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PostPosted: 09 Jun 2011, 14:52 
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Joined: 05 Jan 2011, 11:27
Posts: 31
Hi Ian, My immediate quick responce would be

"Don't Do It!!!"

its a slipperly path of no return ;-)

Seriously though its been a pit of an obsession over the last few year which has soaked up amazing amounts of time and money. to put this into context, i have been at this for the last 3 years and it has cost me about £600 so far..

That said, i have been some what of a detail freak and if you are happy to lose rivet detail etc then it can be a simpler task...

so where to start,

1. find drawings or a real crane that you can get access to. i was lucky, i was able to find David and the MP3 up at Nene Valley. they where quite happy for me to go and climb all it taking measures anytime I wanted.. to be honest most railway museams seem happy to do this subject to H&S...

2. Decide on gauge and detail, this will determine the amount of measurements and photos required. i have 100s of photos and count less measurements as well as working drawings which took months to collect. On the other side of the coin is John C and his 5" crane which you have seen on the modelling section. he spent a day up at NRM and has built his amazing crane with what he manage to capture that day..

3. decide on material, plasticard or Brass,

4. decide how you are going to design it. plastic card can be hand drawn and hand cut very easily and produce good results.

5. design it

6. build it...

so assuming you want Brass..

you need either to design by hand, which really will not give good parts. or you use a cad package like autocad. now if your not computer literate you will struggle here as the programs are hugh and somewhat complicated.. but if you persist you get excellent results!!

the etching is done by and specialist company and cost around £100 a go.. i have produce 4 sheets so far and need about 3 more...

Thenyou have castings... this again is time consuming and expensive. you have to make patterns and then it cast about £100 a time to have a cast made... i am looking at 2 or 3 cast to complete...
I find this part extremely satisfying which has lead on to the purchase of 2 lathes and a milling machine that I have converted to CNC..

The you come across the final hurdle, once you start you will soon want a bigger one that works! ;-) this is where 5” comes in…


so, this might all sound some what negative and overwhelming, but if you are will to invest the time and money its an excellent hobby!!.

I am happy to answer any questions you have and offer advice either directly or via this forum if it not considered off topic…


Cheers

Alex

p.s. get drawing!! ;-)


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PostPosted: 09 Jun 2011, 15:06 
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Joined: 05 Jan 2011, 11:27
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Hi Simon,

that would be a resin Peter Clarke kit? sounds like you where very unluck with that one. at least they caught and convicted him!!

for you i would say it a question of Time. Designing and building a kit is somewhat time consuming and usually more expensive. If you do decide to buy a kit i can give you a name of a local builder who has been going for a while and is a nice friendly guy. but i would be more inclined to say give it a go!!!

I must point out that you are putting yourself in a dangerous position of admitting your a Class 66 owner with David being the web master! :-) Don't tell him but i really do fancy buying one of those!..

so get some picture on the site of your models, its nice to see i'm not the only fanatic!!


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PostPosted: 10 Jun 2011, 09:07 
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Joined: 15 Dec 2010, 22:30
Posts: 298
Location: North Cambridgeshire, UK
[quote="Ian Allcroft"]Hello Alex, I'm just admiring your lovely work so far, and beginning to realise just what I'm getting myself into in scratch building a 76 tonne Cowans Sheldon in 7mm...... [snip]

Ian, I have some questions (as a non-modeller with, nevertheless, an admiration for the skills involved):
1. Will your 76-tonne CS crane emulate the original steam version or the diesel-hydraulic?
2. Do you have a particular crane in mind upon which to base your model?
3. Are you aware that the Hornby OO version of the 75-tonner is flawed in the relative proportions of some of its major components?

Regarding Q3, a possible reason could be an inability of the Hornby model to remain stable on the rails if it were to be correctly proportioned, which snag might also apply to 7 mm scale. Perhaps some mass could be added within or beneath the carriage to overcome this on your own model. I'd hate to see any repetition of the ill-proportions of the Hornby 75-tonner!


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PostPosted: 11 Jun 2011, 00:24 
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Joined: 07 Jun 2011, 21:47
Posts: 4
Alex Chamberlain wrote:
Hi Ian, My immediate quick responce would be

"Don't Do It!!!"

its a slipperly path of no return ;-)

p.s. get drawing!! ;-)


Thanks Alex, but you won't get rid of me that easily :lol:

Yes, it's a long and (probably) expensive game, but I'm in for the duration.....

I have some drawings done already, and have purchased some reference material (although the Cowens & Sheldon book on Amazon at £122.95 was a bit out of my reach!) :o

I've run up about £100 on reasearch so far, including a trip to photograph the K&WVR steam crane, but I really need to go and measure and photograph the real 75 ton machine.

In answer to David's comments, it'll be a diesel-hydraulic crane to go with my 1970's diesel-hydraulic locos and stock. Probably a BR(W) Region prototype.

I've deliberately steered away from the Hornby model as a reference, and will be relying on more authoritative material (I hope!).

In terms of building materials, I like to build prototypes in plasticard from my artwork, and then have etches made when I'm happy with the build. I've done this for a couple of wagons, but the crane will be an altogether different animal in view of the detail and mechanical operation involved. I model using DCC, and I will certainly want a working/operating crane at then end of the project.

I'll post a couple of pictures of bits I've worked up in 7mm (O Gauge) when I get a chance.

Bye for now.

Ian.


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PostPosted: 11 Jun 2011, 07:31 
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Joined: 23 Dec 2010, 00:07
Posts: 384
Location: Poole, Dorset
Which book was on Amazon at that price? Not the disappointing and error-filled Earnshaw effort, surely?

Roger.


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