Black Country Blues

[2ManySpams]

Yard first fix now done.

 

[2ManySpams]

Ooops, the last photo is in the wrong thread. It belongs to Flavio's Oldbury road building.

[2ManySpams]

Now with added yuck.

 

[DonB]

Assume that the "sandpaper" is the Wet-or-Dry variety? what grade (i.e. how fine) is it?

I'm thinking of using a grade 600 grit (or possibly 800 grit) for a cement-rendered building. Does Wet -or-Dry take paint such as Halfords primer? 

[Siberian Snooper]

Are they upside down because they're empty? Whenever I go to exchange my gas bottle (cooking) it is placed in the cage upside down to ensure no-one tries to re-sell it.

 

Where I worked all empty gas bottles were always marked MT in chalk, Acetylene bottles don't like any other angle than upright because of the Acetone in them. If you get one that has been laid down it has to be stood upright for at least 24hrs before use. BOC don't like getting them back laid down either.

 

SS

[PhilJ W]

Is Damian aware of this product and it's use???

 

 

I had to use it for something, we had loads left over!

As long as it does not end up anywhere near Stubby's toilets and get mistaken for bog roll.

[Stubby47]

As long as it does not end up anywhere near Stubby's toilets and get mistaken for bog roll.

 

Those observant members of the forum will have noticed that none of my toilets have bog roll, or even running water - you use them at your own peril ! 

[5 C]

As long as it does not end up anywhere near Stubby's toilets and get mistaken for bog roll.

Sandpaper bog roll - that's Izal isn't it?

[PhilJ W]

Sandpaper bog roll - that's Izal isn't it?

That brings back memories best forgotten.

[2ManySpams]

Assume that the "sandpaper" is the Wet-or-Dry variety? what grade (i.e. how fine) is it?

I'm thinking of using a grade 600 grit (or possibly 800 grit) for a cement-rendered building. Does Wet -or-Dry take paint such as Halfords primer? 

 

Hi Don

 

Previously I have used fine grit Wet&Dry for roads and buildings. It does take paint such as Halfords primer well.

 

In the case of the car park it was actually normal sandpaper, cheep 120 grit that had another piece run over it to remove some of the grit. (seems a waste but it's what I had to hand).

 

Hope this helps.

[wagonbasher]

Time is pressing and the canal needs liming. This is the main pound rather than the lock approaches which are being modeled by Nigel and Chris (depending on lock.) I was hoping that Chris's daughter could produce some more Lego for the job.

 

On the tow path side I have opted for brick lining with large rounded engineer capping - you can see some of these earlier in the thread.

 

On the non Towpath side the canal has the railway embankment behind it so we figure it would have the steel shuttering lining that is so frequently used around the country to protect the banks from erosion.

 

I have produced a length of each, about nine inches long to use as a master to resin cast.  At the moment the silicone is curing so I hope to show you the mould and the master tonight / tomorrow.

 

 

The plan is to mass produce these for a canal lining session when the boards come back together (second time only) next weekend

 

There are some points where the lining has to bend.  The plan is to attack it with a hot air gun to encourage it to bend.

 

The steel shuttering is always fronted with some rail that is bolted through on long rods into the bank.  We will apply that afterwards.

 

Andy

[2ManySpams]

Sounds like a cuning plan Mr Banks.

[Mark Forrest]

Back to the tanks.....

 

I'm attaching the couplings to these in the traditional manner (i.e. fixed to the opposite end of the underframe) rather than using the pivot mounts.  I solder to a strip of scrap brass then glue this to the underframe.  For droppers I use a U shaped loop and I've chopped away a section of the underframe to give enough clearance for the dropper to allow the wire to rest at the correct height.

 

In the past I've used 1.1mm florists wire for the droppers, but found to looks a bit chunky.  Some experimentation, using a coupling test rig which Geoff has loaned me which replicates the electromagnets to be used on the layout, confirmed that 0.8mm wire would work - so that is what I've used.  I check alignment first against a jig, then check they will couple to a "good" wagon from the stock box; this is followed by some shunting on Foundry Lane.

Foundry Lane has a couple of fixed magnets, a legacy of my early experiments with Spratt & Winkle couplings - as you can see here, they work the AJs too!

[wagonbasher]

Mark

 

When you get to added weight.  I read something the other day about drilling a whole in tankers and gunning in silicone from a sealant cartridge in order to add weight.  Great idea, I would use decorators filler / caulk also from a cartridge.  It is less smelly, not chemically agressive (acrylic based) heavier per squirt (heavily filled product - SG of about 1.6) and a fraction of the cost.  It dries quick at least it will skin over very quickly, may take a while to cure all the way through but as long as it doesn't fall out!!

 

Andy

[Arthur]

Finalising the basic build;

 

The bonnet top is a resin casting glued on, and held with masking tape whilst it sets.

 

 

There is an etched grille to fit into the front of this casting and the casting needs a little filing so that the grille fits in flush. There are two brass ‘trumpets’ supplied, they’re not horns, they’re the exhausts, which fit side by side just ahead of the cab. An etched brass shroud, formed into a U shape fits around them and I soldered its rear edge to the cab front. Other fittings added were window frames and detail overlays to the battery boxes ahead of the cab.

 

 

I have a plan for the headlights.

Part 1; The kit provides two brass discs which fit into etched depressions on the bonnet front and cab rear. I wanted to drill out the supplied discs into rings. To support the disc as it was drilled they were soldered to some scrap etch. A small washer was soldered, concentrically, on top, to act as a guide for the drill bit.

 

 

The hole was opened with progressively larger bits until I had this.

 

 

The ‘rings’ were de soldered from the etch and soldered into their respective positions on the bonnet front and cab rear. We’ll return to them later after the painting.

 

 

Small details, handrails, grabs etc., were left off at this stage to ease painting later, otherwise that’s it, one shiny (well, once you’ve cleaned it) 4mm brass DE2.

 

Here it is cleaned up with scrapers, fine abrasive paper and a wire brush in a mini drill, you'd better be sure all those little bits are firmly soldered on before applying that!

 

 

 

I asked Mark if I could prepare the way for subsequent fitting of Alex Jackson couplings and this led me drilling two small holes, centrally, in the buffer beams.

 

Off to the paint shop.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Arthur

[Mark Forrest]

Great idea and I was using some caulk earlier - not for modelling though.  These four have lead strips added to the inside of the tanks (I've some lead left from when we had our roof done!), but will try the caulk on the next two.

[2ManySpams]

Whilst on the subject of abusing things, I've discovered that Railmatch 1310 BR Roof Blue/Grey is a great match to the engineering blue brick sample (building) you gave me. It will therefore be the starting point /base colour layer for all the walls / structures I'm building. (Don't try and work out why a BR(S) modeller has a can of this though!)

[flyingsignalman]

I know this may be a bit late but I was looking through some photos that I've bought over the years and I found one of Tue Brook signal box taken in 1952.

The photo was taken from the rear of the box which was situated on an embankment.

The box was an all wood type 4 of (I think) 24 levers and it was supported on the embankment by the corner posts being extended down into the bank.

I can't post the photo but I made a sketch from it.

There was a "landing" at the steps end of the box that presumably gave access to the locking room door. The window cleaning stage appears to go around the box and as a concession to safety there is a handrail on the back of the box.

I don't think the wall in the foreground supports the embankment but is only a boundary.

[Mark Forrest]

A couple of canal side photos I've recently favourited on Flickr, which might be of use/of interest:

Cradley Heath United 1986 squad by geoff7918, on Flickr

 

An 86 to Glasgow by geoff7918, on Flickr

[2ManySpams]

There you go Mark, Sod's Law! John had his suspicions that it would be a wooden post base but we found no evidence at the time for a suitable base. The only variable (saving grace) in our case might be the proximity of the canal to the cabin. There could be an argument that something more substantial was built to protect both the cabin and canal?

[Mark Forrest]

Thanks for that Keith.  I'm intending to make sure the brass section of our cabin remains removable so, if we choose to, at a later date we can use this on an alternative base.

[2ManySpams]

Is that post and wire fencing in the bottom shot Mark...?

[Mark Forrest]

Funny you should say that; I've used the Precision Engineer's Brick paint on the roof of some vanfits in the past.

[2ManySpams]

Funny you should say that; I've used the Precision Engineer's Brick paint on the roof of some vanfits in the past.

 

What bond was the roof?

[Worsdell forever]

This one?