4mm Jan's 4mm WB: Hello, Old Friend

[Lyndhurstman]

Wheel meet again

Upright and sat down. After many tribulations over the past few evenings, we have a rolling chassis.
It had got to this state earlier in the week, but one of the interior axles was skidding, rather then turning. So it came apart again and had some hacking and filing applied. Although the biggest problem was that I’d failed to notice that one of the waisted pinpoint bearings had settled in skewed, and the cup of another one wasn’t machined out to a proper accommodation (subsequent checking seems to confirm that this one came from a batch of Markits bearings, whereas the other seven were Gibsons; I can only presume that Stores had a catalogue issue in times past, and allowed some mixing of manufacturers. A memo had been raised to try to rectify procedures.)

Still, now it runs smoothly. Uncompensated. I did toy with fitting a pair of MJT internal rocking unit on a pair of axles, but there really isn’t enough room between the solebars to get free movement.

With the glue drying, and the sun finally shining, here seems to be a good point for me to acknowledge the considerable help I have had from Tad, the designer of this kit. He’s provided numerous iterations to me in our joint pursuit of applying P4-ability to this kit. And given me a lot of knowledge and history about the various methods of manufacturing and development of substrates. It’s been (is being; let’s not get ahead of ourselves…) an education. I greatly appreciate his support, and willingness to help overcome my pernicketiness.

Cheers

Jan

 

[jonte]

Wheel meet again
View attachment 213380
Upright and sat down. After many tribulations over the past few evenings, we have a rolling chassis.
It had got to this state earlier in the week, but one of the interior axles was skidding, rather then turning. So it came apart again and had some hacking and filing applied. Although the biggest problem was that I’d failed to notice that one of the waisted pinpoint bearings had settled in skewed, and the cup of another one wasn’t machined out to a proper accommodation (subsequent checking seems to confirm that this one came from a batch of Markits bearings, whereas the other seven were Gibsons; I can only presume that Stores had a catalogue issue in times past, and allowed some mixing of manufacturers. A memo had been raised to try to rectify procedures.)

Still, now it runs smoothly. Uncompensated. I did toy with fitting a pair of MJT internal rocking unit on a pair of axles, but there really isn’t enough room between the solebars to get free movement.

With the glue drying, and the sun finally shining, here seems to be a good point for me to acknowledge the considerable help I have had from Tad, the designer of this kit. He’s provided numerous iterations to me in our joint pursuit of applying P4-ability to this kit. And given me a lot of knowledge and history about the various methods of manufacturing and development of substrates. It’s been (is being; let’s not get ahead of ourselves…) an education. I greatly appreciate his support, and willingness to help overcome my pernicketiness.

Cheers

Jan

I’m pleased that your perseverance (nay, trial and tribulation ) has paid off, Jan, and with valuable assistance as mentioned, appears overall to have been an enjoyable experience.

Here’s to the next!

Jon

 

[Lyndhurstman]

I’m pleased that your perseverance (nay, trial and tribulation ) has paid off, Jan, and with valuable assistance as mentioned, appears overall to have been an enjoyable experience.

Here’s to the next!

Jon

Thanks Jon,
As every, your support is gratefully acknowledged. As are all those who’ve stumbled upon this elongated therapy session.

I think my enjoyment comes in triumphing despite. We all have a variety of drains, scrapes, and wounds delivered unto us, and the restorative - and escapist - nature of a hobby is a definite boon, for me.

Thanks again

Cheers

Jan

 

[Suffolk Dave]

A memo had been raised to try to rectify procedures.

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Curve Balls
I’m adding the roof onto the GNR Brake. I tried the usual dodge pouring boiling water on plasticard stuck to a bottle of suitable curvature, but it didn’t convince. So I had an epiphany, and dug out the sheet of scalemodelscenery lasercut wagon floorboards. Just the business.

The only Faff was making the end roof support stay in place; the kit has it butting up against the pillars, and butt joints are never much cop, in my opinion. So I made a plasticard spacer to sit beneath it, and sellotaped both to inside of the veranda.

This allowed me to place Gorilla Glue contact adhesive on the inside of the roof, and place it on the end, holding it down with a elastic band contrivance.

I did one at a time, to make sure the roof sat properly. Once it’s all dried off, I’ll give it a paint, and fit the chimney and vent before sticking it down again.


Cheers

Jan

 

[Suffolk Dave]

Shame you're not modelling the interior, the ceiling would now look spot on!

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Shame you're not modelling the interior, the ceiling would now look spot on!

Thanks, Dave.
I did think about putting some generic things in there, but you really can’t see anything, and the space is comprised by the thickness of the walls, anyway. But there’s always the verandah roof to bear witness (or whiteness; i presume that would be the colour of choice… #shrugsinignorance )

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Last Knockings: Part 1

Today we celebrate light at the end of a twin bore tunnel.

In the Grown Up World, Argyle are safe for another year. In Tiny Train World we’re coming (we fervently hope) to The End, Brake van-wise.

This week, I realised that there was a modification carried out on these vans, with two conjoined handrails at one end. This necessitated a jig, and some 0.45 NS wire.
Today, with my mind 16 miles away, I did some simple stuff; adding the straight rain strips to each corner, and applying some paint.


All that’s left to do now is order the lamp irons from PHDesigns - I have to get some folding stuff together for that - add the side lamps at the roof level, and numbering.

Cheers

Jan

 

[jonte]

Congrats on both counts, Jan

Jon

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Congrats on both counts, Jan

Jon

As ever, thank you Jon
There are seemingly very few pictures of these beasts in service; they were built for the London coal trains, and people never seemed to focus on the back for some reason. Steve Banks made one from the D&S kit (I’ve seen them go for around 50 quid on eBay), and the double handrails only came to light fairly recently, when a grainy photo popped up on RMWeb. I used the spare ‘fret’ of the kit as a jig.

… and this is the havoc making a pair of these did to my tidy workbench…

… as for Argyle… well, let’s just acknowledge that being a fan of anything is one delightfully weird aspect of being human. Or at least this human! It probably has something to do with our belief that we’re associated with success and achievement. So it happens rarely for The Green Army

Cheers

Jan

 

[jonte]

As ever, thank you Jon
There are seemingly very few pictures of these beasts in service; they were built for the London coal trains, and people never seemed to focus on the back for some reason. Steve Banks made one from the D&S kit (I’ve seen them go for around 50 quid on eBay), and the double handrails only came to light fairly recently, when a grainy photo popped up on RMWeb. I used the spare ‘fret’ of the kit as a jig.
View attachment 214709
… and this is the havoc making a pair of these did to my tidy workbench…
View attachment 214710
… as for Argyle… well, let’s just acknowledge that being a fan of anything is one delightfully weird aspect of being human. Or at least this human! It probably has something to do with our belief that we’re associated with success and achievement. So it happens rarely for The Green Army

Cheers

Jan

Well done with the perseverance on your search for fidelity; good to see a spare piece of fret put to good use too

I still keep the odd piece of waste in store for a rainy day, although sadly the opportunity seldom arises….

As for being a fan, we’re on the same page, Jan. As an Evertonian, I often wonder why I put myself through it. I’m reliably informed were ‘born to be’

Keep on keeping on.

Jon

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Shanks for everything
Buffer housings and location. The GNR buffer bodies were ornate ribbed affairs, and after a fruitless search, the designer of the kit generously ran off an interpretive foursome for me. I tried to make them sprung, but to was too much for me at the moment; dealing with multiple miniature bores of Albion Alloy tube and the associated Ping Factor were primary stumbling blocks… So I’ve gone with making a mounting boss-cum-depth stop out of two diameters of Plastruct tube and rod. And drilling the 0.45mm hole by hand. (I tried the Unimat, but I was too a-feared of breaking the drill….)


The larger diameter will sit in the existing hole in the bufferbeam. One down, three to go…

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Bossing It
So, after some very slow hand drilling (see previous post) the mounting bosses for the 3D printed buffer housings are done. I made a simple ‘jig’ (a bit of 60 thou Plasticard with a hole in it ) to cut them all to the same length - using a PH Designs etched blade in my Swann Morton No. 3 handle, and dressing them with a smooth file. Then the van’s buffer beams were incrementally drilled from 2 to 2.4 mm to be able to fit them.The third shot shows the housings in place.



The jury’s out on whether I’ll use them; they have the distinctive curved end, but the detail seems to be lacking in the ribs. I think I shall paint them first and see how they come up…

[EDIT] BREAKING NEWS….


They’ve come up well, I think. Take that, Oh Ye Of Little Faith (Me!). And thanks again to Tad.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Misses browns, boys
The long term GNR ventilated van gets some colouring.

I spent last night carefully painting the buffer beams Railmatch Weathered Black. Today, I noted that Steve Banks excellent model is all over GNR freight brown. Including solebar. After mulling it over, I’m going to presume that the wooden chassis of these vans would have been painted black at some point. Your kilometreage may differ.

I’ve tried to go for a worn, stained, and weary look to the paint, layering it on three times, with varying amounts of water. I’ve tried not to overdo it. The middle layer was a dark streaky wash that I let get into the nooks and crannies around the metalwork. I’ve also used a mix of concrete, dark wash, and oxide to give a grubbiness to the lower edge of the sides. All this means that some unseen wag on the Wharf will chalk it up with their 3F rating - Fit For Firewood.

I’m also using a wet palette for the first time. Secret Santa has his moments…. The roof is just plonked on for the time being.

Cheers

Jan

 

[jonte]

Bossing It
So, after some very slow hand drilling (see previous post) the mounting bosses for the 3D printed buffer housings are done. I made a simple ‘jig’ (a bit of 60 thou Plasticard with a hole in it ) to cut them all to the same length - using a PH Designs etched blade in my Swann Morton No. 3 handle, and dressing them with a smooth file. Then the van’s buffer beams were incrementally drilled from 2 to 2.4 mm to be able to fit them.The third shot shows the housings in place.
View attachment 215355
View attachment 215356
View attachment 215357
The jury’s out on whether I’ll use them; they have the distinctive curved end, but the detail seems to be lacking in the ribs. I think I shall paint them first and see how they come up…

[EDIT] BREAKING NEWS….
View attachment 215360

They’ve come up well, I think. Take that, Oh Ye Of Little Faith (Me!). And thanks again to Tad.

Cheers

Jan

‘Boss-jig’ that, Jan, as we say on Merseyside

Seriously, well done.

Jon

 

[jonte]

Misses browns, boys
The long term GNR ventilated van gets some colouring.

I spent last night carefully painting the buffer beams Railmatch Weathered Black. Today, I noted that Steve Banks excellent model is all over GNR freight brown. Including solebar. After mulling it over, I’m going to presume that the wooden chassis of these vans would have been painted black at some point. Your kilometreage may differ.
View attachment 215634
I’ve tried to go for a worn, stained, and weary look to the paint, layering it on three times, with varying amounts of water. I’ve tried not to overdo it. The middle layer was a dark streaky wash that I let get into the nooks and crannies around the metalwork. I’ve also used a mix of concrete, dark wash, and oxide to give a grubbiness to the lower edge of the sides. All this means that some unseen wag on the Wharf will chalk it up with their 3F rating - Fit For Firewood.

I’m also using a wet palette for the first time. Secret Santa has his moments…. The roof is just plonked on for the time being.

Cheers

Jan

Most subtle, Jan. Here’s to Secret Santa

I can appreciate the amount of materials and skill used to achieve the effect. It’s certainly not wasted here, Jan, unlike those philistines down at the Wharf

Jon

 

[AJC]

Misses browns, boys
The long term GNR ventilated van gets some colouring.

I spent last night carefully painting the buffer beams Railmatch Weathered Black. Today, I noted that Steve Banks excellent model is all over GNR freight brown. Including solebar. After mulling it over, I’m going to presume that the wooden chassis of these vans would have been painted black at some point. Your kilometreage may differ.
View attachment 215634
I’ve tried to go for a worn, stained, and weary look to the paint, layering it on three times, with varying amounts of water. I’ve tried not to overdo it. The middle layer was a dark streaky wash that I let get into the nooks and crannies around the metalwork. I’ve also used a mix of concrete, dark wash, and oxide to give a grubbiness to the lower edge of the sides. All this means that some unseen wag on the Wharf will chalk it up with their 3F rating - Fit For Firewood.

I’m also using a wet palette for the first time. Secret Santa has his moments…. The roof is just plonked on for the time being.

Cheers

Jan

Looking very nice - that's another D&S kit, isn't it? I think of painting the answer would have been 'it depends' - BR spec' would have called for a black solebar but this didn't always happen, even into the '60s (it's especially notable on LMS brakes), but a simple renumbering would have retained the bauxite. I don't think it matters, hugely, both are probably right!

Adam

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Most subtle, Jan. Here’s to Secret Santa

I can appreciate the amount of materials and skill used to achieve the effect. It’s certainly not wasted here, Jan, unlike those philistines down at the Wharf

Jon

Thanks, Jon
It actually looks better in real life. I don’t think The Paint Shop Boys are too interested in this sort of stuff. They’re muttering about “when is brown not brown” and who decides “what Bauxite looks like”. It seems this one was painted using the Close But No Cigar colour chart.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Looking very nice - that's another D&S kit, isn't it? I think of painting the answer would have been 'it depends' - BR spec' would have called for a black solebar but this didn't always happen, even into the '60s (it's especially notable on LMS brakes), but a simple renumbering would have retained the bauxite. I don't think it matters, hugely, both are probably right!

Adam

Thanks, Adam.
I think it’s McGowan. Not sure Danny would have let this sort of quality leave the premises! It’s been in The Big Box Of Abandonment for a fair while, as I couldn’t make it work first time around. Hence the need for a false floor and compensation.

Thanks on your input into the solebar colour. There’s something odd to my eye about unified colouring of bodywork and solebar. Conditioning and upbringing, I guess. So I’m happy to go with Weathered Black. The bigger debate is what the GNR used for their Freight Brown. Unfitted is oh so much easier!

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

A Porky Prime Cut

(a nod to all those who ‘trainspotted’ 45 single runout grooves..)

A pair of Mica’s. X2, I believe. One was a eBay score, the right length, and described as kitbuilt. The other is the Hornby Dublo version. A stretch, on the reality front.

I’m pretty sure the eBay version is scratchbuilt; it was certainly heavily painted, and along with the accompanying wagons, had a lot of burrs. You can hopefully see this after it’s twenty minute bath in Phoenix Paints paint stripper.

The HD version MIGHT bear a cut and shut. IF it’s just a length issue….



The assembly was thick with UHU. The brake shoe assemblies (whitemetal) are very bendy. The 00 wheels have been removed, and the metal bits will be resubmitted to paint stripper. The body does not sit flat, as one of the solebars is too high at one end. And there’s a definite ‘bloat’ to the floor - which might preclude compensation. For all that, it’s an amazing bit of modelling that deserves some resurrection. I hope I can do it justice.

Cheers

Jan