Let's try another approach

Little Shunters Second Scratch Build 

What did I learn from my first scratch build πŸ€“

  1. Body frame was not square
  2. Tanks supports were inconsistent 
  3. Styrene welding was poor
  4. Styrene cuts not square
  5. Superglue and thin styrene don't like each other
  6. Thin styrene is going to warp
Taking these above lessons learnt into consideration, my goal was to improve the quality of the next model.

Jig 2.0

I popped down to Bunnings and bought some dressed pine and balsa wood and decided to come up with an idea of reusing the length but committed to a standard width for my scratch built rollingstock, plus added a working space as my last build I kept losing my styrene pieces on the floor. I also decided to cut an aluminum key for the coupler sections which was a guess as I had not bought any couplers at this stage.

Model Output and learnings

Using my lessons learnt above, things were improving, this styrene build was stronger, like it was one piece, so that was a positive. It started to look a little more in perspective and the tank supports were a little more consistent and building it felt a little more controlled and a natural process. Below are a couple pictures I took while learning.

250mm x 140mm Pine base and 10mm  Balsa wood frame. Small overhang is used for small right angle joins and small Balsa wood pieces used to hold frame in place inserting into jig for various requirements.

Key to assist with coupler housing.

Topside with tank supports with cross-sectional straps to be added

Underside for coupler housing

Frame not completely square.

Using a Lego block to correctly
set inside rails spacing. Need to raid the kids' old toys for a bigger piece.


Coupler section using Lego Block

Coupler section using Aluminum Key

What did I learn from my second scratch build πŸ€“

  1. Measure twice and cut once🀦
  2. Loose fit and support before welding to improve desired square frame
  3. Welding Styrene let gravity do its thing 
  4. Styrene welding can be cleaned up with a light sand where possible
  5. Styrene cuts still not square
  6. Investigate using wax paper to stop styrene gluing to wood.
  7. Don't swap out tools mid build πŸ˜†

In my next several posts you will see life decides to change the points on me which sends me down not one road but many at once, of course I did not realise this as I started to get caught up in the excitement and fun.

Until next time.


Little Shunter

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