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!

Building a "O" scale Brisbane FM Part 11

No new photos of the model but it is often the little things that make a model look just right. Brisbane trams had a fitting just behind the front kerbside door to hold a flag. One at each end. The Brisbane city Council owned and operated the trams and periodically raised funds from the residents of Brisbane by means of a "City Loan" Flags advertising that the loan was now open were flown from the trams and a photo of a couple of the old flags, somewhat worse for wear, are shown. I hope to eventually make replicas of these.

Building a "O" scale Brisbane FM Part 10

Mounted the side frames to the Black Beetles today. I also fitted the plates to the floor for the trucks to be attached to. And as usual managed to make a mistake that required it to be redone.

Firstly I had chosen some styrene that was the same thickness as the height of the bearing surface on the truck. I did this because I felt the maximum thickness I could use would add extra strength. After all all the weight of the body is carried on these plates.

Secondly, I set the floor up to the correct height and shimmed and glued the the styrene plates in place but forgot the trucks were sitting on their flanges and not on their treads. Problem, I couldn't add a spacer under the floor to lift the body height. If I did I wouldn't be able to tighten up the locating screw on the trucks. The styrene was too thick. So it all had to be removed and redone.

The kit appears to have been set up for the wiring between the two trucks to run across the floor. I realise this may be the only option because of where the connections are made to the black beetles. But just in case I can get away with it I have put a sub-floor in below the centre section floor to carry the wires and keep them hidden. It will also add a bit more strength to the floor.

Building a "O" scale Brisbane FM Part 9

No photos of the model today but a couple of photos and some details I have been chasing up of the route number boards. Sadly No 494 is missing it's boards and the photos attached are of the setup on No 554. The top of the bracket is level with the top of the door opening. Historical photos of 494 show that it's boards were mounted in the same position.

The numbers themselves are painted on both sides of metal plates and held together with metal rings at the top. The set of numbers were pulled out and then flipped over to make the selection.

The overall dimension of both numbers together is 310mm x 220mm. The frame is slightly larger as in the photos and is angled forward with the rear standing out 45mm

Building a "O" scale Brisbane FM Part 8

The roof steps supplied in the kit looked oversize so a quick check on several FMs at the museum was in order. The first photo is of the steps on FM N0 400 but all the steps appear to be exactly the same.

The actual size of the treads on all the trams were the same at 505mm x 120mm x 20mm. This works out considerably smaller than the ones that came with the kit. As they are a fairly fragile item and sit up there on top of the model I decided that rather than cut down the steps provided I would make completely new ones out of brass and solder it all together before placing it on the roof. They still came out a little heavier than I would have liked but I figured that when they were painted nobody will know.

With the steps in place it was time to try and finish the painting on the roof. I decided to airbrush the roof with acrylic paint so I masked off the sides and sprayed the roof with "Tamiya Mat Black" When dry I over sprayed the black with "Tamiya Deck Tan" The tan was only misted on and deliberately left uneven. The aim was to give the roof the appearance of a sun bleached black with a patchy coating of city dust and generally an untidy appearance.


The Black Beetle (powered and unpowered) have arrived so I shall be able to start on the floor. Not far to go now.