4mm An EM Workbench: Mineral allsorts

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Coil Wagons
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    • AJC

    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    Soldering done on the Coil Rs, work turns to plastic fabrications and rivets, well, boltheads really, just a handful.

    Coil_R_11.gif

    While at it, a much smaller wagon with many more rivets has made a leap forward. I've only done the one side, as yet but first the fumes must subside. The rivet heads on the (brass) ironwork are tacked on using cyano' and the handwheels poking out of the top, I'm afraid, reflect two half-done projects. The mineral is one, of course, but, being incomplete, it's currently being used as a storage container....

    Chas_Roberts5.gif

    Adam
     
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    • BR Herring (Cambrian)
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    • AJC

    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    And now for something completely different, a new Cambrian kit for a Herring, a GW-designed, but mostly contractor-built small ballast hopper. I see that Jim Smith Wright has done one already and as his example shows, it builds up quite nicely. That won't stop me making a few amendments for the sake of finesse and durability, however.

    Here's the contents of the bag. Note the one-piece chassis moulding which takes the traditional "can I build this square?" question that Cambrian hopper kits have traditionally posed:

    Herring_1.gif

    The first set of modifications concern the main part of the hopper. I've trimmed off the moulding flash and the representation of the corner reinforcement from the sides only. These will be replaced with 5 thou' later. I also took the opportunity to fill the moulded holes for the grab rails and will reinstate them when the time comes.

    Herring_2.gif

    Hopper body on chassis and more future modifications on the horizon. There are v-hangers at the ends for the vac' brake gear and these will be replaced in brass sheet and the other larger vees may yet follow: I've had to rebuild one already. The brake levers certainly will be replaced in brass. Were I intent of batch or rake building, an etch would definitely be called for but as a one off, I'm happy to fret something out.

    Herring_3.gif

    As Jim said, there's a reasonable amount of flash, which is unusual for recent Cambrian kits but given the shape involved, I guess that mould pressure might be an issue. Still, I think the rest shouldn't pose too many problems. I will, naturally, be doing one with the upright vac' pipe, lovely detail that.

    http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brherring/h193152ea#h176a8e8b

    Adam
     
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    • AJC

    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    Overseer said:
    Adam, looks good. Can you tell us more about the reversed solebars and different axle guards on the slope sided mineral. Were these an uncommon or early variant?
    Click to expand...

    Thanks Fraser, I'm not sure about an early variant, but what seems to have happened is that Chas Roberts built a batch like this for their hire fleet between 1945 and 1947 (dates speculative, but based on verifiable data, courtesy of Ian Fleming). In a contribution to RM Readers' Letters April 2011 by David Larkin and David Monk-Steel, there was a work's picture of Chas Roberts 34017, later P65984. It has the reversed solebar (although slightly different to P144303, which was Chas Roberts 34136, built 1947) and the Continental axleguards.

    The axleguards are a part from AMBIS engineering whose 7mm range can be had from Hobby Holidays, but I don't know whether these are included. It might be worth considering because I have a 7mm Parkside kit for one in the drawer and a Chas Roberts liveried wagon would be a nice addition to the handful of larger wagons that dad and I have built.

    Adam

    PS - thank you too to all those that clicked the 'like' button, it is appreciated.
     
    BR Herring (Cambrian)
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    • AJC

    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    Detail layering time now. The corner reinforcing angles have been replaced in 5 thou' and the small squares on the axlebox covers added. Next was the side supports for the hopper. As the first picture demonstrates I have reduced the width of these to more closely match the look of the prototype. The end ones are far too thick and will be replaced in 10 thou' plastic sheet.

    Herring_6.gif

    Here's the current state of play:

    Herring_5.gif

    Meanwhile, the increasing warmth means that I can actually spray something, in this instance a bargain Hornby GW shunter's truck. Hornby supplied this following a preserved example in GW grey with BR style lettering: BR practise was to paint these black since they were departmental stock, so far as I can tell (and according to what dad remembers) with straw lettering. I've added a bit more brakegear and a vac' through pipe but that is all. Lettering will have to wait until I next order transfers...

    Chariot_1.gif

    Adam
     
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    • Dikitriki

    Dikitriki

    Flying Squad
    AJC said:
    In case there is anyone out there still interested in gradual accumulation of detail on a plastic wagon.
    Adam
    Click to expand...

    Very much so. But it's not just about plastic wagons; it's about anything that is built. A kit, any kit, is just a starting point. It's what's done to lift it that is really interesting. Besides which, each documented build goes towards creating a library of what can be done should the builder choose to do so.

    Richard
     
    iak63

    iak63

    Western Thunderer
    Its called distilling the essence Adam.
    What one has done is take a modern kit and turned it into a wee gem.
    Long may your furtling continue!
     
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    BR Herring (Cambrian)
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    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    Sorry about that folks - it's been a rather gruelling few weeks at work and, frankly I'm tired and grumpy about more or less everything - thank you for the kind words. Anyhow, with regard to finnesse, here's an example:

    Herring_9.gif

    On the right are the moulded Cambrian end supports for the hopper and on the wagon the 10 thou' replacements which far better replicate the sheet metal of the original (I've straightened the lever guide since). The grab irons have been shifted to a more accurate position and 0.3mm wire used over the 0.45 supplied.

    Herring_10.gif

    Side on, we have boltheads, more grab irons, label clips and the lever guides. These are a particularly poor bit of the kit and these Masokits versions are rather better representations of the distinctive GW pattern originals. There is much more work needed below the solebars but we're more or less done above.

    Adam
     
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    • BR Herring (Cambrian)
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    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    Like most hopper wagons - and particularly 4 wheel ones - the underside of the Herring is quite busy. The hopper door gear will go on last but first there are relatively representative bits of brake gear linking the brake cylinder at one end to the push rod brakes . There's another set, closer to the centre line, that link all this to the brake levers. No, I'm not at all certain how these work and I have a copy of the GA... In 4mm this really doesn't matter, mercifully.

    Herring_11.gif

    Adam
     
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    • BR Herring (Cambrian)
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    • Overseer

    Overseer

    Western Thunderer
    Adam,
    The Herring looks good. One thing that your close up photos show is the thickness of the plastic W irons. A quick scrape for the edges with a scalpel can reduce the visible edge to closer to the scale 3/4 inch thickness, which I think improves the appearance of wagons from most angles. As an example of what I mean, an HO scale VR 'I' wagon kit by Steam Era Models with RP25 Code 88 wheels to 18.3mm gauge (5'3" broad gauge).

    I uf knife.jpg
    I uf scrape.jpg
    I uf under.jpg
    I uf wagonb.jpg

    Hope you don't mind the highjack.
     
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    • BR Herring (Cambrian)
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    • AJC

    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    Thanks for the reminder Fraser, I knew that there was something else I needed to do. I have, by the way, worked out where the other linkages go. Unusually, there is no direct linkage between the hand brake levers and push rods linking the brake shoes: everything goes via the main brake cross shaft at the end. This is a bit confused on the GA because it shows *all* the linkages which, of course, travel on both sides of the wheels.

    You can just about see the linkage (behind the rest of the brakegear) on the left hand side of this Paul Bartlett picture, the rest is hidden behind the hopper door bar:

    http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brherring/h1aec94d9#hd9c7080

    Can this be seen? Well I'm putting it in (because I can) but time will tell.

    Herring_12.gif

    Adam
     
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    • BR Herring (Cambrian)
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    AJC

    Western Thunderer
    Before boredom sets in, here's the current state of play and with a host of small details the wagon is starting to come together. The main ones left to do are the footsteps (I've tried the Cambrian originals: too chunky and, at the non-brake end, I can foresee having to replace them fairly shortly) and the vac' pipes. Then there's the door mech's which should be relatively straightforward.

    Herring_13.gif

    And end-on, you can see that I have followed @Overseer's suggestion.

    Herring_14.gif

    Adam
     
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