7mm On Heather's Workbench - the only one left

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
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Baby steps. Not feeling in a particular mood for anything involving adhesives, I decided to just paint some details and refine the satin varnish areas. So, vertical cab rails now polished steel, the pep pipe connections brass and copper, and the steam heating pipe lagging repainted.

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Once it's got wheels on, it'll look splendind. The cab glazing still has protective covers on, and I have to cut some material for the front spectacles. A few experiments with cab fittings last week showed a little fettling will be required to fit the roof nicely. I've also ordered transfers, as I don't seem to have the correct lettering for the tender.

Now, to dig into the references and work out what the darned route colour and code letter should be!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
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The cab looks rather smart, I think. I'm now after a crew, and I've just fitted the number plates.

I've opted for some HMRS transfers for the tender, which are on order. I've used waterslide before, and didn't like the visible carrier film. I'll be happier with the slightly thicker Methfix/Pressfix transfers. Oh, and route code is yellow circle, letter B. I'll do that and the front beam numbers when the plates are set. I used gloss varnish to hold them, so I need to wait for that to dry before doing anything else.

Nearly there!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer

:thumbs:

I was wary of the preserved loco. I got caught by BR reclassifying the 8750s a while back, so I went back to other resources to make sure!

I do find this final fitting and finishing phase stressful. Potential for harm is high, and I do everything with the utmost care. Thankfully, so far, vocabulary exercising has been a muted affair.
 

LaScala

Member
View attachment 85275

The cab looks rather smart, I think. I'm now after a crew, and I've just fitted the number plates.

I've opted for some HMRS transfers for the tender, which are on order. I've used waterslide before, and didn't like the visible carrier film. I'll be happier with the slightly thicker Methfix/Pressfix transfers. Oh, and route code is yellow circle, letter B. I'll do that and the front beam numbers when the plates are set. I used gloss varnish to hold them, so I need to wait for that to dry before doing anything else.

Nearly there!
Sensational cab. Can you advise where you got your gauge prints from please?
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Sensational cab. Can you advise where you got your gauge prints from please?

Thank you. I'm not certain wherenthe gauge prints came from. I found them in the Bits Box, so presumably Best Beloved acquired them some time ago.

I have a pack that originated from Blacksmith Models, now sadly no longer available of course. That has printed dials. I wonder if CPL might be persuaded to produce suitable items, assuming there's not something there already!
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
CPL certainly produced them some while ago. I bought them! They were available nominally for each of the Big 4 and BR, but frankly the detail in te cab is so small that a dial looks like a dial looks like a dial, if you know what I mean. Whether CPL produce them now is conjecture and subject to the associated phone call, I guess.

I know production of this item ceased but Paul may be open to printing some more.

Brian
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
The Blacksmith ones came with a set of turned brass gauges, which were the correct sizes as far as I can tell. The printed gauges, therefore, fitted to a tee. The wider problem is kits often include gauges and dials, but they're nondescript sizes. Unless a supplier follows the Blacksmith route, it will make it hard for any printed gauges, however nice, to accurately fit things.

I was fairly lucky with mine. They are close enough to get away with things.

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The top feed pipework is now fitted. I will paint the flanges black later, and mix up some epoxy resin to fix the pipes below the running plate. There are one or two other little joints that would benefit from some epoxy, too.

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Transfers. These are from Fox. I managed to get them more or less straight. The route code circles and letters, though, are entirely another matter. The little perishers were apt to wander about all over the cab sides before I managed to tame them. Getting the letters bang on the centres of each circle proved a major trial.
 
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Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
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The Methfix transfer sheet arrived from HMRS licketty-split. I like their new web store, rather than posting an order off. Two day turnaround rather than a week or more.

I seem to linger over finishing things. I really want this job off the bench, but I find it pays to take my time over final details. Less chance of me making a proper horlicks of something at the eleventh hour, for a start. The check list is getting shorter by the day.

Left to do:

  • Loco sanding pipes
  • Loco and tender couplings
  • Loco and tender buffer heads to fit
  • Loco and tender vac and steam pipes
  • Paint and fit crew figures
  • Fit loco roof
  • Coal the tender
  • Join loco and tender back together
  • Session with the official photographer
 

Temeraire

Western Thunderer
Obviously too late for this project Heather but Steve at Railtec Transfers produces some very nice waterslide decals
that are filmless. He's also open to creating one-off and custom work too.

No connection other than a satisfied customer.

Oh and that cab/backhead looks superb! :thumbs:
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Obviously too late for this project Heather but Steve at Railtec Transfers produces some very nice waterslide decals that are filmless. He's also open to creating one-off and custom work too.

I have used - and will again - Steve's transfers for other projects. I'm sure he'd be open to creating transfers for pre-nationalisation railways, but I sort of assumed he was more set up for BR and the modern scene.

I'll definitely bear him in mind though.
 

PaxtonP4

Western Thunderer
Sensational cab. Can you advise where you got your gauge prints from please?

Take a look at "Historic Locomotive Drawings" F J Roche (Published Ian Allen).

At the end of each railway company there are some "DET" drawings that provide drawings of various gauges. Scan and print!

regards

Alan
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
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On the home straight. Jobs still to be checked off include loco sanding pipes, vacuum pump pipework, paint the hoses to tone them down a notch, paint and install the crew, fit the cab roof and coal the tender. Oh, and a final coat of gloss varnish on the tender to protect the transfers.

The 6 degrees on my clock weather station thingy is the Paint Shop temperature. :confused: Might be day or two before I shall venture back up there!
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
The spec for this build was "museum quality", at least as far as the finish was concerned. I've aimed for that throughout, and I'm reasonably pleased with the way it's turned out overall.

I asked the client about coal for the tender, and the reply came back: three-quarters full, or thereabouts. I pondered the best method of coaling the thing.

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Traditionally, I simply pour in various grades of real coal, followed by diluted PVA. That would work here, but I wanted to make a block of "coal" that would still be removable if so desired. So, I dug out some cling film, and pushed in some blobs of modelling clay to give me a rough shape as a starter.

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A few large lumps of coal were pushed into the clay, followed by a sprinkling of smaller lumps. Generally happy with this as a first pass, I dripped the dilute glue over it and set the tender to one side to dry. If things work out, I'll add some more coal if I think it necessary, then look to touching in visible areas of modelling clay with black paint. Obviously, I should really have painted the mound of clay before applying the coal, but I only realised this later. Stupid brain cell.

Hopefully, the cling film barrier will let me remove the block of coal from the tender for final finishing.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
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Oh dear. That wasn't part of the plan. Otherwise, the idea worked.

It seems the modelling clay is water soluble, and cling film is permeable. Happily, no major damage beyond cleaning things up.

Plan B, then, is to consider making the basic "heap" from Milliput. Plan C is gluing the coal directly in the tender.
 
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