GWR Hounds Van

[753]

We are locked in again so plenty of time to work on a new project. One of my favourite railway vehicles is a GWR Hounds Van, I have made examples in several different scales.
I plan to make the van in materials I have to hand, I started with the Mansell wheels.
The wheels are turned from 2in steel bar with a recess for the centres, these are made from styrene, a grooved back plate, outside rivet ring and centre rivet plate.
The three parts were fixed together with solvent and pressed into the steel wheels.

Mike






 

[753]

The van body is made of different layers and thicknesses of styrene, and all cut on the CNC mill with a 2mm cutter. The roof is formed over curved and longditudanl ribs and plugs into the body.

Mike

[John Branch]

Can't wait to see he finished van-but what about the hounds?
I would love to know more about your experiences with the milling technique applied to styrene, particularly when the sheet is very thin.

John

[753]

John

The panelling is cut as a separate sheet of .030in styrene and fixed to the van sides with solvent.

I clamp the styrene sheet to a piece of MDF, for instance if the outside dimensions of the coach side are say 10in x 3in I have two pieces of 1/4in ply 11in long x 1in wide and have socket head screws spaced every 2in holding down the styrene along the two long sides of the sheet thus clamping and stopping it deforming.
Don’t run the cutter to fast as the faster speed builds up heat, the styrene starts to melt onto the cutter, styrene is quite soft so 1000 rpm is enough and a feed rate of max 3in per min.

It is also important to select the start point of each panel so the cutter is always cutting against uncut sheet, if not the thin ribs will deform from the pressure of the cutter.

As for the hounds I am in touch with our local master of hounds, he is willing to let me have them for a few hours so I can have them teleported down to G3 size and saved with laser scanning, should work well!!!

Mike