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About this blog

A quick glance at some of my workshop projects or what's on my dinner plate

Entries in this blog

Container Crane

It's been a long time since I added anything to my blog so here is a spring WOMW update; a container crane.   I picked up a Vollmer container crane kit for a fiver at the Redhill N gauge show recently .....     ..... and decided to bash it in to something more British looking like this Freighliner crane at Millbrook rather than build it as shown on the box cover artwork;     It's taken quite a bit of bashing around and building new parts that incorporate bits of the kit. I had to mov
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Another update

Having got N'spirations3 off to the printers I can now get back to some modelling projects.   Yesterday I started to convert a three axle Hong Kong KMB Wright Eclipse bus in to a British style 2 axle LT/Arriva version. It seems to be going okay so far;         I've also selected one of my Q1 locos to have a bash a weathering with weathering powders. I need to find some decent colour pics of them to work from. I seem to remember Missy having produced a very effective really work stained
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Latest efforts

Modelling effort has been taking a back seat as I've been attending hospital three times a weeks for a course of UVB treatment and as I prepare for my annual jaunt to Australia for the month October.   Nonetheless, I've undertaken a little work on some projects such as a planned Gatwick Express set where I've now got sufficient mk2 coaches and have painted the seating inserts and started cutting the end recess for the waist level jumper cables. And I've been working on N'spirations3 which is
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Outstanding projects

One of my many long term ongoing outstanding projects is an un-motorised 4-VEP in blue/grey to run with another powered unit. Today I've been working a little on it almost completing the underframes with Ultima etched truss rods and BHE cast details. However, I'm short of a couple of underslung fuses and, more importantly, one mk1 Farish coach roof. Does anyone have a spare or know how/where I can get one cheaply and easily?       G.
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A few things on the go..............

Despite being quiet on updating this blog I have been fiddling with a few modelling projects, including making a 2001: moon bus plastic kit, and have a few railway things on the go......   The coaling tower is complete and I now need to decide what to do with it. Keep it, sell it...... umm, err,   I've acquired some etched bits from Shawplan for the class 50 upgrade so a little work has been done on that. But I now realise that I need a new chassis as I can't find the original and have bee
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Progress on the coaling tower

Here's a little progress on the coaling tower which I'm starting to be pleased with. Snag is that I've got absolutely no need or use for it so I'll probably give it away.       G.
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On my dining room table.......

..... is a lot of junk and many half started and half finished projects including some not exactly railway related modelling. However, one is the scratch building of an N gauge coaling tower based on the OO Hornby one that is curently featured in all the commercial magazine reviews and question threads here. As I actually posed a question on the question thread about it, I thought I'd post up a picture showing progress so far; there's still plenty to do including adding steps and railings, makin
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New N'spirations and 2mm Anniversary Expo

I pleased to report that the second issue of my exclusive magazine has come back from the printers. I'm impressed and pleased with the quality and finish, although there is one little problem - some reversed out text on two small coloured panels didn't come out. Fortunately they're small and don't detract from the content; one was about ordering the first issue (on page 2) and the other is a photo caption (on page 19). I've reported it to the printers but to be quite honest there's little they c
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Update

I’m conscious that I’ve not updated my blog for some time now. I have been undertaking a number of modelling projects but they’re not particularly appropriate to write up here.   One bit of news is that the second issue of my magazine - N’spirations - is currently at the printers and hopefully will be available shortly. I’ll post up news as soon as I receive them back with details of how to obtain a copy.   I’m also hoping to be at the 2mm SA anniversary expo in Oxford (first we
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Photo trip out

Wednesday I took a train trip out to the Lymington Branch to take a few snaps and changed at Eastleigh on the way home;           G.
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Back to the photo diorama

Yesterday I quickly knocked up a warehouse facade and assembled a Knightwing portacabin for my little photo diorama. They’re both rush jobs as I wanted to get the diorama nearer completion and neither have been fixed down, finished, detailed or weathered. I’d also recently managed to get some ‘grass’ laid on it.   However, I doubt I’ll be able to get it finished in time for the NGS AGm due to a lack of time and other commitments (including the looking after of Aussie relative visito
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Weekend report

I attended the Crawley Club's exhibition at Horsham over the weekend with my layout and have to report that I had a super time. It was a very good exhibition, the club were friendly and helpful and my layout won the Bill Avery/Plus Daughters award for 'best in show'. Plus I was able to pick up a few second-hand goodies including a Lima Enparts Siphon G which now that I've changed the bogies/wheels for those from a Dapol Siphon and given it a dusting of matt varnish looks pretty acceptable
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Baby dust carts

I went to the BGS Berks Area Group open day this morning and picked up a Greenmax kit for £3 of what is claimed on the side of the box to be "Japanese Buses & cars for N gauge" dispite the picture showing council refuse/cleaning vehicles. The kit contained two each of a dust cart and a strange, presumably sludge gulper, tank thing with hoses. Both have Mitubishi cabs with the dust cart a more British/International looking body. The other vehicle is very much Japanese so they hae been
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Back to the NSE class 47

I've glued the cab handrails back on (well, the three sets I took off as I overlooked one set and they remained on during the paint and transfer process - ooops) and basically I think all the painting is complete and sealed with matt varnish. Just remains to take a deep breath and risk tackling some weathering, or should I, err, ummm......       G.
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N'spirations testimonials

Yesterday I received a really nice email from someone about my N'spirations booklet that I'd like to share on my blog;   "Just to let you know I think your magazine is an excellent contribution to the hobby and I hope it is to be the first of many. I particularly admire the way you suggest that we all, including beginners, should aim for high standards, without being pedantic about it. The publication presents the information and tips in a refreshingly positive style without specifically advoc
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NSE class 47

Some slow progress on the painting of this loco. White upper bodyside stripe, orange cant rail line, logos, number, lettering, etc., still to be done;     Nothing much on the class 50, although that will be done in large loco livery - a lot easier than NSE And a bit more done this afternoon (but still the orange cant line to do, paint the door handles, front grips and hi-intensitry light lens, replace the cab handrails, re-assemble and weather........)     G.
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Track for the London Bridge project

For my London Bridge project I’m obviously wanting to use the best looking N gauge track possible. And now I think I’ve finally decided on the way to go. For the plain track I’ll be using the 2mmSA Easitrack which is easy and quick to put together and has the benefits of;   * Being able to run my N gauge stock on it without any re-wheeling. * Concrete and wooden sleeper and flat-bottom and bull-head rail options available. * Has finer low profile height code 40 rail. * Has more accura
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Class 50 upgrade

While waiting for some transfers for the class 47 (the wrong ones were sent and I've had to return them) I've been playing around with class 50 body I had to try and improve it. One aspect that I considered 'wrong' with the Farish moulding was that the front end was too flat (like it had been slapped in the face) and lacked the slight protruding nose under the front cab windows of a real class 50. So as well as opening out the exhaust outlets and body side windows and cutting out the circu
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Class 47 re-paint

I'm going to be brave and attempt a first for me; to re-paint a new Bachmann class 47 (one of the blue ones) in to NSE livery. I started by stripping it down of all the glazing and bits and pieces and then attacked the paintwork with Phoenix stripper. I've also plated over the boiler exhaust and added Ratio hi-intensity headlights and then given it a coating of Halfords grey primer. Currently I'm going through my books and the internet to decide on exactly which number to represent. I nearly set
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4

N'spirations

One of the projects I’ve been working on for a while now has been a new independent magazine called N’spirations. It‘s a 4O page A5 sized all colour publication exclusively about British 1:148 N gauge. I am pleased and proud to be able to announce it’s launch here on my blog on RMweb.     The aim was to produce a one off publication that would help answer the questions people asked about N gauge while viewing my layout at exhibitions. It is also intended to inspire people who expre
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Photo diorama progress

There's been a little progress on the diorama I'm trying to put together for photographing locos/stock models on (and to try out the Easitrack option). The horrid reddish brown colour is just some acrylic burnt sienna paint that I had spare and added to the water and PVA mix that I painted over the plaster to seal it. Next I need to re-address the ballast and finish it off properly with a neat shoulder, and then consider some ground cover and weathering/painting the trackwork. A fairly rural sce
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More busses

Apologies for the seeming mania about N gauge busses on my blog but it's just that I reckon I'm going to need a lot for my London Bridge project in the same way that I've already put together a lot of phone boxes and skips. This time it's the Cars Workshop KMB Plaxton Pointer 2 of which I managed to purchase two. I've cut back one to a 'short' single door version and today I've started adding some paint/decal detail.   Unfortunately this is hampered by the lack of suitable N gauge/2mm l
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Diorama progress

Progress on this has been slow but I've had a stab at ballasting the Easitrack. It still needs finishing off, especially at the shoulders but I really need to establish the embankments first, and painting to weather it down a bit. However, I'm pleased how it's already starting to look. It should prove a suitable scenic background for photographing stock on.       G.
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Back to the back of the busses

Yesterday I scratchbuilt the angle truncated chimneys that go on the rear engine bustle under the upperdeck overhang of the DMS bus to convert it to a 1980s B20 variant with white upper deck window frames. Now that the TPM etches have arrived - very neat and fine they are too - I can get on and start to fnish some of them off.           G.
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Easitrack

My Easitrack order turned up today - plain concrete sleepers with flatbottom rail and wooden sleepers with bullhead rail, it's just a shame that, at the moment, there are no wooden seepers available for the flatbottom rail, but I understand it is planned to be developed. Anyway, I've already tried out assembling both types and have laid some on the little photography diorama board I'm building.             G.
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