Daves C & W Works

[sawdust]

My comment about knots was slightly tounge in cheek. Certainly teak has some knots, although not as many as most timber types, but the LNER specified that external teak panels with evidence of knots should not be used. There was a directive to this effect in the notebook of the Carriage Shop foreman at the Plant certainly still extant when the Royal Train brake 109 was refurbished there in 1976.

Up until 1938/9 the undercoat on ersatz teak vehicles was hand mixed (as were most rolling stock finishes) I have not seen the sample in the NRM but did see the pattern in Doncaster paint shop which originated from the time of the Metro Cammell full brakes of 1928 (from meory). This was definately a warmer shade than pure buff.

Well it didn't come across as tongue in cheek, nor did it help saying 'they are not' rather than 'you are not'. It sounds as if you are addressing the rest of the world excluding the author of the post you are responding to.

Anyway back to the matter in hand. Descriptions and memories of colour are highly subjective and can be unreliable so I'm not sure how you define 'warmer'. After that test we were thinking the base could do with being a little less yellow and a little browner. Are you thinking more orange perhaps?

Les Browning, former Doncaster charge hand coach builder, gave us a lot of information about the coaches when he was still with us, God rest his soul. We are always open to further shop floor help that might still exist in any form. We too try to avoid using knotted panels, though with prime teak being around £400 a cubic foot you can't be too picky! You can't be sure what you will find once you start slicing up a teak log, whether it is a bee hole, a pocket of silica or even a hollow void inside the tree! Teak trees seldom grow straight and you can get explosive tensions in the cut boards that can suddenly cause them to split in two.

I don't know where you are based but you are welcome to come for a tour of Pickering and to pass on some of your wisdom.

Sawdust.

[Dave]

Thank you Sawdust for letting us see the latest pics of progress at Pickering and for promoting the latest discussion. Is Len C advising you ?. I remember helping Len paint the end of that carriage years ago to show what it would look like, I seem to recall we marked the panels out and masked them for painting individually. The base coat used (from memory) seems to be the same colour as the one you have used. Picture shows it in all its glory.

[sawdust]

No Len is not advising us, obviously we did see what he did before. Do you remember if he just gave them a single coat? The spec in the museum states that there should be a graining coat followed by a stippled coat. We did try this at one end and it did seem to add a greater depth to the effect. Unlike that earlier demonstration you show we are not going to have horizontal grain above the windows.

Sawdust.

[MikeTrice]

Close up of Dave Simpson's work:

[MikeTrice]

Following on from my previous post, from memory the Dynamometer Car in the NRM is scumbled. Closeup here:

[2512silverfox]

Quite correct Mike, it was originally crimson lake but the ersatz teak finish came from York CW, and very effective too. You can however see where the new departmental number was applied.

[Blink Bonny]

Cor - Lovely!!

[Dave]

Sorry for the very long delay in resuming this.

Going through the camera and sorting out the memory card the other day, I found some pics I had not got round to posting.

So as I've not had time to do any modelling since the last updates I thought I would post them.

I hope in the next couple of months to be able to get the time to restart and complete the trio, but in the meantime I might get a wagon or something done to keep my hand in....so to say ooh matron.

Anyway here goes
D10C, 1st pic, I got replacement lamps and have fitted them to the tables, as they have clear glass shades I've tried to replicate this with a thin white wash, I think it works, then 2 updates on the roof, I can't now remember what I did. Oh yes now I've looked at the pics I repositioned the water filler and last 3 vents.

I was working on an improved vestibule construction which I'm thinking if using, it is very easy to make, I will post info next.

[Mercator II]

Very Nice!!!

Both the 12" to the 1' and model form

Now I would love to have a look around the CW in Pickering, I am popping up in July for a visit after a day at the Great Gathering, NYMR is right up there as one of my favorite lines to visit (after GCR) in fact thats where I spent my stag do a few years back, none of that getting blinding drunk for me, I would much rather get a lung full of steam!!

Saw Dust,
One a slight change of subject (ish...) In your avitar you have a pic of the other beevortail, would you have any info about its current restoration please? I cant seam to find any online. The last time I saw it was when it went to Barrow Hill a few years back and would love to know how its progressing

oOo

Brian

[Dave]

VESTIBULE CONECTIONS.
As I mentioned before I was looking around for an alternative method to the MJT one I have been using, I had done a modified version which I was happy with, then I met the twins at Wakefield Model Railway Club and they explained their method, I think it is an old method from a time long long ago, but it seemed interesting so I decided to give it a go.
It's very simple, select your card and cut out 2 basic shapes, I've called them A & B. The size I've made mine suit the MJT face plates I'm using. So 'A' is approx 13mm wide x 29mm high to the red lines + 5 or 6mm each end to allow for the folds, o/a size of 'A' 13mm x 40mm. Sheet 'B' I made 14mm wide (between the red lines) x 29mm ht + again 5 or 6mm each side of the red lines to allow folds. Scribe where the red lines are and start folds. Next place 'B' on top of 'A' and complete folding over the tabs on 'A' to trap 'B'.
Now repeat with another 'A' (A2 on the diagram) and place this on 'B' and fold B's tabs on top of 'A2' to hold in place, place 'B2' on top of 'A2' and fold 'A2' tabs to hold 'B2' in place.
Now repeat as many times as you want to make up the length you want and then stick an end on.
This method allows both horizontal and vertical movement and seems to work very well, but I've not tried it in anger yet only on a bit of test track.
The o/a length of a full size vestibule is 9" from the end to the carriage to the face of the faceplate so you are looking for a scale 3mm, but toy curves will dictate how far you will have to make yours extend.

[Dave]

Welcome my flock, ye that I've fleeced so often. (which comedian used this...answers on a £20 note please)

Well here are the boring pics to go with the gangway description, should I hope, explain everything.

[Dave]

And last but but not forgotten.

[Atlantic 3279]

I can see how that construction provides the advantage of closed-tops to the ridges of the bellows, which you don't get with the design used by MJT, but as far as I can see so far, only by trimming off the corners and thus exposing the true nature of the structure once again can you achieve anything but a plain rectangular shape. You can create most of the shape illusion with the aid of a shaped end-plate of course, and maybe a flexible top-cover too, just as you can add to the MJT arrangement, but is there any overall adavantage to the alterrnative design that you've illustrated?

[Dave]

bloody ell Graeme it's far too early in the week for this type of question ! .

All I can say is I trimmed the edges to suit the rounded edges of the MJT brass endplate (leaving enough fold in the middle) and following Mr Campling's idea I have coverd the top with cling film to replicate the top cover. Now the bit I liked was when uncoupled the connector does not expand...so does not need any fancy retaining wires etc etc and the top cover does not get left behind.

I'm still looking for a quick neat way to stop the MJT bellows type from expanding, but allows flexibility.

ps. Graeme you don't do A3 chimneys do you ?.

[Dave]

Here are the D113 pics I took at the time, it's the second one.
First pics are a base for the teak, last pics are the teak top coat.