simond

Western Thunderer
Fingers crossed, the roof will work.

My technique for plasticard curving hasn’t failed yet…. Hope it’s of use.

I have a tin can which I think came with a bottle of brandy inside & a couple of pairs of ‘er ladyship’s laddered tights. I tape the rectangle of plasticard to the can, aligning the edge with the seam, and then put several layers of the tights over it, before filing the can with boiling water. Leave it to cool, or just wait a bit, empty out and refill with cold.
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
Fingers crossed, the roof will work.

My technique for plasticard curving hasn’t failed yet…. Hope it’s of use.

I have a tin can which I think came with a bottle of brandy inside & a couple of pairs of ‘er ladyship’s laddered tights. I tape the rectangle of plasticard to the can, aligning the edge with the seam, and then put several layers of the tights over it, before filing the can with boiling water. Leave it to cool, or just wait a bit, empty out and refill with cold.

That’s much what I do - the key thing seems to be to keep the plastic clamped while it cools. Nice to see a K’s Palvan: possibly the one wagon from the range that’s worth preserving with (though maybe not alongside the Parkside one).

Adam
 

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
Despite the adversity, you’re always one step ahead, Jan (from one one who wouldn’t even know where to begin ;)):thumbs:

Jonte
Hi @jonte
Thank you. I’m a bit adrift ATM (although I’ve been offered - and accepted - another post in the company, so that’s a relief..). And this was supposed to be a Pick Me Up to help keep my mind on track. I enjoy pottering with wagonry; it involves research,,so that’s always going to prejudice me!

I hope you’re feeling better.

Cheers

Jan
 

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
Fingers crossed, the roof will work.

My technique for plasticard curving hasn’t failed yet…. Hope it’s of use.

I have a tin can which I think came with a bottle of brandy inside & a couple of pairs of ‘er ladyship’s laddered tights. I tape the rectangle of plasticard to the can, aligning the edge with the seam, and then put several layers of the tights over it, before filing the can with boiling water. Leave it to cool, or just wait a bit, empty out and refill with cold.
Hi @simond

Thank you. That’s an interesting addition to the Tools & Techniques that I’ve garnered from a post on the The Clearing House FB group. My lady isn’t a tights wearer, but I’ll definitely take components of your experience and see what I can do.

Cheers

Jan
 

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
That’s much what I do - the key thing seems to be to keep the plastic clamped while it cools. Nice to see a K’s Palvan: possibly the one wagon from the range that’s worth preserving with (though maybe not alongside the Parkside one).

Adam
Hi @AJC
I did try the boiling water thing. Maybe because I’ve gone with 30 thou, I wasn’t as successful as I could have been.

For sure, the Ks van was a lucky find on EBay. It does suffer (to my eyes, at least) from the bottom crossbar on the door being too deep. I’ve also taken a needle file to the tops of the vertical stanchions; the prototype stanchions a slight tapering, which I can’t unsee. And - having identified the odd extrusion fixed at the end and corner as a door support (BR Standard Palvan - diag. 1/211 | 082798Pallet van) I’ll be attempting those, as well.

Cheers

Jan
 

jonte

Western Thunderer
Resurrection Shuffle
A delve back into the Jobs To Be Done. Reworking a Ks Palvan. The assembly transitioned from epoxy to solder, and the roof was revamped, via Araldite and arm wrestling. I tried curving the roof (30 thou) by heating it in boiling water, to little effect. So it was back to old school persuasion. I’ve put in a stretcher between the ends to stop the roof sagging. At times like these, the lack of a floor is a bonus… 1mm angle for the stretcher bars..

View attachment 164334

… I’m a heavy user of cocktail sticks…

Cheers

Jan

Hi @jonte
Thank you. I’m a bit adrift ATM (although I’ve been offered - and accepted - another post in the company, so that’s a relief..). And this was supposed to be a Pick Me Up to help keep my mind on track. I enjoy pottering with wagonry; it involves research,,so that’s always going to prejudice me!

I hope you’re feeling better.

Cheers

Jan

Good to hear, Jan; thanks for the update :thumbs:

I’d toast your good news but unfortunately I’m still a little under the weather, but improving daily thanks to the antibiotics. I’ll put it on hold for now, like the modelling :)

Talking of medicine, it looks like wagonry is without doubt the best medicine, my friend; long may it be.

Will continue to keep an eye on developments, especially the bendy roof!

Jon
 
1/211 PALVAN

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
A Sense Of Attachment
The reworked Keyser Palvan (should it be all caps?) gets a dose of after-market refinement. The 30 thou roof is down, and 13” buffers from LMS have been added. Next will be coupling hook and pipes from the same source, and vac cylinder from Wizard.
0B5EB708-79C0-414D-930C-75A38DA60DCF.jpeg
I’m going to try (maybe I should put that in CAPS ) and make the representation of the horizontal bar that sits above the middle crossbeam of the left hand door, the grab handles that sit diagonally in the corners of the door at the same level, and the door stops that extend out from the corner pillars. Nice to have a modicum of mojo back, though.

Cheers

Jan
 
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AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Hi @AJC Adam
Thank you; it’s a peculiar madness - I’ve wanted a Y4 for years, and got tired of waiting for Karlgarin to make good their promise… but the temptation to wrap this thing in skirts a la the Y6 is very strong!

Today, I’ve been cutting out the expansion links. Trial fitting (a real pain) identifies I have the expansion block bracket about 0.75 mm too high.. the radius rod should be horizontal… so I’ll have to move it down.. I’m considering making the motion ‘off site’ and using the soldering of the expansion link bracket as a final anchor for all that knitting….
View attachment 162353
View attachment 162354
View attachment 162355
Oh for some micro-needle files…

Thanks again

Cheers

Jan
Very much enjoying the build with this Y4 Jan, Giving me much inspiration to keep at my Wantage Tramway No. 5.
Nothing as frightening as Walscherts valve gear on that though! Be splendid when you’ve got that nailed.
Looking forward to more progress.
Cheers
 
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Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
Very much enjoying the build with this Y4 Jan, Giving me much inspiration to keep at my Wantage Tramway No. 5.
Nothing as frightening as Walscherts valve gear on that though! Be splendid when you’ve got that nailed.
Looking forward to more progres.
Cheers
Hi @AdeMoore
Thank you for your kind words, and encouragement. I think what you're doing with No. 5 is something wonderful; especially in the adapting of your environment for your needs :)

Yes; Outside Walschaerts is a doozy. I've definitely gone BOING off the top board, straight into the deep end, at the first attempt.. I'm just looking at 0.7mm Rivets - 20 pieces | TD23017 | Top Studio to see if they would be any help in stitching it all together. It's either that, or make my own (which would be an approximation thereof, an concocted from nickel silver wire).

Thanks again

Cheers

Jan
 

AdeMoore

Western Thunderer
Hi @AdeMoore
Thank you for your kind words, and encouragement. I think what you're doing with No. 5 is something wonderful; especially in the adapting of your environment for your needs :)

Yes; Outside Walschaerts is a doozy. I've definitely gone BOING off the top board, straight into the deep end, at the first attempt.. I'm just looking at 0.7mm Rivets - 20 pieces | TD23017 | Top Studio to see if they would be any help in stitching it all together. It's either that, or make my own (which would be an approximation thereof, an concocted from nickel silver wire).

Thanks again

Cheers

Jan
Cheers Jan rather enjoying the madness of my build mainly in the van!
Good search to find those rivets! I’ve bookmarked the page some hard to get stuff there I think. Cross over from bigger scale model car supplier unexpected.
Good luck on your quest to nail it, whichever route you decide.
Cheers
Ade
 
1/211 PALVAN

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
End (Fun &) Games
The Dia. 1/211 PALVAN now awaits transfer to the Watkins Wharf Finishing Shop, where it will be given its identity before being subjected to the inscrutable gaze of the LMR Traffic Manager (East London). We’ll try not to point out the vagaries of the corner joints - purely a matter of manufacture, rather than any ineptitude from the Fabrication Shop Boys.

But before the end, a last hill to climb.. vis, the rectification of a non-parallel axle…Having built the van body to sit flat on the bottom of its cast W irons, we were horrified to find that the holes for the bearings on one axle didn’t line up, and made one wheel sit up clear of the railhead. So we made a false floor of 40 thou plasticard, and modified the space (including scraping the back of the axleboxes) for an MJT internal compensating unit, that we made fixed by slipping some 20 thou plasticard either side of the pivot point.
5E7768D2-5EC3-4A8B-8983-28068C4C5E4B.jpeg

The pinpoint ends of the axle were filed off, and the wheels spaced out from the compensating unit with a variety of Gibson 2mm washers.

81107D74-F962-46A7-8D8A-A7F86C4F0CC8.jpeg

The whole assembly was then offered up to the buffer height gauge to determine the thickness of packers required (2 mm). It sits well. A job, jobbed.

B3E0DB50-5F47-4411-AD6F-23BF5EBD05C5.jpeg
D3871BC3-BCC2-4A79-82E5-5F5B80B8B981.jpeg
With that hurdle overcome, the last knockings involved a representation of one of the bits that the Keyser PALVAN was light on; the crossbar for the latching of the open door. A bit of 0.3 mm NS round rod flattened with toffee hammer and anvil, and bent to shape. We made one in brass, initially, but it was too soft.

56631236-3277-4B8B-BB86-FD9CD1720499.jpeg

The last last job (we think) was to add the door catch/bang on the relevant corners, and remove the tiebar between the axleboxes. We did this because we weren’t happy with the look of them, and we’ve identified via Larkin’s V2 (A Pictorial Study of the 1955-1961 Period - British Railways Goods Wagons) and Paul Bartlett’s excellent site that Lot 2784 (Summer 1955) were vacuum fitted, but not Clasp, and didn’t have the tiebar. So we took ‘em off. Sue us!

Cheers

Jan
 

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jonte

Western Thunderer
Please convey my congrats to the Fab Shop Boys for their ingenuity, forbearance and perseverance :thumbs:

We (this) lesser mortals would have given up long ago!

A fine looking vehicle, Jan, and somewhat unusual I suspect.

Well done!

Jonte
 
1/211 PALVAN

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
Please convey my congrats to the Fab Shop Boys for their ingenuity, forbearance and perseverance :thumbs:

We (this) lesser mortals would have given up long ago!

A fine looking vehicle, Jan, and somewhat unusual I suspect.

Well done!

Jonte
Hi @jonte
Thanks. Will do..
Yes. The 1/211s were the forerunners of the BR Pallet Van designs, but were relatively short-lived, due to their instability and bad riding (meaning they were top of the leaderboard for derailing) and their cupboard doors weren’t popular in some places, so the VANWIDEs were more than welcome as replacements. Report on the Derailment which occurred on 11th February 1961 between Rugby (Central) and Lutterworth Stations in the London Midland Region British Railways :: The Railways Archive after which, they seem to have been quietly scrapped (although some were given improved suspension and lasted a bit longer).

Cheers

Jan
 
1/211 PALVAN

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
Your Number’s Up

The PALVAN gets its identity, a sealing waft of Testors Dullcote and some Birchwood Casey on the couplings, and the journey is over. The Paint Shop Boys - back from Glastonbury - used Railmatch acrylics - brush applied - were use to lighten the body colour (Early Freight Bauxite - 2323) and darken the roof (Roof Dirt - 2403). Instanters were from Ambis.

By rights, it should be a PALLET VAN, but our research couldn’t find anyone who did that, so it was over to went with the Modelmaster sheet 4645, which as well as supplying the correct number for the Lot and the XP marking, had PALVAN on it.

The Tare is too much; it should be 8-15 or thereabouts, but 9-7 was as close as we could get. It’ll just have to have to be loaded more lightly!

C438A281-2AB6-43A4-A5F1-FEFA15FB6341.jpegF76EBCC7-588E-4A70-8C25-131F9D3B72D2.jpegE52E5DED-3508-450E-B8DA-641B971E6952.jpeg

Cheers

Jan
 

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
Your Number’s Up
65445 had its smokebox numberplate and shedcode fitted today. These are Railtec 3D plates - a bit of a faff: even following the instructions and lying the numberplate flat for an hour wouldn’t stop it curling. But a bit of PVA (as per instructions) and a very carefully positioned elastic band got the better of it in the end. Once the ‘plates are dry, I’ll do the Dullcote thing, as per the PALVAN.

The journey of half a lifetime with this Gibson kit is coming to an end…
C0911FC3-C3AE-4E3F-8C0B-1DB42AAE8530.jpegD9EB3A65-A923-45BD-9AD1-F47FAC1FB4EC.jpegDA6E8395-B704-46BA-86C4-62999267B58E.jpeg

Cheers

Jan
 
TOAD B

Lyndhurstman

Western Thunderer
Van moreish, son
91D3B4E9-D772-4355-81D4-31AAE6F9E453.jpeg

Another something that isn’t a Y4. A part-built Parkside Toad B scored from EBay. Toad Bs were the forerunner of the LNER Toad D, which itself became the basis for the BR 20T Brake Van (Diagram 1/506). The later versions of the Toad B were Toad E, and had steel duckets. Since this photo was taken, I’ve had the roof off to fit glazing to the windows and duckets. Then there’s the details…
6CD40DF2-76D2-4407-BF38-529E224D012E.jpeg
These are the Shawplan Extreme Etchings strips being folded into lamp irons with the help of my Hold & Fold. One for each corner post, initially. But we’ll need to be 12 in total; 4 on each end panel, plus these. and then there’s the handrails… I might have the buffers off and fit proper ones from Lanarkshire.
None of this is envelope-pushing, of course… I’m very grateful to Mr Banks for his accounting.. LNER goods brake van: Toad B - Steve Banks

Cheers

Jan
 

jonte

Western Thunderer
Until your chronicling, Jan, I never considered such mundane articles as ‘goods wagons’ worthy of such finery.

I’m still learning ;)

jonte
 
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