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Etched Pixels

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  3. Etched Pixels
    I've been rather busy and come holiday time busier still as I've been taking all the kits I seem to have acquired and building them. At the moment my desk is occupied by a Worsley Works 02, and 10203 which I'm currently attempting to produce.
     
     
     

     

     
     
    I've also got a part built SHT Peckett but just discovered there are multiple versions of the Bachmann 0-4-0 US dock tank and that I've got the wrong one. Grumble.
  4. Etched Pixels
    A quick detour from the Thompson to another bit of Ultima stuff. The sides, roof and ends are not a problem but the original aluminium floor is long deceased. Worse than that the price quotes I've got for a new die to extrude the stuff are not really viable with the Dapol Gresley stock on the market, nor would have space to store the typical "minimum order"
     
    So to see what was needed and as a planning aide I cut a floor out of 1mm plasticard 117mm x 16mm to go with the roof and ends. Then I stuck 3mm or so square plastic rod each side between the ends and stepped slightly out to line up with the profile on the ends both to give the sides somewhere to sit and to stop the chassis from bending. The solebars are plastic U channel about 2mm high and the rest of the underframe is Ultima parts built to the original instructions.
     
    No bogie mounts yet (or bogies in fact) but one problem at a time. I also need to work out which interior strip goes with each coach, which isn't helped by the fact they are labelled by some old numbering system with things like "N27".
     

     
    When it comes to teak printed sides are a definite winner even when not yet stuck down (need to paint the rest first)
     

  6. 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..
     

  7. Etched Pixels
    Wadebridge is going to need stock and some of that is Mark 1 regional railways stock for the summer services at least (I've even got an 'Atlantic Coast Express' headboard waiting to get etched to fit on the 31 8)).
     
    The Farish Mark 1 was a superb model for its age, and Bachmann have really brought out the best in it with the newer printing/paintwork, bogie and wheel updates. Unfortunately there are three things that totally suck (plus the couplings): the buffers, the lack of proper rubbing plates and the underframe. So as well as interior painting the RR stock is going to need a bit more work.
     
    Bernard (TPM) does some nice buffers for these coaches which can also be fitted in retracted position mid-rake allowing very close coupling. Cheque in the post for more buffers very soon Bernard . The gangway rubbing plates are fixable with etched overlays and the underframes with the Ultima bits
     
    So just how bad is the Farish underframe to make it worth fitting etches, cutting off and filing smooth the original underframe ? Having done one I'm converted and I shall be doing the rest of the rake ASAP.
     

     

     
    I got the regulator box a bit wonky and I still need to fit the wire for the brakes but its getting there. Next to tackle the ends.
  8. 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'
     

  10. Etched Pixels

    DEMU/EMU ends

    By Etched Pixels,

    Just got back the first castings from a first adventure into actually making new white metal casting masters.
     
    (forgive the lousy image)
     
    The master itself is layers of brass to build up the levels, plus top detail layers all then glued firmly together with the help of a vice.
  11. 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
  12. Etched Pixels
    I picked up a box of interesting bits a while ago and in the bottom were some bits of etched EMU stuff and white metal. One is a BHE 2-EPB the other a bit of a mystery. The bag it was with contained a BHE 2HAP underframe white metal set, four sides and some what appear to be BHE plastic roof/floor/sides etc.
     
    Only it doesn't seem to be a 2HAP because its shorter than Mark 1 length and the windows are wrong (no big windows) for a Southern 2HAP. It seems to be an SR species 2EPB which is intriguing because I've never seen reference to a kit of one anywhere.
     
    Anyway I figured I'd build it but now need to work out what is is to get the roof and underwear right
  13. Etched Pixels
    Last packet of TPM buffers used up until the new ones arrive along with a pair of Ultima rubbing plates. This means one coach is approaching complete. I'm still not sure whether to redo the water filler pipes with wire because of the difficulty in first removing the plastic ones from the roof and repainting. The TPM buffers mean I can now fit much closer couplings - probably Red Caboose buckeyes.
     

     
    (There will now be a short embarrassed silence while I go put the rubbing plates back on the right way around)
  14. Etched Pixels
    I got distracted (again) adding another experiment to the corner of an etch sheet, which I've now been assembling (and editing with scissors a bit as I goofed a couple of bits of the design on the first go)
     
    Some of the terrier photos I've always loved are the tiny terriers dwarfed by the biig Marsh 'Balloon' trailers. I wanted to do the first ones - the 'classic' shot of the originals with gangways, but in the absence of good enough drawings I moved on a couple of diagrams.
  15. Etched Pixels

    Maunsell Progress

    By Etched Pixels,

    It's now got an underframe, roof vents (doesn' t match the sides but its just a tester) and bogies on. No battery boxes yet. I've got some similar ones but I'm digging around for good shots/drawings of the actual Maunsell boxes so I can etch accurate ones.
     

  16. 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!
     

  17. 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.
     

  18. Etched Pixels
    The Electra vinyls arrived for an ex NSE BFK to go with the regional coaches. Easy to put on (took about 5 minutes, and about 15 to ge the original paint off). The vinyls only address part of the coach however. The underframe is of course wrong for an older Mark 2, although replacements are available from Ian Stoate in resin. The roof is more of a challenge and needs to be drilled and fitted with ventilators. Then the wheels, interior and rubbing plates..
     
    There's also a very nice set of faded RR sides waiting for their coach to arrive.
     

     
    Meanwhile the Maunsell construction project moves on. I've now put an Ultima Bulleid roof on one of the Maunsell test coaches and it improves the look immensely, particularly of the ends even though it doesn't yet have any ventilators on it. Just the duckets to sort now.
     

     
    (Roof still loosely fitted)
  20. Etched Pixels
    The Gresley is now closer to done. Still need to make roof cowls (why did I pick the awkward coach). The sides to this are screen printed to a pre 1985 design. Next to it is a faded Regional Railways Mark2 coach complete with peeled numbers and other little details, the latest in vinyl relivery bits from Electra.
     
    Both await interiors and roof paintwork finishing so they should a fairly similar comparison
     

     
    I think the Gresley stacks up pretty well - and shows just how good a job Cavndish did back in 1984 or so.
  21. Etched Pixels
    The solebars need finishing and I am currently pondering the buffer beams. The real lightweights had a most interesting buffer beam arrangement that isn't going to be trivially replicated with a bit of styrene strip.
     
    (and a 24/1 with some paint on it)
     

  22. Etched Pixels

    Size Testing

    By Etched Pixels,

    Some further progress - the curved platform woodwork is down and the front edge is filling out slowly as I add the bank. Still trying to decide what should go towards the Padstow end in front of the station - waste ground or some kind of development.
     
    The math says that a five coach RR rake should fit into the island platform for summer special services.
     

  23. Etched Pixels
    As part of continuing the Ultima resurrection I needed to test build the bits so I spent a bit of the bank holiday assembling the pantry third because it looked interesting. I've now discovered it only ran in a pair with another coach so I guess I'm building one more etched Thompson than I originally planned. Looks ok to me although I need to fit partitions and the like. Plus the buffers are a bit of a guess. I've not found a definitive reference as to whether it should have oval or clipped buffers. I've fitted clipped ones as I had them handy, which no doubt means oval is correct.
     

     
    Was going to finish the handrails on the Hawksworth inspection saloon but the light has dropped and 2mm handrails really do need proper sunlight.
  24. Etched Pixels
    Actually its an X-Fish
     
    Test etches for converting the N Gauge Society sausage van & stove-R chassis into the LMS van in question. I've just glued it together quickly and dropped the roof loosely on top to check it fits - still need to remove the battery boxes (no electric eels in transit clearly) and add the bracing along the bottom of the axles.
  25. Etched Pixels

    Teak and tweak

    By Etched Pixels,

    I've been working on the UFO pile over Christmas and finally got around to painting the 2mm scale 51' full brake I built earlier in the year. It wasn't something I felt too confident attacking as it's a fairly complex livery.
     

     
    Still need to find suitable decals and to glaze it, but it's slowly getting there
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