G3 LSWR Open wagon kit

Mike W

Western Thunderer
What period do you want Jamie? I'm wondering whether the LSWR letters from my LSWR D1410 van transfers would suit?

Mike
 

AndyB

Western Thunderer
Noticed another slight oddity on the mouldings today - the nuts appear to be 5-sided!
Is it just my eyes or too much wine over dinner?

Andy
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
By 'eck, I think you're right. As it happens, I've carried on with replacing most of the strapping with Evergreen strips, either .010 x .100 or .015 x .100 as appropriate. Not that the supplied strapping is bad ( pentagonal bolts notwithstanding) but it hasn't taken much work to select thicknesses closer to scale. The supplied bolts etc looked a little large,to my eyes anyway, for bodywork so various brass bolts and plastic bolt heads have been used as appropriate.
The prototype photographs certainly show at least one wagon with individual washers/ bolts on the inner ends but others show vertical washer plates so I chose that option. It was easier to keep the bolt heads straight.
The washer straps were given a coat of black along their edges before being MekPaked in place, after which plastic boltheads were floated on and the whole given a coat of black. Some dry brushing later will hopefully bring out the detail
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The various external details were put on with the components in the flat (still awaiting some bolts).
The top corners will be attended to once body sides and ends have come together. The diagonal straps have been cut short for the time being but will be extended around the corner pillars later.

FWIW, the corner pillars were long enough - just. And it certainly pays to follow the instructions - rough shape the tops and fit the inside boltheads before fitting.

A check tomorrow to see if anything's missing and they can be erected around the floor panel.
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jamiepage

Western Thunderer
The sheet rail equipment was bolted to the end stanchions and could, on the model, be rather exposed and liable to damage so were soldered up from nickel silver then pinned with brass bolts through the stanchions and into the body planking. The boltheads are a little oversized (although they are hexagonal !) but of the options to hand these strike a reasonable balance between strength and appearance.
The pivot's backplate was likewise cut from NS and pinned in place. It and the body were drilled 2.0mm dia. A pivot will be put in place from the inside, securely fastened internally, again to build in some hidden strength.

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Jon Nazareth

Western Thunderer
Jamie
It seems such a shame to have to re-manufacture so many straps on what purported to be a very complete kit. I haven't checked all of the straps but of the two that I did, one scaled in at 1/2" and the other 3/8".

Jon
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Jon,
To be honest, it wasn't entirely essential to replace the strapping; it is all more a personal preference to tinker rather than stick to instructions. It reflects more on me than the model.

Indeed, I was impressed that the side knees were properly tapered, albeit a little anaemic. The diagonal mouldings conversely, were over thick and the bolt heads a bit on the large side. It seemed easier to replace them with Evergreen strip etc. although in the case of those diagonals, it ultimately wasn't (!) but I could just scrape off the thickness a little..

At this point in the build, my impression is still that the kit is good, and it would be perfectly ok to just build the thing as intended and end up with a good model.
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Evergreen strips were welded along the bottom of both sides to represent the prototype's curb rails, before bringing sides and ends together.
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The curb rails made it easier to erect by acting as ledges for the floor panel.

I can easily make a dreadful mess with wood glue so brought the two end/ side panels together around the floor with superglue down the vertical joints.

The whole thing was then strengthened with blocks of cheap wood from B & Q using copious amounts of wood glue where it could seep and smear about unseen. The blocks will act as as a ledge for the false floor to be fitted later with a coal load on top.
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The false floor has already been cut and was used to take a weight which held the whole thing square whilst the wood glue set.

Finally today, the solebars have been sanded to length to fit snugly.
Pleased to report all bits have fitted together well so far.
Well, with one slight exception. I was trying to ensure the width over outside of body planking didn't oversail the bufferbeam ends, and had already shaved iro 0.3mm from the end panels, but this photo shows a bit more was needed really.
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jamiepage

Western Thunderer
The main underframe assembly is designed to be soldered up with laterals connecting two laser cut quasi solebars with incorporated axleguards and inner vee hanger.
The assembly is designed to fit between solebars placed 80mm apart internally, but an LSWR drawing of a similar wagon gave the internal dimension as 6ft 3in. and I had set the curb rails and solebars accordingly.
It was necessary to cut two wider laterals to suit, after which it could be soldered up as designed.
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Suspension is supplied with small coil springs, the bottom of which sit in recesses within the 'boxes.
The top of each coil spring however, is retained by a spigot cast on the underside of the otherwise cosmetic leaf spring castings. These are cast in whitemetal, which seemed a potentially weak point on which to take the suspension loads. It also meant the underframe assembly could not really be entirely independent of the body during construction, an idea I stole from Steve Cook and now very much prefer.
So for those reasons the axleguards were fitted with what will become the coil spring top retainers. These retainers were soldered on the axleguard's outside faces to act as a spacer for the whitemetal leafsprings and to give extra gluing surface on final assembly (and will be hidden by the springs).

Until that point however, the underframe can now remain independent which will make it easier to get the suspension properly set up, and to solder brake gear to the same sub- structure (All bar the outer Vee hanger and lever.)
That's the current plan, anyway.
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At the moment it looks as though it may be necessary to pack the underfame from the floor by something like 1mm on assembly ( dimension from bottom of solebar to centre of brake tumbler/ nominal axle centres should scale at 18.5mm) but time enough and easy enough to adjust that later.

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Next will be fettling and fiddling to get the 'boxes sitting and sliding properly, and adjustment of the suspension stops, before assembling the brake gear.
Is this too boring? It's not quite updating as each new bolt head is fitted, but it may seem like it?
 

Arty

Western Thunderer
Not boring at all Jamie, I think the "underframe" and springing mods would fit nicely under the Midland vans.

Rgds

Richard
 

geoff_nicholls

Western Thunderer
and I'll be interested to see how you fit the brake rigging etc to the underframe, keeping the body separate from the underframe did seem a good idea when Steve Cook demonstrated it on the brake van.
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
A ledge was soldered to one of the false solebars then the whitemetal hangers/ brakeblocks were soldered to it. The positioning was made easier by making the width and length of the ledge such that the hangers would be correctly positioned if soldered in the corners. That did make it a lot easier but the angle still had to be done by trial and error with the wheels being slotted in place and removed a few times.
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Once they had been properly positioned, the rest of the brake gear could be assembled.

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The LSWR works GA showed the brake arms were longitudinally straight between the wheels, rather than angled in, so the tumbler was modified slightly to suit.

A few details remain to be fitted, such as safety loops etc., but it is essentially finished and its appearance will benefit from a blow over of primer.

Wood laterals etc can be glued to the floor such that the brake assembly fits between them.

The idea is that after painting the assembly will be located between the solebars/ underframe laterals and permanently secured. The outer Vee hanger will already be in place and the brake lever will be fitted with a length of arm which can thread through the outer hanger and register on a small stub fitted to the tumbler.
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Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Looking great Jamie, really coming to life now.
As for boring - no chance! It is a build thread with lots of photos and you are modifying things to suit yourself - I'm enjoying your progress :)
Steve
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
I think all the body detailing is now finished and ready for painting.
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Likewise, underneath. Drawbar loads will be taken by the central laterals, which along with their longitudinal members have been securely affixed to the floor.
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The underframe will remain separate until after painting, but can then slot into place and be finally secured.
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jamiepage

Western Thunderer
The tarpaulin rail has been made. 2.5mm dia rod with a couple of lengths of 2.5 x 1.0mm brass flat scarfed into each end. Soldered and faired in, it looks close to the drawing I have.
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And finally, a close up of the corner detail, not yet finished or finally tidied up, but showing the intrinsic high standard of this kit.
I can thoroughly recommend it to any G3 modeller, or even someone who would like a go at a part wooden kit.
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AndyB

Western Thunderer
Lovely job Jamie.
That is very nice fine chain you've used on the door retainer pins - where did you get it from, please?
Andy
 

geoff_nicholls

Western Thunderer
If it's the same method as the LBSC open, to work properly the pivot for the sheet rail needs to be a vertical slot. a pin in the vertical part of the sheet rail runs along the semiicircular runner and drops into a slot in the apogee of the runner flange. Hence the need for a slotted pivot. It works quite well on the LBSC open.
PS
it's a Williams patent sheet rail, but apparently no relation.
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Yes, it is a Williams patent rail. Mine however, will not work, the hole on the end plate is just to securely fix the rail. It still needs a boss which will be fitted along with the rail.
 
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