Let's have a go!

Little Shunters First Scratch Build

Being a generation X kid, I have had to work across Imperial and Metric all my life and got into trouble enough times either passing the wrong socket or wrench over. 

I decided to create a excel spreadsheet where I could simply enter the real-world sizes into the calculator and through the magic of excel formulas everything would calculate into the right HO size for both measurement systems. 

Armed with the knowledge from my previous post Where do I go now? and how to cut and use styrene I got to work measuring three times and cutting once. All of a sudden, I had a heap of styrene bits all over the desk and so back to measuring again to recheck, we will call this rookie mistake number one.

After I sorted out all my styrene into groups, I got to welding each piece together, now this where old school modelers can have a laugh as my pieces started to fall over and break apart, welding the styrene turned into an epic failure.

Frustrated things were not working, I went and made myself a coffee and thought I need a right angle, scurrying through the kitchen draws like a rat looking for something to eat, everything I found was too large or restrictive to use for my styrene welding ambitions.

None the wiser, I headed up to the shed where I found some old Plywood and Aluminum angle, maybe this will work?

I got to making my first jig as I left my shed something caught my eye which was some old Polypipe I had from a water tank plumbing job, could this be my Fuel Tank?

Over the next couple days, I experimented with the styrene unsure how things would turn out was not my concern at all. What was happening was as I was learning to use skills I don't normally use on a day-by-day basis and starting to have fun at the same time.

I wish I had taken more pictures at the time while I was building, but this is all I took at the time.

50mm Aluminum angle on 9mm Plywood to assist right angle welds	The fuel tank is Styrene 9101 wrapped around 25mm Polypipe. The Polypipe was sanded before welding the two materials with Tamiya Cement using a hose clamp to hold in place to dry.
Based on 45 foot frame more to learn how styrene welding works	25mm Internal leg tip for tank ends
Attempting a 32 foot wood wagon frame, however after completing the styrene bowed in an upwards direction after several days

I need some Bogies

With the first scratch build frame completed, I needed some bogies to test and see how things would hold up before progressing. The wagon I had seen had roughly 4 - 5 foot bogies. I popped down to my local model rail hobby shop where he had some stock but not Queensland bogies only New South Wales and Victoria. 

Returning home, I thought I would make a call to Caintode Flats Products during the week as PGC Scale Models advised they could help me with my modelling ambitions. Later during the week I made a call and spoke to a gentlemen who was very tentative and listened to my backstory. He advised he could help me with bogies and gave me his website and suggested I have look over his product range and then place an online order through his site. 

Before we ended the call I asked did he do Tank Wagon Kits which he advised he may still have a few kits around, but if I placed my order, he would provide me more details to assist if I wanted to go ahead with purchasing one before he arranged. 

After getting off the phone, I visited the gentlemen's website and there were the bogies I was after Bar Frame, 5Ft 2Ft 2In. I placed my order and now had to wait and doesn't time slow down when you're waiting for something you really want 😁.

Until next time.

Little Shunter