7mm On Heather's Workbench - North Eastern Workhorse

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Usually I don't pay much attention to the tender when looking at a locomotive as I see them as a whole.

But seeing this locomotive build I think the GN tender here is just as attractive as the loco itself. It appears to be a well proportioned design unlike others which are just large boxes with wheels and a bit of fairing here and there.

.......I'll get back to my brash, ugly, brutish SSW Dash 8 now.......:oops:
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Usually I don't pay much attention to the tender when looking at a locomotive as I see them as a whole.

Interesting story…

The J6 class were built with brand new tenders. As newer and better locos were designed and built, the tenders were shifted up the line. Equally, as older loco classes were withdrawn their tenders were passed on to the J5, J6, and so on. There were, essentially, three types of HA Ivatt GNR tender that could be seen behind a J6, though by the 1950s this had settled down somewhat to the type in the kit plus one other.

It all adds to the fun - especially when you realise the kit tender is correct in basic form, but doesn't match a single one of the photographed tenders I have found!

Back to me injectors!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I spent a good half an hour this morning, staring at a selection of brass tube and wire stock. I was hoping inspiration might strike as to how to make an injector, but it became obvious I was dragging myself up the wrong alley. Back to Plan B.

IMG_4941.JPG

What I'm trying to achieve can be seen lurking behind the cab step in this cropped image. The essentials are some kind of body, with a flange, large pipe disappearing under the loco frames, another from below and to the step, and possibly another pipe following the first under the frames. Knowing that injectors chiefly have three main pipes associated with them, I had something to work on.

IMG_4940.JPG

Taking two slightly undernourished JLTRT GWR pattern injectors, I decided to remodel them by hacking chunks off. I kept the chunks in case they might prove useful another time.

IMG_4943.JPG

A length of 1.2mm brass rod succumbed to the flame to let me bend it more easily. I drilled out the main flange on the remains of the casting for the first major pipe to be soldered in and formed. The second and third pipes are actually one single piece of rod twisted artfully and attached to the rear of the injector body. In this shot, we are looking at the confection from below.IMG_4944.JPG

And here we see it attached to the step. The pipes under the loco frames don't actually get that far, for the obvious reason they would prevent the frames from being demounted in the future (as well as right now while they're on and off the body during the late construction phase). I'm hoping, following painting and weathering, they will appear to disappear under the frames even though they don't.

It hasn't taken me all day to do this one injector, I should add. It's been another one of those days where personal and domestic issues disrupted things somewhat. If I set my mind to it, I ought to be able to assemble the mirror image injector for the other side later this evening.

Then I shall be back to adding fripperies to the cab, and perhaps a few more bits around the tender front for some variety. There's a nice vacuum pipe that runs along one side of the valance, but I will wait to fit that until I've got some suitable brake pipes to match the diameters. My order from Connoisseur went off on Monday, so I hopefully won't have to wait too long. That reminds me I'm still pending an Eileen's Emporium order. Might have to chase that up...
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
The Connoisseur buffer beam detailing pack arrived today, so on with fitting the final bits and bobs - I hope!

IMG_4946.JPG

I was going to glue the toolboxes in place. Instead, I soldered some brass angle to the short sides, and attached them to the tender tank tops by soldering.

IMG_4945.JPG

The cast brake pipe stand at the front was a fiddle. I had to add some brass shim to allow the casting to sit on the buffer beam properly. The hardest bit, though, was bending the cast pipe so it ran parallel to the beam. The vacuum pipe then runs along the valence and ducks back under the cab, and it's an obvious feature on the real thing that I couldn't leave out.

I've been busy with the chassis and wheels, getting them ready for painting with Birchwood Casey brass black. A messy job, but at least it acts as some kind of primer for the bare metal.

IMG_4947.JPG

Things are really coming together now. The boiler fittings still need to be fixed in place, and there are some cab details to sort out, but I think I'm nearly ready to begin painting. I think I'll let the loco sit on the test plank for a while in case there's anything I've forgotten about (apart from the loco brake rigging!).

Can any LNER/BR(E) fans let me know what colour the inside of the cab was painted, please? I've a fancy it was probably a cream or buff, but it would be handy to have that confirmed.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Things have become rather glacial on this build, as things always seem to do while painting.

IMG_4974.JPG

I've spent a couple of days brush-painting the frames. The client will be weathering the loco, but it was agreed I would make a basic weathering on the chassis to avoid having to disassemble things too often. It doesn't show in this pic, so you'll have to take my word for it! This configuration was essentially to ensure I hadn't inadvertently dislocated something or painted over a pickup. It's still working, thankfully!

IMG_4970.JPG

Meanwhile, the upperworks have had a good session in the ultrasonic bath. A lot of crud ended up on the bottom of the tank, so that's nice. I had some fun with my favourite two-part epoxy resin for fixing the chimney and so on. I thought I could get away with the quick setting variety from the twin tube applicator. I couldn't. It remained gooey after a couple of hours, so I headed out for the separate tube variety - which worked first time. All remaining twin-tubes in this house have been thrown away. Lesson learned.

Very shortly, these will be heading for the paint shop. Time to start considering the next job for the workbench while the painting process lumbers along.
 
Last edited:

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
IMG_4979.JPG

The state of play on a Sunday morning.

The warmer weather meant the Paint Shop conditions were just about perfect for spraying. I got a light coat of Precision etch primer done Thursday morning, then left it under cover for the next two days. Yesterday, I got the trusty Badger 200 loaded with Humbrol gloss black/white spirit 50/50, and got a good first coat on the upper parts. There will need to be further coats, especially the bits I couldn't reach the first time round.

Anyway, I shall settle in for a session with some wet and dry to eliminate the inevitable flaws at this stage. I may get further top coats on this afternoon.
 

Martin Field

Western Thunderer
I'm a great fan of enamels, Heather, but you seem to have got the Humbrol/thinners coat to dry very quickly. What's your usual drying time with enamel?
I use HMG paint when I can thinned with whit spirit and that dries in an afternoon. I once used Precision thinned with white spirit and it eventually dried in 3 weeks!
I would use Zero paints for everything, but they charge too much to send it by courier. Where black is concerned i have a tin of cellulose black enough to paint all the locos I could make!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
The paint shop temperature was up in the early twenties Celsius as I sprayed the first coat. I found a light spray in the nooks and crannies had dried sufficiently that I could work up to a full coat to a reasonable density in one session.

With Humbrol gloss I find it is touch dry in about six hours, depending on the ambient temperature. I sprayed this model yesterday morning, and left it until first thing today. It still feels a little tacky, but part of that is the shiny finish. Once I've finished the top coats, it'll be left to sit and harden for a few days. From experience, while it feels like it's dry, it's not really until all the thinners has had a chance to evaporate off that it becomes a tough and resilient surface. I'm told I could accelerate this drying and hardening by sticking the model in the oven on a very low heat. I might try that one day, probably on one of my own models.

For Precision, I use their own PQ9 quick air drying thinners. I used to use white spirit for their paint, but once I'd switched to their own thinners it was like night and day. On a good day, with the temperature just so, the paint is drying enough for further coats as you work. Even so, I leave a model drying for at least 24 hours before deciding whether it needs more coats, and then I also leave it sitting for a week or so to harden really well before risking masking tape anywhere near it!

I am an impatient modeller by nature, but when it comes to painting I have had to learn - often the hard way - the art of patience. In my case, getting on with another commission helps a lot! And as for complex liveries, well, I get the professionals in!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
IMG_4980.JPG

I got a little carried away… :oops:

Obviously the etch primer didn't quite etch itself into the metal as I would've expected. Hey-ho. Anyway, after a sesh with the emery paper, I'm left with the question how to reprime things. I'm currently thinking a nice warm with an old hair drier, followed by a coat or two of matt black enamel, then gloss again when it's dry enough.

Hopefully, once the transfers are done and everything has had a nice coat or three of satin varnish, it'll be alright on the night.

Right, back to the paint shop!

(Cue that classis 1960s Batman "to the Batcave" stab.)
 

Martin Field

Western Thunderer
Ah, not enough paint and too much rubbing down. Been there before! But I see you also have a paint shadow under the tender footplate and axleboxes. I always make sure I can twirl a model around by holding something on it with pliers or ramming a scriber up its chuff somewhere. Then I don't get paint shadows. When spraying self-etch on model car masters with lots of fiddly detail around the gearbox and engine, it's vital to be able to twirl. I have a turntable for painting but have never used it.
This is the self etch I use, on a model car made of Ureol resin block with a lot of Milliput to change it's shape when new info came in (a commonplace wit rare racing cars!). This is just one coat from a spotting (dent) gun on a 30 psi compressor.
006.JPG
The brass bits will be done in white metal.
The model dropped off its scriber and got chipped on the concrete outside, so you can see little bits of knifing putty repairing chips. All smooth and lovely now and off to New Zealand to be resin cast as we can't find anyone in this country who will do them!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I knew I had a paint shadow. It's kind of inevitable from my setup. The plan was to let the top dry, then spray again from below.

I think I ought to spend time concocting some fandangle to let me mount a model for spinning in most axes. It would have to take the weight, though, so I reckon I'll have to continue to put up with shadows. :))
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
I think I ought to spend time concocting some fandangle to let me mount a model for spinning in most axes.

Something like a miniature roasting spit.

For tender locos and tenders - one end with two prongs to locate in the buffer casings and the other end to locate in the loco/tender coupling.

Tank locos - both ends with two prongs to locate in the buffer casings.
 

Martin Field

Western Thunderer
Don't you make the body and chassis separate, so that you only have to support part of the weight? Paint, then screw them together.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Quick update: a nice coat of matt went on a while ago, which covered the worst of my rubbings out. I've just done a gloss coat, which is obviously soaking into the matt coat to give a lovely satin finish. I'm going to let things settle for now, cook something to eat, then see about another gloss coat this evening before the workshop temperature has a chance to drop too far.

If all goes well, by the end of the week it'll be safe to mask for the buffer beams to turn red.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Don't you make the body and chassis separate, so that you only have to support part of the weight? Paint, then screw them together.

It depends on the model. Some can be broken down into various components, where others can't. The Collett Goods I'm working on can be sort of broken down, but the pannier I did a while ago doesn't lend itself to it. I always have an eye to painting while I'm building. If a loco has a complex livery with lining, then it makes it easier for the painter to work on if it can be split into various assemblies, so I try and work out how that might be accomplished.

Meanwhile, fresh from the ministrations of Darlington's paint shop…

IMG_4981.JPG

As usual, it's not a perfect finish, but it's the best I'm going to get. It's good enough to apply the transfers, so I'll now let it sit for a few days to harden before I do anything else.

On with another build!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Ha! It's the broad gauge and S7 section of the test plank. It really didn't seem worth the effort of laying every sleeper. I suppose I ought to arrange a proper section of baulk timber track for photography.
 
Top