Bodgements

During the Covid-19 lockdown I started a series on the NGRM forum that I called 'Bilco's Bodgements' . This is a succession of threads about various locos in Gn15 and 7mm scale that I build just because I fancy it. They aren't meant to run on my Berger Hall layouts, and are sold on in due course. They mainly feature cheap, second-hand mechanisms and parts from the bits box, and present various challenges to make something recognizable, presentable, and believable - and have fun doing it. 

BODGEMENT # 1

The first Bodgement was, in fact, a repeat of the Heywood Ursula-like loco I'd made out of the Smallbrook Katie kit in Gn15 scale. I was asked to make it for another modeller, who provided the kit plus an extra body molding, and the Hornby 0-6-0 diesel loco to supply the mechanism. The resulting model was sent off in primer, as requested. 

l. - The two pieces of the body moldings joined together, with sides built up. R. - The finished model ready to be sent off for painting, so just propped together. 

BODGEMENT # 2

The second bodgement was a return to 7mm NG, or 0-16.5, for the first time in 24 years. There had been an interesting thread about railcars and trucks on the NGRM forum, and I spotted on eBay one day a die-cast model of a Russian bus which I thought would make a good basis for a railbus. The motive power was a heavily-modified Hornby Smokey Joe loco chassis - I'd bought several when Hornby were selling them off cheaply. 

BODGEMENT # 3

The third Bodgement took me back to Gn15, and the little industrial critters - where I started off in Gn15 back in 2006. The mechanism was a set of parts for what was called a Tram Bogie, that I found on eBay. It turned out to be rather crude, but I got it to run finally. 

                                                                                     The finished build, weathered and ready to go.

                                                                                    This loco was sold to a fellow NGRM Forumite.

BODGEMENT # 4

Bodgement # 4, the last of 2020, returned to 7mm NG, and made a look-alike for the 0-4-0 Kerr Stuart SIRDAR steam loco out of an old Triang Nellie loco I found for not very much on eBay. 

BODGEMENT #5

Bodgement #5 started off 2021 as a plan to use a couple of redundant 08 bodies, after I'd used the mechanisms for Heywood locos. Again in 7mm scale, after a search brought to light a French type of industrial diesel, known as a locotracteur - an old 0-6-0 steam loco frames and wheels with a double-ended body and powered by a diesel motor.

The components:

                                                                          The bonnets were fitted with doors and fixed to the footplate, and a cab fabricated from styrene

                                                                                                                          Then the final paintwork and fitting of railings.

The full write-up can be found on the NGRM Online Forum                                    ngrm-online.com/index.php?/forums/topic/27523-bilcos-bodgements-5/ 

BODGEMENT #6

Bodgement # 6 was triggered by a photo of Nitrate Railways 0-4-0ST with inspection saloon body, on the NGRM Online Forum. I thought it would make an interesting 7mm scale model, so suitable parts were sourced:

The chassis of the Lima loco had extraneous bits removed and a styrene footplate glued on top, and  the saloon body was glued onto the footplate:

The only part of the Teamsterz loco that got used in the end was the  metal saddle tank. This was garnished with suitable loco-like bits and pieces, and joined to the footplate. A resin curly roof was obtained and modified:

Finally, the whole thing was painted and hand rails fitted:

                                              This Bodgement was sold quickly to a Forumite. The detailed build is at ngrm-online.com/index.php?/forums/topic/27811-bilcos-bodgements-6/ 

BODGEMENT #7

Way back at the end of Bodgement #1 I swore an unbreakable oath that I wouldn't build any more Katie kits - I'd done battle with 6 by then  ...

https://ngrm-online.com/index.php?/forums/topic/25833-bilcos-bodgements-1/page/2/

However, the stricture didn't apply to all Heywood locos and the possibility of recreating Effie again has come up. The prototype was found to have very limited coal- and water-carrying capacity, so a tender was made at Duffield Bank. No photos of Effie plus tender are known, but Mike Decker made a drawing of the ensemble in 2019 - unfortunately it's copyright, so I can't show it here.

So, that is to be the subject of Bodgement #7. A list of odd kit partswas obtained from Michael Rayner of Smallbrook Studio, and a length of PVC tubing for the boiler was been ordered - I used a 35mm film cassette container last time, as the mechanism I originally used had a large motor. This gave an oversize boiler, but this time I used a Smokey Joe mech from the get-go, so a correctly sized boiler was doable.

The main components :

I started with construction of the tender, using styrene sheet of various thicknesses, and the chassis from the Smallbrook  Sand Hutton kit. The result:

Then attention was turned to the Smokey Joe chassis, which was hacked about to fit the required dimensions. It had to be remotored with a small open-frame motor, to fit into the body:

A footplate was made from styrene sheet, and the boiler and smokebox from the  PVC tubing:

Then the cab front and sides were made, and chimney and dome fitted. The unpainted ensemble:

Then it was all over bar the small fittings and painting - works grey in this case, as painting would be carried out by someone else :

BODGEMENT #8

Bodgement #8 is not a loco, nor an item of rolling stock - it's a layout. I've seen some of those layouts in the USA, down in their basements, with scenery from floor to ceiling, and I wondered if I could do something on a much smaller scale, and follow up on the scenery in Watts' Yawzes Mine. I also thought I would try making the baseboard from foamboard, just to see if I could ...

So, the components assembled.

Ten sheets of 5mm foam board, one sheet of yellow insulation foam, and a sheet of 3mm hardboard. The hardboard made a base to protect the softer components. Three sheets of foam board were cut up to make the outside frame, mounted on the hardboard base:

Next, more foam board sheets were made into the track base, with strengthening on the underside:

The an oval of pre-bent flexi-track was laid on the track base, and the whole thing glued halfway up the frame:

More foam board was cut to fill in under the track base, and strips of the insulation foam  glued to this. The foam was then attacked with various implements to make it a bit rock-like:

The exercise was repeated above the track base to produce this:

Rock courses from printed card filled the white space left front, and a fascia with a suitable name was placed on top:

The layout isn't too gauge-specific - the little loco and wagon are Gn15, but a 7mm NG loco works just as well:

At the time of writing the layout languishes at the back of my garage. Anyone want it?

Page created 1 January 2021                                                                                                                                               Last edited  11 March 2023