Liverpool class lifeboat and tractor/carriage build

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i needed a seat so mixed some milliput white,

and made one………..its now on the radiator for a couple or so hours before i can sand it to shape.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i have been doing a little detailing to the "tank" over the last 48 hours……

the seat attached to the gear box cover,

the front towing hook turned on the lathe, bent and then silver soldered to a backing plate and added to the front cage of the beast.

then adding the steering wheel and gear and brake leavers in the "cockpit" area.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

A good name for you, Neil……..Plastic Man

Your plastic items are very nicely made, I`m really impressed.

Have you based the Tractor on the real thing?

Bob

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by Bob Abell on 22/04/2021 08:36:33:

A good name for you, Neil……..Plastic Man

Your plastic items are very nicely made, I`m really impressed.

Have you based the Tractor on the real thing?

Bob

thank you Bob…..its far easier to prepare for painting, and needs little rubbing down….and sticks together almost immediately.

and yes, the tractor is based on the CASE L loosely……..its basically a toy to play with, and so wanted to make it look similar, but needing it to be radio controlled so needed to modify certain areas to allow the fitting of motors, and at only 8" long body wise with only 2" x 2" x 2" to put any radio gear into i am very restricted in space.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

rear reflecters and rear facing spot lamp added, and the main traction unit masked off ready for spraying

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

before i do any spraying of the tractor, i had to "treat" the wooden parts of the fabrication to a few coats of celulose sanding sealer……..

errrr, ten coats in fact to give a good base to any paint onto timber…….luckily in a warm atmosphere each coat only takes about 10 – 15 minutes to go hard, and layer after layer increases the hardness of the skin that is formed…………

an old trick from my teaching days, and it used to teach kids a little about patience and perseverance in the final finishing process.

the final layer will then be rubbed down tomorrow prior to painting with a soft fine wire wool.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Over the last couple of days i've been addng a drop or two of paint to the tractor…….

First the filler primer,

And then a grey undercoat,

Finally the top coat.

I chose Halfords Vauxhall Royal Blue. I chose this as it is a little darker than the shade of blue used on the lifeboats of that time period.

It looks quite the part after seeing colour photos of these beasts of the time scale……..

Heating in the workshop full on now, and hopefully by later tonight I shall be able to put it all together for a look see…………small parts will need finishing touches of red,green, silver etc to bring out the little details and the inner wheels painting as well…….without de-tracking it am just wondering how to do that job.but hey ho! I'll figure it out somehow,

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

well, guys and gals, the CASE L lifeboat tractor is now finished but for the capstain on the "stern" foot plate of the beast……

and to be honest i had mixed emotions when i started whether it would cut muster as i didn't have many photos, but Mick French and Steve Williams to name just two came up with some later in the game, ………..and now i am quite pleased with the outcome…..

i still say it is a "stand off" scale model, but as a unit, with the trailor i have yet to build, plus the Liverpool class lifeboat sat on the trailor, i think it will be fine just as it is……….and whats more, i am happy with it TBH.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Tonight, I started on the carriage…………omly a tentative start, but a start just the same.

The first job concerning me was that the cogged drive wheels have a space between the exit of the mounting bolt and where it attaches to the "bogey" far greater than the exit distance of the guide wheels.

And so I had to make spacers out of plastic tube to make up that distance so that all the wheels run straight parallel and true.

I then threaded the bolts through the wheel centres, after putting small washers into the enlaged holes [moulded in to the wheels on the outside face] thus giving a free wheeling operation without any ware and tear.

Once all of the bolts were spaced properly and ready to mount on to the "bogeys" which will be free moving to allow the carriage to run over uneven ground freely, I took from the photos and plans that Mike Pendlebury,Martin Kinghoward and Rolf Menno supplied to me, a drawing for the bogeys ready for cutting out of a material I have as yet to decide on, but am looking towards two layers of 3mm birch ply, glued together to stop twisting and warping, and will take the weight, rather than plasticard.

Anyway, here is as far as i have got this evening. tomorrow i'll take the plans down to the printers for printing out to work on.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

both sets of wheels have been done, and ready for mounting.

[George NormanParticipant @georgenorman68347]

Just been reading this, Epic modelling there Neil. It has come out really well,

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by George Norman on 28/04/2021 21:38:42:

Just been reading this, Epic modelling there Neil. It has come out really well,

thank you for those kind comments George. this is the bit i am going to enjoy most, as most of the trailer [carriage if you like] is going to be made from timber, and as i was a woodwork/tech drawing teacher for 25 years, it will be made in the majoprity of fine hard woods……….

got some nice walnut, ash, sycamore and mahogany lined up, as well as some rosewood……………

so my carriage will be varnished timber rather than painted……my little indisgression but also a way of showing off my woodwork skills. lol.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Lovely job Neil, and I can't believe how quickly it has gone together!

There can't be many lifeboat tractors out there with a Tiger heritage!

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by Richard Simpson on 29/04/2021 08:38:49:

Lovely job Neil, and I can't believe how quickly it has gone together!

There can't be many lifeboat tractors out there with a Tiger heritage!

the "tiger" is in the crew………..they never give up, or are defeated.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

I am well impressed with your Tractor creation. Neil

From start to finish…..Totally absorbing

Now, how about a sandy beach baseboard to display the full set up for the shows?

Not necessarily in a straight line either, to animate the collection?

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Not forgetting the tyre tracks in the sand. eh?

Bob

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by Bob Abell on 29/04/2021 17:55:20:

Not forgetting the tyre tracks in the sand. eh?

Bob

sounds a good idea Bob……….once the trailer is done, i might consider that.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

the shapes were then cut out of the grey painted board and glued on to the other ply board giving an 8 mm thickness to the bogeys.

then the bogeys were drilled for the wheel axles

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

and finally for today,

the wheels and tracks were pressed home through the pre-drilled holes and bolted up to the bogey's.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

isn't it great how, when you make a cock up, making the parts again takes less than half the time to make new ones to the correct measurements.

i made two bogeys yesterday, identical in size and spacing of the guide holes for the track wheels………..

only problem was that i made a slight mistake in the spacing of the outer holes of just 4mm………..

but this was enough to make an enormous amount of "sagging" on the tank tracks.

and so, being only 4mm between the existing outer hole and a new one, i decided there was far too little space between the new and old hole……………..

and so i made two new bogeys with new holes correctly spaced giving a taughter running track on the wheels and less likely to come off the wheels.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

my front wheels came today, 6 of them, 4 in silver, 2 in gold………..and look more like mags from a BMW poser car……..

but i suppose with a little fettling and some painting they will pass muster lol

now! what looks better for an older carriate steering front axle……..this

or this!

think they look ok with the disk wheels, rather than mag spoked wheels…..

and on looking at photos of the period, i found that going the disc type, that was the correct way to go……………and they look even better when painted the requisite royal blue.

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 01/05/2021 19:39:40

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i was able to get my plans both copied [

Mike Pendlebury

] sent me one set of good detailed plans at 1;12 for download on to a memory stick,

and the other set were from an A5 plan that i was also sent by friends on here [numerous kind folk]

however the originals were so small that photo enlarging bu nearly 600% made them useful for a cutting list of timber for the carriage to be constructed from.

So, my sorting and cutting will start in the next day or so.

but in the meantime i have mounted them on to my drawing board.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

The foundations of the carriage has been laid.

The centre runner for the keel of the lifeboat have been cut.

Although impossible to get the thickness of the uprights as thin as the steel used on the real carriage, I have cut it as thin as I dare. about 4mm before sanding smooth.

The timber I have used for this is a nice piece of straight grained Ash, that is both strong and yet springy enough to take the riggers of a heavy boat being plonked on it without splitting the grain lengthways.

Tomrrow I'll take it back into the workshop to sand it and then glue the "trough" together using aliphatic resin and pins through pre drilled holes.

It will then be a case of cutting timber for the outriggers, before the cross bearers.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

NOW started to glue the parts together for the U shaped trough to take the rollers for the launch platform which goes to make up the launching and transport carriage………..taking some thought and some help from fellow modellers, but piece by piece it is coming together,

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

so, after the help of two knowledgeable guys on here, i picked out a piece of 5mm ply and transferred the main longitudinal support that helps the boat to swing on the framework from the plans to the timber, and cut it on the band saw.

i then, after sanding the two down, held both together, and marked the drill hole possition for the pivot point and drilled through.

with a small amount of trimming of the support beam glued onto the bogeys this afternoon, i got the result i needed……much simpler than i thought it would be, now that i know what i'm doing and how it works.

Sad thing is, after seeing a slip launch and then afloat boat all my life at fleetwood i was again working blind as i have never seen a carriage at all that i can remember, except the new SLARS job.

but below is the progress, slow but steady.

[Author]

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