Is Line Clear's workshop thread bit and pieces

Keith M wrote:

 

Toto wrote:

Hi Toto, I wonder if you can use the coarse ballast as a bulking agent and dress the infill with finer ballast which will settle into voids and gaps thus hiding the large ballast as you want. When I ballasted the Down Line on the Elton layout I realised that I was going to get through several bags of Fine and that the ballast shoulder needed better support... I think larger grade ballast would have worked well in that instance but only as a sub support layer. Certainly when I get to build the next segment of the Elton layout next year that is the way I shall go
cheers Paul

 

Here are the North Stafford pattern wooden level crossing gates, they are 3D printed by Andy Sollis and measured up from known dimensions and surviving examples. At Elton in the olden days when the Wheelock branch was busy the crossing was operated by a crossing keeper under the control of the signalman, the box being situated some thirty odd feet north of the gates which were hand operated and locked with the Blacks Patent Road locks otherwise known as "jam jar" locks because of their rotating cylindrical barrels which turned to trap the drop rods attached to the gateposts and gate toes. In the latter years crossing control fell to the signalman so there was much toing and froing up and down steps when the crossing keeper position was withdrawn. As time permits I would like to make the gates function through servos, I have all the kit needed along with some red nano LED's to illuminate the gate lamps. Anyway the view ahead is looking towards Sandbach station and behind is the single line to Hassall Green, the next segment of the Elton layout will be a "compressed" interpretation of Hassall Green station and level crossing box.

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Another view showing the layout looking towards the gates and crossing, on the left will be the backdrop which is Foden's lorry works, formerly ERF Fodens were still in business until about the4 late 1990's, To the right is the embankment which I have started grassing, the basing grass is 2mm Summer green from WWScenics in Swansea, the next applications will be the 4mm flock Patchy Grass interspersed with 4mm Dead Grass and the finally 6mm and 10mm flock dressed to simulate turfs and top growth. So the tracks on the layout are, on the right is the Down line to Sandbach and the middle line is the Up line to Hassall Green ultimately joining the Crewe Stoke line at Alsager and on the left are the sidings which are Foden's Siding (nearest) and the Co-op Siding furthest leading to the buffer stops by the crossing itself. So there we have it folks, the Elton Crossing layout introduced.
Oh just as an add on the extension segments will have to be removable pieces, they will go through the doors seen in the background and will run across the landing and into the next bedroom. I have designed and made the layout to be moveable as it runs on castors.

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Thanks Keith... I haven't investigated the How To forum as yet, but will do
cheers Paul

Keith M wrote:

 

I thought I'd just post this pic up of one of my earlier O gauge weathering attempts from a couple of years ago before I set to building Elton Crossing in earnest, sorry the quality of this one is not brilliant. The kit is from Parkside and depicts BR diagram 108 the once ever so common all steel 16 ton mineral wagon. I'll get some more pics up of other wagon stuff for folks to see... and Kimbo I haven't done anything else on the Hymek conversion since we shared stuff but it is next on my workbench list to attend to.
Cheers all for now, Paul

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Here is a Grampus wagon made from another Parkside kit, as yet un numbered but it will be lettered for the Stoke PWay who used to keep all their equipment behind Stoke Power Box in the North Western Yard. The PW sidings which wee previously the carriage stabling point is where in 1960 Duchess Pacific loco City of Stoke On Trent was exhibited alongside ex North Stafford New L class tank Number 2 and a rake of Stanier Period 3 coaches painted in the Gilt Edge exhibition livery as part of the City of Stoke on trent Six Towns Cententary.

 

So this afternoon I have been building an NSR 3 plank open wagon from JLTRT and I have to say this wagon is well weighted and rolls beautifully well, the body mouldings are nice and crisp and the white metal castings only need a minimum of dressing. So here are the bits all laid out for inspection.
Apologies for using the fridge as a work top its just that the light was good in the boiler roomThis is what comes in the JLTRT kit apart from the wheelsets and the couplings although a pair of cast draw hooks are included.


As you can see the body is a nice crisp moulding free from any flash. its all a pretty straight forward construction really, the white metal pieces fixing to the resin body easily with Roket cyano. When I build wagons I use a piece of resin stone kitchen worktop as a flat base, it is heavy enough to stay put as well. After cleaning the axlebox guides and the W irons the first fix after setting the buffers and drawgear in the buffing beam is to glue on the W irons, this is where the flat surface come in because with this kit there is no wheel compensation and so it is imperative all W irons are set level or else the wagon will roll crabbed and unlevel on the track. Once I was happy everything was even it was a simple job building up the wheelsets and brake assembly, the one area I did find a bit faffy was in fixing the axle keeps to stop the wheelsets falling out.


Now here is the end result so far ... a nice North Staffordshire Railway 3 plank wagon, the NSR owned a large fleet of this wagon type and many were build by contractors such as Gloucester Carriage and Wagon Company. So this wagon design was most common years ago on the Wheelock Branch where minerals would be conveyed from the nearby Union Salt Works and the Brunner Mond chemical plant at nearby Malkin's Bank. Here my model is seen standing on what in real life was the Down Sandbach Goods Line from Elton Crossing.


The model now needs fine detailing before painting, on the real wagon there would have been three tapaulin rings on each solebar, one at each end and one in the middle, there was also a set of gedge hooks at each end above the buffers and of course the cast iron wagon builder and ownership plates. Some fine chain to hold the drop door pins will finish the model nicely as well, interestingly the Knotty never fitted protecting door drop irons. I realise this wagon is well outside my modelling time period as a revenue vehicle but I think there may well be a case for a very weather worn one to be parked in the Fodens siding as an internal user vehicle, in fact an original NSR single plank wagon still existed in working condition as an internal user at Thomas Bolton's copper works rail system at Froghall right up until 1966. There were other examples of abait very decrepid NSR wagon frames stored out of use at Shelton Bar Steel works in the Potteries right up until closure and demolishon in 1984.
cheers for now Paul

 

Thanks for those kind comments Gary, O Gauge may need lots of space and that restricts what can realistically be done in size but definately makes up for in feel and presence.cheers Paul

 

paul_l wrote:

Well I never Paul, I've spent some happy times in Stallington signal box and well remeber the station when it was used as a barbers shop... in fact the platform gas lamp columns still exist and are being used to illuminate the drive of a golf course at Checkley I believe and a few also made their way into preservation at the Foxfield railway.
Also as another piece of useless information John Crompton was one of the bobies in Blythe Bridge box before it was abolished, he went on to be Signalmans Inspector at Stoke and was in charge of operations when the last special train went up the Cauldon before final closure of that line... a pair of 37's top and tailing a rake of air braked Network South east Mark 1's up the 1 in 43 south curve. I was at Leekbrook Junction on that day.

 

So suffering from post festive motivation lag and having picked various different ongoing projects I finally decided to take another look at a half built Slaters ex LNER 20 ton brake van. This is a kit I started a year or more ago but put down in favour of doing other projects which I felt more worthy, actually recalling now I'd just completed the Parkside 20ton early LMS brake van, so I was probably suffering from brakevan stress anxiety due to all that intricate brake undergear rigging.


Anyway here is a picture of the to do bits complete with mini Christmas Cracker. There is also the brass stove pot and circular tray kit. The reddish strip near to the wheelsets is a piece of leatherette which I'll use to make the ducket head and back pads with and also the seat/locker padding.


So here are the glazed duckets with a coat of pale cream paint applied. From memory the inside of BR brakevans were painted with a multitude of different schemes, I've seen them done in white, rail grey, deep cream, light cream even all over bauxite so it is one of those paint it as you like jobs.


Now here is a close up of the ducket yet to be fitted showing the tiny clear Plasticard pieces. I don't think I'll bother making another Slaters LNER brake van nor shall I bother completing the M&M One for the Wagon kit I have since the duckets are totally over scale. Looks like its one of Jim's excellent kits for my next one.
cheers for now Paul

 

Toto wrote:

Thanks Toto but I know Jim's kit is way far superior, my friend in York has one and it weighs a ton so you have the better kit Toto.
cheers Paul

 

So today I made up the grab rails out of 0.4mm brass wire for the Slaters plastic brake van kit, the way I did this was to solder the two centre support wires to the grab rail, the distance between holes is 22mm so marking this spacing on a flat surface and taping the wire down a simple and quick join was made. I offered this to the body and then joined the ends to the veranda end upright hand rails, I soldered this join in situ and placed a wooden lollipop stick underneath to protect the plastic.



The result is a reasonably clean finish and any slight distortions in the wire can be put right with a gentle tweak using fingers to get a straight line. In reality on the big railway many of these grab rails were bend and bashed about, and as I'm aiming for a heavily weathered and worn ex LNE van incorporating BR mods the grab rails will pass for this build. I used Roket cyano to glue the wire to the body, starting with the two central fixings and working outwards to the end rails and checking the distances were good.


And inside the van, now the excess wire can be trimmed off, the padding inside the duckets is made from a reddish leatherette which has been toned down with water based Roof Dirt colour from Railmatch. The next stage now is to fix the W irons and wheelsets to "prove" that the frames are seated evenly. This kit is an early Slaters offering and doesn't come with any compensation so it is important the van sits level and does not rock. I use an offcut piece of stone kitchen top for this purpose as the polished top is perfectly flat and the item is heavy enough not to accidentally move on the bench if adjustments have to be made. Slater's offer a axle guard compensation add in for the brakevan kit as an extra but for this build I'm not bothering. Once the wheels are in position and the brake rigging installed I shall then set about fitting out the inside with ducket seats, tool locker, lectern, coal box, stove and wheel brake pedestal.

 

Now Dundee Paul has gone down the road of scratch building points which I eagerly look forward to seeing his work results particularly as Santa has been very generous with complicated gizmo thingies for him Not wanting to bomb his thread with pictures I've posted a few more here on my workshop thread.


here is the B9 facing point on the Elton Crossing layout, this pair of point blades are driven by a Cobalt IP analogue motor. When I go DCC I still want to manually set the road, below the layout baseboard at this point is a 15 lever frame which is partially interlocked electrically.


Here is the other end of the B8 crossover in which both switches operate in tandem from Cobalt IP machines controlled by number 11 lever in the frame, the Grampus wagon which when fully lettered up will say its allocated to Stoke Engineers in the North Western Yard. It stands coupled to an unfitted ex LMS five plank wagon parked on the Co-op coal siding which has started to become overgrown.
Now here is one for our Toto, the Slaters 20 ton standard brakevan I was working on last week passed its stability test and now sits comfortably on all wheels. Here it is next to the coal porters loading platform and shed. I'll post up pictures of the coal porters shed build and also the internal fitting out of this brakevan very soon. Hopefully then I can get on with the Fodens factory backdrop and start installing the signals.
cheers for now Paul