GWMark

In the end the weekend did not go to plan. So none of the models I prepared received any paint, other than some primer on the Friday morning before I left. The things that did get paint where the two secondhand bodies, lots of lines on some sheets of metal as lining practice and some tins of Humbrol with lids lined in yellow.

Learnt about techniques and the things that I had previously been doing wrong, so hopefully I will be able to put that into practice in the next couple of weeks and move some things forwards. Trying to fit so much into such a short weekend was, in retrospect, over ambitious and also underestimated the enormity of the skills to learn. Lining with a bow pen is something that is not learnt quickly, let along all the complex operations of creating neat corners with a brush or tracing edges.

I think my plan moving forward will be to shelf the lining side of it for now and concentrate on the painting to a good finish before, maybe, going back to the lining topic. However for now a break is in order following the intensive lead-up period and a tiring weekend concentrating on making oil based liquid do things they just didn't want to do.

I very different Missenden experience from the norm, much less in the way of practical results but hopefully some new skills have started to develop as a result. This was always an area in which I struggled, trying to learn from n expert in the field is perhaps a rather drastic way of taking the plunge, it certainly has a way of highlighting ones deficiencies, but maybe also some of the greatness starts to rub off. Although at the moment it doesn't feel too much like that, maybe in the privacy of ones own home without the time pressures all those words of wisdom will play their part.

Well, with less than 24 hours to go things have not exactly worked out to plan. The Neilson, Black Hawthorn and Duke are ready to be painted, or at least have primer applied. I applied primer to the tender of the Duke tonight but stopped short of doing the same to the locomotive as I was having to use a rattle can etch primer and I am a little concerned by how thick the primer coat seems to be. Not so much detail on the tender, so I can get away with it there. But at least I finally got the top feed sorted and cleaned the Duke considerable. So maybe the best I can hope for is to have a primer coat on some of the others.

The Mallard 57 foot steam rail motor had some more details added, a major cleanup and was primed with said etch primer (Precission Paints single pack can) on Tuesday. After leaving for more than the required 24 hours it received a top coat of Coach Lake - not the best finish in the world, but hopefully good enough I can try lining it. I suspect I will strip the paint off and have another go once I have learnt to do a better job.

The NuCast Steam Railmotor (70 foot), had a new set of steps made from the DK1 etch, unfortunately I could not fit them because there was not enough clearance behind due to the long tanks. So I fixed the originals for the time and spent some time cleaning the model up and filling some of the worse surface pitting of the white metal. My plan had been to give it another primer coat with a Halfords spray can. Unfortunately this has to be done in the garden because of the smell, but the weather was against me, it was blowing a gale and really not the sort of day to spray outside. I'm not sure how I will proceed with this one, I was hoping to get the first colour applied over the weekend - we shall see on this one.

I had a couple of cheap loco bodies I picked up secondhand that I wanted to strip and repaint. The stripping has happened, but they are not as clean as I would have liked, and again they have not been primed because of the weather.

I did clean and prime the body of Daniel's tool van, so that at least should be able to get a top coat over the weekend.

So all in all not exactly where I wanted to be at this stage, but I have some things done and will just have to make the most of what I have. I does mean I have moved a number of projects forwards significantly in the last two weeks, so every cloud has a silver lining - it would just have been better not to have the clouds or the high winds - you can never rely on the weather working in your favour!

I have also resolved to be more careful and cleanup more as I go along in future. I thought the models looked ok until I started to really look hard and find all the solder fillets and grunge on them.

That looks good. I have the instructions for my unbuilt 4mm T38. Part 1 of the instructions is generic ("Basic Methods of Construction for Coaches and Vans"), while Part 2 is a very simple one-pager which seems to be generic for the three 6-wheeler kits, except for the header illustration.

 

I can scan it for you if you like - I don't know if it's any help though, the 4mm and 7mm instructions may differ and I couldn't find the "but" sentence that you mentioned. There are no diagrams of the centre wheels. 

 

I used to have a 4mm R2 (bought secondhand) and will see if I can find any photos in my old folders that show the underframe.

Thanks Mikkel, I'm really appreciate any help you can give me.

Mark 

We'll miss you in the 4mm loco building group...

 

Has Ian sent out any pre-course material or requirements?  From what I recall from dropping into his room on several previous weekends is he has you preparing practice panels for the first part of the course, to ensure you are confident in smoothly and evenly applying a base coat of paint to a flat surface.

 

It's only later on you're let loose on a real live model. 

 

Cheers

Flymo

Thanks Flymo,

I'll be there in part at least, Daniel is still doing 4mm loco building, so he will make his presence felt and I will no doubt be dropping in.

Yes, Ian has sent out notes and plain panels do figure. I suspect I am possibly trying to hard to get as many things "finished" as possible, but it's good to get things done and I would rather have too many things than waste the opportunity.

It's surprising how much you can get done when you have a deadline! All those projects you put aside thinking, "that's almost done, I'll just spend an hour sometime to finish it". When you get it back out again, like I am now, it takes days to finish it off, my Duke being a case in point.

See you next Friday

Mark

Thanks Chris

Have you thought of the Dart Castings etch for the folding steps?  Their kit DK1 is intended for the old Airfix trailer but doubtless has other applications.

 

Chris 

I shall take a look at that.

Mark

Thanks for your comments. I took a look at your thread as it is very pertinent to a future project. I actually have two more rail motors, one is a Mallard kit I built part built which has no casting, bogies and cylinders. I have a set of Blacksmith valve gear which will give me cylinders for this and a set of Gibson frames, so hence your thread is of great interest. My plan is the use the Gibson frames, Blacksmith cylinders and valve gear, a High Level gearbox and then scratch build the rest.

I also have a complete 59" Mallard kit I purchased on eBay recently. This has everything so will give me patterns for soon of the missing items in the other one I have.

I tried to get a set of valve gear or a motor bogie from Cooper Craft, who now owns the Blacksmiths kits, but the only things I could get are the buffers and the etches for the body. I have been told for the last couple of years that he plans to bring this kit back, but needs to redesign the power bogie and valve gear. 

Incidentally I have an RTR one on order from Kernow, but no date yet as to when this is likely to be available. If I get all these working I will have four, but at my current rate of progress it ill be several years before I see them all going!

I've had a little more time since the previous post and know united the body with the power bogie and cylinders and was delighted to see it circulating around the club test track. I'm sure this Nucast one will never be the finest of models, but it is a bit of a case of Captain Ahab chasing his whale - of so long the failure to make this thing go has haunted me!

As an aside I believe we may see a re-release of the Nucast version as part of Nucast Partners.

Looking good, Mark!

 

Interesting looking signal box in the background, too, if this is a GWR prototype, would that be a box of Welsh origins?

Thanks Captain. The signal box is not of a particular one, it is the Lcut Creative kit, I picked it up a couple of years ago because I wanted to see how their kits went together. It's rather a large affair to control the 3 points on this layout, so will not be used eventually. I'm really only using the baseboard as somewhere to store it!

I can't begin to imagine how he might have reacted if I'd pointed out the mistake only after he'd painted it....

I'm glad you did point it out. I would rather sort the issues now. Partly I decided to get on and try to sort it out quickly since I get the feeling if I had left it I would have ended up leaving it for a very long time.

Thanks 

Mark

If you could manipulate some brass or NS strip into place and just hold it there while you plied the hole with solder untill it was filled - bit of one handed juggling required. Then file back to shape, but looking at that area, it's going to need a damn good clean before you can attempt anything like that.

 

Good on you for taking it on.

 

Mike

Thanks Mike. In thinking about it overnight I came up with a plan to do something very similar. My thought was to take  section of brass, curve it to the shape of the inside of the boiler. Then drill a small hole for a brass lace pin, pass the pin through that hole, put this complete piece inside the boiler and pss the pin through the hole. Then I can use the pin to pull the brass into place, solder it and cut the pin off. There will need to be plenty of cleanup both before and after, but I think I prefer that to using some kind of filler, I just get the feeling that will fail on me.

I am also wondering if it might be best to file off the existing boiler band bits either side of where the dome was and put a whole new band on rather than try to patch the missing section. Obviously I need to attach this without melting by solder filler, I might have to resort to soldering just the parts attach to the rest of the boiler and running a little superglue onto that section, or just have that small section sit in place held by gravity and the rest of the band. Still that is a long way off, first off is al the cleaning up.

Mark

Hi Mark, Hmm, you've prompted me to look out my unfinished Duke, purchased from Howes of Oxford when they resided in Broad Street ( that dates me !). May I ask which High Level gearbox you've installed please. Always good to see one of these locos, looking forward to your progress. Grahame

Hi Grahame,

the gearbox I used was a loadhauler+. It fits very neatly between the frames and gives just the reach to get the motor into the front of the firebox. I just hope I can resolve the results of my stupidity without have to take the whole thing apart.

Mark

Were the chimney and dome placed that far forward on a Duke?

:-( No, they were not.

I can see what I have done, about 3 years (or more) ago when I attached the boiler and smokebox I have put them the wrong way around. So the chimney should be towards the rear of the smokebox and the dome on the first boiler band ahead of the firebox.

Thanks for pointing this out - I don't understand how it missed it, it is so obvious when I look back at the drawings.

That has rather put this project back, I'll have to see about removing the boiler/smokebox, disassembling them and putting them back the other way around. That does not sound like an easy job. I get the feeling my resolve to finish things before moving on might just have taken a knock!

Ah well, best to have found out now and it can be added to another of the "lessons to be learnt" about this model model lark.

[Edit: addition of second option below]

I guess another option might be to unsolder the smokebox wrapper, turn it around and resolver it. That would move the chimney back and get the rivet lines sloping the right way. Then I would "just" have to remove the dome, fill the hole in the boiler, put a new boiler band in. Remove part of the rear boiler band and resolver the dome in place on the right band. The dome was put on with low melt, so should come off reasonably easily. Filling the hole might be a little tricky to make look good. Hopefully the smokebox wrapper can be remove without too much fuss, but this was 145 solder, so will not be as easy.

Um, which way to go?

Looking pretty sweet to me. To be pristeen or gunked up?

Thanks. I suspect it will have some weathering, but maybe not too heavy

There have been a few changes in those 10 years, not least looking at your two young operators in the photos - certainly the one that belongs to me has got somewhat taller. It' always been a pleasure to go out to exhibitions with Fisherton, possibly the highlights being the best in show award you received at the Astrolat show,  the appearance at Warley and of course operating it on the platform of Salisbury station. The look on the faces of the passengers getting off the trains were something to observe.

Any progress to report as I have also recently acquired a Mallard Duke kit?  It might be me but, should the tender brakes not be behind the wheels rather than in front?

Well spotted! When I posed the model for the picture I put the tender on it's chassis the wrong way around - I had not of course spotted this myself.

As for progress, yes there has been some. It is not waiting for me to fit the cranks and get it running. I then need to look into the thorny issue of getting the balance right. I'll post an update on here some time soon.

Hello Mark Interested to get update I want to do the same build

Hi, I have been bad about updates on here, but I have just done a first pass at weathering GT3 and posted a picture of this today.

I have the feeling this is a project I will never finish, since I ma now thinking of a chassis swap. After Tim Shackleton saw my GT3 some time ago and got interested in doing one of his own, soon to appear in print I believe, we did some work on transfers with John Isherwood at Cambridge Custom Transfer and Chris Gibbon at High Level has been persuaded to do a chassis for it. It will hopefully be available shortly as part of Chris's "Platform" range.

Sorry, only just seen your comment. Sadly it has progressed a little, but not finished yet. I am still working on making it move, although having redone the bogie attachment and pickups I have now at least solved the shorting aspects and can make it do a circuit of the test track without the body. With the body it wheel spins, but it has no rods at the moment, so only the rear wheels are driven.

I will do a full update on progress with this and my other projects this week, as always I have been side tracked in different directions!

Hi GW Mark,

 

I'm also building the HL 0-6-0.

 

If I may offer some advice - the front frame stretcher (3 holes in) has been soldered too far forward on your model. The 2 outer holes are for locating and securing the cylinder assembly.

 

It's quite a straight forward kit - I recommend simulating the centre raised section of the saddle tank with tape instead of the suggested scoring of the etch before rolling. This looking far superior and more prototypical. I have also opted to leave the brake rodding off mine to aid in fitting the pick-ups, to make it more straightforward.

 

I've also chosen to use Markits wheels, with self-quartering axles. This is more helpful if the chassis is planned to be taken apart a fair few times to tease out running issues. This will however require the use of Markits "super-deluxe" crankpins, as the rods need bushed crankpins due to being designed around the Gibson product.

 

Hope this helps, I can post some pictures of mine (slightly further progressed) if you would like?

 

Paul A.

Thanks Paul, I will pass that on to Daniel - he is building the 0-6-0, I am building the 0-4-0

Mark

UPDATE...

Just looked at his instructions and I can see the issue, the particular spacer appears in two different locations depending which figure you look at. Figure one has it in the position into which it currently is. Later figures show it further back - looks like he has a bit of a task to move the spacer, he will be so happy when he gets home from school!

Looking again I did something stupid when I checked in my copy of Russell and associated the wrong caption with the drawing, whoops. So I have ended up causing some confusion for nothing. Sorry about that.

Mark

Sorry, my entry was a little confusing, I have track circuiting on all the blocks and the RFID on just one block. The track circuits are also connected to the CBus, so JMRI can use both to track the occupancy and identity of the trains.

Sorry for the confusion

Mark

Owen, thanks for the suggestion on the frog juicer, I have to admit I thought the same might be a problem. I was hoping to find a way around it, but probably not, so I may go for relays driven from the CBus messages that move the servos, or microswitches. The only problem with microswitches being the physical mount given the servo mounts I am using.

Nice set up, I like your bus distribution circuit, I too am not a scotch lock fan, yours seems a sensible and well thought out solution. How much were they to make?

Thanks, they are fairly cheap to make. The strip-board is 24p (goes down to 15p if you buy 100) and the 2 way connectors I used cost me 9p each. So for a board with DCC in, DCC out and 4 pairs of droppers costs 79p plus the resistor and LED for indication, but that is optional really.

Mark

Good to see these being fitted. Now I must keep my end of it up and build the electronics side for you!

Chris,

it is not based on any particular place or area, I just wanted to do a slight twist on the standard shunting puzzle. I suspect it will be a west country based river wharf, but may end up in Wales since I seem to have a little bit of a collection of Welsh tank locos. Daniel is keen to do a High Level Hudswell Clarke, so it might go private rather than one of the major companies.

As for time period, definitely steam, probably between the wars, but may slip slightly later.

More than anything else this is an opportunity for us to try out some ideas and a few techniques before moving on to the project we have been planning for some time now, the Falmouth branch terminus.

Mark

Hello Mikkel, the tack plan was drawn on RailModller, a Mac based program for drawing track plans.

Thanks for the kind words and suggestions. I did a quick patch job by brush painting over the bare metal and primer. This at least allowed me to take it along to Doncaster. Many thanks to Graham Muz for letting me put it on his layout, Fisherton Sarum. Unfortunately the curves were a little too tight for it, and the drain cocks tended to catch on the screws used on the brackets to attach the cassettes and on some of the line-side ash.

It did make a few appearance on the Southern shed, making us of the mutual agreement to share timetables.

Once I am back from holiday in a weeks time I will do a better job, strip the paint, respray and put fresh transfers on. Hopefully I can get that all done in time to take it to Missenden.

It was really good to see it running on a real layout in a near complete condition.

Thanks Stationmaster, my plan is to finish it as 7242, it seemed poetic to include the 42 in the number given the origins of the 72xx. By shear coincidence I have some pictures of 7242 working goods trains in the Salisbury area, even though it was a South Wales engine (Cardiff Cathays 88A and then Llanelly 87F). I know a certain Southern layout based on Salisbury, maybe it will be allowed a visit!