Slaters 20 ton Brake Van to Diagram 61

Finally the prospect of getting a workbench up and running looms. Hopefully by the end of next week i should be seriously thinking about getting a temporary workbench set up. With the current lockdown extended it's probably going to be a garden bistro table with a makeshift plywood top and a garden chair to sit on but it's better than nothing.

I have a limited number of potential victims to hand to get back into the swing of things. It's a toss up between this and one of Jim's LNER Bogie Brick wagons. I won't be able to make a final decision on what I can build until I dig in the depths of the shed and see what modeling tools I managed to bring with me.

What I know I don't have, is access to my library. But I do have digital general arrangement drawings for the D61 brake van but only a couple of photos of the brick wagon so if I have glue etc. I am leaning towards the Brake van.

In anticipation, this evening I opened the box and scanned the sides and cabin ends so that I can use the GA drawings to draw up and cut an interior with the Silhouette cutter. That should keep me out of mischief for a few nights until I get the WB in action.

Progress will be posted as it happens.

 

I started by scanning the inside of a side and and end from the brake van kit. I imported them into inkscape and then scaled them each side on a separate layer. I then imported the end view of the GA and placed it on the same layer. On a separate layer I started to draw over the GA where I periodically can move it over the top of the Slater vane end to ensure that all will fit when assembled.

A picture tells the story better than words.

 

Yep, I will explain each stage of the process and what the coloured lines represent as I get to them.

A major milestone should be reached today as I am just about to start making the top of my temporary work bench which I think will carry forward to become the top of my permanent workbench once I get all the kitchen units out of storage.

 

Well the new bench is in situ and the laptop is connected to the outside world from it so that's a start. I now need to unpack all the modelling boxes that I brought to the house rather than put into storage to see what I have tools etc. wise to allow me to get started.

 

In between cleaning rust of my modelling tools I have done a little more at the drawing and will add a little more explanation.


First I will give the key to the line colours. You can draw the lines in any colour you want, it makes no difference as long as you know what you want from each line. The colours control the cut once you import the drawing into Silhouette Studio but more on that when we get there.

Crimson Red lines are lines that I will cut all the way through.

Dark Red lines will also be cut all the way through but ensure that the cutter blade makes a separate cut for these lines rather then them being a continuation of the crimson lines - in this case they are the tops and bottoms of the window cut outs. If you draw the windows as a square/rectangle they will cut fine most times but occasionally the cut tries to go go around the corner and you get some rounding so when I remember I do it long hand with four separate lines to make up the rectangle or square. As long as they are the same size you one need to do the one as you can select all the four sides and duplicate them to create more window openings without having to redraw them.

Green lines are score lines which will only be cut deep enough to show them as plank lines etc.

I also use dashed blue lines for marking where things are to be placed (such as strapping or end posts on wagons) but I don't need any on this particular drawing.

Also note that Slaters have glazing in the upper half of the door whereas the GA has it planked so I will need to modify that when I start the build.

 

Yes, the same sort of idea.

 

Well I got the tools that needed it cleaned up and tested the soldering irons. All still do what they are meant to so I opened the Slaters box and made a start.

Here's where I got to in my first session.

 

This build has slowed down a little because when reviewing the two GA's that I have and some photos that I took of an LNER brake van at Grosmont on the NYMR a few years ago, all of them have fully timber panelled doors whereas the Slaters kit depicts a 4 paned window in the door. At first I was going to just cut out the framing and fit a panel in the upper part of the door (and I will do that at one end) but being me I decided that I would have a door at one end open so I am just about to start carving the door out of one of the ends.

 

So where was I, ahh yes the door carving.

First I removed the door on one cabin end.



Then I cut the lower panel that I removed to fit in the space where the window had been on the other end.



Then I drew up the parts for the replacement opening door to cut on the Silhouette.



I also completed the drawing of the insides of the ends.



Lastly I made a start on adding the lamp irons to the out ends.

 

I had most of the day at the bench today and to be honest there doesn't look much to show for it at present. I have progressed the drawings for the internals quite a bit though.



I spent some time measuring and scribing the planking on the floor and also on the underside of the roof - yes I know that you can see it unless you turn it upside down but I know it's there....

I did manage to get the inner ends and one side on the cabin after dressing the sides with duckets, lamp and grab rails.

 

In my experiences with plastic wagon kits from such as Slaters and Parkside (Peco), the way that they do the corners sometimes leaves a little to be desired (or more realistically fettled).

The designer attempts to make not only the corner timbers marry up but also the corner plates where fitted too. When making my own design of wagons via the Silhouette cutter I always make the iron work as 10 thou overlays.

I digress, having got as far as fitting the first of the outer Veranda partitions at first try there was a gap of around half a mil or more.



That shown above is the other end which is still to fettle.
Below is the end that I have done and it does fit cleanly when pushed into place it was just difficult to get it perfectly in place and take a photo of it.



To achieve this snug fit I had to file scrape and otherwise nibble away at the two bits highlighted on both edges of the partition.