PMV races

[Simon]

A few more steps today, starting with glazing the windows with slide mount glass suitably cut down with a glass cutter on the bench. This didn't go completely smoothly but I ended up with useable pieces and little waste. They were all epoxied in place between the window bars and inside face of the body sides.

I then made a retaining chain for the vacuum pipe using some ancient jewellery chain and a loop of brass wire, very fiddly but it worked well, both vac and brake pipes can be unhooked and connected up to another vehicle, as if..

I soldered the pipe fittings to the body using detailing solder.



I then took the plunge and epoxied the roof to the body, basically applying the resin to the ends and the two sprung lugs, and then up-ending the whole so that the epoxy ran down the ends and on to the inside of the roof.



A few things crossed off the list, still left to do brake levers and label clips plus all the door furniture. Then forged ends on the handrails and lots of bolt heads. Roof ventilators (in stock) and rainstrips to go on. And the SBR over the roof "canvass" needs to lose its tack, which it will in time.

I am beginning to quite like it

 

[Simon]

A bit more done today; all the steps were assembled and fitted, for once pretty much as per the kit and both of the brake levers and guards were made and fitted. The kit offerings in this regard are lamentable and I made mine up from etch waste with the trusty piercing saw and files etc.

They are still a bit "representative" but pass muster I think.



The door furniture is now the last hurdle to be overcome on the construction front, apart from odd bolt head detailing etc.

And then painting it all....

Simon

 

[Simon]

Screw couplings assembled, blackened and fitted.

Handles made and fitted, I will epoxy a tiny bit of hex section into the "dimples" to finish these off. The one pictured is the roughest of the four, making them was very tedious.



Currently trying to work out what the other handle on the left hand door really looks like before carrying on.

 

[Simon]

Four grab handles now made and fitted, last night's levers removed and refitted with levers closer to bodyside, having looked at a few pictures of the real thing earlier today. Doing this knadgered two of them which then needed redoing



They all fit slightly imperfectly one way and another, but once painted etc I think they'll be OK. Making these was even more tedious than last nights' efforts, mostly as the rear faces of the "forged" ends are soldered to brass rod which locates into the holes in the etched doors

 

[Simon]

A night off from the soldering iron, bodging small bits of plastikard and mixing small bits of epoxy.

Four catches fabricated and attached to the body.



T handle things and label clips to go...

 

[Simon]

Label clips done and fitted, "T" handles made and attached.



Next job is strengthening the step supports, suitable brass section already cut up and formed, this last now done.

 

[Simon]

Yesterday morning in the garden:



And this morning with the "forged" ends of the handrails and lower lamp irons added. The first of the end roof finishing strips is made and is ready for attaching, the one for the other end still to be done.



I believe the finishing line is now at least in the same county....

Still lots of boltyhead things left to add though

Simon

 

[Simon]

Both roof finishing strips now as finished as they need to be, apart from boltyhead things still to be added.

Roof sprayed with Halfords grey primer and I'm very happy to report that there are no unwanted results and the "tacky" finish is no more



I think that adding boltheads apart, the only thing left to do on the body is to put "returns" in to the solebar from the vertical t irons using bits of styrene. Then roof detail and finally springing the wheels and axleguard keeps.

I may fit my Roxey scale wheels as they are 1/32 scale rather than 10mm scale of the wheels currently fitted, these will look better and also reduce the ride height which would be a good thing.

Simon

 

[Simon]

All boltyhead detail finished, just returns of vertical strapping to solebar to complete and I may add a representation of the door stops to the sides as they are quite a prominent feature of the real thing. Plus roof details.

Epoxied springs on axleboxes are currently curing in the shed, I'm awaiting bearings ordered from Roxey so that I can fit superior and slightly smaller diameter wheels to the vehicle.



It made its first "revenue earning" run on a down train this afternoon



Simon

 

[D816Foxhound]

That's looking really nice Simon. All your added detail is turning what is a very basic kit into a handsome representation of the prototype.
Like the "going away" phot with 12 ton van.

Dreadful!!

Roger

 

[Simon]

Thank you Roger.

Well this is as far as it's going - axleguard keeps still need to be added but that won't get in the way of painting and finishing.



It's not perfect but job done I reckon, although looking at it there's one more thing I might just try to improve....

Simon

 

[Simon]

The race winner very kindly dropped off the transfer sheets to me in the shop this morning, thank you very much Jamie!

We took the opportunity to have a first thread parcels vehicle gathering



The plastic PMV is a really superb piece of work when seen "in the plastic".

If it had buffer heads and couplings it could be marshalled into the parcels workings on 16th July....

Simon

 

[Simon]

A final tweak to lose the gap above the doors that isn't there on the prototype. To be fair to the kit I think this was my mistake in that I bent the top of the door etch fully over when I should have left it angled in at the top but still more or less upright.

Plastikard and epoxy to the rescue



That is a definite improvement - paint next!

Simon

 

[Steve Cook]

Looks brilliant Simon
I think I felt a small spark of motivation seeing Jamie's and yours lined up together.

It soon passed though

On a more serious note, they are interesting looking vehicles and I can see that a train of them would be proper garden railway pron*...

Steve

*intentional misspelling

 

[Simon]

It would be brilliant if you could finish yours too

I am just in from the shed having masked the windows and blown the new bits and bare brass over with the Upol etch primer. A whole day to harden off while I pack up for Expo EM, it looks quite funky with everything now being the same colour.

Maybe get some red oxide primer on to it this evening in preparation for the green body colour....

Simon

 

[Simon]

It's the watching paint dry thread...



No red oxide was put on as I instead went to a very good slide show covering Waterloo to Padstow at Bath Railway Society, lots of PMVs, Bulleids and T9s

There will now be a short intermission while I attend Expo EM

Simon

 

[AJC]

See you at EXPO (presumably sans PMV). I'll be there Sunday, putative cricketing injuries permitting.

Adam

 

[oldravendale]

putative cricketing injuries permitting.

Adam

.....if you boys will play rough games......

Brian

 

[Simon]

Now in SR coach green...



Possibly a little more spraying of green before lettering stage, the green is not as "muddy" as it looks in this photograph.

Simon

 

[Simon]

On its wheels in the garden this evening, masking taken off windows.



The signal needs its finial changing to an LSWR pattern.

I have "Kleared" where the transfers will go on the PMV (thank you very much Jamie) but am anticipating some silvering issues as my underlying red oxide coat is quite "orange peely"

I'll be attempting lettering quite soon....