[kiwionrails]

7-Plank RCH1923 'Convertible' Coke Wagon - Gas Light & Coke Co, Beckton (Continued)
Now for the nerve-wracking part...... the lettering.....

Whilst I have used Letraset many, many years ago, this would be my first attempt at rub-down transfers onto a 3D surface.....

As mentioned before, I am being slightly naughty and applying these transfers onto a 7-plank wagon, where they should be on a 10-planker, so I have needed to make some 'adjustments' to the spacing between certain parts as it progressed...

According to the instructions you should start with the black shading, so this was held in place on one edge with some masking tape, and then carefully rubbed-down with a toothpick....

....and folding-back, I must say that I was amazed with how well it went down...!

The positioning was then adjusted for the next two lines, although for some reason I rubbed-down all three of the supplied running numbers, rather than just '13'.....

The process was then repeated with the white lettering itself...! More care was needed for this step, as you of course need to align the white with the shading, which although not difficult, does take some care....

Must admit that I was slightly concerned that the lettering wouldn't show-up against the light grey body colour, but am pleased that it does reasonably well!

Lettering has been completed with some Fox builders/registration plates and (if you look reaaally closely) some 'OIL' lettering (an old Slaters sheet) above some of the axleboxes (although not all of them, as the brake lever and wagon label clip are in the way.....)

Once everything has dried it'll be followed with a coat of sealing varnish then finished-off with the wheels and buffers.

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

GWR Shunting Wagon Diagram M.2 No.41750 - Plymouth (Millbay) East End (Continued)
As noted previously, the ABS/Four Most Models kit was supplied with a whitemetal 'shunter' figure. Unfortunately it had a fair amount of flash which needed careful paring-away and sanding. Although not fatal, was a bit fiddly to do...

A quick blast of etch primer followed, with a rather cruel close-up...!

I will premice all of the below to say this is one of the first figures I've attempted, so my technique certainly could be improved.....

...that said, I have read that when painting, you effectively should proceed in 'dressing order', whereby you start with bare skin, then work up to the top clothing layers...

So some nice pasty british skin (brush painted) followed...!

And some black trousers (air brush, as I was already using it for something else)

(hopefullly he doesn't mind being held by his face...!)

All I have managed to find RE suitable colours for a worker's coat is 'dark blue', so used one that looked about right from the drawer...

It is maybe a bit 'vibrant', but I am planning on giving the figure a good wash-down with some oils, which should help to tone things down...

I decided to leave the cap & undershirt in grey, as I think they complement the other colours quite nicely.

He also has some rather prominent buttons, which I'll be picking out with some brass paint in due course.... I'm not currently planning on attempting any facial features, as I don't think these would be descernable from any sort of normal viewing distance without looking 'wrong'...

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

Freelance GWR 'Maxi' Brakevan No.104438 (Continued)
I have been away for a bit again, but have now been able to progress the 'Maxi' bogie 'TOAD'...

As noted in the previous post, a couple of months ago I did some idle-musings of what a GWR-equivalent of the SR Queen Mary brake van would look like.....

Now that the 'donor' bodies had been nicely butchered with a razor saw, it was time to join the components back together using some scraps of plastic and butanone.... Fortunately I managed to get the cuts very neat, so there is very little filling required...(of course pending the primer-coat to reveal issues...)!

Just as the body required extending, the roof would as well to match.... This was achieved by again cutting the roof in two.....

....then joining it back together using some plastic strips.....

...and then some plasticard and lots of filler.....!

The moulded 'solid' chimney was also replaced with some brass tube, which I think improves the look greatly.

This was then primed to help identify any remaining surface imperfections..... which there were unfortunately a fair number as you might be able to see from the below photo....

...so this was again followed with another round of sanding and priming to smooth things out....

Much better...!

Attention would next turn to the underframe, but I will leave that to the next post, as there is a limit on the number of pictures you can include....

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

Freelance GWR 'Maxi' Brakevan No.104438 (Continued)
Attention next turns to the underframe...

All detail below the solebars (e.g. axleboxes, footboards, etc) were chopped off, as were the moulded buffers.

Bogies are the GWR-plate type from Cambrian kits, with various bits of shimming to get the ride-height correct. The offset from the ends was done on a 'what looks right' basis, and positions the outside wheelsets in the right position for the end sandboxes.

When offered-up against the body, it obviously looks a bit silly at this point....!

So as with the body and roof, next up was to break-out the razor saw again...!

The cut ends were then joined using some more plasticard, although this time I used some lengths of scrap rail to stiffen everything up...!

The solebars in the 'new' section were fabricated using some microstrip, whilst not perfect, shouldn't be too noticeable in the 'gloom' of the underframe...

As-per the original sketch, the plan is to provide some trussing to stiffen-up the lengthened chassis. This was fabricated using some 1mm and 0.7mm brass rod, then soldered together. - The latter probably could have done with being a bit thinner, but am reasonably happy with it over-all...

My original hope was that I would be able to reinstate some full-length footboards as-per a normal 'TOAD', however the width of the Cambrian bogies meant that this would have protruded outside of the vehicle gauge and struck platforms....

....as a compromise, I decided that some MJT/Frogmore 'American Pattern' footsteps on the bogie under the access door would do a treat. - The thinking is that this vehicle wouldn't be used for 'fiddly' shunting, rather attached on the end of a larger rake once assembled, so the need for the guard to jump up-and-down would be much less....

The brake gear was another flight of fancy, with the aim being to produce something which looks alright, rather than striving for getting something which 'would work' as I have done with some others.

Final bits included lamp irons (brass strip), coupling pocket (from the Dingham etch) and whitemetal buffers (Lanarkshire Models B023)

And now for some final pre-paint 'glam' shots.....! Whilst a bit ungainly, I must say that it kinda does look possible...!

Next; Paint!

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[34C]

... some final pre-paint 'glam' shots.....! Whilst a bit ungainly, I must say that it kinda does look possible...!
View attachment 22677
View attachment 22678
Next...

...as the GWR develops diesel railcars, someone looks at this van and thinks, wouldn't a diesel motor guards van be useful? This is the ideal vehicle for test of concept. We will then be able to slip wagons with motor brake off the rear of goods trains, the motor brake then shunts them into the yard, picks up any wagons to be despatched, and 'unslips' these onto the rear of the train it just slipped from. How useful for small wayside stations, to avoid blocking the line for hours by using the train engine to shunt...

 

[kiwionrails]

Freelance GWR 'Maxi' Brakevan No.104438 (Continued)
A mad-rush at work on the lead-in to the Christmas break has slowed things down slightly, but have managed to get some time in 'at the desk' today to push things along...!

Leading into painting, the first thing to do was to strip things back down into the component parts....

...and then attack it with a can of grey primer....

...folllowed by some grey paint....

I did something slightly different. Previously I've used the grey 'direct from the tin', however decided that I wanted it to be slightly darker in this case, so added a 'dash' of black, which I think has come out quite nicely. - The second photo is a pretty good rendering of the colour on my screen for what I can see in-person.

Another thing which occurred to me whilst doing some work on the 'mini' version, was how bare the floor looked. From photos, the floors in TOADs were typically wood planks, so I did some (not exactly perfect!) scribing on some plasticard, which was then cut to fit inside the veranda...

I decided to not fix it in until after painting, as it would be much easier to do so with the components separate. Prior to painting the hole for the handbrake was also drilled out. - offset in this case, as I thought that the designer would want the brake linkage to be able to go around the bogie pivots.

Once everything is thoroughly dry, the intention is to do a similar 'oil paint wood grain' as I did on the MACAW a wee bit back. Its position within the dark of the veranda will help to hide a multitude of sins (such as the dodgy scribing above!).

A couple of things left:

• Painting
  • The coating of grey on the main body has identified a few faults within the paintwork, which I would like to sand down and resolve prior to lettering
  • Veranda flooring
  • Hand brake.
• Lettering
• Finishing
  • Fitting of sand pipes - I decided to not do this until after painting as the pipes would simply get in the way if installed earlier.
  • Install window glazing

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

GWR Loriot P Conversion (Continued)
The lettering on the LORIOT has now been completed on both sides, and the custom number plates fitted.

Attention then turned to applying a nice sealing coat of lacquer varnish to enable the wooden planking to be represented...

....and that is where the problems started....

....as it had been sitting around for a couple of weeks, a small amount of dust had accumulated on the top surface, which I decided to clear off using some 'panel wipe', and then set aside for a wee bit to allow it to dry again.... only I suspect that I didn't wait long enough, as upon applying the lacquer I was greeted with the following sight..... 🤬 🤬 🤬 🤬 🤬

....It seems that I didn't wait quite long enough, and the panel wipe reacted with the lacquer as it was applied and 'crazed' the surface........

As I can see it I have a couple of options:

1. Weather the above down with the hope that it will simply look like a 'worn' surface
2. Rub-down then over-coat the 'crazed' areas again in grey (masking off the planking).

As I used automotive paint, it is pretty resistant to the normal paint strippers which we use, and I would risk damaging the lettering and plastic.

For now I have proceeded with Option 1, however may revert to option 2 depending on how things look after 'matting-down'....

The next job was to tone down the colour of the wood planking and provide a representation of the wood grain structure. As before I tackled this using some oil paints thinned with white spirits, slowly building up a suitable texture....

As you can see from the above - the weathering has helped to tone-down the impact of the 'crazing' significantly, however I will hold-off judgement until the final coat of matt varnish has been applied before deciding if I need to do anything further...

The light weathering was also extended to the sides, where it helps to blend the package together a bit more and highlight the rivet detail a wee bit.

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

Freelance GWR 'Mini' Brakevan (Continued)
As I didn't want to cut-up the 'stock' roof to fit the shortened body, I would need to source one from elsewhere.

In this case, I decided to utilise a spare roof from a Cooper Craft GWR V4 brake van kit that happened to be about the right size, with some minor modifications. In this case, the main one is fitting some brass tube to act as the chimney for the stove!

Some grey varnish followed....

....after which time I realised that the roof looked 'wrong' without the surround which some-such punch-throughs have, so added some using some thin card.

...which was then followed with the top coat of off-white for the roof.

Painting on the body continued with some Phoenix GWR Grey, which leaves a very matt finish.

To enable lettering, this was as usual followed with a coat of clear gloss...

The brake van handrails were then carefully picked-out in white - a fiddly task to only get the paint on the 'edge' of the moulding, This may have been easier if I had instead carved-off and replaced the handrails with wire, but I honestly couldn't face doing that!

Next-up; lettering....! I decided on Option 5 from the previous post in the end, and am reasonably happy with the result..

Final tasks at this point are really the 'mopping up' of some matt varnish and attaching the roof.

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

Freelance GWR 'Maxi' Brakevan No.104438 (Continued)
The various faults in the paintwork alluded to in the previous post required some light sanding to bring the finish consistent with the surrounding.

A follow-up coat of paint was required to blend everything together, which was also re-applied to the chassis for consistency due to the hand-blending of the colour...

The solebar numberplate also required fitting.....

Alongside the work on the Loriot from the previous post, the Toad floor was also given a nice wood-grain finish which I'm pretty happy with - As it will be hidden in the veranda it doesn't have to be perfect, but am pretty happy with it overall.

....aaand in place:

Lettering of the first side of the main body would follow, and I must admit I'm pretty happy with it. The majority is from Fox, with the shed allocation being from Cambridge Custom Transfers.

Things are now getting close, however the following remains:

• Painting
  • Hand brake.
  • Picking out handrails in white (after lettering complete)
• Lettering
  • Finish second side
• Finishing
  • Fitting of sand pipes - I decided to not do this until after painting as the pipes would simply get in the way if installed earlier.
  • Install window glazing

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

GWR Shunting Wagon Diagram M.2 No.41750 - Plymouth (Millbay) East End (Continued)
Work is also progressing slowly with the Diag.M.2 shunting wagon with the commencement of the lettering....

The 'GW' is 1.73mm high from the fox transfer sheet, although I have actually cut-down the wide-spaced 'G.W.R.' lettering to get the correct size (the closely-spaced set are sliightly smaller and looked wrong). The vertical line (denoting the wagon's centre of mass) between them is actually the remains of the 'R' which I have trimmed!

A related note; I have finally managed to find a photo of the model subject on RailOnline here. Although this is in BR rather than GWR livery, it does help to clarify a couple of details:

• Tare should be 5.18 rather than the 6.17 listed in the 'bible' for an Diag. M.2.
• There should be a hole in the centre of the solebar above the vee (I will need to shift the white line to allow this)
• The allocation name should be 'Plymouth Docks' - I realise it is possible this is the BR-allocation name rather than the GWR one, but this is the best info I've got!
• I'm not planning on replicating the broken toolbox lid planking - I blame BR for this!!

The numbering is probably going to use lettering from this Railtec sheet - The standard size HMRS/Fox/etc numbering is slightly too big to fit on the solebar, and I can see from photos of other shunters wagons that these were probably smaller than standard.

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[kiwionrails]

A future project will have the need of a large number of conical milk churns.

Whilst I'm aware of (and have a packet) of the excellent Dart Castings Whitemetal Milk Churns, unfortunately the project I'm intending them for could need up to 100+, so I didn't fancy spending ~£45 on them (not to mention the weight!).

Whilst definitely not as nice, I was pleased to see that Peco produce a 24pk for £3.50, which works out to be 'only' about £10 for the number I'll be aiming for eventually.... As these are injection-moulded plastic, they are much lighter than their whitemetal equivalents, which although less nice overall, will fit my needs fine.

As supplied they arrive still on the sprue, which unfortunately due to the attachment point on the top of the lid leaves a nasty separation mark when removed, so each would require some light sanding to bring this back flush....

The first 48 prepared.... I have only bought half so-far, as I want to offer-up them into the end-use before I get the full 100!

Whilst the churns are supplied in an aluminium-ish grey colour, I felt this could be improved, so proceeded to lay a couple of lengths of double-sided tape onto some scraps of wood to act as a paint handle....

....which then followed with some black undercoat...

And some silver top-coat (tamiya light-chrome IIRC) through the airbrush - This isn't the most even job I've ever done, however I would like to think that there would be some slight inconsistency in colour between different churns, so that is my story that I'm sticking to.....!

With the above macro photo you can see that I didn't bother to remove the vertical mould parting line on all of them - I decided that doing this on 48 churns would be the death of me, and you would be unlikely to notice if I didn't point it out!.....

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[dwb]

Definitely a labour of love with that number.
You could mix in a few of the cast churns with each wagon to bring it to the required weight?

David

 

[kiwionrails]

Definitely a labour of love with that number.
You could mix in a few of the cast churns with each wagon to bring it to the required weight?

David

Thanks David, It is certainly a consideration, although the intended 'home' for them has a decent amount of space under the floor, so I may not need the additional weight that they would bring - will see how it 'settles up' when all prepared...!

 

[kiwionrails]

GWR Loriot P Conversion (Continued)
Having now received its final coat of matt varnish, the Loriot is now at a point where I can mark it as complete..!

I must admit that I'm immensely happy with how it has turned-out visually, and am particularly happy with the finish on the wooden flooring.

One thing which could do with improvement, is that it is not currently the most free-running item of rolling stock in the 'stable', so I might at some stage drill-out the axleboxes and replace them with some brass bearings, but that is for another day...!

Regards,

Cameron.

 

[34C]

My quick and dirty method for making Hornby Lowmacs run freely once they have pinpoint axle metal wheelsets installed, if they prove to be dull runners.
Take your high speed rotary tool, install polishing mop.
Give each bearing a minimal squirt of GT85, place Lowmac upside down.
Restrain Lowmac and gently apply polishing mop at full belt to the middle of each axle for about 5 seconds.
Rotate Lowmac 180, repeat.

It's worked for me so far...

Caution. Most plastic chassis cannot be treated so vigorously. The Hornby Lowmac has a more substantial axlebox moulding and can take the beating. Weaker structures may result in the release of a 100,000RPM wheelset...

 

[kiwionrails]

Thanks 34c, I might give that a go. I will however need to be slightly careful though as I have slimmed-down the axleboxes slightly as part of the modifications, and also need to check whether it is just the wheel rubbing on the brake shoes...!

(pic from earlier in construction)

 

[kiwionrails]

My quick and dirty method for making Hornby Lowmacs run freely once they have pinpoint axle metal wheelsets installed, if they prove to be dull runners.
Take your high speed rotary tool, install polishing mop.
Give each bearing a minimal squirt of GT85, place Lowmac upside down.
Restrain Lowmac and gently apply polishing mop at full belt to the middle of each axle for about 5 seconds.
Rotate Lowmac 180, repeat.

It's worked for me so far...

Caution. Most plastic chassis cannot be treated so vigorously. The Hornby Lowmac has a more substantial axlebox moulding and can take the beating. Weaker structures may result in the release of a 100,000RPM wheelset...

Tried and worked! Now much freer-running! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Graham Plowman]

GWR Loriot P Conversion (Continued)
Having now received its final coat of matt varnish, the Loriot is now at a point where I can mark it as complete..!
View attachment 22778
View attachment 22779

I must admit that I'm immensely happy with how it has turned-out visually, and am particularly happy with the finish on the wooden flooring.

One thing which could do with improvement, is that it is not currently the most free-running item of rolling stock in the 'stable', so I might at some stage drill-out the axleboxes and replace them with some brass bearings, but that is for another day...!

Regards,

Cameron.

Beautiful modelling. I could use one of these in 7mm scale, but with BR livery!

 

[kiwionrails]

Beautiful modelling. I could use one of these in 7mm scale, but with BR livery!

Thanks Graham, that is very kind of you!

Not sure of a LORIOT P in 7mm, but I do know that Connoisseur models do an etched brass LORIOT M (although unfortunately looks to be out of stock currently).

 

[kiwionrails]

7-Plank RCH1923 'Convertible' Coke Wagon - Gas Light & Coke Co, Beckton (Continued)
Aaaaand done!!

Regards,

Cameron