009 modeller at sea

[tedp]

Waterside pubs must have satisfied a certain demand when the canals were mainstream traffic routes. Obviously the demand is still there nowadays...

The way to control a boat going astern is to give short bursts of slow ahead with the rudder hard over.

Regarding that crane of yours, don't forget to add swing-out support arms!

Back on topic, here are a few photos of the brake gear fitted to the Colin Ashby wagons.







Note that the wagon shown is braked only on one wheel like the other C&DR mineral wagons excepting one or two that have full four-wheel braking using a centre brake bracket. I went with the norm regarding simple narrow gauge mineral wagons and cut off the centre V bracket from the solebars, substituting the extra one from the brake gear sprue and off-setting it to the left. The long brake handle then was glued to it and the solebar, going across the spring of the other wheelset. The single brake block from the sprue goes next to one wheel, taking care to leave it revolving freely.

You can see the lead ballast under the wagon, which is three narrow strips about 5mm wide. The thickness of the lead means it goes below the solebars but not enough to obstruct a normal viewing angle. As a shaft I glued a piece of insulated wire to the back of the handle and under the lead strip, and fitted a siny sliver of microstrip behind the single brake block. The crank which should be on the shaft has been dispensed with. Simple, isn't it?

[Tigger]

Trust me - canal waterside pubs still satisfy a MASSIVE demand!  Especially in summer!

I think you've neatly described how we eventually got the boats to go in the approximate direction!  I was ok manoeuvering the things and winding them but a straight line backwards??

Very nice work on the wagons, Ted - makes me wish I'd used these instead of scratch building my three coal wagons!

As for the crane, it has a counter-balance weight which I've now fitted with a helical screw and a winding handle so hopefully there's no need for outriggers!  We'll find out the first time we attempt to collect a log from the other side of the fence!

[MickT]

As for the crane, it has a counter-balance weight which I've now fitted with a helical screw and a winding handle so hopefully there's no need for outriggers!  We'll find out the first time we attempt to collect a log from the other side of the fence!

Appreciate a photo of any mods you do please David as one of these is on my own PW dept stock requirements list and I know "not a lot" about crane principles etc. However.......... I would think that 2ft 3in gauge is a wee bit narrow as a balancing fulcrum on its own between jib (correct term?) and counter-balance weight, so perhaps either swing-out outriggers or outriggers that pull out laterally would still be necessary wouldn't they?

Sorry Ted, just realised that this is thread-drift! To get back on to topic, the undersides of the wagons are looking good and thanks for the clear photos of your brake fittings, which have always been a bit of a black art to me!

A quick query on the coupling fittings. The horizontal arm of the fixed couplings appear to be flush with the bottom of the wagon headstock - is this a lucky coincidence or did you have to do some subtle filing down of the headstock?

Mick

[tedp]

It was a lucky coincidence. When I fit sprung couplings I need to file a notch into the buffer beam to enable them to lift.

[Tigger]

Appreciate a photo of any mods you do please David as one of these is on my own PW dept stock requirements list and I know "not a lot" about crane principles etc. Mick

Check out last year's thread on Llanmynach's New Crane, in the Rolling Stock section.

[MickT]

Thanks David - I missed that one, very clever mods. I've now got a Minitrains crane on my shopping list!

Back to being "All At Sea"

Mick

[Tigger]

Glad to help, Mick.

It's since been painted and weathered a bit but I've stalled now that it comes to the chains and slings and etc.  The match wagon has a box for shackles and eyebolts and a frame for hanging the chain and rope slings.  Trouble is, I know how they're SUPPOSED to look so I really want to get as close to that as possible.  I'm not satisfied with just draping a bit of chain over the frame!  Trying to represent a one-ton, four-leg chain sling in 4mm is damned fiddly!

[tedp]

Just to update this thread with the latest developments, I have now used the new coal wagons in their unpainted state to run a few coal trains. I found they were too light and easily upset by coupling or uncoupling actions (which I do by hand). Comparing them with the older wagons built on N gauge chassis I found they were about 2/3 of the weight. So this afternoon I added more lead under the floor until they were only slightly lighter than the others. It does look a bit rough from below but at normal viewing angles you won't see a thing.



I just pushed a 17-wagon train up the entire line using two engines and all went well. A few of the fixed couplings prove to be slightly out of line but then I change the wagons round and all is well.

The timetable needs only a few changes as I can run most of the coal trains as a balanced service - a loaded one going down and an empty one going up, crossing at Rae Bridge. The two trains actually make coal working much more interesting. I now run a 12-wagon train with the Garratt and a 10-wagon train behind a smaller engine, with a few remaining wagons at present on the branch but eventually in general service.

Here is a photo of the new train in service behind the T&D Hunslet.

[tedp]

Tonight I ran a few coal trains, having made up two rakes of 12 wagons from the Colin Ashby kits and the old scratchbuilt ones on Lima chassis. Their sizes are roughly similar. I added a few coal loads from the Roco hoppers I formerly used on the coal service. These are too small, but good enough to make the picture.

Here are a few photos of trains crossing at Rae Bridge.







Note the two open carriages on the up train. These are being used as miners' carriages and regularly run in coal trains. The two 'big' engines have now been assigned to the coal workings as originally intended.

[tedp]

Yesterday I had a go at painting the rake of Colin Ashby wagons. I started by covering the running gear and couplings of all the wagons with aluminium foil, to prevent any spray paint from getting at the wheels and couplings. The couplings need to be free of paint for smooth working, and the metal surface of the wheels should be kept clean.

I then sprayed the wagon bodies dark grey using a spray can (Tamiya TS-4, German grey). The spray covered most of the bodies completely, some parts only in a kind of mist.

After letting it dry, I removed the aluminium and, watching TV with one eye, I had a go at the running gear. First, the lead ballast and any white or light grey plastic was painted matt black. Then I mixed black and red/brown to a kind of undercarriage dirt colour and painted the solebars, brake handles and axleguards. Any body parts not hit by the spray (accidentally blanked by the aluminium foil) was touched up with a very similar grey colour.

This is only the base treatment. I will continue picking out some planks in different colours and weathering the wagons.

Photos:

Folding the aluminium foil around the couplings, keeping it clear of the buffer beams as much as I can:



Crumpling the foil loosely around the axleguards and solebars to protect the wheels. Any overspray on the solebars doesn't matter as these will later be painted anyway. Note the plastic which is very uneven in colour - they must have re-used some styrene scrap when moulding the kits.



Shortly after spraying the bodies grey. Note the aluminium foil which probably blanked some of the buffer beam surface. This has to be touched up later:



A few wagons on the hardboard working sheet I use, showing the single brake block to one side, the grey base coat of the wagon body and the undercarriage coat which has some red in it although it doesn't show in the photos. Note the lead ballast under the inverted wagon, with a piece of wire glued to it for the shaft of the brake handle:



Finally an unkind close-up of a wagon, showing the scarred surface of the plastic (which will do very well for a battered mineral wagon), the excellent body detail, and the single brake block, brake lever and push rod to the block. Obviously the wagon still needs weathering, but it does look rather better already than before.

[tedp]

This weekend I completed the coal wagons, except for new loads to be made still, by adding paper strip lettering and weathering the entire rake. The lettering was applied in the same way as used for the loco coal wagon, the difference being that it had been printed on a laser printer at least 10 years ago. It shows as the grey of the background is actually made up of tiny black lines.

I fitted the lettering strips in the same style as applied to the scratchbuilt rake made years ago. Numbers overlap with those of the Roco hoppers as these have been taken out of service by the colliery. The strips have been varnished on the rear, then cut out and fixed with varnish, and again varnished all over.

The wagons were then treated to various weathering methods. In view of the size of the rake I had to use a simple approach.

I distressed a few planks and painted the damage in an earth colour, suggesting dirty unpainted wood. Some planks were treated with the same colour, suggesting the use of unpainted planks as a temporary repair. Two wagons were left unweathered and painted a darker hue of grey to suggest wagons recently out of the shops. Some parts of the wagon bodies were picked out in a different sort of grey. I touched up some of the ironwork with dark red/brown to suggest rust. Finally, all interiors and most of the wagons' exteriors were washed with black acrylic dissolved in water, with a drop of washing up liquid added to improve the flow into all kinds of corners.

Here are some results. Some coal wagons on the jetty at Dunalistair, with temporary coal loads:



Two wagons in a rake of empties on the main line outside Dunalistair. The left hand one has a white patch on the buffer beam indicating a fixed coupling. I'm afraid the paper patches are a bit obvious in this close-up shot.



One of the two wagons left unweathered, with new paint and only the interior stained.



A very tired looking specimen with 'bite marks' on the top edge and rusty patches on the ironwork.



Temporary coal loads in place. These are too small and will be replaced with loads incorporaring a piece of iron to facilitate removing. Note one plank replaced on the right hand wagon.



Finally, a new wagon next to one of the scratchbuilt ones at the colliery. The size is almost identical, except for the heavy wooden frame on the old wagon making it slightly taller. The weathering on the old wagon is less effective than on the new one.

[tedp]

Time to revive this old thread.

At the end of June we sailed on a voyage which would take over a month. We first turned north to the naval port of Den Helder, then came down the coast to our southwestern province of Zeeland. During the voyage, I had a modelling box with me, and when the weather turned nasty, I took out the box and did some modelling. I reported on this in the NGRM forum. For those who aren't on NGRM, I will write a condensed version here to share the work with you.



Early July we spent a rainy day tied up in what used to be an old seaport - Brouwershaven which used to be one of the home ports of the Dutch East India company. After sleeping late, we explored the town, visiting a beautiful old church and the local museum with a host of maritime history - ship models, old charts and paintings.

After returning from a wet walk, it was a good moment to take out the modelling box and do something about those styrene kits that had been staring me in the face. Here is what I did shortly before dinner:



I built the chassis of the first of three Society kits of a Tralee & Dingle cattle van.



Further progress would be subject to sailing days and the weather, but at least it broke the modelling block that plagued me for months!

Here is the boat, that same evening when the rain finally ceased.



The following morning it was blowing a merry NW 7 with a gale warning 8 for Flushing and the Hook later, so we were stuck there. The previous evening we watched a movie on the tiny laptop and meanwhile I completed most of the cattle truck. One of the axlebox covers went walkabout as it fled from the tweezers, so that must have ended up in the bilge somewhere. A scrap of styrene replaced it.



The boat, even sheltered in harbour, was shuddering under the onslaught of the weather, so we had to be content with a walk, followed by more modelling. That night we were in a pub watching the Dutch team play Argentina - who still remembers the World Championship?

The completed van in the background is a regular Parkside Dundas T&D van which I took along as a reference.



As I wrote this on board we were safely tied up with the gale whistling over our head. Although the boat was lurching about drunkenly, I decided to try and fit the couplings to the cattle truck. Note the styrene base constructed under the buffer beams for this type of coupler pocket.



I used the T&D van I took along as a reference. Not having any track with me, I fixed the couplings temporarily with contact glue, to set them more precisely when we'd return home.



The main things left to do were fitting the bars into the apertures at the top of the sides, and putting on a basic coat of paint.

[tedp]

We were stuck in the same place for a few days, sheltering against a summer storm. As I wrote before, even in harbour we rolled due to the wind pushing us around. Here is the cattle wagon, with brass bars installed, next to its older companion. The cattle vans are 1-2mm taller than the standard T&D vans. Note the tweezers inserted between the wheels, otherwise they would start to roll off the table.



There was enough time to build even a second cattle truck:



Then the weather seemed to be slowly improving, so we planned to continue our trip south, delaying further modelling. Before we sailed, I completed the second vehicle with side bars and couplings. Note the coupling supports glued under the headstock - they are adapted to the particular type of N gauge coupling I have set aside for this series of vehicles.



After we sailed, we had a remarkable encounter just after setting sail. A so-called 'close encounter of the third kind'? It's not something you often see or even have a chance to photograph. It has nothing to do with 009 modelling, but I don't hesitate to show a photo here.



There were two or possibly three porpoises alongside the boat, coming up for air, noisily sucking in air and diving. Each time shortly before surfacing you'd see a track of bubbles under water as they breathed out.

It would be several days before I was able to continue modelling, during which we sailed to Antwerp and back. More later.

[tedp]

Several days on, we were at anchor in one of our favourite spots, a sheltered bend in a tidal creek that gives you a wonderfully quiet time.



Since the weather was very good that day, after the usual swimming and walking on the dried out sandbanks, I wanted to do some modelling, this time on the cockpit table, with that wonderful view.



In 45 minutes of fading daylight I built the vehicle body and most of the chassis.



And here is the string of three cattle vans, balanced on the cockpit table, with the waters of the creek behind.



Soon it was almost dark, the anchor light lit and the wind faded away. After checking the anchor, I retreated inside with a book and a dram.  ;)

[DeadHorse]

Why do you need a light on your anchor? Surely it will be on the end of the rope thingy when you want to find it again? :-)