On SRman's Workbench

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

  1. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    That's why we modellers never - repeat: never - throw anything away!!

    :avatar: :avatar: :avatar:
     
  2. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    A while back, I bought three Slaters Private Owner wagon kits from an eBay seller. These are very easy to build kits, so I finished the first two fairly quickly. I substituted Hornby or Keen-Maygib metal wheels for the plastic ones supplied in the kits. The Hornby ones, being slightly larger in diameter, required a small amount of filing the brake blocks to ensure clearance.

    [​IMG]

    The third wagon has been sitting around for a little longer, but I chose to do it last night as a 'quickie' job. I'm still painting the underframe bits, but it is coming along rapidly. All that remains to do is a little retouching of the ironwork on the wooden underframe, and the fitting of Parkside NEM coupling adapters and some suitable Bachmann or Hornby couplings.

    [​IMG]
     
  3. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    I have been doing some preparatory work for extending the upper level track to its final, full extent. Conditions have been too hot in the last couple of days to go outside and actually cut the wood, although I have marked some of it out, ready to cut or trim.

    In the meantime, we have just had an air conditioner installed, which has meant I could do some indoor modelling in the cooler environment (over 40 degrees C outside). I started tackling the second of the two Cambrian Kits Sturgeon A wagons I bought over a year ago (maybe even longer). While not a difficult kit, it does have some fiddly and repetitive stuff to do - 28 handrails to be bent and fitted, 28 door bumpers and 28 door stop springs at solebar level. The first wagon took me ages to do these, but this one has progressed quite quickly, with some swearing when bits pinged off into the carpet, or failed to stick after several attempts at gluing while holding them in position. The First wagon was posed behind it, more because I was using that to see what I had done before where the instructions were a little unclear.

    Anyway, the first three pics show the wagon under construction with the sides and handrails fitted, and some of the parts still on sprues, while the last two also show the door bumpers in place and a close-up of the detail in the mouldings (also showing my less than perfect fitting of the parts!).

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    York Paul likes this.
  4. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    Another 'quickie' kit-building project, after the ex-LNER horse box: a Parkside ex-GWR Beetle prize cattle wagon. I started this last night and finished the basic construction this evening after work. It will be painted in BR maroon, with a coat of undercoat to be applied first, very shortly.

    There is a small amount of brake rodding still to apply, and, of course, the window glazing, which has to wait for the painting to be completed first.

    [​IMG]exGWR Beetle - 1 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]exGWR Beetle - 2 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr
     
    Rob Pulham likes this.
  5. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    Rob Pulham, York Paul and jakesdad13 like this.
  6. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    After a long pause, I have done a little more work on the Bratchell class 455/9 unit, having received a message from Adam of Electra Railway Graphics that he is nearly finished with the South West Trains vinyls for the unit. I have long been putting off painting the window frames, but recently bought a Sharpie permanent marker pen in silver with a view to trying it out on the frames. So far, I think it has been very successful: marking out the raised frames took me around 45 minutes to do the lot, and the paint/ink medium seems to dry quickly and can stand a bit of handling.

    [​IMG]
    Painting the Window Frames - 1 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr
     
    Rob Pulham and York Paul like this.
  7. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    5,816
    Likes Received:
    6,870
    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2017
    That's dedication SRman and looks very good:thumbs:. Can you report on how the Sharpie marking stands up throughout the build handling please? I am thinking it could well be something I can use too.
     
  8. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    I'll certainly do that. I am wondering if I might have to add a coat of varnish to the silver, but I will deliberately leave them as they are for now and try assembling a few into the body shells. If that doesn't wear the paint off, then I think they'll survive a lot longer.

    At least, if they do wear a little, they are easily touched up again.
     
  9. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    Rob Pulham likes this.
  10. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
  11. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    I expended a little bit of energy tonight and fitted the side frames to the motor bogies on the 455/9 unit. Like the previous 455/8 and 319/1 units I built, the side frames had to lose 1mm from their wheelbases to match up with the Replica motorised chassis I used for each of them. The chassis bogies have clip in side frames that are blank, and also act as a good, solid backing for the kit side frames after they have been cut and rejoined. I usually cut either side of the central bolster/air bag moulding and rejoin the 'arms' with the axleboxes and springs to the central unit after a small amount of filing - the cuts themselves lose almost enough material, but need just a little more taken off.

    After that, I filed the backing plates to match the profile of the kit side frames, then press-fitted them back onto the relevant bogies.

    A quick test (still on address 3 until I get the vinyls with the unit and coach numbers on), and all is well with it. I'll have to note on the motor coach (MSO) base which way is 'forwards', for future reference when forming the unit up.
     
  12. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    jakesdad13 likes this.
  13. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    After concentrating on the railway layout for the last few years, my model bus building activities have been a bit slow. There are a good many half completed projects on the workbench at present.

    There isn't a "happy ending" to this ... I have just been adding three more buses to the list of unfinished projects on the go!! [​IMG]:D

    First up is an LBC early Bristol RELL/ECW, going into Tilling red and cream, most probably as a Thames Valley vehicle. This was only a first coat of red, acting as a base coat.

    There are two Southdown vehicles currently drying in the spray booth (actually an old microwave oven with the cord cut off): both are LBC kits, and both have had a coat of a 'generic' pale green in preparation for painting in Southdown colours, a Duple Coronation Ambassador coach, and a Leyland PD12 East Lancs double decker. As the paint is still wet on these latter two vehicles, photos will have to follow later.

    The figures visible in the background are from Hatton's, intended as locomotive crews for their Andrew Barclay industrial locomotives, and are stuck to a lolly stick ready for painting - the plastic is naturally red!

    [​IMG]
    LBC Early Bristol RELL ECW - 1 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr
     
  14. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
  15. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    Yesterday (Saturday), I fitted YouChoos sound into one of my Bachmann E4 0-6-2 tanks. There is a bit of a saga attached to this: I started by consulting with John from YouChoos as to the best decoder choice, and we decided that a Zimo MX648 with harness and 6-pin connector would be the way to go, with the proviso that it still may not fit the available space with the decoder socket and PCB in place. I found that while the decoder would just shoehorn in below the socket, there was no room for a speaker doing it that way. I had in mind fitting the speaker at the front in the smokebox, so had bought an extra sugar cube speaker with a rounded top at the same time. I had already drilled out the chimney to allow sound to come out that way. After juggling things and even removing the rather bulky chokes to give more space below the decoder socket, I eventually pulled the pCB and socket out, cut and ground the mounting spigot off of the chassis to give a flatter area, cut the 6-pin plug off and trimmed the harness back to allow hard-wiring to take place. I found that I could fit the decoder flat at the bottom, with the curved top speaker on top of that, and it would *just* squeeze in to the boiler of the E4. I added a layer of Kapton tape to ensure no short-circuits would occur from that source.

    I always test these installations on the programming track with my NCE Power Cab at every stage: having tested the decoder with the speaker loosely perched on the chassis and found all was well, I then squeezed it all into the body, but left the body loose and tested again. Once again, all was well. I added the body screws, and carefully sat it all down properly, then retested on the programming track. This time it was a failure, with the Power Cab reporting a dead short and cutting the power to the track.

    Off came the body again, to discover that I had done the same thing as happened to one of the Pecketts, that is I had managed to trap and sever a wire - perhaps 'guillotined' would be a better word to describe it! So it was out with the soldering iron and heat-shrink tubing again to repair the dmaged wire, then tuck everything much more carefully out of the way. I used a few lumps of black mastic to secure the decoder to the chassis, and the speaker to the decoder, plus a few of the wires to tidy them out of the way, and I went through the testing processes again, this time culminating in the body being secured to the chassis and the sound and motion working perfectly.

    The volume from this small speaker was actually too loud for my ears, so I duly turned it down a bit, and was happy with that. I had considered putting the speaker in the cab but that would have involved flying leads and possibly a way of separating the speaker from the decoder using 2-pin connectors; I think the way I have done it is neater and completely self-contained.

    Anyway, being pleased with myself, I took it to my friend Doug's place to show it off. It acquitted itself well on Doug's layout too, until I caught it with my sleeve and sent it crashing to the wooden floor. Electrically it survived well, but the unexpected meeting with the floor cracked the chimney off, and sent the dome flying (no damage to the latter, it just clipped back in), dislodged the crew fro the cab, bent the whistle, and dislodged and bent the handrail along the left-hand side of the boiler. Fortunately all buffers, lamp irons and couplings remained undamaged. I have repaired most of the damage, although there is still a crack evident at the base of the chimney and 579 now sports a Markits' LSWR whistle. I also discovered that the left-hand cabside handrails had gone missing so replaced them with some brass wire, which had only had a single coat of black paint at the time of the photo, hence the scrappy appearance.

    She doesn't look to bad on the SECR birdcage stock, and sounds really good now. I'll try to post a video of 579 in action in the near future.

    [​IMG]
    Bachmann LBSC E4 - 1 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr
     
  16. Gary

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

    Messages:
    7,316
    Likes Received:
    3,847
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    I take it that No.579 is your favourite locomotive now that you have spent some serious time with her...?? :avatar:

    Good to read that everything works inside and that the damages on the body are only minor.

    Cheers, Gary.
     
  17. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    I was very lucky that the damages were relatively minor. The locomotive is quite heavy and landed heavily as well.

    For the whistle, I tried straightening it but I wasn't very happy with the result, so chose to install a new one, albeit one from the 'wrong' railway company. I don't expect anyone will notice unless I point it out.
     
  18. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    4,446
    Likes Received:
    2,902
    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2015
    This was the loco I chose to fit my first 'excursion' into ESU sound decoders, really only because I bought the loco from "Rails of Sheffield", and they happened to stock ESU (I gather they now also stock Zimo). I never got to the stage of fitting the body back on, as decoder No 1 'died' whilst test running the bare chassis after programming. It was duly returned and took a full month before I got a replacement, which again failed whilst test running. I returned it in disgust and to "Rails" credit, I was immediately given a full refund. Like you, I had completely removed the socket and the 2 cast bosses to give maximum room, but at that point, I gave up and fitted a non-sound decoder, which has never given me any problems, but has ensured my loyalty to Zimo sound decoders and John Gymers "Youchoos" sound files in particular.
    Keith.
     
  19. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    4,535
    Likes Received:
    2,071
    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2015
    You must have been devastated when it went flying mate, but all respect, you've made a cracking job of repairing it :tophat:.
    As for the new hand rail, wouldn't any paint soon have worn of with handling in service on the real thing? Just a thought.

    Cheer's, Pete.
     
  20. SRman

    SRman Full Member

    Messages:
    895
    Likes Received:
    429
    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    After the initial shock, I realised the damage was mostly superficial - a tribute to how solidly Bachmann have made this model.

    Moving on: on RMweb, a young gentleman under the name of TurboSnail has designed and had 3D printed a pseudo Maunsell diesel shunter with an 0-4-0 configuration. The body and chassis are available from Shapeways at what I think are quite reasonable prices, and I have a lot of the detailing bits required to complete it, including spare Hornby 08 wheelsets and axles. While TS has finished his in Southern Railway black with Bulleid 'sunshine' style lettering, I decided mine will join my industrial fleet in a fictional blue colour scheme.

    Anyway, here's some progress on mine, mostly told by the photos. Apologies that some were taken in poor lighting conditions. The photos do show some rough areas in my workmanship I need to correct, including one of the side doors on one side being taller than the rest. The photos also show some of my livery experiments. I'm not sure if I'll stick with the red trim along the footplate sides; I have already changed from red buffer beams to yellow, which brightens up the image considerably. The initial blue was BR express steam blue, which seemed a little dark for the effect I wanted, so I have gone for a lighter blue from the Humbrol standard colour range.

    For the cab roof, I am thinking in terms of a bit of sheet brass curved down at the edges.

    Buffers are Bachmann's oval sprung ones, but I am also considering swapping them for some larger diameter round ones.

    I have followed most of TS's recommendations for the motors and gears and bits and pieces. I already have handrails and whistles and other bits and bobs in my workbench stocks. One thing I have found, though, is the Scale Link axle gear with its shoulders is just a teensy bit too wide for the chassis to allow the Hornby axle bearings to sit in properly - we're talking probably 0.5 mm here. I will be removing the gear and grinding a little off each side of its shoulders, and that should fix the problem.

    Anyway, see what you think of my efforts so far.

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180514_204352 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180514_204405 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180514_204451 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180514_204534 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180516_182214 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180516_182230 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180519_100554 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180519_100609 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

    [​IMG]
    IMG_20180519_100623 cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr
     
    jakesdad13 likes this.

Share This Page