The Chronicles of Canary Sidings - the Tale of an Untidy Workbench

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Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
Just a little update today.... This morning before I left for work I made the handbrake

IMG_20240110_071137145.jpg
With white metal crewman for scale.... This won't be the driver for 407 as he is way too modern.
I was thinking of trying some of those figures from modelu but I've no idea what they are like. I've seen @wigancg use them to good effect on his thread but never seen one up close myself. Any recommendations/advice are welcome.
 
paulc

paulc

Western Thunderer
Herb Garden said:
Just a little update today.... This morning before I left for work I made the handbrake

View attachment 206293
With white metal crewman for scale.... This won't be the driver for 407 as he is way too modern.
I was thinking of trying some of those figures from modelu but I've no idea what they are like. I've seen @wigancg use them to good effect on his thread but never seen one up close myself. Any recommendations/advice are welcome.
Click to expand...
I can recommend the Modelu figures . The crispness of detail is great and the poses are far more realistic than some of the whitemetal blobs especially in 7mm . I understand you model in 4mm ( never mind ) but would still endorse them .
 
Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
Thanks for the recommendation @paulc

Well it's the end of the first full working week, crikey! Glad that's been and gone...

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To fit the stantion I've had to cut a slot in the back of the cab.... Maybe I should have planned this before...oh well....

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And that's it in place

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Problem is the only way to see the cutout s is through the cab window when the roof goes on.... Ah well... I know it's there!
 
Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
The next job has been to do something about the cab height. On the old finecast model it is way to low and there is no material above the cab openings. I've already put back in the continuous beading in the cab so to build up the material I constructed a false cab roof from plasitcard.

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Initially and oversize piece of 30thou plasitcard warmed on the radiator to curve it
This was then araldited in place and filed to shape.
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Also taking the opportunity to glue the funnel and dome in place finally.

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The idea is that this false layer will get a thin brass roof over it once the loco is painted. The hole in the plasitcard giving me easy access to paint the cab interior.

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It's coming along nicely and now work starts on the front of the loco. It's seen here with the as yet unmodified wills finecast R24 and London Road (ex Riceworks) E22 for company and comparison
 

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wigancg

wigancg

Western Thunderer
Herb Garden said:
Just a little update today.... This morning before I left for work I made the handbrake

View attachment 206293
With white metal crewman for scale.... This won't be the driver for 407 as he is way too modern.
I was thinking of trying some of those figures from modelu but I've no idea what they are like. I've seen @wigancg use them to good effect on his thread but never seen one up close myself. Any recommendations/advice are welcome.
Click to expand...
George,
I absolutely would recommend Modelu every time. They are my number one go to now for figures and other details (such as gulls)!
Occasionally I may use some of the Dart Castings range as they are good too and just as easy to paint up, although as with any white metal castings does need some filing down.

Recommendation: Modelu (and if you visit their stand at shows then they often have discontinued ranges selling at cheaper prices!)

Chris
 
Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
wigancg said:
George,
I absolutely would recommend Modelu every time. They are my number one go to now for figures and other details (such as gulls)!
Occasionally I may use some of the Dart Castings range as they are good too and just as easy to paint up, although as with any white metal castings does need some filing down.

Recommendation: Modelu (and if you visit their stand at shows then they often have discontinued ranges selling at cheaper prices!)

Chris
Click to expand...
Well I've just lost myself in that website for half an hour.... Deary me the agony of choice... I usually find there aren't any suitable figures for my period and here there's a choice! A good thing in a way.

Worried they might look to realistic with my modelling but I will place an order and have an experiment. Thanks for the recommendation
 
Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
So a step in the right direction had been made this week.... I was looking between model and photographs and realised my model didn't have cab steps! It's debatable whether it ever did.

So needed to make some.

At a GERS meeting this week Paul @Godders53 and David @David_Barham were kind enough to describe this project as scratch building a white metal kit.... I know what they mean.

Well on with the steps:

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A set of 8 strips of brass soldered together

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Filed to shape

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Split back into 8 pieces

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Some brass angle tacked in place using the RSU for the steps

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And there you go!

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I've also added the sandpipes behind the steps.... Not that you can see them
 
Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
A quiet few days on the modelling front. My other half had been hit by another bout of the dreaded COVID so I've been taking care of her.

When I have five I haven't felt up to doing something practical so I've been drawing up etched artwork for future projects.... More of that in due course.

IMG_20240119_230309116.jpg
But in other good news #407 has it's new buffer beams. Some may remember she originally had LNER group standard buffers and these have obviously had to be changed for a pre grouping type. Just the handrails to go this week. If I don't get Ill myself that is....
 
Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
So I'm back, turns out I was due a bout of COVID as well.... Oh joys.... But I got a bit of reading done which was better than watching daytime TV by a long chalk.

Anyway due to be back working tomorrow so I made the effort to spend the afternoon doing a bit of work on 407.

IMG_20240129_175247702.jpg
I realise there has been a fair bit of work done since you last saw her. Couplings both aesthetic and practical, hand rails, sanders, blower and...

IMG_20240129_175306691.jpg
Macallan variable blastpipe!

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Plus I've made the Cab roof although I'm waiting to stick it on until after I've painted the cab interior.

@paulc and @wigancg might notice I've taken their advice and there are two modelu figures there awaiting painting.

IMG_20240129_175423133.jpg
Opportunity has also been taken to give 407 some time on the canary sidings test track and she glides along although there is a bit of a wobble in the structure due to with the mistake I've made with a few of my early attempts at flexichas to have far to much travel in the front beams and a fixed back axle. Which means any oscillation from the coupling rods is enlarged by the front end of the loco. Maybe I might try something different on the next 0-6-0T I build.

IMG_20240129_181924224.jpg
But it's just lamp brackets and boiler bands to do before 407 heads to the paint shop...

I will upload some video footage of her running when I get five
 
wigancg

wigancg

Western Thunderer
Herb Garden said:
So I'm back, turns out I was due a bout of COVID as well.... Oh joys.... But I got a bit of reading done which was better than watching daytime TV by a long chalk.

Anyway due to be back working tomorrow so I made the effort to spend the afternoon doing a bit of work on 407.

View attachment 207869
I realise there has been a fair bit of work done since you last saw her. Couplings both aesthetic and practical, hand rails, sanders, blower and...

View attachment 207872
Macallan variable blastpipe!

View attachment 207873
Plus I've made the Cab roof although I'm waiting to stick it on until after I've painted the cab interior.

@paulc and @wigancg might notice I've taken their advice and there are two modelu figures there awaiting painting.

View attachment 207875
Opportunity has also been taken to give 407 some time on the canary sidings test track and she glides along although there is a bit of a wobble in the structure due to with the mistake I've made with a few of my early attempts at flexichas to have far to much travel in the front beams and a fixed back axle. Which means any oscillation from the coupling rods is enlarged by the front end of the loco. Maybe I might try something different on the next 0-6-0T I build.

View attachment 207876
But it's just lamp brackets and boiler bands to do before 407 heads to the paint shop...

I will upload some video footage of her running when I get five
Click to expand...
George,
You won't go wrong with your Modelu figures. Good choice!
Chris
 
2024.01 - Hunslet 35T 252bhp DH BSC#38 'Barton'
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    • Herb Garden

    Herb Garden

    Western Thunderer
    And now for something completely different a quick project whilst #407 goes through the paint shop.

    In 2010 at the Newcastle show I made two significant decisions.... Never to model you n 009 again (a story for another day) and with encouragement from Mike Edge to have a go at etch kit building.

    The result was this little Hunslet diesel.

    IMG_20240131_074702350.jpg

    Since it was built in 2010 it's had its ups and downs.... The shortened version is that it's had 2 major rebuilds, blown up a decoder and finally ended up as a practice model for airbrushing and this is how it looked at the beginning of the week just a sorry body shell.

    IMG_20240203_130129060.jpg
    I had thought that one day I might build a new chassis for it but I woke up at 3am this week thinking I could just reuse all the old components and with a bit of bodging I've been able to get a working chassis again. I've also converted it to EM in the process

    IMG_20240203_130017626_HDR.jpg
    It's not my neatest work by any means and includes many features that I wouldn't incorporate in a new build but it runs

    IMG_20240131_164049458.jpg

    One to join 407 in getting painting finished

    IMG_20240203_130201734.jpg

    With the prototype #74 being rebuilt from an 1847 loco and this diesel type being built from 1974 that gives me a fleet with a date range of 127 years.... Yeah .... Bit mad but this is now a very useful locomotive and I'm keeping it for sentimental reasons
     
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    • 2024.02 - GER Y14 class #510 - repairing the damage
  • Index
    • Herb Garden

    Herb Garden

    Western Thunderer
    Long term followers of this thread will remember that last year I attempted to convert one of my backdated Hornby Y14(J15) to EM gauge using the brass masters easichas.

    Some may also remember that I ruined the loco chassis in the process and the whole thing got dumped back in its box in rage and frustration. Please note there is nothing wrong with the chassis kit design.... Just my handiwork

    IMG_20240204_184227007_HDR.jpg
    But today it's back in business.

    A couple of mods have allowed me to turn the sprung easichas wreck into a compensated flexichas and now it's running again. The tender still has the CSB chassis as per the kit.

    IMG_20240204_184136137_HDR.jpg
    It still needs the brakes refitted a repair to the brake stantion and a new front toplamp bracket and it will joint the other two locos for a bit of touching up of the paintwork

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    IMG_20240204_115922747.jpg
    For those who are wondering the model was originally a RTR Hornby J15 that I backdated to 1899 condition. I probably have another one or two hanging around so I can demonstrate how to do this at some point

    We are now at 3 working locomotives ready for painting and finishing. Break out the brushes!
     
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