4mm An EM Workbench: Mini-Signwriting (rough)
- Thread starter AJC
- Start date
AJC
Western Thunderer
The one from the Rumney etch for 10' Morton braked wagons (B.114). Yes, I know this is 10' 6". The 9' wb minerals have these too. All sorts of useful bits on those. And thank you, it's scrubbed up quite well, despite PECO. If it ever dries out, I can paint all these soon and catch up with weathering and lettering.
Adam
In my experience, etched brake lever guides are, by definition, fiddly to assemble.
I decided, years ago, that life is too short and I therefore use cast levers / guides.
John Isherwood.
True, however on the hierarchical table of fiddliness, some are fiddler than others (Ambis for example)!
AJC
Western Thunderer
Oh yes. They are a pain, I agree, and the Rumney bits are better.
For me, a degree of fiddliness is what I want of an evening so that's what I do. I use cast levers on occasion (the pair of LNER vehicles a page or two back), but not often. Nothing wrong with them, if you can get them for your prototype, and cast Morton brakes from ABS are great, I've used dozens, but I like the finesse of etched levers. My models, my choice.
Adam
Overseer
Western Thunderer
Hobby Holidays have the 7mm instructions on their links page which should help with working out how to assemble them. Most are obvious once the logic is explained.
AJC
Western Thunderer
Another ready for paint. The only detail worth noting are the steps atop the buffers. Parkside give you a couple of bits of moulded plastic but these are fiddly and vulnerable. This arrangement, made from a couple of pieces of scrap etch, are pinned through the buffer stocks and glued in place. Will it be warm/ dry enough?
Adam
Adam
Lyndhurstman
Western Thunderer
It makes us content
FWIW, I like the Craig Welsh 'stand alone' NS etched brake loops. They came (and are still available) from S4 Stores. The instructions are here
I've described them before as 'pan-dimensional origami' but they do fold up into something neat, and strong (once you've dabbed some solder into the bends.)
Cheers
Jan
AJC
Western Thunderer
It makes us content
FWIW, I like the Craig Welsh 'stand alone' NS etched brake loops. They came (and are still available) from S4 Stores. The instructions are here
I've described them before as 'pan-dimensional origami' but they do fold up into something neat, and strong (once you've dabbed some solder into the bends.)
Cheers
Jan
Oh yes - I've used them on the minerals. They'd be easier/more resilient while being folded in brass, but they work well.
Adam
AJC
Western Thunderer
I think that’s just Mike Clark’s sense of humour, having met him. His components have the very great merit of working and fitting as designed… it’s not his fault that someone named a street Crotch Crescent.
Adam
AJC
Western Thunderer
Having just held a steel rule up to it, you're absolutely right - I guess that a bit of differential cooling as the moulding came out of the tool. Now, since the underside of the floor is partially clear, and the deck will be covered with a container, there is something I can do about this... Thanks for pointing it out.
Adam
Nowt to do with the moulding process; all to do with the effects of solvent adhesive when applied to only one side of thin mouldings.
The model almost certainly looked fine immediately after assembly, but the drying process has induced expansion at the joints between the solebars and the floor.
The provision of a rigid 'spine' below the floor would prevent the bowing.
John Isherwood.
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AJC
Western Thunderer
Instant (or close enough), gratification. One of Rapido’s LNWR vans, ‘30s freight for the use of. This slightly bends the self imposed rule that this train is a cheap/rescue exercise, but it was on a fair discount! It's also a rather fine model, of course.
Conversion to EM was simple: unscrew the NEM coupling mounts, ease the chassis out, prise out the wheels. If you tuck a flat bladed screwdriver under the weight that will ping off and you’ll be able to see the mounting pegs for the brake gear. I drilled those out and then prised the mouldings out of their rebates before slicing them away from the vees.
Gently pull the metal safety loops out (they bend, but bend back), and then remove the brake mouldings. Trim the spigot off the front near flush. Open the existing rebate out a bit (just over half a mm will do), and refit the brake mouldings. Being lazy, I melted the safety loops back in with the soldering iron. Job done, pop the new wheels in, re-assemble, and, in my case, secure body to chassis using new coupling hooks.
Adam
PS, I’ve added an etched works plate (the printed one was lovely, but obviously flat). The roof came off on mine - as you can tell - which is helpful if, like me, you want a van long in traffic.
Conversion to EM was simple: unscrew the NEM coupling mounts, ease the chassis out, prise out the wheels. If you tuck a flat bladed screwdriver under the weight that will ping off and you’ll be able to see the mounting pegs for the brake gear. I drilled those out and then prised the mouldings out of their rebates before slicing them away from the vees.
Gently pull the metal safety loops out (they bend, but bend back), and then remove the brake mouldings. Trim the spigot off the front near flush. Open the existing rebate out a bit (just over half a mm will do), and refit the brake mouldings. Being lazy, I melted the safety loops back in with the soldering iron. Job done, pop the new wheels in, re-assemble, and, in my case, secure body to chassis using new coupling hooks.
Adam
PS, I’ve added an etched works plate (the printed one was lovely, but obviously flat). The roof came off on mine - as you can tell - which is helpful if, like me, you want a van long in traffic.
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AJC
Western Thunderer
Astonishing isn’t it really? I guess - in common with most other pre-Group vans - they’d have been gone by 1960. More lingered in departmental stock, but those that have entered preservation all seem to have been in the hands of the forces (batches were built for the ROD in the First World War). I think the example Rapido looked at is at Chatham dockyard, there’s a couple of others in Israel courtesy of the ROD connection. A really nice model of a distinctive and fairly common design.
Adam
