Paul Tomlinson
Western Thunderer
Last edited:
The Chronicles of Canary Sidings - the Tale of an Untidy Workbench
- Thread starter Herb Garden
- Start date
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- 4mm scale em gauge ger pre-grouping
James Spooner
Western Thunderer
Actually George that is very elegant and, if it had been built, who is to say whether the N7’s might never have appeared?
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Spot on!
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Well I'm glad the L77s did apear... Awesome locos.... My entire experience of footplate working on a full size steam loco was on the preserved N7. One day was enough to convince me that I am not built for that kind of manual labour (a knee injury doesn't help at all!)
Regarding our fictional tank engine.... I did pick this up from a well known auction site and it has been sitting in my projects box for a while
Its a lovely bit of scratch building from an unknown hand and would, with some GER fittings look lovely... Oh and a new chassis.....
However I must not get distracted by potential projects.... Readers of this thread will count that allready I have on the work bench the little Ruston, the Y14, the E22, #73 the spinner and now bits of the K20.... Oh plus the drewery which hast featured yet.... I must be mad.... Oh wait....
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Well dunno if you remember but in a previous post I showed lots of 0.8mm strips which were to become leaf springs?
Well a lot of fiddly soldering later and....
We have to other five tender springs. A lot more soldering later and .....
The size loco ones are ready for assembly
Next steps are the spring hangers 4 per spring so 44 left to do.....
Easily cut but each one needs a hole drilled in the end.... The question was how to do this with reasonable speed and accuracy? As marking out each one I would go even madder .... A drilling fixture was the answer....
And here is the result!
Easier than I thought! Just 43 to go....
But I'm off to the York show tomorrow so must try and not do too much shopping
Well a lot of fiddly soldering later and....
We have to other five tender springs. A lot more soldering later and .....
The size loco ones are ready for assembly
Next steps are the spring hangers 4 per spring so 44 left to do.....
Easily cut but each one needs a hole drilled in the end.... The question was how to do this with reasonable speed and accuracy? As marking out each one I would go even madder .... A drilling fixture was the answer....
And here is the result!
Easier than I thought! Just 43 to go....
But I'm off to the York show tomorrow so must try and not do too much shopping
James Spooner
Western Thunderer
George,
I like both the progress and the jig; it makes a lot of sense with that number to make.
cheers
Nigel
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
The great thing is I've realised the jig can be used for anything where I need to put a hole in that size of strip.... Cabside beading for example!
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Happy Easter everyone!
With advice from @PjKing1 I've successfully (I hope) uploaded a video of #73 'the spinner' doing running in trials.
it has how done a considerable number of runs up and down Canary sidings and apart from a few minor tweaks its ready for finishing off. So we are on to the last lap hopefully
With advice from @PjKing1 I've successfully (I hope) uploaded a video of #73 'the spinner' doing running in trials.
it has how done a considerable number of runs up and down Canary sidings and apart from a few minor tweaks its ready for finishing off. So we are on to the last lap hopefully
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Yet more spring making and yet another jig....
This one is a very simple bit of filed channel to hold all the hangers together whilst I botch things together with a soldering iron.... An improvement on the match stick I had when I made the first one.....
They are actually very crude when you get this close.... But who is ever going to get this close when the loco is running round a layout?
Well now that's 4/12 so I'm a third of the way through.....
This one is a very simple bit of filed channel to hold all the hangers together whilst I botch things together with a soldering iron.... An improvement on the match stick I had when I made the first one.....
They are actually very crude when you get this close.... But who is ever going to get this close when the loco is running round a layout?
Well now that's 4/12 so I'm a third of the way through.....
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
A little bit more progress this morning before I head to the office....
I don't know about anyone else but I find I do my best modelling at this time in the morning....
Anyway only 5 springs left to do so I'm over the half way mark!
The last one will be a pig as I wrecked one of the prefab spring assemblies so will have to make that one out of left overs (that can be the one that goes inside the cab!
I don't know about anyone else but I find I do my best modelling at this time in the morning....
Anyway only 5 springs left to do so I'm over the half way mark!
The last one will be a pig as I wrecked one of the prefab spring assemblies so will have to make that one out of left overs (that can be the one that goes inside the cab!
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
So I will honestly stop talking about springs soon..... But.....
They are all done!!!!!!
They are all done!!!!!!
Lyndhurstman
Western Thunderer
Spring is sprung!
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Yep and finally some sunshine has reached the north east today.... I might finally get out in the garden for the first time this year this afternoon post work
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Yes it's been a while since tha last post. First the building works got manic then a holiday back in the greatest city on earth (Norwich if you were in any doubt) haven't helped get back to the work bench.
Neither has the current situation.....
Canary Sidings, my little test track usually sits happily on the window sill of the boxroom where I work. And usually there are a number of models on it so e that may be familiar to you.
However when we came home from our holidays we found the plaster above the window had cracked through and if it wasn't for the presence for the roller blind large chunks of it would Dave fallen down on the assembled models
So once again I forgot mind myself repairing bits of the house I did not expect to have to repair
The tape is just while the glue is drying honest!
If there is a moral to the story I'm not sure what it is .... But that is why little progress is being made but bing changes are afoot which might have an exciting impact on the modelling
Herbie
Neither has the current situation.....
Canary Sidings, my little test track usually sits happily on the window sill of the boxroom where I work. And usually there are a number of models on it so e that may be familiar to you.
However when we came home from our holidays we found the plaster above the window had cracked through and if it wasn't for the presence for the roller blind large chunks of it would Dave fallen down on the assembled models
So once again I forgot mind myself repairing bits of the house I did not expect to have to repair
The tape is just while the glue is drying honest!
If there is a moral to the story I'm not sure what it is .... But that is why little progress is being made but bing changes are afoot which might have an exciting impact on the modelling
Herbie
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
Eek 
If it is any encouragement, the first and only time I tried to do plastering on the house was on a ceiling and it turned out remarkably well. The trick is to get the mix runny enough to put on, and then leave it alone, don't touch it at all, until it has dried enough to take a surface. You can get plaster-based filler in a cartridge for a mastic gun, this is what I would go for here.
If it is any encouragement, the first and only time I tried to do plastering on the house was on a ceiling and it turned out remarkably well. The trick is to get the mix runny enough to put on, and then leave it alone, don't touch it at all, until it has dried enough to take a surface. You can get plaster-based filler in a cartridge for a mastic gun, this is what I would go for here.
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
To be honest it was a lot of no more nails pumped into the void and then the old plaster stuck back in place ... Not a craftsman like job at all but.... It works until that room gets redecorated later this year ....
2023.05 - M&GN rebuilt D class #71
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
The longer I leave it the harder it is to get back modelling I find.... Anyways after weeks of diy and chasing steam trains in God's County (Norfolk).....
So yes it's time to get back to the work bench.... Here follows a cautionary tale about certain auction sites.....
I'm one of those people who goes bargain hunting and I thought I had a great one which needed a little bit of rust removed.... What a fool I was
Yeah oh yeah that's bad!
The great thing is after much effort I was able to strip it down and save all the component pieces apart from motor gearbox and driving wheels. So with wheels on order etc it will get rebuilt and painted brown with some modifications...
Just like the M&GN D class on the right
But learn from my stupidity.... Be careful on auction sites
So yes it's time to get back to the work bench.... Here follows a cautionary tale about certain auction sites.....
I'm one of those people who goes bargain hunting and I thought I had a great one which needed a little bit of rust removed.... What a fool I was
Yeah oh yeah that's bad!
The great thing is after much effort I was able to strip it down and save all the component pieces apart from motor gearbox and driving wheels. So with wheels on order etc it will get rebuilt and painted brown with some modifications...
Just like the M&GN D class on the right
But learn from my stupidity.... Be careful on auction sites
2023.06 - GER 73 class #74 - Further Detailing
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
So now that rustbucket is safe from further corrosion I can finally return to #73
This project has almost been a constant for the last year but I feel it's about time it got finished....
So we come back to springs. I've allready shown previously that I've made all the leaf springs but when I came to trial fit them I found the ones for the driving wheel should be narrower than the rest so I've had to modify 2. I've also added the collar around the leafs so. They are ready to go on the loco
From left to right.... Tender springs... Loco fore and aft springs and finally the driving wheel springs.
Next job has to be trial fitting. The loco springs should have hangers that go either side of the frames... In trying this I found that the spring clashed with the splasher and that needed reducing
So that's been further setback the spring now fits but the hangers need shortening and I need to make the missing bit of footplate before everything can be soldered in place
This project has almost been a constant for the last year but I feel it's about time it got finished....
So we come back to springs. I've allready shown previously that I've made all the leaf springs but when I came to trial fit them I found the ones for the driving wheel should be narrower than the rest so I've had to modify 2. I've also added the collar around the leafs so. They are ready to go on the loco
From left to right.... Tender springs... Loco fore and aft springs and finally the driving wheel springs.
Next job has to be trial fitting. The loco springs should have hangers that go either side of the frames... In trying this I found that the spring clashed with the splasher and that needed reducing
So that's been further setback the spring now fits but the hangers need shortening and I need to make the missing bit of footplate before everything can be soldered in place
Herb Garden
Western Thunderer
Once a month it is always a pleasure to got to the virtual pub hosted by the GERS an institution developed in the depths of lockdown and continued ever since.... Also as one can dial in from my work bench I get some modelling done...
Wasn't sure what I would do tonight and didn't have a plan so I started fiddling with the splashers and tacked them in place then had a go at a task I have been dreading since day one of this project.... The curved footplate over the splashers.... And I worked first time around I am staggered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep I am over the moon and jumping round the office tonight.... Which is a bad idea cos it's full of sharp tools etc....
Wasn't sure what I would do tonight and didn't have a plan so I started fiddling with the splashers and tacked them in place then had a go at a task I have been dreading since day one of this project.... The curved footplate over the splashers.... And I worked first time around I am staggered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep I am over the moon and jumping round the office tonight.... Which is a bad idea cos it's full of sharp tools etc....