Making an ‘E’ – the Maybach Diesel Model Assembly thread

[Horsetan]

3 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I would certainly consider doing an E421......I think an E421 may have greater appeal, but I'm aware that it's also a more likely target for an IRM RTR model.....

I'm in the market if you ever decide to do it. 

[flange lubricator]

2 hours ago, Horsetan said:

I'm in the market if you ever decide to do it. 

Me too . 
 

[jhb171achill]

3 hours ago, Horsetan said:

I'm in the market if you ever decide to do it. 

And me!

[leslie10646]

The original for me.

Just get the kit made - I'll find a friend who likes building things!

[David Holman]

1

New school scratchbuilding? Certainly very impressive. A model like this would be an absolute pig to build from sheet metal alone and while a 3D print might work, this is a more elegant solution, keeping all the fine edges, open louvres and so on.

 I wonder how the CAD/etch/assembly route compares to making everything by hand? Both are genuine skills that need to be learned and practiced, as well as the ability to visualise how to turn a 2D drawing into a 3D structure. 

 Either way, technology opens up more options and if I was starting again, learning CAD would be right up there with metal work and electrics.

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks David!

There are pros and cons of doing it this way, and as ever it comes down to a money/time/abilities balance. Getting the etches done isn't cheap, but once you have them it's enormously quicker than scratchbuilding from sheet metal (which I have done in the past, and a piercing saw is still one of the tools closest to hand!).

I find that I have a fair bit of spare time when I can sit in front of a computer, sometimes more so than actual 'modelling' time. Also, on the screen I can zoom right in and design the model while viewing it many times larger than real life. So doing the time-consuming bit on the computer lets me make the most of my modelling time, and also means that I can do things more accurately with gradually deteriorating close-up vision. 

I learnt CAD back in the 1990s when it was only 2D, and therefore all my design work tends to be in 2D format - etches, laser-cuts etc. I've got pretty good at visualising how the shapes come together, have learnt the good and bad points of different materials and thicknesses, and have rule-of-thumb allowances for etch cusps, hold sizes etc to make sure it's a good fit.

On the other hand, I've never mastered 3D CAD, and hence the world of 3D printing isn't for me. I admire those who produce excellent 3D printed designs, like John. Equally I admire the 'old-school' scratchbuilders like yourself who achieve such beautiful results hewn from raw metal.

One other benefit of the CAD-based approach is if you want more than one of anything! But then if your preference is for something unique, that may not be a benefit.

 

Railway modelling can make use of such a broad spread of skills, we can't all be good at everything and a good approach is to focus our efforts on the things we get most satisfaction from.

 

[Tullygrainey]

21 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I'm getting there, and thought it was time for a trial assembly and photoshoot. It presently works on DC power and runs smoothly.

Things still to resolve:

• A few more details to paint
• Numbering (I've asked Railtec for some decals)
• Weathering
• Fit buffers, cosmetic coupling hooks and Kadees
• Fit LEDs for marker lights (now ordered)
• Fit DCC decoder, stay-alive and wiring (now ordered)
• Put some thin black platicard behind the bonnet grilles to block the view
• Fit the radiator fan and cab control console
• Fit glazing to the cab windows, and a driver

It's riding about 0.5mm too low at present; I need to fit a couple of thin packers between the chassis and the footplate.

 

What a little beauty. Wonderful work!

[DB JOE]

3 minutes ago, DB JOE said:

What a beauty!!!

[Flying Snail]

Wow - that's a fine looking loco!

[Mol_PMB]

Life has quiet and busy patches and this week is a busier one, but I have got round to fitting the buffers and painting the bufferbeams, and it's a sunny morning today so another couple of pics.

The electronics parts have arrived (DCC decoder, stay-alive, LEDs etc) so that's probably my next job.

[flange lubricator]

Fabulous and love the weathering on the wagons . 

[Mol_PMB]

27 minutes ago, flange lubricator said:

Fabulous and love the weathering on the wagons . 

Thanks! The loco will be weathered too in due course. 

[Westcorkrailway]

On 20/3/2025 at 9:20 AM, Mol_PMB said:

Life has quiet and busy patches and this week is a busier one, but I have got round to fitting the buffers and painting the bufferbeams, and it's a sunny morning today so another couple of pics.

The electronics parts have arrived (DCC decoder, stay-alive, LEDs etc) so that's probably my next job.

Only seen this now. Sublime work….it looks perfect! (Other then said weathering in due course, cause Christ these got dirty) 

 

[jhb171achill]

43 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Only seen this now. Sublime work….it looks perfect! (Other then said weathering in due course, cause Christ these got dirty) 

 

Everything silver got utterly filthy, and quickly.

In an environment still surrounded by many steam engines, hot oil, coal smoke, coal dust and steam (and leaking oil on Crossleys) it was inevitable.

[Mol_PMB]

Colour photos of the E class in silver livery aren't numerous, but I've found half a dozen in various states of grime that I will be using to guide my weathering.

I'm going to aim for something like this:

This one has a similar degree of grime:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54255284989/

But there were some much worse examples, like the one on the edge of this photo:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54255052946/

This view shows how the dirt accumulated on the bonnet top:

[jhb171achill]

15 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

 

 

This view shows how the dirt accumulated on the bonnet top:

....leading some to think that silver stuff had grey or black roofs; not so! A bit like domes on steam engines that were any colour other than black, which were always body colour. but the grime made them LOOK dark grey or black.

That colour pic of 402 is about as clean as you'd ever have seen one!

 

[Mol_PMB]

21 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

....leading some to think that silver stuff had grey or black roofs; not so! A bit like domes on steam engines that were any colour other than black, which were always body colour. but the grime made them LOOK dark grey or black.

That colour pic of 402 is about as clean as you'd ever have seen one!

 

The two photos I have of E410 in silver are at Fenit in 1958 and Albert Quay in 1959, and I think it is in similar condition to E402 in the picture posted above, so that's what I'm going with. There's a lot of subtle staining down the sides, with heavier dirt on the horizontal surfaces. Should be an interesting challenge!

Fenit:

Cork:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54323027377

 

[jhb171achill]

3 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

The two photos I have of E410 in silver are at Fenit in 1958 and Albert Quay in 1959, and I think it is in similar condition to E402 in the picture posted above, so that's what I'm going with. There's a lot of subtle staining down the sides, with heavier dirt on the horizontal surfaces. Should be an interesting challenge!

Fenit:

Cork:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54323027377

 

Given the standard of your work it will look amazing!