7mm Not everything I build has wheels!

[Heather Kay]

This Peter Clark Models diesel fuel storage tank and stabling point combo came my way a short while ago.

It's going together pretty quickly, although fettling the tank and supports is proving a little testing. You can see a fair amount of solder blobbed around the ends where they join the brass, which I am in the process of sanding back. Messy work. The supports seem to have some issues, where the outer sets - currently removed - don't quite meet the tank while the shorter ones do. I think they'll be refitted once I'm happy the centre supports do fit nicely.

As you can also see, most of the fiddly stuff is still to come.

 

[OzzyO]

IIRC this type of Diesel type of refuelling tank sloped down to one end and the fuel was drawn off at the higher end so that all of the rubbish (nearly said crap) could be removed out of a large drain tap at the bottom end. The brick wall was used as a dam to keep any spillage in place.

OzzyO.

PS. I'll see if I can still get down to the loco refuelling point in the next day or two for you.

 

[Heather Kay]

PS. I'll see if I can still get down to the loco refuelling point in the next day or two for you.

 

[Heather Kay]

I gave up trying to reconcile the length of the outer tank supports with the inner ones. I plan to fit the tank to the inner supports, then fit the outer supports.

I have spent an hour or so tidying up some frankly rather untidy castings. Most of them more or less fit where they are meant to go. This afternoon I will beef up the handrails and ladder etches with some wire to make them more three dimensional as well as less prone to mangling. (To see what I mean, take a peek at the example photo of this kit on the Peter Clark web site!)

I'm not sure what order I need to paint things yet. I think I should get the main parts sorted out, then it might become clear.

Onwards and drowning-in-whitemetal-filings!

 

[Heather Kay]

The state of play as I type prior to dinner.



The ladder being set up for fit. While adding wire to the rails at the top before folding was okay, I thought it might be easier to do it on the ladder after the shape was made up.

Wouldn't it be nice if duplicated sets of rail and ladder etches were supplied, so a laminate could be made instead?

 

[Dikitriki]

Wouldn't it be nice if duplicated sets of rail and ladder etches were supplied, so a laminate could be made instead?

Surely not. In 7mm, you need separate stiles and wire rungs

 

[Heather Kay]

Surely not. In 7mm, you need separate stiles and wire rungs

Not on this budget!

Yesterday was a modelling washout, partly due to consecutive nights lacking kippage and partly due to domestic life. So, today, with renewed vigour, I set to.



There's probably some coda buried in the Modeller's Licence that explains that if something can go wrong it will go wrong. We all know, deep down, that cast whitemetal pipework is bad joo-joo, and obviously as soon as you try to make it fit into etched holes it will break.

None of the pipes really fitted where they were supposed to, being either slightly too long or bending in just the wrong place, so having broken both main feed pipes I substituted some convenient thick copper wire. Things still aren't quite there.

I will attempt to beef up the access ladder this afternoon, but might limit myself to the vertical sides and handrails.

The outer supports still need to be fitted. I think the plan ought to be to hold the tank in place with tape and carefully locate each part, either tacking with a dab of the iron or a dribble of cyano. The jury is out, but I'd like to get some primer on things before too long.

Now, the fuel delivery end of things took a turn for the awkward when I described the provided kit to the client! He wants something a little different to the shelter that comes in the kit, but we will get to that in due course…

 

[Heather Kay]

I am looking for information about hazchem signage likely to have been applied to storage tanks in the 1970s and 1980s.

Flickr and the Internet as a whole has so far failed to offer any guidance.

The model will probably be finished in the grimy dark brown, pretty much as the instructions suggest.

 

[Dog Star]

I am looking for information about hazchem signage likely to have been applied to storage tanks in the 1970s and 1980s.

I have a recollection of reading a BR H&S document that is lurking on the net, that might have what you want. Please do not ask me where it is, maybe @daifly might be able to help for he seems to be able to find whatever I lose!

 

[Heather Kay]

Thanks, Graham.

I found my interwebs mojo earlier, and did some more searching. I turned up some images that seemed to show little or no signage on storage tanks or the associated equipment. This was pretty consistent across a couple of locations, so in lieu of anything else the tank shall remain devoid of signs or notices.

 

[SimonT]

Heather,
thank you for the sight of the Bluetack. I will adopt your idea to prevent further floods on the Thompson workbench. I had one of those cut out tray things into nothing really fitted. It went to the bin while I tried to come up with a functional replacement - you have just saved the grey cells some work!
Simon

 

[daifly]

maybe @daifly might be able to help for he seems to be able to find whatever I lose!

Flatterer! I have failed on this occasion to track down the document to which Graham refers. However, a bit of time investigating seems to bear out Heather's comment and that there would have been no requirement for Hazchem signage until the late 1970s.

 

[Heather Kay]

thank you for the sight of the Bluetack.

I can't claim to have invented it. It's a tip handed on to me by Derek Mundy many years back.

 

[Heather Kay]

The tank kit has an etched brick bund wall. During my image searches, I found one which had either a concrete wall, or had been rendered at some stage. I'm just pondering that as an option, partly for the difference and partly because it would be quicker to paint.

Pondering shall continue.



Meanwhile, some filler has been slapped about to cover some poor casting. The access ladder needs a bit of fettling. You can see I've fixed the outer supports to the tank now, sweated on with some 143 degree solder.

Once I've cleaned up the filler, time for some primer and painting shall commence - assuming I've decided about the bricks or render conundrum...

 

[Heather Kay]

The client is on the ball. Concrete bund it is!

All major components have been primed. I think I'll have a think about the fuel delivery part now.

 

[Andrew Thompson]

Do these help.

 

[SimonT]

Andrew,
if Heather doesn't use it I will! I have mocked up a twin tank installation on the Arse and you have provided some detail.
Cheers!
Simon

 

[Heather Kay]

Do these help.

Certainly do, sir! Thank 'ee!

 

[Heather Kay]

Basic paintwork has been done.



The concrete base hasn't turned out too badly, considering it's been a couple of layers of filler, sanding, primer, filler, sanding, primer. I will set about weathering and toning the concrete once the base coat is dry.

Thinking about the delivery side of things. How common would it have been to have coolant, lubrication oil and diesel in the one point? The PCM kit has all three, but the open air type in the images shared above seems to just be the fuel part.

Incidentally, this link shows the style of shelter the client would like. I am awaiting a delivery of suitable sheet material.

http://brucegalloway.zenfolio.com/p921264829/h22169427#h22169427

 

[OzzyO]

Hello Heather,

if that tank is for Diesel fuel oil in the 70s/80s they tended to be painted in a light grey or silver colour IIRC. If it's for lub. oil it would be in a darker colour to help thin the oil down.

OzzyO.