Rob's 7mm Rolling Stock Workbench

[Robpulham]

More progress on the underframe details - the holes etched for the bearings are way too big so they took a bit of getting central.

The step hangers had a half etch line that I couldn't work out the purpose of which made the steps a little flimsy, so I added a strip of scrap etch behind to strengthen them. Next I need to work out which brakes fit where - I made the mistake of cutting them from the etch and I cannot find where they went to work out which numbers are which. Some are in pairs and the others are individual hangers/shoes.







And lastly a shot of the roof formers in place

[Robpulham]

A good session last night saw the brakes sorted after a proper DOH! moment - the etched slots that you can see in the underframe are for the individual brakes - You even get FS/S7 spacing (although having re-read the instructions this is a throwback to the kit being scaled up from 4mm and designed as 00/P4).

I now have it up on it's wheels but looking at the photos has confirmed last nights suspicion that one end is higher than the other.....It was 11pm and I wondered if it was my eyes playing tricks.

[Robpulham]

I had a small break from the CCT yesterday/this morning and did a bit more weathering on the Timber and Ore wagons. I then assembled them and took a few photos.

[Robpulham]

With the Timber wagons off the bench I returned to the CCT.

First I added the brake levers and guards



Then the instructions said mount the Westinghouse cylinder centrally the drawing being 2D only showed it as being central across the V hangers not which side it sat so I found a square of brass that would mount across the floor void and then I though that perhaps the cylinder would be supported by straps so I made some up followed by a bit of pipework leading to the Westinghouse pump. Having done all that I may have it the wrong way around but it's not likely to be seen so it can stay as it is (mainly because I have had to resolder the vacuum cylinder back on once already due to the heat from solder the mounting plate in place melting the 70 degree solder that I mounted it with).



Next I had a look at the spring hangers and initially I was a little confused because they come cat in pairs on a mounting block (see the bottom of the photo below). The problem being once you have things like truss rods and brake lever guards etc. soldered to the solebars there is no way on earth that the chunky mounting block will fit any where near - not to mention the rocking mechanism.

My (rather tedious) solution has been to cut them with my piercing saw to make them fit on top/behind the solebars. Two down two more to go this evening......

[Robpulham]

I haven't managed much time at the workbench recently but this week I managed a little.

Sometime back I posted some home made vacuum pipes and someone asked for a step by step next time I made some.

This is what was included in the kit - the whitemetal ones that is along with the fine beading wire that I use for creating the 'ribbing'


I started by measuring and cutting some 50mm lengths of 0.7mm brass rod.

I held each one in a pin vice with 25mm protruding and tucked one end of the beading wire down the small gap in the jaws of the pin vice.

Next I wound the beading wire around the protruding wire keeping the strands tight against each other until I had around 5mm left without binding.


Holding the end still attached to the reel tight I soldered the beading wire in place then snipped the end attached to the reel.



Removing it from the pin vice I snipped and tidied the other end up and slipped a 10mm length of annealed microbore tube over the long end. I also drilled a hole in the end of a strip of scrap and soldered it over the other end. Cutting it back and rounding each end once it was soldered in place.



Being the tight Yorkshireman that I am when I use pinheads for rivets I don't throw the shanks away. To create the ring around the top end of the tube I annealed a pin shank and wound it around the other end of the bound section on the long section (the end with the microbore tube on it). Finally snipping it off and soldering it in place.

Next I bent the section of annealed tube to right angles and finally I cut a length of shrink tube and shrank it over the top. I have to confess I am not sure about the shrink tube and I may end up cutting it off.....



The last pair of pipes will be a tad harder because they have taps on them and I need to work out the best way to represent them - Last night I had a brilliant idea on how to do it but I blowed if I can recall it today.........

[Robpulham]

I was away on holiday for most of October so the bench has been a bit quiet. It was my birthday while I was away and Chris bought me some wagon kits. This meant (and I am sure it come come as any surprise to some) that when I got back instead of finishing the CCT I started one of the birthday wagons - This is another from Dragon models Celtic connection range (former Majestic models). It's an NBR/LNER Avery Tool Van (Thanks Jonathan )

I haven't taken any photos until now as the construction was similar to the CCT. The one change that I have made is that I tried to make the roof removable using the same method as the CCT but I couldn't get it to sit down properly and after trying re-rolling it a couple of times I gave up and soldered it on.

This is the state of play and I hope to have it on it's wheels and pretty much finished with a fair wind tonight.







It has also been noted - not by me that I have the end stanchions on the wrong way around

[Robpulham]

Just to offer a little more background on these vans, as I understand it four of these vans were converted from the standard 8ton Jubilee Van for use by Avery's in order to service and maintain the many weighing scales in use at stations on the NBR. According to the information supplied with the kit they had workbenches, store cupboards and even a rivet stove installed - I am a little intrigued by the latter because there is no chimney.

Back when I was a butcher we used Avery scales and they were maintained by Avery - sadly the guys came in an Escort van rather than an NBR Jubilee:)

Here's where I got to on Thursday night.

[Robpulham]

A session a couple of weeks ago saw the tool van finished. Strictly speaking I think that it should have screw couplings rather than three links but I didn't have any in and I can always change them later.







In the instructions George makes mention of a chain and peg to hold the doors shut. I reasoned that a tool van might have something a bit more secure so I decided to make a couple of padlocks. This proved easier to say than to do - I had just nicely filed them to shape when one flew off into space so I put the other on one side in disgust. A couple of days later after turning the workbench and floor upside down I noticed the missing lock caught in the hem of my apron..... I then had a couple of unsuccessful attempts at soldering a loop on
the top.

But when I had finished adding the last bit's and pieces last night I decided to have one last attempt before abandoning the idea and to my surprise and delight each one soldered without problem.

[Robpulham]

Modelling time has been in short supply for two or three weeks due to me going on course for work next week and having quite a bit of pre-course studying to do. On Thursday night after I had go to the I am reading it but it's no longer going in stage I decided that I needed a bit of modelling to keep me sane.

In an hour and a half at the bench I managed to all but finish the CCT. All I need to do now is work out where the three pipes go on each end, add them, blacken the couplings and it's ready for painting.

[Robpulham]

The CCT and the tool van are now in the paint shop so last night also saw me make a little progress on the next item across the bench a Medley Models (NER Days as Steve now trades under) NER fish truck to diagram C1.

The kit is a little agricultural in that the etches I believe are hand drawn with the tabs created as half etched circles. Which when you cut items from the etches leaves visible dimples. That said quite a bit of it is built up from layers so they can be placed inside to hide them.

A plus point is that it's etched in nickel. The instructions had me head scratching so when I last saw Steve Hoyle I asked him to explain what he meant by making a middle layer up from parts included inside another. See below, apparently there was enough room on the etch for 8 of these so you have to make 2 of them up yourself.

These build up in layers to give you the sides looking similar to the ends below



A small error that I have discovered so far is that the coupling hook slot was only in one of the three layers that make up the ends so I had to drill and file them out once the layers were soldered together.



Lastly a poor photo but it does contain brass buffer shanks.

[Robpulham]

On another forum I was asked to take some photos of all my rolling stock together which I did. If there is any interest I will post the photos here.

[jwealleans]

Of course. Photos are like horseboxes, you know.

[Robpulham]

Thanks Jonathan, hmm horse boxes......

First up is my LNER and constituents based stock - not quite as many as the LMS stock but I have many more in the stash















I make no apologies for getting carried away with this...

I also have something similar from my LMS stock which I will post up next.

[Robpulham]

Following on from my LNER and constituents is my LMS collection - I was quite surprised when I put all these together at the size of the collection since I am by preference an LNER modeller.....

[Robpulham]

Here's one that I forgot earlier - I built this sometime ago (Majestic Models NBR Floor Cloth Wagon - now in the Dragon Models range) but never posted any shots of it with some paint and transfers on. I planned to make some additional custom transfers so I popped it away in it's box and completely forgot about it...