Somewhat late in the game I've decided to give this a go - though if it will be finished in time is debatable :laugh:
Having bought a set of parts at the Oxfordshire member's day (back in June!) I really should have bought a couple more sets as it turned out. However a couple of full kits (part built) came my way (donated to my local group to raise funds, with no takers at the end of the meeting I made a cash donation for them) to give some scope for something bigger...
The plan was to do most of the work at the Warley show (where I was on the 009 Society's demo stand). I started well by buying a sheet of Evergreen styrene sheet with 1 mm planking to match the kit on Saturday morning, but with chatting to the public, members, friends and doing some bits for others it was Midday Sunday before I opened the pack and started cutting up the set of parts.
This was the state of play at the end of the exhibition:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4914/32243108898_3aa8116972_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/R8dmWE)
I'd added a planked insert to the ends to increase the width and height to match the Indian 2' 6" loading gauge (based on drawings for an Armstrong Whitworth railcar built for the Central Provinces Railway), though I need to have a think about how the finished article will end up. The sides have had one of the end doors cut off to (possibly) form a door to a driver's cab.
Having spent a couple of days sorting out post-Warley stuff (mainly the memberships picked up by the publicity stand at the show and then putting everything away so the MrsW and I can use the dining room over Christmas!) I then set too.
My thoughts had turned to some form of articulated unit with a center power car so a pair of sides from the part-built kits was brought into play (luckily the kit proved easy to dismantle) and having tried the cut off doors decided that if I cut the door and panel alongside this could be reversed to make a driver's cab...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4839/31175271637_3b29784948_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PuRq8p)
This seemed to work, but having cut off the doors at the other end there was now no obvious way for passengers to get on & off, and reinstating the doors without a planked panel alongside didn't look right. So out came a 3rd set of sides!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4875/45203076255_e7ae5915cb_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2bSrzHH)
I'd also narrowed down my choice of chassis to a Tomix unit (bought at a good price a few years ago as something that might be useful) and now had something I was happier with. However, I felt that there was quite a walk from the doors at the 'inner' ends of the saloons to the seats at the other end, so some more cuts were made to slot the previously cut off door mouldings in.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4905/32243105718_c93c3bbce2_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/R8dkZQ)
Almost there now! Having noted that when the end was fixed to the side on the unmolested kit the doorway would have some form of frame I felt that this would improve the look of the monster I'd created. Some 1 by 2 mm strip inserted into the cuts seemed to do the job so (finally) the solvent came out and all the bits were stuck together.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4902/31175267467_3dc6e575bc_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PuRoTv)
Yesterday the post Warley Lurghy finally took hold (hence I'm at home typing this rather than being at Colehill as I don't think I'm up to the 3+ hours each way drive) so nothing more has been done, but the next moves are to increase the height of the sides by about 3 or 4 mm to match the Indian 2'6" loading gauge - the options being a strip of either plain or planked styrene on top of the sides, or cutting the sides further to insert a planked piece above the windows and move the kit's smooth section up - and sort out the ends. I can then make up the inner ends of the saloons (plain, or maybe with some access for the guard to get into the power car to move through to the other saloon) figure out a pivoting system and build the power car body (probably from the planked sheet). There may also be some other things to sort out (as this might be a 'long range' railcar some form of lavatory might be useful) but so far so good...
Hmmm... Looks like I should have got 0.7 / 30 thou planking instead!
Bother!
Looks good Julien. Must pull my finger out and finish mine. When's judging taking place?
The full rules were in the May 2018 News (page 17), but essentially "Photos of the model must be completed & submitted by 5th January 2019 to appear in the spring issue of 009 News. Submission must include the builders name, address and membership number".
Better get our fingers out!
Right, time for an update!
With the slight pause caused by getting the wrong type of planked styrene at Warley some thoughts were given as to how best to increase using parts of the sides I hadn't used (not that there was much left!) the height with a strip of 1.5 mm planked styrene with the extra lines scribed on
The 3 options were:
1. Smooth plastic strip to match the flat area above the windows...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4894/46172888391_f610742bfb_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2dm985B)
2. Planked strip above the flat area above the windows...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4892/44355749990_b3f65f0f50_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2azyP9b)
3. planked strip inserted above the windows & below the flat area (which has been cut off and moved up)...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4847/45260198525_1200df658f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2bXumbr)
I decided that I preferred option 3 even though this will mean a great deal of work on the assembled sides - oh well!
Having made that decision and having managed to get some of the correct (0.7mm spacing) Evergreen styrene locally (thanks to Mikes Models of Kingstanding) I got back to thinking about the ends.
I took a good look at the initial, mark 1, ends - essentially cutting the kit's end in half and inserting a vertically planked strip - I was not overly happy with the result, partly due to the mis-matched planking but also due to loosing the moudling line below the windows. I had another go by cutting the insert strip out of one of the modified ends, cutting away the inner edges of the windows and cutting the middle out of one of the ends from the pre-painted kits gave me a 'wide window' cab but I din't like that either!
Finally I hit upon an idea. If I used a section cut from one of the 'mistakes' to increase the width of the ends I could extend the line of moulding below the windows across the full width and then insert a section of the new (finer) planked styrene between the windows.
Taking one of the diminishing supply of unmolested ends I cut the top off just above the windows and put the top section to one side. The rest was cut in half down the center and a section cut from one of the mistake (from the bottom edge of the glazing to the bottom edge of the side) inserted into the gap. Above the moulding between the windows a bit of vertically planked styrene was inserted, cut to be 3 mm taller than the tops of the windows and then sections of 3 mm wide planked strip fixed above the widows butting up to the central piece. To finish off the smooth top section was fixed above the planking and the 'corners' filled in from the same section but cut from one of the discards.
Here is the result...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4837/45448886094_ba5e84efa4_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2cfaqqo)
And having done one the second was much easier!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4910/44355748000_fa56e182b9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2azyNxS)
Now all I have to do is tackle those sides - now where did I put those bravery pills?
Things have progressed this month, honest!
I have been taking photos (I'll sort out posting them soon) but there has been a change of chassis to a Roco BR 144.5 to give bigger wheels (8mm as against the 6mm ones on the Tomix) along with some scratch-built plasticard bogies (again with 8 mm wheels). The 'saloons' have been mostly completed (needing interiors, exterior detailing and roofs) with the bodywork for the power car to sort out (ends cut out but not yet cut away to fit over the chassis, sides needed along with a roof).
Then I'll need to paint the thing by the deadline :o
Just to close this one off (as it were) I did just manage to finish the thing in time for the deadline - and submitted my photos 14 minutes before entries closed!
So I managed to find the bravery pills and set about cutting up the sides.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7817/46575320022_b1a3bef3d1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2dXGFZ1)
One down - 3 to go!
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7919/45713411645_dee992f82a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2cDxbDK)
All done (phew!)
Next I had a think about the chassis as I wasn't 100% happy with the small wheels on the Tomix chassis. I found a Roco BR144.5 that I'd had sitting around for a few years which had 8 mm wheels (as near as anyway). The issue was how to pivot the coach units off the chassis, as more bravery pills were taken and 4 holes drilled through the chassis block and tapped for 10 BA screws so I could fit plates across the top of the chassis for the pivots.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7879/31686588457_6447dbd308_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Qh33ND)
When I took this photo I'd also modified the bogie side frames by carving back the detail of the original bar frames and adding plasticard plate frames. Later I added axle box and coil springs to these.
The high level pivots then needed an interesting design of floor unit for the coaches...
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7873/46627876971_e06b95790e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2e3m4ki)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7878/31686580177_ff4cf04743_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Qh31kT)
The bogies for the 'outer' ends were the next job. The only thing I had to hand were some diamond-frame bogies from the Chivers plastic L&B bogie wagon kit but these didn't look right so i made up some plate frame bogies from plasticard using 8 mm diameter wheels and brass bearing cups (2 mm Association) to make these...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4804/45903468324_de4cff493d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2cWkgT3)
As with the Roco chassis axlebox & spring details were added later.
A period of hectic activity ensued in between Christmas duties so not many photos were taken. These included axlebox details on the bogies (section of round rod for the roller bearings, same rod put through a thread-cutting die then cut in half for the spring and some thin strip stuck to the bogie edge on to act as keepers for the axlebox), ends for the coaches (cut from the planked Evergreen sheet and some packing (steel nuts, plasticard spacers and brass washers) to get things sitting reasonably level. I'd also added some beading above the windows (20 thou rod turned into 1/2 round by scraping with a blade) to disguise the join between the insert strip and the rest of the side.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4815/32753549458_7e4a097663_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RUjv8Y)
At this point (Dec 27th) work stopped for a couple of days as the workshop needed to become a bedroom for guests (my parents) but started again on the 30th with the body for the power car. I only managed one construction photo (below) but basically it is a box of the Evergreen planking with 4 sets of louvers that came from a Dornplas building kit (a sand drier, I think) that were spares from building the Maltings for Latham's Brewery.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4860/46627637811_bfd461679d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2e3jQeR)
Strips and rods were also added to match the coach sides, and 6 short bits of rod added to make 'hinges' for the access doors.
We next jump to January 5th - the closing date - with this photo showing (15:20) the bodywork after it had been primered (citadel white) and spray painted (tamiya 'dull red')
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7879/39662682853_30fac4976e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/23qRBMx)
What I failed to photograph prior to painting was adding 5 thou. plastic over the smooth parts (above the windows and along the lower sides) to strengthen things and cover up some of the rougher joints, the footsteps (made more interesting as I'd got 10 sets from the Ashover kit parts but needed 12) and fitting the interior. This composed of the cabs (2 seats, dashboard with controls from Airfix Drewery shunter kits along with a panel of dials from the same source and break standards from the Dunbdas WD Bogies), partitions to give a '1st' and '2nd' class compartments with vestibule between and lavatory at the 'inner' ends (partly to disguise the raised pivots) and making some form of headlights (axle boxes from the sideframes of a Knightwing diesel kit!) A hectic few hours then ensued painting all of this interior and fitting glazing.
The roofs had been started the night before by strapping some 10 thou. plastcard to a 4" plastic pipe with a bandage, placing this in boiling water for 10 minutes and them plunging this into a sink full of cold water. This was cut, fitted and painted, and the paint was (just about) dry when I took this photo of the finished railcar...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4904/45903348614_7a992c1da3_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2cWjEi5)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7901/39662664683_078be50dd8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/23qRwog)
Here are the 3 units separated...
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7824/46627585111_df6a6258b3_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2e3jyze)
and from the underside.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7859/46627578151_6bf1121450_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2e3jwve)
Due to the time constratints there are a few things that I would have liked to have done that I couldn't, like a two-tone livery (broad yellow stripe along the sides at window level turning into 'speed whiskers' on the cabs) and some lettering ("Nechelles Government Railway", A and B ends and maybe a name), and I've not been able to put in or on the sort of detail I normally would, along with a crew (driver, second man / guard and maybe an 'attendant' or 2) and some well-heeled passengers who can afford the supplement for the deluxe railcar service. However, having got the thing to a point at which it was a viable entry I can always re-vist at a later date and go to town with the fine detail (and with the roof off take some photos of the interior I spent so much time on - and maybe fit some lighting so it can be seen! ::))