Liver & Fry's workbench

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HR Jones 8T Goods Van New
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    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    Final entry on this build for now until I can source some appropriate brake gear.

    Today the focus is buffers:

    20240405_194026.jpg

    I managed to source an appropriate looking set to represent the earlier Jones style (51L - NE 4 bolt fitted wagon buffers) and now the wagon looks far more complete! Especially as there's no evidence I've seen of the Highland applying H R lettering to the sides of these earlier vans, so that's one less job!

    Now, question is, more Highland stock or something else for the next build?

    - James
     
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    • GER C53 New
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    • Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    After hinting at this project, having borrowed the spare safety chains from its detail pack for the HR Jones van, I figured I'd best share my repaint of a Rapido J70 as a GER C53:

    20240407_183452.jpg
    20240407_175802.jpg20240407_180552.jpg20240407_181944.jpg

    This is, as you can tell, GER No.126. One of a batch of three C53s built in 1921 and therefore released into traffic carrying the unusual combination of a crimson body and grey tanks/bufferbeams. The GER switched to using French Grey (previously an undercoat colour) as their topcoat for locos during The Great War, whilst carriages switched to crimson post-war. As the bodies of the trams fell under the carriage and wagon department, these were painted crimson, giving this unusual combination which, I confess, despite preferring the blue era of the GER, I couldn't resist modelling...

    The grey used is GER light freight grey by Phoenix (which was the same French Grey as the loco departments undercoat) whilst the crimson is actually Phoenix's North British carriage crimson, but I feel it captured the desired effect. Transfers are by Fox and are of the later GER styling.

    The only thing missing is a pair of etched numberplates for the bodyside but these are a work in progress.

    - James
     
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    • L&Y Dia.1 Low Goods Wagon New
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    • Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    A brief interlude whilst I look at something different!

    A few weeks back I had a strangely specific and targeted advert on one of my social media pages for 'Three Peaks Models' - A company that appears to specialise in 3D printed products, but I confess I had never heard of. The advert was for an L&Y Dia.3 covered van, available to pre-order. I sat on this for a bit, intrigued but wanting to see more once the product released at the start of April I've since decided said kit isn't for me, however, I had also noticed that they produce kits for a Dia.1 "low goods wagon".

    Approximately 9000 of these were built and they were by far and away one of the most common wagon types on the L&Y network. It makes sense to have at least one... (Is what I tell myself!).

    At £10 (plus P&P) I figured it was worth a shot. You get the option of pre-1903 and post-1903 brake arrangements - I went with post-1903 (both brake levers right hand end). Upon placing the order I was informed that they were currently out of stock, but more would be printed so allow a few extra days for delivery. This was Sunday night, so imagine my pleasant surprise yesterday morning when I received an e-mail informing me the kit had been shipped and today when I arrived home from work to see it had been delivered! Can't knock them for quality of service...

    This is what I have received:

    20240409_201831.jpg

    The kit comes in two parts - A body and a chassis. Both sections are neatly printed and slot together beautifully!

    My job tonight is to clean them with IPA and then tomorrow I shall begin...

    I must stress, I'm not affiliated or sponsored, but I wanted to highlight how impressed I am so far! It'll be a quick build, but I'm looking forward to it. Later this week I should receive parts to make brake gear for the HR Jones van so this will fill the gap between nicely!

    - James
     
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    • Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    A preliminary coat of grey has gone on the wagon thus far:

    20240411_072127.jpg

    Suffolk Dave said:
    I stumbled across this van quite recently. I'm not familiar with Three Peaks Models either so, I'll be watching how you get on with your low goods wagon.
    Click to expand...

    To elaborate further on how it goes together, the underside of the body has two lugs that slot in nicely to the underframe, as seen below:

    20240411_072410.jpg
    20240411_072538.jpg

    I've not actually attached these yet, just fitted them together for the purposes of demonstration. I'm going to use the opportunity to paint both sections first as this will be easier r.e the underframe.

    - James
     
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    Liver & Fry

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    I've had a busy week or two so there's not been a huge amount of progress until now, however, parts for brake gear assembly did arrive and I was able to, ahem, bodge a solution...

    20240414_201537.jpg

    The brake shoes are Highland but the brake pushrods are a North British design, however, these were the closest match to what I could turn into something that looks Highland in style. Some cutting, bending and glueing later and I had what I needed. The finished item is slightly longer than would be prototypical, but it still works for me.

    20240419_201318.jpg

    Fitted, painted, and finished with a 51L brake lever, this marks the wagon as done, as they don't appear to have carried H R lettering.

    I have to say, this one was a fun build!

    - James
     
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    • L&Y Dia.1 Low Goods Wagon New
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    • Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    Progress has also been made on the L&Y Dia.1, with the two halves being fitted together and weight added underneath, as seen below:

    20240419_202133.jpg

    There was, however, a heart stopping moment whilst fitting the wheels. I figured I'd try fit bearings to the model to make it run smoothly, but it seems the waisted bearings didn't sit fully home in the axleboxes, as when I tried to fit the axle, the extra stretch required to get the axle in past the rim of the bearing caused on of the W-irons (and a portion of the solebar) to snap off!

    I cautiously attempted to fit the other axle without bearings (just hear me out here...) and it went in much better. I then test fitted the broken portion of solebar and it fit so well that I took the decision to glue it back in place, but with the axle fitted (again with no bearing).

    Such was the fit of the broken portion that you now cannot tell it was ever damaged:

    20240419_202419.jpg

    And more remarkably, despite a lack of bearings and the aforementioned incident, the wagon probably runs smoother than some I've seen that have! I do question the longevity of the model, but then again, I'm unlikely to run this so frequently in the future that I wear out the mould...

    Finally, I've finished the painting by doing the wood planking inside:

    20240419_205931.jpg

    All that remains is to add lettering!

    - James
     
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    • Suffolk Dave

    Suffolk Dave

    Western Thunderer
    I've had a 3D printed item snap on me when flexing it. I think it was filament printed, rather than resin, but it had the strange properties of being both flexible and brittle. However, just like your experience it went back together again with virtually no trace of the breakage.

    I like your painting of the wooden boards.
     
    simond

    simond

    Western Thunderer
    FNG resin is brittle, but is rather springy before the critical stress level is reached. Much will depend on the surface finish in the stressed area, and, I suspect, the direction of the layers relative to that of the load. I dropped a printed wagon and it shattered, which rather surprised me. Fortunately it was one of the ones I had printed in hope on the route to a satisfactory outcome, rather than a finished model.

    This “delayed brittleness” is the main reason I dropped the idea of 3DP wagon suspension. Parts like W irons and the extensions from the axlebox up to the hidden spring wire are vulnerable to handling damage, and difficult to fix - though like ceramics, a simple break might be easy to fix almost invisibly, a mechanism might be impossible to fix without gluing the whole thing up solid. I believe it’s probably better to use brass, though I will try laser-cut plastic in these applications.

    Other resins may be tougher, and the new 3DP range of Scottish wagons shows it can be done very well indeed.
     
    Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    Suffolk Dave said:
    I've had a 3D printed item snap on me when flexing it. I think it was filament printed, rather than resin, but it had the strange properties of being both flexible and brittle. However, just like your experience it went back together again with virtually no trace of the breakage.

    I like your painting of the wooden boards.
    Click to expand...

    It's definitely something worth noting for anyone looking to build one of these kits (or the van also available).

    Thank you!
     
    L&Y Dia.1 Low Goods Wagon New
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    • Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    And that's a wrap!

    20240420_113928.jpg

    Lettering done and varnished; I can generally say I'm pleased with how this went together and if Three Peaks Models keep this up, they're definitely worth a look. I've heard whispers that they might consider an L&Y brake van next...

    So, now what? Well, a small pause as I need to get a few other jobs done, but the options are:

    Highland loco coal wagons
    L&Y fish van
    GE brake vans
    M&GN opens

    But, knowing how these things go, I'll probably find something else to do!

    - James
     
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    Tim Birch

    Western Thunderer
    Liver & Fry said:
    And that's a wrap!

    View attachment 213803

    Lettering done and varnished; I can generally say I'm pleased with how this went together and if Three Peaks Models keep this up, they're definitely worth a look. I've heard whispers that they might consider an L&Y brake van next...

    So, now what? Well, a small pause as I need to get a few other jobs done, but the options are:

    Highland loco coal wagons
    L&Y fish van
    GE brake vans
    M&GN opens

    But, knowing how these things go, I'll probably find something else to do!

    - James
    Click to expand...
    Do a L&YR fish van and paint it in the short-lived pastel green livery!
     
    Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    Tim Birch said:
    Do a L&YR fish van and paint it in the short-lived pastel green livery!
    Click to expand...

    That's why I bought it in the first place! (And why, subsequently, I seem to be buying L&Y stock under the justification of "I need something to go with it"...)

    The idea of multicoloured vans (green, blue and pink) just seems appealing to me, but I'm not aware of any kits for butter or meat vans sadly.

    - James
     
    paulc

    paulc

    Western Thunderer
    Liver & Fry said:
    That's why I bought it in the first place! (And why, subsequently, I seem to be buying L&Y stock under the justification of "I need something to go with it"...)

    The idea of multicoloured vans (green, blue and pink) just seems appealing to me, but I'm not aware of any kits for butter or meat vans sadly.

    - James
    Click to expand...
    What scale are we talking James ?
     
    Lancastrian

    Lancastrian

    Western Thunderer
    The David Geen kits are, or were, very good. I built a goodly number back in the 1990's (eek) and mostly L&Y, of course, in P4.

    There was a kit for the L&Y 10T Butter van. A quick internet search throws up kit # M018 from the David Geen range.
     
    Last edited:
    Liver & Fry

    Liver & Fry

    Western Thunderer
    Lancastrian said:
    The David Geen kits are, or were, very good. I built a goodly number back in the 1990's (eek) and mostly L&Y, of course, in P4.

    There was a kit for the L&Y 10T Butter van. A quick internet search throws up kit # M018 from the David Geen range.
    Click to expand...

    That is handy to know, thank you! I shall keep an eye out...

    - James
     
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