[Anthony Richards]

Almost nothing gets posted in the 'On My Workbench' section these days. Is nobody building anything?

Anyway, I have a couple of projects on the go and the first to completion is this GWR Dia. C10 Clerestory Third, a relatively straightforward cut-and-shut utilising two Triang Clerestory Brakes to create a prototype. In the most remote way it is similar to the Triang Clerestory Composite: the C10 has 8 compartments to the generic Composite's 7 however, and the original Mark One bogies have - of course - been consigned to the bin. The splicing in this case was pleasingly trouble-free, too.

The build blog: https://srmg.org.uk/gwr-clerestory-all-thir...iang-conversion

And photos of the finished item:

And a comparison with an unaltered Triang Clerestory Composite. The C10 is only about 5mm longer inspite of it having an additional compartment.

Tony

 

[madon37s]

You have made a lovely job of that coach Anthony

 

[Anthony Richards]

Thank you Paul - appreciated.

Tony

 

[Gresley Was Right]

Whilst less interested in GWR coaches (at least narrow gauge ones ) I have in the past used Triang Clerestories to make various LBSC, SEC and LSWR types using Roxey mouldings parts, how do you ensure vertical cuts through your bodies? I nearly always seem to have to employ body filler due to a non vertical cut somewhere.

 

[34C]

...how do you ensure vertical cuts through your bodies?...

My method has been razor saw, with pieces of steel clamped to the 'Workmate' as guides. But read on.

Almost nothing gets posted in the 'On My Workbench' section these days. Is nobody building anything?...

Not much, because my vision has light level variable astigmatism on different axes in each eye. Squiffy vision in all but bright sunshine... I am largely restricting myself to a single unambitious general merchandise van upgrade: take an Airfix GMR or Dapol LMS type sliding door van body, attach to any cheaply obtained 10' wb steel underframe chassis I can find. (The plastic material of the original Airfix GMR chassis wears very badly, it's also not an accurate representation, so for the bin.) That I can do because everything is 'all square' to start with, but it is not very interesting...

The sliding door general merchandise van designs of the LNER (woohoo, now available as good RTR OO models) and the LMS are very necessary in quantity for these groups, and for the subsequent BR(ER)/(LMR)/(ScR) operations as many rail served premises could not accept the primitive cupboard door equipped vans of the lesser operations to the South, which detail was inexplicably carried over into BR's vans making them unacceptable for much of the traffic. As a result the LNER and LMS sliding door vans were necessarily retained in traffic until the general collapse of rail freight in the face of road competition. Inexplicably, nothing better than the Airfix GMR model has ever appeared in RTR OO, despite the LMS designs being the most numerous type of Big Four general merchandise van, and ubiquitous around the UK's rail network in consequence.

 

[Anthony Richards]

how do you ensure vertical cuts through your bodies? I nearly always seem to have to employ body filler due to a non vertical cut somewhere.

The simple answer I suppose is 'with great care'. But I have a good selection of razor saws and small mitre boxes and generally manage to produce joins which are square and require very little filler. Look at this piece of work in progress for eg*, each side is constructed from parts of three Ratio coaches and the joins are now damn nigh impossible to see [I'll post the finished product in a thread of its own later on]. It currently awaits a spray of satin varnish before fitting the glazing. Don't be too critical, it is unfinished....!

The best saw for this sort of work I've found is a murderously sharp Japanese saw which has 22 triple-edged teeth to the inch and cuts on the pull. Google Takagi Kataba 185 if you are interested. The best saw I have ever bought by a country mile.

* A Dia. T20 four compartment Brake Third.

Tony

 

[34C]

Almost nothing gets posted in the 'On My Workbench' section these days. Is nobody building anything?...

Further to which there's 'location'. In the excellent 'Thornton' thread in the 'On my layout' section there's quite a lot of 'incidental workbench' relevant to layout developments, which in turn provoked me into doing what is possible:

...Your good work on the van stock made me pull my finger out on upping my LMS design van contribution to the layout stock over the winlockterdown, and now it only waits for a fine still day for the outdoor spray application of BR wagon brown (+ filth in varying degrees) to about 30 of the bodies to move this project on. See the influence you have among us lazy types...