Westcorkrailway's workbench

[David Holman]

The Bandon tanks had 5'2" drivers ( two and a half to be precise), with an even spacing. The suggestion has always been to choose model wheels slightly smaller than that, to cope with the fact that flanges are larger than scale, unless modelling in P4 of course. 

Hence that probably means locos with 5' or 5'1 driving wheels. A trawl through my 1960 edition of the Observer's Book of Railway Locomotives reveals the following:

GWR 22xx ' 5'2

SR Q, Q1

LSWR 700

SECR C 5'2

SECR 01 5'2

LBSCR C2x, E4,

LMS Ivatt 2-6-2T, 2-6-0

LNER J6, J11, J35, J39, J21, J36

BR standard 2-6-0, 2-6-2T

Quite a few of these are/have been available as rtr, so fingers crossed you can find one without paying a fortune.

Good hunting!

 

[Westcorkrailway]

After putting the provided chassis up to the terrier chassis, part of me wants to just try replace the wheels 

[Mayner]

Personally I think you will achieve a better model and more long lasting result if you assemble the loco with the SSM chassis rather than try and use a rtr  donor chassis.

My first attempt at kit building a TMD Midland Tank of 1983 complete with original wheels gears and motor still looks reasonably well and is still runs reliably nearly 40 years later while all my attempts using rtr chassis ended up in the scrap bin within a fairly short time.

The TMD tank was my first etched kit (and 21mm gauge loco)  I knew very little about soldering, but managed to assemble the loco without major problems with a 25w iron and paste flux and the minimum of hand tools

I modernised the loco into CIE condition about 10 years later with new smokebox wrapper, smokebox door, chimney and safety valves as the kit only included parts for the loco in pre-1912 MGWR condition.

I later graduated to Carrs and DDC Concepts modelling solders with liquid fluxes more efficient soldering irons and gradually built up a collection of suitable tools.

Markits driving and bogie wheels are basically a no-brainer  in OO as they are easy to fit, a Coreless or Can Motor with a 53:1 gearbox from a supplier such as High Level Kits or Branchlines will give you a transmission with a speed range that's ideal for a mixed traffic or goods loco like a B4.

Branchlines sales@branchlines.com usually stock Mashima can motors their 10X24 would be idea for a B4 the  Multibox gearbox with brass gears is extremely robust and simple to assemble.

Highlevel Kits https://www.highlevelkits.co.uk/ supply 12 and 13mm Coreless motors which would be suitable for a B4, their Road Runner + with a 45:1 ratio would be suitable for B4. The High Level Greaboxes with their nylon gearing have a very good reputation, but can be a bit fiddly to assemble and its easy to loos the loose grubscrew in the findal drive gear.

I tended to use Multiboxes in large mainly BR steam locos and High Level Gearboxes in my more recent Irish locos.

Tool wise a working surface with desk lamp, a 50watt soldering for brass work , a set of needle files, and tapered broaches for opening out bearing and pin holes are the basic tools for loco/kit assembly. Carrs or DCC concepts Detailing or 145° solder in combination with Carrs Red or DCC Concepts Sapphire solder should be adequate for chassis and loco/coach body assembly.

 

[David Holman]

Saw a GWR 0-6-0 in a local junk shop only this morning. However, can only echo Mayner's comments. Chassis building may sound scary, but is one of those things that are really worth having a go at. 

 However an interim step may be to replace the wheels on the Terrier chassis. Remember though, the axle diameter may not be the same on your replacements, while the crank pins on the coupling rods could have the same issue. You've then got to find a way of fixing the doner chassis to the kit's bodywork. Which is why that, ultimately we end up making up the chassis as well, because it is actually less fuss.

[Westcorkrailway]

 

all it’s missing is a tin van….

[Westcorkrailway]

3 of my coaches have found a new home 20 minutes away….

[Westcorkrailway]

Learned today that at least 5 A class locomotives used the West Cork System. The  3 numbers that I could  confirm is  A55, A54 and A30. This means that technically there is another “technically” West Cork locomotive preserved in castlerea that flew over my head. But it also means that of all the A class loco’s I could have purchased. I chose A30 in silver….completely prototypical to West cork…..well, kinda

[Niles]

Interesting, any details as to what sort of workings they were on? 

[Westcorkrailway]

1 hour ago, Niles said:

Interesting, any details as to what sort of workings they were on? 

Most of them were just trial runs running light. There was at least one excursion using one though. I know they never went on the courtmacsherry section(obviously)or the skibbereen to Baltimore section over concerns the Illen bridge was not strong enough to support the wieght of the A’s

[Westcorkrailway]

As said above Recently I was told that A30 was actually one of the few A class locomotives to venture onto the west cork making A30 in silver the first West Cork locomotive ever produced by IRM….or MM for that matter 

 

In anticipation of a certain little steam engine arriving ice set up the ring for running the little loco in. Im running 479 with the fictional coaches (Ex-LNER) , 121 with CIE “laminate” (br mk1 respray) coaches and silverfox C212 with Milipeade Bulleid wagons, resprayed Oxford LNER cattle wagons and JM design breakvan.

 

I’m still in the stages of planning a layout although this will undoubtably be crossbarry/ Kinsale junction with a bit of artistic licence (with it being set in 1962, the kinsale branch being open and perhaps even the quarry branch being open). This will likely include 3D printed buildings, platforms ect. With the fictional coaches being the main kinsale branch coaches along with 479 being the only rebuilt locomotive from the collection of CB&SCR Dubs and Neilson/Breyer peakock 4-4-2T locomotives with perhaps more accurate coaches and better suited rolling stock to replace it when they become available. 

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by Westcorkrailway

[Westcorkrailway]

One of the most sacrilegious things I have done…..

Somone got me the classic “Smokey joe” Hornby set pre-owned as a birthday gift, I’ve never had this little set before but I’m aware it’s where many start there modelling journey 

So I put everything into a different CIE livery to see how it would work out 

All things considsidered it didn’t work out too badly considering how knackered everything was!

I’ll probobly find little use for these myself. Hence the attempt of making them CIE. The other 2 coaches in the set have no real CIE equivalent

 

the real revelation is that I have found a spray paint that almost perfectly matches 00works GSR grey. (If I knew that from the start…Smokey joe would be grey!)

smokey joe in the rare CIE black….green decals from railtec’s Eau de nil coach set

 

I’m pretty sure nothing in Ireland looked anything like this brakevan

€30 vs €350!

Edited May 17, 2022 by Westcorkrailway

[jhb171achill]

Interested in the “A” class story - a couple of trial runs, yes, but West Cork experts have always assured me that none ever went there “in traffic” at all….

Nice idea, though!

Edited May 18, 2022 by jhb171achill

[Westcorkrailway]

In anticipation of the New Fertiliser wagons, and with huge help from @murphaph. I managed to get a 141 locomotive for a more then reasonable price. Now all I need for my complete fert train is fert pack A (hoping somone has em at Camden model show) and a perhaps few pallets and forklifts

 

Now for some help, does anyone know what the chip in the detail is bag is for? Perhaps part of the DCC

also present is this old receipt from marks models, which shows you just how inflation on railways has been since 2007 (that being said I didn’t buy this for much more then the price as new ) 

[DJ Dangerous]

Murphaph has helped me track down a few bargains over the years, too. Bang on!

Is that not the blanking plate?

[murphaph]

That's the blanking plate for DC operation. There's a decoder fitted to the loco. There should be some information about the address in the box. 

[Westcorkrailway]

1 minute ago, murphaph said:

That's the blanking plate for DC operation. There's a decoder fitted to the loco. There should be some information about the address in the box. 

 

2 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Murphaph has helped me track down a few bargains over the years, too. Bang on!

Is that not the blanking plate?

Ok I may have To search the box a bit . I suppose if I were to remove the decoder, that chip would go in its place? 

[murphaph]

Yep, if you want to run it on DC pull out the fitted decoder and pop that blanking plate in instead.

[Westcorkrailway]

13 minutes ago, murphaph said:

Yep, if you want to run it on DC pull out the fitted decoder and pop that blanking plate in instead.

Might be simple stuff but all new to a DC simpleton like me 

[DJ Dangerous]

36 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Might be simple stuff but all new to a DC simpleton like me 

 

Welcome to my world. DCC is witch-craft.

[irishmail]

Depending on the make of the decoder and if the CV's have been altered, it should still work on normal DC with a decoder fitted.  

[Westcorkrailway]

2 hours ago, irishmail said:

Depending on the make of the decoder and if the CV's have been altered, it should still work on normal DC with a decoder fitted.  

I’ll give it a go before I try take the loco apart. Although I’m acutely aware that keeping the decoder in it is just sitting on something others want a lot more then I do..

[Sean]

Chips are everywhere dude. Save it until you inevitably want to finally use DCC or even for using it on a friend's layout.

 

Lighting controls are addictive

[Westcorkrailway]

Went about replacing the chip, easy process aside from trying to track down the 30 seconds of a 49 minute video I needed! 
 

First cab off with little force 

The rest of the locomotive shell off with a bit of prying (beyond terrifying)  

 

the DCC chip that once lay within the locomotive….has IE enscribed on it to be fair!

[Westcorkrailway]

For CBSCR fans. The market is thriving in terms of the good old 3D printer. between Mark Dunlea’s Number 90, and his current development of the Bandon tank 

 

I am to get the GSR plates removed post print….but now I’m sorely tempted on how clean they are!!!

Also in the pipeline is not one, But 2 Bandon tank projects working simultaneously. Mark Dunlea’s one is from a scan of one somone built (hmmmm now I wonder who’s that could be). Another more ambitious project is being done by another colegue…aim is for a fully RTR bandon tank for sale per order similar to silver-fox models way of doing things….but fully scratchbuilt 

 

anyway here is marks one as it stands….

this photo does not do a great job of showing the detail as he put a wierd 3D filter on the photo. However I’ve seen an early draft at fort Camden model show. It’s coming along slowly but surely 

 

Next we have Owen o Neill. Who’s recent work include mallow signalbox, dungarvan signal box, Waterford signalbox, every building at palace east, chapel and macmine junction station! And the short container flats. Also MGWR coaches are on the way (good news for you @jhb171achill!)  however for my relevance…..no points for guessing what he is making here based on this photo….

 

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Westcorkrailway

[jhb171achill]

That 90 is a beauty. Mark tells me he can do it in either 00 or 0 scale.

Tell me more about the MGWR coaches you have in mind!

A GSWR side corridor bogie composite would also be a good addition to a 1950s / 60s layout. As six-wheeler numbers reduced after a pogrom of older types in 1949 (including most DSER ones), these bogies began to appear on branch lines and secondary lines, even in deep MGWR territory. They were commonplace, if not often the norm in branch sets at Ballinrobe, Ballaghaderreen, Ballina, Loughrea, Kenmare, Valentia Harbour, everywhere in Wisht Caark that still had a passenger service, Mallow-Waterford, Waterford-Rosslare and Waterford-Macmine.

[Westcorkrailway]

9 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

That 90 is a beauty. Mark tells me he can do it in either 00 or 0 scale.

Tell me more about the MGWR coaches you have in mind!

A GSWR side corridor bogie composite would also be a good addition to a 1950s / 60s layout. As six-wheeler numbers reduced after a pogrom of older types in 1949 (including most DSER ones), these bogies began to appear on branch lines and secondary lines, even in deep MGWR territory. They were commonplace, if not often the norm in branch sets at Ballinrobe, Ballaghaderreen, Ballina, Loughrea, Kenmare, Valentia Harbour, everywhere in Wisht Caark that still had a passenger service, Mallow-Waterford, Waterford-Rosslare and Waterford-Macmine.

I asked for them GSWR coaches but somone asked before me! It’s early days in that MGWR project. It will be interesting none the less 

 

meanwhile on the viaduct front, work is ongoing as the 1st draft of certain peices are produced. Final height will be 330mm and length of over 2500mm. (Currently it’s sellotaped together)

[Traingamer]

How can you order this 3d print of GSWR No.90 ?

[Westcorkrailway]

1 hour ago, Traingamer said:

How can you order this 3d print of GSWR No.90 ?

You can get an order off mark dunlea on Facebook. If you want I can get his email off him. Then you need to source the older type Hornby terrier chassis, and then find how to go about painting it 

[Traingamer]

An email would be great. Many thanks.

[Westcorkrailway]

2 hours ago, Traingamer said:

An email would be great. Many thanks.

PM sent 

 

and if anyone else does not want to go through Facebook and wants one, lob me a PM.

[Westcorkrailway]

Finnally got the paint to finish off that LMS stanier coach I got ages ago overall it looks the buisness. If I were to go back I might have purchased a few more of these. The paint malfunctioned and the transfers would not apply properly. Now I have to find a new source for CIE green coaches. 

 

this side really shows the craic I was dealing with between the transfers and the paint 

this side looks better 

 

overall it fits in with what I currently have. I have built up such a rake of these coaches that I’ve no idea how they’ll look next to the IRM CIE Green whenever I get a chance to compare the two 

 

[jhb171achill]

Looks great! Very West-Corkish......... (or Waterford-Macmine-ish...)!

[Westcorkrailway]

As part of the deal for the AEC railcars. I managed to get a number 90 print and a suitable chassis, and while the chassis needs a bit of work. Number 90 is well underway. 

 

[the Bandon tank]

Will any of the No.90 prints be available at the swap meet on the 3rd December.

[Westcorkrailway]

30 minutes ago, the Bandon tank said:

Will any of the No.90 prints be available at the swap meet on the 3rd December.

They will be selling at the cork swap meet for €60 I’m told