Angus

Thanks David, In truth the 2 thou probably doesn't matter, I doubt any track I lay will be to that tolerance, temperature expansion and contraction alone would probably generate a greater error! However errors tend to compound, so I would sooner start from the "correct" point, at least it is another variable that is controlled and hopefully the final error will still give track that is workable. The mini mill is a Proxxon MF 70. I bought it from a store in Germany when the pound was particularly strong against the Euro (and we were still in the EU so didn't incur all the various add-on taxes). In truth I don't use it to its full potential but do find it useful to have around. I don't know how I would have created those cut-outs so neatly without it.

Over the Christmas break I managed a bit more time at the workbench. First up was a job I've been putting off for a while. A few years ago I bought a watchmakers lathe in need of a bit of TLC. Over time I've got it properly set up and working and have gradually invested in various parts (you can spend eye-watering sums on these if you are not careful!). All my turning to date has been done with hand gravers, and whilst I have produced some loco domes and chimneys in this manner it is a slow process and difficult to make repeatable, multiple components. I did invest in a cross-slide going (relatively) cheaply (also on need of some TLC) and whilst I'd got this working satisfactorily I couldn't find a tool holder that fitted. So, over the holidays I set too and turned and filed down one I had until it fitted, then with some shims found I could use some 3.5mm lath tools available commercially (this saves grinding your own, difficult when you don't possess a grinder!). For practice I turned up a couple of button gauges, these are useful to act as track gauges on curves (they push the track apart between roller gauges) they also assist in setting the crossing nose on points. My attempts are shown here. The ones at the back were turned using hand gravers, at the time I only had some very cheap Vernier callipers and managed to leave them way over-size rendering them quite useless. The ones on the foreground were turned using the cross slide and are much nicer, however one is just (0.05mm, 2 thou!) too thin so will need to be re-done. I'm quite happy for a first attempt though! I've also been addressing some of the short comings with the C Class body. The 3d print is missing the distinctive cut aways run back from the buffer beams and finishing under the drivers door. These are particular visible in the green paint schemes I am intending as these are coloured black and contrast against the green body sides (as seen in the photos below linked from Irishswissearnies's Flickr site) The areas that require removal are shown on the photo below. The return under the drivers door is curved so would be awkward to create with files. In the end I carefully set the body up in my mini-mill and used a 3mm milling bit to remove 0.5mm from the required area in stages so as not to over-stress the plastic body. I was pleasantly surprised how successful this was, I was half expecting to be left with some melted gunk only suitable for the bin! Whilst I was at it I also took out the notch on the underside of the buffer beam. The body is looking a lot more C Class like now although I still need to add the footplates at the front either side of the coupling (with lamp irons) and the thickening on the buffer beam that the coupling is mounted on. Then I need to start work on the Chassis and grills etc.

Agreed Mayner, a very inspirational picture, with masses of period detail. I love the font on the Terminus Hotel! Thanks for posting the link Ernie and hope you are on the mend!

Thanks JHB, I was trying to work the logic but that explains why I couldn't find any!

A question about the C lass livery if I may JHB? The light green line around the body only appears on some photos of the class. Was it a later addition added to all the class or were just a few turned out in such a manner with rest plain green? Love the steamers though!

Looking forward to watching this one develop Galteemore.

Hi Galteemore, the roof in the picture was the third attempt. In the first I didn't get the roof section square enough so the rivets wandered of the edge at the extremity from the starting point. On the second I realised cutting the roof to size then applying the rivets was a pain in ar£e as I had to keep remounting the roof in the cross-slide making it really hard to keep everything in line. For the final, successful attempt I cut the roof (squarely) on three sides with a waste section on the forth to enable mounting the roof in the cross-slide. All the rivets were then applied from the one fixture and the excess brass cut off later All part of the learning curve. Thankfully this time my learning curve wasn't flat!

Agree about the rivet press Galteemore. It's a great piece of kit and a pleasure to use. I just wish mine was as shiney. I made the mistake of leaving it in a damp garage for a few months so it quickly became covered in a coating of rust that took some cleaning!

A while ago I was gifted a 3D printed C Class body. I've always liked these little diesels and found them very charismatic so I've been contemplating what to do with it. I've bought a Tomix chassis which is dimensionally close to the prototype dimensions, the bogie wheelbase is correct but the bogie centres are 2mm (a scale foot) to close together. That's a compromise I can live with. I still need to fit the correct diameter wheels to finescale standards and widen the gauge to 10.5mm from standard N. The body looks to be an old print, I'm not sure what the material is as it is tough and flexible rather than usual hard and brittle product from the likes of Shapeways. it certainly is not a modern resin print! It does suffer from striation in the print, which given the smooth sided appearance of the real things needs work. Looking closely at the body the details are quite naïve and also in need of improvement. I was struggling to find detail shots of the locos, particularly in original Crossley engined format which is the version I want to model, there are plenty of 3/4 photos in the stunning Irish scenery but roof shots in particular are hard to come by. There is a drawing widely available but not the most detailed: So I was struggling a bit until I found this little gem: This clearly shows some great detail on the roof and some interesting comparisons between the pre and post engine conversion body detail. The drawing above for example appears to have the post conversion roof vents but with the earlier sized radiator grills and fan housing. I had never appreciated the difference in size of the fan! I decided to bite the bullet and remove all the detailing from the body (barring the marker lights). This made sanding the body back to a smooth surface relatively easy. A couple of evenings measuring up the various detailed photos got me a set of dimensions that check out against the various sources so reconstruction could begin. First task has been to recreated the roof panels from a single piece of 10 thou brass sheet. This is the first time I've used the cross slide on my GWR rivet press in anger, but I'm pleased with the result. The rivet impressions are probably a bit oversize, but again a compromise I can live with, I've also drilled out the lifting eyes, fan housing and exhausts. These can be fitted once the roof panel is attached to the body. I just need to roll the roof panel to the correct profile for the body (which is proving a tad tiresome!)

Hi David, I've since found the article, it's issue 227. In it Gordon uses newspaper covered in dilute PVA. The texture is less corse and the wet paper hangs and draps more effectively. He covers the wagon in clingfilm first mind, otherwise it would be reduced to a gloopy mess. As regards resin casting I was wondering about the approach you outlined. I might still give it a go but in all honesty for small scales such a 2mm I think the 3d resin print will work better.

Thanks Ken, I'm just happy to be doing your design work justice. I've been pondering how best to build the fleet of SLNCR cattle wagons I will need. I didn't fancy scratch building multiple vans so have been reading up on resin casting, however I'm now convinced that 3d printing is the way to go (certainly for small scales anyway). I just need to get on with it!

As I've mentioned in his work bench topic I reached a deal with KMCE to send me some his 3d printed 4mm Vans scaled down to 2mm. The Postie arrived with these gems on Wednesday: Unfortunately work commitments got in the way of playing, other than taking them out of the box, but with a free(ish) weekend thanks to the weather I spent some time at the bench getting the vans ready for painting. For the short wheel base vans I've used the photos in Rail to Achill as a guide, the vans are slightly different to those photographed but I've followed them anyway so one has a corrugated roof and split spoked wheels whilst the other has plain roof and plain spoked wheels. Apologies for the poor images, it's been hard getting enough light on the models, the white rooves don't help with focusing either. As an aside, were the corrugated rooves painted, or just left as plain galvanised sheet? It would seem a bit pointless to paint them. I'm pleased with the bars on the cattle truck, KMCE has printed dimples to locate the drill holes which makes drilling them and fitting the bars a doddle, the top bar is 0.3mm and the bottom two 0.2mm For the corrugated rooves I pondered a bit, I thought about using silver foil formed on a corrugated sheet but figured this would easily prone to damage. In the end I just thinned down some corrugated plastic sheet I had to hand, it was about 2mm thick so need thinning right down to bend to the curve of the roof and look the part. The corrugation are a bit wide mind. I need to work out how to make the canvas covers for the middle, I've previously used a technique described by Gordon Gravett in an edition of MRJ a few years back for some 7mm scale wagon tarps, I'm just struggling to lay my hands on the copy. All told I pleased with result, I might add a bit more detailing, some of the rivet detail is a bit lost (this is 2mm scale so asking a bit much of the printer to produce full rivet detail) which I might add using rivet transfers, and there are some grab handles to add but a couple of afternoon's work to produce five wagons gives my Irish Stock a much need boost. If I was building these from a kit or scratch I doubt I'd be half way through the first van by now. I was worried this might feel a bit too much like "open the box" modelling, but there was enough to do to make it interesting. I'm definitely sold on 3d printing now (even if does mean re-learning CAD), I just need to save my pennies. I've still another cattle van to do but have run out of wheels, so that will have to wait for another day. Just need source some decals now.

I think I may have caused some confusion with my top comment so I had best elaborate, Ken sold me some of his 3D printed vans scaled down to 2mm scale. They arrived mid-week so I've not had chance to do anything with them yet. There's snow on the ground here so my cancelled bike ride tomorrow may allow time to play.

They almost look as nice as the 2mm scale ones Ken

A quick look through Neil Sprinks's Irish Railway Pictorial of the SL&NCR shows a surprising number of these "to run passenger trains" boards once you know to look for them. In most of the shots with cattle vans there are at least one or two vans that have the boards. There is a photo of the 7.20Pm mixed from 1950 on page 23 of the book where the first four cattle wagons have the boards. Definitely a nice detail to include (once I get around to modelling some of the wagons!).

Well that's at least two cattle wagons with them on then. I seem to recall that quite a few of the SLCNR cattle vans were vacuum braked. I'll have to spend some time trawling the photos.

and it gives a great unobstructed view of the bunker, a useful reference for modelling. Also I not seen the "to run with passenger trains" board on the cattle wagon before, were these common? I can't see any on the rest of the rake. I have seen the wording on other MGWR Non-passenger stock (Horse Boxes, Meat Vans etc,)

Thanks Jaz, I moved my stock build over to a thread in the "workbench" section as Dromahair is being built as a small module for a specific competition in July 2022 and will probably have a limited life as a result, although the intention is that some of the structures may live on in a later layout. The stock build thread is here, albeit I'm embarrassed to find I haven't posted anything since mid July. I tend to model in fits and starts and I can feel the start of my next modelling fit coming on...... I've already started on a C class (first post on that shortly) and I'm on my third attempt at the Dromahair Station building. The first two weren't right so abandoned (Gable ends to narrow, then windows set too low......third time lucky!)

Thanks J-Mo, I need to get my finger out and get some more modelling done. I've been dabbling of late and not really making any forward progress. Hopefully the winter months will help!

Below is a screen shot from the Government of Ireland's Historic Environment viewer 25" to the mile map. I've found the accuracy of the outline of the buildings a bit dubious on other maps, I can't comment on this one. This link should take you the map: https://maps.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/?REG_NO=30806021 It doesn't! For some reason it takes you to Dromahair ( my saved location). If you click the four squares Icon on the top left you can select historic 25" to the mile as the base map, the just enter "Ballaghadereen" in the search. You'll need to select the correct locality from the search drop down. Hope that helps!

I think you've managed to sum my whole modelling life in a line there! Ah! the true way, pure and unblemished! I admire your focus, I would always be tempted by other lines. Out of interest have you managed to source some drawings or are you working from photos? Black Lion is look great!

Be careful with Bookdepoistory, they don't always stock the books they advertise. I tried to buy the recent GSWR loco book through them after they came up on a Google search offering a discount. I paid for the book only to wait and wait for it to come into stock. After a few enquiries on here it became apparent that the book was only available direct from the publishers. I challenged Bookdepository and they were adamant they were just awaiting stock. Once requested they did provide a refund though.

yes, the fully lined versions predate Hermes and UPS

That's very evocative and captures the creature of the prototype very well. Lovely modelling Galteemore!

It's probably been commented on before but aren't the tablet catchers the wrong way round on the B class? It would need a man riding in the rear cab to collect the tablet as well as the driver in the front. Seems a bit odd, any reason why they were used like that?