7mm A little detailing of RTR locos and wagons

[Dog Star]

... I´d like to show a brake van I built from a Peco kit. I added the ... scratch built brake triangles (hope it`s the correct expression)

Generally referred to as "brake yokes".

I know it`s nothing really worth being displayed...

Frankly, you are not doing yourself a good service, the result is worthy of being shown on WT. If you are not satisfied then please put a wagon label on for "Scrufts Junction, Lydney, GWR" and I shall be happy to attach to one of the numerous mineral trains up and down the Severn & Wye lines circa 1905-10.

 

[bernd lachmund]

Generally referred to as "brake yokes".

Frankly, you are not doing yourself a good service, the result is worthy of being shown on WT. If you are not satisfied then please put a wagon label on for "Scrufts Junction, Lydney, GWR" and I shall be happy to attach to one of the numerous mineral trains up and down the Severn & Wye lines circa 1905-10.

Thank you very much for the correct expression!!!

Many thanks also for your frank and appreciative words!!! You `re perhaps right, but it has s.th. to do with all the fine skilled craftmanship on WT , as I`ve already said in my introductory words of the thread, that simply makes me very modest.

 

[Dog Star]

Bernd, we all started at the same point... we have all made mistakes... we have (probably) got models that we do not wish to see the light of day.

WT is about sharing the result and sharing the experience. I trust that you shall find that most comments on WT are of the good kind, beneficial to all in some way.

regards, Graham

 

[Heather Kay]

I agree with what Graham has said. Without the constructive comments on my build threads I don't think I would have improved my modelling and presentation as I think I have.

From what you've shown us so far, Bernd, you're already a good modeller with the right attitude to make yourself better!

 

[bernd lachmund]

Graham and Heather, thanks a lot to both of you for your kind and encouraging words!!! I`ll keep in mind what you mean!!! ( glad to be on this forum!)

Regards
Bernd

 

[bernd lachmund]

Hello,
I´d like to show some photos of my slightly weathered Fowler shunter with added buffer flanges which aren`t on the Ixion model , but on the prototype. I realized them missing by getting to David L.O. Smith`s website by chance. Besides other fantastic model improvements of different railway models, he had changed a lot of details on the Fowler. After having asked him, he was so very kind to send me some as an exception. In addition , as seen there , too, I exchanged the square coupling links for round shaped ones.

Bernd

 

[BrushType4]

Nice weathering!

 

[bernd lachmund]

Hello after a while,

I`ve tried to correct two small "mistakes" at the Mink van , mentioned on RMweb. 1. The flush rain strip above the doors made a little bit prominent by using a 0,5mm thick and 1,5mm wide plastic strip. 2. The missing spring stop made from 2mm U profile and tiny plastic strips glued to it.
I`ve taken the example photos from RMweb hoping it isn`t a problem?
Regards Bernd

 

[Dog Star]

Very nice work on a decent canvas. You have done more work than you are telling us about... so what have you done with the buffers?

If you are minded to sort the thickness of the door framing compared to the depth of the side stanchions then you may be interested to know that the entire door area is a separate moulding which fits into a recess between the stanchions. Seems to me that the pin holes in the body (to locate the door moulding) can be filled and a new door frame fitted onto the body moulding.

 

[bernd lachmund]

Thank you very much! I`m sorry, but no I haven`t changed the buffers yet.
I just wanted to show 2 rather simple changes to improve a nice van a little bit.

Thanks a lot for the hint concerning the door frames/stanchions! Maybe I`ll really dare to go for that?

 

[bernd lachmund]

Hello,

first of all many thanks to John Taylor who showed me the Orion railways castings for detailing the RTR autocoach and in addition for sending me a long email with a very relevant informative article in the Model Railway Journal. I`m also thankful to Jerry Colebrooke sending me the castings and giving me some further information. To know a bit more about the diagram N autotrailer and the autogear apparatus I bought John Lewis book: "Great Western Auto Trailers P.1.
Here are some photos of the fitted model and when having finished the underframe wires and coloured the castings I`ll perhaps take some more.

Regards
Bernd

 

[John TAYLOR]

Hi Bernd

That`s a great job you are doing. I`ve saved your photos so I can emulate what you are doing (as I said I would

Keep up the great work.

John

 

[bernd lachmund]

Thank you very much John,
and the others, too.

Would just like to add I had to scratchbuild 2 brackets at the driver`s end (in the kit etched, here 1mm plastikard) and the small parts(0,5mm) linking the linking rod to the autocoach coupling`s bearing at the headstock.

To make the connection between loco and trailer at least a little more realistic I coupled their vacuum hoses by using two 1 mm diameter neodymium magnets which I glued into the coupling heads(?) after having drilled holes in there. Before I had cut off the hoses and drilled 0,8mm holes into the vacuum pipes in which 0,7mm brass wire was fitted. Then silicon hoses replaced the former brass ones.

Bernd

 

[bernd lachmund]

As said before, I`ve taken some photos from the underframe wiring. There`s the regulator rod ( 1mm) from driving end to non driving end, led on scratch built brackets. And the handbrake wire (0,7mm) from driving end to middle V hangers.
Finally I changed the cast regulator coupling bar from intended upright postion at the back left side ( where it wouldn`t have made any sense when coupled to a loco) to horizontal position by cutting off the brass rod at the end and after having drilled an 8mm hole in the end of the bar, replacing it by a horizontal fitted brass wire.
Bernd

 

[bernd lachmund]

Hello,

Jerry Colebrooke advised me the autogear coupling bar doesn`t belong at the driver`s end ( at least he`d never seen it there, he said) , so I changed the quite simple casting for the front by adding 3 more parts to make it a bit more prototypical. I drilled a 1mm hole in the "eye" of the coupling and fitted a small 1mm brass wire through it. Then I took a 2mm long, 0,8 mm thick wire , embedded it in a 0,8mm brass stripe and soldered the construction to the end("eye") of the casting. Finally, after having soldered 0,5mm wire to a 1 mm brass stripe, I drilled a 0,5mm hole into the middle of the whole construction and fitted the brass stripe with an eyelet in the 0,8mm wire/stripe construction.
Sorry for my very imperfect English description! Maybe the photo makes it a bit understandable.
Bernd

PS
Just corrected the "eylet" , I drilled a new hole closer to the 0,8mm wire

 

[bernd lachmund]

Hello,

though not having weathered the trailer yet , I`ll post some photos of the nearly finished state.

Bernd

 

[freelance7]

Hello Berne,

I have just come across this thread and the detailing you have just done on your auto-trailer - and very nice work it is. I have just acquired one of here fine models myself and will shortly undertake detailing it together with changing the wheel sets to run Scale 7. I have a question, you mentioned a relevant article in the Model Railway Journal do you know which issue it was as I wouldn't mind obtaining a copy and taking a look at it before I start?

Regards

Paul