Kirley's Projects

[Kirley]

A quick update on various projects I’m currently working on.

 

A Class

I’m building another SilverFox A Class on a Hornby 52 Chassis and am putting in LED’s for the headlamps.

 

 

Previous experience with SilverFox resin bodies shows they are prone to light seepage through the body’s thin points like the moulded horns.

 

 

To get round this I have used Evergreen tubes which I’ll paint black to minimise any light escaping. I was going to use fibre optics from this tube to provide the white marker lights and am still trying to figure out where to place the red LEDs to take fibre optics off them for the marker lights.

 

 

I’ve also got a SSM kit to add some detail.

 

 

Wills Level Crossing Kit

 

I bought this kit a long time age as I thought it would be a step up from the Airfix/Dalpol one. I was disappointed to see that it was not a working model so I decided to add a pivot to the base of the gate to allow it to swing.

 

 

I drilled a hole and used a paper staple for the metal work. I also added some wire for the gate support.

 

 

Again I used a staple for the top gate hinge.

 

 

 

Now I have a gate that works.

 

 

 

 

Station Lights

I have been trawling through the internet for station lights to match my GNR type station and the nearest and most reasonable ones I found were these by Langley Models.

 

 

In the packet you get a very small LED in a black plastic box which you have to remove and solder 2 wires to either end.

 

 

The lamp posts you cut to size and as mine are very small I ended up with more post below the surface than above.

 

 

You have to cut out the globe out of plastic and stick it to the post and add the lamp top. I sprayed the post grey as I have no idea what colour these lamp post were, all my photographs are black and white.

 

 

I have drilled holes in my station platform and hope to get them wired up within the next few days, I’ve tested them after construction and they are all working ..at the moment. I post up some pictures in my layout section in due course.

[scahalane]

nice work, interesting what you say about the light seepage, I'm about to add some lights to my own aclass and might give your recipe a go. I would be interested to see how you do the wiring for the lights. I bought a kit from Westy at the Dublin show, he gave me some instructions on how its done, but it went right over my head.

[Glenderg]

fine work, esp the staple hinge a delightful bit of bodging! Looking forward to seeing the resin body shape up too. I'll do the uprights of the canopy in light grey too to match. I'll post a photo up later. Richie.

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

Kieran if you give the inside of the A Class a couple of coats of Matt black that will stop the light coming true the resin. Loving the level crossing gates SWEET

[David]

Kieran if you give the inside of the A Class a couple of coats of Matt black that will stop the light coming true the resin. Loving the level crossing gates SWEET

 

Good tip Anto. Silver works well too. When we used to make building models entirely out of perspex a single coat of silver stopped all light coming through when the model was painted.

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

Good tip Anto. Silver works well too. When we used to make building models entirely out of perspex a single coat of silver stopped all light coming through when the model was painted.

 

I must try the silver David another thing I do is paint the fibre optic black leaving the ends clear to let the light enter and exit. If you leave the little bit that runs across the top of the inside of the cab unpainted it also acts as a dim cab light and gives you a nice effect.

[ger711]

Kirley, I am currently building A39 and for the main lights I used a strip of black square tubing (from a Linka set actually) .

It was drilled to allow the LED sit inside it with a small hole also drilled on the side facing into the Cab. Then it can be glued or tacked to the roof. Any light leakage where it abuts the front of the cab can be sealed (I used the black tacky stuff that holds the weights in the Hornby Class55). I didn't bother with the Marker Lights, but you could make up something like this

Then fit a 6x2 Black Lego block to the top of this Lego base and drill for Fibre Optics. As there are 8 lights you need the seperate White/Red LED's for both directions. It gets messy but the good thing is that the body can be removed by just taking the top block off the base. I hadn't the patience to see it through but it might give you some ideas.

 

Ger.

[Kirley]

Thanks Ger for your useful suggestion. However I am so far down the road with my own attempt I’ll continue on to see how it works out. I’m hoping to get away with 4 LEDs, 2 reds with fibre optics for the 4 marker lights and take fibre optics off the headlamp LEDs for the white markers. If that fails I’ll fall back on your suggestion.

Thanks David for your silver paint suggestion, like Anthony I’ve been using matt black paint for masking any escaping light.

[Kirley]

I saw an article in Model Rail where they weathered a Corgi Excavator.

 

 

I decided to have a go at a Ruston Bucyrus Crane.

 

 

I seem to have a thing for Cranes at the moment

 

[Broithe]

I had an interview at Ruston-Bucyrus in Lincoln in the '70s - the factory could have been used as a film-set for a Dickensian novel..

[BosKonay]

Absolutely stunning bit of modelling!

[Dave]

Brilliant

[scahalane]

Love it!!

[enniscorthyman]

Lovly stuff there.look forward to seeing your A class finished.

[Kirley]

I got another Forest in a Box for my layout.

 

 

It’s just a box of dried Seamoss plants which you have to cut into trees, bushes, small shrubs.

Then the fun bit – dip them individually in scatter material, the blend colours you use will help to add realism to the trees.

 

 

Then you hang them up to dry and spray with hair spray – job done except for planting them of course.

[Kirley]

A Class –SilverFox Kit

 

I’m using a cut down Hornby Class 52 chassis, however this model has a built in metal weight at either end which I wanted to keep. I had to hack them to get them to fit but knocked on the head my idea of using fibre optics for the marker lights.

 

 

Plan B. I’m now using mini LED’s which I got from Express Models who supply them already fitted on leads. All you have to do is fit resistors to each LED and I can do that in the middle of the body of the model where I have more space. The picture below shows how small they are and fragile.

 

.

 

Now to get on with fitting Weshty’s bits and pieces before painting.

Thanks to Scahalane for giving me a ‘gee up’ on this project by posting his A Class.

[scahalane]

Best of luck with it. If you scribe the panel lines on the roof a bit deeper it helps this model a lot, but take it slowly not to over shoot and scratch the rest of the roof, maybe put a few layers of masking tape either side first as a protection. Also I replaced the lifting rings with etched metal ones, can't remember where I got them, try dart castings.

[Kirley]

Thanks for the advice Shahalane, that’s what makes this Site so worthwhile, getting advice on how to do things better.

I will defiantly have a go at the panel lines.

[Warbonnet]

Can we get a closer look at them bogie sideframes you have? They look much much better than those awful Silverfox ones to me!

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

Can we get a closer look at them bogie sideframes you have? They look much much better than those awful Silverfox ones to me!

 

There's nothing wrong with the Silverfox frames Fran. It's just that people don't take the time to study photos and cut the appropriate holes and spaces out of them. All they do is just stick them straight on.

[scahalane]

Can we get a closer look at them bogie sideframes you have? They look much much better than those awful Silverfox ones to me!

 

Exactly as Anto says. I used the silverfox ones, take your time and cut away any excess using micro drills, files etc. Keep referring to photos of the real thing. If your using a class 52 or 55 for the donor try to see if there's any bits you can use from it that will add to the Silverfox one. I'll post some close ups of the bogie on my workbench later.

[Warbonnet]

There's nothing wrong with the Silverfox frames Fran. It's just that people don't take the time to study photos and cut the appropriate holes and spaces out of them. All they do is just stick them straight on.

 

Cheers lads, that's interesting and Kirley has done a great job on them, hence I thought they were new mouldings. I still think there's a lot wrong with the Silverfox model, but it's all we got!

[Kirley]

Can we get a closer look at them bogie sideframes you have? They look much much better than those awful Silverfox ones to me!

 

Warbonnet: the bogie is a copy from an old whitemetal kit that looks good but is so out of scale it is useless, when you match it up with the wheels it is so far out. See a comparison with the Silverfox below.

 

[Kirley]

Best of luck with it. If you scribe the panel lines on the roof a bit deeper it helps this model a lot, but take it slowly not to over shoot and scratch the rest of the roof, maybe put a few layers of masking tape either side first as a protection. Also I replaced the lifting rings with etched metal ones, can't remember where I got them, try dart castings.

 

Thanks Schalane for your suggestion, scribing the panel lines makes such a difference.

 

 

However I have tried and failed to locate any lifting rings - any suggestions on where I can source them -ANYONE please?

[Warbonnet]

Thanks Schalane for your suggestion, scribing the panel lines makes such a difference.

 

 

However I have tried and failed to locate any lifting rings - any suggestions on where I can source them -ANYONE please?

 

Aha, thought they were different all right. They look better than the Silver Fox ones to me. I wonder is the Silver Fox ones to scale, or made to suit the wheelbase of the donor bogies? Sorry for dragging your thread off topic.

 

Lifting rings, would these be of use? HO for US diesels, but at this size scale would be negligible http://www.ebay.com/itm/Detail-Associates-HO-1101-Lift-Rings-18-/230851345358

 

I have bought plenty off this Ebay shop in the past, very good service.

[scahalane]

Great job Kirley, the bogie side frame look spot on as well. I think I got my lifting rings through the US as well but they were brass etch. I'll have a route round and see if I still have the link.

[Kirley]

Thanks Guys, I've gone with Warbonnets suggestion

[Robert Davies]

Lifting rings, would these be of use? HO for US diesels, but at this size scale would be negligible http://www.ebay.com/itm/Detail-Associates-HO-1101-Lift-Rings-18-/230851345358

 

I have bought plenty off this Ebay shop in the past, very good service.

 

Sorry this is a bit 'me too', but errr... 'me too', In the mid 2000s I bought most of my detail bits from the guy in that link, with the bits showing up within a week. Sadly Homeland Security and the TSA have been 'justifying their existence' in the meantime, so it can take a bit longer nowadays.

 

-Rob

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

Warbonnet: the bogie is a copy from an old whitemetal kit that looks good but is so out of scale it is useless, when you match it up with the wheels it is so far out. See a comparison with the Silverfox below.

 

 

The larger bogie looks like a copy of a Q Kits bogie from what I remember they were bigger than the Silver Fox ones

[ger711]

Kirley,

 

I used the tops of stanchion posts from Athearn models for the lifting rings. Alternatively as Anto suggested a long time back, bend some 0.33mm wire around a small piece of wire. Another thing you might consider for weight is to glue some metal strips into the roof.

 

Looking forward to the finished item. Good Luck.

 

Ger.

[Kirley]

Thanks Ger, I've made lifting rings in the past but it's surprising that none of the English Suppliers stock Lifting Rings,

I've tried the following A1 Models, Craftsman, Comet, Dart, Eileen’s Emporium, Hursts, Southern Pride, Squires, Replica Railways and many others, all without success.

 

Surely Lifting Rings are used on British Diesels?

[Warbonnet]

Believe or not lifting rings aren't really used on British diesels. I'm struggling to think of any in fact!

[Kirley]

Believe or not lifting rings aren't really used on British diesels. I'm struggling to think of any in fact!

 

That must be why there is no demand for them -I know the UTA/NIR Railcars has lifting rings.

[Kirley]

Finally got to the primer stage.

 

 

Test run to see what the problems were.

 

 

 

After the test run I went to spray the first orange coat but discovered the 2 tins of MIR CIE Golden Brown I had were already opened and what paint was left had thinners added. Painting is now on hold until I can get new paint.

[Train model]

The class 80 is the bis is it scratch or kit built I don't know what it is but I have a thing for railcars