Geoff's G3 Workbench

[Sleeper Agent]

Some fantastic work here Geoff, really looking forward to the printed Bury advancing further Recently acquired a glass wagon kit seconhand but am having a little trouble interpreting some of the instructions. Would help if I could find my LNWR wagon book assuming it's the right Vol but it's hiding in some little snook. Anywho would it be possible to see another photo or two of your build? An underneath shot and a side on one of the brake side would be ideal as the bit about the push rod in as built condition is tripping me up.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

This shows the brake being assembled. It helds if you think of it as one half of a normal wagon. If I remember right the glass wagon is featured in LNWR wagons vol 1. Mine is the early diagram with a wooden well. If these photos don't explain things I'm happy to take a few more


This is my sketch of the brake pivot mechanism.

 

[Sleeper Agent]

Thanks for the speedy response Geoff. Believe it was Vol 1 that I bought so if that's the case I'll redouble my efforts to find it, no doubt I should just try to track down something else and it'll turn up!
The photos were useful thanks and think i've interpreted things right, cut off the white casting nib on the tumbler and drilled a hole in its place in order for a rivet pin to hold the brake shaft on both sides, as with the brake block and hanger.

The brake lever in my photo does look a bit different to yours and the instructions mind, might of been a mix up somewhere but still I can carry on with the rest of the kit and painting in the meantime.

Kind Regards
Steve

 

[Spitfire2865]

Remember to joggle your brake lever. Quite the annoying thing to bend first time round.

 

[Mike W]

Steve, Geoff made the main patterns for that kit and I wrote that section of the wagon book, so between us we should be able to resolve anything!

Mike

 

[Mike W]

Steve, the person you bought the kit from had the very first one and I can't remember whether the instructions were complete at that time. Nonetheless, one of the pictures towards the end of the instructions is of No.65959 and the brake lever is cranked in a similar position to your model. If you want to alter it to match a different picture, then the lever is mild steel and surprisingly easy to straighten with large pliers and then bend again.

Mike

 

[geoff_nicholls]

Mike will correct me if I'm wrong, but there were two patterns of brake lever commonly used by the LNWR. This D9 Open (also a Williams kit) shows the type you have, Steve, in situ. Note also the joggle and curve at the end, common to both patterns. As far as I'm aware both types of lever were used on the D42.
For completeness, I also see your model has the later pattern of brake rack, with the seat for the brake lever. I chose to build mine with the earlier method using a separate bracket. Again either could be seen on the real thing.

And a tip for painting. The patterns were ply, and the grain is faithfully reproduced in the cast resin. For the 'unpainted wood' of the interior, after the basic colour, a thin wash of black really brings out the grain.

 

[Ian_T]

"I've not posted much recently, as I've been fully occupied building four Sentinels, to be sold by the G3 Soc as RTR starter locos, complete with Micron RC. It's a projected Williams Models kit"

It may interest some of our visitors here to know that the Sentinels you built are now available for sale on the G3S Website ( gauge3.org.uk ) - although one has already been sold. We think they are very good value - a RTR battery electric, radio controlled scale G3 model for £660 (plus shipping) - even less if you are a G3S Member. Thank you for your support with this project - much appreciated.

Well done on your award at the AGM by the way - well deserved!

Regards,

IanT

 

[geoff_nicholls]

After nine years I've finally applied primer to the wheels of the Eastern Counties Gooch class A (as seen in my avatar). The chimney and safety valve cover are on their way from Shapeways.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

The chimney and safety valve cover have just arrived from Shapeways. it's beginning to look the part.

 

[Mike W]

Not knowing the Eastern Counties at all Geoff, what colour will that be? GER blue? or black?

Mike

 

[geoff_nicholls]

what colour will that be

It will be sprayed in Humbrol acrylic grass green
Loco livery in 1862, when the ECR became the Great Eastern was"pea green". I'm assuming it was carried over from ECR days. I wanted something slightly different to the Halfords Ford Meadow Green that David Viewing recommend I use on the L & B/LNWR Bury locos. I'm not confident at spray painting, and decided to stick with Humbrol. Having both companies locos in green means the Bury 2-2-0 can also be used as an ECR loco without looking too much out of place. I'll be getting someone else to do the lining.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

Painting continues.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

A distraction from painting and CAD. Someone in the other place is organising an A4 Diorama competition. I thought I'd have a go, entering a section of GWR mixed gauge baulk track. I used balsa, plastikard and 3mm square aluminium rod



It is progressing nicely, with the bolt detail and ballast still to be added. But I'm not sure I could use this method on an actual layout.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

A couple of photos showing ballast being laid. i'm thinking of adapting this method to build a micro layout, so if anyone who know about broad gauge track notices anything that doesn't look right, I'd welcome comments and advice.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

Nearly there. After problems with the masking tape I ended up hand painting the frames. Humbrol satin black is very close to Halfords matt black.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

It runs! Actually it's rather nippy.
RC fits neatly in the bunker. just the buffers to fit, then the rest is cosmetic. Still to do: a first class carriage, a composite, a goods break, open wagons, laying some track, painting the 'Ragged Victorian' figures, and a swim headed Thames sailing barge in the quayside.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

More painting. The London and Birmingham/LNWR Bury 0-4-0 which David Viewing blow up to G3 for me, from his G1 CAD artwork. The green s Halfords Ford Meadow Green, which David believes is about right for the L & B. I'm working on the assumption that the newly formed LNWR would not have bothered repainting a loco that was on its way out.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

More progress with the Bury 0-4-0. The motion is more an impression than any sort of accurate representation. The nylon material that it's made of means the axle and the connecting rods are all push/snap fits. If think David Viewing was on a learning with this one, the connecting rods and piston rods fouled the front axle when I tried to fit them so I trimmed down the former and dispensed with the latter. But it looks alright to me when it's running. The job I dreaded most was fitting the coupling rods, as the axles are not squared so there is nothing to help you get the quartering right. The wheels are a push fit so it's a case of turning them on the axle until there's no binding. In the end it only took about half an hour. There is still a very slight catch, but I'll wait until the tender drive is working before I think about adjusting it.
.
The break van still needs some black paint and LNWR diamonds

 

[geoff_nicholls]

The Bury loco has been put aside while I sort out a short test track. Then I rediscovered a four wheeled cab kit in a pile of boxes. This is a test cut in G3 by Parly Trains, of one of their 7mm kits. You can see one of the wheels in the clamp which ceates the conical shape. A bit more difficult in gauge 3 then 7mm as the MDF is twice as thick. I nicked the spokes at either end with a craft knife. and dampened it a bit before clamping it up. There are six layers to each wheel, but it looks nice when finished. The railway carriage is another of David Viewing's L & B prints. It looked ludicrously small until I compared it with the (four seater!) cab. The figure is 'slogger' Rose from Modelu's Ragged Victorian collection.