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

[The Bullet]

"just a quick repair to the wooden body" of a 5" gauge baggage wagon turned into a "scrap everything except for body (needs repair), buffers, wheelsets and coupling hooks."

Battery moved to a different place, completely new underframe, new ball bearings for the axles, thrown out the water tank (which I used just once in about 15 years).
The old ball bearings refused to come off the axles, even using heat, crowbar, curses did not work, so I cut the outer ring and cage with the angle grinder (as they were liberally greased there was a fair bit of smoke) and then cut open the inner ring to release it from the axle. Worked fine. Now the new bearings are in place and I am waiting for some steel to arrive.

UPS fun: Waiting for a delivery from the UK. Quite expensive these days as 20% tax, handling fee on UK side, handling fee on German side ant other things apply.
Driver brought one parcel, said, I know this shipment contains two but I only took one today as my van was almost full.
GENIUS!
I cannot use the stuff in one parcel without the stuff in the other one......
That was Friday. The second one still has not arrived.

[James Harrison]

Currently, I'm working on a few clerestory carriages:

1) A lavatory brake third (which started life as a Hornby carriage, I hacked the sides off, made some new ones, have built an interior and now just need to fit glazing and get the roof to fit again);

2) A composite (again started life as a Hornby carriage, will actually be staying recognisable as such and will just get a repaint and an interior).

[Madasasteamfish]

Well my scamel has been painted, and received a load.


I decided to go with black and mustard yellow,  partly because I think it works quite nicely as an industrial/commercial livery, but mostly because I happened to have a pot of that mustard yellow paint not doing much...

I've also been working on another loco for Dukeswood. A wills fine cast kit for a J39.


I've also obtained another fowler 4f to fulfill some of the lms' goods needs.

[James Harrison]

These are what I'm working on.



This one I actually started before Christmas, with silhouette-cutting the sides.  Then it sat idle for a few months, then I actually got around to fitting those sides to the donor carriage.  Now it has been painted, glazed, I've added an interior, and it's just waiting for some filler to arrive so I can re-fit the roof and complete it. 





These two, on the other hand, are much less involved.  They are very old Triang or Triang-Hornby carriages, and work so far has involved replacing the cookie-cutter wheels with ones that will actually run on modern track, cutting off the old couplings, and a repaint.  Then I'm going to fit some new couplings and build some interiors and we'll call them done.

[Madasasteamfish]

Well, my J39 has received its' livery



I'm reasonably please with it, but still needs a few other things, such as a coal load in the bunker, and handrails etc. but I'm quite pleased with my latest piece for Dukeswood.

[James Harrison]

Those three carriages I've been working on, are finished.







Not shown is the carriage I've reduced to a pile of bits this morning, which I'll be putting back together in the coming few weeks. 

[The Bullet]

Class 216 overhaul almost complete.

Just need to have the decals put on.

Upgrading the controller side to 24V gives a lot more power. The two huge batteries have improved traction.
Now I can almost call the job finished.
If all goes well the decals will be put on tomorrow.

[Madasasteamfish]

I realised I've not been keeping you good folks properly updated on my plans for Dukeswood.

I've been able to compile a list of trains I want to/can model with my existing stock to produce a fairly prototypical range of traffic for the 1920-60ish time frame I'm planning.

1. Fish train(s) pre and post Nationalisation (given the GCR/LNER and LMS's connections to Hull and Grimsby)
2. Coal trains again pre and post Nationalisation (empty and loaded, 2 or 3 for each company) since the line I'm basing Dukeswood on had at least 3 colliery spurs and I'd like to model some realistic workings
3. Local passenger stopping traffic (LNER and BR) so, probably 2/3 fixed wheel coaches pulled by a small tank like my standard 2
4. Short 'fast' passenger traffic (what would be Sheffield/Manchester to Lincoln/Nottingham/Derby on the prototype) which  would probably be 3/4 bogie coaches pulled by something like a 4MT
5. Express passenger train(s) for each company, either non-stop coast or London bound expresses
6. Slow pick up/mixed goods hauled by something like my coal tank

I may also include an excursion train or two. I've already got a decent mix of coaches, and the range of pre-grouping coaches should help fill in some of the gaps. I'm also working on the BR/LNER fish trains and the BR coal train(s).

[James Harrison]

You might find this book useful for your wagons.

[Madasasteamfish]

Well, further to the plans I unveiled the other day my fish trains are beginning to take shape.



I plan to weather the BR vans (purely because there's no way they would have stayed white for any length of time) but that'll be a 'roundtoit' job.

I also need to see about sourcing transfers for them all since the HMRS transfers I normally use don't accommodate fish wagons (the ones for the BR wagons refused to go on cleanly and the transfers included in the kits I used for the LNER vans assumed they'd be finished in BR livery). That's of course another 'roundtoit' job since I'm not sure I want to go through the hassle/expense of ordering them for 2 wagons (not when I'm likely to add another half dozen or so to fully make up a train).

[The Bullet]

With 216 complete I have now turned back to the test rig.

A simple four-wheeled chain-driven chassis as a testbed for motor/gearbox assemblies.
Yesterday I put the chain on and found I could turn the wheels only 90 degrees before everything locked.
For this testbed I re-used two of the four old wheelsets from the 216.
After some headscratching and cursing I found the solution.
One of the four axles has a different cog wheel on ot.
Same number of teeth, almost same diameter but does not match the chain.
I wonder why it worked in the 216 for many years...

Shortly before midnight the chassis went out onto the track.
No couplings, no buffers, just a small 12V 7Ah battery wired directly to the motors using alligator clips.
It went for a few laps.
Then I wanted a load test.
I sat on the chassis and went round the track.
We even made it uphill but I guess the voltage at the motors must have dropped quite a bit due to the very thin cables.
Now I can weld up the battery tray, fixtures for relays and controller, do some basic wiring, and go for a first test under real conditions.

[James Harrison]

Progress, Bullet!  It will be dragging the house up the hill in no time!

I've gone back and had a rethink on my plans, I concluded that the multi-level scheme would be brilliant but would take decades to realise, assuming I didn't get two decks finished and lose interest...

So, I went back to one of my plan books. 



Well, that one looks sort of promising, fits in my space, seems to answer most of what I want but it is the wrong way around....



Fixed, but now I'm not sure about the loco shed at the bottom station.  It's too cramped to be realistic whilst the space it takes up would be better used as a goods yard. 



Fixed, but now the goods yard is on the far side of the baseboard so I'll have to lean over everything to work the couplings.  Plus the connection between mainline and branch really doesn't work. 



Fixed. 

[The Bullet]

Hi James,

From my HO experience (long long ago) I would like to give you some points to think about.

Shunting is only fun when everything is at arms length, so access to couplings and a walk-around controller might be worth thinking about.

I tried some backscenes. All had to be removed later because they obstructed the view/access ti "hidden" sidings

Planning my O-gauge layout I have drawn tha plans to almost scale and tried the intended train movements using matches, paperclips,... in order to find where a loco might get stuck (e. g. cannot run round its train, get into the shed once anoterh train/wagon gets in the way. This takes time but can be fun.

Considering your idea of a second level:
I would not discard it completely but use the lower level as storage sidings. Taking the whole length of the room to accomodate the downhill section the gradients should be easy enough.
The lower level does nto need any landscape. What it does need is enough height so the "out of scale hand from the sky" has free access even to the last track inthe corner and a runaround loop.
this option would give you more space for the landscape on the "real" level.

These are just my thoughts so please feel free to use them or not.

I´ll be back in the workshop now, install the switches, relays, etc and get the loco upstairs to the lab for wiring.

[Madasasteamfish]

Well work has continued on my micro, and the goods shed is finished.



And for reference, this is the same kit built as it 'should be' according to the instructions.

[Sir Henry]

[snip]That said, I stand by my previous comments about soldering, it was definitely dreamed up by some kind of freak with three hands and asbestos fingers.

Maybe you should not have taught yourself to solder from stock images, all of which seem to have the model holding the soldering iron like this:





It turns out that they've added a load of images of people soldering properly in the last couple of years since I last did that image search.  Health and Safety gone mad, I tell you!

[rovingjack]

surprised there isn't one of somebody holding it in their mouth like a pen while they reposition things with both hands.

[chironex]

Not to mention the amount of them soldering the components, somehow, from the wrong side of the board.

[Madasasteamfish]

In my efforts to condense my possessions ahead of my latest relocation I came to realise the size of the reference library I seem to have built up in the process of my modelling (most of which were acquired to support Dukeswood):




And this doesn't include all the other periodicals, magazines and other printed matter I've obtained in support of various projects and or for reference for various purposes.

[James Harrison]

I recall moving my own reference library was an exercise akin to shifting Haig's drinks cabinet.  It's currently sited somewhat awkwardly in the railway room, and I'm not sure how I'm going to sort it all out.  Low bookcases below the layout, perhaps. 

[The Bullet]

Oh yes, the little shelf in the corner, some more in the other room, some in that room....
Seems to bend time and space and expand.

You might remember the video of my armoured railcar pulling the LION/TIGER chassis along.
Long time ago.
Just received a message from my boilersmith that the safety valve sockets have been mounted, parts of the cladding are in place and the boiler has been dropped onto the frames.




There will be an open day in two weeks.
Maybe she will do her first metres under her own steam then.


Had a long running session yesterday.
Taigatrommel went the whole day, baggage railcar had to retire early with a defective battery (less than 9V left and refuses to be charged), Minx ran the whole day but will need new piston rings soon.

Will get a new battery for the railcar tomorrow.

[James Harrison]

I love that, that is outstanding. 

My own library, I swore that it would have one room and one room only.  This is, of course, why it has that room.  Plus a pile in my bedroom.  Plus shelf space in the dining room...

[Banfili]

In my efforts to condense my possessions ahead of my latest relocation I came to realise the size of the reference library I seem to have built up in the process of my modelling (most of which were acquired to support Dukeswood):




And this doesn't include all the other periodicals, magazines and other printed matter I've obtained in support of various projects and or for reference for various purposes.

I sympathise, gentlemen, with your book dilemma, however, try being a librarian who also studied in the fields of history and archaeology, is a painter (art books) and a late developing interest in music - and who also once upon a time earned her living in a discount bookshop - the consequences were and are .....dire!

[Madasasteamfish]

Oh yes, the little shelf in the corner, some more in the other room, some in that room....
Seems to bend time and space and expand.

Welcome to the mysteries of L-space. IIRC the late, lamented Sir Terry Pratchett, described any 2nd hand bookshop as 'A well-read black hole.'

[James Harrison]

Just to make your reference library situation just that little bit more of a problem, this might be germane to you MASF...

For my own part there's no firm work going ahead on RLS yet however I seem to have accidentally purchased a further rake of carriages and started trying to write out a working timetable based on an amalgam of 1950s WTT for the GCML and the Lincoln District and a GCR passenger timetable from 1903.  Irritatingly I need the Doncaster District WTT for both passenger and freight, but I think you can only buy the passenger one. 

[Madasasteamfish]

Just to make your reference library situation just that little bit more of a problem, this might be germane to you MASF...

For my own part there's no firm work going ahead on RLS yet however I seem to have accidentally purchased a further rake of carriages and started trying to write out a working timetable based on an amalgam of 1950s WTT for the GCML and the Lincoln District and a GCR passenger timetable from 1903.  Irritatingly I need the Doncaster District WTT for both passenger and freight, but I think you can only buy the passenger one. 

It may well be of some use (albeit limited to me) I'll bear it in mind if I see a copy.  Unfortunately there are several other reference works I'm currently in pursuit of.