A new start in Finescale OO: NSR Stone junction station

[flying scotsman123]

As usual, too long between updates! Even though modelling has had competition from both A-levels and playing big trains on the GWSR I have been doing things. I posted this on a thread about transfers a little while ago without really saying much:



It started off life as a Bachmann 3F. The tender had its panel lines remove and solid flares added as opposed to coal rails, the footplate was extended 5mm or so, the dome was prised off and moved along a bit, the middle footsteps were added, the firebox was shortened and the cab was scratchbuilt. The only thing that irks me slightly is that the boiler is a couple of mm too large a diameter, but not really a lot I could do about that. Then everything was painted and lined out to within an inch of its life using crafty computer paper.

I also wanted to see how I got on with signals. The aim was to have them working such that I could switch them by hand of God using the balance levers only. I succeeded, just:



Although getting the brass wire just right for the right movement was I think the very limit of my modelling patience! I used MSE components and a scratchbuilt brass wire ladder that came out pretty well for a first attempt.



Elsewhere the signal box I made some time ago didn't make the cut. For some reason the clear plastic I used didn't react well with the glue long term and warped quite badly.Happily because I cut it out with the silhouette, I still had the drawings on my computer so banged out another one, and this is now almost finished, with an interior, from ratio I think, or maybe Wills...



I'm still not rushing the station building, just doing odd bits as and when, still loads of bits to do, but a few chimneys have appeared among other things:



Now electrics isn't really my thing - I'm actually looking forward to ballasting as it will mrk the end of electronics work! However I'm fairly pleased how that side's going, all of the mainline point motors are fitted and the first few sidings ones so some testing has taken place. I'm quite pleased with how my control panel is looking on top, toggle switches on a track diagram that actually switch the right way, works a treat. However, the underside...



Ah well!

I was hoping to have some platforms by now, as once those are done I can really get cracking planting a lot of things I've already built onto the layout. However it seems to be the one thing I really can't do very well! I've wasted several weeks messing around with cardboard and plastic and thrown it all away, going for MDF now and hoping for better luck!

[Ex-Pat]

Coming on very well - would never have guessed the origin of the loco - I'd recognise the station building anywhere - and as for that signal, it's a lovely job.

[Coopslner]

Excellent modeling I look forward to seeing more of your buildings. The signal box and station look superb.

Coops

[Bufferstop]

Grandpa must be looking down with a smile from ear to ear seeing you build the layout he planned. Great job.

[carnehan]

The updates may not come along that often but they are worth viewing when they do. The station bullding is a particular standout and I had to look twice at your brass ladder on the signal - handmade? Wow!

Cracking stuff FS123. I hope the exams are goIng ok too.

Paul

[TimberSurf]

Your signal box looks nearly as good as mine! although mine has lights (but could be envious of your floorboards, nice touch)
I certainly didn't recognize the station building, until I started reading the thread from the beginning, then all became clear, I luv the (I have no idea what they are called) stone coping on the gable ends, I have to presume its all scratch built, given your skill at coachbuilding.
I cant say I will ever have a go at engine or stock scratch building (way too scary 'n' fiddly), but take my hat off to you, specially at your age, very impressive!

[flying scotsman123]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Ah Timbersurf, that's where you're wrong - there's an LED and a coin cell stuck in the roof! Yes the stone gables were scratch built, plastic tube cut in half and bent to shape, then plastic rod stuck on top, happily Grandad told me how to do that as I think that would be one thing I'd struggle to do otherwise!

Paul - the ladder was a bit of an experiment, I wasn't sure how well it would turn out. I used a piece of pine wood and scribed lines in to it to guide the brass wire. Masking tape along one edge, paint flux along the other, then run the soldering iron all the way along, then swap the masking tape over to the other edge.

[flying scotsman123]

Crumbs I thought I'd updated this more recently than May. I've replaced some of the photobucket photos from earlier in the thread, will try and finish that job off at some point.

Life has changed an awful lot since May! Summer was spent on 12" to the foot modelling on the GWSR, but some modelling was done. Then I had to figure out what I could take modelling wise to uni. Turns out, quite a lot!

I came away with two carriage bodies in various states of completion which have both moved forward, along with another that has since come into being:



Just before I came away sorting some modelling things out I came across some driving wheelsets that I'd acquired somehow. A browse through a drawings book to see if it matched anything, it turns out the last 2-4-0 loco built in britain was built by the NSR, and had the right sized driving wheels. A hunt around revealed some suitable brass tube, an LNER B12 tender chassis that just needed a little filing away, and a Tri-ang Nellie chassis had the right wheelbase, and with an awful lot of hacking away of excess bits of metal (still ongoing hence missing), this is here I'm at:



It's a Class 19, they only built 3 and they weren't very successful spending most of their time on the Churnet Valley. But seeing as I haven't spent a single penny on it so far I'm not too worried. Transfers are nearly done and it's now onto detailing with pipework etc. I do need to think about the front wheelset at some point, will be a new skill whatever I end up doing! In keeping with the "not a penny spent" theme, I wondered how hard it would be to make some leafsprings that are quite prominent on the running plate. These resulted, ready for fitting:



Although they took an awfully long time. A quick google later though suggested a quicker way is to make a leafspring "loaf" and cut slices off. This information, coupled with a desire to see how much of a wagon you could build from scratch in plasticard (with a silhouette cutter at home in the back of my mind) and suddenly this happened:



Of course it would be rude not to knock up a body seeing as I'd got this far.



Quite pleased so far, axleboxes need further development but they do slide in the W-irons which will be helpful for alignment when I get home next week and find some wheelsets. Hopefully if this prototype goes well I'll have a bash at getting the silhouette cutter to bang several out at once, and a nice rake of wagons for just the cost of the wheelsets, oh and probably the buffers as I still can't work out a cheaper way of doing them than buying whitemetal.

So hopefully some more developments over Christmas, I quite fancy having a go at some electro-etching for a few things, maybe some of those wagon components currently in plastic. Although as ever, I say that, I know there's more wagons to play with at Winchcombe when I get home plus general Christmas busy-ness, so we'll see.

[flying scotsman123]

Thanks Dave, I do like these 2 and three plank wagons, there's something about them that are very Victorian/Edwardian to me.

Finally sorted out all the photos in this thread, in the rhythm now so might try and hunt down a few elsewhere on the forum - I did say to Dad-1 I'd get to it eventually!

[TimberSurf]

The loco looks great, as does the scratch built wagon! How do you do the rivets?
Its not a Loco, but I have tried my hand at scratch building in brass for the first time ever this weekend, we shall see if it holds a candle to your craftsmanship!

[Bufferstop]

Some really top class work there in all departments, I'll be interested to see what you get up to with the Cameo cutter. Even if it doesn't work out it would save me having to discover the same. I'm currently 3D printing bogies, and I'm hoping to print similar springs to yours along with the W irons.

[flying scotsman123]

The loco looks great, as does the scratch built wagon! How do you do the rivets?
Its not a Loco, but I have tried my hand at scratch building in brass for the first time ever this weekend, we shall see if it holds a candle to your craftsmanship!

Thanks, the rivets are done by pressing the point of a sharp blade onto the plastic and twisting it 360 degrees rolling the handle between my fingers. Reasonably effective but tedious if lots to do - but hopefully the silhouette cutter can solve that one for me too. I shall look out for your brass work, it's a material is like to make more use of!

Some really top class work there in all departments, I'll be interested to see what you get up to with the Cameo cutter. Even if it doesn't work out it would save me having to discover the same. I'm currently 3D printing bogies, and I'm hoping to print similar springs to yours along with the W irons.

Yes I've been watching your bogie production, very interesting. I have seen bogies made on a silhouette and very good they were too, but personally I prefer to but the ratio LNWR kits for my purpose. I did look at getting a 3D printer a couple of years ago, but the price for a decent one, space to put it and having to learn 3D CAD proper (I can do Google SketchUp but I don't think anything I've done would be suitable for printing, very messy!) all put me off, 2D CAD is much easier. Although I think I've finally lost my free access to 2D design, I've been hanging onto it via a virtual desktop from my old school but I think they may have finally got round to closing it down. And the demo version stops you saving rather than a time limit which is harder to "fix". So I guess I'll have to learn something else now, might try AutoCAD.

[glencairn]

A very interesting project FS123. As others have said, top class work all round. Look forward to further progress.

Glencairn

[Bufferstop]

FS123 I couldn't get on with Sketch-up, it seemed to lack any sort of anchor points from which to work. I did do engineering drawing up O Level ( That ages me) and the RS software despite it's deliberate hobbling does allow me to draw in the "classic" elevations and switch between them rapidly.
My printer wasn't too expensive, around the £200 mark, when printing flat surfaces is as smooth as plasticard would be, apart from the base, where you either get the granularity of the bed, or a fine pattern if you use a raft to get better adhesion. As this is the surface that's likely to be stuck to something else, that can be an advantage. That's why I'm looking to a combination of printing and cutting. As ever it's a case of using each tool for the job to which it is best suited. I know what tools I would really like, but I have to be realistic in terms of what's possible.

[carnehan]

First rate work all round FS123 but particularly that wagon. The rivets look spot on and your method is certainly one I'm going to have to give a go.

Look forward to more.

Paul