This is actually a kit that was started something like 15 years ago and stalled in the development when a friend, Tim, made superb patterns for the axleboxes but which wouldn\u2019t cast. Tim wasn\u2019t the sort you tell his work needed changing. We bottled out and the project stalled. Tim is, sadly, no longer with us and technology has moved on a bit so now seems to be the time to do it.<\/p>\n The, hopefully, innovative part is the new chassis which is 3D printed but with etched and cast added details and featuring 3 point suspension.<\/p>\n The chassis features separately printed axle units which pin into the main chassis, one end fixes in rigidly whilst the other end has a rocking hinge centrally placed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This makes sure a relatively long wheelbase wagon stays on the track. The picture below rather exaggerates how this works in practice.<\/p>\n T Also included should be spring buffers, cast details, safety chains, wooden floor, some internal details and, maybe, transfers.<\/p>\n I had a plan to have it available for the 7mm NGA Convention in June 2022 but that was before I came up against the current supply inertia in getting castings and etches done.<\/p>\n Including internal detail might be open to interpretation. I have a full size copy of the RY Pickering drawing that shows a couple of internal lockers and the brake wheel but after that it\u2019s anybody\u2019s guess. By all accounts the van got used very little. The man from the ministry apparently insisted on it so it probably only got used if he showed up. Given the remote location, that fact that they could pull the brake van or three more coal wagons and ran two rakes of coal wagons but had just the one van it was most likely to be found in a siding!<\/p>\n I’ve long been a fan of the Campbeltown & Macrihanish Railway and long ago when I had big lasers to play with these two things happened.<\/p>\n I think I quickly realised that it wasn’t going to be rigid enough and took it no further but I do still have the CAD which wouldn’t take a lot of effort to adjust it for etch construction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who knows what may happen.<\/p>\n This is taking far longer than it should and I am currently evaluating the alternative of making new patterns and going for all brass castings in the kits. To cap it all the mould for SL1, the Alice class, has been lost.<\/p>\n The first picture shows the traditional construction of the model with an etched working inner frame, cosmetic outer frame and a set of Romford wheels. This is all soldered construction and the wheels are captive once assembled.<\/p>\n Instead of the Mashima motor and 30:1 gears there is now a 12v\u00a0 coreless motor, flywheel and 54:1 gears. Don’t be misled by its tiny size. It’s amazingly strong and more than enough for a quarry shunter.<\/p>\n When doing these new parts and revamps I am trying to engineer out some of the painful bits of construction or, at least, the parts that seem to give people the most trouble.<\/p>\n One innovation is ready to go but I am wrestling with the issue of changing the original kits to accommodate it.\u00a0 The originals are from hand drawn artwork for the etching so not easy to mod.<\/p>\n The problem then is that having addressed the wheel & quartering bogeyman the problem has moved to having to slot the frames without damaging the positioning and making a keeper plate.<\/p>\n I’m still thinking about that one and it may get overtaken by events.<\/p>\n The new Alice Class?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/CMRLY-Van.jpg\")
<\/a>All being well this should be out as a detailed kit in the not too distant future.<\/p>\n<\/a>The body for the kit is a four part resin casting. When done originally the ends included the buffer beam but that now becomes part of the chassis. I did think about redoing this as a print but can\u2019t justify the effort replacing a perfectly good part.<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>he aim is that the kit included NEM tension lock couplings which gives and easy provision for exchanging them for Kadee NEM couplings.<\/p>\n<\/a>First is a C&M Rly coach made out of laser cut laminated sides. The plan then was for it to be a kit but the realisation that it was a foot long and would give the “will it go round my 6″ corners” brigade heart failure meant it didn’t go any further..<\/p>\n<\/a>The second bit of laser nonsense was this. I laser cut, in plastic, a chassis for the C&M locos.<\/p>\nQuarry Hunslet Developments<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>I have the Agenoria kits for all flavours of the Small Quarry Hunslet\u2019s, Lilla and Manning Wardle Jubilee 1897 and, just at the moment, they are all unavailable due to the death of our whitemetal caster and the need to recover the moulds and find a new caster. The kits are designed to use some now obsolete parts so as I work to make them available again replacements are being sought.<\/p>\n<\/a>Already there is a replacement drive.<\/p>\n<\/a>The new innovation is assembled and quartered wheelsets.<\/p>\n