No.5726 – Primed, Numbered, Allocated

No.5726 finally gets her numbers! They’ve been in the project box since last May so it was quite a moment finally putting them in place.  I thought I was 99% there with No.5726, but boy does the macro lens show up a lot …. I’m happy though, this has been a fantastic starter project in detailing, its been quite a journey since March 2014…! Credit to George Dent, Paul Marshall-Potter, Mikkel and Iain Rice for the inspiration to first take a scalpel to 7739.

Since the last entry on No.5726 quite a few jobs have been finished, firstly priming with a Halford’s black rattle can after masking up using the method detailed by PMP on Albion Yard.  The finish the primer leaves is great, flat black and looks like it gives some protection too.  Unfortunately as I peeled the maskol away, the route/power indicator decals came off.  Something else to add to the list!

Next up was fitting the etched plates, early emblem and shed code all from Modelmasters.  Seeing Tom Fosters lovely results with No.4645, I also went for Pacific Models smoke box plates.

Once the primer was on a few more last minute detailing ideas came to mind.  Fitting the porthole windows from the Mainly Trains etch reminded me a photo of No.7792 / L.94 I’d taken at Tyseley last year.  The spectacle windows were open, a nice feature.  Two other smaller details to note – the steam heating cock and chain; and the pet pipe draped out of the cab.

The steam heating assembly is made of a mix of types of wire, scrap brass etch, romford wound brass vacuum pipes and a 3D printed steam heating cock.  It was winding the wire to make the retaining chain that gave me the idea for the pet pipe, the pipe used to wash down the cab and dampen down dust in the coal bunker.  For this I wrapped 40swg copper wire around some 24swg wire.

Jobs still to do – varnish the decals, real coal, screw link coupling for the rear, steam heating cock and pipe for the rear buffer beam, left tank filler lid handle missing, paint the whistles with brass paint. Then weather… then… build the High Level Chassis and get No.5726 into the world of P4! That’s a job slated for Missenden in the Spring.

Full set of the build is here on Flickr – https://www.flickr.c…57641881239955/

A few notes on the open spectacle windows which I’ve forgot to mention as it was so long ago!  I used a tapered reamer to remove the moulded window rim, then opened the window up just enough to slot in brass spectacle window from the Mainly Trains etch.  Glue’n’Glaze was used beforehand.

Dukedog variations – Sandboxes

A number of the Dukedog’s had above footplate sandboxes as determined by the frames of the donating Bulldog.  No.9000 and No.9005 will feature in the Works, both of which had this particular trait.  There is also another slight variation, No.9000 and No.9005 had their pull rods above the filler lids, whereas 9008 had them running along side the sandboxes, in between the wheel splashers and springs (it’s quite hard to make out, but here is a picture courtesy of the GWSR)

This evenings task was seeing how the 3D printed sandboxes for 9000 and 9005 would fit.  I’ve had to tweak them a few times to deal with the slight lip on running plate near the rear wheel splashers.  First job though was to remove the front sandbox lids from the running plate.  These are part of the metal chassis and were not going to budge with a knife, so I threaded a piecing saw blade between the boiler and the running plate in order to cut them away.

First complication was that the front grab rails needed removing in order to get a decent cut.  These are also metal and quite hard to remove cleanly, in fact I only successfully pulled one, with the other three snapping off and leaving the peg in the chassis.  After taking off the sandbox lids I redrilled these ready for fitting replacements.

The sandboxes ping off their build supports really easily, but they do need a little cleaning up with a knife or needle file to ensure a flush fit.  The build support penetration can be configured, in this case it was set to 25 microns, so if you remove the supports carefully they just need a quick once over with a file.

I’ve experimented with what angle to build them at quite a bit, the best detail being printing them in the normal orientation, but this does mean the base of them is rather uneven – this is due to the resin dripping away and some of it curing.  I’m sure that can be resolved, once I replace the layer of silicone in the printer I should get even sharper prints.  But for the time being I’ve rotated the prints 45 degrees which gives best of both worlds.

On the top of the sandboxes I’d added the short spigots for the pull rods to connect to, more as a test if anything to see if the printer would cope with them. It did, but in practice they are useless, there is nothing for the pull rod to attach to and its too fine a point for glue.  These were clipped off and 0.4mm handrail wire used instead, allowing the brass strip pull rods to be soldered to the handrail wire.

With that done the next jobs were to bring No.9000 up to the same basic detailed level of No.9018 – replace all the buffer beam fittings, add the ATC electrical conduit etc.  The top feed also needed fixing and the pipework modifying, all tasks which involve a fair bit of handling and not ideal after just fixing the sandbox pull rods!  Next time round I’ll put them on last as the pull rod connection to the spigots is quite delicate.

Dukedog variations part II – No.9000

Tonight’s detailing has been some tentative steps with a revisited top feed design for the Bachmann Dukedog.  It’s still not 100% right but I’ve made a start anyway, by fitting the pipework temporarily I can get some idea of anything else that needs adjusting.

No.9000 has a couple of detailing tasks, the top feed and the next post will be on the sandboxes.  For the top feed I started out with some 24 swg (0.559mm) copper wire, taped to the boiler with some Tamiya masking tape to get the right shape.

With the wire tacked in place it can then bent to shape, with a pair of 16 BA washers added to represent the pipe join before it dips behind the wheel splasher.  I’ve cut the tape here in about a 3mm wide strip, thinking that this could be a good way of simulating the thin metal sheet that covered the pipework from the top feed to just before the bend in the pipe.

With the top feed temporarily fitted with Tacky Wax it can then all be jiggled around until it looks somewhere near right.  I had to make 2 slight cuts in the Tamiya tape to get it to bend around the shape of the boiler, as well as the wire.  I’m not sure its worked too well, though once I come to fit it permanently some super glue will help it mould to the shape of the boiler and the wire.  I think bend in the pipework where it runs back towards the cab needs to be lower as well.

That’s it for the first entry on 9000, the next post will be fitting the top feed permanently and fitting the sandboxes and pull rods.

Dukedog variations part I – No.9018

With 5726 waiting on some final bits (smokebox number and shed plate) I thought I’d make a start on the trio of Dukedog’s that will feature in the works.  At this stage its detailing I’m concentrating on, converting them to P4 will be a challenge for later when I’ve developed some better skills…! There is a well documented process to convert a Dukedog to EM on Alan Gibson’s website, hopefully this could be a good starting point.

The 3 Dukedog’s will give some opportunity to model some of the slight variations between the class members as detailed by Russ Elliott on the GWR Modelling website.  Another great source is Railway Bylines Vol 16 issues 2 and 3 (Jan & Feb).  Both have 14 page or so articles on the life of the Dukedogs and some great photos. For the works I’ve selected first in class No.9000, No.9004 and No.9018, all 89C:

9000 (great reference photos at Dovey Junction, Aberystwyth and Machynlleth)

• Sandboxes above the footplate (determined by the particular donating Bulldog frame)
• Top feed
• No whistle shield
• Small Dean/Churchward tender
• Fluted rods
• Lamp iron on smokebox door
• Black background number

9004 (On shed at Portmadoc, in store at Wellington)

• Top Feed
• Short whistle shield
• Fluted rods
• Lamp iron on smokebox door
• Red background number

9018 (On freight at Aberdovey, not long till the end, Oswestry)

• Parallel buffers
• Tall whistle shield
• Red background number
• Fish belly rods
• Faded GWR shirtbutton motif on tender

Other options in the future might be 9005, 9014, 9017… can you tell I like Dukedogs… 🙂  Looking at the works registers for the period I’ll be modelling, there are plenty to chose from.

9018 spent it’s last days in store out on ‘the batter’ siding at Oswestry.   Along with 9017 and 9004, these were the last of the Dukedog’s to see service in 1960.  I’d picked up a cheap Bachmann GWR Dukedog from Ebay with various parts broken or missing – the perfecting starting point for 9018 as most of the stuff which was missing I was planning to replace anyway!

First up are the buffers, I’ve used Alan Gibson parallel Collett versions.  I can’t say how easy or hard it was to get the original ones off – they weren’t on there in the first place! The remains of the old buffers are part of the chassis casting, so these were filed down slightly before fitting the replacements.

Next was the electrical conduit for the ATC equipment – a small pipe routed through the cab front, down through and then along the running plate to the ATC kit under the front buffer beam.  This was a pretty straightforward task with some 0.4mm hand rail wire and some holes drilled in the cab front and the running plate.  Photos from a trip to the Bluebell to see 9017 in store helped with this.

Next step, though probably a little early considering what else there is to do, was to fit the fine whistle and mounting bracket.  I’d printed this a few days ago after a couple of days of fine tuning the B9 Creator settings.  This is the finest detail I’ve got so far, though amazingly there is still some room for improvement looking at what others are achieving!   It’s fitted to a Comet Model’s long shield, part of the LS74 GWR detailing etch.

That’s it for 9018 now until a few orders come in next week – I’m waiting on cabside numbers from 247 Developments and smokebox numbers from Pacific models. For 9000 and 9004 I’ve final samples of the 3D printed top feed and sandbox prints currently curing in the UV oven.  Both these designs needed some revisions as the first round of prints weren’t quite right.  The top feed was a pig to design, not having an diagrams to work from just photos, but I think I’ve got it somewhere near now.  Sandboxes are quite straight forward, there are 2 types, the more common type with the pull rods running along the top, and a less common variation with pull rods running along side the sandbox.

Pannier Prevails

Sublime work from Tom Foster, I’ve been looking forward to seeing his skills applied to the GWR.

Evening all!
Well, 4645 is now finished.

I have weathered her, using the Brian Jones photograph from the cover of Book Law/Foxline’s ‘Bala Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog’ as my guide. The front numberplate was supplied by ‘Pacifc Models‘ and the rear tools were from ‘247 Developments’ (the bucket is a springside fire bucket). The lamp is temporary, Adam (AJC on Modellers United) is working on adding some thinner handles on a couple for me.

4645 is a somewhat special tank engine, as well as being a regular on the Branch in the late 1950’s, she along with sister loco 8791, worked the ‘Stephenson Society Special’ on Sunday 22nd January 1961, the last passenger train on the Bala-Blaenau Branch.

This has been a very rewarding project and has made me realise how much I like the 57XX tank engine, something I think that has always been at the back of…

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Pushing the envelope with a B9 resin mix

After what was in retrospect disappointing results with Spot HT – through my own ineptitude I must add, I went back to the tried and tested  1:1 mix of B9 Creator Red and Cherry resin.  This isn’t to say one is any better than the other, but with little life left in the layer of PDMS silicone before it needs replacement I didn’t have the leeway to experiment further with Spot HT.

This last batch of prints has been more experimentation with what level of detail is possible.  Second time round I reduced the size of the whistles and the steam heating cock to be a more prototypical size, even more challenging for the printer.  After quite a few false starts (left the projector lens cap on, build table not calibrated properly, not enough resin, ultrasonic died), I finally got a successful batch of prints of the highest detail so far.

This feels like uncharted territory because I’ve not wanted to let myself believe that it was capable of this kind of detail, until I’d seen it with my own eyes, coming out of my own printer.  I firstly revisited the design of the top feed for the Dukedog, the previous version not having a recess for the pipework.  This was designed to fit 20 swg copper wire, but the printed hole is slightly tight. It was a good exercise to see how well the resin could be worked with and the small hole could be opened up easily twiddling with a small drill bit.  This top feed will end up on 9014.

The whistles came out almost perfectly, considering that some of the detail in the design was under 0.25mm it would be impossible to see with out a macro lens or magnification.  Once cured these fine parts are quite robust, they aren’t indestructible but they did handle tweezers and finger tips, positioning them and trimming away traces of Tacky Wax under a magnifying glass!  It’s the detail presented on these that has really left me speechless.

GWR Standard whistles and mounting bracket 30 micron xyz print

The beauty of this resin is it’s use to complement traditional materials, in this case matching up the whistles and mount with a Comet whistle shield etch and two strands of 36 swg copper wire to represent the whistle pipework.  The whistle print stood up to the finicky task of glueing everything together well, with impatient tweezer nibs looming, third hands full, trying not to drown the details out in glue.  This is the kind of detail I was hoping to attain after a few abortive attempts last year.

So with that done I think I’m out of excuses as to why 5726 can’t be finally painted and have its correct numbers fitted!

Comet Whistle Shield Etch, 36 SWG copper wire and 3D printed whistle and bracket assembly

Experiments with Spot-HT Resin

Other B9 Creator users have had some impressive results usingSpot-HT resin, in particular for small highly detailed components.  The main difference with this resin to the proprietary B9 resins is that you cannot use it for casting, it is also much less viscous which should mean that it settles quicker.

I’d just about enough life left in the layer of PDMS for another print, so today I tested printing some detailing components using Spot-HT.   The test parts I’ve roughly drawn up in Sketchup, some will need a little more work depending on the results of the print.  The test pieces were:

• 4x Pannier tank rear steps
• 1x Top feed for 74xx
• 12x GWR Whistles pairs and mounting bracket
• 14x Steam heating hose cocks

First up, the steps have come out really well, with a thickness of 0.5mm they look just right.  The rivet detail has come out nicely but I will probably increase the size next time round.  There is some flash to remove from the edges of the steps, due to the positioning on the build table.  Another thing for next time is printing these small components on a sprue. They were a devil to get off the build table without damaging! That said, this material is pretty tough even before curing under UV light.

The whistles have lost quite a lot of their detail but I think this is down to the clouding of the PDMS.  However, the small nut on top of the whistles has printed really well, considering its 0.25mm wide its pretty amazing!   The steam heating hose cocks also look pretty good, with the addition of a turned brass pipe and handle made from 0.4mm handrail wire.  However both these items are slightly overscale, I’ll have to get the micrometer out next time and make them more accurate!

For now that’s it for printing.  I’m waiting on my spare vat to return from the USA as its being fitted with a replacement for PDMS called Nuvat, developed by Evert on the B9 Creator forum (details here).  This new material should last a lot longer than PDMS.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! What a wet and windy start it is here in Mid Wales.  Thankfully we’ve been making the most of the good weather in the last days of 2014, spending Monday at Llangollen for a first trip on the new extension to Corwen.  It was a beautiful clear blue sky day, very cold but the mulled wine and mince pies served en-route helped!  It’s also the first time I’ve seen 5199 in steam after seeing her in the works earlier in the year, paired up with a set of crimson and cream stock.   This was the perfect day to experience the line, the sun warming the south facing hillsides and the lee sides in hard frost.

I spent New Years Eve with friends in Rhayader and our last outing of the year was to walk part of the Mid Wales line north towards the remains of the Wye bridge and Marteg Halt.  I’ve only seen the track bed from the road before so it was interesting to see what was left of the line, if anything.  The biggest surprise was what I think is remains of a concrete distant signal post, about a mile north of Rhayader.  Some cast iron kissing/crossing gates were a few yards further up the line, along with a few piles of bricks from a demolished plate layers hut in the undergrowth.  Before we turned back we took a look at the remains of the old Wye bridge, the concrete stanchions still standing tall either side the river.

Today I’ve finished the replacement pipework on 5726.  For the injector overflow pipe I’ve used slightly smaller washers, reamed out to fit the copper wire as I think they look a little more to scale than my previous effort.  For the steam heating pipework I fancied having a go at creating the effect of cloth cladding so I’ve experimented with some surgical tape.  Micropore has a fibrous texture and I think might be just about fine enough to look something like the real thing.

The handrails have also been completed, using Markits short 1.6mm knobs, not Alan Gibson as I’d originally thought.  Final job now is the whistles and shield before painting finally!