Simon's workbench

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Varta palarva having to weight it all down like that - but worth the effort.
Would it have been any easier making up the frames as a glazed assembly before installing?
 

Simon

Flying Squad
If in doubt, or even if not in doubt, start something else!

To be fair, this was something I'd started for Cookie a few years ago, it was supposed to be Sand Hutton inspired, but I created a badly proportioned and uninspiring lump of styrene nastiness, so I abandoned it.

It has been irritating me ever since, not least as it has consumed some quite nice wheels and axleguards, and so seeing Steve's K40 we exchanged a few thoughts and I'm off again.

Starting with a significant carving up and reduction in all directions this evening.

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Let's hope I don't create a miniature monstrosity....

The aim is a small works/tool/brake van that might be being used on an estate railway, possibly something that was originally built for the "Stench Electric Railway Company"?

It's got to be quick!!

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Simon
 
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Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Bravo Simon - it already looks better :thumbs:
I'm looking forward to seeing what the K40 will be dragging around...thanks again for the offer :)
Steve
 

Simon

Flying Squad
In marked contrast to so much finesse and skill exhibited elsewhere on WT, I have tonight been cheerfully bodgelling this small chassis into something a bit more robust and suitable for a life out on the line with Steve's bruising K40.

I'm particularly chuffed with the black pieces across the ends of the solebars, sections from a shirt strengthener that I thought looked useful very many years ago which have nearly been thrown away several times.

I have used limonene for solventing the large sections together.

Not at the getting prettier stage yet!

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Simon

Flying Squad
Well, I do have a few more...

I am having great fun bashing and sticking Plastikard on this little project and now think I know where I'm going with it. Here is progress tonight, the balsa wood pieces were for a similar idea I had circa 1986 but which never got finished, but they have been useful for crystallising current ideas.

Making it in Plastikard will make it more robust and it is a medium I really like working in.

I also attach a snap of the original (only) Stench Electric locomotive, complete with ancient cobweb and dead spider in its undergubbins. This was built out of balsa wood, the bonnet covers were made from the original NatWest ten pound dispensing "cartridges"!IMG_0301.jpgIMG_0295.jpg
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Plagiarise away, I do it all the time! I still think it's a bit on the "portaloo" side of things (churrs Dave) and have decided (I think) to extend a roof over the open end to make it look less "vertical", I have been already chivvying more Plastikard this morning.

Peter Barnfield's Whimshire drawings are a good source of inspiration for this sort of thing, I have inherited the few 16mm models he made and they are rather lovely.

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I really like your garden line, especially the little blue works loco.

There is something very nice about freelance railways and models I think.

On which note, and this isn't me plugging my business particularly, Philip Harvey has just had a book produced about his wonderful "Amberdale" railway, in full colour its really his life's story attached to his spellbinding model railway creation.

My take on it is here, if anyone wanted to purchase a copy it will be available through your local bookshop or supplier of choice, and cheaper on the Internet too, of course.

I really recommend it, not for the sales but because I know Philip a little and it would give him great pleasure to see that people had purchased and enjoyed his book.

Right, off into town to get vital supplies and then maybe some more concreting on my own nascent garden lunacy.....

Simon
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Dunno, it might be out of gauge(!)

Mostly hiding inside today, I have been making the roof removable and fixable by means of a trapped nut in a removeable "box girder" inside the cabin, and working on giving Steve a working door catch. And channels so that glazing can be simply slid into place, making painting easier possible. The screw head on top of the roof probably does want to be disguised as a chimney top.....IMG_0748.jpg IMG_0747.jpg

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