Cookie's Workbench - 7/8ths Alan Keef K40

[Steve Cook]

It was about time Simon, its been in the loft for a while
The aim is pretty much a straight forward build as per the instructions, although I'm going to modify the cab so it looks more like Normandy on the Bluebell Railway - it won't be a scale replica however, given the constraints of the original kit (dome is in the wrong place etc).
I will be tapping you up for some idea of dimensions on the bits that I know are missing (pressure gauge, side tank link pipe), but other bits like tank tops will be easy to work out and make from scratch.
Can you have a look through your instructions to see if there is any mention of boiler fitting though please? I can't see any reference in the notes I have, and I'm not sure what the recommended fixings for the boiler wrapper are (soldering, clamping...). The boiler itself has been dropped off with some G1MRA friends for hydraulic testing, might as well make sure all is well before spending too much time and effort...fingers crossed for a good result

 

[Jordan]

Love it

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) there is no Mrs Cook, which is why the Nitromors was done on the kitchen table .....

That does explain it....

 

[Steve Cook]

Bit of a mixed bag again this week, priming pointwork, slapping some paint on some EM wagons and cleaning up steam engine bits Nothing very interesting to show for it though, but I have been playing around with a 1/32 brickwork sample the Guv kindly sent through Certainly room to improve technique and materials but its been good fun...


The sample arrived slightly damaged in the post, hence the bricks which are sticking out at the bottom. I used a razor saw to cut some mortar courses into the bricks that edge the door frame, but the mdf needs to be clamped on both sides to avoid lifting the outer layers when doing this. A couple of the bricks had the outer surface peeled off, then it was primed with Halfords grey primer. A redish base colour mixed up from some Games Workshop paints was scrubbed over the brickwork to get a very thin coat, shortly followed up by a more 'orangey' mix, scrubbed on again to give some subtle variations.

In the same fashion as the Guv, I dry brushed some powdered filler into place and then used a wet brush to fix it in place. Alas, that didn't turn out to well, a combination of not enough water and not enough filler in the mortar courses. Second time around, the filler powder was rubbed into the courses with a finger, then a wetter brush used to fix it in place. This had the effect of sorting out the mortar, but it was then flush with the brickwork...a cocktail stick was sharpened and run over each mortar line to bring some relief back. Some weathering powders have been brushed over the top to darken various bits of mortar, I think I need to go a little easier next time...



A brutal close up to try and show the relief in the brickwork. Next time, I'd like to try finishing plaster instead of filler, the cheap B&Q stuff I used is quite coarse so good for damaged mortar, not so good IMO for less aged buildings.

Steve

 

[28ten]

Im told that the stuff dryliners use to fill the gaps on taper boards is very good. the reveal does show that 2mm is not thick enough to represent one brick, once a door frame is added it shouldnt be obvious.

 

[Buckjumper]

TBH I've been a bit worried that the laser would be too clinical to replicate dilapidated brickwork, but that's looking very promising, especially where you've peeled the outer layer off.

In fact you've convinced me it's the way I need to go.

 

[28ten]

TBH I've been a bit worried that the laser would be too clinical to replicate dilapidated brickwork, but that's looking very promising, especially where you've peeled the outer layer off.

In fact you've convinced me it's the way I need to go.

That is why I prefer mdf over Rowmark. If you are prepared to pick at the brickwork then there is a whole range of effects. the biggest plus is correct headers and closers. There is a very nice 4mm engine shed in MRJ this month but but I couldnt live with the Slaters brickwork it is just so wrong (apologies to all those that happily use Slaters )

 

[28ten]

There is another slightly insane way of doing the walls by raster engraving from an image. in effect recreating all the pitting and irregularity, but it is an a**e to do. If you really want slightly irregular courses it is just a question of drawing them and engraving them.
I will be trying Mr Surfacer and a sponge to add some more texture on the next sample I do hopefully it will arrive before Christmas

 

[Phill Dyson]

Apart from a tad more mortar, I think it looks rather good Steve

 

[lancer1027]

I think it looks good Steve

 

[Ressaldar]

great work there Steve, picking off a few bricks must be better than doing the whole thing from scratch in the first place, a light 'going over' with a suede brush might also give a similar effect especially if you want to create a 'wire cut' brick finish. Lots of possabilities all round.

cheers

Mike

 

[Steve Cook]

Im told that the stuff dryliners use to fill the gaps on taper boards is very good. the reveal does show that 2mm is not thick enough to represent one brick, once a door frame is added it shouldnt be obvious.

Something like Gyproc Easi Fill? A quick net search shows its air drying as well which might help to reduce surface contamination of the bricks when rubbing the filler in (can end up with a slightly polished result on the brickwork too if not careful), not sure I'd need a 10kg sack though, however cheap that works out

In fact you've convinced me it's the way I need to go.

Pleased to have been of some help (however small), about time I returned some of the favours Still, its mainly the Guv's work, I've done the easy bit Looking forward to seeing the surfacer treatment Cynric...

Apart from a tad more mortar, I think it looks rather good Steve

I think you're right Phill. The left hand side of the doorway is Ok for what I wanted, went a bit far on the RHS. Some of that is down to working the weathering powders too much with the brush - more practise needed.
Steve

 

[Steve Cook]

great work there Steve, picking off a few bricks must be better than doing the whole thing from scratch in the first place, a light 'going over' with a suede brush might also give a similar effect especially if you want to create a 'wire cut' brick finish. Lots of possabilities all round.

Cheers Mike, definitely quicker than doing the whole thing from scratch Plenty of potential to speed the whole process up (I need to order some more samples from the Guv) and to try out further suggestions like yours.

Steve

 

[Jordan]

The sample arrived slightly damaged in the post, hence the bricks which are sticking out at the bottom. ...

If that's how they got damaged, along the mortar lines, then that's quite effective!!!

 

[Steve Cook]

Lots of 00 on the bench for a change Having decided it would be prudent to at least test Project Cac thoroughly before starting the scenic stuff, I've been prepping some stock to run.



The wagons the right way up have had their EM wheelsets removed and 00 ones fitted. The upside down wagons have been fitted with 00 wheelsets and 3 link couplings, the glue is drying on the latter. The Hymek has been taken apart and the wheels cleaned - currently stalled while I try to work out how to get the buffer beams off to fit coupling hooks. The 08 is apart to work out if I can squeeze a Lenz Gold chip in - the chip has just been removed from one of my HO loco's, as has the one destined for the Hymek. After assembling 9 pairs of 3 links and coupling hooks, I need a quick break and a surf for 'research'

 

[Steve Cook]

The buffer beams came off the Hymek in the end with a twist of a screwdriver, I just wasn't being quite brutal enough I had to make a cut in the chassis block behind the buffer beam to get the new coupling through, but its all gone together OK and survived the testing program.

The 08 was a little more interesting as a mini project. With the body off


The front circuit board that comes with the loco has been unscrewed to show the two mounting bosses cast into the chassis block. A quick measure up showed there wasn't quite enough height available to squeeze a Lenz Gold chip in, so the entire loco was stripped down and a ledge ground into the front of the chassis whilst the bosses were cut off


The cut faces were covered with insulation tape, then a sticky pad applied and the decoder stuck into position

With the whole loco apart the wheels and pick ups were cleaned, then a pair of Smiths 3 links and couplings grafted into place. The front coupling was not too bad, the tail of the coupling was shortened and then folded over after the hook had been inserted through the buffer beam. The rear was more tricky, the tail end had to be shortened so that only 2mm stuck through the rear of the buffer beam - this tail was then drilled and a small pin inserted to give some strength



Araldite was applied to both coupling hooks, then the chassis reassembled. The wires for the pick-ups were run down the side of the sticky pad and looped back on themselves before soldering to the pick ups. The loop is not needed, but it gave me the option to have another go if I made a mistake.



The motor wires were twisted together and run in the same location as the original Bachmann wiring. At this stage, the loco was put on the track and tested to check all was OK. No problems apart from it ran in the wrong direction. A quick change of CV29 sorted this out, and after a bit more running the body was put back on



I shall run it again before taking the body off to check that there are no witness marks on any of the wiring - at that point I'll have some confidence that it is OK and it can be further detailed and weathered.

Steve

 

[Steve Cook]

Just a quick couple of pointers for anyone chipping a Bachmann 3F. You don't need much, just a cross head screwdriver, a pair of tweezers, a DCC chip and a copy of the instructions.

Unclip the brake rods on the tender, its probably best to remove them completely rather than leave them attached as shown here

That gives you access to the two screws that are located in each rear corner of the tender - remove these. There are also two clips that hold the front end of the tender down (circled in red), these need pushing in with a screw driver to release the tender body. It is tight around these clips, took me a couple of minutes just to work it free as I wasn't sure if the footplate of the tender was going to come with the body or not - the instructions look like it will when it actual fact it wont.


The green circle shows where the drawbar mounting bolt goes. Slackening it off allows you to adjust the distance between loco and tender, unscrewing it too far results in the nut inside the tender coming free, so you'll have to take the body off anway - guess what I did In my defence, I wasn't sure if it was holding the front of the tender down, but I'll leave it alone in future. This photo just shows another view of the clips so you know which way to manouvre the body.

With the body off, you can see that its just a simple matter of replacing the board supplied with a chip of your choice. Assembly is a reversal of the sequence.

I'm not happy with the slow speed running of mine on DCC, it was OK on DC, but it seems to start slowly then jerk up to speed in both directions. I suspect I need to fiddle with the start voltage settings of the chip, but I've had the body off and the motor disconnected to prove there are no tight spots in the chassis. There aren't any, but a photo if you're interested



Slightly disappointed to find no flywheel if I'm honest, but if I can sort the slow speed running out then it won't matter anyway Time to download the TCS manual.
Steve

 

[28ten]

That 3F looks a lovely little model

 

[Steve Cook]

That 3F looks a lovely little model

Its a corker, well worth the £64 it cost. Project creep and temptations - bad combo

 

[28ten]

Its a corker, well worth the £64 it cost. Project creep and temptations - bad combo

£64? Ill say its worth it. I had a Dapol 63 across the bench today and that is a nice little model although double the price

 

[Steve Cook]

Blimey, didn't realise they were that much - probably saved another distraction . Thats getting pretty close to what I've paid for sound equipped US locos (which ended up on muted sound because it does grind you down after a while!).