Model Engine Works: Talyllyn railway

Showing posts with label Talyllyn railway. Show all posts

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

4mm-3mm Scale Photographic Diorama

An important part of displaying and photographing my models is the Diorama backdrops they are shown on. I have found that something with a raised track on an embankment or over a small bridge is useful as it allows for eye level shots.

They do not need to be large and are also a good way to display items of stock at home or at shows, a very good way of practising scenic techniques without committing to a full layout. They can be formed from any light and rigid material such as polystyrene or Polyboard. For my recent ones, I have been using 25 mm polystyrene bonded between outer skins of 4 mm plywood. This gives an extremely light and rigid block which may be shaped with a sharp blade. A sharp short pointed kitchen knife if you are allowed one of these.

I have left the base plywood as a rectangular piece and the upper skin has been pre-cut to the shape of the track bead, this makes it much easier to work the profiles of the surrounding landscape into the polystyrene core block.

I usually, work from a plan sketched on a piece of wallpaper lining paper; this gives me the position and scale of the main elements of the scene, roads, rivers, rocks, structures, walls, fences, gates and trees. For my latest scene, I have used a small stone bridge, the kind that would be used on an embankment to allow for a small lane or river. This has given me an excuse to add a kink in the track plan, always more interesting than a straight piece of line.

After cutting out and gluing the plywood and polystyrene together with PVA the glue they were cramped together using a workmate vice, it is best to leave this overnight as the PVA takes some time to dry between the polystyrene.

While this is drying the stone bridge was formed so the landscape could be carved out around it and make sure we get a snug fit. Other elements like fencing and trees can also be pre-made at this time. For this scene, I have used a combination of stone walls, wire fence, and hedges.

The bridge and parapets have been formed in Wills embossed plastic sheet random stone with corbel sheet forming the coping's, the bridge was made in two halves so it could be glued back together again under the trackbed when fully painted and weathered. A base coat of a dark buff colour was used, then further thinned and dry brushed coats of grey, charcoal and earth brown were added, further thinned and dry brushed coats of grey and olive green finished the paintwork off. This should not look uniform but also be in the right areas. The dark charcoal staining on the upper parts of the stones, the green staining around the base and some run down from the coping’s, some areas of buff should still show through the other thin layers of paint.

When the base has dried, I used a sharp short pointed kitchen knife to carve the polystyrene to shape following the profile of the plywood trackbed as a guide. I then used the pre-made bridge to gauge the hole needed under the track for it to fit correctly with the capping’s level with the top of the track.

A rasp file was then used to take all of the sharp edges of the plywood and blend it in with the polystyrene. The edges of the block were then smoothed with some 240 grid sandpaper.

The next stage was to give the whole diorama a durable shell to apply the decorative finishes too. I have used a brown gum paper tape; this is available form art materials suppliers. I use this for lots of cold moulds forming in my projects, and by building up multiple crossed layers on a former, it is very strong and durable when dried. I used about 6 layers on this diorama, formed in two stages, letting each application of about 3 layers dry before applying the next. Ones it dries it contracts and tightens on the mould.

Next I added the track, Using Peco 009 rustic flexible track formed into the shape I required, this was bonded to the upper plywood surface with PVA glue and held in place with small clamps overnight till the glue dried. Once dried a couple of check rails were added to the curved sections each side of the bridge, these also extending over the bridge and were held in place with some track pins. The sleepers were predrilled before these pines were pushed in place with some pliers. It was necessary to bend the check rails to shape before fitting them. I painted the sides of the rails with a dark grey & brown mix of revel oil paints to take the shine off the new track work.

The bridge could now be fitted in place ready for the landscape base material to be added around it. The two halves were bonded together with polystyrene cement and then glued in the correct position on the diorama using some contact adhesive.

For the landscape base I used a mix of plaster filler, PVA glue, and mixed brown powder paint into the mix. This gives a pre-coloured base paste which does save painting the landscape before applying scenic materials such as static grass and scatter materials. It also has the advantage of a stronger plaster that can be applied in a thinner layer which is there for lighter, and if you work it after you have finished the scenery it does not show white through, just a soil colour. The more PVA you add the smoother the mixes surface will become and the longer it takes to dry. Add as little water as possible to form a thick paste, as a dryer mix is easier to apply.

After letting the base landscape mix dry my thoughts turned to add the track ballast. I wanted a fine stone for this and came up with fine dry building sand which has been sieved. I then added some grey powder paint to this and mixed it dry. Because of the colour of the sand, this did give me a darker coloured ballast, this was not a problem as I wanted to dry brush a lighter grey over some areas and other parts will be covered with static grass. The powder was added round and between the track dry and a medium sized paintbrush used to spread the ballast in and around the sleepers. This was then fixed with a glue mix off 50% PVA and 50% water; a small drop of liquid soap (washing up liquid) is also added to allow the glue to flow through the powder. The glue mix was applied with a syringe; two lots of glue were applied, leaving the first to dry overnight.

The landscape materials were a mix of 3mm late summer dry grass and 2 and 3mm mid tones of green static grass, I used some sponge scatter in patches to give depth to the landscape colour. A rock outcrop and banking was formed using some small sandstone shards crushed up into 4mm scale rocks and bedded in the plaster before it set.

Trees were formed with wire armatures which I painted with a plaster mix similar to the landscape. A mixture of landscape material ware used to form the foliage, these included Woodland Scenics foliage and sponge scatter added to the armatures with contact adhesive and PVA glue. Some small trees ware formed with a bamboo trunk and lichen sprinkled with sponge scatter applied over the top. This method was also used to form gorse bushes with the yellow flowers being added by using a yellow acrylic paint dabbed over the top and upper sides of the bush.

For the fencing I used lollypop sticks cut to a suitable section and length and drill with some fine holes through which I threaded a grey cotton thread, leaving this long to allow the fitting of the fence posts before drawing the thread tight and sealing it with PVA glue.

Friday, 16 November 2018

009 Tattoo Class 0 4 2

A venture into white metal kit building.

The Kerr Stuart “Tattoo Class” is a favourite of mine and I have built quite a few models based around this type of engine. They were built by Kerr Stuart & Co in large numbers at the beginning of the 1900’s as a small workhorse engine, the majority being for 2 ft gauge lines and having outside frames, to accommodate the firebox. There were however quite a few built for wider gauges 2ft 6” and 3ft with inside frames. Being a basic engine, most had open cabs, though some had enclosed cabs added in different forms at the time of manufacture, or later by their owners.

A Christmas gift I once received was a white metal version of the Talyllyn Railway’s engine Edward Thomas. I had also had an Ndrive Productions 0 4 0 Chassis which was a suitable size to fit the kit, needing only the addition of a rear pony wheel. The spark that prompted me to finally build the model was a holiday in mid Wales, where I planned to visit the Talyllyn Railway and perhaps see Edward Thomas in person.

I started by looking for the right candidate for a pony wheel, which needed to be around 5.3 mm. There was also the question of how to mount the wheel onto the chassis. Now Ndrive Productions (Neville) has a nifty little etched universal mount to do this job, a cross with several holes to fit the wheels and create a pivot. The only thing was that you needed a wheel set that separates from the axles (to pass through the holes in the pony truck etch).

I discovered that the Kato wheel sets are held together with a plastic tube (to electrically insulate the wheels) and are close to the right size for the pony wheel. By filing off the pinpoint bearing and carefully opening out the hole in the etch I had a basic pony wheel and mount. Having selected the suitable pivot hole on the etch, it was then a fiddly job to drill a small very accurate hole to take a 10 BA cheese head machine screw in the base of the chassis. Care is needed as you are working very close to the gears, (so don’t slip)?

This pony wheel assembly is very light and does not ride on the track well in reverse, although its wheels are free moving and it pivots easily. The etch being a cross shaped form does give the opportunity to add a little weight at the back of the wheels. The 10 BA cheese head needed to be filed down to a thin disk with a new slot cut across it, to avoid catching on the track at points. It was also necessary to file down the wheel pick-ups at the back of the chassis or the etch for the pony wheel would not pass over these.

The other areas of the chassis that needed to be fettled were above and in front the cylinders. These needed to be filed off and cut to allow the chassis to sit tightly up to the underside of the footplate. Also, the width of the rear bar needed reducing at both sides.

To say that this kit was designed for another type of chassis, it was a surprisingly good fit. There was a small area for the cab front and underside of the boiler to remove to accommodate the slightly bigger motor, a few tweaks to the footplate at the front a small square to cut out for the worm gear, and that was it. The body and the chassis were held together by forming a small L shaped bracket at the back and glueing this to the underside of the cab, this formed a channel for the rear of the chassis to hook into.

The front fixing of the bodywork uses the existing counter-sunk machine screw and nut supplied with the chassis. This was done by slightly deepening the counter sink in the chassis and glueing the nut to the top face of the footplate situated above the existing hole. All of this was done before the bulk of the model was put together. I also added the blast under the saddle tank and in the smoke box before final assembly. It needed more weight at the front to counter the overhang of the cab, and partly to reduce this weight. I did not use the cab roof since this appeared too thick and bulky ,but instead formed one in Plasticard sheet, creating the gutters which the metal roof lacked.

Other modifications to the model included adding brass 0.45 mm wire handrails to the cab sides and above the smoke box. Also water feed pipe work under the saddle tank was added to hide the cogs and worm gear. The shape of the cylinders was changed by using some Plasticard sheet to make them look more like the prototype. The buffers were not used on this model, only the supplied coupling plus some lamps and tool boxes.

Paintwork on this model was completed when it was fully assembled, apart from the cab roof which was left loose to allow the cab interior to be finished. To prime the metal and plastic structure I used a matt grey spray primer suitable for metal and plastic surfaces. The finishing paints where oil-based enamels. The green used was a mix of deep Brunswick green and light grey green. The black areas were a mix of matt black on the smoke box and funnel, the other areas being painted in a charcoal grey. I used a signal red on the buffer beams, whilst inside the cab was left in the grey primer finish. Small details such as pipework and safety valves were picked out in a brass metallic finish. The whole model was finished in either a matt varnish or satin clear varnish once details such as the works plates and name plates were fitted.

The set of etched brass plates were supplied by Narrow Planet, who produce a set specifically for “Edward Thomas” from the Talyllyn Railway.

The engine crew was an adapted Dapol Line side work crew figure , with one leg shortened to suit the height of the footplate whilst still looking like a 4 mm scale figure.

Tuesday, 2 February 2016

009 Edward Thomas Type Engine

Up dated 2020

3D print of this engine is now available at Model Engine Works on Shapeways.

One type of engine that sums up a typical Welsh narrow gauge engine to me, is the small saddle tank such as the Kerr Stuart 0 4 2 Edward Thomas. This was built for the Corries railway and later moved to Talyllyn when the Corries line closed.

When my interest in 009 was rekindled a few years ago after a long lapse, I started scratch building rolling stock and engines like my original ones, and after a little practice I decided to have a go at my own version of Edward Thomas. As I was looking to build something in this style rather than recreating the actual engine, there were possibilities to make a few changes to the model and still keep the look and spirit of that style of engine.

I got as many reference pictures as I could find together and also one of the Kato 11-104 chassis. These are very good when getting into building 009 narrow gauge engines as they are so reliable and inexpensive.

I started by making a mock-up footplate, to get the right sized opening to fit the chassis. Once I had that sorted I made a few scale drawings of the bodywork, using the pictures as guidance. To get the cab to look lower than the foot plate it was necessary to cheat, by adding sides to the foot plate inside the cab entrance. I planned to disguise these by painting them matt black.

My plan to hide the chassis was to add part side plates and show the rear wheel like the pony wheel on the actual engine. I must admit this is not my idea, but a really good solution. I had seen it on a blog post by a fellow modeller Michael Campbell who used it on his Kerr Stuart Skylark:

http://michaelsrailways.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-little-bit-of-skirt.html

To make the body I printed some paper patterns - these were temporally fixed to various thickness of plasticard with Pritt stick. This holds them long enough to cut out and the paper then just peels off afterwards. The saddle tank was the most complex bit to form, I made a series of formers and linked them together at the base, and then using two thin plasticard laminations over them I formed the upper skin of the tank. I did the same with the smoke box.

The chimney was made using lime wood and turned in the chuck of a small electric drill.

If I had known about the “Gem 9104” white metal OO-9/ Industrial Loco Fittings beforehand I would have used one of these chimneys. I know for next time now.

http://www.lytchettmanor.co.uk/lytchett-manor/oo-9-couplings-fittings

The smoke box door was made up of several discs of plasticard sanded to shape whilst the hinges and handles were added using spare bites from an Airfix 040 saddle tank kit. I formed the spectacle windows by drilling an oversized hole and lining this with strips of thin plasticard sheet to give the impression of a brass frame when painted. I made use of a pair of vacuum pipes from a Vale of Rheidol coach that I had spare.

To further hide the footplate side I used a Dapol track side figure: I shortened one of the legs to fit on the footplate inside the cab, and the other one which is seen was thinned down on the inside to look as though standing at the edge of the cab step. This made the figure look to be standing on a lower level footplate.

I made the lamps in bulk some time ago using white 1 mm thick plasticard rectangles to form a 3 x 2 x 2mm block and then added a 2 diameter x 1mm disk on top. For the lenses I used a small 2mm clear or red rhinestone.

The paint was a mixture of various Humbrol greens with a final coats of matt adding to the footplate and smoke box, then satin varnish added over the other painted areas. I used real crushed coal in the bunker – you need to get this almost like dust at this scale to look right. The finishing touch was a set of name and works plates from Narrow Planet who do the complete set for Edward Thomas.

http://shop.narrowplanet.co.uk/products/NPP-309

Although not the best model of this engine you may find, I am pleased with the result-it has been a good practice run for me. I'm thinking of getting an N-Drive Productions chassis for my next attempt at this or a similar engine.

http://www.n-driveproductions.com

This engine based on the Kerr Stuart “Tattoo Class” is now available as a 3D print to run on the readily available Kato 11-104 chassis. It has separate footplate body and roof to allow for interior details to be added, there are also a pair of simple couplings printed under the footplate of the model.

Additional details will be needed to complete the model as shown, these include smokebox door handles, cab side handrails and working lamps.

If you would like a 3D print of this model visit Shapeways at:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/XU43MXCAQ/009-saddle-tank-tram-engine