40126
Western Thunderer
Hi Tom
Could you possibly add those pics to the MK11 Gallery as well?
http://www.westernthunder.co.uk/index.php?threads/mk11a.74/
Phill
+1
7mm On Heather's workbench - a trio of JLTRT Mk2s
- Thread starter Heather Kay
- Start date
+1
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
If the tables are the rectangular grey ones, the coach has been refurbished to bring it up to 2D and higher levels. I wonder if any of the original interiors survived beyond the mid-1980s.
Mk2s must be a nightmare for heritage lines, especially if they try and keep them in authentic early states. I thought they were boring in comparison to Mk1s, but the variations over the years are enough to keep all but the most pedantic modeller happy for hours!
Today's update is not much happened. A small packet arrived from JLTRT with the missing parts - only Laurie had misread my email and missed quite a few bits out. To get by, I am cannibalising the parts from one of the other kits in order to complete the first while I await the remaining parts.
So, TSO number one has a complete interior, an almost complete underframe (with couplings), a set of bogies that need painting and the wheels fitting. Then I just need to paint the body and roof, and that's done. To check the extended shank Kadees work as expected, I shall fit them to the second TSO tonight so I can gauge spacing and so on.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
There is a distinct tang of cellulose paint in the air. I deemed it warm enough to venture into the loft workshop and set up the spray booth to see about getting some paint on coach sides.
The spray booth is more a corner of the loft, partitioned off with those light polythene covers you get in DIY shops to cover the floor and stuff with. It's enough to prevent too much dust and grot getting into the rest of the loft. The workshop has benches all around the outside, at a convenient height to work at while standing. I bought a large plastic storage box, which sits on its side on the bench, with a fluorescent desk lamp stuck on top with a daylight bulb in it as illumination. This is an adequate area for the amount of spraying I usually do.
Richard and friends have found a place that will provide relatively small quantities of aerosol paint tins containing BR Rail Grey and Rail Blue, mixed to the BS specifications. This is the first time I've used this new paint. I have to say, it's amazing! Mixing tinlets of Precision and airbrushing is okay, but it takes several good coats to get the colour and coverage about right. The rattle can grey went on very quickly, and was dry in under an hour.
I splurged and got a coat of grey on all six sides in under 20 minutes. Now the paint has hardened, I've set them aside in the airing cupboard overnight to really dry nice and hard. Then I'll set about remedial work where some pesky dust landed on the drying paint, and the paint went on a bit too thick.
Once I've done that, I'll give them another coat of grey and repeat the drying process.
Then will come the fun part of marking out and masking the grey bit ready for the blue bit to go on. Which leads me to a question: what are the measurements for the grey panel on Mk2 coaches?
I have copious detail and measurements for the Mk1 livery, but I can't seem to find a proper reference for the Mk2. What I need is the distance above and below windows, I think. Is it the same as the Mk1? Any ideas chaps?
The spray booth is more a corner of the loft, partitioned off with those light polythene covers you get in DIY shops to cover the floor and stuff with. It's enough to prevent too much dust and grot getting into the rest of the loft. The workshop has benches all around the outside, at a convenient height to work at while standing. I bought a large plastic storage box, which sits on its side on the bench, with a fluorescent desk lamp stuck on top with a daylight bulb in it as illumination. This is an adequate area for the amount of spraying I usually do.
Richard and friends have found a place that will provide relatively small quantities of aerosol paint tins containing BR Rail Grey and Rail Blue, mixed to the BS specifications. This is the first time I've used this new paint. I have to say, it's amazing! Mixing tinlets of Precision and airbrushing is okay, but it takes several good coats to get the colour and coverage about right. The rattle can grey went on very quickly, and was dry in under an hour.
I splurged and got a coat of grey on all six sides in under 20 minutes. Now the paint has hardened, I've set them aside in the airing cupboard overnight to really dry nice and hard. Then I'll set about remedial work where some pesky dust landed on the drying paint, and the paint went on a bit too thick.
Once I've done that, I'll give them another coat of grey and repeat the drying process.Then will come the fun part of marking out and masking the grey bit ready for the blue bit to go on. Which leads me to a question: what are the measurements for the grey panel on Mk2 coaches?
I have copious detail and measurements for the Mk1 livery, but I can't seem to find a proper reference for the Mk2. What I need is the distance above and below windows, I think. Is it the same as the Mk1? Any ideas chaps?
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
Pictures please Heather!
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Boy! You're a hard task master.
The "spraybooth". As with most lofts, ours has accrued a fair degree of clutter over the years. I feel a good spring clean coming on. In warmer weather, my workbench is over on the right.
Here's the storage box. At the back you can see the make-do cardboard holding system upon which two coach sides can be propped. Currently, it's got the window ventilator sheets which have had a coat of grey. The black thing is the desk lamp, which has a broken doodad at the lamp end. It just rests on the top of the box and provides a little daylight balanced light inside for working. The hairdryer is sometimes used to encourage paint to dry, and to warm up brass models before getting a coat of paint. It's a technique I find helps paint to adhere on metal models. Your mileage may vary.
Finally, the sides drying in the airing cupboard.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Sir, you are a star.
Now, just to convert millimetres into inches and away I go.
Now, just to convert millimetres into inches and away I go.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Of course those dimensions only work if you have the ride height correct
I'll work from the gutter down. Or equidistant either side of the windows. I should have guessed 44in for the band width - it's the same as that used for the Mk1.
Bob Reid
Western Thunderer
Of course those dimensions only work if you have the ride height correct
It would probably help if I'd given the reference height for the bottom of the lower bodyside - 1060 mm
Don't forget Heather - the gutters painted blue as well (and if you are measuring down from it include it's height)!
Bob
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
The posts from Bob really need to be put into a Mk2 resources thread... care to start one Bob?
PS - how does the data above compare to the same question for a Mk.1? Of course you could refer me to Parkin and that is fine because I have the book. On the other hand there might be some WT members who have yet to acquire that particular reference book.
regards, Graham
PS - how does the data above compare to the same question for a Mk.1? Of course you could refer me to Parkin and that is fine because I have the book. On the other hand there might be some WT members who have yet to acquire that particular reference book.
regards, Graham
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Graham, the grey panel is the same depth (44in) and on the Mk1s it was simply placed centrally in the vertical axis on the windows.
The problem arises with later air-conditioned Mk2s where the window depth is shorter. It rather looks as though the panel is still the same depth - to keep it consistent with existing older vehicles - and the windows therefore appear slightly higher in the panel. This is why Bob's dimensions are ideal, because the panel doesn't need to be referred to the windows at all.
The problem arises with later air-conditioned Mk2s where the window depth is shorter. It rather looks as though the panel is still the same depth - to keep it consistent with existing older vehicles - and the windows therefore appear slightly higher in the panel. This is why Bob's dimensions are ideal, because the panel doesn't need to be referred to the windows at all.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Gah. The results of yesterday's spraying were okay, but needed some remedial work and a respray. The humidity level in the loft has risen today, and that's not conducive to nice clean paint.
I think I'll have to deploy the oil radiator thing in the "booth" to bring the temperature up. A job for tomorrow. Plenty of bogie detailing to get on with, and setting up another rolling chassis to check couplings and so on.
I think I'll have to deploy the oil radiator thing in the "booth" to bring the temperature up. A job for tomorrow. Plenty of bogie detailing to get on with, and setting up another rolling chassis to check couplings and so on.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
You'd be best asking Richard. I don't know the details beyond what I've already told.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Late yesterday I managed to get a pair of underframes connected by the Kadees, and mocked up the ends with gangways to see how they might look.
These are the new longer shank couplers, and in this view they are in compressed mode. You can see the gangways won't touch, and will be pulled about another 5mm apart with the train being pulled along.
Personally, I'd like to see the gangways just touching, but after the shenanigans of trying the same trick with Mk1 SO triplets last year, I think this may be the best we can hope for. Ironically, the "normal" Kadee length might well be just long enough to allow the optimum spacing on these coaches, as the Mk2 gangways don't project as far as the Mk1s. Potentially, the couplers can be swapped out if Richard thinks this is a good idea, but for now I'll leave things as they are.
These are the new longer shank couplers, and in this view they are in compressed mode. You can see the gangways won't touch, and will be pulled about another 5mm apart with the train being pulled along.
Personally, I'd like to see the gangways just touching, but after the shenanigans of trying the same trick with Mk1 SO triplets last year, I think this may be the best we can hope for. Ironically, the "normal" Kadee length might well be just long enough to allow the optimum spacing on these coaches, as the Mk2 gangways don't project as far as the Mk1s. Potentially, the couplers can be swapped out if Richard thinks this is a good idea, but for now I'll leave things as they are.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
The heater's on in the spraybooth again. I hope to get the grey panels done today, and perhaps the ends and roofs primed, and even some blue on the ends.
Masking out the grey panels will be tomorrow, and perhaps even some blue on the sides by the close of play.
Now, if Mr Postman can deliver the missing parts from the icy wastes of Irvine today, I can set to and get the two remaining underframes built.
Masking out the grey panels will be tomorrow, and perhaps even some blue on the sides by the close of play.
Now, if Mr Postman can deliver the missing parts from the icy wastes of Irvine today, I can set to and get the two remaining underframes built.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Even with the heater, conditions are not conducive to good spraying. I fear a good deal of wet'n'dry will need to be expended before I'm happy. 
Meanwhile, as paint hardens in the airing cupboard, I've been slapping my patent grot mix over the bogies. I've also tested and approved sets for each coach on the shunting plank test track. I always knew that sofa would come in useful for something. Each bogie was run through the crossover under finger pressure on the bolster pivot. Derailments were investigated, frames tweaked, back-to-backs checked, until each one passed through the crossover at speeds well in excess of those they're likely to encounter in use.
Each pair was marked up so they go with a particular coach. Of course, all this tweaking and testing may come to nothing once they're mounted under a chassis. They're bound to fall off no matter what I do.
Meanwhile, as paint hardens in the airing cupboard, I've been slapping my patent grot mix over the bogies. I've also tested and approved sets for each coach on the shunting plank test track. I always knew that sofa would come in useful for something. Each bogie was run through the crossover under finger pressure on the bolster pivot. Derailments were investigated, frames tweaked, back-to-backs checked, until each one passed through the crossover at speeds well in excess of those they're likely to encounter in use.
Each pair was marked up so they go with a particular coach. Of course, all this tweaking and testing may come to nothing once they're mounted under a chassis. They're bound to fall off no matter what I do.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
I know, I know. No photos just yet.
I have spent the morning filling, sanding and cleaning up some rubbish spraying from yours truly. Orange peel ain't got nothing on me, I can tell you. Anyway, the heater has been on in the spray booth all morning, and I nipped up to get the umpteenth coat of grey on the coach sides. I know I dislike using the airbrush, and enamels take a lot longer to dry than cellulose, but this is turning into a marathon: I have to say I am now beginning to think airbrushing these models would have been the lesser of two evils.
Two sides have again got to go into rehab. Heather is not a happy bunny.
Still, that means four sides are probably going to make it as far as being masked out for the blue bits today. That's assuming, of course, it then doesn't take fourteen attempts to get a decent coat of blue on the things.
And we're still awaiting a delivery from the Far North so the remaining underframes can be completed.
Onwards and sideways, as the family motto has it.
I have spent the morning filling, sanding and cleaning up some rubbish spraying from yours truly. Orange peel ain't got nothing on me, I can tell you. Anyway, the heater has been on in the spray booth all morning, and I nipped up to get the umpteenth coat of grey on the coach sides. I know I dislike using the airbrush, and enamels take a lot longer to dry than cellulose, but this is turning into a marathon: I have to say I am now beginning to think airbrushing these models would have been the lesser of two evils.
Two sides have again got to go into rehab. Heather is not a happy bunny.
Still, that means four sides are probably going to make it as far as being masked out for the blue bits today. That's assuming, of course, it then doesn't take fourteen attempts to get a decent coat of blue on the things.
And we're still awaiting a delivery from the Far North so the remaining underframes can be completed.
Onwards and sideways, as the family motto has it.