| Archive for Freesteam For collectors and enthusiasts of all steam engines |
| MTA |
P-Way train Update: MoD Van progress 21/4I have just completed my pair of Binnie bolster wagons, with a load of Peco bullhead rail.
The two wagons cost only £4 each, and are made of ABS and nylon. Everything bar the coupling chain and rail was supplied with the kit. It is a VERY easy kit to build, with very little flash to file off. The rail is extruded brass Peco rail, which was supplied in yard lengths which I cut up into three lengths per yard. I will probably add 'real rust' to the rail in time to further weather the set-piece. All it needs now is a tidy up of the paint and it is good to go. |
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| andysleigh |
That looks great Si! | ||
| Mamod Collector |
Impresive wagon Simon, well done 
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| MTA |
Thanks, Mike and Andy.
This is just a small part of a permanent way train I am assembling. More details here: http://www.freewebs.com/pandglr/rollingstock.htm#335644083 I have just ordered the AnDel bogie wagon, and I have the material for the sleeper load
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| Minor1PJG |
It looks really good Judging by the chains you might need to cut up a lot more rail for the load 
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| MTA |
Thanks, Paul
Yes, but at £15 for 7 lengths of rail it can get a bit pricey 
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| SillyBilly |
Nice Si, but it would be an idea to get some brass and make a coupling bar to go inbetween the two wagons, a chain would be hell in real life, especially when propelling. | ||
| MTA |
I received my new wagon kit today, it is an AnDel small bogie wagon kit with ends.
I completed it in under three hours from delivery (without a break) and it has to be the easiest kit I have built to date. Hardly any flash (and any that was present was easily filed off with a couple of strokes with a swiss file, literally!) and the best instructions I have encountered to date were a pleasure to read and follow. The components are made from pre-coloured resin, which makes life easier and build time shorter as you don't have to paint it. I used Vital thick super glue which sets in seconds, which helped with the build time. Here are some pics whilst in the construction stages: Missed a few steps here; the buffer beams were glued on, as was the strip of brown resin which helps with the centre of gravity. Here the side girders are being glued and clamped on. The small clamps only cost me 20p each and the larger one £1.50 and they have been a great help! 
The planked ends are made up of two halves, so these were glued and clamped together. 
The ends were then stuck onto the top of the buffer beams and using my square edge made sure they were at 90 degrees to the bed. 
These detail strips were then added. It makes a rather dull end a bit more interesting to look at. 
This is the stage I was at within an hour. 
The bogie sides are made up of two halves. One is detailed whilst the other has a slot for the stretcher and the holes for the axles. These, like the wagon ends, were stuck together and clamped. 
Two halves waiting to be stuck together. 
One stretcher in place, so the wheels can be slotted into this side and then the other side can be added to keep everything in place. 
There we have it! Two rolling bogies. 
The underside of the body being marked up for the centres of the bogie pivots. 
The bogie pivots are screwed on with brass self tapping screws, with a washer underneath so the bogies can swivel. 
A couple of bearing surfaces are added onto the underside of the body so the bogies can clear the girders, giving the wagon a better chance of going around tighter curves. 
The rather nice couplings (much better than the oval headed centre buffers in my opinion) were then stuck on and clamped in place. 
The bogies were then stuck onto the bearing pivots. Note how the wheels are of a pre coloured 'surface rust' colour. 
And we end up with a very nice wagon, needless to say I am very pleased with it. 
I will probably remove the brass chain, as I tend to use the hooks on the top of the coupling with Lineside Delight's natural finish chain. I have sawn up some sleepers to add as a load, and I'll be purchasing some chairs (no, not the type that you sit on...) to assemble into a pile and stick those on too. I'll post pics of those once completed. I'm over the moon with this I'll definitely be getting more AnDel kits in the future 
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| Mamod Collector |
First class job there Simon, and a interesting thread to read
Thats a fine looking wagon, Well done
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| Spokesmann |
Nice, to me they would look really nice with some weathering! | ||
| MTA |
Thanks, Mike and Mike
I would like to do some weathering on it, but I am too scared of ruining what is a good model
I have just made a sleeper load for the wagon, I have stuck them together with the same glue I used for the wagon kit and painted the sleepers in acrylic 'Raw Umber'. It just needs some touching in of the paint then it is finished: 
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| MTA |
Just posed the bolster wagons and the bogie wagon behind my Roundhouse loco. Looking good so far I reckon
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| andysleigh |
That looks great Si!
I am re thinking on Andel. They look better than i expected. Looks the part in that train. |
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| John Chapman |
Those wagons really look good Si, congratulations
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| MTA |
Thanks all for the nice comments
I ordered the next wagon for the p-way train on Wednesday evening: http://www.ipengineering.co.uk/page76.html According to Andy I won't be expecting it until end of next week but that doesn't matter much as I won't have any spare time until then anyway! I'll be doing another write up like the one I did for the AnDel kit. |
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| Minor1PJG |
Great work very impressive. Thanks for showing the build stage pictures too
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| MTA |
I have just taken delivery of the next kit, I plan to paint some parts today and then start assembly on Sunday. | ||
| Mamod Collector |
Lots of pics please Simon
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| MTA |
Have you come to expect any less, Mike?!
I started by building one of the ends: 
The cling film stretched over the plans is to stop the glue sticking to the plans
I have to add some 5 x 5mm strip wood to the sides next. Seeing as there isn't any sandpaper in this place, I can't progress very far with it today. I then added the buffer beams to the base: 
Before I added the other one, I marked the centre line and equispaced lines for the inner faces of the solebars to line up to. 
The solebars are about 3mm oversize, so I will have to sand those down before gluing them in place. I cleaned up the various whitemetal castings, and assembled the brake stand: 
I plan to do a bit more later, and I have all day on Sunday to motor ahead with it. |
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| Mamod Collector |
Looking good so far Simon
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| MTA |
Thanks, Mike
I was just about to go into Bognor high street to get the sandpaper during my lunch break, when my boss declared we had some in the shop. So I now have three sheets in varying grades to hand to work with tomorrow. Another benefit was that I got the current issue of the Garden Rail magazine for nothing
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| MTA |
Done a little bit more work today.
I started by finishing the body ends with the strip wood at the edges, and I started and completed the compartment ends. One of each can be seen here propped up against my Roundhouse loco. 
All they need know is some sanding to certain parts, maybe a bit of filler and then painting. I also added the solebars to the chassis, and I have partially painted this (after the picture was taken). 
The corners have whitemetal detail strapping which needs to be clamped on: 
and then the wood sanded to the profile of the strapping: 
The corner pictured still needs some sanding. More later hopefully! |
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| spug103 |
nice!
your making me feel as though i should be getting some of these they are looking like very nice kits, i shall certainly keep watching. |
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| Mamod Collector |
Those kits look very good, most impressed with the detailing
Excelent work Simon, looking forward to seeing it hooked up to your roundhouse
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| MTA |
I received the replacement couplings for the MoD brake van from AnDel today. There's nothing wrong with the centre buffers supplied with the kit, but I am standardising my couplings and I think the AnDel type are very nice.
Another bit of news, I have bought a Brandbright brake composite coach from a member of the 16mm e-group. A pic can be found in the link, under 'Lot 5'. This will be incorporated into the p-way train too, as I think I'll have a brake van at both ends now! http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/mdltrly/4sale.html |
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| MTA |
I have the day off today (teacher is unwell, again...) so I have carried out a little bit more work to the MoD brake van.
I finished off profiling the corners, this was carried out very quickly using a sanding drum in my Dremel. 
I then finished sanding/cutting the compart ends to size, before rubbing them down with 240 grade sandpaper ready for painting. The parts were then stored in a box to prevent them from accumulating dust. 
Painting of the chassis is now well advanced, I'm just about to finish it off before marking the lines for the axlebox positions. 
More pics later! |
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| MTA |
I have finally gotten around to taking pics of the new coach. I'll get some better ones soon...
Anyone else think the green is reminiscent of IoM Ailsa Green? The coach is fitted with internal lighting, and a brake light. The internal lighting is very dim (think gas lamps) so the picture didn't turn out so well. Here's a pic of the brake light though. 
The coach has added vents, cast brass handles and grab handles as well as end steps. The only change I have made is to fit AnDel pin and link couplings, which I think look far better than plain old centre buffers. |
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| Spokesmann |
That looks lovely, tail lamp is a wonderful finishing touch. | ||
| steamyjim |
That is realy realy nice Si
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| SillyBilly |
I'd say Ailsa is a bit lighter. My faviroute IofM livery that, purely because 'Mona' still carrys it at the back of the goods shed, lovely loco, because it's not been hacked at, just decayed. Tis a nice coach, looks as though it's even been fitted with the joinable Brandbright vacuum pipes. I can see what you mean about the Andel couplings, especially on a works train. I favour Accucraft choppers because there's no chains or pins to be lost when you turn it upside down to oil! A friend of mine has a rake of these coaches, he's fitted all of the coaches this size with a 3rd axle, Clemingson articulation has not been replicated though! 
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| Mamod Collector |
First class Simon, well done
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| Minor1PJG |
Excellent work Si
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| MTA |
Just ordered the paint from Lineside Delights for the MoD brake van, so it should be done during the Easter holidays
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| John Chapman |
Excellent work Simon
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| John Chapman |
I recall reading somewhere, at the time when the Marquis of Ailsa took over the railway, that he had seen a model of an an IOM loco painted in LNER livery and liked it so much he adopted it for the railway. |
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| MTA |
I've painted the MoD brake van's brake stand and axleboxes in primer.
Another twenty four hours and a second coat will be applied, then on Saturday evening I hope to apply the top coat. I didn't really like the bolster wagons in black, so I've repainted them in matt grey. It looks like primer, which is the look I wanted. 
The chassis will also be painted grey, and I'll be giving it a wash of black in due course. I plan on weathering these too
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| Spokesmann |
Weather sounds good. | ||
| MTA |
Made progress with the MoD brake van today.
I wasn't happy with the colour grey I painted it in, so I painted over it with Revell Enamel Matt No. 57 which is what I used on the bolsters. I have also added the ends and painted the inner window surrounds and corner posts black. 
The axleboxes received their final topcoat of black, and these will be stuck on later so I'll have a rolling chassis! |
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| MTA |
A small update, I took delivery of an AnDel box van the other day and it is now at the running stage. I am yet to add the brake gear (as I need some etch primer to tone down the brass rodding), and once that is done I'll be painting the strapping black to give it a bit of relief:
Last night, three of us got together and had a little run on the Chichester Model Engineer's track. Martin brought along a modified SL3, a Merlin Mayflower and a Smalltown Models Ruston and Malcolm brought along an I.P. Engineering 'Jack'. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of those, but here's a couple of pics of 'Peaslake' with an eclectic mix of stock. From L to R: Brandbright brake composite, AnDel box van (based on the type used on the Glyn Valley Tramway), AnDel bogie wagon, Accucraft L&B bogie open wagon, Accucraft L&B open wagon and the Roundhouse 'Katie'. 
Given the darkness, it also gave me the opportunity to see how effective my Chuffed 2 Bits L&B lamp is: 
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| Spokesmann |
Now that does look nice, love the tail lamp! | ||
| SillyBilly |
Or headlamp perhaps ?
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| Mamod Collector |
Excelent Simon, and the lamp is a nice touch
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