The First Larkrail Challenge

[Steve Cook]

A planked side does not make for a very interesting photo, so two would be pushing the boat out - hence here is just one shot of the best side



A little bit of clean up required around the edges, but whilst I'm waiting for the MEK to harden off I thought I'd torture myself with one of the 2mm Society buffer stop etches. Blimey.



Lots of clean up required but I'm not unhappy for a first attempt - plenty of room for improvement next time round though. Main point to learn is to make a longer bit of track before trying to solder the buffer stop on, it makes it a lot easier to keep the rails to gauge...Oh, and use a smaller soldering iron bit - a 3mm one is three times the side profile of the rail so getting into the tight spots was tricky - hence the blobby joints in places.

I'm off for a lie down in a darkened room now

 

[28ten]

The little hut looks a nice clean build and the boarding is straight

 

[Steve Cook]

Cheers Guv, onto the difficult bit tomorrow, lining up all the separate planks on the front....

 

[28ten]

Would it have been easier to plank it in the flat and then make the cut outs?

 

[Steve Cook]

Possibly Guv, but the planks are only fixed along the top and bottom edges, cutting through may have distorted them at the cut edge where they are unsupported in the centre. I think I would struggle to cut just through the planks as well, I like the fact that everything is glued to a reference surface keeping the protrusion of all bits in a decent relationship with each other. Its not too bad a job to cut something to length to fit between the framework and so far, being able to dab a tiny bit of glue on at each end and then adjust the plank by eye has proved OK - when happy just a quick brush of solvent along top and bottom to fix more securely.

I think my plan of attack for tomorrow will be to work left to right on the front and get each layer of planks spaced as close as possible before final gluing and moving up the wall. Would I do it this way again, probably not

 

[lancer1027]

Nice work Steve,

The planking looks very neat.. I look forward to seeing this painted and weathered should look the real dogs danglies

The buffer stop looks excellent too. Cant see a problem with your soldering, looks nice and neat. . If i had done it there would be more solder than rail.
It will be nice to see this painted and weathered.

Carry on the great work

Rob

 

[queensquare]

A planked side does not make for a very interesting photo, so two would be pushing the boat out - hence here is just one shot of the best side

I'm off for a lie down in a darkened room now

Its all looking great Steve - I'd say you're a natural

Jerry, off to bed after an exhausting but enjoyable weekend at Warley

 

[Steve Cook]

Glad you had a good weekend at Warley Jerry, and thank you and Rob for your kind comments, feel free to withdraw them any time The planking quite frankly is an arse, you can tell that by the fact that the relevant photos are getting smaller and smaller Working up around the doors and windows is harder than I thought and it shows, I've lost a bit of the consistency in plank width that was OK on the sides. Nevermind, paint and plants can hide a great deal



The buffer stop has had a clean up and coat of primer whilst as break from planking, I'm attempting one of the 2mm Scale Association underframes. A nice design of kit it has to be said, the challenge is really holding the pieces together to solder everything up. I'm relying a lot on a cocktail stick glued into a piece of wood that allows me to slide a clothes peg half up and down the cocktail stick and act as an extra finger.

Wagon brakes and another line of planks tomorrow...

 

[lancer1027]

Looking great Steve.. But building a wagon o carry the building is taking the "mobile home" thought a little too far

Rob

 

[Steve Cook]

Brake gear in, DG couplings on tomorrows agenda

 

[Simon]

Brake gear in, DG couplings on tomorrows agenda

View attachment 15466

That looks indecently real

I'm considering changing my challenge entry from a 3mm brake van to "7mm scale ballast bins wot I have made"

Simon

 

[Steve Cook]

Warts and all shot of the finished planking



Little bit of damage worked into the planks to the right of the double doors, little bit of unintentional misalignment too Good enough to continue though, so back to the roof - fascia panels and corrugated iron sheets on the hit list...

Steve

 

[queensquare]

As promised, I have at long last got round to taking a couple of snaps of my proposed Larkrail challenge. The big one is a 1/32 Slaters Kit and the intention is to make it look like the little one in best Father Ted fashion.
The 2mm version is one of the beautiful little Matheison Models RCH wagons - see http://matheisonmodels.com/
The model will be built largely as it says in the instructions (if I can remember where I put them!) with just a few little tweaks and added details. The wheels will be turned and set up so they can run on Simon's garden line. The biggest challenge I think will be hand painting the livery - its so much easier in 2mm where I represent tiny lettering with a few appropriately spaced dots and dashes.




Jerry

 

[Steve Cook]

Good to see you are up and running Jerry
Give me a shout if you need instructions, I have a spare copy of them here.
Steve

 

[Simon]

The little 'un looks fantastic, why do I have this sinking feeling that the Slaters kit will end up looking, how can I put this, "Gauge One -ish". I am very interested to see how this turns out.

I'd better pop a few more positive pills in I think

Simon

 

[28ten]

The little 'un looks fantastic, why do I have this sinking feeling that the Slaters kit will end up looking, how can I put this, "Gauge One -ish". I am very interested to see how this turns out.

I'd better pop a few more positive pills in I think

Simon

Im sure Jerry will be fitting the capping strips and replacing the moulded bits of the brake gear with something scratchbuilt

 

[queensquare]

Im sure Jerry will be fitting the capping strips and replacing the moulded bits of the brake gear with something scratchbuilt

Oh, um yes, err, course I will..........see I told you 2mm was much easier

Good to see you are up and running Jerry
Give me a shout if you need instructions, I have a spare copy of them here.
Steve

Cheers Steve, if I get stuck I will give you a shout but I'm pretty confident.......after all, the bits are all so big!!

Jerry

 

[SteveO]

I'm going to optimistically declare myself 'in' on this Challenge.

At the weekend I bought myself a Dapol 4mm scale Drewry shunter for a fiver, pretty much on a whim because it was there and I had £5 in my pocket. I've dabbled in N and 2mm but quit due to a damaged retina and went up a couple scales to 7mm so I'm gambling with the eyesight once more by going down a scale.

I've made a start already by doing a bit of trimming, especially those awful handrails, but I don't yet possess any glue or paint, and the only paintbrush I have I use for flux. I took some piccies last night but have not brought them in so you'll have to wait until I get home. My local hobby shop is opening again tomorrow after a refit so I'll pay a visit to get supplies.

I'm going to make a freelance version used in a fictional industrial works, yet to be decided, and this will give me a bit of freedom to do something which doesn't necessarily follow prototype.

 

[Dog Star]

I'm going to make a freelance version used in a fictional industrial works, yet to be decided, and this will give me a bit of freedom to do something which doesn't necessarily follow prototype.

Just get the coupling rods fitted the correct way and not like the advert in the Model Railway Constructor... in which the driver needed anti-gravity feeders to fill the oilboxes.

 

[SteveO]

Ye of too much faith! Coupling rods will be the least of my worries. At least it may provide an insight into the 7mm kit I have in the queue. There again, probably not.