A Card model of No 400 in "O" scale part 6

I finally managed to get the adaptors I needed for my new airbrush so I have finished off my model of Brisbane FM N0 400 at last. It has had the roof cabling done and the roof sprayed in a fairly typical darkish grey. My scratch built trolley poles have been done in the same grey. The model is on a pair of powered and un-powered black beetle mechs.

The tram is on route 60, a Balmoral service, because that's the tram my wife used to catch home from the city every day.


I have modelled the tram for the late 1960s period and the ads which are correct for the period are from "Transit Classics" One side is for "Checkmate Chocolates" which I haven't seen in the shops for years and the other side is the "Take it easy take a tram" ads that were explained in an earlier post.

This tram actually had "Johnny Walker Scotch Whisky" ads on one side and ads for "Vincents Headache Powders" on the other side when the Brisbane tramway system was closed in April 1969. The combination was probably supposed to tell you something.


I now have 494 and 400 finished and will soon have my Phoenix class finished. That will give me three Brisbane FMs so it is time to start a few different models.

A Card model of a Phoenix tram in "O" scale part 3

This was the first model I started to build when I decided to change scales. It has been sitting on the shelf for some time but now I'm finally about to finish it.

I was originally going to power all my models with the Australian made Bull Ant mech. These are beautifully made units but have a problem with height that I was prepared to live with. At least with the FM models. I needed to lift the floor at one end to almost window sill height for sufficient clearance. With the small windows making it difficult to see into the cabin and after fitting seats with very short backs it has came out looking quite reasonable. I am now using the Black Beetle mechs because they will fit under the floor.

What to use at the other end? Being a long time scratch builder and having built quite a few chassis, a home made unit was the obvious choice. I like to use pinpoint axles because of their low friction and as the body only weighs 100 grams that wasn't going to be a problem. I cut a pair of Jackson 14mm wheel sets in half and stretched the gauge to 32mm by gluing the then stub axles into a brass tube. Jackson top hat bearings in a brass chassis and some pickup springs made from phosphor bronze wire finished the job.

I have found the best way to test a chassis is to let it run down a smooth plank. It should run as straight as possible and not curve. It shouldn't crab sideways either and the rear wheels must be directly behind the front wheels. That last one might sound a bit silly but with a bit of sideways slop in the bearings and if you set it up with uneven tension on the pickup springs it is easy to have the wheels offset from each other.

A Card model of a Phoenix tram in "O" scale part 2

The seats are finished and I am tidying up the painting now. Then I will start applying the decals. I have been trawling through my collection of photos and have chosen to number mine 549 as thanks to Transit Models I have the appropriate ad decals etc. No photo of progress just yet as there is nothing to show.

The manufacture of the phoenix emblems wasn't a success. When I sprayed them with Testors clear coat, the ink smudged. I have sprayed inkjet images on plain paper before with no problems so possibly the fact that the inks were on decal film is the reason it didn't work. But the images are so small anyway that I have decide that I will still use them. There will still be the appearance that something is there and with a bit of imagination they will pass.

I don't have plans for the Phoenix class as such but they belonged to the group of FMs from 504 onwards except that the Phoenix class had roof mounted route number boxes unlike the earlier trams that has the frames attached to the sides. They were fitted with resilient wheels and fluorescent interior lights. Their roofs were bondwood sheets skinned with fibreglass which gave the roof a somewhat different appearance.

After the disastrous Paddington Depot fire in September 1962 where 65 trams were lost it was decided to build eight more trams which were to become known as the Phoenix class. Unlike the other FMs which were in all over grey by the 1960s these new trams were painted in blue over grey with a royal blue band. They were called the Phoenix class because they used various components salvaged from the Paddington fire. No 554 was the last built and only saw five years service before the whole network was closed in 1969.

A Card model of a Phoenix tram in "O" scale part 1

While I'm waiting to get my new airbrush working I decided to continue on with my card version of a Phoenix class tram that has been sitting on the shelf for some time. It still needs the seats fitted and the decals added.

I was able to photograph the Phoenix emblem at the museum and I changed the blue background to white using Paint Shop Pro then I scaled it in Corel Draw and produced left and right images. I printed the images onto a ordinary piece of printer paper using the single sheet feeder. Looked like what I wanted so I taped a small piece of clear decal sheet, left over from some commercial decals, over top of the printing on the paper. I figured that the printer would print in the same place again and fed it back through the printer. It did and it printed without any problems with the white background coming out clear. Now when I get my airbrush going I will spray a gloss clear over the images before I wet them.

The seats will be a small problem as this model was built for a "Bull Ant" mechanism. This unit is quite high and it was necessary to create a floor at one end which is just below the height of the window sill. The truck at the other end is scratch built from brass and uses Jackson RP25/100 wheels with the axles extended.

Now off to start making seats.

A slight change in plan

As the title suggests things don't always go smoothly.

I was airbrushing the roof of No 400 the other day when my airbrush of 15+ years literally fell apart. It looks like years of tightening and un-tightening the air hose to the airbrush had taken it's toll and the chrome barrel that holds the air valve came loose from the main barrel of the airbrush. I always thought the main body was one piece but it appears these protrusions are a press fit into the main body. There was no sign of soldering or brazing evident.

The result was no airbrush and a badly splattered roof. I am in the process of sanding back the roof to have another go. This also seemed like a golden opportunity to obtain a new airbrush. Especially as my good wife decided she would shout me one as an early birthday present. So a bit of research on the net and a visit to my local hobby shop and I am now the proud owner of a new Paasche. On arriving home I found that it wont connect to my mini compressor. The hobby shop can't supply an adaptor so until I can chase one up this week I can't spray anything.

So for my change in plan. I have a dropcentre tram partly built so for something to do while I'm waiting for the adaptor I have been preparing some ads for the model. The photo of 356 by Richard Johnson shows a typical dropcentre with a full compliment of ads attached. On the dropcentres all the body ads were attached to thin boards which in turn were attached to the tram.

The ads were printed on low quality paper and were not expected to last more than a few weeks. The collection at the museum are now over 40 years old and are mainly in a poor state as one would expect. I have been using the computer to restore these to a standard suitable for use on my model. Two of the ads, the 4BC and Canberra TV ads can be seen on the photo of 356. 4BC was and is still a local radio station but Canberra Television, who would rent you a TV for $1 a week is no longer in business.

A Card model of No 400 in "O" scale part 5

My model of 400 now has it's seats fitted and final grey on the sides. The decals have been fitted to both sides. The "Take it easy take a tram" ads were used by the Brisbane city Council when a paid ad wasn't available. They were usually attached to boards that could be easily removed and transferred to another tram. There was never a strip ad above the doors associated with these as was common with the paid variety.

The seats were made out of balsa but next time I will use Evergreen styrene as I think the finish will be far superior. The roof has to still be finished as I have just remembered that the early FMs had the traction power wiring exposed on the top of the roof. I'm not sure of the exact route the wiring took so I shall have to check on my next visit to the museum. No 400 has a completely different roof to all the other FMs and it's roof appears to have been painted the same grey as the sides in it's later years but a liberal coating of grime gave it the appearance of a fairly dark grey colour.

In the meantime I shall be working on the side frames and installing the trucks. Still plenty to do.
I also have a phoenix class well under way and I am looking forward to getting back to working on it too.

Building a "O" scale Brisbane FM Part 13

It's finished
Well almost. I just have to make and fit the lifeguards but that is a job for another time. I have two more FMs under construction and I will make all the lifeguards at the same time. So for now this model will be put aside waiting for me to get on with building a layout to run it on. That's the trouble with switching scales. No layout and precious few models in my new scale at the moment.

This kit has been worthwhile as it has enabled me to get an extra model quite quickly and of somewhat better quality than my usual scratch built versions.

A couple of problems. The problem of the decals not settling down around the rivits that I mentioned and in post No 12.

I fit the glazing last and the clear film is very hard to position when the model is assembled. There is very little room to get in to position it because the seats are in the way. There is insufficient room to get in and paint the sides with adhesive so I had to apply it to the film instead. I ruined a couple pieces of the film when they slid while I was trying to position them and they got smeared with glue. Also, as the seat back is level with the window sill it needs to be notched on the wall side so the window glazing can drop lower and be supported by the wall below the window sill.

I always intended to model the windows in the open position but got caught out as I needed to notch the film to fit around the seat tops and this made them to flexible especially with the weight of the glue on them. They were only 4mm wide and notched at every seat top and the length of 4 windows. So I modelled them closed. Next time I would notch the seat backs and glue a very light frame around the windows for the glazing to drop into.

I am very pleased with the kit. I has made up into an excellent model and one I am pleased to have. I would not consider this kit to be a beginner's model although anyone with a degree of patience who took it slowly and dry fitted everything before gluing should be able to produce a creditable model.

A Card model of No 400 in "O" scale part 4

The model has been undercoated and as usual the undercoat shows up quite a few flaws that weren't obvious beforehand as these two photos show. Especially the area above the motorman's window in the second photo. So a bit of work to do now and then a second undercoat to see how it looks.

The headlights were made by winding glue soaked copy paper around the shank of a drill and soaking in shellac when the glue was dry. The end of the tube was then sanded to the required shape and cut off on an angle to suit the nose of the tram.

A Card model of No 400 in "O" scale part 3

There is very little to write about on the Transit Classics FM kit at the moment as I am up to the stage of applying the clear coats and I like to wait at least a week before applying masking tape to new paint. So I have started work again on my cardboard version of No 400.

The first photo shows some of the interior. Originally the floor at one end was quite close to the window sills to cater for a different brand of motorised truck. As I needed to order a set of Black Beetles for the Transit Classics model I decided to order a second set for this model. The Black Beetles will fit below the floor so, yesterday, I cut out my original floor and replaced it with one of the correct height. Quite a bit of fiddling was needed to smooth off the inside walls as my method of construction makes it difficult to get fingers inside.

I work on the theory that life is too short as it is and modelling anything that can't be seen when the model is on a track is just a waste of time. So under-body detail like air cylinders, brake detail, etc. is ignored. Cardboard can be very strong if care is taken and I like to make boxes where I can to give rigidity to the model. The second photo shows four of these boxes across the model in line with each set of doors. The blocks in line with the end doors are for the attachment of the lifeguards. Very little of the lifeguards are visible on a 12" to 1' version and I intend to only model what should be visible.

The roof is Balsa wood and sealed with many coats of shellac. I hold the roof in place with long brass rods that go down through the motorman's cabins and have a nut under the floor. My next step will be to undercoat the whole model and that will show up any flaws that need attention before the top coats are applied. Just waiting for the shellac to dry now.

Building a "O" scale Brisbane FM Part 12

I haven't posted for a few days so I better make an update.

The model now has all the decals and the destination and route numbers added. I had a problem with the ad decals settling down around the rivets on the side panels. I suspect this was because of the amount of colour in the ads. The Solverset couldn't get to the carrier film of the decal once the decal was in position. Using too much Solverset only caused the decals to curl along the edge. I was in panic mode for awhile thinking I was going to ruin the decal but it eventually settled down with the aid of a cotton wool bud and some careful pressure. I was reluctant to wet the model with Solverset first because of the size of the decal.

I don't thing the rivets do anything for the model anyway and they proved to be such a problem that next time I would remove them completely. Problem solved.

A little on the ads. They are supplied by Transit Classics and are reproductions of genuine ads from the 1960s. Some of the museum's trams that are in storage still have these ads on them. The reproduction is excellent and apart from my problem with the rivets I can't fault them. I chose the BIC and the Caltex Astron ads for this model. I notice that there is a light reflection on one of the Caltex ads from the flash. It's not a fault with the decal.

Now all I have to do is wait a day or two for the decals to dry before I over spray the sides with a clear gloss and the roof with a clear mat. Then I can start to fit the glazing in the windows and the headlights and the orange marker lights ..... and .....and!