Monthly Archives: November 2016

More Parkside Vans For the Fleet.

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And finally, to bring things right up to date I also seemed to have found the time to have built four Parkside van kits almost to completion.

Parkside Vans

Parkside Vans

Left to right – LNER 12 ton unfitted van, LNER Fish van (the later type that were ultimately rebuilt into the ones that became known as Blue Spot) and an LMS 12 Ton Van (Diag. D1664). What’s missing from the line up is an LMS Beer Van (Diag. D1817 ). All are mostly out of the box builds and just need grab handles and guard irons on the underframe fittings etc. except the LNER unfitted van

Parksdie LNER van with scratch built outside sliding vent

Parksdie LNER van with scratch built outside sliding vent

Parksdie LNER van with scratch built outside sliding vent

Parksdie LNER van with scratch built outside sliding vent

 

I have on the go an EX NER van which had the external sliding end hatches that I still need to make up. Reading through Vol 4a of Tatlow led me to some of the earlier versions of the later LNER van having them too before they moved to having internal hatches that the kit portrays so I decided to have a go at making them. These are done by hand without the aid of the Cameo but now I know what I am about I will draw some up for other examples that needs them.

Ex GNR Open Carriage Trucks take shape

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As alluded to earlier, the last couple of weekends have seen some more scratch building going on.

Having painted up my cars I need something to carry them on and Open Carriage Trucks fit the bill as being a little more in keeping than machinery wagons or Lowmac’s. A look through my trust Historic Carriage volumes gave me examples of GNR and NER so I made start on a couple of GNR examples.
First the 21′ version whose Diagram number I cannot recall and I left my book up north.

7mm scale Scratch Built ex GNR OCT

7mm scale Scratch Built ex GNR OCT

7mm scale Scratch Built ex GNR OCT

7mm scale Scratch Built ex GNR OCT

Followed by the earlier and shorter (18′) Diagram 375

Ex GNR 18 foot OCT

Ex GNR 18 foot OCT

Ex GNR 18 foot OCT

Ex GNR 18 foot OCT

Ex GNR 18 foot OCT

Ex GNR 18 foot OCT

 

I have another 21 footer started too. All the hinges and details were drawing in Inkscape and cut on the Cameo.

A Yorkshireman’s Rendition of Mansell Wheels

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Some time ago I drew up some inserts for Mansell wheels but I never got around to cutting them out. Seeing Peter Beare’s recent additions to the backs of Slaters wheels over on Western Thunder, brought them to mind again.

While at Telford, the tight Yorkshireman instinct made me take advantage of Haywood Railway’s offer of two axles of coach wheels inc bearings for £5. 00 – I bought quite a few…

Finding myself in need of some Mansell wheels for some scratch build projects (more of that later) I revisited the drawings to amend them to suit the Haywood wheel dimensions and cut them out from 10 thou sheet. Initially I wondered if they would be deep enough and whether I might need a blank spacer but as it turns out they were perfect.

Silhouette Cut Mansell Wheel inserts

Silhouette Cut Mansell Wheel inserts

Silhouette Cut Mansell Wheel inserts

Silhouette Cut Mansell Wheel inserts

 

Cable Drums, Even More Refined!.

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Following my last post on this on the Guild Forum Jim Snowdon set me a bit of a challenge – copied here for context.
“Very neat. Now, all you have to do is band them, and if you are feeling really enthusiastic, model the tail of the inner end of the cable where it pokes through the side of the drum and is secured.

Then, the real test is to load them into a wagon and rope them correctly….

Jim”

Jim went on to give me a big helping hand towards meeting the challenge by posting a link to this Youtube video https://youtu.be/MJ-8X20w3eE – Well worth a watch even if only the first 2 or 3 minutes

So this is how I got on – Bands from black insulation tape and ye olde faithful coffee stirrers for the cover for the cable tail.

Cable Drums with bands

Cable Drums with bands

Cable Drums with bands

Cable Drums with bands

 

And isn’t it typical that a gap in the banding on one of them only shows up when you have taken the photo….

Gladiator LNER G5, Chassis almost complete.

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The kink trick worked and leaves much more in the way of a turning circle. Next step is fitting the pick ups.
Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

Not the clearest photo but it shows you the kink in the brake rod.
Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

Taking a leaf from JB’s book I also added half nuts and tube to represent the adjuster – I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t resist adding the detail.
Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

I also thickened up the pivot on the opposite side in line with photos in Hooles NER Locos book and added a filed down cast crankpin nut.
Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

Gladiator LNER G5

Cable Drums refined!

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In a previous post on wagon loads (Here), I made some cable drums from wooden pieces created by drilling out lightening/cable runs on my layout boards and matchsticks.

Last weekend I came across a few more of the wooden circles and decided to see if I could improve upon them now that I have the NW Shortline Chopper to cut some coffee stirrers instead of the match sticks. An hour later I had 5 cable drums.

A quick resize, a visit to the printer and then some careful cutting out and I had some labels for them.

 

Scratch Built 7m scale Cable Drums

Scratch Built 7m scale Cable Drums

Scratch Built 7m scale Cable Drums

Scratch Built 7m scale Cable Drums

I told you I was easily distracted….

Models of Yesteryear – A New Lease Of Life

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Further progress on the Crossley truck sees it just needing a number plate and a further mucky wash over the coal sacks.

 

Matchbox 1918 Crossley Truck

Matchbox 1918 Crossley Truck

Matchbox 1918 Crossley Truck

Matchbox 1918 Crossley Truck

Matchbox 1918 Crossley Truck

Matchbox 1918 Crossley Truck

I have to say that although you don’t get much for a quid these days this particular quid has been value for money.

I am undecided as to whether to add some sort of business name transfers to the sides of the body.

Cracked Tar

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In between other jobs I managed to get a squirt of black paint, the transfers and some weathering on the tar tank.

What was interesting having built an lettered a Slaters kit, is that I took the measurements for this from a Skinley drawing. That drawing must relate in some way to the Slaters transfers because unlike the Slaters’ kit the transfers went on in one piece without having to make any adjustments to letter spacing to take account of the panel size and layout of the rivets.

My Slaters example took several sessions/hours to get the transfers on whereas these went in in about 15 minutes tops for both sides.

My main reason for building this was to do further experiments with the crackle medium to see if I could reproduce cracked tar runs on the tank. I am pleased with the results so far.

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

7mm Scale Scrtach Built Tar Tank

 

A Further Foray into Road Vehicles Part 2

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Veteran Cars part two. –
1936 Jaguar SS/100
1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1:43 Scale 1936 Jaguar SS100

1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost
1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

1:43 scale 1909 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

These are again painted with Vallejo acrylics. The silver on the “Silver Ghost” is “Chain Mail” metallic silver, which was let down for spraying using Vallejo’s own thinners, and once prepared it sprayed beautifully.

A Further Foray Into Road Vehicles

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A few posts back I showed some veteran cars that I had acquired. While browsing the bring and buy stall at Keighley I spied a couple of Matchbox models of Yesteryear trucks at a quid a piece. One was a 1927 Talbot van which was is a rather grim yellow bakery livery and the other was a 1918 Crossley in a red coal and coke merchant livery.

Both looked very toy like so I thought that they would be ideal to practice painting and glazing on without much loss if my efforts went south. They are supposedly 1:48 scale but to be honest when compared to the Danbury Mint vehicles they don’t look smaller.

I still have to paint the canvas tilt and the moulded sacks of coal for the load in the back. The latter may get binned if I can’t make them look a bit more realistic than they do at present.

Paints are from the various Vallejo ranges varnished with several coats of Johnsons Klear (the original version – I think that I managed to get what’s probably a lifetimes supply before it disappeared from supermarket shelves)

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

1:48 Scale 1918 Crossley Truck

 

Next is the Danbury Mint MG SS/100

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

1:43 Scale 1945 MG-TC

The eagle eyed amongst you will note that the MG isn’t glazed, sadly the glazing sheets that I had to hand (courtesy of Adrian Cherry, thanks again Adrian) was too thick because the MG has windscreen wipers and what I take to be a rear view mirror. Which mean that whatever glazing is used will need to be pretty thin.

I have also noticed that I haven’t picked out the dials etc on the dashboard after painting it to represent the walnut etc. that they used for such things in the past.

More on the other cars to follow.

Primer hasn’t covered the “rivets”

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A quick squirt of primer later and the “rivets” are still visible.

Scratch Built Rectangular Tank

Scratch Built Rectangular Tank

Scratch Built Rectangular Tank

Scratch Built Rectangular Tank

Scratch Built Rectangular Tank

Scratch Built Rectangular Tank

 

A lot will depend on the results of my ongoing painting experiments using Crackle medium but it’s looking more like I will build an underframe for it by the minute. – Like Horseboxes, you can never have too many tank wagons.