched Pixels
    For the bridge and valley at the left hand end of the new layout I've been pondering what to use for the narrow gauge line I fancied running over it. Z is a possibility and the little known remainder of the 3' Cornish mineral railways but another obvious option is to lay something in NN15 (or NN18 to be exact). Unfortunately the out of the box T scale track isn't really suitable for narrow gauge so it was time to try the obvious plan B
     
    NN15 track - the soldered way. This is with code 40 flat bottom rail - really I need to find something lower, but I also need to build the proper trackwork in steel anyway because the T gauge stuff relies on magnetism to make the physics work.
     
    The other reason to do this is that T gauge switches are not very good and mostly plastic causing a lot of stalls, so I'll need a couple of T electrofrog switches to pull it off... (oh boy....!)
     

     
    The medium sized controller (in N) surveys his options
  25. Etched Pixels
    The empty space in front of the headshunt has now gone from foam to landscape and been walled and vegetated. I've used a couple of different ground colous at different level to try and suggest stratification. Still not sure about the left hand wall so that isn't stuck down or painted up yet. I'm torn between the modern concrete wall, brick wall or having a go at modelling a wall with a large hole in it (as if someone at some point put some heavy machinery through it) and fencing.
     
    The sheep are however in place along with a suitably modern looking shepherd (none of this twee outfits and crook stuff) plus dog, trying to herd the sheep towards the gate on the other side - and probably not assisted by having a DRS 20 running around its train the other side of the wall.
     

×
×
  • Create New...