Atso's C&W works

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Have you seen 'Chris P Bacon's' thread on RM Webb, JCL has been putting his new E2 loco up on there, the amount of bracing, is amazing.

manna

[Atso]

Have you seen 'Chris P Bacon's' thread on RM Webb, JCL has been putting his new E2 loco up on there, the amount of bracing, is amazing.

I have indeed, an impressive collaboration to get that particular locomotive. I hope to have a chat with Mr B a week Sunday at Scale Forum.

In other news, I assemble the brake third today.

There are a couple of minor wobbles, which are annoying. I'll waft the soldering iron over them tomorrow to remedy these.

[Dave S]

I have indeed, an impressive collaboration to get that particular locomotive. I hope to have a chat with Mr B a week Sunday at Scale Forum.

Coach is looking good Steve, I'm still thankful I model in 4mm though!

I'll be at Aylesbury on the Sunday so hopefully I'll bump into you. The E2 is certainly a collaboration, I think I only make up about 10% of the expertise though..

[Atso]

Coach is looking good Steve, I'm still thankful I model in 4mm though!

I'll be at Aylesbury on the Sunday so hopefully I'll bump into you. The E2 is certainly a collaboration, I think I only make up about 10% of the expertise though..

Thanks Dave. I'm sure your contribution to the project is bigger than 10% somehow!

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

[Atso]

The first of the 8'6 Gresley bogie etches got assembled today and fitted to the brake third body.

[Atso]

A visit to Scale Forum in Stoke Mandeville yesterday provided me with the opportunity to buy some bits and pieces. Following Tim Watson's advice, I purchased some 4mm scale long handrail knobs to represent the queen posts for the turnbuckle underframe. The underframe is 10 thou guitar string while the buckles are bits of phosphor bronze wire, wrapped around a 0.8mm rod and then soldered before cutting off the excess wire. These were then squashed to make them oval and soldered to the guitar wire. It looks reasonably effective in reality but a bit messy in the photos. I may revisit these but will leave it a couple of days before I decide.

The 'V' hangers are 0.6mm brass wire, bent to shape and then filed flat before drilling a 0.3mm hole (yes, I broke two drill bits!) to eventually take a wire to represent the linkage. Again crude, but doesn't look too bad in reality.

[john coffin]

Interesting Steve,
It was good to see you at Scaleforum,and see some of your latest work including one of the carriages.

When using very small drills, whilst it is better to do it by hand using a small chuck, there is also
a very old fashioned way to get small holes done, If you can find NAILS of the size you want, then
cut the head off, and file a flat piece at the point, to give you basically two cutting points,
then this is used to drill a hole in thin metal. It is a very old technique, from the time before
machine made drills.

HTH
Paul

[Atso]

Thanks Paul, it was great to chat with you on Sunday.

Interesting method of making small drills, it almost sounds a bit like a hand ground 'D' bit for a milling machine. I might just give that a go, if I can find a nail of the right diameter.

[Atlantic 3279]

Hand-made turnbuckles in 2mm scale?!?! I'm amazed. You'll go blind you know........

[Atso]

Hand-made turnbuckles in 2mm scale?!?! I'm amazed. You'll go blind you know........

Thanks Graeme, if I do go blind, I know who to call on!

[Atso]

I've not had a huge amount of time for modelling recently. This has been just as well as my soldering iron gave out at the beginning of the month and my CAD program developed a fault and kept crashing (I think I've managed to sort that now!).

Anyway, a surprise Christmas present was a new soldering iron and I've had a few days where I've been able to test it out. I'm not keen on the end bits that came with it, but I have managed to sling together the bulk of a couple of brake vans.

First up is a 2mm Association kit for a BR Dia 1/506 brake van that I've worked into a representation of an early LNER Toad D. The step boards have been shortened and the cast concrete ends have been replaced with some thin brass sheet to represent the early steel plate ends. The roof detail has been filed off and the roof turned over to provide the original locations for the ventilators and stove pipe with the lost detail being reinstated.

Next up is a GN eight wheel brake van. The body for this came from two BHE kits (one recovered and reduced back to component parts from my aborted six-wheeler project) that have been cut and shunt to create the correct 20'2" body length. The 'W' irons are 2mm Association items, which I've left unaltered which means the wheelbase is a bit over length. However, I was concerned that modifying them would make aligning everything up too difficult; I'd like to build another one of these in the future and may have a go at getting the correct wheelbase then. Solebars are scratch-built out of 0.2mm nickel silver sheet but I'm yet to tackle the step boards. The roof is an offcut of a BHE etched roof with the holes for the ventilator and stovepipe drilled but no rainstrips attached yet.

Neither of the roofs have been attached yet, this will be done after painting and glazing. Further detailing will have to wait as I'm out of 0.3mm and 0.4mm drill bits at the moment!

A final view of the two vans to sign 2019 off with.

Wishing everyone a happy New Year!

[Atlantic 3279]

Brake vans at the end - of the year - quite appropriate.

[Atso]

It has been awhile since I posted on here. The brake vans haven't progressed much I'm afraid, although the GN has received some handrails now.

Time has been limited but I've made a start on an N gauge version of the five carriage Cambridge Buffet Express.

Dia. 248D Third no. 42732, still in need of footboards on the solebars.

58'6" Buffer Car no. 41552 in progress

The pair of Dia. 257 BTKs that will eventually top and tail the rake. The rearmost carriage had just been rinsed following some remedial work.

[JASd17]

Impressive work Steve.

Your ideas must be a challenge in the N gauge you are working in (in fact in any scale), but I can see they will produce a first rate and thoughtful LNER scene layout.

John

[Phil Brighton]

Really nice. Looking more advanced and better than my Cambridge buffet express in 4mm.