My EM workbench, western region action once again. The Yeovil 14xx

[34091 Weymouth]

I thought I would kick things off with my own workshop offerings & projects I'm currently working on.

Today was our clubs annual show so me & my boy went up for a look around at the layouts & exhibits. Whilst walking around I spotted a bachmann auto coach for 35 quid which I snapped up. I then came across a trader selling gibson em wheels which I didn't expect so I stocked up on wheels for coaches & wagons.

When I got home I stuck Glastonbury on & started to EM the coach & realised its got those really narrow bogies like the inspection saloon. When I EM'ed that I swapped the bogies for some earlier bachmann ones which cured the problem, however I couldn't do that with this auto coach.

I couldn't fit the wheels in the brass pick up bearings as the bogie is to narrow for em wheelsets so what to do?
I decided to try removing all the pick up copper to try give me some extra room. I removed the 4 pips that held the copper on the inside of the bogie side frames so the wheels would fit. The bearing holes are very large so whilst the pin points hold the wheels I adding a bit of thin brass wire either side of the bogie inner to create a springing effect. I glued the wires only on one side so it flexs up & down. It's worked a treat & the coach moves freely.



The next job once this was completed was to add the detail pack to the bufferbeam. I've added the bachmann cosmetic coupling on the front as it'll be fixed to a 64xx pannier for the majority.





When I get a bit more time I will add some figures to the interior & give it a bit of subtle weathering to finish it off.

My aim is to start the layout soon which is going to be an old favourite. I loved to see the wirral finescale modellers Charlotte road & I'm going to be recreating it as it was when it was end to end. It'll be set near Weymouth or Yeovil, not decided yet with a majority SR with hint of the WR lingering about.

Plenty of locos to build too which I hope to do in due course.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

Well tonights taken a bit of a different direction in the shape of some north western coaches. I'm building these in p4 for a friend of mine & with a bit of luck I should have them ready well before EM north where I plan to hand them over.

Tonight I've cut out the 3 frame sections & after cleaning each up with a file I've got the w iron overlays on & folded the basic frames up on each coach.





I'm going to get stuck in with these before I pick up anymore of my own projects as I've had these a bit too long & I want them out my hair.

Hoping to fit in a few more sessions this week & maybe have x3 rolling chassis. Thankfully I'm not painting anything it's just a straight build.

Cheers

Si

 

[34091 Weymouth]

I keep mulli g over the idea of csb's in a chassis & have wanted to give it a try for a while now. My problem has always been that I dare not attempt it on the basis that I could make a mess of it.

Last year a very dear friend came to me to ask if I could build a part built kit for her dad. He was ill & time wasn't on his side & before I could do anything he passed. The kit sat on the shelf & then I mentioned that I should return it. My friend asked if I could still build it so I said yes. Unfortunately about a month later my friend passed suddenly & blew me clean out of the water.

I made a promise too them both that I would see this project through & complete the project I started out with.

The kit came as a M&L premier white metal kit partially built but with extra etches for another chassis & etched cab. It dawned on me today that this was the perfect way to attempt csb's. The spare chassis wouldn't be missed if I make a hash of it but I think I can get it to work. I've just ordered a small supply of parts from high level & I'm going to have a good crack at constant sprung beams as I can see the advantages of a flexible chassis. If it all goes to pot I still have another chassis waiting I the wings if it all goes wrong.

The only thing confusing me at present is the plot of the wire anchors.

 

[Paul Tomlinson]

This feature on CSB's might be useful to you - my apologies if you already know about it. The best of luck with your project.

Continuous springy beams

Application and use of continuous springy beams to model railway locomotives

www.clag.org.uk

 

[34091 Weymouth]

Thanks Paul,

I've been trying to digest some of this. It's a bit overwhelming the amount of information written about it & I must admit I get a bit lost.

 

[AJC]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the theory - just copy a plot of something about the same size: those fractions of a mil' are not critical.

Adam

 

[Phil O]

Most/all of what you need is here. There are a couple of spreadsheets, where you just input the data to get the results, no need to worry about the why's and wherefores. I have started my 1st CSB chassis, an Aberdare, which fortunately has symmetrical driving axles and enough length of the frames to accommodate the pivot points. I still don't know what size the beams will be, but I'm trying to add similar amounts of weight either side of the centre axle.

A CSB Source book - Scalefour Forum

 

[Mike Garwood]

If you go to the Clag website (see answer 4 for the web address), you'll find a number of the chassis plots already completed. I've used these plots for panniers, 45xx, 56xx and Britannia's.

Mike

 

[Daddyman]

...and I thought somewhere on the CLAG website there was an offer to do a plot for anyone who asked.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

Thank you for the help everyone, that's simplified things a little. I've spotted a pannier plot I'm going to copy, it's close enough I think. I'll probably have more questions when I get to that build which I hope to start soon as the bits from high level arrive.

I can't get to that project though until I finish these lnwr coaches I've been making for a friend. These are in P4 & are going together reasonably well so far with no issues at all.
This evening is usually club night but with the heat I gave it a miss as we are at the top of a 4 story mill & it's hot to say the least. This gave me the evening to get further with the build.

I feel Ive had a productive evening, after cutting out & cleaning up all 9 w iron sets I folded them up & test fit them in the chassis. All was well so I fit x3 w iron pivots & all the screws that hold them to the chassis.



W iron units after folding.



Test fit into the chassis units.



All parts fitted as I knocked off for the evening.



My daughter needs a trip to hospital tomorrow for a ear ring back removing from inside her ear. My son is off school with chicken pox so I need a day off work to share parental responsibilities with my wife which should give me another good session in the workshop. I would like these finished soon ready for delivery at EM north in August.

That's all for now,

Si

 

[adrian]

Thank you for the help everyone, that's simplified things a little. I've spotted a pannier plot I'm going to copy, it's close enough I think. I'll probably have more questions when I get to that build which I hope to start soon as the bits from high level arrive.

I'd love to see the progress on the LNWR coaches, but with respect to the CSB although it may look a little daunting it really isn't when you get into it. All my recent loco's have been built using CSB and it does make them ride nicely and very little messing about setting it up. Not only for loco's I use it as the default option for tenders as well. So any questions then do shout out.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

I'm hoping to extend to tenders too, I've a few finney kits to build & I want to be able to drop wheelsets out for ease of maintainance & painting. I also like the the simplicity & tidiness of it all.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

I've had another few hours this afternoon & got all 3 chassis units rolling nicely on exactoscale wheels. After building the units up its now time for a lot of detailing & I didn't feel like tackling that part of the build.



Instead I've built up one of the body sections. These bodies are from microrail so I've to mate them with the London road chassis units of which they are not designed for. I think I'm going to make the body sections nut & bolt to the floor unit & roll & soldered the roofs on.



Not a bad for a few hours work. I'm going to enjoy the sun for a bit now.

Thanks

Si,

 

[34091 Weymouth]

Yesterday me & my wife did a big tidy up of our workspaces. For a long time my workshop has also been a walk in wardrobes which has made it very claustrophobic.

We've finally moved them out & I've got a full spare bedroom as my workshop now.

I decided today to spend the majority of the day in my workshop. I started off by fitting the gas tanks to the 3 lnwr coach chassis then I got a little stalled by them.

I decided to have a go at a quickish project for myself. I've been building a compensated 14xx comet chassis kit which I've modified slightly for em gauge.



I've split the 00 gauge compensation unit & taken a leaf out of Mike edges kit designs. The chassis now works with full compensation.
I bought the chassis from ebay with a body & p4 wheels. I'm going to use the p4 wheels to test the chassis properly & workout how many spacers the axles need. I've a full set of gibson em wheels to fit but I only want to fit them once.



The markits wheels are oversized but I had them to hand to test the chassis with its first run.
I have a load of castings from wizard models & etched numbers to complete the project off so I might sneak in some more before the end of this next week.

Back to north western coach's now.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

I've had a very productive day in the workshop & this evening I did a test run with some p4 gibsons just to make sure everything was OK. It's a lovely smooth chassis & so as I now know all is well I've started the cab floor. This is the body mounting & it'll need a coat of paint, back head & crew fitting before it's glued to the airfix body.






It strikes me how much space between wheel & frames there is even with em spacers. I think I might have got away with p4 frames spacers in this to give it scale width on the frames.

Thats it for a while now with 1461, I should have used this evening to progress the coaches but I plodded on with the 14xx. I need to put this project away now & focus on the lnwr coaches. Em north isn't far off & they need to be ready for then.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

Tonight I had a bit of a tedious job to do with the lnwr coaches. First up the spring rubbers which consist of 2 small & a larger disk of nickel silver, fitted to the spring hanger & soldered up. This equates to 36 per coach. After doing one of the 3 coaches I'd had enough of that so started to finish off the footboards, brakes & generally start to get the first chassis finished.





I also started a bit more of a metro tank I'm building.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

The metro tank is a bit of a labour of love for me. A good friend of mine asked me to build a couple of locos for her father who was terminally ill. Before I could start to do the metro he passed away. I was offering my friend to return the models where I was told no I want you to build them. Unfortunately not long after her father passed, my friend suddenly passed away too. It blew my socks off, I was very saddened by it all & I made a promise to myself that I must finish them so I started to work on the metro.

I'm going to order some gibson wheels to replace the markits wheels fitted. I prefer gibson wheel, they look better. It's going to need a fair amount of scratch building to sort the tank tops & various other cab details, splashers etc. It's also going to be re gauged to EM from 00.

This evening I should have the first coach chassis finished & the next one underway.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

The plan this evening was to work on the coach's more but if I'm honest I'm all coached out.

Instead I've put a bit more work in to my own 14xx tank project. It's really starting to come together nicely now. I've fitted the sub frame & springs to the rear of the chassis & built up & fixed a pair of body mountings front & rear. The cab floor is painted black & awaiting the backhead & crew.



I'm currently sat here supping a brew, trying to work out my best high level gearbox option as the ones I've got in stock will not fit without a motor in the cab.

Coaches tomorrow again

 

[34091 Weymouth]

This evening was back to these western coaches. I've started to finish off the first of three & its all the details that take time. These are a bit of a heinz 57 because the frames are london road & the bodies are micro rail which is extra work to marry them up. I find coach building mind numbing so it's a chore to build them but I'm committed to finishing them off. I will be glad when they are done though.

Few pics of the first nearly complete.

 

[34091 Weymouth]

Today I set to work early doors to get all the parts for the remaining 2 chassis units cut out, cleaned up & placed into pots. That was a real tedious few hours, cleaning up all the parts really was trying.

I needed some light relief from the coaches so I built a wagon kit from 51L.

It's a GSWR open wagon, a very nice kit & simple to build.



I've also done a bit more work on a north staffordshire railway silk wagon that I've had on the go way too long.



Another 51L kit.

Enjoyable afternoon all in all.