Making a start GUV

Just a quick update to show the start of progress on the GUV shape that will become the NXV/NXX version to accompany the Newton Chambers car carrier as a part of the Motorail Maxi Pack.

Really early days with a generic bodyshape on top of the solebar and buffer beam assembly, with couplings roughly placed and wheels marking their place. The buffers are the final version complete with hoop (which can just be glimpsed) to support the drop down portion of the end doors.

A phat VDA!

Sorry folks couldn't resist that one.

Another one of those moments where something looks easy and then isn't is finally over. The final shape for the VDA vans is basically complete and has been an interesting puzzle. At first glance the experimental FAT13 suspension fitted to the 100 vans built to lot 3856 at Shildon in 1975/6 looks straightforward.

First impressions can be deceiving though, it looks like all that's required is a couple of pedestals, a long and strangely thin spring, axle box cover, some rams and a few other bits. Then once you start to delve further you realise there are extra bits all over the place that actually make it all work. Progress on this puzzle was going really well until the realisation dawned that there were parts that didn't appear to do anything!

Closer inspection and a lucky find in a book revealed that the van we'd photographed in use as a stores van on a preserved railway had a number of parts removed, possibly to enable the vehicle to be moved when required on a vacuum braked site?

Anyway the final shape is complete and is here for you to take a look at finally!

VDA Van: Two completed shapes

It's been one of those sessions today where the expectation of what can be done and the reality are slightly different. It had been hoped that all the shapes for the VDA would be finished before the end of the day, but distractions and fatigue have taken their toll.

That said here are two completed shapes ready for a final spin in RailWorks before unwrapping begins:

This first offering is of the original design that 330 vehicles under lot 3855 were built to at Ashford Works in 1976.

This second example is based on the 300 examples built under lot 3908 at Shildon Works in 1977-8. The design has evolved a little by the time this lot were constructed and much more substantial hinges are fitted to the pairs of hinged doors at each end of the wagon and the handbrake lever is considerably longer.

The last main variant, that will be the subject of tomorrows effort, are the 100 vans built with experimental FAT13 suspension.

VDA Van: Wheels and Details

Not quite the progress on the VDA we'd have liked to have seen today, but there was a little more progress after this render was made.

The original version to Lot 3855 is now basically complete, just in need of the handbrake mechanism completing, some elements of brake rigging adding and a few other small details like the latches for the centre sliding doors.

The VDA is proving to be an interesting prototype with all three of the large lots built having notable differences that we will begin to encompass once the shape for this version is complete.

What a difference some buffers make

Not the greatest of updates today. We've spent a fair amount of time tweaking the end framing to try and get the proportions correct, and eventually think we've got there. Can you spot any of the tiny changes from yesterday to capture the character?

The actual body has been raised by a ridiculously small amount as it didn't look quite right when the buffers were offered up, who'd have thought that 3.4cm could make such a difference! Of course the other big change has been adding the sole-bars and their associated webs.

Going round in circles

We decided to spend the second half of this week working on the VDA van...

It's been one of those annoying processes over the last couple of nights where one small change has had a knock on effect all over the place. In a strange twist the render that's been posted here looks almost identical to the one we nearly posted last night!

The problem was that there were a couple of annoying errors that looked like they needed a few minutes to fix. Like all 'just jobs' the small adjustments snowballed and both the body and end braces have been rebuilt. There's still a bit of tweaking needed to get the proportions of the end ribbing looking just right but it is a fair impression of progress.

Perhaps a VAA with those nice smooth ends would have been a better plan ...

Car Carrier - First Glimpse

As mentioned earlier on Facebook we've been taking a break from texturing the bogie tank wagon and have been working on the shape for the car carrier that we're creating for RailWorks as a part of Project East Coast. Below is a render of the progress so far, it's very much a work in progress and as such there are some errors that need to be addressed.

It's one of those deceptive models as you delve into it, that big slab sided body takes relatively little time to create and then you hit those heavy fabricated bogies and the plethora of hinges and stays on the end doors! So far we're happy and hope you appreciate the chance of an early glimpse.

We've noticed on one of the forums a mention of the open Motorail wagons created from redundant coach under-frames. Sorry folks but the amount of supporting stock going into the Motorail pack it really would be model too far with all those cars. We did consider it in the planning stage but as they didn't feature in the regular EMCL Anglo Scottish workings decided to avoid them for the time being. That said we never completely write anything off and they may appear in due course as a patch to the Motorail pack.