Hi all, Back in the real world (not the O gauge dream land!) I've focused my efforts tonight on the roof. It wasn't my intention to make a replacement but, surprise surprise, the kit part was twisted and I couldn't get it to fit snugly. So I thought I might as well make a replacement to address the overly thick kit part and also correct the incorrectly placed chimney while I was at it. So, with a piece of plastic sheet attached to a babies bottle of suitable diameter (handy things, babies), followed by a dunking in boiling water, I have a suitably curved replacement. Rainstrips are formed from plastic strip and the chimney from some rod, drilled out at the end. Nothing is glued yet, it's just balancing in place here. Also of note is the ducket glazing. I pondered how to do this for ages as there's nothing much for the glue to grab onto with just a piece of thin clear plastic. In the end I cemented two pieces of clear plastic together, cut them to size and slightly chamfered the edges to get them to fit snugly and give the glue something to grab. You can't really see it in the photos but I'm pleased with the effect! Matt
Thank you Gary, that's really kind of you to say. There's something enjoyable about detailing these kits though that far outweighs buying an RTR version! Matt
Matt Great work on the Guards van, I’ll second what Gary said I really enjoy opening your topic to see where your up to. It goes to show there is somthing in the hobby for everyone, you don’t have to be an all rounder to enjoy getting stuck in and having a go, everyone finds their point of most enjoyment and I can see yours is clearly starting with something that’s Ok and turning it into something great.
Morning all! Limited progress the last few days because we went for a family overnight stay in Liverpool but I managed an hour last night once we got back. Brakegear complete - nothing much to report other than some added plastic rod. Next job will be to fashion the rails at the ends from wire - I'll use the plastic to ensure they're all the same height. I'm beginning to wonder if I should start a separate thread with all these random stock projects - what do you think? Matt
Hi Matt, I would do. There are some great individual projects there that may not be so easy to search for if they get lost in one big thread but it's really up to you. I think these builds merit their own identifiable thread. f you are building a specific wagon or loco etc, stick it in the kits / scratch builds thread under the particular stock type. If it's a building or structure, stick it in the building / structures forums. You can start that going forward if you don't want to disseminate what you have done so far. Again, I'll leave it up to you. ..... terrific work. Toto
Thanks Mr T! With your all encompassing power, are you able to move individual posts from one thread to another or is that not possible? Matt
Hi all, Nothing much to report on the layout building front, but, I was doing a bit of tidying up earlier which enabled me to take this shot of the layout. Gives a good idea of the size. Ignore the clutter on the layout! Matt
Afternoon all! Been reassessing the layout (again). Decided on a chance of trackplan to the following: Going to dispense with the run around loop - realistically it was too small to be useful and presented several potential issues. I feel this is a better use of the space available. Thoughts? Matt
Off on hols today for a week. Quick picture of the station scene I'm trying to create: Seems to have been a storm that's washed the trackbed and ballast away! Matt
Looks like your going down the inglenook route ! Inglenooks provide great shunting opportunities as you only have one way in but multiple shunting possibilities. You can spend 20-30 minutes on this or make it much more complex and spend a good hour shunting wagons. Cheers, Gary.
Thanks Gary! To be honest, I'm not much of an 'operator' - bit of shunting and a DMU shuttling into the station will be the extent of things! Matt
Hi all, You may remember this, it was going to form part of my challenge project. Now, I think I'll use it as a mess hut. Anyway, I 'rusted' the corrugated panels last night. What do you reckon? Matt
Bit more progress. This is based on a photo I found online of a grounded body with replacement corrugated sides. Unfortunately I can't find the photo now so everything is based on what I can remember... A lot of the photos online show these vans in really poor condition. I'm trying to represent a structure that, while knackered, is still in some use. Pretty pleased with the rusting so far! Matt