4mm An EM Workbench: Mini-Signwriting (rough)

[AJC]

After a very long wait an envelope from Australia dropped onto the doormat on Friday. Thanks to @Overseer I now have two fully lettered tar tanks (and more letters for a third when I can lay hands on a Slater's kit). Here's the pair straight from the coat of matt(ish) lacquer and prior to weathering.



What was William Butler's no. 74 as it was in the hands of Bristol & West Tar Distillers, pictured at Swindon in 1953. All very simple, though like the original signwriter, I found that there wasn't quite sufficient room to space the 'Bristol' (bottom right) properly so had to cut all the letters out and apply them separately. This actually makes the model look more like the real thing...



Fleet numbers on the ends - the red drop shadow on T4 is just visible.



The red shading is more apparent side on, but still quite subtle. I think it'll show slightly better once weathered with less sheen. That's for another day, however. Thanks again, Fraser.

Adam

 

[AJC]

Two more complete and again, thanks are due to @Overseer whose Charringtons transfers has completed this long running project. A slightly tatty line on the grey, but it's quite a bit bigger on the monitor than in reality.



Only lightly weathered, as is the second vehicle, an ABS SR 8 plank:



Adam

 

[Waveydavey]

Adam, a long time ago you started work on a Hornby Dublo chlorine tank. Did you ever get it finished?

Cheers

David

 

[AJC]

Adam, a long time ago you started work on a Hornby Dublo chlorine tank. Did you ever get it finished?

Cheers

David

Quite right. The guilty party is sat on my desk looking a mite forlorn. Perhaps next on the agenda?

Adam

 

[Waveydavey]

Yes please. I've got two sitting on the bench waiting for inspiration.

 

[AJC]

I’ve finally weathered the pair of tar tanks and they’re much more presentable in consequence. Thanks again for the lettering, Fraser, it’s come out really well.



The selection of part complete projects in the background tell their own tale, I fear.

Adam

 

[Mike Garwood]

I've always admired the way you weather your stock, lovely work.

Mike

 

[AJC]

I've always admired the way you weather your stock, lovely work.

Mike

Thank you, Mike, the aim is to bring the things to life and in this case, at least, I think I’ve succeeded. If the sun stays out I’ll take some daylight snaps later.

Adam

PS - the general treatment is straight out of Martyn Welch's book - a mix of metalcote gunmetal and matt leather (Humbrol 62) with variations in orange and grey. He uses an airbrush, I take more of a watercolour approach. In this case the 'tar' spills are satin black; I think gloss would be a bit overpowering in this scale.

 

[AJC]

I've managed to secure a Slater's kit for a Chas Roberts Tar tank and so Roads Reconstruction T. 11 is on the way. Apart from having oil axleboxes, T.11 is as close to the Slater's kit as one might wish so this should be relatively simple.



I've put the tank together. Looking at the top, I wonder whether Slater's simply forgot to mould the manhole assembly as what you get looks for all the world like a location pip. Going on some of the drawings in Tourett's big book of railtanks I determined that the assembly should be around 2' 6" diameter and 9" tall (so I've made a new one for T. 4, I'd had my doubts about that bit for a while). The tube for the job was a slice from a dead promotional pen - the relic of a conference long past - welded on and filled with Miliput. Once all this has set, we can get its wheels on.



Adam

 

[AJC]

A bit further on. I've added a 10 thou' disc cut with the compass cutter and on top of that a 20 thou' disc (5.5mm diameter) and another 10 thou' disc (6mm diameter) to represent the basis of the lid. The latter discs were cut freehand: I cut an appropriate strip, took a square off the end, cut the corners off to make an octagon and then finessed those corners round. The black bit in the middle is a stub of tension lock coupling mount, roughly rounded off and then bedded in with Miliput to represent the pressing.



While that's setting, thoughts turn to the chassis. The problem with having such a clear prototype picture is that you have no excuses about not making a decent fist of copying it. As is usual with these things, what you get is almost, but not exactly the same as the kit. So here's the starting point: note the plates (none quite in the right place), the old type of label clip, the headstock brackets (different, you'll note), and the tension bracket in the middle which is ok, but could be better. I've already made a start on modifying the axleboxes from a grease type to the flat-fronted oil variety in the pic'.



Ten minutes later:



I've cut away the last of the top of the grease 'box and welded a bit of 20 thou' in so that's where we stop for now. More later.

Adam

 

[AJC]

While I wait for the wheels to turn up (and a few other bits), some tiny details. Label clips next.



One of the lingering post-COVID effects is the inability to smell solvent…

Adam

 

[AJC]

This one is gradually coming together. It’s now in one bit at least but I’m kicking myself for not adding a bit of ballast on the inside. Still, this is the interesting bit of the model where the kit is tweaked to better represent the real thing. Different corner plates, axle boxes and a new filler at the top.



Next to it is a more complex project, reworking a Parkside Grampus to its earlier incarnation. Are all those door chains worth it?



Adam

 

[matto21]

They will be once you work your magic on it!

 

[AJC]

They will be once you work your magic on it!

Thanks - your weathering effects have a similar result (arguably more noticeable, for less effort!), but work has been irritating today and this sort of thing helps me unwind. What I'm really looking forward to is having the three tar tanks all complete, weathered and running in a train together. All ostensibly similar, each different.

Adam

 

[AJC]

The Slater’s version complete and, once the solvent goes off and the filler has set, ready for paint.



Adam

 

[john lewsey]

You do some very nice work

 

[AJC]

You do some very nice work

Thank you, John (the same's true of your own work: the LNWR coaches, in particular are great).

Adam

 

[AJC]

Happy New Year! Having been away over Christmas, including introducing the small person to Granddad's small trains (and the frustrations of the centre off switch on Gaugemaster controllers - a bit much if you're two). There's quite a few wgon projects now on the go and more of these anon, but first, a Christmas present. This is an Oxford Rail tank, a 12 ton RCH design from the early 20th century lettered for Shell/BP (to the 1907 spec's). It is certainly the best RTR railtank (for the steam era, anyway) that's yet appeared in 4mm.

The problem (ok, oversight) on this one is that the lettering is a straight copy of a 1952 image taken by A.E. West (at Axminster). All that lettering down to the solebar plates is crisp and legible and, unfortunately, based on an interwar 14 ton tank which is not quite the same. No problem, the fleet also included some of these 12 tonners. For all I know, the records may still be around, but I have photos showing a couple (nos 2601 and 2794) which show tanks that are nearly identical to the model.

Anyway, here's the model with the wheels popped out for conversion (the star on the tank is too small, btw - a proportion error, I think, easily sorted):



The conversion to EM (and probably P4) is simple. The axles are a slightly funny length so I swapped a set of Gibsons onto the original axles. The brakegear is a plug-in unit and mine at least was simply levered out with a jeweller's screwdriver. The mounting blocks (under each brake hanger) are thinned at the front by about 0.5mm, the hole on the chassis packed out with a bit of 15 thou' and the brakes reinserted, in line with the treads.



Because I had a few more to do I replaced the safety loops, but that's an indulgence. At the same time, I took the numbers off and added 3D plates to the solebar (mostly from Rumney Models). The one thing left to do is to revise the axleboxes to make them plate fronted and then renumber and weather. All very straighforward and, while pretty, commonplace.

Adam

 

[AJC]

While exciting things like tank wagons have taken the stage, one of the ongoing projects alluded to above breaks the surface. Looking through what I've done over the last few years there are a few basic types notable by their absence. Most notable are open highs of any sort, especially unfitted examples. So 2022's wagon projects will go some way toward rectifying that. First is one of those wagons I've always rather liked, the precursor of the standard SR 8 plank (another favourite). This is the SECR version of that format from the Cambrian kit. It's 9'6" wheelbase and lifting link brake mark it out from the run of the mill as well as those nice X-braced cupboard doors. All that means my usual extra detailing is more laborious.

So what of the kit? It's to the usual Cambrian quality (decent body mouldings, workable chassis, could-be-better buffers and accurate brakes) and the brakeshoes in particular are nicely close to the wheel treads which saves the chore of stretching brake assemblies. Here's where it is today:





Inside, however, it could be better: the planks are represented with ridges which had to go and, along with them, all the bolt heads. So I've added them again...



So this is the first, more on the rest as and when.

Adam

 

[AJC]

I’ve been pottering away with the unfitted project this week. Here’s the second, culled from the spares box and a model of a four plank open originally owned by Wickwar Quarries Ltd and captured by the late Don Rowland just prior to withdrawal in 1962.

The body started out as a Parkside RCH five plank which has had the top plank removed and the strapping remodelled to suit. At some point it gained capping irons so I’ve added these (strips of 5 thou’ superglued in place) and the securing clips. These are also strips of 5 thou’. The method I’ve settled on involves tacking them in place with superglue, as seen here:



After half and hour or so, I bend the strips over with tweezers and apply solvent, tidying up a few days later.



The original floor and chassis went under the Bristol & West tar tank you’ve seen before, so this one has some spare Cambrian mouldings from the box of surplus wagon sprues (every modelling home should have one).

Adam