On SRman's Workbench

Discussion in 'Workshop Benches' started by SRman, Feb 27, 2016.

  1. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    I bought a second Sutton's Locomotive Works class 24, D5016 with sound, and it duly arrived in Melbourne. On test, it worked fine but emitted clicks and pops from the speakers whenever it was placed on powered tracks, programmed, or power was switched on when already on the track. There were a couple of anomalies with the functions but a decoder reset fixed those. Jamie from SLW suggested I swap the decoder into my previous SLW class 24, D5000, and D5000's decoder into D5016 and see what happened. The clicks and pops persisted with the decoder when in D5000, and the other decoder now in D5016 was silent when it should be, thus indicating a fault with the decoder itself. Jamie immediately sent me a replacement decoder, which arrived within a week, and all is now perfectly well with both locomotives.

    Having ascertained that I won't have to return the locomotive itself, I have now renumbered D5016 to D5017, which remained on the Southern Region for around three years, as opposed to D5016's stay on the SR which was only for a month. I removed only the 6's, using a wooden toothpick and a little moisture, then added the 7's using HMRS pressfix transfers - the height of the transfer numerals was slightly greater than the SLW ones, so I cut the bottom off the leg of the HMRS numerals to line up (one has a fraction too much lopped off, but I can easily disguise that when it dries properly). However, I may have to redo the other numbers because the HMRS ones are very slightly bolder, but it will suffice for now.

    I cannot praise Jamie and SLW enough for their excellent, polite and very helpful follow up service.

    Anyway here are a couple of pics, the first showing the newly renumbered D5017, and the second showing the two SLW locomotives, D5000 and D5017 in multiple (i.e. a DCC consist).

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    For running in consist, I modified the decoder settings to allow functions 1, 2, 5 and 6 to work with the consist address, thus allowing the sound to be turned on for both at once, the brake function (F2) to work on both (otherwise applying the brake only stopped the front loco, with the rear one pushing it on!), and the engine sounds of both to be returned to idle. Function 5 reduces the inertia/momentum to simulate light engine/light load running.
     
  2. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    Things have been a little quiet on the modelling front as work has been very busy with the end of the school year approaching, and a trip to Brisbane for our niece's wedding as well.

    However, for the annual modelling competition of the Model Bus Association of Australia, I always make sure I have something to enter, just so I can avoid being nominated as a judge! I usually have several kits on the go at any one time, so can usually rush a couple to enter in the 4mm kitbuilt category, plus usually a repaint of some sort too. For many years I have entered a diorama, but not every consecutive year ... this year I didn't build one (running out of room to store them anyway!!), but I have an idea for next year's competition.

    This year was no exception to rush-finishing a couple of kits: I had two Little Bus Company kits that were very close to being finished on the workbench, so they were the chosen items. Both could have had a few more touches done to properly finish them, but I ran out of time.

    First was a Southdown Leyland Leopard coach with Duple Commander bodywork.

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    Next was a Bristol LS coach with the earliest style of ECW body applied to this chassis.

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    For the repaint, I entered this EFE Plaxton Paramount coach, which was in Grey-Green livery, but I modified somewhat to become a member of my fictional Kingfisher Coaches fleet. Strangely enough, it also resembles the real Melbourne operator, Driver Bus Lines' livery - the earlier version consisted of straighter lines. One of our members works in Driver's management and organised a bus for us to get to the AGM in Elaine (between Geelong and Ballarat in Victoria, somewhat to the west of Melbourne).

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  3. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    Nice job with the Busses

    Really nice livery on the Paramount Coach well done
    :thumbup: did any of these beauty's win in the compertition??
     
  4. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    Thanks for the compliment, Chris.

    The kits got 1st and 2nd in the 4mm Kit-built category, and the Paramount got a 1st in the proprietary repaint category.
     
  5. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Well done. Great set of results. You must be pretty pleased at that. :thumbs:
     
  6. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    Toto wrote:
    :worship::thumbs::tophat::worship::thumbs::tophat:
     
  7. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    :)
     
  8. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    First day of school holidays: two Cambrian wagon kits that arrived in the mail yesterday are now built, except for couplings, painting and transfers. The wagons represent LSWR D.1410 10T vans, and I have built them entirely according to the instructions. The photos were taken before I had fitted the buffers.

    These were very easy to put together, although I did manage to stick a bit of the brake gear to my fingers!

    The kits go together very easily, and the instructions are clear. One trick, though, is to glue the buffer heads to the collars while the latter are still attached to their sprues, then once the glue has set, cut the collar/buffer head assemblies off the sprue and glue to the shanks.

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  9. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    They look like some very nice crisp moulds Jeff, and they have been put together very nicely. :thumbs:

    Cheers, Gary.
     
  10. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    Yes; being a very recently released kit it should be, and is, very crisp. It went together extremely well.
     
  11. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Nice looking kits. I know what you mean about the buffer shanks. The kits I have built have resulted in a very tight fit for the buffers once the kits have been built but I know now ........ It's just remembering to do it. :avatar:

    Again, very nicely done. http://www.click
     
  12. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    Thanks Tom.

    They are now in the process of being painted. I'll post a couple more photos a little later.
     
  13. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Terrific, I'll look forward to seeing them. Are you using an air brush or are you painting by hand ?

    Toto
     
  14. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    I usually use car spray cans for the initial coats (undercoats and base colours), then brush paint for the final colours.

    With these two I used grey primer initially, then a red oxide primer, followed by a thin coat of Humbrol #10, Service Brown, a colour that is really a bit too dark and glossy, but tones down and lightens a bit with the red oxide showing thorough slightly, and a coat of matt varnish (applied after putting the transfers on).

    Here are a few photos of progress, firstly in red oxide primer, then with the Service Brown applied. The one with the grey roof will be weathered later, while the white roofed van will be nearly pristine. For the white, I have far more success with Humbrol's acrylic paint, although it needs many thin coats to get decent coverage; I am able to achieve a much smoother finish than with their enamel whites.

    The vans are posed showing opposite sides of the brake gear.

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  15. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    The two LSWR vans have now progressed to the "very nearly finished" stage!

    I have put on suitable transfers from HMRS (pressfix type), including the large 'LSWR', 'Load 10 Tons' and individual wagon numbers, gleaned from my Southern Wagons Pictorial book (Mike King, 2008, OPC Press), choosing random numbers of the only batch built with steel underframes.
    Still to go are the tare inscriptions, to the right of the 'Load' lettering (my eyes and head were aching after doing the two vans to this stage), t be followed with coats of matt varnish, and fitting of couplings, using Parkside's nice NEM adapters, suitably spaced with rectangles of 40 or 60 thou plastic sheet.

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    The building of these two wagons has progressed very rapidly, slowed only by the need to allow paint to dry. They add to my pre-grouping wagon stocks, but for the future I wouldn't mind building more of these kits, doing them variously with wooden underframes, in BR days (those in departmental use survived into the 1960s), and possibly some of the meat van conversions, with extra ventilators (easily added with plastic sheet).
     
  16. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    On the subject of pre-grouping, while I have a good many suitable period wagons, brake vans and luggage/milk vans for running with various SECR, LBSC and LSWR locomotives, there are no suitable passenger coaches. Bachmann will be answering this for the SECR with their forthcoming 'birdcage' coaches, but there are no other ready to run coaches around at the moment. This leaves the mostly passenger loco types like the LBSC Terriers and LSWR M7s a bit high and dry.

    With that in mind, and with no claim to accuracy, I have made a start on repainting a rake of Triang/Hornby GWR short clerestory coaches into LSWR salmon and umber colours. I will do something about the clerestories on the roofs later, and maybe even cut and shut a few to make them more like real LSWR diagrams, but for the moment they will suffice to create the right atmosphere.

    I do have a set of Roxey Mouldings' etched brass LSWR corridor and non-gangwayed coaches to build, but that isn't going to happen any time soon!

    So, for a starter, here is one of the Horny LSWR M7 locomotives posed with the first of the coach repaints.

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  17. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    Here's a shot of a pre-grouping train hauled by my Bachmann SECR C class 0-6-0, with every vehicle in the train (apart from the loco) having been kit-built. It also includes the two LSWR vans I have been building and have shown in recent posts. Most are plastic kits from either Cambrian or Parkside, with the brake van at the far end being a brass kit from Roxey Mouldings. All are still awaiting some of their markings, such as stock numbers and/or tare weights and loads, but look sufficiently complete to pass muster when in the train as a whole.

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  18. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    Nice set of wagons there Jeff.
    After just following the painting of the LSWR vans great to see them on the layout.:thumbs:
     
  19. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    The vans have come up a treat Jeff, very nice. I do like the pics of the formed train and the M7, such a beautifully composed engine they are.

    Will be looking forward to the GWR Clerestory coach upgrade as I have a few of them that I had considered moving on...

    Cheers, Gary.
     
  20. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    The paint job on the wagons look the part. Very good. Is that a fruit D wagon I spy in the rake on the last photo ?
     

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