4mm Jan's 4mm Workbench

[Steph Dale]

Jonte,

That's interesting. Geometrically-speaking 'points of tangency' is more accurate than 'chord', but I've never heard the former used as part of the railway vernacular.

Steph

 

[oldravendale]

In fact the term "chord" in railway terms was in use in the late 60s/early 70s at least (and I don't mean the 1870s. When the GCR north of Nottingham was closed a "chord" was installed between the Midland main line at Loughborough and the old GCR formation going north to service the MOD at Ruddington (since closed and now part of the "new" GCR) and the plasterboard works at Rushcliffe - still very active and having trains brought in now over what has become the GCR North, although I believe on a track parallel to the heritage railway - it's a long time since I've been there and I may be wrong about that. However, that connection has always been referred to as "the chord".

In the long term the sad thing is that the embankment north of Loughborough Central Station was used to provide the spoil, so not only has there been a need to provide a new bridge over the Midland main line to join both GCR lines, but the embankment will have to be reinstated on a slightly different formation due to building works which encroach on the original formation.

B

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Handsome chaps, Jan, or perhaps they’ve merely benefited from your artistic enhancements. The shading on the overalls is especially impressive.

I’ve given up trusting to maps, Jan, especially with regard to old railway lines. Most unreliable

Adore those precise early Nineteenth century terms such as ‘the chord’. The term ‘points of tangency’, believe it or not, was assigned to the broad curve that aligned the old GWR route from Liverpool to Warrington, with the bridge that crossed the Mersey prior to reaching the town, although I’ve no idea why. Still, it strikes a chord.

Jonte

Hello Jonte
Thank you. I couldn't comment on their pre-rattle beauty, but the mouldings that Alan Buttler has created - with the help of willing volunteers - is quite incredible. They've lost a bit under the blat of primer, and they're a bit eyeless at this remove, but I haven't the solidity to bring light to their gaze. My time on the footplate gave me a good understanding of what happens to the blues of a bib and brace, and the old Faithful overalls. The only issue is buying colours online; they don't always appear as they do on screen. And some of the constituents in the mix are El Cheapo craft acrylics (colours include ‘Periwinkle’... ) from the ironmongers in Callington (a.k.a Aladdin's Cave),

A point of tangency? Blimey. I knew there was a reason that I disliked Tech Drawing back at secondary school! I could never keep the paper free of smudges..... They've always been chords in my head. But then Watkins Wharf is me doing things (or more often not doing things....) of my own a-chord

Cheers

Jan

 

[jonte]

El Cheapo paints are as good as Daler Rowney’s finest in the hands of an artist such as yourself, Jan. Your observations of the footplate variety have certainly paid dividends in your quest for realism.

Coincidentally, I planted a Periwinkle in the front garden yesterday afternoon before my long drive to deepest Dorset from where I write, and where I shall spend a pleasant 48 hours or so.

I’m not acquainted with the art of Tech Drawing, Jan, which is just as well as no doubt it’s just something else I’d be rubbish at.

As for the term ‘points of whatever it was’, I’m afraid that academic stuff’s lost on me. Clever chaps these early railway engineer types.

Good to hear from you.

Kindest,

Jonte

 

[Lyndhurstman]

El Cheapo paints are as good as Daler Rowney’s finest in the hands of an artist such as yourself, Jan. Your observations of the footplate variety have certainly paid dividends in your quest for realism.

Coincidentally, I planted a Periwinkle in the front garden yesterday afternoon before my long drive to deepest Dorset from where I write, and where I shall spend a pleasant 48 hours or so.

I’m not acquainted with the art of Tech Drawing, Jan, which is just as well as no doubt it’s just something else I’d be rubbish at.

As for the term ‘points of whatever it was’, I’m afraid that academic stuff’s lost on me. Clever chaps these early railway engineer types.

Good to hear from you.

Kindest,

Jonte

Hello Jonte,

An artist?Me? I don't think so. But thank you.

Dorset,eh? Not far away. We've been holding the good weather for you. No charge We've just spent a day (and the fiscal equivalent of upper and lower limbs) at RHS Rosemoor in North Devon. Suddenly, my regular bits and bobs purchases on EBay don't seem so outrageous

Have fun!

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

The Power Behind The Thrown
The PWay boys have been out on the Wharf. For all our attention to gauge, we've gone Double Low - in Tech, and Cost. Following on from an idea given oxygen by Fen End Pit in The Other Place, we have been concocting some TOUs from Plasticard and Brass Tube.

There's not much too them, and FEP describes the production well in his post. Ours differ only slightly (barring our usual Bull At A Gate production ethic - which generally results in our creating mayhem and muttering in The Shop) in that our operating bar is solid section. We did this to permit the tapping of ends to hold the actuating mechanism (a bit of bar of suitable length) in place. The droppers - as in FEP's precursor - will be 0.8mm brass, bent to nestle (other chocolate purveyors are available) in the web of the bullhead.

As the activation of the ~2mm throw will be entirely manual, and suitably buttressed by omega loops, we do not foresee much in the way of failure. And if there is, we know how to build them.

All The Best From Our Workforce.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Rolling (old) Stock

A little something to acknowledge the passing of Richard Hollingsworth. The breadth of variety - and the vistas that Parkside provided to us wagonheads as a result - cannot be underestimated. Or under-appreciated. I appreciate it mightily.

The staging of the image is deliberate. It’s a nod to the fact that - for me - the research is equal (more than when the build doesn’t do what it should) to the construction. . And the past year and a half or so, when most of my headspace has only allowed brief blips into forward motion in the Tiny Train Room, so books have been a great help. The mental salivation (salvation is not for me) I get at finding an image of one of these wagons with spoked wheels is concerning. Or maybe not. I’m running out of 3-hole discs!

Maybe - as approach my 60th year - frugality is a good mindset to develop. And it’s well served here; with PC45 you get the option of LMS clasp or RCH underpinnings. Also, the kit header has it priced at £2.75; so it’s been hibernating for several years (decades, possibly!), so that’s another win for the purse strings.

The build should be reasonably straightforward. I might shave off the buffer housings - they look a tad lacking in beef (apologies to my vegetarian readers) to my eye - and head up to Lanarkshire for replacements. I want to go with an empty wood deck as well, so weighting without a load might take some thought.

So. There you are. Here I am. And off we go.

All good things to everyone.

Jan

 

[AJC]

Hello Jan,

Yes, research is the key, I think (and where my work life interacts with modelling. Which brakegear are you planning on using? I think the steel medfits had both and both types leave enough space between the wheels and solebars for sufficient weight running empty. All my medfits are engineers' spoil carriers and run empty. Do replace the buffers, it'll be better for it (and there was some variety here, too).

Adam

 

[jonte]

Rolling (old) Stock
View attachment 102374
A little something to acknowledge the passing of Richard Hollingsworth. The breadth of variety - and the vistas that Parkside provided to us wagonheads as a result - cannot be underestimated. Or under-appreciated. I appreciate it mightily.

The staging of the image is deliberate. It’s a nod to the fact that - for me - the research is equal (more than when the build doesn’t do what it should) to the construction. . And the past year and a half or so, when most of my headspace has only allowed brief blips into forward motion in the Tiny Train Room, so books have been a great help. The mental salivation (salvation is not for me) I get at finding an image of one of these wagons with spoked wheels is concerning. Or maybe not. I’m running out of 3-hole discs!

Maybe - as approach my 60th year - frugality is a good mindset to develop. And it’s well served here; with PC45 you get the option of LMS clasp or RCH underpinnings. Also, the kit header has it priced at £2.75; so it’s been hibernating for several years (decades, possibly!), so that’s another win for the purse strings.

The build should be reasonably straightforward. I might shave off the buffer housings - they look a tad lacking in beef (apologies to my vegetarian readers) to my eye - and head up to Lanarkshire for replacements. I want to go with an empty wood deck as well, so weighting without a load might take some thought.

So. There you are. Here I am. And off we go.

All good things to everyone.

Jan

Good to see that I’m not alone in the thrift department then, Jan

Perhaps it’s an age thing after all.

Really pleased to see you posting again - let’s hope it’s part of a series and not just an episode: fingers crossed

Now, where’s that J15 hiding......

Bestest,

Jonte

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Hello Jan,

Yes, research is the key, I think (and where my work life interacts with modelling. Which brakegear are you planning on using? I think the steel medfits had both and both types leave enough space between the wheels and solebars for sufficient weight running empty. All my medfits are engineers' spoil carriers and run empty. Do replace the buffers, it'll be better for it (and there was some variety here, too).

Adam

Hi Adam,

Thanks.

Lucky you, then. My work life is spent in the vast steppe of middle management, looking with fear at the distant horizon for the next unwanted icy blast heading for my foxhole. Sometimes (just sometimes) I see tumbleweed.

I like the Parkside LMS J Hanger underframe - although I think the axlebox front is wrong for the beastie in the picture. And - if I understand correctly - it was only a relatively small batch of these wagons that were RCH vacuum as opposed LMS Clasp, so I'll probably go with the J Hanger/Clasp combo. Which would work for B459325 in my picture (Volume 1 of Larkin - which appears to be OOP) and give me spokes, too

Thanks for the confirmation on the buffers. I must admit to being taken with the Shock version - the middle phot in Larkin - purely because of its buffer housings. (Did I mention I was weird? )

Cheers

Jan

Good to see that I’m not alone in the thrift department then, Jan

Perhaps it’s an age thing after all.

Really pleased to see you posting again - let’s hope it’s part of a series and not just an episode: fingers crossed

Now, where’s that J15 hiding......

Bestest,

Jonte

Hi Jonte

Thanks. No. You're not the only thrifty one. But your thrift cupboard contains artistry and skill, whereas mine is bare of anything but angry spiders and yellowing, decades-old newspapers. belt-tightening in the offing here, as my partners employ has been deemed to have run its course.

I shall try to maintain some kind of impetus (other ex-kit manufacturers are also no longer available), so expect more modelling moments camoflauged in verbiage to represent evolutionary eons.

The J15 lurks in its box. it's finished, and runs. But I'm still in need of a 30A shedcode. I've been onto Steve at Railtec, but such things as custom requests flit temporarily into his view, as his business - rightfully so, in my opinion - goes from strength to strength. I did get a notification from him, but by the time I was able to get to a PC, the window had closed again.

Thanks, Chum

Cheers

Jan

 

[AJC]

Hi Adam,

Thanks.

Lucky you, then. My work life is spent in the vast steppe of middle management, looking with fear at the distant horizon for the next unwanted icy blast heading for my foxhole. Sometimes (just sometimes) I see tumbleweed.

I like the Parkside LMS J Hanger underframe - although I think the axlebox front is wrong for the beastie in the picture. And - if I understand correctly - it was only a relatively small batch of these wagons that were RCH vacuum as opposed LMS Clasp, so I'll probably go with the J Hanger/Clasp combo. Which would work for B459325 in my picture (Volume 1 of Larkin - which appears to be OOP) and give me spokes, too

Thanks for the confirmation on the buffers. I must admit to being taken with the Shock version - the middle phot in Larkin - purely because of its buffer housings. (Did I mention I was weird? )

Cheers

Jan

Howdo - the thing that put me off the shock medfit is finding the lettering. Railtec might, given enough of a run, but my feeling is that he prioritises the modern liveries and the resprayers and frankly, I cannot be bothered.

The springs on the Parkside chassis are acceptable, but the axleboxes really aren't. I have some castings of the plate front axleboxes if you'd like some? You'll have to wait until I'm back in the UK at the weekend (we're currently in France), but it's no trouble. @jjnewitt can supply replacements for the whole spring/axlebox assembly with a choice of 'boxes to suit all tastes but obviously they want paying for and the problem with visiting Justin's site is that all those projects you might just fancy doing seem that much more tempting.*

Adam

* Two half-complete milk tanks in the box file are testament to Chapman's susceptibility to this temptation...

 

[jonte]

Jonte.

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Howdo - the thing that put me off the shock medfit is finding the lettering. Railtec might, given enough of a run, but my feeling is that he prioritises the modern liveries and the resprayers and frankly, I cannot be bothered.

Indeed. I’d not given thought to the verbiage on these wagons. Just goes to show how much one expects stuff to fall into one’s lap.

The springs on the Parkside chassis are acceptable, but the axleboxes really aren't. I have some castings of the plate front axleboxes if you'd like some? You'll have to wait until I'm back in the UK at the weekend (we're currently in France), but it's no trouble. @jjnewitt can supply replacements for the whole spring/axlebox assembly with a choice of 'boxes to suit all tastes but obviously they want paying for and the problem with visiting Justin's site is that all those projects you might just fancy doing seem that much more tempting.*

Adam

* Two half-complete milk tanks in the box file are testament to Chapman's susceptibility to this temptation...

Yes. I must resist.... I must resist....
Are they FC.07LM? I think that’s the ones on the prototype I’m going for. If they are, I’d take you up on your kind offer (and suitably reimburse you, natch), and get them from Justin - along with some other stuff - later.

Thank You, Adam.

Cheers

Jan

 

[AJC]

Ah - I'm afraid I only have the axleboxes (MJT) in hand - are these the right ones? I can't quite see from the picture and I'm not in the habit of taking Bartlett et al on holiday with me! If it's the LMS type 'boxes then I'm afraid not.

Adam

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Hi Adam,
Shocking! Where's your sense of dedication to The Cause?
Looking at Paul's site, a considerable number of the Medfits seem to be either Plate fronted - with vertical or horizontal bolt heads - or the Split type. But the one in the book looks different to all of these. I think I have some Plate fronted ones, so I'll think about replacing the boxes on the kit.

You have my permission to take the next few days off

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Well, a hiatus is in place. Accompanied by a host of harumphs. Research has bitten me in the bum. I was just about to wittle the works when I spotted that the Parkside chassis is 3 leaves short of the correct density of resisitive bounce. I have, therefore, ordered some of the magnificent 7 variety from Justin at Rumney. Bah. Spring. And Argyle are losing, too.

Hey ho. As Joey Ramone would say.

Cheers

Jan

 

[jonte]

Everton are in the same boat. Thought we’d turned a corner with recent results, now we roll over to Fulham.....

All we need now is for that lot to cheat their way to their first Premiership title.

I give up.

Up the Argyle!

Jonte

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Well Done and Welded
Just a quick #pleasedaspunchpost so I can give thanks to the skills and rapid delivery from @jjnewitt at Rumney Models.

Lovely work. Great service. Thank you.

Of course, all this means that The Battalion Sawbones - Major Surgery - will be visiting soon, but he’s a fan of fish, so time at the solebar will be right up his cod end.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Nick Rogers]

Hi Jan,

I've really enjoyed reading through your thread. Lots of interesting stuff!

I'm a big fan of Justin's cast axle boxes: they are cracking. Blows everything else out of the water in my view.

Kind regards,

Nick.

 

[jonte]

Dear Jan

I’ve absolutely no idea what any of this stuff means

But glad to see that the dreaded Maureen-Joseph has returned with a vengeance!

Hats off to Rumney models.

Jonte