West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

Morning Vernon,

I haven't - I can't see them listed on his website and I haven't crossed him at a show yet (I know, I don't hang out at the right events...).

I've heard good things about them. Do you get axleboxes and springs with them, because sourcing those might be difficult.

[notascoobie]

Hi Jonathan,

You can get Bill's components from Eileen's:

https://www.eileensemporium.com/index.p ... t&Itemid=9

You just get an etch and some spring wire. You have to source bearings and castings. You can get various coach springs from the EMGS but I guess axleboxes might be more challenging.

The reason for raining this is that I thought the bogies were the same as those fitted to ECJS 12-wheelers (now awaiting incoming!).

Regards,

Vernon

[jwealleans]

The D 120 is now all but finished and ready to go back to Scottiedog. I kept adding details to it and making the roof fit which occupied a lot of time last week.



New on the bench is a Rupert Brown kit, the first of these I've tried. I knew of the existence of this range but they weren't readily available for a long time - in fact they seemed to be a pretty well kept secret unless you saw Retford or Gresley Beat, both of which feature Rupert's coaches. I've met Rupert more recently and he's a charming and very helpful chap. The 4mm range, or at least parts of it are now with Andrew at Wizard Models and he was happy to part with this GNR D 96 BFK at Wakefield last year. They're not a complete kit but need completing with parts from other ranges.

So what do you get? In this one, sides, ends, floorpan and battery boxes. Several pages of instructions and suggestions as to parts to use to complete, usually more than one option as well as constructional hints and advice. I noted that Dan Pinnock had been involved with the development of the etches and having built a lot of Dan's, I thought that was an encouraging sign.



The ends are a very clever design, with a foldup internal end allowing you to form the exterior to the correct shape. One caveat, though - once the roof is on it will be all but impossible to glaze any end lights and if they were clear all they'd show would be a sheet of brass inside. I patched over the lights in this coach before building up the end section.

The body is designed to split at the solebar which is very much my preferred approach. There's a strip to fold top and bottom of the sides to give rigidity, but folding the bottom one would have made it impossible to have the interior sitting on the floorpan so I cut it off. I was going to solder it back along the bottom of the sides, but they were pretty rigid and straight as they were so I didn't bother. I have put some 3mm brass angle along the sides of the floorpan to give the sides some support if the coach is picked up there. You get hinge holes but no hinges (easy enough with scrap etch) but no holes for door or grab handles and I've given myself a blister drilling them into one side.



There's no provision for attaching footsteps, so they're on pegs soldered through the solebar. Duckets need to be made up (60 thou plastic). The bogies, buffers, trussing and roof are MJT, brake gear Comet and Wizard and dynamo I think Comet.

I'm pleased with this - I built the bogies on Thursday, started the ends on Friday and then had a long session last night thanks to having to be up until a ridiculous hour to pack my son off on a school trip. Thanks also to JASd17 for his timely help, without which it would have stalled.

Roof and interior for this one and then I have a much larger project from Rupert's stable which with a fair wind we might get into next week.

[notascoobie]

.............. and then I have a much larger project from Rupert's stable which with a fair wind we might get into next week.

Not his etches for a Gauge 1 Gresley BG?

[jwealleans]

Oh, Vernon, you've blown the gaff now!

[Bill Bedford]

I haven't - I can't see them listed on his website and I haven't crossed him at a show yet (I know, I don't hang out at the right events...).

I've heard good things about them. Do you get axleboxes and springs with them, because sourcing those might be difficult.

The sprung bogies available from Eileen's are etched centres, so you will still need cosmetic sides for them.

I'm working on a range of one-piece printed nylon bogies, underframes and roofs which will be available from my Shapeways pages starting later this week. Over time I plan to introduce underframes for most of the bogie carriage etchings I produce. The first bogies will be a standard LMS 9' and variants followed shortly by the Robinson 8' bogies for 50' coaches and the GN Fox.

The photo shows one under a Larry Goddard coach. The intention is to replace the brass plate with a NEM pocket on one bogie variant.

If you want to find me at shows then these are the ones I regularly attend:

• Scalefour North, Wakefield
  ExpoEM, Bracknell
  RailWells
  ExpoEM North, Manchester
  Scaleforum, Aylesbury
  East London, homeless this year.

[jwealleans]

Thanks, Bill. I'll keep an eye out for those sides. NEM pockets would be a handy addition too, as we had (and will have) to work out all sorts of combinations to get different people's stock to work together on Grantham.

Most of the finescale shows are either too far to travel or fall at incovenient times for me, but i really must start to make the effort to get to a few.

[JASd17]

Jonathan, I look forward to seeing the D96 on Grantham.

I am sure I have one buried in the to-do cupboard.

The end lights question is rather interesting. During the 1930s if older carriages - whether elliptical or clerestory - required extensive repairs to the ends they would be replaced by more or less standard ends. So the end lights would disappear completely rather than just be panelled over. Needless to say there were several variations on individual vehicles.

John

[EdgeHill8A]

Might I ask what roof you have used for the Rupert Brown Kits? I am having a lot of trouble here and the roof moulding supplied by Andrew does not fit at all.

[jwealleans]

It's the MJT one. The curvature of the castings matches the etched kit ends almost exactly, but the angle of the rake at each side is slightly greater on the MJT ends so there's a bit of filling required each corner. Rupert says in his instructions he prefers the Kirk ones, but I find the MJT (although a lot more faff in finishing) goes on better and gives a more rigid result.

I have one of Andrew's roof mouldings and from memory they're quite a bit flatter. When I start the next kit I'll offer it up and see how far out it is.

[45609]

I have one of Andrew's roof mouldings and from memory they're quite a bit flatter. When I start the next kit I'll offer it up and see how far out it is.

Is this the same roof moulding as supplied by Precision Paints? I bought a couple in anticipation that they would be quicker and easier than the MJT built up design. I found these to be far too flat to fit the MJT end. There was at least a 1mm gap between the cantrail and top of the coach side. I have no idea what they were designed to fit but it does not appear to be Gresley corridor stock from MJT or RBED. I'm sure I mentioned it a while ago but a resin cast Gresley roof blank (i.e. add your own vents, rainstrips etc....) would be a really useful thing. If made single ended and of sufficient length then one casting could be used to do any type of roof by joining two halves (52'6", 61'6", Corridor artics & Triplets and many more). The work would be in trimming both halves to length, joining and filling.

Also thanks for the comments on the RDEB kits. I found myself looking though Andrew's stock of them at Railex but didn't give in to temptation as I wasn't sure which diagram to buy. I went and bought a loco kit off John Redrup instead....like I need another

Cheers....Morgan

[jwealleans]

a loco kit ....like I need another

Of course you do. You just haven't realised what you need it for yet.

And yes, I think it is the same roof moulding. I'm not sure now what the origins of it are, but we discussed it here.

[jwealleans]

D96 has entered the paint shop after final details were applied to the body. The only thing (I think) still to add are the end jumpers and they'll go on after the lining is done.



Works have now been busy churning these out for the next project.

[2512silverfox]

King + Leeds quint set?

[jwealleans]

Some people are too clever by half.