4mm An EM Workbench: selection box

[AJC]

Oh, and the small matter of building the wagon.

As I was saying:



It's been pointed out over there by Hywel Thomas that these open coils don't really go with the Coil H which was meant for tinplate, which presents an opportunity to build something else: a Coil R or two - http://paulbartlett....lio.com/brcoilr (thanks again @hrmspaul ).

Adam

 

[OzzyO]

One thing that I do remember from my spotting days at Preston station in the 80s was the steel coils coming down from Scotland (Ravenscrage?) and how hot the coils could be after a journey of over 100 miles, so if the coils were hot loaded in Wales them wooden timbers would not last that long nor the floor of the wagon if that was wood as well.

 

[AJC]

One thing that I am learning about steel traffic is that coil was sent about the place for different purposes and in different states, so the loads you describe would be different and using different wagons - bogie strip coils a bit like the one featured here (the Ravenscraig traffic used a later batch, with roller bearing-fitted bogies: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brstripcoil/h2bbda622#h2bbda622) - which were of all steel construction suitable for hot coil.

Things like the 4 wheel Coil Js and Coil Cs (which did have wooden floors as it happens, even when they were used for pig iron) which seem to have been used for cold coil sent for further processing or shipping. The hooded Coil H, converted from another type of pig iron wagon (used for hot pigs so with a steel floor), was also used for coil, this time of tinplate, carried in stillages.

Adam

 

[AJC]

The final wagon from the rake (for the moment) is this one, converted from a tippler of the 10' wheelbase variety. The 'Hybox' axleboxes are left over from some Parkside wagon or another, the springs are from 51L and the chassis is an AMBIS etch with ABS brakegear. The body came from the wagon that gave up its chassis for the Coil C: waste not, want not.



Adam

 

[AJC]

A little bit later on, the fleet has found a couple of coats of paint, next up, lettering:



Note that the Coil C is posh - protective metal strips on the baulks, which even merited a coat of red oxide - while the Coil J, er, isn't, even allowing for the roller bearings (luxury!).





Adam

 

[AJC]

A concerted effort over the last few days has seen a varied collection of wagons lettered. There are more that I couldn't fit on the desk and more still to be done. The pair of Coil S (the brown ones!) been featured before and look much better for their identities. The Coil J marathon is ongoing, two more left. The slightly rough effect is deliberate: these '60s conversions seem to have been re-lettered by whoever was to hand capable of waving a 1" brush and the way I achieved this is to use a Modelmaster sheet derived from '80s period Cambrian dry print transfers; the artwork was hand drawn and gives exactly the rough effect I was after. I'll need some more sheets, and the word 'COIL' a dozen or so times...



Adam

 

[AJC]

Having spent an enormous amount of time lettering things, I've come to a stand and am in the process of commissioning some transfers in order to actually complete several jobs. Who knows, the 2015 wagon count might reach double figures comparatively early?

Anyhow, while those - coil wagons, clayliner tank, etc. - are maturing yet further, the pair of Coil S in particular have had a gestation that would shame an elephant, I've jumped the scattergun again and started something else entirely, a pair of lesser known of BR's (many, many) coil types, the Coil R. These were conversions from BR-built vac'-fitted Bogie Bolster Es used for tinplate, carried in stillages, under semi-permanent hoods. You may see the prototype here: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brcoilr

Bartlett et al's BR wagon book (fig. 37, p. 122) has a drawing of the Bogie Bolster E, the bogies can be had from Cambrian and a really good dimensioned sketch (to scale, it transpires) on page 82 of the diagram book. LIMA made a model of the 'E' but chopping that up is certainly more trouble that it's worth. Justin Newitt does a nice etch for brakegear and replacement trussing and so...





I've commissioned the transfers for these too so that's one less thing to scratch my head over...

Adam

 

[AJC]

I've engaged in some groundwork for fitting bogies and the elements of headstock detail. The former simply involves strips of plastic being welded to the underside of the floor to provide physical locations for the bogie pivots (a standard Cambrian item) so isn't desperately exciting to look at...

The Rumney Models etch provides a nice little jig for drilling the same to allow these tiny details to be pinned in place - obviously, if I'd chosen to make all this from brass I wouldn't have needed to since I would have applied both lamp iron and vac' dummy through the headstock and added the detail in plastic, but this is a thoughtful touch and means that I will actually use the bits rather than bodge the same from wire - this detail needs to be robust rather than 'correct' in 4mm but it's obviously nice if it can be both:



The jig folds to an angle and the LH end aligns with the end of the headstock. Simple and effective, accurate location and, importantly, means that it was a little bit longer before the 0.3mm drill went 'ping'!

Adam

 

[AJC]

Now a better idea of what the wagons look like. I'm waiting on a set of bogies but had a spare set of fixings lurking so the two remain in step. The underside looks like this:



Right way up on its bogies (and there's significant work to do in tarting these up though I haven't yet added the axlebox covers):



And a three-quarter view. You'll note that I haven't bothered scribing too many planks as they're invisible under the hood.



Detailing time...

Adam

 

[AJC]

A little progress, of the fiddly little detail variety to report. First, relating to the object above which is a speedo for a Warship, D824, Highflyer. In addition to this little detail, I've been back to glaze the thing, do some touching up and, through the good offices of Andrew Ullyot, given it a quick spin (with some other long-term works in progress) on his model of Clevedon on the WC&P. The civil engineer was clearly looking the other way...



The loco' is a bit clean, as yet but with a little additional detail painting, it's ready for the road. Otherwise, the pair of Coil R have gained a host of tiny bits of etch so, while the overall look is more or less unchanged, the wagons are some way down the path to completion. Brakegear next.





Adam

 

[AJC]

I didn't realise that you'd built any Coil Rs Simon, I would be interested to see a picture, brake gear or not, if only for the novelty value. You wouldn't happen to have prototype picture showing the hoods remotely close to would you?

My approach will be a variation of what I've done before with these 'fixed hood' style of wagons - click here to go to an earlier post - which has a subframe built up from plastic sheet with the sheet rails added in copper wire, faired in with either epoxy or Miliput and the ends built up to represent the tailored sheets from the same. The centre sections will be treated to tissue paper in the usual way and the whole treated to a coat of PVA over the top so the texture is nice and smooth.

Adam

 

[SimonT]

Adam,
some snaps taken on the phone. I couldn't find any photos of the hoods but did find some good ones of a set of wagons rammed into a buffer somewhere which gave lots of information on the body but none on the baulks. All on Paul's site, of course. John Talbot examined them at Warley and gave them the ok, so maybe there weren't any baulks?

Doh! However, I think the weathering can be improved......

Simon

 

[AJC]

Apart from the vac' pipes most of the brakegear seems to be present!

The pic's you mean were taken at Llandeilo Junction, handy for the tinplate works at Trostre. I understand that the tinplate was loaded into these as coils of sheet carried in stillages which I guess were lifted in and out as required by forklift or similar so the absence of baulks is probably because there weren't any. I'm reasonably happy, by the way, that the solebars on these were treated as part of the body work and thus painted the same brown as the 'bodies'. I guess that this probably applied to the headstocks and buffers as well.

Adam

 

[AJC]

Soldering done on the Coil Rs, work turns to plastic fabrications and rivets, well, boltheads really, just a handful.



While at it, a much smaller wagon with many more rivets has made a leap forward. I've only done the one side, as yet but first the fumes must subside. The rivet heads on the (brass) ironwork are tacked on using cyano' and the handwheels poking out of the top, I'm afraid, reflect two half-done projects. The mineral is one, of course, but, being incomplete, it's currently being used as a storage container....



Adam

 

[AJC]

And now for something completely different, a new Cambrian kit for a Herring, a GW-designed, but mostly contractor-built small ballast hopper. I see that Jim Smith Wright has done one already and as his example shows, it builds up quite nicely. That won't stop me making a few amendments for the sake of finesse and durability, however.

Here's the contents of the bag. Note the one-piece chassis moulding which takes the traditional "can I build this square?" question that Cambrian hopper kits have traditionally posed:



The first set of modifications concern the main part of the hopper. I've trimmed off the moulding flash and the representation of the corner reinforcement from the sides only. These will be replaced with 5 thou' later. I also took the opportunity to fill the moulded holes for the grab rails and will reinstate them when the time comes.



Hopper body on chassis and more future modifications on the horizon. There are v-hangers at the ends for the vac' brake gear and these will be replaced in brass sheet and the other larger vees may yet follow: I've had to rebuild one already. The brake levers certainly will be replaced in brass. Were I intent of batch or rake building, an etch would definitely be called for but as a one off, I'm happy to fret something out.



As Jim said, there's a reasonable amount of flash, which is unusual for recent Cambrian kits but given the shape involved, I guess that mould pressure might be an issue. Still, I think the rest shouldn't pose too many problems. I will, naturally, be doing one with the upright vac' pipe, lovely detail that.

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brherring/h193152ea#h176a8e8b

Adam

 

[AJC]

Not a lot more to report. Tiebars (0.8mm angle), horse hook and axleboxes (modified from the kit mouldings - squared-off since the sides have a rather pronounced taper). There's a certain amount of mucking about with 5 thou' strip coming up next...



Adam

 

[AJC]

Detail layering time now. The corner reinforcing angles have been replaced in 5 thou' and the small squares on the axlebox covers added. Next was the side supports for the hopper. As the first picture demonstrates I have reduced the width of these to more closely match the look of the prototype. The end ones are far too thick and will be replaced in 10 thou' plastic sheet.



Here's the current state of play:



Meanwhile, the increasing warmth means that I can actually spray something, in this instance a bargain Hornby GW shunter's truck. Hornby supplied this following a preserved example in GW grey with BR style lettering: BR practise was to paint these black since they were departmental stock, so far as I can tell (and according to what dad remembers) with straw lettering. I've added a bit more brakegear and a vac' through pipe but that is all. Lettering will have to wait until I next order transfers...



Adam

 

[AJC]

In case there is anyone out there still interested in gradual accumulation of detail on a plastic wagon. New end supports, grabs relocated to more prototypical positions and brass v hangers. Plenty more little bits left to do...



Adam

 

[AJC]

Sorry about that folks - it's been a rather gruelling few weeks at work and, frankly I'm tired and grumpy about more or less everything - thank you for the kind words. Anyhow, with regard to finnesse, here's an example:



On the right are the moulded Cambrian end supports for the hopper and on the wagon the 10 thou' replacements which far better replicate the sheet metal of the original (I've straightened the lever guide since). The grab irons have been shifted to a more accurate position and 0.3mm wire used over the 0.45 supplied.



Side on, we have boltheads, more grab irons, label clips and the lever guides. These are a particularly poor bit of the kit and these Masokits versions are rather better representations of the distinctive GW pattern originals. There is much more work needed below the solebars but we're more or less done above.

Adam

 

[AJC]

Like most hopper wagons - and particularly 4 wheel ones - the underside of the Herring is quite busy. The hopper door gear will go on last but first there are relatively representative bits of brake gear linking the brake cylinder at one end to the push rod brakes . There's another set, closer to the centre line, that link all this to the brake levers. No, I'm not at all certain how these work and I have a copy of the GA... In 4mm this really doesn't matter, mercifully.



Adam