The Brassgoggles Model Making Club (the second non-SP model making thread).

[James Harrison]

*Looks over his shoulder toward the skilled painter*

Who, me?

I still use hairy sticks... I'm putting off building a 1/350 battleship because the thought of painting the hull with a size 00 brush gives me fits of the vapours. 

[James Harrison]

Hmm, this is a lot clearer with the Mk1 human eyeball... will try to get a better picture or two later.  Broadly though, this is about the best lining I can achieve.  Brass beading and the red lining on the loco is painted, the boiler bands are ballpoint pen on paper (and laid over red paint, which I now see could be a little wider), then the white on the cab sides and the red and white on the tender are paint pens.  I'm quite pleased with the result, if I can reliably mach it on the one or two goods locos I want in ex-works clean condition and the mixed traffic engines, which will be uniformly clean, I'll be a satisfied modeller. 

Next up; another of this class but in absolutely filthy condition. 

[The Bullet]

Taking a break from TIGER now.
Need to figure out how the lot was meant to be assembled.
Gabs are in, Eccentrics need to be set.

Put all wagon spares on the bench and found that I can build two more wagons.
Drilling the headstocks takes time.
I do not want to make the old mistake again to forget a hole and then have to drill after welding.
The steel then becomes pretty hard to drill.

Have been through this several times...

[James Harrison]

And... weathered and finished.  Right, onto its classmate. 

[Banfili]

Sweet!

[James Harrison]

Beg leave report 9J #216 is now, also, finished.  Onto the next project- an 8A 0-8-0, #1077. 

[The Bullet]

Two wagon chassis finished.
Bodies in the workshop.
New switches for the garden layout eady for installation.
(replacing 10mm diameter pushbuttons with 10 cm ones).
Sleeper replacement for all points prepared.

[James Harrison]

[Banfili]

All this industry makes me almost feel guilty!!

[The Bullet]

only managed to replace the sleepers on 4 points yesterday.
After finishing the second one there was rain for half an hour.
After finishing the fourth one there was thunder, lightning and heavy rain.
The gutters on the pavement could not cope with that.
So I will have to do the last one today.
Murphy also paid a visit.
Point #3 does not move.
Seems to be a defective motor.
As #3 was chosen to test the new point machines I am not sure whether to disassemble the whole machine, replace the motor/gearbox assembly or just wait for the spares to arrive and convert it to gen.2 point machine right away.
New switches still not installed.
Weather here seems to be digital.
Either it is way too hot or heavy rain at the moment.

[James Harrison]

You're getting our summer 

(Can we have it back please?  We're not used to.... sunshine.... ever....)

The 8A is finished.  That was quite a quick turnaround, now then what next? 

[James Harrison]

That was a quick turnaround.  I've gone for a lined out finish with just some light weathering.  For some reason as the weathering wash was wiped off it took some areas of the lining with it, but actually... that doesn't matter.  It suggests a tired finish.  I quite like this one. 

[The Bullet]

Sleeper replacement done.

PW gang found two newly built chassis for the purpose.
One carried 5 layers of new point sleepers, the other one carries the tools.


Work done, train empty.


Some sleepers were completely rotted away.
Others just had nice patina:





I could give them to James to put in the scale-o-tron(TM) and scale down to OO gauge.
A heap of them might look good beside the shed.


This morning:

I had forgotten to bring the box of used screws inside when the heavy rain started yesterday. 15mm of rain inside after half an hour....

Track twist between points #3 and #4 fixed.

Point motor #3 working again.
(Took a few light blows with the small hammer to free off the seized bearing)

Found the cause of derailments of the new wagons:
Wheelsets were not to spec.
Shoulders of the axle too short. Back to back of the wheels should be 117 to 119 mm but is 115.
Easy to fix.

[James Harrison]

Excellent progress.  I often think if I were to volunteer at a preserved line, it would be on the permanent way gang (or possibly a building group if there were some truly exciting/ inspiring building project in the offing).  A bunch of rotten old sleepers either on a flat wagon or mouldering in a heap as firewood outside the loco sheds would be a fine thing to model I think. 

Now for my next project, I'm finding myself boxed into a corner.  I've got wagon kits but not the low melt solder and temperature-controlled iron to build them with.  I've got enough locos to keep me busy for a good while yet, but I'm running out of lining paints (easily replaced), numberplates (easily replaced) and transfers (no longer available).  Which leaves carriages, I think. 

[The Bullet]

Hi James,

if you need a good controlled soldering iron, go for the old WELLER ones.
Those with the big knob and without LCD for temperature.
Not too expensive on the second hand market and you can still get any part as spare.

[James Harrison]

I'll keep an eye out for one.  Payday is the end of the week, so that's the earliest I'll be in the market for it.

Work has begun on rebuilding my GCR restaurant car.  Matchboarding scratched in and the matt orange undercoat applied.  Humbrol being Humbrol naturally 24 hours an more after the paint went down and it is still wet.

[The Bullet]

WOW! They seem to be pretty expensive on the island.

Just looked on Feabay:

My recommendation:
Weller PU81 (power supply) +
Weller WSP80 (iron)

BIN 185 EUR.


BUT
a single PU81 on Fleabay UK is offered for 342,40 EUR.

Maybe I should keep an eye on them here on the continent....

[James Harrison]

Heh, it's not called 'Rip-Off Britain' for nothing.

[The Bullet]

OK, wagon bodies at the steelworks.
Next week I will get the roofs.
3mm sheet steel.
Then I can use the "electric cat" to make the grooves simulating the separate planks.
Then on to the paint department.
A pull-off tool and a hammer helped me adjust the diestance between the wheels to the proper 118 mm.
Now they are running as expected.

[Banfili]

Heh, it's not called 'Rip-Off Britain' for nothing.

Not as bad as 'Rip-off-USA! Although most of the USA rip-off is the postage. No way I'm paying US$10 for an item, and US$40+ plus for postage!

[James Harrison]

Ouch, I got stung for that a few weeks ago. 3 CDs, $50. Postage, $25....

[James Harrison]

If you can get a copy of the current Model Railway Journal (#272), there's a pretty good example of what I have in mind for Rufford Red Lion Square. 

In fact, it's so good I think I'm going to pack up and go home.  There's no way I could come close to matching that. 

[The Bullet]

TIGER is in the boiler department  (friends workshop) now.

Time for me to work on the two wagons, Taigatrommel and Railcar.

Still waiting for suitable weather to install the new switches outside.
We had 42.5 °C yesterday.....new all-time record.

I will not go outside and work on the layout in that heat.

[James Harrison]

We had 30-something yesterday and that was desperately uncomfortable.  I think hitting 42.5 would see riots in the street...

Thankfully it was a little cooler today, and I've been able to progress my next project, which is a rebuild of my GCR restaurant car.  Which, once finished, will I think complete the first of my fully rebuilt mainline trains (one rake down, two, three, four, five.... to go). 

[The Bullet]

Despite the heat I replaced all switches on the layout.
Tomorrow I have to go back to the office.
I can hardly believe that my three weeks off have passed so quickly.
But I have got many things done.

Of course Murphy paid another visit.
Last point, last switch I mixed up the yellow and gray wires.
Easily found and fixed.

I do not think I am suitable as bomb technician.....Cut the gray one....*BOOM!*
;-)

Prototype PCB for the new point motors needed some minor modifications.
This is finished now and I am looking for someone to make 5 PCBs.
I would have used stripboard but this type of relay has one pin at half the standard distance.