7mm Scratchbuilding A Large Diesel.........

alcazar

alcazar

Guest
In fact, the Brush prototype, "Falcon".:)

Having failed miserably in getting ANYONE interested in doing such a model either in kit form or RTR in 7mm, I shall have a go at scratch building the thing. I already have a full set of dimensioned drawings, courtesy of Brush themselves.

I am, at present, looking into getting the grilles, window surrounds etc etched, and would welcome advice in this: who? where? and how ( I can do good drawings, but not CAD...)?

But tonight's question is this:
what material should I use for the body? Brass with the many openings hand cut? Brass with the many openings etched out?
Or plasticard with the many openings cut out by hand, and the many stregthening ribs added as per prototype?

And should I make the body in one and bend it, or make it in pieces, roof and sides, and attach them by glue, solder etc?

I am determined to do this and have already ordered the name and works plates to spur me on.

Any advice gratefully received, thanks in advance.
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
If you can cope with the curves around the nose and cab area then brass... otherwise layers of plastic card.

Either way you are probably going to have to cut out the openings.
 
28ten

28ten

Guv'nor
Personally I wouldnt want to hand cut the openings in either brass or plasticard, but if you do choose the hand cut route then plasticard would be easier. working by hand seperate sides would be the way to go, Falcon is quite boxy which makes it easier.
You will need to find an etcher that accepts hand drawn artwork, not sure who does now.
Have you thought about the drive train? fold up etched bogies?
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
I would be thinking plasticard too :thumbs:.........PRMRP could possibly supply bogie etches & sideframes .
 
JimG

JimG

Western Thunderer
I would agree with Adrian - I think I would go for nickel silver sheet and possibly thicker gauges at the ends so that the rounded corners can be filed. I just dug out my Marsden and Fenn book on main Line diesels to remind myself of what the Falcon looked like, :) and it is quite a square box with the cab roofs being about the only areas with complex curves. I note that all the openings seem to be covered with mesh rather than vents, so sourcing a suitable mesh would solve that problem and would also show the bodywork struts behind.

Jim.
 
28ten

28ten

Guv'nor
I wouldnt want to cut that lot by hand in n/s :eek:, but then im rubbish at that sort of thing:))
 
alcazar

alcazar

Guest
Yes, the cabs are very 47-ish. But different in quite a few ways. A 47 cab just wouldn't do without a lot of modification.

At the moment I'm thinking of doing the body and MAYBE the roof in plasticard with nickel silver etched grilles etc.
The cab would have to be scratch built out of the same plasticard, with the window surrounds and maybe the indicator panel etched.
I would do an inner box of 80 thou, with 20 thou laminated on top for the features. Inner structural pieces would be 80 thou too, base would be two layers of 80 thou laminated. The 80 thou inner box could have the cutouts done more roughly. Roof would be 20 or 40 thou, heated slightly to bend it.

Whilst the loco LOOKS boxy, the roof is compound curved and the cabs will be a nightmare to get right.

I MAY be able to get some moulds made and resin cast the cabs from one decent master At least both will then be the same. I'm looking for advice on how to make a master that you can mould from, without there being undercuts etc to stop it releasing.
Anyone who has seen the cabs that David Parkins does for some of his models will see just what CAN be done.

As for the bogies: I am thinking of casting the side-frames in three pieces like the prototype, except in white metal, or resin.The front and rear stretchers would be done the same, or scratch-built from brass etc.
The inner bogie would be a simple fold-up, or fold-down box.

There are quite a few pieces available from MMP and PRMRP that would help me: brake gear, electrical connections, vac and air pipes, sanding gear, buffers etc. Falcon's bogies were almost the same as the class 31, except longer wheelbase and Co-Co, not A1A-A1A. Springing and design were very similar.
 
alcazar

alcazar

Guest
Out of curiosity were the bogies anything like the ones on Kestrel?
Click to expand...

No, Falcon's were like the Brush class 31, except a longer wheelbase and Co-Co, not A1A-A1A.

However, braking and sanding arrangements were VERY similar, so bits available for those look like being useful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
What's New?
Top