David Holman

Hopefully the station house looks bigger because it is so stark, so a bit of work with felt pens or crayons should soften it. If not, as Eoin and David suggest, trees should help balance the scene. Ideally similar height objects at either end will balance the view. Current thinking favours curved corners to the backscene, though again, trees or buildings can hide these. Presumably, there will be a fascia to help hide the holes in the sky? Great to get an insight into the overall project too.

Excellent stuff. Many thanks everyone!

As I posted recently on another thread, there are times when we modellers find ourselves doing something almost for the sheer devilment of it! If I'd stopped to think about the H, am sure the project would have gone on the back burner for a bit and especially if I was making more than one. As Patrick says, in 4mm scale, buy Leslie's kit. Sheer bloodymindedness says I will continue with the van as is, but an internet search for rivet transfers is definitely on my to do list!

A H type Van Many thanks to all those who have offered help with this project, though as you will see, it is not proving easy. The first bit was straightforward enough - the Tyrconnel [Alphagraphix] etched kit of a Bulleid triangulated chassis. This really is a clever bit of work, including as it does a neat way of making it compensated, with provision for 36.75mm gauge too. An hour or so with the soldering iron and a working chassis is the result. The only things that are missing are a couple of small bits of brake linkage and the safety straps, but not a problem to add these later. The basic van body is simple enough too. Made mine from plastic sheet, with an 80thou base and 60 thou sides. However, any thoughts of it being a quick project evaporated as I took stock of all the strapping and rivets. As well as flat strapping around the edges of the body and the doors, there is T section strapping down each panel and both ends - plus this has rivets down both edges [as indeed does the flat stuff] as well. The total number of rivets runs into the hundreds, not that I can be bothered to count them of course. As far as I can see, the only way to add rivets to the T section strapping was to make it in three parts, so the two bits flat to the body sides were made from 60x10 thou strip [which I had to cut myself] with a piece of 40x10 micro strip for the vertical piece. Cutting your own strip from 10 thou is fairly easy: the trick is not to cut through each end until last, otherwise the strip will curl up. The GW Models rivet press then comes into its own, albeit you still need to be careful punching rivets into a strip of plastic that is just 1.5mm wide. Fixing these pieces to the body also requires care and patience. Too much solvent and it all gets messy, too little and it won't stick at all. Thus far, have managed to do one side, so still have the other and both ends to do. A wooden van, with nice thick [60 or 80thou] strapping is a breeze compared to this bad boy! The first photo probably sums this up nicely, as you can see all the tools and detritus from doing the strapping on just one side, over the last three days. Hopefully the van itself passes muster, though I fear a fair bit of tidying up will be needed, but hopefully nothing worse, especially as the doors are already the mark two version...

Four hours sounds a lot less time than building a kit, Angus - especially with my soldering! Fours hours is probably the clean up, filling and clean again time, so maybe those Shapeway jobbies are no bad thing.

You and me both by the sounds of it!

Fab! Thanks everyone!

Looking at photos, it seems there are a fair few variations in the H vans and especially compared to the drawings I have. Not surprising I suppose given the number built and period involved. For example, see that the fitted versions have a brake wheel, rather than a handle, while the variation of plates and rivets on the body sides is considerable too. For example, the picture of one being constructed at Inchicore in the Great Southern Railway album seems to have no rivets in the body, only on the strapping. Indeed, I wonder what the former were for - internal strapping maybe? Either way, there are masses of them and building a model is proving far more challenging than a wooden van! If I was building more than one, then resin casting would be essential. Mine is going to be an early, unfitted version, so any excuses to limit the number of rivets will be gratefully received.

You are indeed correct Mark. The line to the exchange sidings comes off the loop and wagons have to then reverse off that into the front siding. Fairly sure I supplied the correct plan, but these things happen and am certainly more than happy with the article as a whole, especially Andrew's photos. RM and CM have come on a long way in recent years - some of my first articles, back in the '90s had only small pictures, with no colour either. The fee is very generous too. £35 for each page, which considering I only supplied a sketch plan and the text, to me ain't half bad and is already reinvested in a new loco kit!

Looks rather good to me. Can't have been easy trying to sand such a tiny item but the primer/witness coat says it was a success, especially as it is just 60mm long! Major blemishes will stick out like a sore thumb in anything that size, so very well done. If be interested to know how long it takes to get a 3D print to this stage, compared with building a kit (assuming one exists), or indeed a scratch build. Either way though, can't help thinking that a rake of these is going to look splendid.

Many thanks, it has been a fascinating and valuable thread.

It's a bit of a hybrid, Angus. A Tim Cramer drawing, given to me by Andy Cundick, was the basis. Changed the wheel base to 9'6 then used a combination of Richard Chown's model, photos and the posts about Leslie's kit to make a drawing. Hence can't vouch for total fidelity, but hopefully it captures the look of the prototype. Will post my drawing later. Next project is an H van, using a Tyrconnel chassis to get the soldering skills (such as they are), up and running, prior to making a start on my new J18/19 kit. Managed to source wheels and axles from Slaters without any problems, plus one of Premier Models excellent motor gear boxes too. However, now waiting for a new tip for my 100 watt iron. Come on Eileen's!

GSWR 10 ton brake After many months of layout building - scenics, electrics, buildings, back scenes and the like - I finally decided to turn my hand to some rolling stock. In an ideal world, I should be making some signals, but parts are not available at the moment. However, in the world of model railways, there is always something else to do. It must be months since I last made any broad gauge rolling stock, so a brake van seemed a good place to start. Having spent so long doing other stuff, perhaps unsurprisingly the hardest bit was knowing where to start. A simple box van would have been easier - a floor, two sides, two ends and some strapping - but the GSWR 10 ton brake also has a veranda each end, so working out how to incorporate these led to a fair bit of head scratching. Salvation came in the posts covering Leslie's 4mm scale resin kits and I largely followed the way the parts are arranged. Construction was fairly conventional: a base of 80thou Plastikard, with sides of 40 thou sheet, scribed for 7" planks Strapping is all 80thou square strip W irons are white metal castings, but with the springs filed away and replaced with longer plastic ones - though they are still probably a bit too short. Buffers also white metal, while brakes are Slater's plastic blocks on nickel silver wire. Roof is 20thou plastic sheet The model was initially sprayed in Halford's grey primer, then hand lettered in white ink using a fine nibbed dipping pen. Once this was dry, the GSWR lettering was scrubbed away with a fibreglass brush. After weathering was applied, first with a dilute wash of Humbrol gunmetal, matt black and bauxite, followed by judicious use of weathering powders. Wheels and brakes got an undiluted weathering mix, while the roof is 'roof dirt' from Precision. Guess the whole project has taken about 15 - 20 hours over the last week. Have included pics of a GSWR 12 ton van from Castle Rackrent for comparison.

Just discovered I have a drawing after all! Wasn't labelled and somehow got into my MGW file... All the same, many thanks for the help, it really is what this forum is about.

Airbrush masks look the ideal protection against the dreaded Myley Cyrus (Covid 19). Re acrylic paints, Omen Miniatures now have a range out which are becoming highly regarded. Gorden Gravett recommended them to me as an alternative to Tamiya. Start up cost is quite high though - £80 for the complete set, but would be much the same (if not more) were I to ditch all my Humbrol enamels and start again. Still thinking about it!

A fine model! See what you mean about the rivets, while an order to Eileen's will be needed as my store of microstrip is getting patchy and not likely to pick up supplies at exhibitions any time soon ...

Just had me scuttling into the workshop to check! The fiddle yard is slightly different as the line to the exchange sidings doesn't go on to the turntable now. Tried it, stock was liable to fall off when being turned at shows. My fault, as that was on the sketch I gave them. The only other thing I can see is that the track from the turntable goes straight into the shed, which is therefore at an angle to the platform. There again, it is not unknown for me to miss the glaringly obvious!

Further proof, if needed, that Warb is a master at turning a plain, utilitarian prototype into a fantastic model!

3D printed baseboards a new one on me. Given the size of the project, would have thought that a 6mm ply or MDF top, with softwood framing would be fine. If you mean laser cut baseboards, these are rather splendid, but very expensive compared to making your own.

Thank you kind sir!

Thank you both! Seven feet seems to be a standard height for post war vans both sides of the water. The width of the doors would be helpful, as everything else can be worked out from that, so yes please.

Lots of pictures, but can't seem to find any dimensions for the classic H. Have the Alphagraphix Bulleid underframe, so know length and width, while presume height of body was seven feet? Anyone got a basic drawing, please?

Really interesting and certainly reflects what I have seen of 3D printed models. Indeed, the only smooth finish I've witnessed have been those done by Mark Clark. He advertises in Narrow Lines (7mm NG Society Magazine) and as a Chatham Club member has given several demonstrations to us. Mark has experimented widely with different 3D printers as they have come on to the market. However - and this remains the big caveat with 3D - even a small item can take half an hour to print and this grows exponentially with size, while the start up cost for something like a loco body is around the thousand pounds mark from a commercial point of view. Am sure there are others out there doing just as well too. For me, batch building in plasticard, or resin casting from my own masters are still preferable. Indeed, done carefully, the finish I've got from resin is excellent, you just have to make sure the air bubbles come to the surface and are pricked out with a fine reamer. Resin picks up the finest surface details, including putting in wood grain with a glass fibre brush. It is cheap too. £40 worth of resin makes a lot of wagon sides and ends. Check my CVR brake vans on Fintonagh. Note, this is not a sales plug, I only make stuff for myself, I mention it merely to suggest there are homespun alternatives worth looking into. At the end of the day, we choose what we want to do and all power to the 3D and CAD modellers, who are opening up new avenues to explore. Likewise laser cutters and the like. Etched and laser cut kits are light years ahead of hand drawn stuff of the last century and I for one am very grateful. Enjoy what you do, including solving problems along the way - the latter is a given in our hobby methinks!

Know a professional modeller who gets good results with rattle can primers sold in Poundland stores. Erratic supplies apparantly, but worth seeking out.

Lovely!