Tramcar Tribulations

Time to catch up with the O9 Tramcar project. The Milliput around the joins has now been smoothed back, most noticeably on the fake clerestory on the roof. I was then able to add the resin sides to the plastic superstructure, fixing one side at a time using Araldite, clamping along the bottom of the sides to get a firm bond and to straighten out any warping in the resin parts. 

Whilst the Araldite was out I created an impression of handles on the controllers and brakes by creating a blob using the end of a cocktail stick, they are not perfect but should look OK once painted.

Sadly the more I looked at the tram after taking this photo the more something did not look right - Trying to tie in the bulkheads with the window dividing bars was showing up a discrepancy between the two bulkheads and the more I looked some of the bulkhead window openings appeared wonky and I had doubts about the squareness of the whole thing in places. 

So I took the sides off, and re-fitted them, but the issue still wasn't fixed and more drastic action followed with the sides coming off again... After trying to work with the existing seats and supports I opted in the end to clear the decks between the front seat supports and start again. New supports and seat bases were created from 40 thou styrene and new side supports cut from 60 thou x 3.2mm Evergreen strip.

I started work on two new bulkheads, 10 thou styrene backed with 30 thou strip and sheet sections. The intention was that they would be thinner than the originals and align directly with the window dividing bars. I had made the window openings taller than the originals - too tall in fact as I had to reduce them along the top edge. However on offering them up into position I found that the outer supports, combined with the thickness of the sides, just looked too bulky.

So I had a bit of a rethink and the decision was made not to have a bulkhead but instead just a seat back. In a lazy mood I decided to use more Chivers seat back mouldings, "borrowing" these from a kit in the stash (you get one spare in each kit so I'll have to owe this kit one!), setting these in place with careful measurement against the sides and the window dividing bar location.

In front of the chassis can be seen the parts that will replace the top part of the bulkheads, cut from 40 thou styrene using the better of the old bulkheads as a template. The triangular pieces will re-enforce the joint with the sides and provide a greater gluing area.

The resin sides were then Araldited back in place and unlike the earlier attempts both were fixed in place at the same time and less clamping pressure applied - I realised that this may have contributed to the warp apparent in the original attempts. 

With the sides in place I them added the upper divider parts into place, again using Araldite, having carefully marked their position directly above the seat backs. The roof was used as a guide to get the height correct. With these parts set I then added new 60 x 40 thou dividers in the side windows, directly in line with the edges of the seat backs and looking a lot neater than their predecessors. Despite saying there would be no bulkhead I then added an upright of 40 x 40 thou styrene from the centre of the seat back up to the roof support to tie the two parts together.

I do not intend to glaze the new openings, I feel that the new arrangement here is a lot better than the original and certainly gives the central compartment a more airy feel than it had previously (in fact it had looked rather claustrophobic).

Work has now moved on to the roof - adding false roof supports on the underside. More soon...

Colin

'The White Rose' is Revealed

A vintage photo of a 15" gauge Bo-Bo diesel 'The White Rose', mid to late 20th century, location unknown...

I can now reveal the completed A1 Models 3D printed diesel. Why the name? Well 'Royal Anchor' was named after the pub where the workshop it was built in was located, and this name sounds like of could be the name of a pub. Of course the loco isn't actually white, but neither is the Curwen diesel 'The White Heron' at the Stapleford Miniature Railway...

I last illustrated this prior to going onto the paintshop and it has been a slow process to get it through to the finishing point. The main body colour was sprayed using Halfords Rover Tahiti blue, which was left for a good week or so to dry in order to avoid any masking mishaps. The bufferbeams were masked off and painted with Vallejo red, similarly the roof in London grey and the solebar in black-grey. As can be seen I chose to paint in the curved join between the blue and grey on the cab front, achieved using masking tape cut against a template.

I painted the window recesses in matt black and picked out the frames on the front windows in silver, which looks a lot untidier in the pictures than reality. Headlights were picked out in light grey and the tail lights in a dark red. The yellow chevrons are Dapol railbus transfers, applied with plenty of Micro Sol and Set, then varnished with Johnson's Kleer to protect them prior to the final varnish coat of Testor's Dulcote. I say coat, it was several coats as the first (from an old can) went on a bit patchy, leading to me starting my final can... Again I left the model for a week after this to dry thoroughly. Once dry the lights had Araldite floated on as lenses and I started the tedious process of glazing the windows with individual panes.

Looking down from the roof the fan grille can be seen, this was added during painting, as the recess below had to be painted matt black prior to fitting the grille just before the roof was painted. Despite the many coats of Dulcote the roof had a slightly speckled appearance so it has had a slightly heavier dose of weathering than I might normally give a miniature outline locomotive. But miniature railway locomotives do get dirty! Air horns are old whitemetal castings from a very old A1 models packet and the nameplates are also A1 products.

Taking these photos did reveal a window that was not in position properly, which has now been corrected, and there are a few areas that really do look worse in close up than reality! But generally I am happy with the result although the jury is still out on using a chassis with a shorter bogie wheelbase than intended, that could be revisited in the future if required.

Colin

The Week that Was...

Mixed news in the world of model railways this week. Most surprising was Hornby's launch on the Tenth day, Tenth month at 12:00 of their TT:120 range. I say surprising, I think since Peco's announcement earlier in the year it was clear that for TT:120 to work one of the big players had to be prepared to "bet the farm" on a comprehensive range and my gut feeling was it wouldn't be Bachmann... Whilst of no real interest to my modelling as a launch range is does somewhat seem akin to re-releasing your greatest hits on Compact Disc, big mainline trains and a distinct lack of any DMU or medium sized locos in the proposals. So no compact layout potential, just smaller train sets. The more I think about it the more I wonder if they really should have initially focused on diesel and electric prototypes with maybe recognisable LNER Pacifics as the token steam items...  

I'm not sure that direct retail is the issue many make it out to be, as long as Hornby don't hide behind an excuse of model shops not wanting to give shelf space to a new range or invest capital in stock. A lot of people buy model railway equipment online anyway, albeit from specialist retailers and some of us model railways in such a way that purchases from model shops, online or bricks-and-mortar are less of a possibility anyway. 

Which brings us to the sad news that Iain Rice, railway modeller and author passed away this week. Whilst an advocate of the finer scale end of railway modelling, his writings on many topics have inspired many, including myself. Equally many will have ignored his work as being too far beyond their interests or style. Of his works that I have read my favourite has to be his work on improving kit built wagons in 4mm scale, including its potted history of kit manufacturing. Whilst a Rice-style O9 layout is not something I have considered, his works are inspirational, aspirational and written (and illustrated) in an engaging way. Authors capable of this are few and far between and we should cherish them whilst we can...

Colin

Clerestories and Controllers - O9 Tramcar Progress

We last saw the O9 tramcar build with the bulkhead panels in place on the floor and some seat supports in place on the platform ends. The seats are now in place either side, made from Slaters planked styrene backed with 20 thou sheet and add further strength to these areas. 

Either side of the end dash panels I added lengths of 60 x 60 thou quarter-round Evergreen section to give a pleasing rounded appearance to the corners. These overhung the headstock pieces a fraction so some packing was added to even these out. Once parts were set in place everything has been tidied up around the edges. Behind the headstocks pieces of 40 x 40 thou strip fill the step openings leaving a clear area for the side panels to be added.

Up on the roof I decided to add a clerestory, of sorts... Not a proper fully-built job as you might expect on a full size tram but more of the bump-in-the-roof you might get on miniature railway stock. This needed to have the same subtle curve as the rest of the roof and the best piece for the job was the bit I had removed to narrow the roof down! As previously explained this was cut 2mm too short so I have had to make up the rest with 40 x 60 strip and Milliput will be deployed in due course. I think even if the cut strip was wider I would have faced it either side to neaten the edges so just as much filling either way... Once set the ends of the clerestory strip were filed down to gently curve to the roof edge.

Jumping ahead a little, I was able to balance the sides and roof into place with a figure on the balcony to prove there is room. In fact a small selection of figures have already volunteered for duty, I daren't tell them of the horrors some may face to clear the motor. Please excuse the gap at the top under the roof, that will not be there in reality!

With body construction tasks now largely complete, work began on some suitable control gear for the platform ends. Rather than lots of pictures of tiny pieces on the cutting mat I have created a montage...

Top Left: The control boxes started life as 5mm square Plastruct section, but as this was a bit intrusive I cut one side off to make it 5 x 4 mm. Top and bottom I added some 3.3mm x 60 thou Evergreen strip offcuts inside the section and a top from 30 thou styrene. Once set this was neatened off.

Top Right: The handles for both control boxes and brakes were shaped from 0.7mm brass wire. I filed the top of the horizontal section flat on the pieces destined for the control boxes and for both components bent this section to a slightly curved shape. For the handbrakes short sections of brass tube were cut to make a collar at the top and a base. The parts seen here are actually the extra set that were created quite by accident as parts were rejected!

Bottom: The control boxes were drilled 0.7mm top and bottom and the wire threaded through. The excess at the bottom forms a locating pin and holding point during painting. The handbrakes were carefully soldered together with the addition of a split pin under the top collar to help secure the part to the dash panel.

Once the soldered parts were cleaned up I drilled two holes in each platform, one central and one towards the right hand side. In order to take the now cut-down split pin a hole was drilled in the dash panel but from the outside due to restricted clearances. This will be plugged and filled from the outside in due course.

The stage has now been reached where the next step is likely to be Milliput in a multitude of places...

Colin

October Spawned a Tramcar

Having decided that the outline drawing in my last post was pretty close to what I wanted to achieve on the Kato bogie chassis, last week I slowly started to gather the materials required to start work. Immediately I was taken back a good few years to the early days of my O9 modelling, finding odd bits here and there that would become something other than their manufacturers intended. One sign of real progress is that some of these parts were actually intended for O9 rather than other scales.

From the spares box came the good side from a pair of Avalon line coach sides that Peter Ledley (of Clee Valley Railway fame) had passed on to me. This was cut either side of the centre door, the solebars removed and the cut ends made good with styrene strip. A pair of Chivers O9 coach ends were cleaned up and spare seat backs from the same source cut down in height to 7.5mm to be used as seat supports.

The floor piece is from 40 thou styrene, 22 x 70 mm with a cut-out for the Kato chassis. Plank lines are scribed on what will become the balcony ends. Solebars were cut from 3.2mm Plastruct channel, actually the second attempt as the originals were 3.2mm deep 60 thou Evergreen strip, but looked too plain and would have been set quite far back behind the Avalon sides. They were re-cut as strip to go above the solebars between the seat ends.

The floor, ends and solebars were assembled, followed by adding the seat end pieces, re-purposed as seat fronts to hide the Kato chassis under the seat. I hesitated adding the pieces planned along the top of the floor between the seat fronts as I realised they might make adding the bulkheads between the balcony and saloon a little more difficult.

After cleaning up, the Avalon Line coach sides were modified by adding a central window divider in each of the windows, using a length of 60 x 40 thou Evergreen strip carefully cut to length and superglued in place. These dividers would align with the bulkhead/partition pieces, which would be scratchbuilt parts. The new dividers were marked out on 20 thou styrene, with 10 x 40 strip used to make the window frames, very much in the manner that the masters for the Avalon coach kit were made (maybe in this case with a little less care...). Once set overnight the windows and lower cutout were cut out, then the pieces cut from the sheet. At this stage the top edges of the 20 thou sheet had been marked out to use a Dundas VoR roof for the project, but as can be seen, the final profile of the 40 thou material backing the parts is rather different...

Which brings us to story of the roof. When I had drawn out my concept drawing I had planned to keep the overall width to that of a Chivers coach kit, which just suited the Dundas roof. When cutting the floor piece and all the other parts that would sit between the sides, I forgot to take into account that the Avalon Line sides are a good 0.5-0.75mm thicker, i.e. there should be a rebate in the floor... I was also starting to think a flatter roof profile would be bit more "tram like" and to cut a long story short, after rejecting an already-converted version as being too narrow, I pinched a new roof from a Dapol Railbus kit. It was cut to length, oddly the length between sets of ventilators was just right, and then narrowed. I miscalculated here taking 6mm out, then having to take a further 1mm from each side. Glued together with a strip of 40 x 156 thou Evergreen strip below the joint, it was set aside to dry.

Whilst that dried I fitted the bulkhead partitions into place on the floor unit, having carefully measured their location in relation to the sides. The lengths of 60 thou x 3.2mm strip were further cut down to fit in-between and add strength to the central section. In between the partitions and the seat fronts I added squares of 40 thou styrene that will eventually support the balcony seats, but also add extra support to the bulkheads.

Just visible in the shot above is the construction of the rear side of the bulkhead partitions, a 40 x 40 thou strip runs from the motor cut-out, through the window divide and right up to roof level, with panels of 40 thou sheet in either quarter above and below the windows. This was a neater way to get the strength required in these parts. As some of the lower pieces are visible through the side windows they have a planked effect scribed in to represent the seat backs.

More soon, this is progressing well... 

Colin

A Tramcar Doodle

It seems like only yesterday, but turns out to be a number of months ago (four to be precise), I was looking at ideas to build an O9 railcar on a Kato bogie chassis. I had hinted at another design to come, which would essentially have been a pastiche version of my Dapol railbus conversions. That has not been drawn up, however with time on my hands I had another look over the various ideas and parts to hand and drew up something that ticks many boxes.

This is very much an evolution of the tramcar-like "Chivers Jubilee" design but actually incorporates the Avalon Line coach sides as well. The large windows would be split in two by the (scratch built) divider between balcony end and saloon. The ends are envisaged as the Chivers coach ends with the planking plated over, and the roof the Dundas VoR moulding. The chassis will be better hidden in this configuration and there is the potential to maybe have mesh panels in the end doors rather than solid, or even to leave them open if it looks OK and is strong enough.

A number of people had echoed my thoughts that the previous design was rather Volks-esqe, this continues that theme but is none the worse for it. I can envisage it jollying around sand dunes or in a private garden!

Colin

Do not move - an abandoned wagon in 009

Abandoned wagons are a theme that I seem to return to from time to time, there seems to be something quite intriguing about a vehicle that should have a purpose, sitting idly doing nothing, perhaps forgotten by all but the keenest observers.

This 009 project was inspired a rebuild of the new RTR Peco Snailbeach wagon that featured on the NGRM Forum where the top of the hopper was altered from three planks to a two-planked version. My interpretation uses my second Dundas kit, with appropriate modifications to the top sections of the body. On the underframe I carried out the same frame end modifications as my operational example and wishing to create a wheel-less wagon up on blocks, I removed the axle boxes by making a horizontal cut with a fine razor saw across the top of the axlebox, then a vertical cut up behind the axlebox leaving a flat piece behind. The pin-point was then drilled out from the back and opened below to create a slot, which I neatened with a file.

Having removed the original mouldings before reworking the underframe ends, I added new bumpers either end from Evergreen channel section, and all the strapping between hopper body and underframe, a fun job if ever there was one! Rivet/bolt details carefully cut from the discarded top plank sections were added to detail underframe end strapping and holes drilled to represent mountings for the vanished brake lever. After final cleaning up it was given a scrub up ready for painting. 

A coat of primer brought all the elements together and revealed little need ready for further treatment before moving on.

I'd give a step by step account of the paint job, except that I laregely just made it up as I went along and didn't have time to take photos...

To summarise, I started with washes of Citadel 'Nuln Oil' and Penhaven weathering paints, followed by dry brushes of wood colours, light greys etc and further washes to tone different areas. I then masked-up and painted the metalwork in Vallejo black-grey. That was followed by another wash using a brown shade and more dry brushing. The interior was treated to various shades of rust, some stippled using a stiff brush, representing the metal lining of these wagons. In a sense this was all pre-weathering for what would follow.

In order to set the wagon onto 'The Old Quarry Line' I created supports from a couple of different coffee stirrers and squares of Basswood strip. These had a wash of 'Nuln Oil', a brown wash and were then dry-brushed with a beige/grey shade. After drying they were glued together to create the support stacks. They were them glued and weighted in place on the layout.

Before installation the wagon acquired a significant amount of 'grot', in the form of paint and weathering powders. Again, no step-by-step but a lot of the load remnants are a mix of acrylic paint and filler, stippled in place in the base of the hopper and around the top edges, and on horizontal surfaces of the underframe. To this was added sand and earth weathering powders to add to the colour and texture. On the black ironwork I had previously added a few areas of Citadel 'Typhus Corrosion' paint and I added some rust colour weathering powders in these areas - all very subtle! The somewhat ironic 'Do not move' inscription is from an old Replica Railways sheet of chalk markings - it didn't rub down correctly but that adds to the effect. Once the stacks of wood were firmly fixed in place on the layout the wagon was fixed in place on it's perch.

At the far end the wagon is slowly starting to vanish into the undergrowth, I had to re-arrange the bushes a little to push the wagon closer to the baseboard edge to create enough clearance at the end of the operational siding. I think this scene is closer to what I had in mind here when I added the disconnected siding, the Penrhyn Fullersite wagon looked far too useable to be in there and will be recycled into the operational fleet.

I am pleased with how this project has turned out from a kit that was likely to have become a source of 'bits' and is now the generous donor of a spare set of Greenwich wheels!

Colin