Tales from the carriage shops

[Mayner]

A bit of my personal modelling for a change IRM Bullied Open with Bachmann BR container load & one of my own GSWR/GSR/CIE "Irish Standard" Open Wagons with Bachmann conainer load.

Took some carving (removing of rasied detail from the containers) to fit the containers into both opens, though the IRM wagon possibly as a result of its very rigid construction was a very tight fit.

I guess Leslie must be right its a collective figment of the imagination that BR containers were carried in Irish open wagons, though its just about possible the rasied detail on the containers is a bit on the heavy side.

I spray painted the underframe to match the 'light grey" of the Standard Open and finished the wagon with a coat of Gunz "Mr Clear" flat finish to tone down the "sheen" of the unpainted corrugated iron body panels, its likely sheen the wore off quickly once the wagons enered service/were exposed to the Irish weather.

[Mayner]

664 is just about complete after another coat of "GSR' grey this time a semi-gloss laquer allowed to cure for a week before a coat of Gunz Mr Clear Super Clear Flat aerosol my standard finish. The existing paint finished was easily damaged and tended to chip when handled, the laquer appears more resistant to damage and the 'Clear Flat" results in nice eggshell finish

This time I soldered the vacuum pipe to the front buffer beam. I need to glaze the cab spectacle before dispatch to the customer.

On test the loco is capable of hauling 10 of my not so free running 3D printed wagons

Loco is wired for DC on the customers request using the "American" using 'live axle' pick up on the loco and tender. 

I probabably now have enough of my own loco/rolling stock projects to keep me busy for several years without needing to buy another kit or rtr model.

Edited November 8, 2024 by Mayner

[Tullygrainey]

Beautiful finish. Looks really well.

[Mol_PMB]

On 25/10/2024 at 3:10 AM, Mayner said:

A bit of my personal modelling for a change IRM Bullied Open with Bachmann BR container load & one of my own GSWR/GSR/CIE "Irish Standard" Open Wagons with Bachmann conainer load.

Took some carving (removing of rasied detail from the containers) to fit the containers into both opens, though the IRM wagon possibly as a result of its very rigid construction was a very tight fit.

I guess Leslie must be right its a collective figment of the imagination that BR containers were carried in Irish open wagons, though its just about possible the rasied detail on the containers is a bit on the heavy side.

I spray painted the underframe to match the 'light grey" of the Standard Open and finished the wagon with a coat of Gunz "Mr Clear" flat finish to tone down the "sheen" of the unpainted corrugated iron body panels, its likely sheen the wore off quickly once the wagons enered service/were exposed to the Irish weather.

Those look excellent and are a nice inspiration for a load. There are plenty of photos of BR containers (and the less common CIE containers) loaded into open wagons of both the corrugated and wooden varieties, and it looks like there's plenty of space within them. I suspect the wagon sides are a bit thicker than prototypical, and the detail moulded on the containers and wagons is a bit thicker than prototype, meaning that they don't fit so well in model form.

This IRRS photo shows dozens of (bacon) containers in wagons at Rosslare waiting to be exported:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53449386736

But they also appear in smaller quantities in images in the public domain, such as these from Ernie:

And this from Roger Joanes:

And finally from Brian Flannigan:

Was it the length or the width that was the problem with fitting them in? Or both?

[Mol_PMB]

The Barrowmore MRG have a BR container diagram book here:

BRContainerIssueB.pdf

They are not all the same size. The common 'BD' which features in many of the photos above has a footprint of 16'x7' over the body, but is 5 inches bigger in both directions over the fenders. 

An Irish standard underframe is about 16'11" long over headstocks; subtract 3" each end for plank thickness and interior ironwork and you're down to 16'5" which is exactly the same as the container length over fenders. No wonder it's a tight fit - perhaps it was meant to be?

Widthwise I wouldn't expect such a problem in the wooden wagons, but the corrugated wagons seem a little narrower?

[Mayner]

More of a taking stock and prioritising for 2025 than a workbench, I have very little time available for modelling for the next year or so as a result of family committments.

First priority is to complete a pair of 21mm gauge J15s started several years ago as a low priority 'standby' project as potential motive power for a Burma Road layout if I ever get round to building it, failing that find a space in a display case.

Although both kits were originally complete, I managed to mislay the coupling rods and some of the gearbox parts for the superheated loco. I have a set of rods from a spare chassis fret, though I will probably end up replacing the gearbox as its an old pattern High Level Load Hauler and replacement gears my no longer be available.

Apart from assembling the replacement the rods, next job is to fit the brake gear to both locos and small GSWR tender before completing detailing before I loose any more parts.

Next priority is to assemble a set of etched parts for a GSWR 60 Class 4-4-0 I designed in Jan 2024 and had in stock since last March! The 60 Class worked Limerick-Sligo passenger trains until replaced by AEC railcars during the 1950s.

Locos final priority, if I get round to it! 21mm gauge 650 Class. Although I completed a couple of 21mm test builds and completed a number of OO RTR commissions, I have not completed a 21mm gauge 650 for myself. 

Body assemby on both locos is basically complete, though require fitting with an operating chassis.

One of these locos will use Sharman wheels re-cycled from my first attempt at a 650 Class in 1985 but fitted with a more modern gearbox and motor.

Coaching Stock, I have 4 SSM GSWR 6wheelers of different types & GSR decals stashed away to compliment my pair of assembled GSWR 6 wheelers.

 

[Mol_PMB]

Very nice! Plenty to keep you busy by the looks of it. 

[Mayner]

E421 Returns to service in OO!

I originally assembled E421 using a Shapeways "Valve Design" body on a custom built 21mm Gauge Bull-Ant chassis about 15 years ago, not satisfied with the surface finish/level of detail of the Shapeways FDM material I used the model as a guinea pig for my exercise in designing/manufacturing etched detail parts and achieved a reasonable surface finish on the 3D printed shell with automotive techniques using sandable promer fillers lots of sanding and an enamel top coat.

E421 spent most of the past 15 years in a display case until I decided to dust it off and convert to OO gauge about 18 months ago for use as a shunter on a minimal space (by my standards) shunting layout.

The initial conversion turned out to be a disaster as I simply pushed in the existing wheels to OO gauge without dismantling the chassis bending/distorting two of the axles. I eventually managed to get E421 to run but it turned out to be a wobbly runner with a tendency to de-rail so back to the workshop to try and turn E421 into a less wobbly runner less likely to de-rail as my MM B121s are a bit of overkill for an early 60s shunting layout.

Bull-Ant bogies primarily intended for narrow gauge have a layshaft drive similar to that used in theOO9 Minitrains Baldwin of the 1960s with a 2:1? step down drive from motor to layshaft and worm and gear final drive to the individual axles. Bull-Ant use a modular system using nylon gearboxes with removable cover/keeper which bolt to a channel which forms the main chassis and a system of wings which locate both the pick up mounts and the body.

The Bull-Ant wheels are a direct press fit to the axle on one side, with an insulation bush on the opposite, I managed to distort two of the axles when attempting to press the live wheels to OO gauge.

Although only 2 axles were distorted I ended up replacing all three axles with 28mm steel axles supplied as part of a bulk order by Markits, I pressed the live axles to gauge using a small vice and 2mm ID brass bushes I had in stock (not sure their intended purpose. The Bull-Ant motor mount had began to work loose from the chassis and gearbox and dismantled and re-assembled the assembly using threadlock to the securing bolts to minimise the risk of the assembly working loose. E421 chassis is fitted with a large can motor complete with flywheel and only securred at one end vibration may have lead to the motor mount working loose from the chassis and gearbox, I will probabably mount the "loose end" of the motor on silicone to reduce vibration at the final commissioning/detailing/decoder fitting stage.

E421 on test on DC at North Wharf, the tank wagons are from the IRM Weed Killer Train on my own 3D printed chassis and similar to Bitument Tank wagons used by CIE (but without the lagging!) Des of SSM supplied E421s decals as a special order,

E421 is now fitted with Kadees with Bachmann coupler pockets fitted into slots cut in the buffer beams, I am not sure what coupler I intended fitting when I originally assembled the loco.

Riveted bufferbeams, cab roof, side window frames, engine compartment doors and grills are all etched nickle silver as the original 3D printed parts were just not up to sanding.

One touch was to produce rebated and see-through radiator grills.

The running no on the cab have partially worn off on one side as a result of handling during re-building , my G Class G617 has almost completly lost its cab numbers because of the same problem