I don’t really approve of ready-made items for layouts. It seems to take all the fun out of modelling. Hornby’s excellent Skaledale range is a case in point. Why make your own buildings when you can buy them ready made for a reasonable price ?
Some things are tough to make though. Wicker baskets. How the hell do you do these in 4mm scale ?
For four quid I bought a pack and they are now glued (with PVA) to the layout. Of course I didn’t like the colour so they were treated with a wash of track colour and a dry brushing with pale grey. Otherwise they are excellent and just the think for a model set in 1900.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Show preperation
This time next week, I should be driving back from the BRM Show in Harrogate. With a bit of luck the weekend will have gone well and we’ll be considering stopping at a Little Chef en route for traditional post show meal.
This means that today, the Hellingly Hospital Railway layout has had to be erected for testing. It’s a pretty simple model without much to go wrong but I still like to check everything out anyway. If I’m going to have to fix anything my preferred venue is at home a week ahead of the show rather than after a three hour drive and sat in the middle of an exhibition hall.
Everything ran OK. I tried one of the electric engines and the latest steamer. Both covered every inch of the track without problems. No dry joints are present at the moment. The points work as well. Best of all, setting the stand up now means I can make sure I take everything I need and don’t remember a vital part 300 miles from it !
This might all be a bit of a waste of time however. The picture shows the plan of the show I’ve been supplied with. It looks suspiciously like we are behind a pillar. Now the model only has a 3 ½ foot long scenic section so if the pillar is a couple of feet wide then visitors aren’t going to see very much.
Let’s just hope that the plan isn’t that accurate.
This means that today, the Hellingly Hospital Railway layout has had to be erected for testing. It’s a pretty simple model without much to go wrong but I still like to check everything out anyway. If I’m going to have to fix anything my preferred venue is at home a week ahead of the show rather than after a three hour drive and sat in the middle of an exhibition hall.
Everything ran OK. I tried one of the electric engines and the latest steamer. Both covered every inch of the track without problems. No dry joints are present at the moment. The points work as well. Best of all, setting the stand up now means I can make sure I take everything I need and don’t remember a vital part 300 miles from it !
This might all be a bit of a waste of time however. The picture shows the plan of the show I’ve been supplied with. It looks suspiciously like we are behind a pillar. Now the model only has a 3 ½ foot long scenic section so if the pillar is a couple of feet wide then visitors aren’t going to see very much.
Let’s just hope that the plan isn’t that accurate.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Attention to detail
A few weeks ago my father and I were flattered to be invited by Warley Model Railway Club, to judge the modelling competitions at it’s modelling symposium. This is a large event that takes place at the clubs premises every year. The layouts are running and demonstrators show and explain different aspects of the hobby.
I’ve never been to one of these before so was looking forward to it when we took the train to Sandwell & Dudley station and then trekked across the frozen (OK, slushy) wastes of northern Birmingham. On arriving at the venue I was surprised by a couple of things. The first was the size of the place.
The send was that the symposium takes place tomorrow.
When the invite arrived I had looked at the date and decided it was on Saturday after what was obviously not enough time with the calendar. This Saturday to be precise, or not.
The trouble is that the only way we could get to the venue from my home on Sunday is by car – the first train doesn’t even get us to the centre of Brum until lunchtime. And as regular readers of this blog will know, my car is not working very well at the moment thanks to a lack of engine and a bit of missing bodywork.
Looking on the bright side, we did have a nice day out and the Warley members who were setting up did make us feel very welcome.
Thanks for this lads, and sorry about the judging.
I’ve never been to one of these before so was looking forward to it when we took the train to Sandwell & Dudley station and then trekked across the frozen (OK, slushy) wastes of northern Birmingham. On arriving at the venue I was surprised by a couple of things. The first was the size of the place.
The send was that the symposium takes place tomorrow.
When the invite arrived I had looked at the date and decided it was on Saturday after what was obviously not enough time with the calendar. This Saturday to be precise, or not.
The trouble is that the only way we could get to the venue from my home on Sunday is by car – the first train doesn’t even get us to the centre of Brum until lunchtime. And as regular readers of this blog will know, my car is not working very well at the moment thanks to a lack of engine and a bit of missing bodywork.
Looking on the bright side, we did have a nice day out and the Warley members who were setting up did make us feel very welcome.
Thanks for this lads, and sorry about the judging.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Getting some go
After all the messing around with paint, filler and varnish I can get on with fitting the hardware to make it go.
The instructions make it seem pretty simple. Use a dismantled servo to turn the propeller and a normal servo for left and right. The drive shaft comes pre-assembled. It’s a brass rod stuck on a bolt. Neat and effective although not something that the scale modeller would appreciate. I wondered about it myself but decided to go ahead as the homespun look fitted the boat I was building.
To couple the motor to the shaft a rubber tube is employed. This has worked well in other boats of this size so I’m not going to buy a proper device for this, not least because it would cost about the same as I paid for the kit !
A blob of Blu-tack held the shaft in place and I squeezed glue around the motor, which was in sort of the right place. When this had dried I filled the hole the shaft runs though with “Liquid Nails” glue to fix and waterproof.
The exciting bit of the build approaches- once the rudder is in I can try it on the water.
The instructions make it seem pretty simple. Use a dismantled servo to turn the propeller and a normal servo for left and right. The drive shaft comes pre-assembled. It’s a brass rod stuck on a bolt. Neat and effective although not something that the scale modeller would appreciate. I wondered about it myself but decided to go ahead as the homespun look fitted the boat I was building.
To couple the motor to the shaft a rubber tube is employed. This has worked well in other boats of this size so I’m not going to buy a proper device for this, not least because it would cost about the same as I paid for the kit !
A blob of Blu-tack held the shaft in place and I squeezed glue around the motor, which was in sort of the right place. When this had dried I filled the hole the shaft runs though with “Liquid Nails” glue to fix and waterproof.
The exciting bit of the build approaches- once the rudder is in I can try it on the water.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Super Structure
Just to show that my lack of posting doesn’t mean a lack of progress, here’s a photo of the cardboard boat’s superstructure.
It went together nicely enough with outdoor quality PVA. It’s nice to do some “organic” modelling with no solvents. Of course I spoilt this by painting the while bits in Humbrol and then spraying the lot with polyurethane varnish.
The only problem so far is that I didn’t spot the printed gauges in the bits bag. While they would be nice, I’m sure I can paint something nearly as good in the holes in the instrument panel. I don’t feel stupid about that at all. Honest.
It went together nicely enough with outdoor quality PVA. It’s nice to do some “organic” modelling with no solvents. Of course I spoilt this by painting the while bits in Humbrol and then spraying the lot with polyurethane varnish.
The only problem so far is that I didn’t spot the printed gauges in the bits bag. While they would be nice, I’m sure I can paint something nearly as good in the holes in the instrument panel. I don’t feel stupid about that at all. Honest.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
What do you call a cardboard boat ?
Naming the cardboard boat has caused me to think a bit. Normally I use the name of a pet unless something more suitable presents itself. Since we’ve had lots of pets there is plenty of choice. Even nicknames come in handy – “Pigeon Pie” being the one given by my sister to our dog Ben and now to my Yacht Tug.
This time I have strayed a bit by calling the boat “Idris”. This isn’t strictly speaking the name of a pet or at least not a real one. Many years ago we had a new boiler (I think) which arrived in a big cardboard box. At the time I loved nothing better to play with than a cardboard box, some pens and sellotape. The box became a dragon named after the beast in “Ivor the Engine”. Idris lived in my bedroom for quite a while as I recall (it was along time ago !) and at the corrugated paper found in chocolate boxes. He was very well behaved and good playmate as a small boy could sit inside and hide from his sister.
As my only cardboard pet, Idris is the obvious name for a cardboard boat. I think it’s what the Americans call a “no brainer”.
Naming will be carried out using waterslide transfers printed out on the computer. The liven things up I acquired an image from a dead web site of a cartoon dragon. The whole thing was put together with a DTP package (Pageplus) which allows me to set the sizes and pick from a wide selection of fonts for the text. I made some spares just in case things went wrong – there is no better way of ensuring everything works first time !
The transfers are applied to the model and then given many coats of varnish to stop them sliding off the first time we go for a sail.
This time I have strayed a bit by calling the boat “Idris”. This isn’t strictly speaking the name of a pet or at least not a real one. Many years ago we had a new boiler (I think) which arrived in a big cardboard box. At the time I loved nothing better to play with than a cardboard box, some pens and sellotape. The box became a dragon named after the beast in “Ivor the Engine”. Idris lived in my bedroom for quite a while as I recall (it was along time ago !) and at the corrugated paper found in chocolate boxes. He was very well behaved and good playmate as a small boy could sit inside and hide from his sister.
As my only cardboard pet, Idris is the obvious name for a cardboard boat. I think it’s what the Americans call a “no brainer”.
Naming will be carried out using waterslide transfers printed out on the computer. The liven things up I acquired an image from a dead web site of a cartoon dragon. The whole thing was put together with a DTP package (Pageplus) which allows me to set the sizes and pick from a wide selection of fonts for the text. I made some spares just in case things went wrong – there is no better way of ensuring everything works first time !
The transfers are applied to the model and then given many coats of varnish to stop them sliding off the first time we go for a sail.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Gloucester Docks
Envy is a terrible thing but who can blame me when I find a scene like this ?
I took a trip to Gloucester yesterday and wandered around the historic dockyard. It’s a fantastic place with easily modelable warehouses and interesting features at every turn. OK, so things have changed a lot since the docks were a working port - all the grime has long been sanitised away, but you can still get a feel for the place as it was.
For the modeller, the city is well worth a visit. As I didn’t have time to “do” the museum I’ll certainly back again later in the year. A couple of excellent model shops and a superb second hand bookshop in town are just added attractions.
Anyway, while looking for some food I discovered the Gloucester Model boat club, or at least some of their members who were sailing. They must be the luckiest club in the country – sheltered flat water and lots of it.
These guys were sailing in an area off the main basin although at least one intrepid modeller sailed his boat onto the main expanse of water. It’s pretty quiet so it wasn’t at any risk. Even if it wasn’t I don’t thing he was likely to damage any other boat he’d hit out there. In a fight between a steel barge and a plastic model boat I know who my money is on !
With handy food and toilets the only downside to the “pond” is that most of the banks are ten feet tall and made of concrete. Recovering a dead boat would be a real challenge. Presumably you always sail in packs so you can shove each other’s boats back to the landing area.
You even get an audience of interested visitors. Mind you, sometimes you just want to sail in private when first launching that new model so perhaps it isn’t perfect after all.
I took a trip to Gloucester yesterday and wandered around the historic dockyard. It’s a fantastic place with easily modelable warehouses and interesting features at every turn. OK, so things have changed a lot since the docks were a working port - all the grime has long been sanitised away, but you can still get a feel for the place as it was.
For the modeller, the city is well worth a visit. As I didn’t have time to “do” the museum I’ll certainly back again later in the year. A couple of excellent model shops and a superb second hand bookshop in town are just added attractions.
Anyway, while looking for some food I discovered the Gloucester Model boat club, or at least some of their members who were sailing. They must be the luckiest club in the country – sheltered flat water and lots of it.
These guys were sailing in an area off the main basin although at least one intrepid modeller sailed his boat onto the main expanse of water. It’s pretty quiet so it wasn’t at any risk. Even if it wasn’t I don’t thing he was likely to damage any other boat he’d hit out there. In a fight between a steel barge and a plastic model boat I know who my money is on !
With handy food and toilets the only downside to the “pond” is that most of the banks are ten feet tall and made of concrete. Recovering a dead boat would be a real challenge. Presumably you always sail in packs so you can shove each other’s boats back to the landing area.
You even get an audience of interested visitors. Mind you, sometimes you just want to sail in private when first launching that new model so perhaps it isn’t perfect after all.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Turning over
At the moment I’ve varnishing the deck of the cardboard boat. This isn’t the most interesting subject in the world for a blog post though so I decided to dip into my special reserve supply of photos and post a useful tip.
When painting a locomotive chassis, you must remember to rotate the wheels occasionally to get the rods clear of the brakes and to avoid a clean “shadow” where they cover the spokes. Ideally you would put some power through the mechanism to do this but with paint on the treads this isn’t always convenient. It can also be awkward to turn the wheels the quarter turn needed – they will tend to rotate rather more if everything is working !
My trick is to use a pin vice on the rear shaft, or leftover rear shaft, of the motor. Most locos allow you to leave quite a bit sticking out of the back. This ought to be more than enough to get the vice on.
A handy side effect is that rotating the motor in the way shows up any tight spots in the chassis. Not that there should be any at this point of course…
When painting a locomotive chassis, you must remember to rotate the wheels occasionally to get the rods clear of the brakes and to avoid a clean “shadow” where they cover the spokes. Ideally you would put some power through the mechanism to do this but with paint on the treads this isn’t always convenient. It can also be awkward to turn the wheels the quarter turn needed – they will tend to rotate rather more if everything is working !
My trick is to use a pin vice on the rear shaft, or leftover rear shaft, of the motor. Most locos allow you to leave quite a bit sticking out of the back. This ought to be more than enough to get the vice on.
A handy side effect is that rotating the motor in the way shows up any tight spots in the chassis. Not that there should be any at this point of course…
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Cracking Hull
If you are going to sail a cardboard hulled boat, you better make sure it is waterproof.
The instructions say everything should be painted with urethane. Fine, except that I don't know where you buy it. On the other hand many varnishes are marketed as polyurethane so I assume this will do.
First step was to spray the hull with Plasticote varnish. It went on well and seemed to make the hull slightly glossy which I think ought to keep the water out. Unfortunatly it didn't cover the areas where the surface of the card had been damaged when I peeled off the tape used to hold it together for the first fixing.
Filler is the cure for this and on the garage shelf was some high-build primer. This is a primer with filler in and it's in a spray can, Just the job. I think I bought it for working on my camper because I couldn't get any normal stuff at the time.
Anyway, I spray away. Remembering previous tangles with this, I dried each coat with a hair dryer. It all looked OK except for a couple of areas where the paint went on too thick. These were a bit rough but I decided to let it all harden and sand the problems away.
To my suprise when it had dried some areas were cracked. Sanding took the worst of this away but another think coat and some more drying brought the cracks back. Presumably the filler is too think and shrinks on drying.
I'm going to sand again and if it looks OK shoot another coat of varnish over the hull to finish the job. Before doing this I've attached the deck so the hull has reached its final shape just in case flexing it makes things worse. At least the tape marks have gone...
The instructions say everything should be painted with urethane. Fine, except that I don't know where you buy it. On the other hand many varnishes are marketed as polyurethane so I assume this will do.
First step was to spray the hull with Plasticote varnish. It went on well and seemed to make the hull slightly glossy which I think ought to keep the water out. Unfortunatly it didn't cover the areas where the surface of the card had been damaged when I peeled off the tape used to hold it together for the first fixing.
Filler is the cure for this and on the garage shelf was some high-build primer. This is a primer with filler in and it's in a spray can, Just the job. I think I bought it for working on my camper because I couldn't get any normal stuff at the time.
Anyway, I spray away. Remembering previous tangles with this, I dried each coat with a hair dryer. It all looked OK except for a couple of areas where the paint went on too thick. These were a bit rough but I decided to let it all harden and sand the problems away.
To my suprise when it had dried some areas were cracked. Sanding took the worst of this away but another think coat and some more drying brought the cracks back. Presumably the filler is too think and shrinks on drying.
I'm going to sand again and if it looks OK shoot another coat of varnish over the hull to finish the job. Before doing this I've attached the deck so the hull has reached its final shape just in case flexing it makes things worse. At least the tape marks have gone...
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sanding sealer
Ahhhh, the joys of tradition modelling. Who amongst you whipper snappers with your X-Boxacto knives and your Resistance Soldering Units, has ever used sanding sealer ?
Not many I suspect. Well sit at Grandpa Phil’s knee and let me explain.
Imagine you have some wood. Yes real wood from trees, not some plastic imitation. You would like to paint this wood. Now you might think that all you do is open the tin, stir the liquid and slap it on in the approved manner. What you will end up with is a hairy mess.
Wood has grain and is made up of fibres. So, before paint you need to seal the surface or the liquid colour will make the grain and fibres rise – giving the impression of a model that’s been too close to the cat.
The trick, if it can be described as such, is to paint the wood with sanding sealer. You’ll have to search a bit for this, as most model shops don’t carry it. Model aircraft shops are the best bet, or Squires. Sanding sealer is made from the blood of frogs harvested at midnight or something (I might have made that bit up) but the trick it performs is magic. Balsa wood is converted to a smooth substance that feels like soft, warm plastic. Paint now forms a beautiful smooth surface. The brush you used is probably dead though unless you wash it out in cellulose thinners. A small price to pay I feel.
Of course you could just use plastic in the first place. It would save a lot of mucking around.
Not many I suspect. Well sit at Grandpa Phil’s knee and let me explain.
Imagine you have some wood. Yes real wood from trees, not some plastic imitation. You would like to paint this wood. Now you might think that all you do is open the tin, stir the liquid and slap it on in the approved manner. What you will end up with is a hairy mess.
Wood has grain and is made up of fibres. So, before paint you need to seal the surface or the liquid colour will make the grain and fibres rise – giving the impression of a model that’s been too close to the cat.
The trick, if it can be described as such, is to paint the wood with sanding sealer. You’ll have to search a bit for this, as most model shops don’t carry it. Model aircraft shops are the best bet, or Squires. Sanding sealer is made from the blood of frogs harvested at midnight or something (I might have made that bit up) but the trick it performs is magic. Balsa wood is converted to a smooth substance that feels like soft, warm plastic. Paint now forms a beautiful smooth surface. The brush you used is probably dead though unless you wash it out in cellulose thinners. A small price to pay I feel.
Of course you could just use plastic in the first place. It would save a lot of mucking around.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Nose job
Sunday is sailing day so “Little Miss Minty” needed her nose job.
In other words I stuck one of the spare winches back on the front of the boat.
The resin casting was cleaned up by gentle application of a big file. Not much work was required, as the casting was pretty good to start with - just a little flash needed attention on the base, the rest was perfect. I then painted it with matt aluminium from the Humbrol range. All the other fittings are painted the same although they have been varnished so look a little different. I’ll notice this and so will you now I’ve told you, but no one else will.
Once dry a dab of superglue and Minty’s nose is restored. If I can avoid the buoys she’ll not need attention again.
In other words I stuck one of the spare winches back on the front of the boat.
The resin casting was cleaned up by gentle application of a big file. Not much work was required, as the casting was pretty good to start with - just a little flash needed attention on the base, the rest was perfect. I then painted it with matt aluminium from the Humbrol range. All the other fittings are painted the same although they have been varnished so look a little different. I’ll notice this and so will you now I’ve told you, but no one else will.
Once dry a dab of superglue and Minty’s nose is restored. If I can avoid the buoys she’ll not need attention again.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Metric rules
I’ve always been a metric sort of person. Not for everything you understand, if asked how far away something is I’ll estimate in feet or miles but when you want precision only metric will do. This especially important when modelling so I measure everything in millimetres.
So it is great to discover that the cardboard model boat kit has all the measurements in imperial. Wood sizes are described at 1/16 rather than 1.5mm. I’ve had to rely on Google to do all the conversions for me – type in “Convert 1/16 inch to mm” and the search engine does all the work.
It doesn’t help that one of the measurements is wrong – the main cross support is not 6/34 from the stern – it’s about 6.75 inches. Roughly. Sort of. I’m going to work it out by pushing the bit of wood back and forth until the edge of the hull appears to fit the deck.
This is all the fault of the Americans. They simply aren’t clever enough to realise that you need millimetres for precision work and probably explains why everything important ever was invented in Great Britain. We Brits worked this out many years ago which is why we lost the war of independence just get rid of them. Imperial units instead of metric, coffee instead of tea, it explains soooo much…
So it is great to discover that the cardboard model boat kit has all the measurements in imperial. Wood sizes are described at 1/16 rather than 1.5mm. I’ve had to rely on Google to do all the conversions for me – type in “Convert 1/16 inch to mm” and the search engine does all the work.
It doesn’t help that one of the measurements is wrong – the main cross support is not 6/34 from the stern – it’s about 6.75 inches. Roughly. Sort of. I’m going to work it out by pushing the bit of wood back and forth until the edge of the hull appears to fit the deck.
This is all the fault of the Americans. They simply aren’t clever enough to realise that you need millimetres for precision work and probably explains why everything important ever was invented in Great Britain. We Brits worked this out many years ago which is why we lost the war of independence just get rid of them. Imperial units instead of metric, coffee instead of tea, it explains soooo much…
Friday, January 26, 2007
A cardboard boat
Cardboard and water don’t mix. Or if they do you get papier machie. So I was fascinated to see a cardboard boat kit on eBay which intended to be a working model fitted with radio control.
Since I managed to win the auction at a price that was very right, I wondered what I would get.
A few days later in the post a Osbourne Micro Boat kit for a Chris Craft Cruiser arrived. It’s brilliant. Laser cut card and wood along with a few fittings. Excellent instructions. A real quality item.
I couldn’t resist starting it. It’s one of those models you can build while working on something else. Every step involves glueing or varnishing and then leaving the piece to dry. Normally I get impatient and ruin things but not this time I have promised myself. Besides, I need to get a move on with the Armstrong, hopefully I’ll be distracted enough to do a proper job.
So far I have taped the hull together and then run white glue into the inside of the joints. The tape was peeled off as carefully as I could and I’m left with a suprisingly good hull. It’s a testament to the makers art that the parts fitted perfectly and I look forward to carrying on with it.
Since I managed to win the auction at a price that was very right, I wondered what I would get.
A few days later in the post a Osbourne Micro Boat kit for a Chris Craft Cruiser arrived. It’s brilliant. Laser cut card and wood along with a few fittings. Excellent instructions. A real quality item.
I couldn’t resist starting it. It’s one of those models you can build while working on something else. Every step involves glueing or varnishing and then leaving the piece to dry. Normally I get impatient and ruin things but not this time I have promised myself. Besides, I need to get a move on with the Armstrong, hopefully I’ll be distracted enough to do a proper job.
So far I have taped the hull together and then run white glue into the inside of the joints. The tape was peeled off as carefully as I could and I’m left with a suprisingly good hull. It’s a testament to the makers art that the parts fitted perfectly and I look forward to carrying on with it.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Amazing Service
Sailing Little Miss Minty a few days ago I managed to break the pulley from her nose. It was a clever manoeuvre involving hitting a buoy forwards and sideways at the same time. The part pulled off and sank.
So I e-mailed George Turner Models and asked for the cost for the replacement part. A few days later in the post I received not one, but two parts free of charge !
What fantastic service. You simply can’t get better than this. I think I know who will be getting more of my money in the near future…
So I e-mailed George Turner Models and asked for the cost for the replacement part. A few days later in the post I received not one, but two parts free of charge !
What fantastic service. You simply can’t get better than this. I think I know who will be getting more of my money in the near future…
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Leamington Show
Yet again I go to a show and see examples of a hobby about to turn over and die. The Leamington Show had only a large increase in attendance with over 2000 coming in over the two days. The traders seemed happy with their takings and I know several large and expensive items went in the back of visitors cars.
The layouts were notable for their excellent quality – or at least I assume they were as I couldn’t get near them during peak periods.
Yes, the hobby is definitely on it’s last legs and I confidently predict were are doomed.
The layouts were notable for their excellent quality – or at least I assume they were as I couldn’t get near them during peak periods.
Yes, the hobby is definitely on it’s last legs and I confidently predict were are doomed.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
In praise of the odd-ball
At our show I find myself chatting to the operator of a 16mm layout.
The larger narrow gauges aren’t often represented at indoor shows. Most people consider that they are suitable for the garden only. I think this photo shows that properly done, you can use the size to make an attractive model.
The layout itself is pretty basic. On a 4ft square board there is a single circuit that forma figure of eight looping over itself. The train trundles around, disappears from view in a tunnel and re-appears at a higher level, spiralling down to start again. A loop and single siding allow a little bit of operation but not much. Basically this is a watch the trains go by model. The builder obviously enjoys making mine locomotives as he has a couple of spares over the bare minimum required.
Scenery is slate, either in cliff of rubble form. There is a hut and a basic bridge but not a lot else. Despite this I liked the model. It’s a good example of something created by a modeller who likes modelling. He likes the process of putting things together and pitching his skill against a dream.
I wonder what other people think of it. Many will be happy to walk away from the show with some new Hornby or Bachmann product that they will place in a cupboard to be used “one day”. Some will go home enthused clutching purchases and planning to “do” the train set. Many won’t see anything in this little model. It’s too remote from what they want to make. The idea of building absolutely everything is alien. Surely they will argue, you have to buy something.
Worse are those who think it is stupid to build a model you want when you could just buy a new “thing”. They will complain that this isn’t what they want to see at an exhibition, why can’t there be a layout made entirely of bought items ? The argument runs, “We must show the beginners what they can do without any skill”. Skill in this instance being considered a mysterious power that only the high priests of the hobby possess.
To this last group I say, “What about me ?”. I posses the magical power of “skill”. Not nearly as much as I would like but some. I want to see models that inspire me. I want to go to a show and see a model and think, “I would like to make that.” With the emphasis on “make” and not “own”.
As a hobby we need odd-ball layouts that take us away from the main line and into interesting byways. It’s like a diet – if all you ate was McBurgers you wouldn’t die but like would be terribly bland. This might not be a hobby marked by heady excitement but at least we deserve some variety.
The larger narrow gauges aren’t often represented at indoor shows. Most people consider that they are suitable for the garden only. I think this photo shows that properly done, you can use the size to make an attractive model.
The layout itself is pretty basic. On a 4ft square board there is a single circuit that forma figure of eight looping over itself. The train trundles around, disappears from view in a tunnel and re-appears at a higher level, spiralling down to start again. A loop and single siding allow a little bit of operation but not much. Basically this is a watch the trains go by model. The builder obviously enjoys making mine locomotives as he has a couple of spares over the bare minimum required.
Scenery is slate, either in cliff of rubble form. There is a hut and a basic bridge but not a lot else. Despite this I liked the model. It’s a good example of something created by a modeller who likes modelling. He likes the process of putting things together and pitching his skill against a dream.
I wonder what other people think of it. Many will be happy to walk away from the show with some new Hornby or Bachmann product that they will place in a cupboard to be used “one day”. Some will go home enthused clutching purchases and planning to “do” the train set. Many won’t see anything in this little model. It’s too remote from what they want to make. The idea of building absolutely everything is alien. Surely they will argue, you have to buy something.
Worse are those who think it is stupid to build a model you want when you could just buy a new “thing”. They will complain that this isn’t what they want to see at an exhibition, why can’t there be a layout made entirely of bought items ? The argument runs, “We must show the beginners what they can do without any skill”. Skill in this instance being considered a mysterious power that only the high priests of the hobby possess.
To this last group I say, “What about me ?”. I posses the magical power of “skill”. Not nearly as much as I would like but some. I want to see models that inspire me. I want to go to a show and see a model and think, “I would like to make that.” With the emphasis on “make” and not “own”.
As a hobby we need odd-ball layouts that take us away from the main line and into interesting byways. It’s like a diet – if all you ate was McBurgers you wouldn’t die but like would be terribly bland. This might not be a hobby marked by heady excitement but at least we deserve some variety.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
LMS 0-4-4
This locomotive is a testament to Just In Time delivery.
It’s scheduled to be on a stand at our show on Saturday, and I’ve just finished it.
The biggest job was weathering. My technique nowadays involves toning the model down with a weak spray of tank grey, followed by one of track colour and finishing up with some earth colour around the chassis. I’d already dry-brushed the chassis with dirt as mentioned earlier.
The weak sprays take the edge off the pure black paintwork. Not enough to turn the model into a collage of grey and brown sludge, just enough to make it look like a model. The human eye needs a bit of help with contrast and reducing it this way makes things easier to see.
Or something like that.
Using a weak paint mix has the advantage that you can use it, look at the effect after drying with the trusty hairdryer, and do some more if you want. I really should sort out the lights where I spray as a mix of fluorescent and incandescent doesn’t exactly give the best colour to decide how the painting is going
The separation of matt and satin blacks still shows through. My intention is to present a locomotive that is clean but has working dirt. Steam engines are filthy things so a gleaming example simply isn’t real. I know that legions of cleaners were employed but they weren’t that good.
After paint I just needed to glaze the windows with Krystal Klear and add some coal to the bunker. Then sit back and look at my efforts, which are in my eyes, full of errors. With a bit of luck no one will notice so please don’t tell them.
It’s scheduled to be on a stand at our show on Saturday, and I’ve just finished it.
The biggest job was weathering. My technique nowadays involves toning the model down with a weak spray of tank grey, followed by one of track colour and finishing up with some earth colour around the chassis. I’d already dry-brushed the chassis with dirt as mentioned earlier.
The weak sprays take the edge off the pure black paintwork. Not enough to turn the model into a collage of grey and brown sludge, just enough to make it look like a model. The human eye needs a bit of help with contrast and reducing it this way makes things easier to see.
Or something like that.
Using a weak paint mix has the advantage that you can use it, look at the effect after drying with the trusty hairdryer, and do some more if you want. I really should sort out the lights where I spray as a mix of fluorescent and incandescent doesn’t exactly give the best colour to decide how the painting is going
The separation of matt and satin blacks still shows through. My intention is to present a locomotive that is clean but has working dirt. Steam engines are filthy things so a gleaming example simply isn’t real. I know that legions of cleaners were employed but they weren’t that good.
After paint I just needed to glaze the windows with Krystal Klear and add some coal to the bunker. Then sit back and look at my efforts, which are in my eyes, full of errors. With a bit of luck no one will notice so please don’t tell them.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Black to basics
Once upon a time I painted model railway locomotives black. First I did this with a brush. Later I progressed to Humbrol mini-sprays as I liked the results they gave. Later still I used an airbrush.
The consistent theme was matt. The black was always matt.
Then I read a book on weathering which talked about colour. I realised the error of my ways. If you look at a steam locomotive, you will notice that the smokebox is matt black. The rest of the body is in gloss and the difference shows. Sometimes you only see things if they are pointed out.
Now I am a reformed character. Smokeboxes are still matt but the rest gets a coat of satin varnish. The contrast is marked. It’s amazing how different the finished make the same colour appear.
There is even a difference between methods of application. My favoured mini-spray actually gave a slightly satin finish. Use an airbrush with the same paint though and the result really is matt. There is absolutely no shine. Brush painting is fine as well. Not quite as matt as spraying but not bad. Of course Humbrol has always brushed very well and if you are careful not to re-work sections that have started to cure, will dry to a very fine finish. The smokebox in the picture is brushed as I’m too lazy to mask it and it looks good.
Real experts will tell me that in nature there is no such thing as pure black. It’s always influenced by other colours reflected in it or by the light around it. I don’t really understand that but cheat by weathering everything so my models don’t suffer from “pure” black. I do understand that until you take the edge off the black, the model looks wrong.
This is nothing that a quick dry brush or spray with “Tank Grey” (Humbrol 67) can’t sure though and that’s the next stage for this model.
The consistent theme was matt. The black was always matt.
Then I read a book on weathering which talked about colour. I realised the error of my ways. If you look at a steam locomotive, you will notice that the smokebox is matt black. The rest of the body is in gloss and the difference shows. Sometimes you only see things if they are pointed out.
Now I am a reformed character. Smokeboxes are still matt but the rest gets a coat of satin varnish. The contrast is marked. It’s amazing how different the finished make the same colour appear.
There is even a difference between methods of application. My favoured mini-spray actually gave a slightly satin finish. Use an airbrush with the same paint though and the result really is matt. There is absolutely no shine. Brush painting is fine as well. Not quite as matt as spraying but not bad. Of course Humbrol has always brushed very well and if you are careful not to re-work sections that have started to cure, will dry to a very fine finish. The smokebox in the picture is brushed as I’m too lazy to mask it and it looks good.
Real experts will tell me that in nature there is no such thing as pure black. It’s always influenced by other colours reflected in it or by the light around it. I don’t really understand that but cheat by weathering everything so my models don’t suffer from “pure” black. I do understand that until you take the edge off the black, the model looks wrong.
This is nothing that a quick dry brush or spray with “Tank Grey” (Humbrol 67) can’t sure though and that’s the next stage for this model.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Boiler out
Once you have rolled your boiler, you get to attach it to the rest of the locomotive. At this point if you are following the story I’m going to disappoint you a bit. I managed to get a big chunk of last weekend in on this kit – well most of the Saturday anyway. This means that the model is pretty much complete and so you won’t get a stream of postings explaining each step. Sorry.
The only interesting moment was when I discovered that the smokebox door wouldn’t fit. The only chance I had was to use something from a 4mm scale range and that would just look stupid. The boiler was too low.
The solution was pretty horrific and I didn’t embark on it lightly. Using a small gas powered torch I melted the solder in at each attachment point and jabbed a scalpel into the molten liquid. This allows it to cool without re-attaching the part. By using lots of heat and being luckier than I deserve, a major part of this model locomotive was separated from the rest. Even where the front was attached to a whitemetal saddle, separation was achieved without melting anything important. The trick, if there is one, is to use a lot of heat so the solder melts before anything else has the chance to heat up.
A little cleaning and a lot of measuring – something I should have done in the first place – and the boiler is back in place. The smokebox door is fitted and all is OK. Phew.
The only interesting moment was when I discovered that the smokebox door wouldn’t fit. The only chance I had was to use something from a 4mm scale range and that would just look stupid. The boiler was too low.
The solution was pretty horrific and I didn’t embark on it lightly. Using a small gas powered torch I melted the solder in at each attachment point and jabbed a scalpel into the molten liquid. This allows it to cool without re-attaching the part. By using lots of heat and being luckier than I deserve, a major part of this model locomotive was separated from the rest. Even where the front was attached to a whitemetal saddle, separation was achieved without melting anything important. The trick, if there is one, is to use a lot of heat so the solder melts before anything else has the chance to heat up.
A little cleaning and a lot of measuring – something I should have done in the first place – and the boiler is back in place. The smokebox door is fitted and all is OK. Phew.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Roll your own
When you, the eager punter, buy this kit it should come with a boiler that resembles a tube. Lucky you.
For me the boiler arrived as a flat etching, which meant I needed to form it. This is a job I hate since my previous efforts haven’t always been as successful as I would have liked. With only one etch I had to get it right first time as well. No pressure then.
The method usually recommended is to work a heavy metal bar back and forth on the part with it sat on a pad of paper. This will gradually cause it to bend until you get a tube. Me, I get something with the profile of a twenty pence piece. Mr Kaizer tells me that I’m pushing down on the bar too hard, but if I don’t the metal stays flat.
Because of these failings, a couple of years ago I invested in some GW Models rolling bars. These are the proper engineering tool and therefore ought to allow me to roll the metal. Mind you I’m not that clever at using them – perhaps I should have taken metalwork at school instead of computer studies !
At least the metal didn’t need annealing. It’s half etched to give the boiler bands so making it more flexible isn’t a good idea. Since one of the other jobs I’m useless at is soldering metal strip to tubes for boiler bands, this is a good thing too.
I just wish it hadn’t come flat packed.
For me the boiler arrived as a flat etching, which meant I needed to form it. This is a job I hate since my previous efforts haven’t always been as successful as I would have liked. With only one etch I had to get it right first time as well. No pressure then.
The method usually recommended is to work a heavy metal bar back and forth on the part with it sat on a pad of paper. This will gradually cause it to bend until you get a tube. Me, I get something with the profile of a twenty pence piece. Mr Kaizer tells me that I’m pushing down on the bar too hard, but if I don’t the metal stays flat.
Because of these failings, a couple of years ago I invested in some GW Models rolling bars. These are the proper engineering tool and therefore ought to allow me to roll the metal. Mind you I’m not that clever at using them – perhaps I should have taken metalwork at school instead of computer studies !
At least the metal didn’t need annealing. It’s half etched to give the boiler bands so making it more flexible isn’t a good idea. Since one of the other jobs I’m useless at is soldering metal strip to tubes for boiler bands, this is a good thing too.
I just wish it hadn’t come flat packed.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Greyey browny dirt is the New Black
Painting the chassis.
Stage 1 – Hand paint with Humbrol Matt black. Spraying might have been a bit better but I couldn’t be bothered to set up the airbrush. The paint brushes nicely anyway to give a nice finish.
Stage 2 – Let the paint harden. This takes 24 hours and you can feel the difference. New paint may be dry but it feels soft to the touch. I don’t know why but it does.
Stage 3 – Dry brush everything with matt dark grey. Humbrol 66 because I didn’t have any 67 to hand.
Stage 4 – Repeat with rust colour.
Stage 5 – Repeat with gunmetal from the metalcote range.
Stage 6 – Dust with a rusty weathering powder for a bit of colour & texture.
Finally, clean out the bearings with the reamer and leave to dry.
Stage 1 – Hand paint with Humbrol Matt black. Spraying might have been a bit better but I couldn’t be bothered to set up the airbrush. The paint brushes nicely anyway to give a nice finish.
Stage 2 – Let the paint harden. This takes 24 hours and you can feel the difference. New paint may be dry but it feels soft to the touch. I don’t know why but it does.
Stage 3 – Dry brush everything with matt dark grey. Humbrol 66 because I didn’t have any 67 to hand.
Stage 4 – Repeat with rust colour.
Stage 5 – Repeat with gunmetal from the metalcote range.
Stage 6 – Dust with a rusty weathering powder for a bit of colour & texture.
Finally, clean out the bearings with the reamer and leave to dry.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Chassis in primer
With things running, the wheels come out and the chassis goes into primer.
Luckily I looked in the bag of castings and spotted that some springs are provided to go behind the wheels. This is one of the first, if not the the first that has featured these. I’ve certainly never used whitemetal ones before.
A bit of thinning down was required so they weren’t proud of the bearings but my coarse file sorted this. You wouldn’t want to be messing around with a needle file here ! If you don’t have a coarse inch wide file, use emery paper stuck to a board to keep the sanded surface flat.
I also soldered the sandboxes in place, taking the positions relative to the relevant bits on the body. I did remember to check that the wheels would still revolve after they were attached.
Finally, after a clean, the chassis is sprayed with etched primer.
Luckily I looked in the bag of castings and spotted that some springs are provided to go behind the wheels. This is one of the first, if not the the first that has featured these. I’ve certainly never used whitemetal ones before.
A bit of thinning down was required so they weren’t proud of the bearings but my coarse file sorted this. You wouldn’t want to be messing around with a needle file here ! If you don’t have a coarse inch wide file, use emery paper stuck to a board to keep the sanded surface flat.
I also soldered the sandboxes in place, taking the positions relative to the relevant bits on the body. I did remember to check that the wheels would still revolve after they were attached.
Finally, after a clean, the chassis is sprayed with etched primer.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Stupid design
What idiot designed the 0-4-4 ?
When you want to test run the chassis you have to put the non-driving wheels in as well. Most locos will trundle up and down the test track with only the coupled wheels fitted. Not this time as the back drags along the track.
With the mechanical bits fitted I have to assemble the bogie and the screw it in with that fiendishly fiddly attachment comprising springs and washers. This is needed because even with the bogie in place you have to prop up the front. What is the point of this ?
Anyway, it works. With the rods reamed out the wheels rotate and all is fine. Watching a chassis you’ve built yourself perambulate back and forth along the track is one of the more satisfying things that happens in this fine hobby.
When you want to test run the chassis you have to put the non-driving wheels in as well. Most locos will trundle up and down the test track with only the coupled wheels fitted. Not this time as the back drags along the track.
With the mechanical bits fitted I have to assemble the bogie and the screw it in with that fiendishly fiddly attachment comprising springs and washers. This is needed because even with the bogie in place you have to prop up the front. What is the point of this ?
Anyway, it works. With the rods reamed out the wheels rotate and all is fine. Watching a chassis you’ve built yourself perambulate back and forth along the track is one of the more satisfying things that happens in this fine hobby.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Coupling Rods
Con rods are usually a fairly pain free part of a build – right up until you try and fit them.
These were simply a case of laminating two etchings. I tinned both first. Then flux was smeared in between them as they were held together with wooden tongs. Soldering along the edges made the solder in the middle run nicely to hold the parts together.
The holes for the crank pins were then reamed out. I don’t worry too much about accuracy of alignment of the parts because as long as they look OK, this step sorts everything out.
The holes in the rods should be the same distance apart as the axle holes. If not, the loco won’t run. These were wrong by about a millimetre. Not huge but bad enough. Hopefully some elongation of the holes will sort things. If not I’ll have to separate the etches and look at shortening them.
This is why the loco has to be test built. This sort of thing can be correct – possibly with some milled rods – but you need to know about it first.
These were simply a case of laminating two etchings. I tinned both first. Then flux was smeared in between them as they were held together with wooden tongs. Soldering along the edges made the solder in the middle run nicely to hold the parts together.
The holes for the crank pins were then reamed out. I don’t worry too much about accuracy of alignment of the parts because as long as they look OK, this step sorts everything out.
The holes in the rods should be the same distance apart as the axle holes. If not, the loco won’t run. These were wrong by about a millimetre. Not huge but bad enough. Hopefully some elongation of the holes will sort things. If not I’ll have to separate the etches and look at shortening them.
This is why the loco has to be test built. This sort of thing can be correct – possibly with some milled rods – but you need to know about it first.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
0-4-4
OK – This project has been sitting around part complete for several months and now I need to get it ready for handing over on the 20th. These things really creep up on you don’t they ?
The job – Test build an etched 7mm scale locomotive kit for a Midland 0-4-4 for Trevor. He’s bought it in and before it ends up in the range, someone has to see how good it is. That’s me then.
Starting with the chassis, this is a pretty simple beast. Ream out the holes for the bearings, which are correctly etched undersized as it’s easy to make holes bigger, a b@&**er to make them smaller. Once these are soldering in place the sides are brought together with the chassis spacers.
You can tell the age of the kit by the fact it’s designed around screw in spacers rather than etched versions. This isn’t a problem as long as the sides are identical. Once I was happy that all was square, I solder the spacers to the sides. Ideally you files the heads of the screws flush and cover them with solder so they can’t seen when the model is painted. I files but didn’t fill as it’s useful on the stand to be able to see what you are getting. Actually they will hardly show anyway but never mind.
The cross wires for the brakes make the whole thing permanent – which is good, we don’t want the chassis disassembling itself later do we ?
The job – Test build an etched 7mm scale locomotive kit for a Midland 0-4-4 for Trevor. He’s bought it in and before it ends up in the range, someone has to see how good it is. That’s me then.
Starting with the chassis, this is a pretty simple beast. Ream out the holes for the bearings, which are correctly etched undersized as it’s easy to make holes bigger, a b@&**er to make them smaller. Once these are soldering in place the sides are brought together with the chassis spacers.
You can tell the age of the kit by the fact it’s designed around screw in spacers rather than etched versions. This isn’t a problem as long as the sides are identical. Once I was happy that all was square, I solder the spacers to the sides. Ideally you files the heads of the screws flush and cover them with solder so they can’t seen when the model is painted. I files but didn’t fill as it’s useful on the stand to be able to see what you are getting. Actually they will hardly show anyway but never mind.
The cross wires for the brakes make the whole thing permanent – which is good, we don’t want the chassis disassembling itself later do we ?
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Armstrong locomotive
A proper picture of a model locomotive at last !
This is the current state of the Armstrong. It’s looking pretty good and even works.
One problem is that the loco sits 1mm too high. Avoiding this would mean scratchbuilding the footplate out of thin brass or using smaller than scale bogie wheels as they area a tight fit under there.
The model has reached a hiatus however. I have to put it back in the box for a few weeks. You see there is another loco I have promised to have finished for someone in time for the Leamington Spa show in a couple of weeks. This has also sat half completed in a box for too long.
Time is also needed for me to work out how to correct the shape of the outside frames on the Armstrong. They should curve down ahead of the front cranks and don’t. This alters the look to the detriment of the model. I’m thinking about making the extra bits from thick plastic card but this doesn’t seem like proper modelling as I should really use metal. That would be harder to cut to the complex curves and needs to be thick to match the frames so I have a delima
This is the current state of the Armstrong. It’s looking pretty good and even works.
One problem is that the loco sits 1mm too high. Avoiding this would mean scratchbuilding the footplate out of thin brass or using smaller than scale bogie wheels as they area a tight fit under there.
The model has reached a hiatus however. I have to put it back in the box for a few weeks. You see there is another loco I have promised to have finished for someone in time for the Leamington Spa show in a couple of weeks. This has also sat half completed in a box for too long.
Time is also needed for me to work out how to correct the shape of the outside frames on the Armstrong. They should curve down ahead of the front cranks and don’t. This alters the look to the detriment of the model. I’m thinking about making the extra bits from thick plastic card but this doesn’t seem like proper modelling as I should really use metal. That would be harder to cut to the complex curves and needs to be thick to match the frames so I have a delima
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
The information swamp
“Hold on”, I hear you cry, “Not the box files again, you’ve done them already.”
Well, sort of. I mentioned a few days ago that the Railway Modeller Magazines were getting the chop. That process is now finished and the remains are in the paper-recycling bin at Sainsburys. What I have kept is a modest pile of interesting bits.
Traditionally these would stay as a pile, or piles, for months. They would expand horizontally like a weed to cover every available surface until I tired of dog-eared paper lying around and binned the lot. This will not be the way in 2007 ! No, I am busy working for the future. Laying down the foundations for a fine library that will allow the inquisitive mind to lay his hands on the perfect piece of information at a moments notice.
Actually I have been watching quite a bit of Inspector Morse while doing this so I might be confusing myself with a great detective and owner of an incisive mind. I’ll just carry on muddling along while struggling with the Guardian (you can tell I read it coz of my speling) Quick Crossword.
Whatever, now I have my piles of torn out pages I do need to sort them somehow. There is much pleasure to be found casually browsing for an article when time isn’t precious but none at all when you know that it’s somewhere in the information swamp.
My salvation will be the box file. I already have some very tatty ones holding plans and papers. They were rescued from a past job each announces that it contains TB test results or other delightful forms from the Ministry of Agriculture. After twelve years it’s time to get rid of them and tidy up. With each file costing £1.79 I say, “Blow the expense” and have invested in enough to take and file everything neatly, or at least in a set of matching boxes.
Currently I have four files:
which are sat on the worktop as I throw paper in their directions. For any smartarse wondering about the last box, the is a file called “Uninteresting articles”, it’s large, blue and metal and as I said earlier, stands in Sainsburys car park. I’ve done that already thank you.
Categorisation is a bit weak. The Locomotives and Rolling Stock are basically plans so easy enough. Buildings can include other things nailed to the ground such as fences and buffer stops. Ideally there is a drawing in each of these but not always. Everything else goes in the Articles box.
The RM isn’t always helpful to people like me. Sometimes there are several interesting pieces in a single magazine. That means I have to staple together several articles in a bundle. Then I have to make a best guess at which the most interesting one will be in the future and throw the wad into the correct box. As I was pretty generous will removing articles, keeping things that might not be interesting now but could be in the future such as modern image (for today) grain wagon plans, this dilemma happens quite a lot. The information swamp won’t be totally drained.
If I were a librarian then an index would be written and nothing would ever be lost. I’m too lazy for this and doubt I’d get it right anyway so I guess it’s wellies on and splosh into the quagmire once in a while.
Well, sort of. I mentioned a few days ago that the Railway Modeller Magazines were getting the chop. That process is now finished and the remains are in the paper-recycling bin at Sainsburys. What I have kept is a modest pile of interesting bits.
Traditionally these would stay as a pile, or piles, for months. They would expand horizontally like a weed to cover every available surface until I tired of dog-eared paper lying around and binned the lot. This will not be the way in 2007 ! No, I am busy working for the future. Laying down the foundations for a fine library that will allow the inquisitive mind to lay his hands on the perfect piece of information at a moments notice.
Actually I have been watching quite a bit of Inspector Morse while doing this so I might be confusing myself with a great detective and owner of an incisive mind. I’ll just carry on muddling along while struggling with the Guardian (you can tell I read it coz of my speling) Quick Crossword.
Whatever, now I have my piles of torn out pages I do need to sort them somehow. There is much pleasure to be found casually browsing for an article when time isn’t precious but none at all when you know that it’s somewhere in the information swamp.
My salvation will be the box file. I already have some very tatty ones holding plans and papers. They were rescued from a past job each announces that it contains TB test results or other delightful forms from the Ministry of Agriculture. After twelve years it’s time to get rid of them and tidy up. With each file costing £1.79 I say, “Blow the expense” and have invested in enough to take and file everything neatly, or at least in a set of matching boxes.
Currently I have four files:
- Locomotives
- Rolling Stock
- Buildings
- Interesting articles
which are sat on the worktop as I throw paper in their directions. For any smartarse wondering about the last box, the is a file called “Uninteresting articles”, it’s large, blue and metal and as I said earlier, stands in Sainsburys car park. I’ve done that already thank you.
Categorisation is a bit weak. The Locomotives and Rolling Stock are basically plans so easy enough. Buildings can include other things nailed to the ground such as fences and buffer stops. Ideally there is a drawing in each of these but not always. Everything else goes in the Articles box.
The RM isn’t always helpful to people like me. Sometimes there are several interesting pieces in a single magazine. That means I have to staple together several articles in a bundle. Then I have to make a best guess at which the most interesting one will be in the future and throw the wad into the correct box. As I was pretty generous will removing articles, keeping things that might not be interesting now but could be in the future such as modern image (for today) grain wagon plans, this dilemma happens quite a lot. The information swamp won’t be totally drained.
If I were a librarian then an index would be written and nothing would ever be lost. I’m too lazy for this and doubt I’d get it right anyway so I guess it’s wellies on and splosh into the quagmire once in a while.
Monday, January 01, 2007
One year old
Today marks the first birthday for this blog. To celebrate the event I am going to allow myself a ramble. If you want any content about making things, come back another day or plunder the archives, otherwise, read on.
To date I’ve posted 238 times. A small but slowly growing band of readers view an average of 12 pages a day. You click through to the adverts enough to earn me 2 cents a day.
Occasionally someone sends me an e-mail or posts something in the comments section of an entry. I’d love more feedback but then so would everybody who writes a blog.
Today I have to decide if it’s worth carrying on. On balance I think it probably is.
Part of the reason for writing this stuff is simply the practise it gives me. Two or three times a week I have to try and string some words together in a meaningful order. Sometimes I do it well, sometimes it goes a bit pear shaped. It doesn’t matter, the practise is useful. Since I aspire to get into print occasionally, the easier I find the process of writing reasonable prose, the more I can concentrate on the message or story I’m telling. All the best writing course say you have to write a lot and so that’s what I do. Sorry if you feel this means you read material that should have been rejected but that’s the way it is. The essence of a blog is speed so typos can creep thorough. You are getting this for free remember…
I also have to take lots of pictures. More practise, which has spin-offs in both my modelling and Real Work life. I have made an effort to get some basic facilities allowing me to take reasonable photos. Perhaps if I didn’t have an outlet that would be a job I wouldn’t quite have got around to.
Mostly though, it’s forced me to keep finding little bits of time to do the things that go into the blog. Over the last year I have completed a couple of boats, several model railway locomotives and various jobs on my campervan. I like to write these up and so I get on and do them. Rather than slobbing out in front of the telly the blog is always nagging me to post and if I want to post I have to make things. I love making things so this is A Good Thing.
People ask how I find the time for this. Well I don’t have a family demanding attention. My job doesn’t need me to take work home (actually it does want me to, but I refuse) in the evening even if it doesn’t let me take holiday properly. Most of all though I want to find the time. OK so I can leave stuff part done on the bench which saves getting out and packing away after each session. But lots of jobs can be accomplished in a few minutes – even if I do then turn them into a War & Peace length post ! Should I get a couple of hours to spend on something then it’s turned into several posts. One thing I have learned is that writing a blog means writing about trees and not the wood. But then that’s why layout articles in magazines rarely interest me. There is no detail and that’s where the devil is once you start getting your hands dirty on the workbench.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this stuff and will continue to come back. Why not bookmark the page and then tell all your friends about it. If you are a magazine editor, why not offer me a multi-million pound contract to write a monthly column ? If you are a modeller and hit a problem, let me know and I’ll see if I can come up with a suggestion. Sometimes I even get the answers right !
Happy New Year.
To date I’ve posted 238 times. A small but slowly growing band of readers view an average of 12 pages a day. You click through to the adverts enough to earn me 2 cents a day.
Occasionally someone sends me an e-mail or posts something in the comments section of an entry. I’d love more feedback but then so would everybody who writes a blog.
Today I have to decide if it’s worth carrying on. On balance I think it probably is.
Part of the reason for writing this stuff is simply the practise it gives me. Two or three times a week I have to try and string some words together in a meaningful order. Sometimes I do it well, sometimes it goes a bit pear shaped. It doesn’t matter, the practise is useful. Since I aspire to get into print occasionally, the easier I find the process of writing reasonable prose, the more I can concentrate on the message or story I’m telling. All the best writing course say you have to write a lot and so that’s what I do. Sorry if you feel this means you read material that should have been rejected but that’s the way it is. The essence of a blog is speed so typos can creep thorough. You are getting this for free remember…
I also have to take lots of pictures. More practise, which has spin-offs in both my modelling and Real Work life. I have made an effort to get some basic facilities allowing me to take reasonable photos. Perhaps if I didn’t have an outlet that would be a job I wouldn’t quite have got around to.
Mostly though, it’s forced me to keep finding little bits of time to do the things that go into the blog. Over the last year I have completed a couple of boats, several model railway locomotives and various jobs on my campervan. I like to write these up and so I get on and do them. Rather than slobbing out in front of the telly the blog is always nagging me to post and if I want to post I have to make things. I love making things so this is A Good Thing.
People ask how I find the time for this. Well I don’t have a family demanding attention. My job doesn’t need me to take work home (actually it does want me to, but I refuse) in the evening even if it doesn’t let me take holiday properly. Most of all though I want to find the time. OK so I can leave stuff part done on the bench which saves getting out and packing away after each session. But lots of jobs can be accomplished in a few minutes – even if I do then turn them into a War & Peace length post ! Should I get a couple of hours to spend on something then it’s turned into several posts. One thing I have learned is that writing a blog means writing about trees and not the wood. But then that’s why layout articles in magazines rarely interest me. There is no detail and that’s where the devil is once you start getting your hands dirty on the workbench.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this stuff and will continue to come back. Why not bookmark the page and then tell all your friends about it. If you are a magazine editor, why not offer me a multi-million pound contract to write a monthly column ? If you are a modeller and hit a problem, let me know and I’ll see if I can come up with a suggestion. Sometimes I even get the answers right !
Happy New Year.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Little boxes
If you are going to put the effort into building a kit there is no point in skimping on the parts if you don’t have to. One of the most important areas are the mechanical parts – if the model runs well you can forgive it any number of deficiencies in the bodywork. On the other hand a perfect model that lumps along the track will always be a disappointment.
Fortunately good gearboxes are reasonably cheap and easy to come by. This one is from High Level models with Mashima motor hanging off the back. Although it looks like a fearsome beast it goes together very easily. The toughest part is reaming out the holes for the intermediate shafts. These need to be done slowly so there isn’t any slop. Not a problem for most people but I have to stop myself taking too much material out - clean the hole, check, clean some more and check again. Little and often.
The shafts are supposed to be cut with a slitting disk in the mini drill. I prefer to use some big (Zebra) wire cutters as they don’t heat the metal up like the friction created by the disk does. The cutters have done no end of shafts, including the ones on motors, which are especially hard, and survived although I could really do with a new pair after 15 years !
One good thing about these ‘boxes is that they don’t require total precision. There is lee-way in the gears so perfect meshing isn’t required. Since I can’t mesh gears for toffee this is a relief. In fact my inability with gear meshing is the reason I started putting gearboxes in models in the first place.
Fortunately good gearboxes are reasonably cheap and easy to come by. This one is from High Level models with Mashima motor hanging off the back. Although it looks like a fearsome beast it goes together very easily. The toughest part is reaming out the holes for the intermediate shafts. These need to be done slowly so there isn’t any slop. Not a problem for most people but I have to stop myself taking too much material out - clean the hole, check, clean some more and check again. Little and often.
The shafts are supposed to be cut with a slitting disk in the mini drill. I prefer to use some big (Zebra) wire cutters as they don’t heat the metal up like the friction created by the disk does. The cutters have done no end of shafts, including the ones on motors, which are especially hard, and survived although I could really do with a new pair after 15 years !
One good thing about these ‘boxes is that they don’t require total precision. There is lee-way in the gears so perfect meshing isn’t required. Since I can’t mesh gears for toffee this is a relief. In fact my inability with gear meshing is the reason I started putting gearboxes in models in the first place.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Death to Railway Modellers
I know it’s a bit early for new years resolutions but never mind. One thing I plan to do is rid my life of Railway Modeller magazines.
This isn’t because it’s a terrible magazine – although it’s not as good as it used to be as there are too many layout articles and not enough on making things – it’s because I need the space. The shelf where the 18 or so years sit is full and other books and magazines are building up elsewhere. In the end the RM’s are the publication I need least.
So, I am busy reducing the pile. Plans and anything that looks like it could be interesting stay, everything else goes to the recycling centre. You are looking at about eight years worth of surviving text here. It doesn’t even fill half a box file.
This isn’t because it’s a terrible magazine – although it’s not as good as it used to be as there are too many layout articles and not enough on making things – it’s because I need the space. The shelf where the 18 or so years sit is full and other books and magazines are building up elsewhere. In the end the RM’s are the publication I need least.
So, I am busy reducing the pile. Plans and anything that looks like it could be interesting stay, everything else goes to the recycling centre. You are looking at about eight years worth of surviving text here. It doesn’t even fill half a box file.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Armstrong Chassis
I think this is what the chassis should look like. It seems to fit the body and has the axle holes in the correct places so it ought to do the job.
Having messed around with the original K’s chassis, I’ve no idea how this was supposed to work. One problem is that the rear axle will, if the kit is built as intended, go straight through the footplate floor. At least it would if the axles weren’t several millimetres below the outside frames instead of poking through the holes they are supposed to.
My method for working this out was to solder two thicknesses of nickel silver together, mark the axle positions and then chop away until the part fits in the body. For no partially good reason I started with frames 15mm deep which were then reduced in places as required. Obviously you can’t go too thin as mechanical strength would be lot and anyway, the frame bushes need a couple of mm around them or you can’t solder them in place ! Once I was happy the sides were unsoldered and cleaned up to give to identical pieces.
Frame spacers are from Comet. I didn’t fancy trying to cut really accurate ones from raw metal when perfectly acceptable versions are available etched. No point in making any job harder than it already is !
Having messed around with the original K’s chassis, I’ve no idea how this was supposed to work. One problem is that the rear axle will, if the kit is built as intended, go straight through the footplate floor. At least it would if the axles weren’t several millimetres below the outside frames instead of poking through the holes they are supposed to.
My method for working this out was to solder two thicknesses of nickel silver together, mark the axle positions and then chop away until the part fits in the body. For no partially good reason I started with frames 15mm deep which were then reduced in places as required. Obviously you can’t go too thin as mechanical strength would be lot and anyway, the frame bushes need a couple of mm around them or you can’t solder them in place ! Once I was happy the sides were unsoldered and cleaned up to give to identical pieces.
Frame spacers are from Comet. I didn’t fancy trying to cut really accurate ones from raw metal when perfectly acceptable versions are available etched. No point in making any job harder than it already is !
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Boiler battles
If there is one thing worse than flash in a white metal locomotive kit, it is mould mis-alignment.
K’s didn’t do me any favours with the boiler on this loco. At least an hour has been devoted to scraping, filing and polishing the part into something that resembles round while keeping the boiler bands and sundry detail. The alignment was out by about half a boiler band. Not much, but enough to ruin a model if not corrected.
Most of the work was carried out with a three-sided scraper. I’ve never been averse to using a file despite the warnings of doom normally associated with this. The lead-based alloy will clog the teeth of a file, although using a course one helps, but these can be cleaned out simply enough using a file card or wire brush.
The body has now been tacked together using low-melt solder so I can work out the chassis. I’m not planning to use the horrible K’s item but it’s not obvious what shape works best. Tacking the item together means I can fiddle around and experiment. And if there is a problem or it all falls apart then I’ve not wasted too much effort.
K’s didn’t do me any favours with the boiler on this loco. At least an hour has been devoted to scraping, filing and polishing the part into something that resembles round while keeping the boiler bands and sundry detail. The alignment was out by about half a boiler band. Not much, but enough to ruin a model if not corrected.
Most of the work was carried out with a three-sided scraper. I’ve never been averse to using a file despite the warnings of doom normally associated with this. The lead-based alloy will clog the teeth of a file, although using a course one helps, but these can be cleaned out simply enough using a file card or wire brush.
The body has now been tacked together using low-melt solder so I can work out the chassis. I’m not planning to use the horrible K’s item but it’s not obvious what shape works best. Tacking the item together means I can fiddle around and experiment. And if there is a problem or it all falls apart then I’ve not wasted too much effort.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Crimbo
It’s always nice to get a surprise present at Christmas. In my stoking I received a nice new bottle of "Shiny Sinks" cleaner. Just as the one I am using to clean etched kits after an evening soldering is running out.
Santa really does work hard !
Santa really does work hard !
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Flash - aaarhh !
You don’t get kits like this any more. Proper kits where you have to carve the bits out of a whitemetal mess with your bare hands. Kits for real men. This is macho modelling.
It’s also a right pain in the backside. You forget how bad mouldings used to be a couple of decades ago. We used to think this sort of thing was normal. Now the quality of castings has improved immeasurably. Even the guy doing it in his shed as part of a cottage industry is better.
Ideally I’d send these back but since the firm went out of business years ago that isn’t going to work. Of course as a “real man” I just set to and sculpt the bits to look right. Luck is on my side as the lime of flash doesn’t run across any detail. Even if it did, on the tender toolbox I could replace it with microstrip.
The boiler on the other hand, now that is proving more of a handful.
It’s also a right pain in the backside. You forget how bad mouldings used to be a couple of decades ago. We used to think this sort of thing was normal. Now the quality of castings has improved immeasurably. Even the guy doing it in his shed as part of a cottage industry is better.
Ideally I’d send these back but since the firm went out of business years ago that isn’t going to work. Of course as a “real man” I just set to and sculpt the bits to look right. Luck is on my side as the lime of flash doesn’t run across any detail. Even if it did, on the tender toolbox I could replace it with microstrip.
The boiler on the other hand, now that is proving more of a handful.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Sponges
On the right, you see the sponge from my soldering iron stand. On the left, a replacement bought this week from Squires.
What a poor, tired thing the old sponge was. At about a third the thickness and full of solder it really wasn’t doing its job.
Proper modellers clean the tip of their iron every time they make a joint. I probably do this every third or fourth joint. A clean iron makes better joins, it’s that simple. Back in the old days people would file excess solder and that weird black muck off the end of the iron. This also removes the plating and dramatically shortens the life of the bit. File too hard and it dramatically reduces the length and shape of the bit as well.
The old sponge has been in use for at least five years. I wonder if the new one will last as long ?
What a poor, tired thing the old sponge was. At about a third the thickness and full of solder it really wasn’t doing its job.
Proper modellers clean the tip of their iron every time they make a joint. I probably do this every third or fourth joint. A clean iron makes better joins, it’s that simple. Back in the old days people would file excess solder and that weird black muck off the end of the iron. This also removes the plating and dramatically shortens the life of the bit. File too hard and it dramatically reduces the length and shape of the bit as well.
The old sponge has been in use for at least five years. I wonder if the new one will last as long ?
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Fame again
January Model Boats magazine – An article about the building of my George Turner Models Day Boat, “Pootle”.
Lots of pictures of the inside, as that is where all the action is. For a cheap kits, and at under a tenner they don’t get much cheaper, there is a lot of fun in this little model.
Buy the magazine to read over the festive period. Then send the editor a letter demanding more from the same excellent author !
Lots of pictures of the inside, as that is where all the action is. For a cheap kits, and at under a tenner they don’t get much cheaper, there is a lot of fun in this little model.
Buy the magazine to read over the festive period. Then send the editor a letter demanding more from the same excellent author !
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Fun and games with rails
The coal rails have given me grief and loads of it.
First attempt – Use the supplied etched ones. These have to be bent to go around the corners and then the uprights are curved to fit the tender flair. I tined the bits to be soldered to the whitemetal with normal solder so the whitemetal version would stick. Nothing seemed to work. One of the uprights on each side got in the way of the divider at the back of the coal space. I fiddled away for an hour or so and pulled them off in frustration. They didn’t look much like the version on the prototype anyway.
Second attempt – Marking the positions using a plan, I made some uprights using 0.45mm wire. I then ran wire around for the rails. All soldering was carried out with low-melt solder. It sort of worked except at the front ends where I couldn’t get the curves right. The horizontals weren’t great either as they could be a bit lumpy where the solder ran along them. The joints were also weak but I couldn’t use proper solder as it would melt the sides.
Third attempt – After leaving things for a night and coming back fresh, I straightened out the etched rails and re-tinned them. Looking at the plan one upright does coincide with the back of the coal space so I clipped off the let that gets in the way. The mid point was marked and the corners bent so the rails were the right shape rather than trying to form and fit.
The end result is pretty good. I’m still not entirely happy that they are flat rather than round in profile, but what I have looks neat and tidy which is more important. When replacing parts in a kit it’s important that the replacement doesn’t look worse than the original – or there’s not much point in making the change.
First attempt – Use the supplied etched ones. These have to be bent to go around the corners and then the uprights are curved to fit the tender flair. I tined the bits to be soldered to the whitemetal with normal solder so the whitemetal version would stick. Nothing seemed to work. One of the uprights on each side got in the way of the divider at the back of the coal space. I fiddled away for an hour or so and pulled them off in frustration. They didn’t look much like the version on the prototype anyway.
Second attempt – Marking the positions using a plan, I made some uprights using 0.45mm wire. I then ran wire around for the rails. All soldering was carried out with low-melt solder. It sort of worked except at the front ends where I couldn’t get the curves right. The horizontals weren’t great either as they could be a bit lumpy where the solder ran along them. The joints were also weak but I couldn’t use proper solder as it would melt the sides.
Third attempt – After leaving things for a night and coming back fresh, I straightened out the etched rails and re-tinned them. Looking at the plan one upright does coincide with the back of the coal space so I clipped off the let that gets in the way. The mid point was marked and the corners bent so the rails were the right shape rather than trying to form and fit.
The end result is pretty good. I’m still not entirely happy that they are flat rather than round in profile, but what I have looks neat and tidy which is more important. When replacing parts in a kit it’s important that the replacement doesn’t look worse than the original – or there’s not much point in making the change.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Start at the back
A tender locomotive consists of two separate kits. The kettle and the water carrier. In the case of the Armstrong I have decided to start with the watery end. This is a good ploy that many modellers employ as it gives you a chance to get aquatinted with the vagaries of the design of whatever kit you are working on whilst building something that will stand a certain amount of fudgery. Lets face it, mess the motorised end of the model up too much and it won’t work.
The K’s kit has a very nice exploded diagram to follow and some instructions I didn’t bother to read properly. A good picture is worth a thousand words and this is certainly a good picture.
So far everything has gone together OK. Assembly is carried out with low melt solder. I know people are often scared of this having been warned not to turn the precious parts into a molten lump. In reality this is difficult to do as the solder has a lower melting point than the kit. Simply set the temperature of the iron hot enough for one but too cold for the other. Do not attempt this without an iron you can’t control.
All the parts have been assembled as supplied except the side frames which needed to be thinned down and moved out slightly. The kit is designed for OO and this will be an EM gauge model so I needed to squeeze a bit more room or the wheels wouldn’t rotate – not a feature anyone wants in a model locomotive.
The K’s kit has a very nice exploded diagram to follow and some instructions I didn’t bother to read properly. A good picture is worth a thousand words and this is certainly a good picture.
So far everything has gone together OK. Assembly is carried out with low melt solder. I know people are often scared of this having been warned not to turn the precious parts into a molten lump. In reality this is difficult to do as the solder has a lower melting point than the kit. Simply set the temperature of the iron hot enough for one but too cold for the other. Do not attempt this without an iron you can’t control.
All the parts have been assembled as supplied except the side frames which needed to be thinned down and moved out slightly. The kit is designed for OO and this will be an EM gauge model so I needed to squeeze a bit more room or the wheels wouldn’t rotate – not a feature anyone wants in a model locomotive.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Another one for the stockbox
The Neilson mineral engine is finished. Possibly the longest gestation period for any model locomotive I have ever built is over.
With the chassis finished I reattached the body and started weathering. Since reading “The Art of Weathering” I have airbrushed a gentle weak mix of browns & greys over locos to take the edge off all the colours and provide the look of general grime that covers everything railway – at least in the bits I model anyway.
The trick from the book is to dirty the model and then clean it using a cotton bud dipped in turps. This simulates the efforts of the driver to keep his locomotive presentable. I had given quite a good coat so the cleaning really stood out. This was helped by painting the green bits in satin varnish so they stood out against the matt dirt.
Of course nothing stays clean forever and so another light coat of grime is applied. This means the “uncleaned” areas get even muckier and those that were wiped down don’t shine quite so much. Dirt clings in hard to reach crevasses exactly as it does on the real thing.
Whatever the science, the results look good, to me anyway. A little dry brushing on step edges and at the front where ash would be pulled out of the firebox finished the job.
All I had to do then was add coal in the bunkers, put the crew in place and clean the wheels.
Then I have another one for the stockbox.
With the chassis finished I reattached the body and started weathering. Since reading “The Art of Weathering” I have airbrushed a gentle weak mix of browns & greys over locos to take the edge off all the colours and provide the look of general grime that covers everything railway – at least in the bits I model anyway.
The trick from the book is to dirty the model and then clean it using a cotton bud dipped in turps. This simulates the efforts of the driver to keep his locomotive presentable. I had given quite a good coat so the cleaning really stood out. This was helped by painting the green bits in satin varnish so they stood out against the matt dirt.
Of course nothing stays clean forever and so another light coat of grime is applied. This means the “uncleaned” areas get even muckier and those that were wiped down don’t shine quite so much. Dirt clings in hard to reach crevasses exactly as it does on the real thing.
Whatever the science, the results look good, to me anyway. A little dry brushing on step edges and at the front where ash would be pulled out of the firebox finished the job.
All I had to do then was add coal in the bunkers, put the crew in place and clean the wheels.
Then I have another one for the stockbox.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Chassis done
Chassis always need special weathering, The mechanical bits either need to be kept clean or be cleaned before you finish. Without the body access is always easier as we don’t want the footplate getting in the way and resulting in clean paint showing do we ? The motor gave me something to hold on to anyway.
I usually just dry-brush some tank grey (Humbrol 67) on anything black and then add in track colour and rust where required. The important thing is to hide any pure black and highlight any detail. If you put rivets on anything, they need highlighting or no one will see them.
Dry brush work also gives a bit of the texture that real dirt has. We don’t want to go mad with this as this is real dirt scaled down 76 times – for all intents and purposes this means smooth. A bit of grain bounces the light around though, which looks authentic.
The last job is to go for it with some weathering powders. I’m not a huge fan of these as they don’t stand up to handling. In the inaccessible areas this isn’t a problem, and there is little better for simulating really think rust as found on the bottom of fireboxes and fronts of cylinders.
I usually just dry-brush some tank grey (Humbrol 67) on anything black and then add in track colour and rust where required. The important thing is to hide any pure black and highlight any detail. If you put rivets on anything, they need highlighting or no one will see them.
Dry brush work also gives a bit of the texture that real dirt has. We don’t want to go mad with this as this is real dirt scaled down 76 times – for all intents and purposes this means smooth. A bit of grain bounces the light around though, which looks authentic.
The last job is to go for it with some weathering powders. I’m not a huge fan of these as they don’t stand up to handling. In the inaccessible areas this isn’t a problem, and there is little better for simulating really think rust as found on the bottom of fireboxes and fronts of cylinders.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Putting the brakes on
The mineral engine kit has, as is usual from High Level Model, superb brake gear. The prototype is unusual as all four shoes bear on the rear pair of wheels. This is possibly because it had to handle heavy stone trains or maybe just a foible of Neilson’s.
Construction is very cleverly planned with all parts being easy to assemble. The shoes are three layers of etch and slot into the hanger. A small piece of wire hooks into the chassis so you don’t even have those annoying wires running all the way through and getting in the way. There is certainly no chance of clobbering the coupling rods with this method. In theory you can build the brakes and paint them before attaching to the model. You shouldn’t even need to solder anything to the chassis – I wouldn’t fancy risking this but others might.
Needles to say I managed to screw things up. Making the last brake assembly it pinged off into the distance, never to be found again. I paused for a while (several days) while thinking about the solution. In the end I just used two shoes instead of four. Since the loco isn’t really supposed to appear on the Hellingly Hospital Railway anyway, I think a bit of modellers licence can be applied here.
The rest of the bits fitted well filling up the back of the chassis. That little bit of detail puts some much-needed life into this part of the model. I like to see a bit of complexity below the footplate or it all looks a bit plain. Once upon a time this was how model railway were but nowadays we expect better.
All of this coincided with me dropping the chassis and bending everything behind the gearbox quite a lot. A bit of desoldering the frame spacer and bending the sides cured this but I don’t advise try it !
Construction is very cleverly planned with all parts being easy to assemble. The shoes are three layers of etch and slot into the hanger. A small piece of wire hooks into the chassis so you don’t even have those annoying wires running all the way through and getting in the way. There is certainly no chance of clobbering the coupling rods with this method. In theory you can build the brakes and paint them before attaching to the model. You shouldn’t even need to solder anything to the chassis – I wouldn’t fancy risking this but others might.
Needles to say I managed to screw things up. Making the last brake assembly it pinged off into the distance, never to be found again. I paused for a while (several days) while thinking about the solution. In the end I just used two shoes instead of four. Since the loco isn’t really supposed to appear on the Hellingly Hospital Railway anyway, I think a bit of modellers licence can be applied here.
The rest of the bits fitted well filling up the back of the chassis. That little bit of detail puts some much-needed life into this part of the model. I like to see a bit of complexity below the footplate or it all looks a bit plain. Once upon a time this was how model railway were but nowadays we expect better.
All of this coincided with me dropping the chassis and bending everything behind the gearbox quite a lot. A bit of desoldering the frame spacer and bending the sides cured this but I don’t advise try it !
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
McDonalds, the model makers friend part 2
Yet again I find myself in a McDonalds, and yet again I manage to pick up some modelling tools.
This time there is something for the painters – small wax paper pots. Each is 3.5cm wide and 2.5cm deep. To be honest I don’t know what you are supposed to use them for so can only guess they are provided for mixing small amounts of model paint it. They might also come in handy for holding small chassis parts such as screws while you dismantle things.
Now I am sure that Ronald M doesn’t want modellers around the world helping themselves to all his pots and stirring sticks but I say he can get stuffed. Let us band together and with a concentrated effort, bring this king of capitalism crashing down by our excessive collection of freebies. We will make the world of commerce quake at the threat of direct action. The Financial Times will be replaced with British Railway Modelling as the read of choice for the city trader.
Come to think of it, red curly wig might be OK if it were dyed and used for scenics…
This time there is something for the painters – small wax paper pots. Each is 3.5cm wide and 2.5cm deep. To be honest I don’t know what you are supposed to use them for so can only guess they are provided for mixing small amounts of model paint it. They might also come in handy for holding small chassis parts such as screws while you dismantle things.
Now I am sure that Ronald M doesn’t want modellers around the world helping themselves to all his pots and stirring sticks but I say he can get stuffed. Let us band together and with a concentrated effort, bring this king of capitalism crashing down by our excessive collection of freebies. We will make the world of commerce quake at the threat of direct action. The Financial Times will be replaced with British Railway Modelling as the read of choice for the city trader.
Come to think of it, red curly wig might be OK if it were dyed and used for scenics…
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Why don't kits come complete ?
This is a small selection of the parts needed to finish the GWR Armstrong locomotive kit. Mostly it consists of wheels but there are some other odds and sods. What’s not there is a motor or gearbox, these are still in the post. 70 quids worth of bits to add to the cost of the kit.
Most newbies wonder why model locomotive kits aren’t supplied with all the parts needed to complete them. It is a bit of a shock to look at the price of a box of bits only to realise that you have to add another chunk of cash, sometimes doubling the final bill, if you want to finish and run the model.
Some kitmakers provide beginners kits that are complete, others give you wheels or gearboxes as they manufacture their own and want you to use them. Most don’t bother leaving the poor modeller to work out what else is required. In the popular scales they usually help with a list but get off the beaten track (e.g. to 3mm scale) and you are on your own.
Now I don’t care. Having built more locos than is good for me, I have my favourite wheels, motors and gearboxes. When I buy a model I know roughly how much to add and where to get the extra parts. For the record, my favourites are: Romford wheels, Mashima Can motors & High Level or Branchlines gearboxes depending on the model.
Of course the beginner knows nothing of this. He or she wants it all in a box and wants to know why the model railway world has grown up in this apparently user-unfriendly way.
The reason is simple. It might at first glance appear to make things difficult but actually makes life easier. The Armstrong is to be built to EM gauge – so I need EM wheels. There are OO ones in the kit and they will be left over at the end. There’s nothing I can do about this. Motors and gearboxes are similar. If this kit had included one, it would have been a K’s one-piece unit. Fine if you like the smoke effects produced when this gives up the ghost but I prefer to put a good unit in first time so the loco is only assembled once.
Complete kits have to be built down to a price. This means you get cheap parts and not necessarily good ones. Worse, if you want to change something then you still have to pay for the part you don’t want and then replace it with the one you do.
In theory the model shop fills in the gap. New modellers want to buy a kit and the experienced man behind the counter offers sensible advice based on years of experience to help with the extra parts. Of course there are very few model shops and even fewer that supply locomotive kits. Mail order and chasing the cheapest price have seen to this. Manufacturers now have to fill in the gaps – fine most of the time but they often don’t stock all the parts themselves so you don’t have the one-stop solution.
I suppose this is all part of the learning curve for a modeller contemplating building their first locomotive. It is certainly a good reason for joining a club so you can learn from others mistakes.
Most newbies wonder why model locomotive kits aren’t supplied with all the parts needed to complete them. It is a bit of a shock to look at the price of a box of bits only to realise that you have to add another chunk of cash, sometimes doubling the final bill, if you want to finish and run the model.
Some kitmakers provide beginners kits that are complete, others give you wheels or gearboxes as they manufacture their own and want you to use them. Most don’t bother leaving the poor modeller to work out what else is required. In the popular scales they usually help with a list but get off the beaten track (e.g. to 3mm scale) and you are on your own.
Now I don’t care. Having built more locos than is good for me, I have my favourite wheels, motors and gearboxes. When I buy a model I know roughly how much to add and where to get the extra parts. For the record, my favourites are: Romford wheels, Mashima Can motors & High Level or Branchlines gearboxes depending on the model.
Of course the beginner knows nothing of this. He or she wants it all in a box and wants to know why the model railway world has grown up in this apparently user-unfriendly way.
The reason is simple. It might at first glance appear to make things difficult but actually makes life easier. The Armstrong is to be built to EM gauge – so I need EM wheels. There are OO ones in the kit and they will be left over at the end. There’s nothing I can do about this. Motors and gearboxes are similar. If this kit had included one, it would have been a K’s one-piece unit. Fine if you like the smoke effects produced when this gives up the ghost but I prefer to put a good unit in first time so the loco is only assembled once.
Complete kits have to be built down to a price. This means you get cheap parts and not necessarily good ones. Worse, if you want to change something then you still have to pay for the part you don’t want and then replace it with the one you do.
In theory the model shop fills in the gap. New modellers want to buy a kit and the experienced man behind the counter offers sensible advice based on years of experience to help with the extra parts. Of course there are very few model shops and even fewer that supply locomotive kits. Mail order and chasing the cheapest price have seen to this. Manufacturers now have to fill in the gaps – fine most of the time but they often don’t stock all the parts themselves so you don’t have the one-stop solution.
I suppose this is all part of the learning curve for a modeller contemplating building their first locomotive. It is certainly a good reason for joining a club so you can learn from others mistakes.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Lines
Brian very kindly lent me a Bob Moore lining pen some time ago. I’ve tried painting think lines on rolling stock in the past with a bow pen but it seems like hard work. The Bob Moore pen looked easier but at 90 quid any experiment would be expensive. Fortunately Brian didn’t get on with his so I had a go.
As you can see the results aren’t half bad. The trick is to accept that the professionals don’t get it perfect first time and fill in corners or erase mistakes with a small brush.
I used the pen with Precision lining yellow and a bit of care. Only the straight lines were pen’d. I did the best I could to keep them straight and in line with the nearest edge on the bodywork. Once they were in I filled the corners with yellow to allow for the curve using my only pure sable brush. Finally the green was used to make the curves and fix my lining wobbles.
Last job was to spray the whole lot with satin varnish. Not to protect anything, just to bring the mat colours alive a bit. The result is too shinny and looks a bit toy-like but I hope that a good heavy weathering will calm everything down.
The lining pen was reasonably easy to use. It comes with only one size of nib but you can buy others. It’s not as flexible as a bow pen because you are very limited to the size of line. I know you can rule an extra line beside the first but that second one will be difficult to keep in line and neat. The secret is to make proper plasticard guides. For the IOM locos this will be on the “to do” list.
As you can see the results aren’t half bad. The trick is to accept that the professionals don’t get it perfect first time and fill in corners or erase mistakes with a small brush.
I used the pen with Precision lining yellow and a bit of care. Only the straight lines were pen’d. I did the best I could to keep them straight and in line with the nearest edge on the bodywork. Once they were in I filled the corners with yellow to allow for the curve using my only pure sable brush. Finally the green was used to make the curves and fix my lining wobbles.
Last job was to spray the whole lot with satin varnish. Not to protect anything, just to bring the mat colours alive a bit. The result is too shinny and looks a bit toy-like but I hope that a good heavy weathering will calm everything down.
The lining pen was reasonably easy to use. It comes with only one size of nib but you can buy others. It’s not as flexible as a bow pen because you are very limited to the size of line. I know you can rule an extra line beside the first but that second one will be difficult to keep in line and neat. The secret is to make proper plasticard guides. For the IOM locos this will be on the “to do” list.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
A Bit dead
If you leave your soldering iron on for over 24 hours this is what happens to the bit.
Looking on the positive side, the iron (50W Antex) didn’t come to any harm. The same can’t be said for the bit though. No amount of cleaning and re-tinning would save it.
I’ve probably done my bit for global warming as well. At least I didn’t set fire to the house !
Still, after all the service this bit has done, all the kits it has seen and the fact I tend to use whitemetal and normal solder without cleaning it properly I suppose it was overdue for retirement.
Actually, the new bit worked a lot better than the old one. Perhaps there is a lesson in this ?
Looking on the positive side, the iron (50W Antex) didn’t come to any harm. The same can’t be said for the bit though. No amount of cleaning and re-tinning would save it.
I’ve probably done my bit for global warming as well. At least I didn’t set fire to the house !
Still, after all the service this bit has done, all the kits it has seen and the fact I tend to use whitemetal and normal solder without cleaning it properly I suppose it was overdue for retirement.
Actually, the new bit worked a lot better than the old one. Perhaps there is a lesson in this ?
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Manx Chassis
OK, so this is a bit late as I got this far on Friday but I thought I might as well blog it anyway.
The Isle of Man Peacock chassis is finished. Not completely, there is still brake gear to add, but enough for me to be happy I can build these things and make them work.
This is a pretty fiddly build. Not that this is the fault of the kitmaker, Beyer Peacock have to take the blame. If only they had used a more conventional design. Everything assembles OK as long as you take care to open slots a little or file cusp away. Nothing too challenging although perhaps off-putting for the beginner. If you’ve done a couple of etched kits and take your time then this is do-able.
One point to watch is the front pony, which is fiddly to hold while keeping everything square. The bearings need to be pushed in a bit to grip the axle properly and this is the first time I have preferred top hat to waisted.
Anyway it’s back in the box now. Once day I’ll get around to building the body to go with it.
The Isle of Man Peacock chassis is finished. Not completely, there is still brake gear to add, but enough for me to be happy I can build these things and make them work.
This is a pretty fiddly build. Not that this is the fault of the kitmaker, Beyer Peacock have to take the blame. If only they had used a more conventional design. Everything assembles OK as long as you take care to open slots a little or file cusp away. Nothing too challenging although perhaps off-putting for the beginner. If you’ve done a couple of etched kits and take your time then this is do-able.
One point to watch is the front pony, which is fiddly to hold while keeping everything square. The bearings need to be pushed in a bit to grip the axle properly and this is the first time I have preferred top hat to waisted.
Anyway it’s back in the box now. Once day I’ll get around to building the body to go with it.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
(Not) Planning ahead
Yesterday I was walking around the largest model railway exhibition in the country.
Today I decided to get out the Armstrong locomotive kit I promised top build for George.
Then I discovered that the box didn’t contain the motor, wheels or gears required to complete the model. Guess who now has to order all the bits he could have bought over the counter 24 hours ago…
The Armstrong will be an interesting project. I’ve always considered anything Great Western to be beneath me. Lets face it, GWR modellers aren’t really all there are they ? Lots of bucolic branch lines and pannier tanks but no proper engines. They take themselves soooo seriously too – some of us still remember the fuss they made when “City of Truro” was painted BR black for an April Fool years ago.
Perhaps I am jaundiced from the early years of my railway modelling life when every second layout was a GWR branch, probably Ashburton, so exhibitions all looked the same. I wanted something different which probably explains my love of little industrial engines. Preferably grimy, ugly ones.
Anyway, George seems to have a knack of picking the good ‘uns. This loco has the outside frames and elegant lines of a true thoroughbred. It has style and beauty and class. This is going to be a good looking model.
Today I decided to get out the Armstrong locomotive kit I promised top build for George.
Then I discovered that the box didn’t contain the motor, wheels or gears required to complete the model. Guess who now has to order all the bits he could have bought over the counter 24 hours ago…
The Armstrong will be an interesting project. I’ve always considered anything Great Western to be beneath me. Lets face it, GWR modellers aren’t really all there are they ? Lots of bucolic branch lines and pannier tanks but no proper engines. They take themselves soooo seriously too – some of us still remember the fuss they made when “City of Truro” was painted BR black for an April Fool years ago.
Perhaps I am jaundiced from the early years of my railway modelling life when every second layout was a GWR branch, probably Ashburton, so exhibitions all looked the same. I wanted something different which probably explains my love of little industrial engines. Preferably grimy, ugly ones.
Anyway, George seems to have a knack of picking the good ‘uns. This loco has the outside frames and elegant lines of a true thoroughbred. It has style and beauty and class. This is going to be a good looking model.
A problem solved
I think it makes sense to finish the chassis for my model Isle of Man Peacock before putting it away again. If I’m confident it is running up and down the track, I’m confident that I can finish the model. Then I can get stuck in with something else. Also if all the bits are soldered in place I can’t lose any of them can I ?
Anyway, I have the chassis trundling up and down a bit of GEM flexitrack (I think that’s what it is – it looks older than me) and decide to fit the rods and cross heads. The model continues to work but not awfully well. It’s a bit hesitant at some parts of the wheel revolution. I put this down to stiffness, iffy pick-ups or dodgy quartering. Things do seem to improve a bit as the model runs.
Then I spot the obvious. The rods are touching the wires to support the brake hangers. Not enough to jam things solid – I have been there before – but enough to make the wheel pause as it rotates.
There is no need to have the wires that long. On the finished model they need not reach as far as the face of the wheel but it is convenient to leave them longer than required while building as it saves measuring things.
Of course I have now chopped the wire back as the photo shows and the chassis runs a lot better for it. Perhaps by adding this to the blog I’ll remember next time !
Anyway, I have the chassis trundling up and down a bit of GEM flexitrack (I think that’s what it is – it looks older than me) and decide to fit the rods and cross heads. The model continues to work but not awfully well. It’s a bit hesitant at some parts of the wheel revolution. I put this down to stiffness, iffy pick-ups or dodgy quartering. Things do seem to improve a bit as the model runs.
Then I spot the obvious. The rods are touching the wires to support the brake hangers. Not enough to jam things solid – I have been there before – but enough to make the wheel pause as it rotates.
There is no need to have the wires that long. On the finished model they need not reach as far as the face of the wheel but it is convenient to leave them longer than required while building as it saves measuring things.
Of course I have now chopped the wire back as the photo shows and the chassis runs a lot better for it. Perhaps by adding this to the blog I’ll remember next time !
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Warley & the demise of the hobby.
This is the view from behind a layout appearing at the Warley NEC show at about 11:30 today.
As you can see there is hardly anyone in the hall. Look at the empty gangways and the tumbleweed rolling through the venue.
This is obviously a hobby that is, as we are often told by wise letter writers, in it’s death throws. No one is taking part. The people who are interested are dying off. Strangely I remember that this has always been said. The attendees at exhibitions have always been middle aged and older men. Presumably they have dies off and been replaced by other middle aged and older men. I wonder if this is a pattern.
The show itself is excellent. I wouldn’t say it is the best in the world – something this big simply can’t guarantee that every layout and every trader is the best possible in the hobby. What you get is quantity. Hopefully there is something for everyone and most people will see something they haven’t seen before. On this basis you should leave happy.
I managed to spend money as expected. I was also very good and resisted some of the goodies on offer. If you bought an Impetus kit for a 4mm scale Fowler diesel then than me for leaving it there even though I really wanted to bring it home to my “pending” pile. Yet again I didn’t buy a Russian locomotive kit either. Or any Garrets (Ok, I’ve sort of ordered one but it is from a friend of a friend). Or anything for the garden railway (nice boxy loco kits from GRS for only £150, tempting). I couldn’t get to the Squires stand to buy a new tapered reamer either because of the crowds.
In fact there were only two downsides. First I had to come away at 3pm although the NEC is pretty tiring (not that I came back from the pub last night late) and the idiot who barged past me violently while I was queuing at a stand. Note to idiots: if you say, “Excuse me” people will often get out of the way. Otherwise you are obviously the sort of sad act with not interpersonal skills the media loves to portray railway modellers as. And that goes for you Mr Exceptionally smelly at the Bachmann stand as well.
If you are reading this on Saturday night you still have Sunday to get down to the NEC. Do it, you won’t be disappointed.
As you can see there is hardly anyone in the hall. Look at the empty gangways and the tumbleweed rolling through the venue.
This is obviously a hobby that is, as we are often told by wise letter writers, in it’s death throws. No one is taking part. The people who are interested are dying off. Strangely I remember that this has always been said. The attendees at exhibitions have always been middle aged and older men. Presumably they have dies off and been replaced by other middle aged and older men. I wonder if this is a pattern.
The show itself is excellent. I wouldn’t say it is the best in the world – something this big simply can’t guarantee that every layout and every trader is the best possible in the hobby. What you get is quantity. Hopefully there is something for everyone and most people will see something they haven’t seen before. On this basis you should leave happy.
I managed to spend money as expected. I was also very good and resisted some of the goodies on offer. If you bought an Impetus kit for a 4mm scale Fowler diesel then than me for leaving it there even though I really wanted to bring it home to my “pending” pile. Yet again I didn’t buy a Russian locomotive kit either. Or any Garrets (Ok, I’ve sort of ordered one but it is from a friend of a friend). Or anything for the garden railway (nice boxy loco kits from GRS for only £150, tempting). I couldn’t get to the Squires stand to buy a new tapered reamer either because of the crowds.
In fact there were only two downsides. First I had to come away at 3pm although the NEC is pretty tiring (not that I came back from the pub last night late) and the idiot who barged past me violently while I was queuing at a stand. Note to idiots: if you say, “Excuse me” people will often get out of the way. Otherwise you are obviously the sort of sad act with not interpersonal skills the media loves to portray railway modellers as. And that goes for you Mr Exceptionally smelly at the Bachmann stand as well.
If you are reading this on Saturday night you still have Sunday to get down to the NEC. Do it, you won’t be disappointed.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Running - sort of
The experiment has been a success. Well nearly anyway.
It looks like I can build an IOM loco chassis and get it running without too much pain. Good news as the new layout isn’t really viable without them and I can’t see Hornby coming to my rescue any time soon.
Obviously there is supposed to be a front bogie to keep the nose out of the sleepers – I’ve built this but need another half hour to fit it. Instead a big nut on the back balances things out.
Quartering was “fun” as the jig wouldn’t fit the front ‘cos the running boards get in the way. The back was OK though so I set this and adjusted the fronts. Getting the rods over the fat Gibson bushes was interesting too. Not much metal left at the end of those rods.
However it looks like it works and so tomorrow I plan to spend some money with Mr Branchlines.
It looks like I can build an IOM loco chassis and get it running without too much pain. Good news as the new layout isn’t really viable without them and I can’t see Hornby coming to my rescue any time soon.
Obviously there is supposed to be a front bogie to keep the nose out of the sleepers – I’ve built this but need another half hour to fit it. Instead a big nut on the back balances things out.
Quartering was “fun” as the jig wouldn’t fit the front ‘cos the running boards get in the way. The back was OK though so I set this and adjusted the fronts. Getting the rods over the fat Gibson bushes was interesting too. Not much metal left at the end of those rods.
However it looks like it works and so tomorrow I plan to spend some money with Mr Branchlines.
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