7mm Wagons For Westerfield

[Dog Star]

The ends are actually 'tucked in' to the sides and there is a very slight bow to them. Once I shave off a bit (which works out to exactly the same width as the sheet thickness) they will fit perfectly.

I think that you are saying that the distance between the sides, at the bottom, is a tad short of the width of the end. If my interpretation is correct then the side-floor-side bends may have gone on the "floor-side" of the imaginary centreline of the fold. Down to experience in setting up for folding. I do not suggest opening out the fold and trying again - more than likely to fold in the same place. Get yourself an 8" hold and fold - ok, probably £55 per... just try one and your will be convinced.

There are also one or two folds that are not perfect, which may affect fixing the door runners correctly. If you have a look at the van in front at the bottom door opening you can see a shadow where it bows out slightly. There are a couple of these so I'll give these a bit more attention when I'm next up in the loft.

This is down to experience in positioning the bending bars and in how the metal is moved... try holding the side in the bars and make the fold by pressing your edge against the floor - a greater depth of metal against which to push. If there is room, try to get a small engineer's clamp and adjust the strip nibble by nibble (with the engineer's clamp in the door space).

My files arrived this morning. I didn't have a chance to open the sleeve but on first glance they are a world away from what I'm using at the moment.

Quite by chance I was reading Laurie Griffin's article on cleaning the edge of etches (a recent MRJ). At the end of the article is the classic warning - do not let the files rub against each other. Get busy on those file stands!!!! In the meantime, wrap each file in a short length of bumpy-see-through (bubble wrap).

regards, Graham

 

[SteveO]

Good advice Graham, I shall heed it going forward. Regarding the folding device, I found this Device For A Vise and at only £16 seems a good deal, unless there is some obvious fault that I haven't seen?

I'm pretty sure the design has a flaw in that the width of the ends is a smidge too wide. The instructions state that filing 'will' (rather than 'may') be required for a snug fit. As the ends fit inside the sides, once you solder them together, one side of the end (the one you join) will be a sheet thickness wider than the other side of the end. I'm not sure I've explained that well!

 

[SteveO]

I was looking through Paul Bartlett's brilliant site today and was wondering something.

I have one of these but to get one of these all I need do is change the ends to corrugated and add wrap around strapping. Is there a supplier who produces these corrugated ends? I could then have two prototypes for (almost) the price of one.

 

[Dog Star]

The instructions state that filing 'will' (rather than 'may') be required for a snug fit. As the ends fit inside the sides, once you solder them together, one side of the end (the one you join) will be a sheet thickness wider than the other side of the end.

I might have expected material to be removed from both "sides" of the ends... rather than all of the removal from one "edge" - unless the design was drawn without accuracy then I suggest that your observation confirms that one of the long folds has gone "off-course". I think that you can benefit from discussing your reading of the instructions and how the etch has folded with the manufacturer... one might conclude that the kit needs a health warning.

 

[BrushType4]

I was looking through Paul Bartlett's brilliant site today and was wondering something.

I have one of these but to get one of these all I need do is change the ends to corrugated and add wrap around strapping. Is there a supplier who produces these corrugated ends? I could then have two prototypes for (almost) the price of one.

Suggest a quick call to either parkside or slaters. With luck it will be less then a tenner for a pair of ends plus any extra bits on the same sprue.

While on the phone to parkside, you could bag a LNER 12 Ton Fruit Van (Diag. 106) Product Code: PS46 to go with your vans.

 

[Dog Star]

Regarding the folding device, I found this Device For A Vise and at only £16 seems a good deal, unless there is some obvious fault that I haven't seen?

I looked at this product at Telford... or rather the DVLA version. I think that the product does what is says it does.

The questions which need to be asked are:-
[1] what can one do with an eight inch hold and fold which cannot be done with the Device for a Vice?
[2] what does the Device for a Vice not do which is desirable.

The design of the H&F is such that one can fold channel and Z sections... and fold boxes. As many etch kits have fold-up U-channel solebars then the ability to fold channels could well be how you judge one tool against the other.

Interesting that the text on the Mustard Tools web site says the same thing as I suggested re folding where one part is significantly narrower than the other.

regards, Graham

 

[SteveO]

Suggest a quick call to either parkside or slaters. With luck it will be less then a tenner for a pair of ends plus any extra bits on the same sprue.

While on the phone to parkside, you could bag a LNER 12 Ton Fruit Van (Diag. 106) Product Code: PS46 to go with your vans.
View attachment 14432

Thanks Phil, I'll give Slaters a call about the ends, but I was hoping to get cast ones. I can't see what ABS do as they don't have a website but they are my last port of call for metal versions.

I'm not a big fan of plastic kits. I've got a couple Slaters LNER/BR brake vans to do but I'd much rather have brass ones. Looking forward to get to Reading in December as I'm buying myself lots of presents this Christmas!

 

[SteveO]

The design of the H&F is such that one can fold channel and Z sections... and fold boxes. As many etch kits have fold-up U-channel solebars then the ability to fold channels could well be how you judge one tool against the other.

regards, Graham

I have 12 channel sections to make for my wagons and I'm not looking forward to it. I've cut them from the etch tonight and punched the rivets but going any further gets me a bit sweaty!

 

[BrushType4]

Wow, that is the tidiest work bench I've ever seen

 

[SteveO]

Thanks Phil! I use the space up there for different hobbies so when one is finished I tidy away as much as I can in case I need it for something else.

 

[lancer1027]

Wow, that is the tidiest work bench I've ever seen

Bit like mine............NOT

 

[7mmMick]

Hi Steve,

I've been belly to ground at work in the past couple of weeks so I haven't been on WT much so I've only just caught this thread. Looks like you're making a nice job of the vans, looking forward to progress. I may have missed it but have you managed to source the castings from ABS ?

ATB Mick

 

[SteveO]

Thanks Mick, nice of you to say. I haven't sourced anything yet as I was perhaps going to get everything from Reading in December. It's not going to be until the end of November until I can start soldering as that's when her indoors and the littleman are away for a week. Until then it will be prepping parts for fixing.

I quite like Connoisseur's way of springing the coupling and buffers in one neat package so I'm looking at that as an alternative. Haven't made my mind up is the ultimate answer!

Getting some corrugated ends is now on my radar as from this kit I could make two of the four most common LNER standard goods vans.

 

[SteveO]

No time for any loft-work this weekend as I was handed my schedule on Thursday and told not to deviate one iota from it. She has beady eyes so I towed the line and stayed out.

That didn't stop me from doing something today, though. In between jobs today I finally finished folding the stanchions for the ends of the vans, which was quite a job by the way. A fair amount of scribing was done with a triangular file to get as deep as possible into the fold etch. The stanchions are only about 2-3mm thick so it's a tricky fold to complete, especially if you only have a block of softwood, a steel rule and a vise to do the job with. I managed it – the corners are all square, despite what it looks like on the pic below.

I've yet to cut the folding aids off, which counts for over half the depth you see here, so they look a bit odd. I won't do that until my snips or my saw blades arrive which I ordered last week. Here they are organised into lefts and rights (I have no idea why they are handed - they are identical!).



I'm drawing towards the inevitable start to the soldering. This is probably about as far as I can go without soldering something. But I won't be granted heavy works permission until the end of November when the house is empty, except for little ol' me. Modelling party, anyone? BYO Iron.

 

[SteveO]

Snips arrived, folding aids snipped off. I discovered then that on all but four of the stanchions the parallel parts of the 'U' channel are different depths. Even with my new addition to the file family – a Bahco 2cm wide flat file – it's taken two nights of spare time to file down the stanchions to the same dimensions. I'd hate to think how long that would have taken with my old Chinese files!

 

[dibateg]

I can't believe the tidy work bench either! You mention the corrugated ends for LNER vans, a quest I have also been on. As you probably know from the Tatlow books, there were 2 and 3 part ends. At one time there was dicussion whether 1 machine was used for LMS and LNER ends, I'm not sure about that but other knowledgable folks will know better than I. It's not much help, but I managed to pick up a rather tatty Frieghtman LNER van at Telford on the executor stand ( see the Derby Line thread ). I know there was talk of the Freightman kits being brought back at one time, but whether there are any unmade LNER van bodies still around, maybe someone on WT would know.

Regards

Tony

 

[Dikitriki]

Hi

At the time of Frank's death, there were 21 LNER corrugated end van bodies in stock. Those that weren't sold privately went to the firm hoping to reissue the kits so I understand.

I didn't want any of those so passed them by (I wish I'd had some now!), but I did have 18 SR uneven planked 10ft w/b vans and 27 LMS vans to 3 different diagrams.

Cheers

Richard

 

[SteveO]

Cheers both. I was wondering if ABS do them for their whitemetal kits? I've not seen one and they don't have a website so I can't check. I suppose I could use the plastic ends of Slaters BR Standard Van kit – or find someone who could cast from it?

 

[Dikitriki]

I am pretty certain that one of the ABS LNER vans uses plastic corrugated ends of Freightman origin. Whether that is still available I do not know, given the absence of further components. The best bet is to ask him at a show. If I can find my kit, I'll let you know which one it is.

Richard

 

[Railwaymaniac]

Cheers both. I was wondering if ABS do them for their whitemetal kits? I've not seen one and they don't have a website so I can't check. I suppose I could use the plastic ends of Slaters BR Standard Van kit – or find someone who could cast from it?

Steve -
Resin casting sounds as though it would be good for this?
(Don't ask me to do it, though! )

Ian