john lewsey
Western Thunderer
That looks really good Heather
Building an MMP RMB - a box of delights
- Thread starter Heather Kay
- Start date
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Thanks John! It's come out way better than I anticipated.
It's funny how the idea of all those fiddly bits was putting me off for ages. Once I'd worked out what I needed and - probably more importantly - what I didn't, there wasn't a lot to it.
So, that's one frog eaten*. The dynamo has quite a few parts, including the belt. I am considering how best to tackle this next stage.
* This is a story I heard a long time ago. Essentially, it's a moral tale to make you actually do the stuff you don't want to do. Eat the frog, or do the easier stuff. If you do the easy stuff, the frog is still there. Eat the frog first, and everything else will be easier. I think it's a Mark Twain quote, but has been used by various "life coach" type people as a metaphor for dealing with the hard stuff in life first.
It's funny how the idea of all those fiddly bits was putting me off for ages. Once I'd worked out what I needed and - probably more importantly - what I didn't, there wasn't a lot to it.
So, that's one frog eaten*. The dynamo has quite a few parts, including the belt. I am considering how best to tackle this next stage.
* This is a story I heard a long time ago. Essentially, it's a moral tale to make you actually do the stuff you don't want to do. Eat the frog, or do the easier stuff. If you do the easy stuff, the frog is still there. Eat the frog first, and everything else will be easier. I think it's a Mark Twain quote, but has been used by various "life coach" type people as a metaphor for dealing with the hard stuff in life first.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Hi Heather,
How did you manage to hold the wire to drill the holes in the flattened end of the 0.6mm brass wire.
I need to do something similar at each end of 24 headbars for the GWR cattle wagons that I am on with.....
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
There can't be many people around who open an MMP kit, look at the etches and castings and think to themselves
"Well this looks ok, but it will require some detailing …"
To be fair, all I'm doing is adding the duality of brakes and heating. If I wasn't adding all the modern stuff, this would be a straight build. Well, as straight as any build I do.
Rob, I hold wire in various ways. Sometimes it can be fingers. Sometimes it can be snipe-nosed pliers (I now have some parallel ones which ought to get more use). Sometimes I use a pair of surgical clamps to hold the wire in the right orientation.
Once i have the flattened bit, which I tend to make longer than I need and trim back once the hole is drilled, I use a sharp point to mark a centre, then carefully drill through with a small pin chuck drill. If I don't get it right first time, a pass through with a larger drill, or open the hole with a taper broach normally sees it done. Wastage can be high, as I usually get the centre mark wrong.
If anyone's interested, I could do a brief tutorial thread.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Thanks Heather, Graham and I had considered spot soldering to a piece of scrap. These are further complicated by needing to have the holes drilled at either end and a fixed distance in between.
I will try spot soldering and feedback.
I will try spot soldering and feedback.
Locomodels
Western Thunderer
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Good idea. Rob's problem is consistency. Getting each wire the same length, with the same amount of flattened end, and drilled in the same place.
A laborious job whichever way you tackle it.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Another productive morning. What's that you say. A bank holiday. What's that‽
Dynamo bracket, dynamo and safety chain. Currently, the dynamo is swinging free and will be fixed once the belt length and suitable angle of dangle has been decided. The kit includes NS etches for the chain attachments, but I ended up twisting fuse wire to attach it to the dynamo body, and bending up a loop for the frame attachment. This is not to say I didn't try to use the etched parts… There's just the wiring loom to be fitted, again somewhat dependent on the final angle the dynamo hangs at.
The air brake cylinder and valve gubbins. I have inserted a styrene floor for the JLTRT parts to sit on. Some will remember discussions in the Raising the Standard thread about an odd cast valve we couldn't identify. Well, that's been hacked about and serves as what appears to be a drain cock or bleed valve on one of the air pipes. This assembly is not fixed in place yet, as it'll be easier to paint before it gets glued in.
A query: there's a bracket and threaded rod fixed to the longitudinal frame, which seems to have some bearing on the dynamo bracket. I can't work out its function, and I do like to a least have some inkling as to what the various components are on the models I build.
I do love the clutter under coaches. It can take a while to construct, be all but invisible when painted, but it just really appeals to me when I see all the bits and bobs under a train as it rolls past.
Dynamo bracket, dynamo and safety chain. Currently, the dynamo is swinging free and will be fixed once the belt length and suitable angle of dangle has been decided. The kit includes NS etches for the chain attachments, but I ended up twisting fuse wire to attach it to the dynamo body, and bending up a loop for the frame attachment. This is not to say I didn't try to use the etched parts… There's just the wiring loom to be fitted, again somewhat dependent on the final angle the dynamo hangs at.
The air brake cylinder and valve gubbins. I have inserted a styrene floor for the JLTRT parts to sit on. Some will remember discussions in the Raising the Standard thread about an odd cast valve we couldn't identify. Well, that's been hacked about and serves as what appears to be a drain cock or bleed valve on one of the air pipes. This assembly is not fixed in place yet, as it'll be easier to paint before it gets glued in.
A query: there's a bracket and threaded rod fixed to the longitudinal frame, which seems to have some bearing on the dynamo bracket. I can't work out its function, and I do like to a least have some inkling as to what the various components are on the models I build.
I do love the clutter under coaches. It can take a while to construct, be all but invisible when painted, but it just really appeals to me when I see all the bits and bobs under a train as it rolls past.
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
This was covered in, I think, the Mk.1 Resources topic where I produced a couple of photos - I recollect that Bob Reid advised that the purpose of the bracket, rod and adjusting screws is to ensure correct alignment of the dynamo.
Please ask if you wish that I send the relevant pictures.
regards, Graham
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Aha! Thanks, Graham. That seems to fit with what Best Beloved and I figured out from the various photos. I've already fitted the item to the model, but thanks for offer of the pics.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
A couple of battery boxes. Lots of parts, fragile overlays, and some RSU work. A little untidy, but I think it'll look fine painted and grubby.
Heather,
Once again - adhesive for the overlays and most/all of the n/s detailing! You'd have time to get everything aligned then. Just place the 'fragile' overlays on the box and the capillery action of very thin Zap or similar would have done the rest - same with our chain brackets/lace pins on the dynamo, which look great if fitted correctly. I can see from the photos that too much force has been applied to the main overlay etchings and that they have been creased.
If you want to see someone using some of the techniques that I intended for these kits then look over on Britmodeller and put Tornado GPU into the search facility. A customer of ours is building one of our 1/32nd Flightpath Tornado Ground Power Units using some soldering + glue + pre-paining certain sections and adding other parts after painting. This is exactly how areas of the RMB would benefit from being built. You have body detailing, gangways & interor all coming up and this approach applies very much to those areas.
Only being helpful here - as I'm sure it would also save the you a shed-load of time [which presumably is very important to a commercial builder].
Regards,
DJP
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Thanks David. Of course, you are quite correct. With the RMB there are some further underfloor details to go, which will probably benefit from glue rather than solder. 
As to time, well, that's probably true as well. Then again, time just seems to flow away when I'm having fun.
As to time, well, that's probably true as well. Then again, time just seems to flow away when I'm having fun.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Very nice, it's a shame that David isn't able to offer those separately from his kits.
I have just got the etches for a Gresley, Restaurant Triplet set and I need a few battery boxes (along with quite a few other bits and pieces).
I have just got the etches for a Gresley, Restaurant Triplet set and I need a few battery boxes (along with quite a few other bits and pieces
).