No progress due to a pressing engagement

There has been no progress since my last entry due to what is happening in the follow two weeks... more on which can be found here. Preparation, training and planning have taken up much of my spare time.

I'm off on my 'holidays'........ two weeks of which are concerned with the Coast to Coast walk, plus a third week, to spend time with my partner. Well if I'm truthful, and if I'm able to complete the walk, more as a week to recover. So I apologise in advance for lack of postings on this blog for at least a month. Thereafter I'll have to get stuck in and focus a little on this project and the six wagons for Leatherhead.

Ahh.... but I will have to fit in a little ceremony the week before Leatherhead..... No pressure then....

Another first for a new boy

Soldering white metal kits may not be difficult for some but for a new boy like myself it is a daunting prospect. Having read many tales of white metal kits being destroyed by soldering irons I was reluctant to have a go myself. Then on the other hand I read that soldering white metal kits is the best option.... So 'have a go' I thought, 'I must', but the question was on what?



I'd previously used super-glue to fix the brass brake safety loops in place onto the white metal brake castings. This was a little fiddly due to the super-glue taking a little while to go off. So I thought I'd try my hand at soldering the safety loops. Thinking if I make a hash of it I've only lost a small, easily replaced, component in a brake gear casting.



So equipping myself with what I think is the right gear: Antex White Metal Master soldering Iron; Carr's yellow flux; and Carr's 70 solder, I got stuck in.



And the results are......

Not over tidy but I'm pleased with them....

This was an easy task with an instant result and no disasters that has given me some confidence to go a little further. It is going to take me a little while to sum up the courage to tackle a white metal loco kit but a white metal wagon kit could be a good stepping stone...... Another small hurdle crossed.

Parkside PC21 - BR 16T Mineral wagon (B594749?)

Construction is almost complete on my first 16t mineral wagon with the addition of axle boxes and brake gear.





The above shows the addition of standard BR split axle boxes from 51L, with springs from MJT. I have adapted Fore Most Models 2 shoe brake gear with Bill Bedford's Brake Safety loops and added 0.6mm brass wire between the V hangers. Adding the Brake levers will finish the fitting of the main components. Then it's some final bits of titivation, adding corner strengthening gussets, door stops, fitting solebar brackets and couplings. It might then be the first of the six ready for the paint shop.........

Wiring Stage 1

For a simple layout it's taken me a couple of evenings just to get the track dropper wires plumbed in.....



There are still the point motors to be connected, auto coupling solenoids to be installed, along with the baseboard to baseboard connectors. It's also about time I firmed up my thoughts as to how to build and where to site the control panel! The wiring will need a little bit of a tidy, I'd better leave this until my wiring is proven....... but I'm happy with the progress so far.

Parkside PC27 Slope sided mineral wagon

Yesterday evening I spent a few moments wondering how to construct this kit. It looked a little more complex than the previous Dia. 1/108, 1/109 wagons. The sides are in two sections and have to be put together with an angle that matches a couple of supports that will be applied to the sides later in the construction. Also the floor does not fit flush to the outside edges of the ends with the sides recessed in from the ends. I was a little confused as to how to fix the floor to the ends, keeping it all square, then fix the sides on at the correct angle all in one go. After much thought, then running out of fingers and hands in many dry runs, the photo below shows my solution.....


After cutting off the buffers, in readiness for the sprung buffers, I realised that I could support the ends with two angle plates. Then after a little work with a file and some gentle encouragement I managed to position the floor in the centre of the ends.

Gluing the bottom side sections was easy, but the top sections needed a lot of work with a file to encourage them to fix snugly but...... hopefully...... I've captured the correct alignment and angle for the sides.


There is some filling to be done to mask the joint on the sides between the top and bottom sections. I think this should be attempted before installing the stanchions each side of the door.

My initial thought for this wagon is to try and replicate the one shown on page 6 of David Larkin's Pre-Nationalisation Freight Wagons on British Railways. As much as I like the condition of this wagon, I especially like the fact that it has spoked wheels.

Armchair Challenge (Part 4)

A brief update to report a little progress on the initial six wagons for the Scalefour Society's Challenge. The current state of affairs at the close of play this evening is shown below.........six 16 ton mineral wagons all in different stages of construction.

Two Parkside standard Dia. 1/108 with W irons attached can be seen at the back. Top left is an old Airfix kit Dia. 1/108 with a replacement floor fitted. On the left is a Cambrian Models LNER 16 ton mineral wagon. In the centre is a Parkside Dia. 1/109 riveted wagon. Scattered across the cutting mat is the next victim under the knife, a Parkside's slope sided wagon.

When the six bodies are completed I'll get back to the under-frames, hopefully plucking up courage to have a go at Exactoscale's chassis kit.

At last - Track laying finished

I received a parcel last week from a very kind member of the China Clay Branchlines Yahoo Group that contained a number of P4 track items. One package in the parcel contained slide chairs which are something I've been lacking. This spurred me on to try and complete the track to a point where I can start installing the wiring. Bringing the layout down into the living room over the weekend enabled me to work on a couple of bits that were a little difficult to get to where I normally have the layout erected.

And here it is ........


......at last, track laying finished...... and I hear you say "It's about b****y time as well". I can't believe it has taken me nine months just to build three points and about three yards of track......

During the last few months I've noticed that a few people paint the baseboards before laying track, wiring etc. Is this to help seal the wood from absorbing any dampness: from glues used in track-laying; scenic treatments; and/or from any damp storage conditions that the layout might experience? I'm starting to think it might be a good idea to paint the baseboards, even if it's only to tidy the layout up a little. So, a little late in the construction, I'll aim to dig out some white undercoat from the garage next weekend and give the boards a quick brushing........ Then it's time to get to grips with putting power to the track.