Elmham Market in EM

[James Spooner]

Well, had an enjoyable weekend on the Isle of Wight. Ate too much good food but also saw this…



As well as catching a view of PS Waverley steaming past the Needles…



Back home this afternoon and this evening I managed to finish detailing the second side as well as getting both sides and ends soldered together. I am still trying to figure out what happened under the underframe but, despite several requests for help, have so far drawn a blank on how many air/gas cylinders there were and also how the Westinghouse brake was rigged up. Any suggestions would be gratefully received!! Current state of play shown below.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

Railway modelling seems to have been on the back burner a little bit of late. A business trip to Dallas and a few days driving on my beloved Ffestiniog has eaten into available modelling time (as has enjoyment of the Indian summer we seem to be benefiting from in these parts) although I am hoping that as the autumn progresses I will be able to make better progress. A bit of an interim report then. I have got the driving trailer to the point where it can be primed and painted. However, building work (kitchen extension) is making the house generally rather dusty, so I have made an executive decision to crack on with the non driving trailer instead and then paint them both together. I have this evening put together two standard GER bogies from my stock of 3D printed resin kits made by FK3D and added on brake rods from 0.3mm brass wire etc. Underframe next and then measure the amount of plasticard padding to get the ride height right. Some photos attached.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

After a weekend of being inspired by visits to Retford and Buckingham, two iconic models but in very different ways (and many thanks to Tony Gee and Sandra Orpen for being such excellent hosts), I have got back to my workbench with renewed vigour!

This evening has been spent working on the underframe and solebars for the non driving trailer. Good progress, although not put together in the right order (I seem to be missing the instructions for the underframe but eventually dug out some old ones from another D&S GER carriage kit, which put me right). The solebars and top steps are made and fitted to the underframe base. Photo attached.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

A bit more progress this evening. I have fitted the pads under the underframe to space the bogies and then fettled the whole arrangement with some plasticard strips to raise the assembly to the correct height. One bogie is supported across the width of the pad and the other just around the pivot in order to provide some form of three point support and allow for track imperfections. Tomorrow should be bufferbeams, buffers and general underpinnings.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

More slow progress this evening. Footboards fettled and fitted both sides, struts for the brake pull rods also fitted and the dynamo. One battery box also made up and fitted. Not as much progress as I had hoped but still a step in the right direction. Tomorrow I hope to make up the other battery box and the buffer beams/buffer bases. Photo attached.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

After a bit of a hiatus to attend the launch of the Ffestiniog’s brand new double Fairlie, James Spooner (and incidentally in the process meeting his great great great grandson, Nigel Spooner), followed by some family time both in Wales and Ireland, I am back at my workbench again. I have finished the underframe details, including a semi educated guess at the braking arrangements, and added on the buffer overlays as well as the buffer stocks. Just the vacuum pipe and steam heat pipe to add each side of the solebars and it is on to the body. It feels like I am entering the home straight on this project! Photos attached…

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

When I looked carefully at the photo I posted a couple of days ago I realised I hadn’t made up or fitted the queen posts and underframe trusses… So, my next task was to glue in the said posts and make up the truss rods. These were bent from 0.5mm wire with 5mm of electric wire sheath pulled on to act as a representation of the turnbuckle. The 1mm and 0.7mm wires to run along the solebars were then shaped and fitted.

I then briefly went back to the driving trailer to solder in the fixing points to hold the body to the chassis. My next task was to form the plasticard roof as Dan Pinnock had run out when he agreed to pull enough bits together to enable me to make these carriages up. I used an old wooden carriage roof generously provided by fellow NW Surrey EM group member, Gerry Bixley (provenance of the roof unknown but possibly BSL or even early Ratio), cut 20 thou plasticard to size and strapped it to the wooden former. It was then immersed in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. It will need a bit of tidying up but I think I can work with it, gluing some formers underneath.

Definitely on to the non driving trailer body now…

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

Not as much progress this weekend as I had hoped. Interior decorating, dog walking and other family activities prevented that but some activity this evening meant I have now formed the tumblehome on one side and both ends (inner and outer sheets). I also soldered the two layers of the ends together with solder paste and my gas soldering iron (to get quick heat to all parts of the ends at once). I do find the sizzle of the solder paste running through the join very satisfying (sad or what!).

The side posed a bit of a puzzle for a while as the instructions clearly stated there was a tab at the top of the side which needs to be folded over 90 degrees to provide additional rigidity. Eventually I found it sitting in the box separate from the side. I think that is one consequence of buying the kit twenty years after Dan stopped making them. To be honest it is a very small price to pay to be able to make the kit up and I managed to carefully solder the tab into place, so no harm was done.

Tomorrow the other side…

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

Well actually this evening there has been a brief diversion into some very East Anglian byways (and to be honest I’m not sure how I can justify them on Elmham Market, or even Stratford St James). I have just taken delivery of a pair of ex W&U bogie tram coaches from Rapido. After spending much of the evening in a village committee meeting I returned and felt the need to see how complex it would be to convert them to EM. Fifteen minutes later I have got one bogie converted using the d fashioned time honoured method of pushing the wheels out on the axles. The other bogie will have to wait until later in the week and then I’ll test the carriage through the pointwork to see if that bodge is sufficient or whether I’ll need to rewheel. If the bodge does work I will need to superglue the wheels onto the axles as one wheel on each axle is less firmly fixed than I would like. If it doesn’t, then it’s into the bin with all of the axles and I’ll put in an order with Colin Seymour for a bunch of Alan Gibson 10.5mm disc wheels. The brake blocks needed some shaving away to allow for the broader gauge but the quite detailed brake rodding was sufficiently flexible to allow the wheelsets to be pulled out and pushed back in. A couple of photos attached; the first showing the underside with one bogie regauged (the right hand one) and the other one still in 00. The second shows the carriage balanced (well one end anywhat) on the EM track. It is an exquisite model…

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

Back to the non driving trailer body this evening. Lots of 0.33mm wire bent, cut and soldered in place. I have now started adding the droplight/door hinge etches (well, the first one is in anyway!). More detailing tomorrow I hope.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

More time away for work has limited my modelling this week but last night I grabbed a few minutes to finish the conversion of the W&U carriage to EM. Having checked the back to backs I superglued the wheels to the axles (they are solid metal wheels with a plastic top hat bush fitted to a pin point axle stepped to provide a stop for 00 gauge but not much help for EM). I shaved the insides of the brake blocks, removed the tension lock couplings and fitted the extra brake pipe details and air cylinders. I have now run it through the points and track on Elmham Market and, whilst the flanges aren’t as fine as, say, Gibson wheels, they seem to run through the crossings without any issue. I just need to think of a justification to run it now!! Possibly squeeze in another twig off a branch in the attic?

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

With family visits a Ffestiniog end of season crew meeting and just stuff happening, not much modelling this weekend but this evening I have managed to fit the rest of the droplight window frames/top two hinges for the doors so some progress.

I also managed to get out to Elmham Market and cleaned the track after a summer of neglect as well as sorted one or two failed solder joints on point motors, so not a totally wasted weekend!

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

A solid, if unspectacular, evening on the non driving trailer side. All of the detail I am going to solder on, is now on. This evening that meant eight bottom door hinges and eight door handles. The L shaped support to fit on to the bottom of the side was then cut to allow it to fit around the hinges and soldered on. I will add the cast whitemetal door ventilators when I have soldered the sides and ends together. The attached photos show the (hopefully) neat outside and the considerably less tidy inside!



It’s now on to the last remaining side of this build. I have managed to form the tumblehome, folded over the top 90 degree support and have soldered the fillet behind it to hold it all in place.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

Over the last couple of evenings I have been making progress with the final side of this push pull set. Window bars, grab rails, drop lights and top two hinges for each door are all now made up and soldered in place. Compartment stock like this has an awful lot of detailing which is pretty time consuming for a slow modeller like myself. I have become a regular listener to Classic FM as a way of keeping some sort of karma as another mis-shaped grab rail snaps and is consigned to the bin… Photo of the current progress is shown below (part completed side is the lower one).

Nigel

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Over the last couple of evenings I have been making progress with the final side of this push pull set. Window bars, grab rails, drop lights and top two hinges for each door are all now made up and soldered in place. Compartment stock like this has an awful lot of detailing which is pretty time consuming for a slow modeller like myself. I have become a regular listener to Classic FM as a way of keeping some sort of karma as another mis-shaped grab rail snaps and is consigned to the bin… Photo of the current progress is shown below (part completed side is the lower one).

Nigel


View attachment 201468

Hello Nigel
I hear you on the handrail horrors. You’ve got one of these Etched Brass Bill Bedford Handrail Bending Jig For Kit Built OO EM P4 | eBay ?

Cheers

Jan

 

[James Spooner]

Hello Nigel
I hear you on the handrail horrors. You’ve got one of these Etched Brass Bill Bedford Handrail Bending Jig For Kit Built OO EM P4 | eBay ?

Cheers

Jan

Hello Jan,

No I haven’t but I think I ought to! They look pretty useful. The only snag with the ex GER carriage handrails is that they are not straight up and down but have a lateral bend in them at the top. I have now become quite adept at doing a 90 degree bend, then grasping the top in a pair of small pliers and folding a curve around them. The tool you pointed to would really help with getting the right consistent length though!

thanks!

Nigel

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Hello Jan,

No I haven’t but I think I ought to! They look pretty useful. The only snag with the ex GER carriage handrails is that they are not straight up and down but have a lateral bend in them at the top. I have now become quite adept at doing a 90 degree bend, then grasping the top in a pair of small pliers and folding a curve around them. The tool you pointed to would really help with getting the right consistent length though!

thanks!

Nigel

Hi Nigel,
Ah… I use it for wagons; they aren’t so devious I know some companies went for a very circuitous approach to door handles. Another reason I don’t ‘do’ coaches!

Cheers

Jan

 

[James Spooner]

Over the last couple of evenings I have managed to finish the solder work on both sides and one end. One end and one side have now been soldered together so tomorrow it is finishing the details on the remaining end and soldering both ends to both sides to get the body ready to fit to the chassis and glue on the ventilators. Photos attached.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

A bit of a milestone has just been achieved. I now have a fully soldered up body for the non driving trailer. Next to go on are the castings for the door ventilators but they will have to wait until I have finished cooking the Sunday roast.

Nigel

 

[James Spooner]

A bit of a one step forward and one step back yesterday evening. D&S carriage kits are generally designed with a couple of floor braces each with two holes for screwing down to the underframe. I fitted those last night and filed down the tabs for a flush fit. Screwed the body to the chassis but now the screws foul the extra layers of plasticard I added to the bogies to get the ride height right. In trying to cut the plasticard off I snapped a couple of details off. I felt it was probably best to give it a break and regroup this evening with a less damaging way of sorting out the ride height (as well as a repair strategy!). A couple of photos are attached.

Nigel