Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

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bambuko
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by bambuko » Fri Mar 19, 2021 9:17 am

I am enjoying this :thumbup:
Excellent :salute:
another thread to follow...
Thank you!

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Snailrail
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Snailrail » Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:05 pm

So next step was to think about the roof. But first I was aware that I needed to give the body some rigidity - at the moment it was just two boxes joined together by the plywood floor. They also needed to be connected at the top over the entrances to the centre vestibule. This was one of those make it up as you go along moments because until this point I hadn't given this important little detail much thought.

In order to achieve this and also provide some added stiffness to the whole thing I decided to glue some lengths of rectangular wood along the full length inside the top of the sides, if that makes sense. You'll see in the picture. While considering this the design of the roof structure also morphed into version 2. The internal partitions which were already in place included the roof profile. These I cut off level with the top of the sides. I then had to cut out small notches to allow the strips of wood to go down inside but only enough to allow half the depth of the wood to be glued to the sides, the top half left protruding above the sides. By doing this I could cut slots in the top allowing a semi elliptical roof former to slot in above each partition and form a base for the roof planking. Again easier to see in the picture than explain.

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You will see in this picture that by this stage I had also added the underframes which also add to the strength. I hadn't been sure how I was going to achieve this effectively. In the end I used another length of rectangular stripwood. I managed to lash up something that passed for a router table and, using a small router bit, I (very carefully !) cut a groove along the length of the wood leaving what looked like quite a convincing channel section beam.

At this point the roof construction again evolved into version 3. The semi elliptical roof formers were fine where they completed a partition below but I had two extra ones in the large third class compartment and there were to be three in the boiler compartment, all where there was no partition. These ones were removed and replaced with ones shaped out of softwood section, considerably wider than the plywood ones, as you'll see in the photos. This was done for several reasons :
It would give a greater surface area to glue the roof planks to and therefore increase strength.
It would be more aesthetically pleasing when viewing the interior through the windows.
It would free up valuable headroom in the boiler compartment where it was always going to be an important factor.
It would save a great deal of unpleasantness and possible legal action from third class passengers who cracked their heads on the lower versions !

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You will notice that the partition on one side of the centre vestibule is not present at this stage. I had left this out until later as I figured it would be easier to spray the vestibule ends this way and also I was still working on the hinge arrangement for the gates which would have been all but impossible to get at with it all assembled.

One more gratuitous shot of the panelling which I am very pleased with and also showing in more detail the fitting of the upper strips of wood, the underframe section, the simulated sliding door and the ventilators over the windows which were added a little bit later.

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Next time, roof planking . . . .
Brian

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Peter Butler
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:36 pm

Just superb Brian.... I have played with wood al of my life but could never reach that standard of excellence. Top marks!
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by big-ted » Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:29 am

That is some beautiful work.

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philipy
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by philipy » Tue Mar 23, 2021 6:40 am

This just gets bettter and better.
Philip

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Andrew » Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:48 am

Good Lord, that's beautiful!

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by BertieB » Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:52 am

As everyone has said, wonderful craftsmanship — and I think it’s a really attractive vehicle too. Love the proportions; the design of the ends; the curved sides; the recessed door....

georgesheppard
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by georgesheppard » Wed Mar 24, 2021 9:40 am

This is brilliant! Lots of great techniques to learn for a future scratch build of my own! Can't wait to see the finished result.

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Lonsdaler » Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:24 pm

I can only join everyone else in their warm and appreciative compliments. That is a very distinctive looking vehicle, and your standard of workmanship is very high. In a 'previous life' i made model boats, mostly from wood, and could only dream of achieving such a high standard of workmanship.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this progress to the finished product 8)
Phil

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My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

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Snailrail
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Snailrail » Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:14 pm

Once again thank you all for your kind comments. The odd couple of previous attempts I've made at scratch building my own design have not been good - they have ended up just not looking right. This is by far the most ambitious project I've tried so I am gratified that the result so far is pleasing, especially as the first design I drew full size on paper did look right and I saw no reason to change it. I have tried to explain and show what I have done as clearly as possible. I have picked up plenty of tips from others in the forum so if any of this has given anybody ideas or inspiration then it is great to give something back. To be honest I don't see any of it as very difficult, just requiring care and precision. It has been time consuming and at times a bit boring.

On to finish the roof for now. I didn't take any photos of the planking work in progress but basically it was just a case of glue the planks to the roof formers. These were deliberately made to be a nice snug fit in the slots in the side members so they weren't going to go anywhere if I was careful while I glued the planks on. So here are a few shots of the completed article.

Why is there a hole in the roof ? I decided to make a separate slightly raised section of roof over the boiler which will be made of brass to take the heat better and also incorporate holes for the chimney and safety valve and provide a little extra ventilation. This would simulate the roof doors provided in some of the full size vehicles to allow the boiler to be lifted out. This would also provide a few extra millimetres of clearance above the boiler top fittings which in turn helped to keep the main roof line as low as possible. It would also mean that I don't have to take the whole roof off to get at the boiler top up.

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And here with the corners tidied up and an edging strip added. The centre section, the width of the hole where the curvature is small, is a single strip of ply, scored to represent the planks and to allow it to bend easily to the curve. From there out to the edges I used progressively narrower planks as the curvature increased, as you can see.

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And the whole thing

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To backtrack a bit, it was when I had all the roof formers in place that I realised, as mentioned before, that I hadn't got the shape of the ends quite right. It had been very difficult to judge as I was making them. The top edges were slightly too high so I had to bite the bullet, remove the top part of the beadings, sand the ends down to the right profile and remake the top beadings. It is fortunate that I got it wrong in the right direction and didn't need to sand some wood back on !

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Finally the underside of the completed roof. It is a nice rigid structure and is held onto the vehicle fairly firmly in the slots but also lifts off fairly easily. I intend to cover the planking with fabric as others have done in due course. More on that later.

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Next time the good bit - slap some paint on !
Brian

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by georgesheppard » Sun Mar 28, 2021 1:09 pm

:shock:

With the skill in the woodwork it's almost a shame to cover it in paint! What colour scheme do you have in mind?

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Snailrail
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Snailrail » Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:30 pm

I thought the same thing about the roof, George. It seems a shame to stick fabric over it but I'm pleased with how it went. This story still has a little way to go to catch up with where I am now. The roof is actually finished and the body already painted. Have a look at pictures of the restored GWR railmotor. The colour scheme is very similar.
Brian

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Old Man Aaron
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Old Man Aaron » Mon Mar 29, 2021 12:33 am

I struggle with removable rooves, but that, is beautiful. Looking forward to seeing it progress. GWR motor livery is a nice one.
Regards,
Aaron - Scum Class Works

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Tom85
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Tom85 » Sun Apr 04, 2021 4:55 pm

Haven't been on here for ages, so this was certainly a pleasant surprise to come back to. Your woodwork is very skilled! Really looking forward to seeing this progress further.

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Snailrail
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Snailrail » Sun Apr 04, 2021 10:23 pm

Thanks Tom

Ok, time to go into the paint shop.
One final rub down then mask up -

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Into red primer. Already looks more like a complete vehicle rather than a collection of parts glued together.

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By this stage I had finished making the gate fixings so the vestibule ends were sprayed final colour and the loose one glued in place, along with a couple of small pieces of trim and a fill in piece over the entrance. There will also be fill in pieces across the bottom to make it flush with the sides. These incorporate the lower gate hinges and will be fitted when fitting the gates for the final time. More detail on this later.

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Then the exciting bit - final colour, Ford Aporto red.

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Couldn't resist . . . . .

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Brian

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Peter Butler
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Peter Butler » Sun Apr 04, 2021 11:00 pm

A real masterpiece, beautifully designed and superbly constructed, I love it!
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

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philipy
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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by philipy » Mon Apr 05, 2021 6:16 am

One word... BEAUTIFUL.
Philip

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by invicta280 » Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:37 am

Exquisite workmanship. A real beauty.

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by Andrew » Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:42 am

I couldn't agree more - and what a wonderful colour!

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Re: Something a bit unusual - a steam railmotor

Post by ge_rik » Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:25 pm

Peter Butler wrote: Sun Apr 04, 2021 11:00 pm A real masterpiece, beautifully designed and superbly constructed, I love it!
invicta280 wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:37 am Exquisite workmanship. A real beauty.
Andrew wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:42 am I couldn't agree more - and what a wonderful colour!
philipy wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 6:16 am One word... BEAUTIFUL.
What more need I say ....... :shock:
I can't find an emoji for drooling, so just use your imagination .......

Rik
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