Swap Or Sell

Quick post here. Thought I would give you guys first go at this. I have a Bergs Brass Z26 that I no longer want. I bought this when I first gained interest in NSWGR modelling but as I now have changed my interest to Muswellbrook I no longer need it.(they never ran into Muswellbrook) Thought that it would be better where it can be used.
When I bought it, it was in Mint factory painted condition (I ussume they factory painted these as it was Bloody good) It had never been run. All I have done was added weathering, Brass numbers etc and test run a couple times around a friends layout. Runs perfect. I have the original box as well.
Ultimately I would love to swap it for a Traxx 30T with a bogie tender. Would need to be in similar condition, unpainted would be fine. I am however happy to sell it. $800. I have seen these sell for about this. See pics below.
Email me if you are interested. iphemist@dodo.com.au.

Cheers

Ian

LFX Continues

Over the last week I have been working hard on dogbox no.1 spending just a couple hours each night when I get home from work. In the last post I managed to finish off the bogie's, however after posting I was contacted by Mike McCormack about the bogie headstocks. I have been in contact with Mike several times during the construction process and he has been a huge help and great inspiration. Great after sales service. As I had changed my mind about the couplings I will use, I assembled the bogie's with the headstock's suited for the KD boxes with what was supplied in the kit. They dip down in the centre to clear the KD. Mike was kind enough to send me the correct plain headstock's for use with the screw type couplings as per the prototype.  He also included some small delrin sleeves so as the buffers can be sprung, an important addition when using hook draw gear (more on this later). I have yet to swap these over. For those who are considering one or two of these kits, might be an idea to think about this before you order. Mike will supply the kit to suit.

                I then started work on the Body. The body sides are just superb. The scale 2” tongue and groove siding is just beautiful. To achieve the correct appearance for the droplight windows a separate etch for the window frames are provided. The droplight frames are painted before separating from the fret and after they have been fixed in position, there will be a clean, sharp definition between the Venetian/Tuscan Red frames and the Russet window band. They can be modelled in open or closed position as well for extra character. The sides have been machined as matched sets and must not be mixed up. Very minimal clean up is needed.  One of the things that make these kits so good is the several assembly jigs that are supplied with the kit. The use of these makes assembly so easy and so far have found the kit to go together easier than say an AR Kits wagon. The below images show the jig used to align the internal WC walls to the body sides. The jig slips nicely into the WC window, then wall sections can be glued into position either side of the jig.

 



The completed body showing internal compartments



Take note of the detailed seats and door details. The seat cushions are profiled to the right shape as well. Simply amazing!

Once the body is assembled there are a couple of small details that need to be constructed. One of these is the switch lever on the end of the car. The switch lever and brackets are made from a brass etch and in order to produce a scale 1” square section two separate etches of the lever arms need to be soldered together. This was perhaps the fiddliest of all the construction but care and patience will produce superb results. A spare lever is provided if one stuffs it up. Included is another jig to aid in filing the edges after soldering. I have chemically blackened these ready for installation after the body is painted. The roof is held in place by three brass screws that come up through the closed section of the WC compartment making it easy to access the interior of the car for further detailing after assembly. Also look at the detail of the end roof cornice.



Switch box and lever.




This is the other end of the car with the steps in place. The roof is just sitting in place for the photo and is not yet screwed right down.



Now onto the underframe. Most urethane kits struggle to produce correct step boards and have them cast into the underframe. These kits require the complete assembly of the step boards by using brass castings for the brackets and nickel silver strip for the boards themselves. There is also a small etch for the step treads that are applied after it’s all soldered together. The underfloor is first pinned to yet another Timber Jig that has been machined with a recess down the middle. The step board brackets have a small spigot on the bottom that slot into holes in the sole bar. These holes are drilled out through into the timber jig. Once all the holes are drilled the underframe is removed from the jig revealing all the holes correctly spaced for the step board brackets on the timber. All the brackets are now inserted into the holes in the timber and down onto the step boards. Once they have all been soldered together you simply remove the step board assembly from the timber jig. All the spigot holes will line up perfectly in the underframe. In the next few days I will tackle the rest of the underfloor detail of the underframe.



Cast brass stepboard brackets mounted in the assembly jig. One side has been soldered.




All brackets in place ready for soldering.

 




Here are the stepboard assemblies ready to be installed to the under frame.

 

Below are the shots of the completed Body. Still need to add the roof vents and WC filler caps.

That's all for now. 

Ian

Moving House!

Last Week I decided to pack it all up and move house! It’s the end. But where there is an end there is a new beginning. Yep I have finally moved into my long awaited railway room. I packed up all my modelling table and railway gear and moved it down stairs away from the hands of my 4 year old!

Before I could actually move in I had to erect some new benches for the modelling table. I really wanted a custom laminex bench like a kitchen but when I got the quote back I nearly fell over. It was $900 dollars for a 4.8m x 750mm laminex bench. Just ridiculous. I was hoping to have the bench the same distance out from the wall as the layout bench work under Muswellbrook yard. I could mount a fluoro light behind the lower level fascia to light the bench. While at Bunning’s I found some 2.4m x 600mm laminex bench tops for a hundred bucks. A bargain I recon. OK so they are probably not the quality of proper Laminex but the price was right. The 600mm width proved an issue but was willing to work something out so, I headed home with two.

In order to make sure I have the bench at the right height I proceeded to mark on the wall the roadbed height for each of the two layout levels along with the bench height that will be underneath. I marked these at each of the wall stud locations that I have previously marked on the floor before the gyprock was installed. I soon found a major flaw in my design. With the lower level bench at 1100mm from the floor and my work bench at a normal 750mm, it only left me 300mm to work under when I allow the 50mm for the fascia. I tend to work on the front half of the bench but I think I would hit my head on the fascia. Because I am so greedy and want just about every bit of the wall room as layout it leaves me no other place to put the bench. I came up with a silly idea to mount each of the two benches on sliding drawer runners. Another trip to Bunning’s. This is the result.



If you look carefully you can see the layout height marks on the back wall.



These runners will handle 25kg each and will slide out 450mm. I allowed three for each of the 2.4 bench tops. I also added at the back of the bench a timber wall to stop stuff being accidentally pushed off the back. Once the layout is built I can simply slide out the bench when I need to do some modelling. I can still mount the fluoro in under the lower level bench work behind the fascia to light the work area. When not in use it can be slid under the bench work and covered with layout curtain out of sight. I have also made the bench 150mm off the wall. This brings the front of the bench level with the front of the layout.

I am slowly sorting out all the bits and pieces into small containers and labelled so they are easy located. I still need to make up something for all my small tools so they too are easy accessible.

I also needed a place for all my unbuilt kits, new stuff, Boxes and generally anything I want to hide from the missus, I needed some cupboards. Back to Bunning’s......I’m glad it’s only 5 minutes away. I bought one of their flat pack kitchen cupboard units. 800mm wide, 900 high, 400 deep.  Just a $120. Fits the bill nicely. I will actually end up getting a couple more of these as I progress.

On the modelling front, once the table was set up I got straight back to work. The 57 has come to a screeching Halt. I was able to get it running with the decoder but soon found that the K class decoder has a distinct fourth chuff beat even though I have the 6 lobe cam disk. I emailed Gerry Hopkins who advised to use a logging decoder as it has a three cylinder chuff for shays etc. Just need to wait till it turns up.

Late last year I bought two of Michael McCormack’s LFX Dogbox Kits. I have had a brainwave that I might get in and get these built for the Epping Exhibition in June as I will be helping a mate exhibit his Layout. Probably a long shot but will give it a go. Yep, starting another project before finishing others. I decided to start with the bogie's. It’s quite intimidating when you open the box of one of these kits as there are probably more parts in these kits than in my Mini cooper S! You soon realise what you are paying for. There are many hand crafted and truly mouth wateringly superb urethane and brass castings along with several very fine etches, one of which are for the 2SB Bogie's. The kits also come with very detailed instructions on CD. Every single step of construction is detailed with precise instructions and tips along with a photograph for each step. The instructions alone at first glance can be quite daunting. However as I assembled each of the two bogie's I found that together with these detailed instructions and simply perfect castings and etches they fell together with no problem and actually quite easy, just a little fiddly. After 15 hours here is the result.

I asked Mike at the Sydney show last year if there was anything out of place or incorrect with these kits and he assured me they are close to perfect. I believe him. I still have a few small details to add. I have also built these to suit Hook draw gear. (They can be built for KD Couplers). They are that good they deserve the right couplings!  Going to start on the body next.

If any of you guys want some simply superior hand crafted models forget about the price and get onto Mike and order a couple. You will be amazed at these fine Models. Gee I wonder if I get a commission for the advertising!

I have also been doing a little more for our AndIan models projects. The final etches turned up during the week for 40 or so each of our two and three lever frames. The instructions have been written and we are waiting on the styrene for the concrete platform. We hope to have these ready during April and will have some with me at the Brisbane show if anyone wants some. We still need to do some final work for the compensators etc. They will follow shortly after.

On the bottom of the etch we added the first sample of our four wheel water gin underframe. These tanks were mounted on a 10’ wheelbase steel S wagon underframe. There were a number of variations to these underframes. Of the visible variations, the most obvious is the number of gussets above the spring shackles, which vary from a single T shaped Gusset to two or three simple plate gussets. In addition, some underframes were strengthened by adding a plate under the solebar. The kit will cater for double gusset variety, with the option of building it with or without the strengthening plate. Other variations which are not covered in this kit are the W-irons, some underframe’s having rounded corners, detail differences in brake gear and of course different pattern wheels. The etch at this stage is for just the underframe as we will possibly have these available as a separate item and could be used under another project later on.  A separate etch will be done for the Water gin components. I can honestly say that the sample looks fabulous. It has all the cross members, braces etc. along with all the brake shoe and rigging detail. There are a few small issues but you getting the general idea.

The BLV is pretty much ready to be cast. The new underframe is back from the printers and it too after priming will be ready to cast. Hope to have these for Epping. AndIan Models will have a small stand and will have LWW’s, Lever frames and BLV’s available. Very exciting. I will have another AndIan Models bulletin for those who are on the email list in the coming weeks.

That’s all for now.

Ian

  

Project 57

Just a short post here. An update on the 57. Going great gunns. Actually I've been charging along so well I have not even taken any progress pics. I have now all the body complete and married up to the chassis. I have tested the chassis with DC power and is running very well. I will take it to a mates for Running in before I strip it down and do the decoder install.
During construction I have allowed for working front and rear markers using 0.5mm firbre optics and LED's hidden behind the smoke box door. Much easier to install these when you are building the Loco.  I also added a cam chuff disk from soundtraxx whitch I modified. I used a 12 lobe cam disk and filed away 6 of the lobes leaving 6 chuff lobes. Should sound pretty close to a 57. I will use the good old D&RGW K class decoder mounted in the coal turret of the tender allowing me to make a huge speaker box with 28mm High bass speaker.
So, now that the 57 is finished and ready for paint and we've had some shitty weather so I cant move forward with this, I decided to move onto another Job. I have put together another one of our LWW well wagons for a customer. It too is ready for paint. See photos below.



Both photos taken on a mates layout.



Thats all till next time.

Ian

Better late than never!

So once again I am a bit late in posting up some news. I decided that I should pull the finger out and post something up. I have divided this entry into three month sections which explain what I did each month.

December:

I installed all the battens for the gyp rock ceiling of the outside roof section of the room along with the battens for top and bottom on both sides of the bearers on the section under the house. This was a tedious job as all the screws had to be drilled into 4mm thick steel beams. I also needed to pack out the top of the large ‘C’ section beam that runs the length of the room, along with a packer on the underside. This along with the smaller bearers is done so as the gyp rock sheets can be fixed to them to ‘box’ them in and hide the ugly beams, bolts etc.

                I also had the sparky run all the wiring for the room. I have arranged all the power points, with exception to one double point, to be switch on/off by one master switch near the front door. This allows all the layout components to be plugged in and left switched on. Flicking the master switch at the door turns the entire Layout off. Might save leaving the soldering Iron running as well. I have added power points that are also switched at the door for the layout lights. These will be wired to the layout lighting when I get to that stage. I have strategically placed these behind each of the valences on the end walls. I have set these up so as the top level and bottom level can be switched individually depending on what section of the layout I am working on. I have also split the layout lighting down the middle of the room. Left and right, Top and Bottom. Saves having all the lights running when they are not needed. In addition to all these I will have some room lights. Probably fluorescent down lights. Mainly need these while building the layout until the layout lights are installed.

Mate Graham came down to help install all the Gyp rock sheeting. Gee the 6m lengths took some lifting into place. I am having a plasterer make up pre fabricated boxes for the beams. He will also do all the setting and finishing of the walls. So it’s really starting to look like a room now.

January:

The gyp rock man came and set all the walls and ceilings during the Christmas period. Father In-law has been busy slapping on a couple coats of paint and is really looking good. I have been busy fitting the skirting boards around the floors. I will not be fitting architraves around the windows or doors, this way I don’t have to build around them when I construct the bench work, and the windows will be filled in anyway.

On the modelling front for December and January I managed to borrow a fast tracks double slip Jig for some point work in Muswellbrook yard. This is made for Code 70 and has turned out quite nicely. I managed to make from the Jig a single slip and Diamond crossing for the eastern end of Muswellbrook yard, along with a Double slip for the western end (See the track plan below). Although the double slip is not prototypical for the western end it will save a great deal of space and allow for more important features of the yard to be maintained.  I may have mentioned in an earlier posting that I am not going to be pedantic about building accurate NSW track work for the lower level but do want reliability and accuracy. I want to be able to see trains running in this lifetime so am happy to use the jigs for the point work. I have a NSWGR jig for all the standard points. I will save all the fine detailed track work for the branch line on the top level.

Between finishing off jobs for people, I have also been working on my Ian Lindsay Models ‘Loaf O Bread’ EHO. Pretty much assembled out of the box with addition of a few extra details. I fitted brass electric markers that I drilled and installed 0.5mm fibre optics. Also added are brake shoes and safety chains on the bogie's. I painted it in the Deep Indian red colours with the thin buff line across the top under the roof cornice. The lining turned out really nice and fine. A little weathering and its starting to look good. Just a few more details to add and it will be ready for service.

I have also destroyed a Powerline MHO.  After stripping all the candy paint in Metho, I removed all the horribly over sized handrails with a flat blade knife and drilled holes ready for much finer 0.010” brass ones. The roof section also received some chopping up, removing all the clear window glass from the sides. I filed off the moulded on roof vents and applied my Canvas roof as per my FS/BS car mods and installed roof vent castings. The body was then primed and repainted Deep Indian red. I lined the car with the Tubular lining pen. The thin top line turned out Ok, but thought that the thicker lower line ended up a little thick. Hopefully the weathering will tone it down. I chemically blackened all the pre fabricated handrails and fitted these to the pre drilled holes, aaaaarrrrr much better!

I kept the underfloor but removed all the details from the underside. I did a rough measure up of both the EHO and VHO at the Dorrigo Railway Museum. I fitted a couple of centre beams from styrene U channel along with some cross braces to mount the battery boxes, brake cylinder etc. I also removed the oversized Truss rods and posts. I fabricated correctly tapered brass ones hand filed in the dremel. I soldered on brass rings from a Kieran Ryan S wagon brake detail etch to replicate the big nuts that hold the truss rods to the cross bracing and post. New truss rods and braces are brass wire flattened with a hammer and punch and drilled to accept the posts.  I did buy an ILM underfloor detail kit but didn’t end up using it. I used the details from my unwanted Trainorama LHO.......Long story! Also from the LHO I decided to use the Bogie's. This gave me the benefit of utilizing the power pickup for lights. After modifying them so they would roll, I fitted the bogie safety chains then fitted them to the new underframe. Still a fair bit to do yet but looking much better that the standard candy (YUCK) MHO.

 February:

The inside of the train room is now finished. I was given some old carpet from a mate just as a temporary measure until I get some of the layout built. I am going to have made a laminex bench top to go along under Muswellbrook yard........At one end of the long wall. I can then move the modelling table from upstairs away from the four year olds hands. Yes, it’s already starting to fill up with stuff! Still more finishing off outside before I can arrange a final inspection from council.

I got in the mood to start a DJH 57 for a mate. I was given a 36 in return. I do a couple hours each night when I get home from work. Seems to help me wind down from work. I have managed to assemble the tender which is now pretty much finished. I am going to fit working markers and a sound chip and will need to prepare holes for the decoder and speaker wire before I can paint it.

I have now started on the chassis. I had machined up a jig for setting out the axles and side rods. It’s basically ‘U’ channel aluminium screwed to a 1” square steel block that has been milled and paste ground perfectly flat and level. The jig ensures all the wheels will touch the track and side rods are correctly spaced. And yes they were out slightly. Elongating the bearing holes ever so slightly allows the axle to be moved to the correct location. Along with the channel is a set of four dummy axles which have a 1mm spigot on each end that the side rods can be attached. I firstly set the rear axles into the chassis soldering the axle bushes to the frame. I then temporarily inserted the other bearings and dummy axles into the frame and sat the frame on top of the channel. With slight downward pressure on the chassis you can check to see if all the axles are rubbing on the channel. I carefully filed out the bearing holes where needed to raise or lower the axle so as the axles rested on the channel. I then started from the back driving wheel attaching the side rods to see if the spigots are centred in the side rods holes. As it turned out, the front two axles needed moving back about 0.015”. After a little more filing I had all the axles perfectly located in the chassis. I was then able to solder the remaining bushes to the chassis.

So in between all the above I still needed to do some work for our AndIan Models projects.  We have done a couple more etchings, mainly samples. We have now finalised the etches for our two and three lever lever frames and will soon go into the production stage. These are ever so slightly larger in a couple areas than the originals we had done. Mainly to make them a little less fragile. The two lever frame also works! I can see a slow motion machine being hooked to one…….The mind boggles. The roding chair has also had its problems fixed and will be ready with the frames.

 

 

The BLV is also progressing slowly. After a couple bad 3D prototype samples we are now happy with our master. I have fitted all the brass details to one of the bad masters to see where all the bits will go. These will be attached to the master before the casting process saving you guys mountains of work! Again it’s starting to look very good.

Unfortunately no news on the turret tender project. We are still waiting for the brass castings. I hope to have another bulletin when we have the frames ready for sale.

Ok so that’s where I am up to.

Till next time.

Cheers

Ian