7mm The Derby Line - Rolling Stock Gladiator Crab

[dibateg]

I've had little time or enthusiasm to do much modelling over the past few weeks, but I did find a spare hour to have a go at improving my rudimentary lathe skills by turning up some new tank vents. 4th and 5th attempts seem ok. The cutting tool was definately blunt. so I also had a go at grinding that too...

 

[dibateg]

Vents and other furniture in place. I drilled a 0.5mm hole horizontaly through the whistle stem to create the operating valve...made from wire and tube.

 

[45609]

I've had little time or enthusiasm to do much modelling over the past few weeks, but I did find a spare hour to have a go at improving my rudimentary lathe skills by turning up some new tank vents. 4th and 5th attempts seem ok. The cutting tool was definitely blunt. so I also had a go at grinding that too...

It's very satisfying when you can make your own parts to replace dodgy castings provided in the kit. It's part of making models that I enjoy the most. Nice work!

Cheers...Morgan

 

[dibateg]

Thanks Morgan!

Back from holidays...
I couldn't work out how the lamp arrangement on the bunker worked. The left hand one seemed very close to the ladder. So after some scrutiny it appears that the lamp iron on that side is mounted on an 'n' shaped bracket to space it away from the ladder. It looks a little heavy this close, but I hope once it's painted it will be more discrete. I'd made the ladder too wide, so took the right hand vertical off and remounted it. Blobs of solder to clean off...

 

[dibateg]

More lamp iron fun...

I know that being ham fisted as I am, butt mounted lamp irons won't work. I can see them coming straight off when I change lamps. So they are drilled and pinned with 0.6mm wire



The upper iron is different yet again with the vertical section set out from the further from the back of the bunker. I had nothing in the lamp iron box that was suitable. So after mulling it over for a while grafted an LMS one on to an LNER one. Again 0.6mm wire to secure them together. Cruelly enlarged!


I know the lamps themselves lack a little detail, but with everything else going on I hope that won't notice...


Next.... the conduit and it's junction boxes...

 

[Dave Holt]

A neat solution for the top bracket, Tony. I'm sure you're right to pin the lamps/bracket to the loco rather than just relying on a soldered joint. I use a similar arrangement for my 4 mm fold-up etched lamp irons - a design I stole from Masokits!
Dave.

 

[dibateg]

More grinding progress, the footsteps were etched in 0.45 N/S, there was no way I could neatly bend the upturns in that. fortunately I found some spare step etches that could be modified to fit. Injectors are Ragstone G&C 13s, but heavily cut about to fit, I might have been better to scratch them up. I'm wondering whether there should be slots in the rear bogie stretcher. Still loads to do...

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

One of the limitations of most etched kits, only 1 or 2 thicknessess of material leading to some parts being over thick and others the opposite. That is where the scratch builder scores as we can use the correct size, assuming it is available, as dictated by the original.

You make great progress and the model looks the part quite quickly but then all the small detail parts which give a model it's identity take ages to add.

 

[dibateg]

Thanks Ian - you make a good point..

I'm battling on. Injectors done, shortened the buffer spigots ( there should be a supporting web for the buffer beam) . Hobbyhorse cinder guards fitted ( I bought a whole stock of them a few years ago - I did hear that they were cast in the US), speedo bracket scratched up, outrigger to support the bunker - just visible beyond the pipes. There is the AWS box to add under the bunker and there is a pipe that appears from under the tank and dissapears inboard under the lifting arm. Then it's back to the frames...

 

[dibateg]

Last few details - I scratched up an AWS battery box ( clever people like MD would have printed one ) and also found a spare MOK bang plate... I think that is nearly it on the body...

 

[mickoo]

..... ( clever people like MD would have printed one ) ......

Lazy more like but I get the sense of satisfaction of doing it old school

 

[dibateg]

I've had precious little time to progress the L1 - but at least the body is now ready for painting and I made a start on finishing the detailing on the frames.

I scratched up from some chunky sectionsof brass to make the bogie bearing plates and added the lubricator feed.


The cast sand boxes are not quite the right shape, and also need spacing out form the frames - this was done with some 4mm brass channel. Fortunately I have some spare brass lids.



And the state of play on the frames - it will be at least a week before I can get back to those...

 

[dibateg]

The A5 is back. A heavily re-worked Ace Ex Great Central A5, painted by Paul Moore. It is a bit too clean....! It's so shiny, I had trouble withreflections!

 

[mickoo]

Nice, turned out well there

 

[Dave Holt]

Yes, very nice indeed.
Looks like the front fire iron rest has got a bit bent in handling.
Dave.

 

[dibateg]

Good spot Dave - I've tweaked it! Thanks!

I couldn't get the white metal brake hangers to work, so I milled up some brass angle to at least make a representation.


The spigot holes were drilled and the inividual hangers cut off with a piercing saw before being cleanedup.


Ready for installation, with spacers cut from tube, I shall have to cut some strip to represent the mounting plate to the frames.



But.. more decorating/ house renovation calls..

 

[mickoo]

Good spot Dave - I've tweaked it! Thanks!

I couldn't get the white metal brake hangers to work, so I milled up some brass angle to at least make a representation.
View attachment 247990

The spigot holes were drilled and the inividual hangers cut off with a piercing saw before being cleanedup.
View attachment 247991

Ready for installation, with spacers cut from tube, I shall have to cut some strip to represent the mounting plate to the frames.
View attachment 247992


But.. more decorating/ house renovation calls..

I 3D print these now, it's one of the fastest eye pleasing upgrades you can do to older designed kits, the wire spigot has all the strength to support the part and the cosmetic 3D part has all the detail.

Simply solder a wire stub in the frame hole (usually 1.0 mm), slide the 3D part with hanger inserted over the wire and secure, I find super glue on the 3D base part is more than enough and once the brake beams are soldered on and pull rods it's all pretty rigid. Finally trim wire stub to length.

 

[dibateg]

Neat.... very neat!

 

[paulc]

I 3D print these now, it's one of the fastest eye pleasing upgrades you can do to older designed kits, the wire spigot has all the strength to support the part and the cosmetic 3D part has all the detail.

Simply solder a wire stub in the frame hole (usually 1.0 mm), slide the 3D part with hanger inserted over the wire and secure, I find super glue on the 3D base part is more than enough and once the brake beams are soldered on and pull rods it's all pretty rigid. Finally trim wire stub to length.

View attachment 247993

Oh thats clever . Does anybody know if they are available commercially in 7mm ?

 

[mickoo]

Oh thats clever . Does anybody know if they are available commercially in 7mm ?

Just a bit of lateral thinking that was all, using each material to it's best advantage.

I've done and sold a few to interested parties but commercially it's a bit of a snake pit. there are several variables you need to adjust to make them effective.

Primarily frame width is the biggest factor, you need the slot for the hanger to be in the middle of the rim ideally so you need to adjust the width of the print accordingly, then you need to counter for side play, those with more need the slot pulled out further; finally you need to consider the thickness of the hanger, is it a single etch or laminated.

Frankly there are too many variables to run with just one design and punch them out. I've got three generic shapes which I adjust for each build depending on frame widths and hanger thicknesses.

As can be seen the last LNER ones I did were for the Gladiator K1 which has much narrower frames (slot is further from the base) where as the GWR one was for a Mitchell Castle, but that had a thicker brake hanger.