Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[Blink Bonny]

You have reduced Mrs BB to speechlessness.

This is a first - any more projects for us?

[Atlantic 3279]

I'm working on a "cut and shut" project on another brake van at present. It isn't the first time it has been done I'm sure, as I reckon I saw a model that had been made in the way I am now working around twelve years ago, and it wasn't a newly built one at that stage. I have however never seen the idea written up, so it may be of intetrest to others. More information will emerge in a few days.

[Atlantic 3279]

Here it is, almost done. A scale-size Toad E as distinct from the too-low and too-short Bachmann version. By cutting out the steel duckets and adding timber ones (such as the resin copies of Parkside duckets that I have made in the past) along with timber end posts, a Toad B is also possible, solving the problem of the no-longer-available Parkside Toad B kit.

I'll leave it to you other modellers to work out what has been cut up and put back together, and where, in order to produce this. It isn't difficult to spot, I'm sure. Achieving neat straight cabin sides has to be the crucial factor in the final appearance of this model. I may have an easy way to do that for further examples of this Toad E / Toad B.

[jwealleans]

Well, it's rather neat... have you taken a Lima van, lost the end platforms and let in the relevant section of the Bachmann body or a Dapol kit? I say Lima because of the planked verandah floor; mine was a brown plastic but my Dapol verandah was very plain. That or you've cut down two Dapol kits, but I keep coming back to that planked floor.

[Atlantic 3279]

Two "classic" Airfix kits, cut and shut. They had/have a good representation of planking on the floors, although working out how to cut the floor to make best use of materials with fewest joints was interesting. The ends (outside of inner, and inside of outer) required a fair amount of scraping to remove the raised ejector pin zones and then scribe the planking back in evenly, too. I think the ejector pin zones are now sunken on the Dapol version, is that right?

[Robpulham]

Graeme,
I really do have to admire your skill an patience with these plastic cut and shuts. I am only just mastering the Slaters 7mm plastic kit's.

I do have a few brass Connoissseur brake van kits up my sleeve for later though.

[Atlantic 3279]

I really do have to admire

Very kind of you to say so Rob.

[Atlantic 3279]

A couple of days ago I got rid of the original bogie wheels with ultra-deep rims from my modified Bachmann A4. I have fitted some standard 12mm Romford/Jackson ones instead, with the sides of the rims polished up then satin lacquered, and the spokes of course painted to match the red of the coupled wheels. I painted the replacement Cartazzi wheels at the same time. In order to fit the new wheels, with 2mm axles, to the original bogie, I was able to make use of some odd bearing bushes from the Puffers/Perseverence range, bought 15 or more years ago when the shop was still in York. They had 2mm holes and a thick wall, so that externally they were like a normal one-eighth top-hat mainframe bearing. These fitted the big Bachmann axle holes in the bogie, with the aid of just a touch of epoxy. The fact that the metal axle now bridges together the two metal sideframes of the bogie is irrelevant, as it is isolated from the main split chassis by its plastic bolster. Inspection of the construction of the original bogie, and the front of the main chassis block, suggests to me that bogie pick up was designed-in to the A4 chassis but never actually applied, the same goes for the "second truck" on many other Bachmann locos.
I suppose that now I've gone this far I shall have to make and fit some lamp irons as well, and tone down the outside motion .

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Been looking at your cut and shut brake van again, you've almost got the body of a tram engine there.............. (drifts off into a dream like state)

manna

[Atlantic 3279]

That had occurred to me too. I didn't bother to check how close the deatails were (or weren't) but with some added skirting I can see that the resemblence would be strong.

[Atlantic 3279]

REAR CARRYING AXLES FOR ATLANTIC LOCO MODELS:

Around four years ago when I built my DJH large-boilerd GNR Atlantic, I had terrible problems getting the rear carrying axle to behave itself on curves, especially in reversing running. The designed-in system in the kit was no use at all, and after two other false starts I only had success when I constructed a proper internal, sprung, pony truck arrangement, swinging on a LONG arm pivoted ahead of the rear coupled axle, the un-prototypical details of course hidden by the outside frames. This caused some difficulties with clearance for gears on the rear coupled axle, which is where they had to be as I wanted a big motor fully hidden in the firebox.
This week I was asked to do some basic "rejeuvenation" of a not terribly well made old K's GNR Atlantic, for a friend. It came with bogie missing, trailing carrying axle hanging useless clear of the rails in a DIY very-short-swing pony truck, and with the body sitting a foot higher than it ought. I lowered the body as much as I could without wrecking the original construction and paint finish, supplied a bogie, and then considered what to do about the rear axle. I have tried out something much simpler than I used four years ago, as sketched below, and so far it seems to work very well. I thought it might help others to see the details.

Obviously, careful handling of the loco will be needed in order to avoiding bending the wires out of reasonable adjustment, but if the unit continues to work well I see its advantages as including:
1. Rear carrying axle is adjustably sprung, and can be made to track nicely without taking valuable adhesive/electrical contact weight away from the drivers or "bottoming out" on uneven track.
2. Rear carrying axle steers on a suitably gentle arc, in sympathy with track curvature, so that the wheel flanges remain in-line with the track - rather than at an angle to it and trying to climb the inside edges of the rails.
3. The gentle side-springing helps to steady the rear of the loco, to discourage short-wheelbase four-coupled "waggle".
4. One wheel can be made live to the axle, to match any existing chassis polarity, giving meningful extra current pick-up.
5. As I said above, it is simple, construction takes minutes, and it is hidden just below the inside frames and/or between the outside frames.

[mick b]

Very good .

I have a K's version with the same problem. At the moment I have done a "Hornby A4" on it i.e a flangeless wheel , this works but not as good as your drawing.
I have also done the same to my W1 which was just as bad if not worse . Do you think your design might work with the W1 or would that be a step too far ?

[Atlantic 3279]

I wonder if the longer 6 coupled wheelbase, and a front bogie to further extend things, would lead to a need for more flexibility than my springy wire "truck" would provide - but if you can give it a try-out without upsetting the construction of the rest of the loco it won't take much time and effort.

[Atlantic 3279]

After finally picking up the correct Iracier axleboxes that I wanted, from Andrew "Wizard" Hartshorne (yes, I took the wrong packet at the first attempt, five weeks ago ) and also getting some clasp brakes from him, I have been able to return to that Hull & Barnsley ventilated refrigerator van, originally Hornby's "Smith's Crisps / Prime Pork / Weetabix" van. The buffers are also from Wizard, strictly NE pattern, but save for having two extra bolts they look the same as H & B buffers to me. Some of the underframe is recycled from the whitemetal parts that somebody else had already fitted, so the springs are not quite right, they should be mounted on swinging shackles. The old brake levers have simply been bent to a new shape, and the old V hangers cut off and reattached as close as I could get them to what appeared to be the correct place on the solebar.

Although nothing to do with the above van, I also, I hope, now have my first "proper" silicone rubber mould set aside curing, after splashing out money for some proper "Phil Traxson approved" materials, via Phil Atkinson's stand at Nottingham show last weekend. It wasn't nearly as easy for me as a beginner, compared to the effortless Traxson demos at shows.........

[madusjockus]

Hi Graeme
I'd be really interested to see how you get on and materials etc used.

MTIA
Cheers
Kev