Five Plank Wagon Done

Finished with the Slaters 5 plank wagon! It has been quite a pleasure building this model and I am pleased with the results, I am looking forward to building another car, most likely a goods van. I learned a new weathering technique in the process so it is a real win for me.

The local NMRA is having the first meet of the winter season on Sunday and the popular vote contests will be on. Freight cars is an open category so I will enter this, needless to say it will be the only entry of a UK freight car. Since it is not an "American" prototype I would not expect great results in the voting but it is fun to display something that you are proud of and share it with other modelers.

The KBScale locomotive progress has gotten back on track. I have received the iron and having it and the RSU gives me great flexibility in this form of "hot gluing"! I had not heard back from the manufacture so I went forward with problem solving on my own. I fabricated a new end for the connecting rod from some of the scrap material and used the good rod as a pattern, I also needed to fabricate my own rivet to assemble the rods. I decided that I would solder the rivet to the outer rod, a very tiny dab of solder paste made that a snap. I used a small scrap of paper as a separator to keep the solder from flowing to all the rods. It worked! Twice!! The photo on the left shows the hand made parts. The photo on the right shows the cab front, frame and engine cover/fuel tank. This has been a pleasure, especially the learning of new skills.

Progress Slowed

No pictures today but I have added the brake gear to the Slaters wagon. When I was working on the parts I managed to lose one of the brake lock down fixtures so I will need to scratch build a replacement using styrene strips.

I have managed to ruin one of the connecting rods on the McEwan and have written the manufacture to see about a replacement and some construction advise. I attempted to peen over the end of the rivet holding the rods together. Instead of expanding the end of the rivet I caused the entire shaft to expand seizing up the pivot hole. In my efforts to loosen it I tore apart the end of the rod. I should have asked how to do this first!

To aid in construction of the body of the locomotive I have order a temperature controllable soldering iron. The resistance soldering unit works well for attaching a part but I have not had much success with soldering seams, the iron may be the correct tool for that process, we will see when it gets here.

Later David