7mm Rob's Rolling Stock Workbench

[Rob Pulham]

A few posts back Dave mentioned ghost writing. I liked the idea but then thought that during my modelling period the ghosts would still be alive.

So an image search on't tinterweb later had me a wall with a white painted advert for a long defunct local brewery. The image I found was taken at a slight angle so the image was manipulated with GIMP, sized and then printed onto a sheet of standard office paper. To get the image onto the brick work I coated the back using some "chalk" marker pens that I picked up in the stationary section in Boyes with chalk marks on wagons in mind. They are marketed as being for writing adverts on windows and blackboards.

Once the back was thoroughly coated I then drew over the image side with a pencil leaving an impression much like using tracing paper. This was then carefully painted in and a slight shadow painted around some of the letters as in the original. I am really rather pleased with the result.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

This is good Rob. It's amazing how much ghost lettering is still around, especially in run down industrial areas.

 

[adrian]

This is good Rob. It's amazing how much ghost lettering is still around, especially in run down industrial areas.

I was going to say not only run down industrial areas but then again it is Preston, this is one example that always catches my eye when driving past just taken off Google streetview

 

[Peter Cross]

In Plymouth there is still some with LSWR on it.

 

[graham thorp]

In Plymouth there is still some with LSWR on it.

Hi Peter. Do you know whereabouts in Plymouth you can still see LSWR lettering?

Thanks

G

 

[Peter Cross]

Hi Peter. Do you know whereabouts in Plymouth you can still see LSWR lettering?

Thanks

G

I think it was near a shop that sold glass and showed glass blowing. Down neat where the fishing boats are mored. It was high up on a gable end above lower rooves. Sorry can't be any more specific. It was about six years ago.

 

[daifly]

From Peter's description, I found it easily using Streetview:

Dave

 

[Ian G]

I have a few photos taken in Portsmouth like those above somewhere

Ian G

 

[Rob Pulham]

As alluded to on my Silhouette workbench, the last couple of weekends have seen some more scratch building going on.

Having painted up my cars I need something to carry them on and Open Carriage Trucks fit the bill as being a little more in keeping than machinery wagons or Lowmac's. A look through my trust Historic Carriage volumes gave me examples of GNR and NER so I made start on a couple of GNR examples.
First the 21' version whose Diagram number I cannot recall and I left my book up north.




Followed by the earlier and shorter (18') Diagram 375







I have another 21 footer started too. All the hinges and details were drawing in Inkscape and cut on the Cameo.

 

[Rob Pulham]

And finally, to bring things right up to date I also seemed to have found the time to have built four Parkside van kits almost to completion.



Left to right - LNER 12 ton unfitted van, LNER Fish van (the later type that were ultimately rebuilt into the ones that became known as Blue Spot) and an LMS 12 Ton Van (Diag. D1664). What's missing from the line up is an LMS Beer Van (Diag. D1817 ). All are mostly out of the box builds and just need grab handles and guard irons on the underframe fittings etc. except the LNER unfitted van





I have on the go an EX NER van which had the external sliding end hatches that I still need to make up. Reading through Vol 4a of Tatlow led me to some of the earlier versions of the later LNER van having them too before they moved to having internal hatches that the kit portrays so I decided to have a go at making them. These are done by hand without the aid of the Cameo but now I know what I am about I will draw some up for other examples that needs them.

 

[Rob Pulham]

The weekend wasn't all disaster, my J63 ran smooth as ever and I took along my NBR bogie CCT and the former L&Y 30 ton van both of which ran flawlessly.

I also made more progress on the OCTs now having two 21' and one 18' examples in similar states of build.







and finally a photos of the star and some modified spring hangers. The cast W Irons and springs were kindly cast for me by Kerry Viney in Australia but nice as they are they didn't quite match the spring hangers on my drawing but some time ago when I was experimenting with drawing up springs and hangers in Inkscape I had drawn up and cut some hangers which I hadn't used. I found that If I glued 3 layers together by inserting them on a length of brass wire to index them I could them cut the loop end off and insert them on the bottom of the solebar like you see in the close up below. Not perfect in that they could have been a little wider but now I have the proof of concept adjusting with will take moments before recutting. I will do this for use with the next half dozen that I have, which I plan to use on an NER 6 wheeled OCT

 

[Rob Pulham]

Chris kindly recorded some of Saturday's proceedings for posterity...

 

[Rob Pulham]

And then there were five...

Although last week was a bust from a modelling perspective due to being ill. When I started to feel better I did get a bit of drawing and cutting done which allowed me to make a start on what I think are the last two open carriage trucks for now.

First I made up the body and basic underframe for the GER OCT that I was enquiring about the origins of Here





The plan is to finish this with an A Type container (which I have made start on drawing up in Inkscape).

Last but by no means least (because it's a bit of a beast at 34' 8") is a former NER 6 wheeled OCT. Apparently in 1917 these had their sides removed and bolsters added for the conveyance of Aeroplane parts.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Time for an update, seven days away from TV and internet have allowed me to crack on with quite a few of my ongoing projects.

First up I finished the remaining three Parkside Vans ready for painting - actually I tell a lie because the LNER fish van still needs guard irons and vac/steam pipes.



Then I built a Slaters Gloucester 5 Plank Open. Unlike my previous builds of open wagons I haven't gone to town on the interior detailing on this one - I went as far as scribing in the plank lines because I plan to load it in such a way as the interior won't be seen.



Then I built a Parkside NBR 4 plank open and while looking in Tatlow for the additional details that I had added to the last one of these that I built, I noted that some of these wagons had been converted for use as Coke wagons. Variety is the spice of life as they say, so of I went with the styrene rod and sheet - it was actually great practice at cutting straight strips from 1.25mm sheet.







Despite being a simple kit bash it allowed me to indulge in adding bolt head details and by dint of good fortune I just had enough styrene washers to hand to complete it.

 

[Dog Star]

Robin,

I like that NBR wagon, I like that wagon very much indeed. You have mastered the art of working in styrene, nice clean cuts... straight edges when the edges need to be straight... neat and tidy detailing. How have you produced the washers on the side sheeting?

 

[Rob Pulham]

How have you produced the washers on the side sheeting?

Thanks Graham,

These particular washers are in fact a by product of my production of springs - I made the upper leaf of the spring about 10 thou thick and although they cut out fine many of them broke off before getting of the cutting mat so I saved them for washers.

I do intend to make a note of the sizes used and cut some more plain washers on their own when I next have a cutting session. - Being so small you can fit a decent number into a very small space on anything that you might be cutting.

 

[Dog Star]

Robin,

What is the minimum size of washer that cuts "round" (rather than being a polygon?).

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Graham,

The smallest circles that I have cut out of 10 thou are 0.8mm but they were essentially marking a hole with the 0.8mm dot being the centre piece that came out cleanly. The real problem with so small is handing them.

I think for washers anything smaller than 1.5/1.6mm outer diameter with a 0.5/0.8 mm centre is going to be too much trouble to handle - I use a cocktail stick poked in the hole to pick them up and place them.

For the NBR coke wagon I applied limonene then place the washers leaving them overnight to set before drilling out for the stubs of rod. out of them all I only had one come loose as I attempted to drill it which is probably my best success rate to date.

Once I had them all placed I went over them all a second time with limonene. This not only ensures that they stick, but because the first application has slightly softened the styrene, the second coat has the added advantage of smoothing off any "tabs" where the washer had broken away from the spring. As you might imagine they are very tiny to grip and file smooth.

 

[Dog Star]

The smallest circles that I have cut out of 10 thou are 0.8mm but they were essentially marking a hole with the 0.8mm dot being the centre piece that came out cleanly.

I think for washers anything smaller than 1.5/1.6mm outer diameter with a 0.5/0.8 mm centre is going to be too much trouble to handle.

Thank you Robin for your thoughts on cutting washers with a Cameo.

On the face of what you have written I think that I am going to continue with punching 0.5mm, 0.8mm and 1.00mm washers from 5 and 10 thou sheet.

 

[Rob Pulham]

More progress was also made on the Great Northern Railway Open Carriage trucks. All of them now have brakes and yokes etc.





Sadly I ran out of parts so didn't get any further with the 6 wheeled North Eastern Railway truck but I did make good progress with the Great Eastern Railway Open Carriage Truck.





The W Irons and spring arrangement fittings are all either cut on the Cameo or styrene rod - a bit fiddly but immensely satisfying when it all came together.