My 7mm dabblings

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Oh get off, you're well ahead now, you just have to remember, I cheat with easy narrow round topped boilers....

But not for long. Got a couple of wide fire boxes coming up soon (ish)..

JB
Couple?, I've only heard a sniff of one ;) but look forward to seeing progress.

I did manage to sort the footplate gap out :thumbs:, more bending and swearing and it's acceptable in unpainted guise, I'll worry about what's left once it's all painted. I also managed to sort the handrails out as well, a 'gentle' ovaling of the holes allowed the handrail knobs to be moved accordingly to straighten the rail, luckily there's a flange on the base of the knobs which covers the oval hole.

And that they say is that, I'll just add the mud hole door backing pieces, simply because they have already been cut from the etch and it'll remove the risk of loosing them. It'll go to Sudbury on Sunday for one final test run through the Love Lane crossover, to check clearances and then it'll be packed away safely for another day.

The work bench and research material is already cleared away, it's amazing how much crap you generate as a project progresses:eek: but it's nice to finally see some bench underneath and make space for future projects.

Also, after much hand wringing I've decided to unload a fair portion of the boxes from under the desk, not decided exactly which ones yet (but will do over the next couple of days). It's not that I don't like the subject matter, just that they don't meet my wishes in other aspects.
 

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
Aye, there be two V2's in the stash now, though I will require a second tender when I get to them..

Please, no more kits up for sale... I've spent a fortune on modelling the last few weeks what with the MacRat too..

JB.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Aye, there be two V2's in the stash now, though I will require a second tender when I get to them..

Please, no more kits up for sale... I've spent a fortune on modelling the last few weeks what with the MacRat too..

JB.
Ahh a brace of V2's, nice!

Don't worry I doubt the kits fit your interest bubbles, unless you want another BRCW Type 2...in blue, just need to source some finescale wheels for it, doubt there's much interest in an S7 version.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Well, nigh on a year since this thread was updated, the chores of the W1 :rolleyes:, with a few weeks spare until the next etches come back it's time for some catching up elsewhere (and a little NGG16 here and there;))

The A3 needs a new smoke box saddle so that'll be the first task, I could scratch build it, but to be honest it'll be quicker to CAD the art work and have one etched, obviously just getting a smoke box saddle etched is a huge waste of metal, time and resources, so, what to fill the rest of the art work up with.

Well the original kit bogie is trash so I could work up a new etched one with accurate stays and cross bearers, easier done than said as the W1 is very close but has a wheel base 3" longer, I also need a new ash pan to close the gap under the foot plate at the rear, that might be easier to scratch build as getting the corner shape to match the footplate sweep will be difficult on a first pass etch and the whole idea is to make this a one pass effort, no MkII etches here. I also need a new smoke box face with opening to see inside, and probably a boiler front tube face sheet.

The other option is to simply add these few parts onto another project, a couple spring to mind, the EM1 (class 76 to the youf's of the community) slow burner or the Peak.

The Peak was never a real project, I always figured I'd just get a JLTRT one in the distant future, so that made it a kit purchase rather than a self build project, however, whilst at a well known show someone tipped me that JLTRT had a box of seconds on the floor under their stand, by the time I'd got there it was like watching shark fighting, so rolling up ones sleeves I just grabbed what I could, paid the good people of JLTRT and scuttled off with my stash, placed it in a box and promptly forgot about it for a loooong time, until today.

So what did the shark pit produce :cool:

IMG_6654.jpg

Well we have three cabs, four noses, two centre tanks and one chassis, I must confess I did target the noses with a specific aim, split code 45 and one piece centre code class 46. By pure chance the roof castings were different and also made a class 45 and 46 and I grabbed two different tank arrangements, which again with out reference material to hand was a best guess and again makes a 45 and 46 possible.

The single chassis isn't much of a bind as I can use it as a template to make a metal one for the second engine but the lack of a fourth cab is a bit of a stumbling block at the moment, but having a donor to go by it will be possible to scratch build a pretty close replica I hope.

To be frank, most of these parts are damaged in one way or another, nothing drastic, but that's why they are in the seconds box, one cab looks like it has glue spills on it, not a problem to clean up at all, but none of this is kit box fit.

I also managed to grab some sides.

IMG_6655.jpg

And this is where the tangled web of body sides comes to the fore. After much scouring of the web and books it looks like two of the sides are not what they should be, the light grey one at the top is the most accurate, but I'm not quite sure which class for as yet, never the less, the grills and supports look to be in roughly the right places.

The green and dark grey ones are clearly not right, the boiler room vent is to far forward (toward the boiler filler steps) and the small blanking plate under the main grill is in the wrong place, the body side beams just above clearly pass right through the opening, if it were a grill, check the light grey one for the correct position. I also think the body structure seen through the grill are not in the right locations, so I think the lower two are test runs and are pretty much useless.

Again this isn't much of a problem as the Peak body side is basically a big slab and easy to replicate, new grills are easy to whip up in CAD, and thus after a much convoluted route, we have some more parts to fill up the space with the A3 bits ;)

The class 46 will be a Gateshead green one in late 62 to go with the rest of my ECML stock, the 45 is still open to debate, I like green with small yellow ends as seen around Holbeck and Leeds, but I still remember seeing them on the MML in BR blue.

Of course, I could ignore all that, re-open the DA A1 kit and start work on a new chassis for the engine ala W1 style, actually, I do need to look at the tender (of exploding rattle can fame) as it really doesn't roll along very well at all.

MD
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Ragstone list a whitemetal item.....76501

Col.
Yes they do, and very nice it is too, but there's a high risk it won't fit my widened frames and be designed for fine scale, if it's too narrow like the DA one then the the sides are in the wrong place, which means that if the saddle is to look right and not over hang the sides, will be too narrow and that then impacts visually on the steam delivery pipes where it interfaces with them, blah blah bah....you know where I'm going with this ;)

Besides, once I have the art work for that part (and one or two others) I can then use it later if I want to make an etched A3 (OF and S7 options) model, and I'm sure your already way ahead of me on the answer to that ;), and, if I box clever and pick the right gauge material then it'll scale up to 1:32.

So, the question really is, do I want a nice Ragstone white metal smoke box saddle, or a 1:32 etched A3 model :cool:

MD
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Create a cabless B unit. Class 45B or 46B :)?




I do as well and have a few photos of them around Derby in the 1980s.
Now that's an appealing what if, maybe, fantasy project. Better yet, make two single ended units and back them back to back like the Baldwin Centipede :cool:

4559474192_cf99425317_o.jpgPRR 5829 Baldwin Centipedes Horseshoe Curve by jimkleeman, on Flickr

That'd make it a 5000 hp monster so class 64 would fit nicely, D500 or 64 001?

MD
 
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Osgood

Western Thunderer
That would look good with a Flying Scotsman style 2nd corridor tender converted to fuel bunker sandwiched in between.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Ok, post Telford and after many debriefings it was finally time to peruse those items which we should not buy, but do, immediately regret but deep down are glad we did :cool:

First off a quick whizz by the Heljan stand, Phil and Heljan were haggling over a box of bits and pieces, rather cheekily (the deal was not yet done) and with pikey swiftness I whipped out two shells and asked how much :cool:

To be fair I thought one of them was a 47 and the other was certainly a Warship. Phil being polite agreed and struck a deal for the rest, to be fair the white knuckle death like grip and 100 m sprinters stance I'd taken probably had something to do with it, none the less, thank you Phil for your politeness :thumbs: Goodies in hand it was back to the Finney7 stand for the first stint.

A while later I crossed paths with the Blue Brigade and showed them the wares, of course they're only bodies I said and then one of them, I think it was Ross, I'll blame him anyway ;) informed me that you could get the rest of the bits as spares, done deal.

So Monday a quick phone call to a man in a warehouse and a large list of bits was procured, to be fair I only wanted the lower valance for the Warship, but he said it came with this and that and the seed was sown, "what else do you do" I asked, "oh virtually everything sir", to whit I bought virtually everything :thumbs: I was warned it would be expensive and sat on tenterhooks awaiting the final bill, now to be fair, to many it is a lot of money, but when you consider what you're getting and the time saved on scratch building, it's the bargain of the century.

Today the Postman delivered 'virtually everything'.

IMG_7908.jpg

And so you see, one Falcon body and a virtually complete set of sprues, though I seem to be missing some bits for the control desk so will have to look on line and see if I can see whats missing or if it can be fabricated locally. We also have a Swindon built Warship with sundry sprues to detail. I have plans for the Warship, one or at least two cab doors will go for etched open ones and the cab floor and rear bulkhead need some work to take the motor cover off, but other than that I think pretty much all of it is there. An etch for roof grills, steps and walkways is forthcoming in the future.

I also seem to have acquired two falcon buffer beams and hoses sprues so if anyone is short or needs some bits, just shout and I'll send it over for the price of a beer or two.

I can't but help think that Heljan are missing a trick here, I like to make things and although these will end up virtually no different than a RTR model I will have had the pleasure of assembling it. I also have to make the drive trains and supply motors and wheels, but this way gives me a choice of how I want to do that.

Much later in the day I again came across the Blue brigade, debating some tin thing with openings in the side, it was painted a funny shade of blue and grey, I think it was called a 'coach' or something :D funny sort of thing really, apparently you join several of them together and they make what's called a train that you can run on a 'train set'....how quaint! ;):cool:
Being used to 'Static 7' I find this concept of moving trains rather disturbing and un-nerving, just not good cricket old boy.

None the less on the table also was a DB TRAXX, "you're not going to buy that!" they exclaimed, I did hold off for a few minutes, primarily because it's labeled as Railion and I wanted DB biscuit, but in the end I walked away with a big box under my arm.

IMG_7910.jpg

Apparently it's sound equipped DC, DCC and DCCS compatible what ever that lot means, the man said you need a converter for this and that to work on the MTH system, I figured a screw driver, sharp knife and soldering iron would suffice, maybe a bent rusty nail as a backup. Mind, you also need one of these so called 'train sets' and I don't have one of them either so this and that are rather a waste of time at the moment :p

To be fair I've always wanted a TRAXX model and 50% of the purchase was as a starting point to measure up for a scratch build project, I'm going to assume MTH have the basic dimensions right so working from this should give me enough information to work up some art work for one of the later variants that work into Danmark.

The purchase did give me a chance to open up last years impulse buy.
IMG_7911.jpg

Like the TRAXX, not a perfect representation of what I wanted, as I'd like it in the 221 xxx.x series, not V200.1xx, so now I have two engines to try and remove decals from and re number / letter.

IMG_7912.jpg

About as far apart chronologically you can get in modern German railway terms, and I need a bigger white backdrop LOL.

Enjoy.

MD
 
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demu1037

Western Thunderer
Ok, post Telford

The purchase did give me a chance to open up last years impulse buy.
View attachment 58738

Like the TRAXX, not a perfect representation of what I wanted, as I'd like it in the 221 xxx.x series, not V200.1xx, so now I have two engines to try and remove decals from and re number / letter.


Enjoy.

MD

Unfortunately V200's don't fit through the platforms on Heyside
 
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