Etched Pixels

The cutter itself talks a subset of HP-GL and some other vendor HP-GL like language. That seems to be fairly common for such devices although some of the very low end ones have a USB connector and dump bits of the processing onto the PC. Inkscape will convert a lot of formats to HP-GL and the windows softrware supplied (which I don't use) has plugins for some drawing programs as well. In theory anything that will output fairly simple postscript also ought to be convertible into suitable cutting lists.

Sadly its not strong enough to cut thick card or all but the thinnest of styrene sheet and laser cutters are a bit too expensive

I normally do but this coach like quite a few of the newer ones I've had has the underframe and body shell glued together. I will indeed repaint the underframe - but after I've replaced it.

It now has an underframe on it which has shown up a problem I'd not considered - the solebars I have are designed to fit inside the edge of an etched fold up shell and the battery boxes are designed to fit likewise so needed sawing down to size. I think I may need to etch some alternatives.

Pete: I'm not aware of a method to avoid the white edges. It's one reason I normally use etched sides or paint sides. Adam did post some suggestions to the n gauge group about the white edges. I seem to remember that felt tip pen was mentioned.

I had a crack at the third, first, and two brake third types to start with - in part because they are very similar so a lot can be cut and pasted. I've not found suitable fonts for the LNER brown livery and teak looks to be very very hard so I'll give that a miss for now.

For the roof you shouldn't need to reshape anything, trim the ends off the roof moulding square with a set square or similar (or use a square and square up one end. You can then trim it just over length and file it until it fits nicely between the ends. Remove some of the lip on the bottom where it fits over the sides at each end and off you go. A spot of filler will cover any minor sins.

NB - I always cut them a bit over but square then file back. Don't assume you can file the ends square to fit - sometimes you find you've got the coach ends merely 'almost square' so test fitting is a better approach.

I've always "cheated" (in certain eyes) with the finer detail on etched coaches. I solder up everything that needs soldering then use superglue paste for the detail bits. You have to do them in that order because the superglue paste will fracture if you then solder near it later, and also very hot superglue gives off nasties.

Worsley do some Thompson scratch aids - but you still need fittings and I wanted something a bit easier to build. For bogies most of the N folk I've talked with about it favour the slightly inaccurate (8ft v 8ft6) bogies from the NGS as they are plastic mouldings with couplers, springs etc.

I've done some six wheelers - LSWR and LB&SCR so far. I must get around to other regions one day . Takes me about 20 minutes to build a six wheeler using Peco chassis components but thats without things like fitted handrails and doorhandles, and its not painted which takes me forever in comparison. I've still yet to line some of the coaches, and in the SECR case I'm still not sure *how* I am going to line them like that.

Now I would quibble the 'chaps', they may be the minority but they are not all 'chaps'.

Within the constraints of the plastic roof profile N v 2mm is "which button do I decide to push". The test ones are 2mm, in part because Colin originally drew them in 2mm and because in my experience is 2mm folks want 2mm, N folks aren't so fussy although for longer vehicles it gets more visible.

Primarily its a matter of whose bogies you decide to pick.

Saying folks are happy with a generic suburban is questionable IMHO - all the suburbans in N generic or otherwise are 57ft plus. There are no 40-50ft SR coaches, no 51ft Gresleys, no odd length RTR staniers, etc. That's a real problem in terms of the look of stuff prior to the mass extermination of pre Mark 1 stock and the replacement of most suburban services with DMUs. Other whole styles of coach are missing too - try finding anything with a birdcage.- and the birdcage style brake stock lasted a long time - and in engineering use until the early 1970s.

I'm not holding my breath for a Farish 'trio' set either ..

The CP 47 shell was one that came out a few years ago as a resin body for the BachFarr 47/new 57 chassis. It's better than the old Farish 47 shell in that it's the right shape but it's not as sharply moulded as the new Bachmann Farish 47 model.

For a brief while it was the only correctly shaped 47 in N scale, but now its obsolete.

The stripes are fox transfers - its a panel of clear and black wasp stripe fitted over painted yellow, varnished and then the windows cut out with a sharp knife. They are very handy indeed.

Airbrush - I know - some day, but I don't really have anywhere remotely suitable for airbrushing.

I wonder if the etched Ultima/Minitrix ones could be coaxed onto the side of a Dapol model, to make something that looks more uniform with the modern stuff..

 

(I picked up a cheap, slightly battered second hand buffet car, which could supply the basic bits)

 

..were the old Minitrix ones made to scale, I have never seen one in the flesh?

The overlays are 124mm long and in two parts (overlapping) about 8.5mm high (top section) and 6mm high (bottom) if I measured it right.

Looking good, both the old one and the new one!

 

Did Cavndish ever do a run of the mill Gresley open third...? Need to try and make a few of those from some components or other, though they would have to look good to sit in between my Dapol ones...

D.23 in printed sides and some Ultima etched conversions intended for the Minitrix ones. The printed ones look nice together but the really don't mix with the Dapol ones because there are subtle size differences and the printed versus moulded side is just too different.

Hi Alan,

 

The Gresley looks great! What are you doing about the bogies though?

Re-introducing the Ultima ones - before various people building EMU stock beat my door down 8)

I don't believe the original Ultima produced a single pre-printed item in rail blue ! Some of the etched kit vehicles survived into blue (eg the thompson full brake I believe did). The buffet cars also got a rebuild somewhere along the way and that involved at least one window vanishing. I'm also not sure precisely which diagram survived on the ECML..

The Thompson Matchboarded Brake looks to be very nice for the scale. The Thompson D358 is available as an Isinglass drawing in 4mm, ref: 4/614. Comet also do/did it as a 4mm kit, and CRT Kits http://www.crtkits.co.uk/ do it in 7mm - maybe either might be helpful in supplying a reduced master?

Drawing ordered... thanks for the pointer

Alan

Its a much brutalised Mike Howarth shell (60' in 2mm so close in N). I'm trying to produce a reasonable Maunsell set and some extra oddments for Wadebridge.

Basically its Howarth coach + Ultima roof + Etched sides

then once I've got the test one to a standard I'm happy with I'll build a proper set and stick them or the right 8ft bogies.

I'm afraid you've missed my point here; the coaches that Farish have (approximately) modelled are the narrower Restriction 1 type (though not the narrowest 'Hastings' Restriction 0) which didn't have duckets on the brakes. For the Restriction 4 stock your need to widen the passenger accomodation, leaving the brake section at the width it is. It is the R4 coaches with the wider passenger sections that have duckets. The R4 Thirds and Composites were simply wider all along their length.

Sorry I don't understand what Farish coaches have to do with it ? Thats not a Farish shell.

Alan

The old Farish 'mainline' stock scales out the right width for Maunsell Restriction 1 stock which didn't have duckets. The wider Restriction 4 stock had the narrower Restriction 1 width at the luggage end, but was wider at the passenger section end. These are the brake coaches that had duckets.

I should probably have been clearer - I've also got a pair of brakes I've been doing (off the old rmweb thread). For those I have flattened the sides and do need duckets. I've sent some test duckets off for etching, we shall see what happens. The third does indeed not need duckets - just an interior and vents.. and a good deal of milliput where I got the join a bit out 8)

Looks nice - less length but that makes it fit so much better.

BTW is the bear driving the 66 ?