murrayec

Train & Model Fair date for July;-

Flying Scotsman lining is complete, I'm glad that's done..... I set to do the boiler band lining thinking this would be the hardest, but no- it was the easiest? The spraying stand gives a great handle to hold the boiler without touching the paintwork. Complete, the satin varnish finish will bring the shine down. Brass couplers just about to be chemical blackened, and the window glazing cut to size- spectacles at top left, cab side below, with internal frame feature stuck on- top n bottom, and the round one is the port-hole type window on the rear tender to light the inside of the crew corridor, it's a brass frame. Detail parts been fitted- buffer shanks, blackened coupler & vacuum pipe to the fotplate front , a little bit of black touch-up to be done on the buffer beam edge. Makers plates and smoke box door handle stuck on, I used Humbrol Clear for the plates and epoxy on most other bits. Footplate has the brass oiler gear and nameplates stuck on with epoxy. A few more detail parts to be done and then ready for a clean down and few coats of satin varnish. Eoin

Yes, on the tender chassis lining I had to use the 10x magnifiers, it took so long to get the lines reasonable in position my eyes took about 2 days to recover!! Eoin

Great stuff Ken Looks really good, as we discussed last Sunday- when ready you are more than welcome to display it at the Train & Model Fair, I know many of our visitors to the Fair would be delighted to see it and the fabulous locos n stock you build. Eoin

Lining and numbering on the Flying Scot continues....... The cab is finished, except for some black paint touch ups and a blast with some satin varnish and the internals can go in. The tender body is nearly there, one side is done. Pretty hard to get all the lines straight and level, on the edges I did every curve separately and then joined up with the straight bits. The panel I did in 4 bits, and used marked up masking tape to locate the letters. Tender chassis lining is complete. This was the hardest bit so far. Here is a tip- during construction of a chassis when sticking on the horn blocks n suspension ensure that the gap is completely filled and sealed, otherwise the lining decals will slide in under due to capillary action, I spent far more time easing them back out than actually sticking them on!! A bit of black touch up required on the buffer beam and its ready for varnish. Eoin

OOOh! do I see some rods! in there Ken? Very nice Eoin

The baseboard signs getting their magnets installed to mount them onto the front edge of the board, sticking to the screw heads in the framing.... .... and the second outing of a bald board at the Train & Model Fair today. This shows the ScrewFix trestle supports, which will eventually have a curtain screen. The trestles are at their lowest setting here, but they can be extended to bring the board up to chest height- ideal for a framed cameo type display at the front of the board! Eoin

I have not posted on the Flying Scotsman build for some time, work has been proceeding but I had a slight hiccup with the boiler and tender body green paint- the paint dried before hitting the parts and ended up with a sandpaper kind of powder finish, that came off the parts if rubbed with ones finger!. So an annoying complete rub down was required- so I took a break....... Now back on track, here are some photos before the disaster and post;- Everything cleaned and ready for paint priming. Etch primer on the footplate, this is a very light coat so that one can see the metal under, this allows the etch to do it's job properly. Tender chassis was given the same treatment. Name plates and makers plates etch primed. Boiler and tender body being plastic was ordinary primed but some metal parts were etch primed. Chaps primed ready to put on some cloths. Next was red oxide under coat on parts that are going to be black. Black and green on, it was at this point I had the green powdery paint problem..... I put everything away for a while and got on with other projects......... After rubbing down the paint problem parts I set about respraying the green- after working out I had blocked side air vents on the nozzle of the gun!! Parts back out of storage and green paint looking good. Name plates were painted satin black and then rubbed down on emery paper to bring up the text in brass finish, the makers plate is done the opposite way- brass plate and black text. Chaps done. Cab roof painted cream white. Footplate with buffer beam and splashers painted ready to start the lining. Boiler and tender were masked off for painting the black bits. I started on the tender chassis lining first, not an easy job! Here is a trick that helps, cut every decal into small parts as they are impossible to put on in one piece and remove as much of the backing card with a scalpel so you end up with the decal on a very thin backing which is more flexible and the lining is less prone to get stuck over the edge of the thicker card- if you know what I mean. The blank paper in the photo below is the back peeled away from one of the lines. Splashers being lined, the decals are incorrectly sized but work, the front ones needed cutting and improvisation. Buffer beam lined and numbered. I started on the lining under the footplate with the decals- but was impossible, so I changed to using a bow pen which is less frustrating and done in 1/6th of the time. Paint detail being added to the tender and just about ready for lining this. I'm pretty excited at this point, the end is so close, it will be amazing to see it done, also to get it behind me n out to the client......... Eoin

Lovely model Warb One of the nicest buildings in Dun Laoghaire, such a pity the Authority built that lump behind it! Another beauty behind it- the Harbour Master's Offices has been messed up to! Eoin

To finalise the wiring I started to setup the signal box to house 13 Cobalt levers, the box is designed to clamp onto the frame of the baseboard and it's design is based on the Dun Laoghaire timber sheeted 1895 McKenzie & Holland 34 lever signal box. It will be out of scale a bit but can't fit these levers into an 00 scale box....... Lower level parts cut out from 3mm & 6mm MDF. Testing a lever for fit. Glue and sealer added. Paint added. and getting the levers or the floor to fit before bolting them in. The upper section has yet to be cut out and will be used to cover the levers when the layout is not attended. A lot of wiring to do.... Eoin

Date for the next Train & Model Fair

I've been hacking away on the baseboard...... This is a photo of the jigsaw plates all now fitted. Trimming and fitting the track boards to their corresponding ends at the plates. Boards done and glued, now setting up the track to check again in prep for the 3mm underlay foam. As the sun passed the window of the room I noticed the track boards took on a wobble with the heat! So I decided that intermediate fixings along the boards would be required, and this is the solution I came up with to screw down to the foam deck- M3 threaded insert pushed into the foam, epoxied and covered over with a generous piece of Transpaseal to aid retention. So track boards fixed down all over, I set about sticking down the 3mm foam underlay. Super Elevation! .7mm card being installed under the foam on the outside of the track curves. CNCing out the PCB copper clad sleepers for soldering the track ends, these will be mounted on a 3mm MDF riser cut into the foam underlay. MDF risers and sleepers being installed. I decided to use the surface mounted Peco points motors as I had them in stock, though I did cut slots down through the track boards and foam deck if I should decide to install servo motors at a later stage. I wanted to keep the surface motor as low as possible so a modification was done to the points by adding a brass lever with a pin soldered in facing down. The motors can now be mounted on the track board and the points operated from their underside. With the track underlay foam installed I then started on the wiring of each plate and for the tracks. With wires installed I started to fit the track, soldered the rails across the coper clad sleepers, soldered the wires to the copper sleepers, and then cutting the rails across the joins. and complete and finally the first test of removing the plates to dissemble the baseboards.... I am now working on each board separately, completing the track wiring and setting up the points control system. Eoin

The painting is in the processes- I have taken some photos and will post them up soon! Eoin

I think popeye means colour not materials Take a look here for some colouring samples;- https://www.google.com/search?q=asbestos+roof&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZl9XU44ziAhW8VBUIHS5hCtwQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1280&bih=891

Station equipment & view from inside the loco with catcher deployed and token nabbed;-

I'd say that's correct @flange lubricator, easier to get at. But all the locos would have to have them in the same position! otherwise the corresponding snatcher on the platform would have to be adjusted- height wise for the different locos, if, the snatchers were in different locations? It was a mad system! I wonder did anyone get hung up on one flying through the station? Eoin

Back to the Baseboard. The track plan was traced onto the 3mm MDF sheets and I set about cutting out the track boards, the join 'Jigsaw' pieces were worked out and then the cnc machine cut these out. This is a photo of 3 of the units- 2 curved and a straight. The male parts will be glued to the end of the track boards and the female ones are the jigsaw pieces that straddle the baseboard join. M3 countersunk socket screws into T nuts will be used to fix these down to the plates in the baseboards. The two plates to the right in this photo are the fixing plates, one will be inset in that routed pocket in the foam, the other in the baseboard adjacent . The plates have routed slots to take the track wiring with holes down through to under the board. The rear track and sidings was a complex one! here is a sequence of it going in..... .....and the final fitting & testing of the track boards butting up to their end piece. One of the curves on the sides, and the straight on the front. Before gluing the track boards to their ends I set up the track to see if adjustment was needed- all good, so dismantled it again and out with the PVA....... Eoin

The Fry Museum opening is getting closer. See the link below, a press release on the Co Co's website shows the official opening of the restored Casino House 2 days ago;- http://www.fingalcoco.ie/media/PRESS RELEASE Refurbishment work on Malahide Casino nearing completion.pdf Trains to follow soon. Eoin

I'll bring me own mug! Great news Eoin

A video of the layouts

Looking great @MikeO Looking forward to seeing that 121 up close Eoin

Hi Wexford Model Railway Club Thanks to all who organised a very enjoyable weekend and thanks to all who came over to say hello, chat and comment on the DART models. I love @enniscorthyman's layout, I was opposite him at the show and enjoyed two days of it. Enda's layout is great to, he has great family stories attached to it, I've seen photos on fb but it's better in the flesh. Looking forward to the next one and hopefully my layout will be complete by then!! Thanks Eoin