Robert Shrives

Well a bit of progress. After umpteen fill and sand cycles now painted in a gloss light grey. I could perhaps add some archer rivets along the top of windows but most pictures they can be barely seen. The join between cab end and door looks better in flesh and will have had rails over. Quite a bit more to do but to me seemed a good leap / stumble forward.

Spoils continue but no pics, jumping back a bit to the Beet wagons I was able from MIR get some bits and pieces last week, along with a restock on kadees. Today as day off between extra shifts has seen a bit of progress: Robert Roche created 3D print of the 4 wheel rebody beet wagon. Resin 45 foot and a 20 foot container chassis - resin NQPs from Ian, boiling water to soften and fix twists and bends. Bogie flat on a pair of Bachmann bogies and kadees fitted. Will need to sort handbrakes and vacc cross shafts as middle is a bit bare, cast buffers and vac pipe from SSM . All in all about 4 hours work over last two days to this stage. The 20 foot took more work as twist and axle box bearing supports all a mess. I ended up with a 1mm plastic floor having cut out and thinned resin to take MJT W iron frets - this has 3 point suspension so should road hold well. Plasticard mounts and kadee fitted. Derailment shot ! showing weights, MJTs and coupling mounts. Buffer housings recylced from the Tank wagons, need to sort heads, brake gear - on both 4 wheelers. But a fun couple of hours. This will get one of the Oil containers shown a while back. Finally, Thanks again to Robert Roche, Mayer and SSM on here, plus Kadee and Peters spares for couplings and wheels . The first of 4 beet bogies now done - others on bench to have Kadees added. I think this is the first completed wagon of 2021.

: //www.hattons.co.uk/stocklistdatabase/154522/mistral_27_01_b001_type_1_ballast_wagon_sncf/stockdetail.aspx Hi, Spotted this the other day , looks really like the NIR beasts , but of course HO - so does anybody have one or three ? and how do they compare to 4mm - Fear they will look much to small compared - time for an HO MV? Robert

IRM or ? will naturally release RTR / made easy 21mm track as your model is featured in a magazine! Robert .

Given few alive who would have ridden in these ! I guess it gives all the pregrouping short train modellers options in making a good stab of a representation , much like the Hattons originated models but the duplication/competition/ splitting the small non profitable market size does seem commercially very strange given the time and place., looking into the fish bowl. At least it will give varations and given the Highland Railway was unable or loathe to replace then these two sources give a good basis of modifications - and I would think enterprising modellers will be able to adapt for Irish lines as well. An acceptable compromise ? But when some suggest the drivers moustache is out of period when a steam loco lands with a fantastic paint job and lovely motion I do wonder how you can please us fickle perfectionists - even if the gauge is wrong and its made of plastic !! ho hum. I guess it does link well with the NRM LNWR loco projects.

Adam has advised that the malnourished Intercity will be redone shortly. Range covers a control car and suburban variants long with catering and genny - which will need some work on a donor of course . Suited best to vehicles with black roof or need to paint donor - but at least its one colour and easily done.

https://www.facebook.com/108205092546125/photos/a.186402504726383/4076042622428999/ A look up for those wanting to create a train .

To lovely to paint ! Thanks for showing build . I hope you have good fun running it on layout.

I have to agree with Mayner on the volumes of active folk in 21mm and thoughts of issues with trying to provide more than modelling aids - if rtr provides the opportunity then that is the best that can be hoped for in the foresseable future. An increase will be provided if trackage is reasonably easy to provide a working system - even if not every esoteric formation is made. 3D resin printing could indeed help with production but as I have said before it makes it no cheaper just different. Long may the 21 mm band grow and continue to showcase all that is best for the hobby.

Lovely work and contrary to the muse that gentle curves add realism- when the prototype laid out with a human Mk1 eyeball as straight as this it works very well. I am looking forward to the day when power is on. Keep up the good work!

FWIW I have asked Paul martin at Edm trains for a 21mm gauge back to back set - 19.3 mm to see what he can make - current guess was aruond £15 mark.. just now on Rm web asked Wayne Kinney about 21mm gauge point bases for code 75 BH rail. His new and almost ready to go to market is based on a 3d printed flexible resin base with chairs printed - user has to put in rails but as in his N gauge models almost shake the box technology and worth watching. Using with C&L parts to make on plain track 21mm is much nearer. Wayne could perhaps produce trackbases in 21mm by same take and so the user just has to thread rail - an as long as not building all of Mayos lines or a scale length Belfast - Dublin line not three onerous . two pics of N points from a few years ago before blades filed to shape The N version has a cast frog/ crossing nose for ease of building. It is sat on a natty paxolin jig for filing and cutting blades and joining on to a tiebar. The OO / 4mm version looks to have a moulded tiebar. Lets hope Wayne will be able to bring to market 21mm turnouts and perhaps more complex arrangements later. Robert

Very topical scenery as well ! that does look a lovely model and nice to the stabaliser rails for units to lean on as well! Robert

Not too offtopic is to look at what Wayne at Finescale N has done with milled plastic bases https://www.britishfinescale.com/. They are not quite shake the box as a bit of filing and soldering required. "blowing up "to a 21 mm base and using C&L glueable chairs, rail and crossing components would offer a road forward. But still not an answer to those diffident with traditional skills of soldering and filing. Robert

Si 2020, Yes aware of cost levels from another avenue for tooling works involved in other projects in model railway land. Hence why a lottery win essential . How to make a fortune in football - start off with a big fortune ! Robert

Hi Thanks , I think making a half track gauge is important to get spacing right as it is the glue- mekpak has helped weld "key" into rail web so it is quite strong as is with only a few loose sleepers. Given EM soc funded some track development for their members I wonder if IRM had the time- and money of course to get peco excited in the future for a 21mm bullhead range or perhaps a flat bottom light weight range. I guess a lottery win would help at this time!

two more pics , chairs were 4CH101A coded - 3 bolt chairs and I got a pack of 250. I would have thought a point kit https://www.clfinescale.co.uk/online-store/4PK-POINT-KITS-ALL-SIZES-4-MM-SELECT-FROM-OO-EM-P4-p128200474, would be suitable for adaption but certainly worth correspondence with C&L - I think a lot of folk buy a kit to try and then just the crossing nose as a made up section and do all the rest themselves. and the tiddly small chairs and a couple of ply sleepers in close up

Hi Just dug out my efforts on a trial bit of 21mm At a Derby Roundhouse show a few years back I was able to chat with the boss of C&L who noted no point in 21mm gauges as market far to small but why not get p4 gauges and use washers - so that is what I did, along with rails ,sleepers chairs I have built a 60 foot panel. So I bought: added washers or added rail chairs and ended up with Make a good PW inspector shut the job I am sure but with out making a track jig it proved very easy to get this far - ok points and that sort of thing a step up. But I was imagineeering a diorama with 21 mm track in foreground and perhaps a bufferstop and then 16.5 behind at a lower level - so the eye reads wide track and carries over to the rear stock being photoed . Hope this encourages.

1m 16sec of time travel to a better time ! The farmer is proud of his new tractor - seen several times now and lovely shine even in winter with the loaded beets. thanks for sharing this slice of a past era. The 121 at home now an looks the part. Robert

Hi No harm and thanks for time to reply with standards - it is a similar exercising of minds in the 3mm Society a broad church with 12 - 14.2 and a little 15mm for Irish prototypes , with 12mm have three standards active... I think it is good to see folk discussing and moving toward 21 as it reflects the upping of the rolling stock available. I think I might struggle rewheeling a lima bogie from "narrow" with a good number of MK2bs repainted a bridge too far for me. cheers Robert.

Mayer had said back in per a snip from link above Posted September 25, 2018 (edited) I thought it would be useful to apply the EMGS standard to Irish 5'3" gauge to help people weight up the pros and cons of modelling in 21mm gauge and to make an objective comparison between working to P4 or to EM/OO fine wheel and treads .... Interestingly I had no problems running locos and stock with EM/OO finescale wheels set at 19.5mm back to back through the pointwork on the Loughrea layout, though it was necessary to reduce the back to backs on wagons fitted with older wheels with a coarser profile to 19.3mm which correlates with the EM standard. hope that helps Robert

Back to larger trucks. The UTA spoils got a look over and while thinking about drilling the holes I found I was drilling them - seemed zillions but done and then a bit of cutting and glueing and 40 buffers were done. The pics show 6 hours work. lots to do as to this phase bound to be quicker than adding all the bracing and brakes - 80 shoe castings to sort and drill, mount - joy! A big thank you to Leslie at PW for these little wonders . Showing the sharp flash free front faces, handrails , foot bars and chains to add... close up of buffers and the design with offset onesided shute . The under hopper void is home to a brake cylinder and a forest of supports . and looking the other way. Now for a piece of festive cake..

Very lucky the only cuts were behind the front pillars and shortening the roof . The natural panel lines helped in cuts and filing - managed to cut green roof 1mm short so a spot of filler required. For anybody else on this road - if you take care and cut the front off but leave a good section of the floor by not cutting straight across you get a "landing" for the chassis to screw too. The other totally selfinflicted error was I got one side wrong handed and had to cut about and start again. This has left oneside weaker than it need to be.. a real case of haste and speed. At least the metal roof and end adds to weight. Off to try a bit of filler.

Yes Where I was going but then spotted 547s black end which seemed a godsend!

One bit of good news is that Peters spares have wheels back in stock - 10.5 wagon wheels for SSM bogies coded PS33 and are lovely items . Also the PS34 coach wheels with lima axle length back in stock and give a super drop in wheel replacement. Peter emailed on Crimbo eve so orders in straightaway, just before putting sprouts on ! Bang goes the overtime from the Crimbo eve shift worked..12 hour railway shambles at its best !!

A bit late joining but great work and I also had bits of pacer body lounging about . However the efe leyland national metal body provided the donnor ends and roof, along with the pod cut out of the roof. I fitted a plasticard back to the metal end allowing a plasticard box to be formed but used the Loctite "Extreme glue" branded glue - seems a flexible gel supper glue as well. Phots show the "progress" so far - amazing what you can do getting sprouts on early !! Needless to say not neat as Dhu Varrens, some filler required and the roofs not a perfect fit- more haste less speed sadly. Chassis - well have to think about that and have chopped up the bus seats to make a rough inside. Cab pics seem to suggest the Leyland windows kept out the draught and driver had an inner desk and screen inside the curved end sections. Pics are massive enlargements and show misalignements but in the "flesh" as long as you shut your eyes and look the other way pass muster - a bit of a 5/10 must try harder - but lets see what a dose of filler can tidy away.