Ashover Light Railway in 009

[2996 Victor]

So another two Class D dropside wagons and a Class E well wagon have arrived in Dundas kit form 

 

Sadly, the first two Ds remain unfinished, awaiting better magnification to aid my ever-lengthening eyesight!

[2996 Victor]

Just a quick update - the baseboards have arrived in kit form from Grainge & Hodder, although they're still parcelled up! A job for the New Year.....

[Chubber]

Hi, Victor,

I too realised my eye/hand co-ordination is not what I hoped it would be for painting steel strapping etc, so now I use artist quality waterproof gel pens. They make painting cab window rims and the odd handwheel or clack easier too as they come in metallic colours too.

 

Watching with interest,

 

Doug

[2996 Victor]

Hi, Victor,

I too realised my eye/hand co-ordination is not what I hoped it would be for painting steel strapping etc, so now I use artist quality waterproof gel pens. They make painting cab window rims and the odd handwheel or clack easier too as they come in metallic colours too.

 

Watching with interest,

 

Doug

 

 

Hi Doug,

 

thanks for your pointer there - I'll have to look out for some of those as I really need to get some productive modelling done.....The illuminated magnifier has arrived and has been suitably equipped with AAA batteries, so fingers crossed!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited January 15, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Not much to report, other than I've decided that I'm not entirely happy with the shade of grey I've use on the first two D Class wagons. I've ordered a couple of aerosols of Tamiya AS-11 RAF Medium Sea Grey, which should hopefully be the ticket!

 

I'll post a couple of pics when I've had a chance to try it out.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[2996 Victor]

No progress at all, in fact a backward step, really.

 

The "new" shade of grey certainly looks the part, so all good there.

 

However, I'm still struggling to pick out the ironwork. Now that I've got decent magnification, I can see what I'm doing, and the paintbrush is steady.

 

The problem seems to be getting the correct quantity of paint on said brush to allow it to flow out and around the bolt head detail without running irregularly over the edges of the "strapping".

 

Frustrated does not describe it!!!

 

I'm going to try spraying overall a darker grey shade to represent weathered black for the ironwork, and the washing light grey over the wooden components, and see if that gives a better outcome.

 

I don't fancy shelling out £25 each for the Bachmann versions!

 

Back to the drawing board.....

[2996 Victor]

A small amount of progress has occurred, with the Dundas WD Class E Bogie Wagon taking shape nicely. Here's the main body of the wagon, visually surprisingly different to the Class D:

 

 

Plus the bogies:

 

 

 

The brake wheels are stolen from a Tichy Train Group sprue as they're a bit finer than the Dundas items, and the brake stands themselves are brass pins rather than the flimsy plastic rod supplied, in the hope of increasing their resilience! A little extra brake gear detail will be added and the pins cut to length.

 

Here are another pair of bogies for one of the long-suffering Class Ds:

 

 

And their brake wheels (plus one that belongs to one of my HO AC&F 40' Flat Cars!):

 

 

Onward and upward.....

 

Cheers for now,

 

Mark

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Now due for release sometime between April and May.....

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

The old conundrum of track is rumbling on.....I spotted this whilst trawling the interweb:

 

 

Left to right, it shows HO, HOn30 and N track. The HOn30 track looks quite presentable, all things being equal, but I can't seem to discover who the manufacturer is.

 

I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with PECO track. Yes, I know its pretty robust, and as far as running is concerned, it seems to be about the best that RTR can offer. But their OO9 track just looks too twee and the weight of the rails is far too heavy for the majority of UK narrow gauge lines, which is why I was looking at their Code 55 N track. But again there are drawbacks, not least the sleeper size and spacing which to be honest doesn't look right even for N scale standard gauge. And of course, to build in the robustness, the rail isn't actually flat bottom:

 

 

Apologies for the blurriness of the photograph, but it shows the extra "bit" on the base of the rail that sits in a moulded channel in the sleeper base, which would make it impossible to re-sleeper.

 

In the meantime, a visit over the weekend to WD Models in Chesterfield - great shop! - found this little item falling into my shopping bag:

 

 

Yes, I've succumbed to the lure of Bachmann's Class D..... I have to say I'm really rather impressed with the quality, but the price means it'll probably remain a one-off among the Dundas kits! Shame about the track 

 

Cheers for now,

 

Mark

[Nile]

The track in the middle looks like Micro Engineering, I didn't know they did 9mm track. They do 10.5mm track in code 70 & 55 rail. Another option is Atlas code 55 N gauge track, unlike Peco it actually is code 55 rail, but you still have the problem of short sleepers.

I find the Peco 009 mainline track ok, if you want finer you are probably going to have to make your own. C&L sell code 40 & 55 rail

[009 micro modeller]

One option is to remove alternate sleepers from the N gauge code 55 but the thin sleepers will make it look like Hudson sectional track which is not really what you are after. I like how the rest of it is going anyway.

[2996 Victor]

The track in the middle looks like Micro Engineering, I didn't know they did 9mm track. They do 10.5mm track in code 70 & 55 rail. Another option is Atlas code 55 N gauge track, unlike Peco it actually is code 55 rail, but you still have the problem of short sleepers.

I find the Peco 009 mainline track ok, if you want finer you are probably going to have to make your own. C&L sell code 40 & 55 rail

 

Neil - thanks!

 

I thought the same, the sleepers (ties?) do have a slightly rough-and-ready look to them like a toned-down version of PECO crazy track which I'm not keen on, but the overall appearance is pretty good. However, a little more digging seems to suggest that ME did do HOn30 (9mm gauge) track, but that it's been discontinued.....

 

I've been increasingly thinking that I may have to build my own track, which I'm actually quite keen to do although it's not something I've done before, but I'm more than a little apprehensive about building pointwork from scratch. The assymetric 3-way point is fairly fundamental to the compactness of the layout, but I'm leaning toward a slight redesign so that I could perhaps make use of point kits.

 

ME rail is available from a few places in the UK, along with their spikes. I guess I'd have to cut my own sleepers from stripwood, which wouldn't be an issue, or I could C&L as you've suggested, presumably with copper-clad sleeper strip

 

One option is to remove alternate sleepers from the N gauge code 55 but the thin sleepers will make it look like Hudson sectional track which is not really what you are after. I like how the rest of it is going anyway.

 

OO9MM - thanks for your kind comment.

 

The biggest issue with the Code 55 PECO rail is that its not really Code 55 flat-bottomed rail. I suppose the Atlas track is an option, and I did consider taking out every other sleeper, but as you say, the overall look would be Hudson-esque. I'm not ready to start track-laying yet, so I can consider my options for a little longer!

[2996 Victor]

No progress to report, other than re-linking the photographs in this thread - it's not even as if they were on Photobucket!!! 

[2996 Victor]

Now due for release sometime between April and May.....

 

 

.....and now June. Possibly.....?

 

     

[2996 Victor]

A minor frustration.....

 

The Dundas WD wagon bogies are nice mouldings, but are quite basic when comes to the brake gear, just the stand/wheel and shoes.

 

The linkage at the base of the stand is quite visible, so I wanted to add a vee hanger, rocking lever and the barrel arrangement at the base of the handwheel.

 

All straightforward to do in evergreen strip and rod, and accomplished easily enough. Except that it occupies space required by one of the wheels.

 

Now, the brake stands are positioned according to the kit instructions, but it seems like they need to be significantly further outboard.

 

Those Bachmann RTR wagons are looking increasingly attractive, despite being twice the price of the kits!

 

Cheers for now!

 

Mark

[2996 Victor]

The Bachmann wagons are superb in every respect! More expensive, yes, but well worth the price.

Alex

 

Hi Alex,

 

I absolutely agree! I see that Bachmann are releasing them in early livery, which although seemingly unweathered adds a bit of scope for "individualising" them, always a bonus when almost the entire fleet will consist of otherwise identical wagons!

 

I'm quite frustrated with the Dundas kits, which is quite a shame. I can't fault the mouldings or the way the kits go together as a whole, although as I mentioned above I think the brake gear could have been done a little better. They just don't seem to work for me.....so although the Bachmann wagons are more expensive to buy, they'll be more economic than a stack of abandoned half-built kits.

 

Which is strange, as I've been building wagon kits for 35+ years from all manner of manufacturers. I put an old CooperCraft GWR O4 kit together on Saturday afternoon with no trouble whatsoever, and the American-made HO-scale injection-moulded flat cars and wood "craftsman" kits for my US logging project have been great to build, and they are far, far more detailed and complex!

 

So as far as my Ashover project goes, I guess I'll be RTR-ing it after all!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited May 21, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

I see that Bachmann are releasing them in early livery.....

 

But not it seems, according to Hattons' website, until May/June 2019   Ho hum! I do have several of Old Time Workshop's ALR decal sets, so whether there is scope for re-lettering the Nocton Estates version.....

 

Hmmmm! 

 

Mark

[2996 Victor]

Old Time Workshop's ALR decal sets, so whether there is scope for re-lettering the Nocton Estates version.....

 

 

Thinking a bit more about re-lettering the Nocton Estates wagons, does anyone have any experience of removing the running numbers on Bachmann RTR wagons? Is it possible without destroying the entire paint job???

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[2996 Victor]

Having successfully found a couple of useful threads in the modelling Question, Help and Tips sub-forum (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/25-modelling-questions-help-and-tips/), at the beginning of last week I bought a couple of Nocton Estates Class Ds from the wonderful WD Models in Chesterfield (with whom I have no connection other than as a satisfied customer!).

 

In the meantime, I've been thwarted by various annoyances, for instance work, and haven't yet been able to have a go at de-lettering them. Tonight was supposed to be the night, and guess what? I'm about to make a start and my eyes start stinging and go bleary. I can see well enough to type this, of course, but not to be able to work on an OO9 wagon. Annoyed does not come close..... 

Edited July 3, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Also, I have a cunning plan to resolve my indecision over the track 

 

 

Watch this space......but as usual, it might take a little while, so don't hold your breath (unless you can do so for a long time!!!).

[2996 Victor]

My two recent purchases, the Nocton Estates Class D wagons, as taken from their boxes:

 

 

Following the advice given in the Questions, Help and Tips sub-forum, I used a cotton bud dipped in Tamiya acrylic thinners to dampen the running numbers. I left this for a few moments to soften, then using a dry cotton bud, rubbed over the numbers, dampening again with thinners as necessary. This is the result of about a minute:

 

 

And after a further minute:

 

 

And after a further minute or so, the number was completely removed, leaving a slightly burnished surface: 

 

 

In total, it took little more than twenty minutes or so to remove the numerals from both wagons. The white paint of the numerals left a few specks, which were easily removed by another pass or two with a clean cotton bud dampened with the thinners:

 

 

They then had a light coat of Tamiya acrylic gloss lacquer in readiness for the Old Time Workshop decals:

 

 

I've applied the transfers, and they look really rather good! The light was starting to fail, so I'll get a photo tomorrow. Next job will be a waft of matt lacquer to seal the transfers, then a re-paint of the interior to better represent woodwork and some weathering.

 

Incidentally, the Nocton Estates wagons have a brake stand on one bogie only, whereas the ALR (and other users, it appears) wagons had brake standards on both bogies. Something I'll have to remedy!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited July 3, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

A couple of photos of the re-lettered Nocton Estates wagons:

 

 

 

I'm really quite pleased with them, although I would like the transfers to settle a little more into the grooves between the planks. I've used some MicroSol on both of them, but it doesn't seem to have been that successful. However, I must have had it at least 20 years, so I'm wondering if it loses its efficaciousness over time? Anyway, I've ordered some new, so I'll see if that's any better!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[2996 Victor]

Looking good!

 

- Alex

 

Thanks, Alex!

 

After I've sealed the decals and prior to weathering, I want to spray on a light coat of well-thinned light greenish-grey, just to tone everything down slightly, and then just a light weathering to make these two look like they've been through the repair shop in the not-too-distant past. With future efforts, I think I'll try spraying on a toning-down coat before adding the decals, so that I can hopefully achieve a more weathered effect.

 

Now all I need to do is find my airbrush, which hasn't been used in over twenty years since I dabbled with 1/48 scale First World War aircraft.....

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited July 5, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Happy days: I have Bachmann "Peggy" waiting for me.

Sad times: I won't be able to collect her for another two weeks.

Edited July 5, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

I'm thinking of adding a stub of a standard gauge transfer siding to the layout a la Gordon Gravett's legendary "Llandydref", which is likely to become home to a forgotten Midland Railway ballast wagon.

 

To which end, said ballast wagon has been constructed from a Slaters 3-plank dropside, painted a fetching shade of red oxide and lettered "ED" courtesy of HMRS Pressfix Sheet 17, all in accordance with an article by David Goodwin in Railway Modeller of September 1983. Like everything else, it needs weathering, and I need to do something about the colour of the interior planking. Photo to follow.....

 

Interestingly, the article also covers these self same wagons in the ballast-carrying service of the Cheshire Lines Committee (which were apparently a lovely shade of "red lead" which is actually bright orange!), and the Brecon & Merthyr Railway. If anyone wants a copy, let me know!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited July 6, 2018 by 2996 Victor