7mm On Heather's Workbench - raising the Standard

[Heather Kay]

Being allergic to bogies, I spent the weekend working on the TSO roof and sorting out the interiors for both coaches.





The BSK has passenger accommodation. I'm going to start the guard's compartment today.



Currently missing the tables, which need the sides in place, here's the TSO interior. As the floor is a brass etch, I wondered how I'd fit the seats in place. Seats either side of the partitions were glued to the partition itself, which helps support the verticals. The seats were then stuck in place with double-sided tape, spacing between the partitions worked out by temporarily fitting the sides. Hopefully the tape won't become brittle with age, but there's always a danger it will and the seats will become loose within the cabin space. This sort of eventuality is why I never glue roofs to these coaches.



A view along the passenger compartment towards the centre vestibule. I've added a door to the non-smoking compartment divider. I'm not sure of the colour the original build lino would have been in these coaches, so I've opted for a non-descript darkish green. If I'm wrong, do let me know before the sides get fitted permanently!



I'm never very happy about the location of roof bolts, but this one's a doozy! I considered the possibility of moving this bolt to the centreline but that entails a fair bit of work to make it work.



The bolt at the lavatory end isn't quite so bad, though it misses the lav by a fair margin. Both bolts, obviously, will be blackened before fitting.

Task remaining, in no particular order:

• Detail both roofs with tank fillers, overflow, handles, rains trips and paint.
• Guard's compartment details and fit luggage section to BSK.
• TSO bogie brake gear and paint.
• Paint glazing.
• Lining and lettering.
• Assembly.

 

[Steph Dale]

Heather,
Roof bolts; shudder...
I tend to put corner reinforcing triangles in my coaches and then put screws in those from underneath. Hey, presto, no roof bolts. Would something like this not work with your Mk1s?
Steph

 

[Heather Kay]

Hi Steph.

I'm not sure it would. The JLTRT system tends to build from the floor moulding up, so the roof is the last thing fitted. There's a fair degree of turn-in at the base of the side mouldings that means it's all but impossible to assemble the sides/ends to the roof and then slip it over the floor assembly. You might just be able to ease the assembled body along a floor if you left one end off, but I'd almost guarantee I'd knock an interior fitting off if I tried that. The "bottom up" assembly works for me.

It would be better if the bolt holes could be arranged to fall in places that make it easier to disguise to suit each type of coach, but remember JLTRT have a common floor and roof moulding across the Mk1 range (and most of their coach kits come to that). On corridor coaches, one hole is effectively hidden in the lavatory compartment, but the other end falls in the end vestibule or up through a seat. All you can really do is chemically blacken the bolts and perhaps disguise them with a strategically located passenger.

With some thought, it ought to be possible to relocate the fixings in the roof wherever you want them, but that's more work than I'm prepared to do with this build.

 

[Heather Kay]

Slow work today. The storm force winds knocked a ridge tile off our roof, and we took some time out to get it all fixed up. Happily, one neighbour had a spare tile, and another volunteered to be up the ladder wielding the mortar. We have a great neighbourhood.

Anyway, the TSO roof is now ready for priming and painting.



As usual, the overflow pipes are brass wire inserted through the cast bases and into the roof itself. This arrangement is much stronger and resistant to mishandling than the original cast items. They point in random directions, much as the real thing appears to.



You may spy some model filler next to the tank filler. I had a 48-hour cold over the weekend, consisting of much sneezing and snuffling. In one of my less lucid moments, I fitted the drilling template the wrong way round and merrily proceeding to punch holes at 180 degrees to where they should be. I'd even stuck the ventilators in. I didn't spot my error until I offered up the roof to the sides and the lavatory end didn't match with the vent pattern.

The pencil marks showed me where the really fine cross-roof strips ran so I didn't sand them to oblivion.

The rain strip is fine Evergreen styrene strip, superglued edge on. Surprisingly resistant to dislodgement. The filler pipes are modified with a brass tube at the end so the rest of the pipework can be push-fitted at final assembly, leaving the roof free to be removed at a later date. Scratchbuilt brackets support the pipe along the roof. These were flattened 0.9mm brass wire, drilled and folded.

I need to bring the BSK roof up to the same level now. Both roofs can then be primed and painted.

You'll note I keep putting off those bogies. They're becoming a real phobia, aren't they?

 

[tomstaf]

Heather, these are shaping up very nicely!

One thing that always stands out a mile to me on JLTRT MK1s is the roof lip that overhangs the ends. It's meant to be wafer thin but I durability seems to have won the day back at JLTRT design HQ. The kit having a rather chunky beveled offering. Any suggestions on how to make the roof lip wafer thin without too much modification?

Cheers

Tom

 

[Heather Kay]

Any suggestions on how to make the roof lip wafer thin without too much modification?

Well, you can thin it down with care, but it does become a little fragile.

I think how much it shows depends on the end finish of the coach - in this case it's black, and has the gangway footboard to draw the eye. For later liveries where the body side colour carried over to the end, and much of the clutter was removed as well, there's not much you can really do to thin things down.

I have to admit to leaving it pretty much as it comes, putting it down to just another compromise along the way.

 

[Heather Kay]

Well, nearly a week since the last update. Let's see if I can remember what I've done.

• I detailed up and fitted the guard's compartment in the BSK. All the interiors are now done.
• I painted the moulded glazing frames, all 33 of them.
• I finished and painted both roofs.
• I fettled and painted the vac and steam hoses.
• I added the brake gear to the TSO bogies, painted them, and have varnished both pairs of bogies to protect the paintwork a bit.
• I started to assemble the gangway fittings.
• I spent a day or so researching and asking questions about 57xx pannier tanks.

Experience tells me that during railing a coach, fingers will be all over axleboxes and the ends of the bogie frames. To try and prevent such handling wearing the paint away and leaving a shiny hint of metal, I try and do the following:

• Chemically blacken edges and areas prone to wear
• Prime with suitable undercoat where possible
• Apply paint in several layers, with good drying time between coats
• Top coat with a tough varnish

I admit I don't always follow my own rules.

I've found it's hard to find a good hard properly matt varnish. I know there are some well known names available in rattle cans, such as Testors, which do apparently have a good flat finish. Unfortunately, the rattle cans from Humbrol, while labelled as "matt", generally dry with a slight sheen. I don't want a sheen, or at least I don't want areas to catch the light. Matt should be just that, a completely flat surface finish that doesn't give reflections or specular highlights.

In the past, I've used Rowney's Artist's Varnishes. These are designed to protect paintings, and while not amazingly hard wearing do have the kind of finish I'm looking for. The matt varnish also has the happy knack that when thinned with white spirit or turpentine, it gets even matter. Today, I broke out a pot I've had on the shelf for a while, and mixed it 50/50 with white spirit. I squirted it over the bogies with the airbrush, and left it to dry.

The plan was to protect the basic grunge layer enough to prevent handling wear, but also give a good base for weathering. The finish is not as flat as I'd like, but I'll see how it comes out after the weathering process. Tomorrow I will probably airbrush the varnish over the underframes as well.

This next week will also see the lining and lettering done. I fully expect the main assembly process will happen this week as well, so it won't be long before I'm into weathering - something I've not done on a coach since I started this modelling for money malarkey. The brief is to finish these Mk1s in a slightly tired fashion, so I have started to study weathering patterns on such vehicles in as many photos as I can lay hands on!

Sorry for the lack of piccies. Not a lot of what I've been working on has been photogenic - though I suppose the guard's compartment could make an appearance. I'll sort some shots out tomorrow for you.

 

[Heather Kay]

As promised, the guard's compartment.

Apart from my addiction to detail, I can't work out why I bother. Most of the time, the detail will never be seen. Perhaps, one day, I'll get a commission for a build with internal lighting, and then the effort will be worthwhile. I suppose, should that happen, I will have to get some luggage racks and compartment lights sorted out for the passenger sections...



Mocked up with the coach sides in place to check clearances and fit. The cast desk needed some trimming to fit the inward side curve.



I know, I've missed out the spare hoses.



I've opened out the window behind the fire equipment. I'm sure JLTRT could do that for me. Incidentally, the finish this side of the compartment looks like veneer, but it's sloppy weathering wash. Might have to rectify that.

Today I shall mostly be completing the gangways, and then I'll set about lining and lettering. I think it might be an idea to check the body parts fit together nicely with the roofs, too.

 

[djparkins]

If I had to seat in a seat with a bloody great bolt sticking up through it, I'd want my ticket money refunded!!!

 

[alcazar]

Oh, I don't know....it would depend if it was a good-looking bolt, or not?
I suppose I might think better of it if it was a nice screw too........sorry, I'll get me coat.

 

[Heather Kay]

I suppose I might think better of it if it was a nice screw too........sorry, I'll get me coat.

 

[Heather Kay]

A step forward today. Dry run of the bodywork for the TSO.





Not too bad. There are the usual things to look out for, such as the floor sagging and getting the roof lined up so the bolts fit neatly. Incidentally, as I found with the Collett build, the heads of the roof bolts foul the fine scale flanges, so some filing and fettling will be required. If the bolts were centrally placed on the roof, it wouldn't be a problem.

Speaking of bolts, some surgery was required for the toilet compartment end so it cleared the bolt box. Again, if the bolts had been central...



I will tidy that mess up a bit before the roof is fitted "finally".

Meanwhile, I've realised the bolt through the seat is a punishment for lighting up in the non-smoking section.





Now to try the BSK for size.

 

[Dog Star]

Heather,

I think that Laurie needs to see the "bolt in the seat" photo, possibly with a caption from "Dad's Army"... I am thinking of Jones' catch-phrase "they don't like it up them".

Name and shame time - why do customers put up with such poor design?

{you could also include the other photo as an example of lavatory humour... breaking down barriers possibly}

 

[Heather Kay]

I will certainly raise the issue, but I think we all know what the answer may be.

 

[SteveO]

Top marks on the build so far, but that is such an unusual design. Surely, somebody could have come up with a better solution?

 

[Heather Kay]

The BSK had fewer issues with fitting the roof. I seem to have more problems below decks, where the dynamo appears to be dangling a lot lower than the same one on the TSO. Investigation will ensue.



Apart from the mould fail on the seats, it all looks neat and woody in the compartments. The veneer effects work better than I expected, which is nice.



You can just make out the fire kit in the gloom.



One roof bolt is locked up securely in the van, while the other is lurking unobtrusively in the lavatory.



Speaking of the lavatory, this doesn't look quite right. Some serious warping going on here.



The problem is there is no cutout to accommodate the roof moulding. That's easy to sort out. Those of you with long memories may recall my thread on building three SKs, where I recounted the surgery required to get the roof to sit down and not turn the compartments into bananas. (The hieroglyphics are purely where I was using something readily available to test a silver pen, not the result of a 1950s hooligan with a can of paint.)

The dry runs seem to have shown few issues. Once I've sorted out the one or two problems, I will be getting on with the transfers. Guess what I will be doing on Tuesday!

 

[alcazar]

Fascinating...but those roof bolts are incredible.

We would no longer accept that on a 4mm scale RTR model, why do people think it's OK on a KIT which costs £ lots?

 

[Heather Kay]

We would no longer accept that on a 4mm scale RTR model, why do people think it's OK on a KIT which costs £ lots?

Quite.

I'm not sure how feasible it might be, but I had an idea of using eyelets in the underside of the roof, and running high strength fishing line up from the floor. It would need some method of securing the line under the floor, but it would be all but invisible, and readily adaptable to different floor plans.

Perhaps something for the next JLTRT kit I come across.

 

[Heather Kay]

Right, time for the lettering and lining.

Please note the following refers mostly to BR livery details before the 1956 revisions and well before the invention of BR's corporate livery, so if your persuasion is for a much more standardised blue and grey, look away now.

I've been poring over my reference books, particularly those with colour images in them, and I can't quite confirm the colour of lettering used on passenger stock. I have three sheets of transfers from Fox, a creamy yellow, an orangey yellow (sometimes referred to as "old gold") and gold. Here's what I think they are supposed to be used for:

• Official 1948 BR livery of carmine and cream (gangway stock), black and gold lining, gold lettering with black outline.
• Official 1948 livery of carmine (non-gangway stock), unlined, gold lettering (probably more likely to be "old gold"/orangey yellow).
• Official post-1956 livery of maroon (gangway stock), "old gold" and black lining, "old gold" lettering and crest.
• Official post-1956 livery of maroon (non-gangway stock), "old gold" and black lining, "old gold" lettering, no crest.

According to the Parkin book lettering was "old gold or golden yellow with a thin black outline". According to Railway Liveries BR Steam 1948-1968 by Haresnape the "official description for lettering and numbers was for them to be in gold, or golden yellow. In practice, the transfers supplied were in a creamy-yellow shade, with fine black outline."

I am none the wiser. For the record, I lettered the Collett Triplets with cream numbers, but I am not sure I was correct. There are precious few colour images from before 1956, but post-'56 shots certainly bear up my inference of "old gold"/orangey yellow lettering on most stock. Black and white shots of pre-'56 vehicles aren't easy to interpret, but I don't see proper gold used in any of them. It begs the question where "proper" gold was used at all, unless it was before 1951, when it began to be phased out in favour of old gold or cream.

Argh!

Any suggestions?

 

[Dog Star]

Any suggestions?

Either embrace the Corporate Blue period... or try something like GWR Crimson Lake where there is no possibility of colour images!