DalaGStanator's Customs, Mods and Experiments

I've had this one lying around since last week, but hesitated to show it until I'd have a second one like it (which I still have yet to make). Anyway, it's about time I started doing good rolling stock after the new saddle tank. What better way to start than with a good ol' Stroudley like four wheel coach? The body was made in a different way than I've been used to, with the ends and sides being glued flat next to each other and folded after the glue set hard enough. The saddle tank on the loco was also put together the same way, which I found highly practical. The windows were cut out with knives, and one side turned out smoother than the other due to the second knife being better suited. There should be eight doors and not six and the middle sections aren't equal, as are the windows themselves. But wait, there's more...



This coach was originally made to hold one of my spring based chuff mechanisms, with a random piece of aluminium as an amplifier. However, I thought stretching the other end onto the amplifier (with the spring directly under it) would help give the right volume/reverb, but it didn't. After I gave up trying to get it to work as I wanted, I ripped out the amplifier and replaced it with proper seats. Only the metal cam still remains on the rear axle, so I haven't completely ruled out bringing the spring back (stretched from end to end like it should've been). Unlike my previous coach interior, the seats are actually wide (and high) enough for figures to sit in them. The Funny Zoo Tour passengers weren't really kept in mind when the walls were made, but just happened to be the perfect height for the windows. Had I made my own figures like them, the whole coach would've had room for 18. Only the doors aren't fully in line, at least not on both sides.



Oddly, this shade of dark blue was achieved by painting over a turquoise marker on acrylic olive green. For access, the roof isn't connected in any way and will just slide or fall off. Only two skewers are (loosely) holding it along the sides. The buffers are cardboard circles with hot melt glue at the ends, with the housings being the narrow tips of thick skewers. I feel like I ruined the livery by adding that sloppy gold trim and it looked a lot nicer without it. Might just paint over it when making the second (brake) coach. I already prepared a second chassis without the chuff mech, as well as the upper portion and the smaller board the seats will be on.



The last three times I motorised the black friction gearbox, I incorrectly assumed the low speed (on its own) necessarily added more torque. What I didn't take into account was I could've added a fourth gear where the flywheel was and connected it to a bigger one, which is also what's really shown in the video I linked as an example. I glued two gears together and used a nail for the shaft to make it fit in the holes. Without the motor, the gear train still "behaves" as if the flywheel is there but will stop sooner due to the plastic gear(s) being lighter. It actually made it strong enough to move a 190g bell, so it should have little to no trouble pulling various lengths of trains.

Apart from minor derailments and slipping, I think it ran somewhat OK. While 9V would give the perfect speed for it IMO, it didn't look too bad running on 5V (USB) knowing how powerful it became. Too bad I ignored the fourth gear when I made the side tank and the diesel electric.



I then tried replacing the worm gear on the motor with a crown gear, which (as before) greatly increased the speed even with one battery. However, repeating the bell test revealed the torque hadn't been affected and it could still pull the same weight. I also replaced the big half of the custom gear with a thicker one to reduce "swinging" on the shaft. Only the motor had to be repositioned for the crown gear to mesh. Very pleased to have found just the right gear train for my own locos. I might reconfigure the chassis to make the gearbox vertical like I did with the red side tank.

The worm gear would still be good for slower machinery like cranes, stationary engines, turntables or wind/watermills. It depends on the type of gear on the motor itself.

Made the brake coach to go with the composite one, using the three chassis parts I prepared for it. The chassis itself was mounted upside down (bearings on bottom) to leave a bit more space underneath. Both coaches were given a new livery after the previous paint process failed. However, there are clear inconsistencies between them since I didn't duplicate all the parts when making the first one; the upper body is higher, the windows a bit smaller, the roof narrower and the buffers a bit bigger. The height difference is the most jarring since it's like a whole extra layer around the top, even though the sides and ends were cut according to the OG coach.



From now on, more than one unit of the same/related rolling stock will be made (more or less) simultaneously. One improvement is the wheels don't rub against the chassis, making it roll somewhat better. Then again, it's the first time I recall scratchbuilding a pair or rake of similar/identical units.

After building a six wheel chassis with the fourth gear in the gearbox, I added a pony truck and decided to turn it into a US outline Mogul (2-6-0). In addition to the high torque (this time, for real), I went for it because I also wanted to try using skewers for a good looking cowcatcher (like on other scratch built locos I've seen with them). My regular liquid silicone glue wasn't enough to keep it together, so it had to be strengthened with superglue at the ends of each bar. For something I've never tried before, it was my favourite part of the entire build. Along with the cylinders, it had to be at just the right height for the pony truck to swivel without hitting them.



To allow the coupling rods to fit, the rear axle had to be trimmed with cutting pliers (which was more difficult than expected due to how strong it was). The valve gear design was reused from the orange saddle tank, only with fake valve rods glued to the sides to appear connected to the middle wheels. Having previously made a battery tender that worked properly, I thought it would be nice to try again complete with a wire coupling. That said, I didn't guide the wires correctly and the coupling didn't move freely enough, so the wires had to be separated from it. Maybe it would've been easier if I made the battery tender and wire coupling first (before the loco). Due to how the bogies were made, the tender chassis always kept leaning to one side.

For a reason I have yet to figure out, the motorisation failed and it couldn't move despite all the right conditions (traction tyres, direct contact with the rails, increased torque, firmly glued wheels, etc.). Same on any other surface. Even regluing the motor with the crown gear as close as possible didn't prevent it from disengaging. The large gear I used for the driven half had a slightly bigger hole than the shaft, so I thought it could be the gear moved away from the motor. Even then, it was still able to run uninterrupted for more than eight seconds. If I connected the small half to a pulley the size of the large one, it would likely ensure the wheels would always have power. I had unfairly high hopes before trying it and thought it would manage to complete the entire oval with at least two wooden coaches. I eventually removed the motor and battery pack altogether and just turned it into another push along. Instead, it will have two lightbulbs for the headlamp and firebox powered by a separate battery to make up for it. In fact, I already prepared holes for a light in the old test smokebox that happened to be the right size.

Dude this is cool as s*** I love that you sized the cabooses to scale with the figures and how you made the base swivel excellent use of the gears you selected to figure out the right power/torque ratio that's cool how you made the cow catcher too I'm feeling like you could make a cool Beau.

Again, it was only a coincidence that the bump 'n go bus passengers looked good in the coaches. If they could stand, they would technically be too tall for them because my usual reference figures are two firefighters that look roughly H0 scale. I compared one of them to the doors at "platform height", and they perfectly match while the sitting figures would hit the tops.

I've accumulated a bunch of different gears from multiple sources, mainly toys and two clock mechanisms. The small (red) gear came from an unrelated friction motor and was one of my only ones that could fit and mesh (while also being big enough to glue to the large gear).

I don't scratchbuild Thomas characters for that track system, but do plan to recreate some real life bases of other ones (already did the Rocket [Stephen], the Schienenzeppelin [Hugo] and these LB&SCR coaches). If I'll ever try using measurements from scale models/blueprints, Thomas characters would follow their Gauge 1/CGI counterparts. Highly appreciated.

No I get it Lag I'm just a Thomas head myself I immediately think of similarities. The Schienenzeppelin was so cool but the Stephen, imo, was incredible... Might be my bias lol. I gotta remember to leave likes on your crafts

To try and find the real reason why the unfinished 2-6-0 can't keep its rear wheels on the track (not because the gearbox is rigid), I thought I should test it on TOMY and TrackMaster track to see if the flanges keep touching the outer edges (which correspond to the raised rails). It got stuck on TOMY's middle connectors due to the screwed joint on the bottom, so it could only clear TM. The rear flanges had no trouble staying on the edges, while the Union track apparently gets too wide at one point and they lose their grip; confusingly, making the flanges wider actually breaks the gauge instead of helping them reach the other rail. Therefore, I've concluded the driven axle was trimmed a little too much to fit the crankpins. With the OG length, the rear wheels tracked perfectly whenever I motorised it. I do have one other gearbox like it that won't be modified, so I've thought about fitting it horizontally in a motorised tender (after replacing the one in the loco with another bearing). I'll first try making a prototype chassis to push the orange saddle tank. If that succeeds, I'll build the 2-6-0's tender on top of it.

I know this is getting repetitive, but I did have to see how the proposed belt drive would affect the gearbox in a tender drive chassis. When it had enough power to move it (3V or 5V), the speed turned out similar to the crown gear on the large gear and the torque will still be the same, which is great to know. Would've been easier if I had a proper round motor since they're more practical here, but the battery pack would still have to be next to the pulley. The original position for the motor caused a stability issue when the battery pack was more on the edge, so I only had to move it down. The current setup also has an advantage in that the pulley can be taken out through the bottom in case the belt drive messes up. More importantly, it ran very well on the track as well as on other surfaces. At the moment, it's basically the high torque version of the first chassis I made last year. After the ends were folded up, it was kind of able to move the 0-4-0ST without pushing it off the rails (which was what mattered to me at that point). Once the traction tyres and couplings are added, it should hopefully be able to do its job.



Right after testing the tender chassis, I removed the other gearbox from the 2-6-0 and replaced it with a bearing for the rear drivers. It managed to fix the "rough riding" and they now stay on the rails better. However, they currently don't always roll well and I'm not sure how the tender will push it.



As mentioned, I already installed lights for the headlamp and firebox glow. Now that the motor is no longer in the loco, I chose to use two LEDs from a redundant light string (already wired to each other) rather than incandescent bulbs. The firebox light has since been tinted with red and orange markers. Mild inspiration came from this improvement mod for the LEGO C.K. Holliday. The improved smokebox door (which no longer opens) was folded three-four times to give it an actual shape. It turned out more similar in diameter to a UK one, unlike the outline in the middle of the first version. However, it was later corrected with a repainted unused wheel glued in the middle.

Edit:



The cardboard strips for the running board were too thin and made it very flimsy (esp. after removing the gearbox), so I ended up replacing them with two skewers along each side. The cab was also cut down in height before being moved up, and the sides are a bit more level with the footplate. Prior to that, only one side of the running board was glued in the right spot and the footplate was wonky. A new top layer will have to be made for the chassis, because the two black bars were cut from plastic fence pickets and therefore sloped. Hope it will still track well after I reattach it.



Having seen how bright the headlamp and firebox are with one CR2025 (3V button battery), I was wondering how I could make a good holder for it instead of looking for one/"scrapping" an LED tealight. I found this incredibly simple design by HK Creates Unique and decided to try making a similar one. The metal strips were cut from the backs of picture frames, and I found they were conductive when other components were powered by them. I then added positive and negative wires and - for the first time - actually soldered them to the terminals (better late than never). Currently thinking to use a rubber band to keep the halves shut while still making it easy to open. Subsequent designs will have the positive terminal touch the 'side' of the battery, like in electronic tealights or other devices. Either way, it's a pretty good jumping off point. The on/off switch/button for the lights will be the whistle, bell or one of the domes when I'll get to the boiler.

I've been intrigued by the idea to build a UK van, US boxcar or building with sliding doors and not the typical hinged types, which I find "too easy" to make. One of my LEGO sets was 7945 Fire Station, where the first floor of the middle section has a sliding door wedged between two simple grooves. Vans/boxcars with Part #4511 use that method as well. I started out with a similar chassis to the two Stroudley coaches and added two matchsticks on each side for the bottom grooves; the roof already had two skewers along the outside which helped keep the doors standing. While it did have a little too much friction, it seemed effective to me and I'll surely find better uses for it.



When I got to the side walls, however, I found there was no way to keep the existing grooves without making the sides too wide to fit the doors behind them. When looking for images of real (and model) sliding door vans, I found the 10 ton LNER ones that were often used for perishables. On those vans, the doors are suspended from external rails from the middle to one of the ends (not both). I did much the same thing I did for valve gear and used bits of tubing to make them slide along wooden sticks. Additional sticks were added through the hoops to make them fit more tightly. The roof stayed white after drying even though it was primed black and only one coat was added. I left it alone because the coaches have grey roofs and the white looks appropriate.




The brown paint was only an average mixture of red and green, yet it (unintentionally) makes it look weathered esp. in parts where a "brown" (actually dark red) marker was used for tight spots and corrections. It's currently my favourite paintjob I've done for my own rolling stock so far. If I'll do an LNER J70, it would look very similar in colour and building techniques. Even the asymmetry is less prominent compared to my earlier stock.

In two months from the time of writing, this year will mark the tenth anniversary of our trip to London. That, combined with a certain someone's recent state visit 'and' a film I watched with scenes filmed there, has given me an incentive to take on two world famous icons linked with the English capital (and other places in the UK).



It was about time I made a new structure that's not transport related (Doctor Who notwithstanding): a K6 telephone box made to fit - you guessed it - the two firefighters. Rather than cardboard, a big portion of it was made of matchsticks, toothpicks and plastic panes, with the only cardboard parts being the base, bottom sides, phone panel and roof. The handset is a paper tube folded at one end and glued to the console. After painting, additional matchsticks were added to make the corners thicker and all the panes look thinner. The door is not hinged and only glued to one side, which made it surprisingly robust.



To get the distinct shape on the top surface of the roof, I only had to fold a piece of paper over the corners after making the sides the usual way. In part due to the width of the fireman's base (not the figure itself), the final model is much bigger than it was meant to be. In fact, it looks more proportionate next to a LEGO Minifigure (which it also has enough room for). I nearly thought about making the signs translucent and adding a small light with a button battery. If I'll ever make several of them, they would be more appropriately sized and have printed details to look identical.



After an unsuccessful attempt to build an AEC Routemaster (not pictured), I had another go and designed it a bit differently. One of the trickiest parts for me was the spiral staircase to the upper deck, which I've found a better way to build. I forgot exactly what I did the first time, but the new version uses matchsticks with cardboard treads glued at each other's ends at different angles. They aren't supported by anything but one post from the floor to the last stair. The eighth stair was later removed to match the height of the side walls. In larger scales, they would likely be cut into triangles and mounted directly around a post.



Real life interior photos were a bit unclear to me (those of the lower deck were a bit harder to find), so I relied on images of LEGO #10258 for seating reference. However, the first four front facing seats were omitted due to length constraints and I only had room for six of them. Due to their placement making them hard to paint, certain red parts were painted with a marker before the acrylic red was added, mainly the two matchsticks under the cab windows.



Like the first time, the upper deck was made separately and glued on after being painted. Unlike the bottom, I managed to cram 14 seats into it since there was no cab, rear entrance or stairs in the way. Even then, three of them are still missing. It was initially not going to have the yellow stripe, but I added it after getting the notion most of the real units have it.



Oddly, I ran into the same problem I had with some earlier vehicle bodies I made for this wheel type (silver rims): they rolled perfectly when I was building it, but now have too much friction and can barely move (if at all). I assume all I'd have to do to use them would be to make lower and thinner bearings. Luckily, the smaller ones (black rims) make it roll even better than it did before it was finished. Even without the bases, the firefighters would be too tall for the entrance. Compared to a Take 'n Play Bertie:


(Second image from an eBay listing)

If I had a Take Along Bulgy, his roof would end right where the destination blinds are. The lower deck is the same height as Bertie.



That facade of the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is from 2014 and predates everything shown in this thread. It was made from a whole bag of air drying clay and used a real watch for the clock, albeit painted over with white to look a bit more accurate. If I made one nowadays, it would (of course) be made of matchsticks and skewers and have the clock on the other three sides as well.