Red's Fumbling Bench

[timbowilts]

Anyway, I may be getting some more work materials to work with soon as I'm going car boot shopping tomorrow. I'll keep an eye out, especially for old Triang stuff. Love Triang, it has so much character. Shame they went bust and were bought by Hornby.

Red it was the other way round! Hornby went under as part of the Meccano empire and Rovex, the owners of the Triang trade name bought the Hornby name bocoming Triang-Hornby then just Hornby, cashing in on the original name

 

Tim T

[RedGemAlchemist]

Red it was the other way round! Hornby went under as part of the Meccano empire and Rovex, the owners of the Triang trade name bought the Hornby name bocoming Triang-Hornby then just Hornby, cashing in on the original name.

...well, shows how much I know about model rail history. I don't look into the production or the behind the scenes much. What matters is Triang used to be a thing and now they aren't and the old Triang stuff, a lot of the time, is much more endearing to me than modern Hornby. Not saying Hornby is bad obviously (most of my locos are Hornby, though how long any of them remain intact or even completely made of Hornby parts remains to be seen of course) but I'm a retro man. 

Though my favourite is actually Airfix. I adore their old coaches and I love their 1400 Class. In fact, one might end up as the KLR's only GWR loco. Issue is if I can find one for cheap, because in my experience the original Airfix version are a teeny bit scarce.

 

In short, "Dammit, Tim, I'm a bodger not a historian!"

Edited February 17, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[Satan's Goldfish]

Hmm. Does a little bit, you're right, unintentional as that was. Must be subconscious memories of reading/watching Thomas as a child inspiring that without my knowledge.

And usually I will and as such I did think of that. But then again if I want to mix it up or come up with something else to add or want to change something (like say if I want a six-wheeler brake coach rather than the full-length one) I like to have the option of removing things or swapping things around easily.

Still adore the brown mix they turned out in.

Did someone say 6 wheel brake coach?!

 

 

Better pics and how it went together on post #305 here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/99048-clerestory-coaches-knowledge-needed-and-other-gwr-ponderings/page-13

 

But i think it would fit with your style.

 

(I'm yet another from darkest rural Norfolk, but I have to cross the border into S*ff*lk each day for work, i feel soiled and dirty )

[RedGemAlchemist]

Did someone say 6 wheel brake coach?!

 

20170911_115504.jpg

 

...

 

But i think it would fit with your style.

 

(I'm yet another from darkest rural Norfolk, but I have to cross the border into S*ff*lk each day for work, i feel soiled and dirty )

Oh my God that's perfect. All it needs is to have a black roof and be chocolate and bronze. 

Also, excellent to meet another Norfolkman. Though I must say I'm really not a pure-blooded Norfolker as my maternal grandfather is Irish. But mostly. And yes, S-FF-LK is a dirty dirty place and you are a naughty little man for going there! 

[Lu4472ke]

 S-FF-LK is a dirty dirty place 

 

how dare you

[Northroader]

Essex ain’t bad.

[Lu4472ke]

Essex ain’t bad.

 

do you live in a parallel universe?

[RedGemAlchemist]

do you live in a parallel universe?

Clearly, as apparently the Mandela Effect is at play.

Edited February 17, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[RedGemAlchemist]

BEHOLD - what may end up eventually being KLR No.3 (actual name pending.)

Inspired by this thread by Captainalbino, I plan to cut and shut this little guy, then attach it to a L&Y Pug chassis to create an Avonside-style saddle tank.  Probably to act as a station pilot or light goods engine. Being a fan of small tank engines, this was something I just HAVE to do.  The bunker comes from the 101 I obliterated to get the dome and chimney for Wild Rover, and I lost the brass bits on the dome so I'll... think of something as I don't have a specific plan at the moment.
Issue is I don't have said L&Y Pug chassis so I can't measure this totally accurately (not that roughly drawing a line in bronze Sharpie is exactly precision either).
Chassis wise I've not got the best selection on hand to be honest. Three of the overclocked 0-4-0 chassis, the old Nellie one that Bulldog uses, the S69 one Wild Rover uses, and an 0-6-0 one from a Hornby Toby.

Edited February 18, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[FPH 603]

That's some nice modelling you've got there. Pity I come up with MILLIONS of ideas but not one is successful enough to make into a physical model. I've been close (once or twice!) but haven't gotten there.

[Moxy]

My second postal order arrived about an hour ago and this is what I have to work with.

Trucks!.png

Some old Triang trucks. Unfortunately as it stands only three coal wagons are actually usable. There were two oil tankers whose chassis were so knackered that they were unsalvageable and the crane at the back which is missing a pair of wheels which I can't find a replacement for. Not the best but could be worse and I knew they were damaged when I bought them so I've actually got more than I expected as I bought them for parts. Also another of those half-loop couplings. Why did Triang do these? The design isn't particularly solid in my honest opinion.

Those half loop couplings are the original version of the 'tension lock' type.  They are what I nicknamed 'harpoon' couplings when I was little, because I always seemed to stab my fingers on the sharp edges & draw blood!  The middle ones in the picture with the more rounded edges are the later version and I agree much better.

 

You might find that the older truck chassis with the open ended axleboxes have much thicker wheels than more modern types and might not run on modern track.  Although it can be done, they are not that easy to re-wheel.  It might be worth getting hold of some wagons with the newer chassis/wheels & swapping the bodies over.

 

I am definitely a fan of minor & light railways, I have a long term plan (about 3 or 4 layouts into the future) to build a light railway in the rural expanses of Lancashire, north of Preston at some point in the future.

 

Moxy

[Edwardian]

That's some nice modelling you've got there. Pity I come up with MILLIONS of ideas but not one is successful enough to make into a physical model. I've been close (once or twice!) but haven't gotten there.

 

You are not alone there!

[Moxy]

Funnily enough, there is this, after which I hanker:

 

You can just imagine the discussions in the drawing office when that was being designed:

 

"Well, if you want wheels that big, you'll have to have splashers over each of them."

 

"No, one big splasher will do..." 

[RedGemAlchemist]

Back from the car boot sale at Banham. Sadly didn't find anything of use, so ONWARD TO eBAY!
 

That's some nice modelling you've got there. Pity I come up with MILLIONS of ideas but not one is successful enough to make into a physical model. I've been close (once or twice!) but haven't gotten there.

Thanks. To be fair, most of my ideas are probably not the most practical. Perseverance is key though. Never give up. Always try, no matter how stupid it may initially seem, because you really never know.

 

Those half loop couplings are the original version of the 'tension lock' type.  They are what I nicknamed 'harpoon' couplings when I was little, because I always seemed to stab my fingers on the sharp edges & draw blood!  The middle ones in the picture with the more rounded edges are the later version and I agree much better.

 

You might find that the older truck chassis with the open ended axleboxes have much thicker wheels than more modern types and might not run on modern track.  Although it can be done, they are not that easy to re-wheel.  It might be worth getting hold of some wagons with the newer chassis/wheels & swapping the bodies over.

 

I am definitely a fan of minor & light railways, I have a long term plan (about 3 or 4 layouts into the future) to build a light railway in the rural expanses of Lancashire, north of Preston at some point in the future.

Another model rail history lesson. Interesting. Many companies it seems have that sort of "first season weirdness", as folks in TV circles call it. And despite the fact that many remove the tension lock couplings I actually like them.
And thanks for the warning. Glad to meet another enterprising light railway constructor . Also Moxy, your sig is spot on 

Edited February 18, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[RedGemAlchemist]

Sorry about the delay. I had real trouble connecting to the site for several hours.

Wild Rover now has a coupling, and the smokebox has a step on the front as intended. Literally all I need now is to take off the old boiler, cut a piece of 20mm pipe to fit and put it all together. I am so pleased to be so close to building my first custom locomotive.

EDIT: Thanks to the block of metal in the smokebox of the S69/B12 body, it's going to be impossible to hacksaw it. Time to take it into work tomorrow then, work on it in my lunchbreak. I will either cut the boiler off, taking me sailing over the hardest hurdle towards Wild Rover's completion and onto the home sprint - or totally destroy the body and I'll have to put together a new body from... something. Wish me luck. Fingers crossed. 

Edited February 18, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[FPH 603]

Thanks. To be fair, most of my ideas are probably not the most practical. Perseverance is key though. Never give up. Always try, no matter how stupid it may initially seem, because you really never know.

 

 

Thanks for the advice, sounds like you know what you're doing.

[RedGemAlchemist]

So, who wants some history of a couple of the KLR's locomotives?

KLR No.1 "Bulldog"

Mostly built by the Avonside Engine Company specifically for David Bradleigh, the 2nd Baronet Bradleigh in 1903, "the engine that built a railway" was the KLR's very first locomotive and has had as unusual and storied a history as any of the KLR's motley fleet. Bulldog was victim, unfortunately, to the 2nd Baronet's infamous impatience and ran the first two months of its career unpainted and with no cab! After it was actually completed, it spent its first few years painted in a matt sky-blue until it was painted into the pine green and dark blue it now carries, which would later become the KLR's official main livery. Bulldog was designed for industrial work rather than the mixed traffic work it has always done on the KLR and as such isn't particularly efficient or fast. But it is very powerful for its size, and more important than that it is reliable, exemplified by the fact that it is the only pre-WW1 locomotive still running on the railway. 

 

 

But more importantly...

Surprise! Wild Rover is almost done, having successfully performed surgery on the main body with an angle grinder (!) and got the necessary pipe, the locomotive now actually LOOKS like a locomotive. Still needs some filling in and some details put on, but it's getting so close I can almost taste it!

[RedGemAlchemist]

Thanks for the advice, sounds like you know what you're doing.

Clearly you don't know me then lol. Although one genuinely good piece of advice is that a good sense of humour will get you through most issues in life pretty smoothly.

[Corbs]

I like! Have you got any more pics? It's a little dark.

[Edwardian]

So, who wants some history of a couple of the KLR's locomotives?

 

KLR No.1 "Bulldog"

Mostly built by the Avonside Engine Company specifically for David Bradleigh, the 2nd Baronet Bradleigh in 1903, "the engine that built a railway" was the KLR's very first locomotive and has had as unusual and storied a history as any of the KLR's motley fleet. Bulldog was victim, unfortunately, to the 2nd Baronet's infamous impatience and ran the first two months of its career unpainted and with no cab! After it was actually completed, it spent its first few years painted in a matt sky-blue until it was painted into the pine green and dark blue it now carries, which would later become the KLR's official main livery. Bulldog was designed for industrial work rather than the mixed traffic work it has always done on the KLR and as such isn't particularly efficient or fast. But it is very powerful for its size, and more important than that it is reliable, exemplified by the fact that it is the only pre-WW1 locomotive still running on the railway. 

 

 

But more importantly...

Wild Rover WIP 4.png

Surprise! Wild Rover is almost done, having successfully performed surgery on the main body with an angle grinder (!) and got the necessary pipe, the locomotive now actually LOOKS like a locomotive. Still needs some filling in and some details put on, but it's getting so close I can almost taste it!

 

Tantalising as the results of the Bird's Eye View at Dusk school of photography can be, let's have some more shots please, because it looks like a fun locomotive.

[RedGemAlchemist]

I like! Have you got any more pics? It's a little dark.

Tantalising as the results of the Bird's Eye View at Dusk school of photography can be, let's have some more shots please, because it looks like a fun locomotive.

Ask and ye shall receive, my friends! Although apologies for the original photos and the change of location. My workspace hasn't got amazing lighting and the worklamp I usually work under is too bright for the camera to handle and totally nukes the colour balance. So, I'm taking these photos in my kitchen again, like the branch train ones (though there it was because the end result was too big to fit on my desk.)

For a full list of parts: the footplate, cab, firebox and driving wheels from the old Triang/Hornby GER S69 / LNER B12 sculpt. The boiler is a piece of black 20mm outside diameter PVC pipe cut to size. The dome and chimney are from the Hornby GWR 101. The smokebox and front coupling are from the Hornby 0-4-0 industrial (the one that looks like Dowlais No.40 King George V.) The filler is Carplan Fine Surface Filler and is moulded by hand. It's of course still very much a work in progress and still needs a lot of details (boiler bands and a condenser pipe, maybe some handrails if I can work out how without a drill.)

Edited February 20, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[Corbs]

This is what I use for handrail holes, very useful even if the bits are a tad fragile.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toolzone-Swivel-Head-Pin-Vice-Holder-20pc-Micro-Mini-Drill-Bits-HSS-Twist-Set/152413782957?hash=item237c91c3ad:g:TJYAAOSwiqtZk1DB

 

Also this is the same saw I use if that's useful

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAZOR-SAW-SET-EXPO-73544-IDEAL-FOR-CUTTING-PECO-TRACK/122448013376?epid=2254313472&hash=item1c82786840:g:fFsAAOSw03lY8fCY

Edited February 20, 2018 by Corbs

[RedGemAlchemist]

This is what I use for handrail holes, very useful even if the bits are a tad fragile.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toolzone-Swivel-Head-Pin-Vice-Holder-20pc-Micro-Mini-Drill-Bits-HSS-Twist-Set/152413782957?hash=item237c91c3ad:g:TJYAAOSwiqtZk1DB

 

Also this is the same saw I use if that's useful

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAZOR-SAW-SET-EXPO-73544-IDEAL-FOR-CUTTING-PECO-TRACK/122448013376?epid=2254313472&hash=item1c82786840:g:fFsAAOSw03lY8fCY

Hmm. Definitely thinking of adding those to my shopping list along with the usual list of second-hand parts.

[RedGemAlchemist]

I am still working on the model, but I really don't want to photograph it until I'm finished with the details. So, here is some lore on the locomotive in question.

 

KLR No.2 "Wild Rover"

Wild Rover is one of the KLR's most well-known (locally speaking) locomotives thanks to its history and its unique, slightly ungainly appearance. It was built in 1921 and began life as a GER S69 numbered 1571, running on a branch line in Cambridgeshire before being severely damaged in an accident and sold to the KLR in 1935 as it was cheaper than selling it for scrap with such a large engine. It ran solidly for another seven years before being involved in an accident involving the then KLR No.6 which ruined many of its parts. What could be salvaged was salvaged and what couldn't be was replaced, resulting in the disproportionate 0-6-0 you see today. The now somewhat undersized boiler, however, did cause problems with power output and efficiency, and numerous attempts were made to rectify this over the years that were only partially successful, and resulted in the large, conspicuous condenser pipe running down the locomotive's right hand side, a superheater being installed and a still slightly underpowered and unreliable locomotive. Today, Wild Rover still runs the line's heavier passenger trains, still being stronger than the line's tank engines, but occasionally it will still run into issues and have to be replaced with usually two smaller engines.

Edited February 20, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[RedGemAlchemist]

And Wild Rover is constructed. Boiler bands added, holes filled, condenser pipe added, undercoated and partially painted. And I am SO happy with the result. All that's needed now is the green and the numbers.