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  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
    • 8 comments
    • 2,861 views
How to Not Build a Model Railway

The Leaky Bucket List and the Rule of Two

Note: This final instalment of my Introduction and Background has been split into two episodes, to keep the suspense up (???) a little longer.  Some content has been discussed in other RMweb Forums / threads:   Episode 4 - The Leaky Bucket List and the Rule of Two   In this double episode I’m looking at possible project options, to draw this first series of posts to a close.  I don’t have a permanent modelling space, but I do have use of a room that has become spare, with the
Barry Ten's Blog

Dapol pannier - from zero to hero?

The first loco bought with the intention of an eventual South Wales-themed layout in N was the then-new Dapol 57XX pannier. At the time I could only test it easily under DCC, so I put in a small decoder and tried it on the American layout. It was rubbish. but I (naively) assumed it would  improve with some running-in and so on. Not a chance! After I got it out of its box again for Paynestown, I was reminded how hopeless it had been to begin with. It would only do very jerky starts, couldn't run
Barry Ten

Barry Ten in GWR

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Barry Ten's Blog

Paynestown - progressing with scenery

A spot of dry weather was the spur for taking an overall view of the layout:     This is the whole thing now, with the backscene permanently mounted. Just to be on the safe side, I did see if it fitted in the car! It did, and while there was plenty of margin of error on the height and width, I was surprised at how close to the limit it was in terms of length. That's with the back seats folded down, but the front passenger seat still fully upright, allowing for a spare operato
Barry Ten

Barry Ten in GWR

1
CJM - Rokeby Street and Central Road

Disco meltdown and half done Austin 1100

An older photo of the pub interior 'with a light sequencer' and the Austin 1100 'lamp test'. The car is still not finished yet, and needs a grille etc, to be made, hopefully soon. The car was a Minic twenty pence jobbie, which was 'updated' with an interior, new wheels, and passengers etc. The Ford is a Brekina 1:87 Granada, along with a Wiking Ford Escort, both very nice models.     
CJM

CJM in Car bits

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CJM - Rokeby Street and Central Road

Painting work commences

Painting work commencing and continuing on the new low-relief cinema for the layout. I have applied several 'liberal coats' of Phoenix Enamels 'Rail Blue' to the decorations at the top of the building today. The finish of the paint is excellent after a few coats, however, much weathering to lighten and fade the blue needs to take place. Tamiya masking tape has been used as a very effective barrier for the paint, and works well also. 
CJM

CJM in Low relief buildings

0
How to Not Build a Model Railway

Here’s one I made earlier - kits!

Episode 3 - Here’s one I made earlier! Anyone who’s read my previous blog post might think I’d be content with a larger test circuit to run trains on.  Not so!  Many of the layouts I check out regularly here on RMweb and elsewhere are beautifully finished with amazingly detailed scenery, and quite often in finescale too.  I don’t aspire to such standards myself, but I do want to have a fully-sceniced layout.   Our hobby teaches us a whole range of practical skills, as well as h
Netherport - GWR 1908 7mm (mostly wagons for now!)

GWR 1-plank (part 2)

So this is where I left it last time - the basics of the underframe, running gear and body complete, but a lot of detail to go:     Detailing on the sides and solebars came mainly from Ambis etches. The document box is an ABS casting, and the horse hook is a piece of wire for the loop, and plasticard for the base.     The bolt ends on the underframe are from plastic rod as before, including the strap bolts that pass through the headstock. I am not aware of
magmouse

magmouse in Wagons

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Barry Ten's Blog

Paynestown - buildings and sub-structure

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been building some of the Ratio kits which form the main railway buildings of the layout. As my first venture into scenery in UK N, I quite enjoyed getting to grips with these.   First up is the goods shed, which is where the engine shed used to be on the old layout:         In keeping with the other buildings, and the original layout, I've opted for GWR colours of light and dark stone, rather than WR brown and crea
Barry Ten

Barry Ten in GWR

9
Mattington - 4mm Scale Layout

A return to the lower deck - Part 1

With the top deck tmd nicely underway I decided that it was time to return to the lower deck. I had already started work on it by repainting the front to a dark green and painting the rear to a matt sky (white colour)and adding viaduct arches to give the effect that the top deck is on a bridge rather than flying in the air.   I took a critical look at the existing track layout on Baseboard 1 and decided that it wasn't quite right and that the crossovers were located in the wrong place
MattB

MattB in General

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MikeOxon's Broad Gauge Blog

1837 Carriage

I.K. Brunel wrote the following, in a letter to T. E. Harrison on 5th March 1838: “... let me call your attention to the appearance - we have a splendid engine of Stephenson's, it would be a beautiful ornament in the most elegant drawing room and we have another of Quaker-like simplicity carried even to shabbyness but very possibly as good as engine, but the difference in the care bestowed by the engine man, the favour in which it is held by others and even oneself, not to mention the public, is
MikeOxon

MikeOxon in General

3
Jim Champ's "Introduction to Great Western Locomotive Development"

GWR Nos. 24, 26, 30, 31, 202-205

This design was specified by the Locomotive Superintendent of the Shrewsbury & Chester, Edward Jeffreys, and built by the Vulcan Foundry.  Four were ordered in 1852, and delivered in 1853. They were double framed, and quite powerful locomotives for the time.  In the meantime Jeffreys had left the Shrewsbury & Chester and was now Locomotive Superintendant of the Shrewsbury and Hereford.  Four more of the design were built for the S&H in 1853/4.  The S&C locomotives came to the GWR
JimC

JimC in GWR Locomotive Sketches

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Liddy's Blog

Beyond the Baseboard - Let the Creative juices flow

Hi, Well, I'm happy with the mechanics and electrics, final testing was completed tonight and everything works (sound deadening/wire-in-tube/frog juicer) Now I can concentrate on the scenery; I have a Scenecraft 'Great Central Goods Depot' which should set the scene nicely, abeit a little worn/unkempt. I think it looks like the one at Quorn and that one is not as low, being attached to a platform on the 'porch' side' and from an archive photo, having a small loading platform on the road veh
Liddy

Liddy in Lack

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Netherport - GWR 1908 7mm (mostly wagons for now!)

GWR 1-plank (part 1)

This wagon is a 'first' in two respects: it is my first wagon with Scaleseven wheels - though it didn't start that way - and it is my first scratch-built wagon in 7mm scale (and for at least 30 years...). The build was also at several points an object lesson in why one shouldn't assume, as we will see.     If it is a scratch-build, where to start? There's not kit to work from, respond to or rebel against. There are not, as far as I know, detailed drawings for these 1-plank wa
magmouse

magmouse in Wagons

50
Atherington Victoria & East Yard.

49. Work done.

I have not posted here or done work on the layout for a long while, owing partly to the temperature of the garage and partly to reluctance to start the destructive relaying and points replacements in the goods yard.  I know I will leave this half-finished and unusable for ages if not fully motivated.   Inspired by @Andrew P 's scenic work on Tonleigh Bridge East Yard and @young37215 's wonderful photographs and work on his West Highland Line, I decided to devote the long Easter weekend
C126

C126 in B.R. blue goods yard.

2
How to Not Build a Model Railway

Slim Shelby is my Hero

Episode 2 - Slim Shelby is my Hero   My all-time favourite book on railway modelling is A.C. Klambach’s “Operating Manual for Model Railroaders” published in 1944.  Writing under the pseudonym “Boomer Pete” Kalmbach interweaves practical advice still relevant today on cleaning wheels and track, ensuring coupler heights match and how to handle delicate models, with rich insights into the way the prototype operated, all couched in a knowledgeable writing style full of enthusiasm.  I spen
CJM - Rokeby Street and Central Road

Further slow progress on the townscape and Cinema

Painting progress continues on the new Cinema, which is now in overall light satin enamel grey. The paint has been applied in several haphazard coats, as the original building in Darlington was very patchy in places. Sadly the camera doesn't pick this up well yet, but the next stage to complete the front signage will be underway shortly, along with the straightening of the streetlights....
CJM

CJM in Low relief buildings

0
The Ffarquhar Branch - In Micro!

What’s the Railway? Who’s The Rev?

Hi all!   I’ve come to realise many don’t know about the Rev. W. Awdry, and his extensive writings. Or those who do, only know about the surface of them. This post will be an introduction, explaining the writings, and my additions.   The Railway Series, which you probably know as the books that were later adapted into Thomas The Tank Engine. Awdry, started the stories for his bed-sick son and they developed into his own world with rich history.    If you’re interest
Jim Champ's "Introduction to Great Western Locomotive Development"

GWR Nos. 28 & 50-53

More very early locomotives. These ones were designed and built by Robert Stephenson's.  Like No 25 et al these were built for the Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and the one with an out of sequence number had been sold to the Shrewsbury and Chester. A raised firebox and a dome rather than the gothic firebox of the Longridge engines, but similarities seemed very marked as I came to draw them. The very early days of steam traction seems to have been a very small world based round Northumbria. I was st
West Drizzlington: SE&CR 1907

Back from the depths

Hello all,   Rotations around the sun were made. Lathes were bought. Watchmaker training was undergone. A new job was found. But all this has now put me in the position to come back to this blog, or at least the SE&CR.    Not long after the last entry in June 2021 I cancelled my order with Rails of Sheffield for a D class as I needed the money for other stuff, so the project stalled, and eventually all the engines were sold out. That was until Saturday morning when I open
Netherport - GWR 1908 7mm (mostly wagons for now!)

Wagon Wheels - a beauty contest (and an annoucement)

[There is quite a lot of back-story to this post - feel free to skip to the bit about wheels if you want just the nitty gritty!]   Like many modellers, I suspect, I spend time pondering what my priorities are, what I want from my hobby, and how to get the most satisfaction within the constraints of time, money, space, skills, and so on. This post then, is not about something I have already made, presented as a piece of 'finished' work. Rather, it's about why I am here and where I am go
magmouse

magmouse in General

27
Jim Champ's "Introduction to Great Western Locomotive Development"

GWR Nos 9, 10, 12, 14, 22 & 23 (Ex Shrewsbury & Chester)

These were built in 1847 by Sharp Stewart for the Shrewsbury & Chester, and  came to the GWR in 1854 as part of the merger that formed the Northern Division and brought narrow gauge to the GWR. They were of a type known as Sharp singles that were delivered to a number of lines. One was converted to a tank engine, and a couple more had replacement cylinders but otherwise they were not greatly altered.  They were in service until the 1870s (1885 for the tank engine conversion). It's disappoint
Mattington - 4mm Scale Layout

A Small TMD - Part 3

Finished the rear module with some more scenery and walls Spray painted primer onto the ratio container crane that I have had in storage, unfortunately I have lost some of the parts during the house move so its going to be a 'condemned' structure' unless I can fix it  so I have started dry brushing streaks of rust and grime onto this. This will be an ongoing project that I will add to over time. Technically it should be placed a bit further to the right but I haven't the space available due
MattB

MattB in General

0

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    • MikeOxon
      North Star - a GWR Icon

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      There were twelve 'Stars', with the final ones not delivered until after Gooch had introduced the first of his own 'Firefly' class.  I think I have captured all the main variants, except Shooting Star which has been described as having a lower 'Haycock' top with the manhole cover on top.  It sound like a half-way house between the round top and a full haycock but I've not found a drawing to copy.
    • melmerby
      North Star - a GWR Icon

      By melmerby · Posted

      And looked even more modern when it retired from service in 1871 with no boiler protuberances apart from a somewhat later style coffee pot on top of the firebox.
    • ChrisN
      North Star - a GWR Icon

      By ChrisN · Posted

      Again interesting Mike, to see the difference between the two.  You will have a complete fleet of these soon.  I am still amazed that the crew stood on the back of that as it hurtled along at 60 mph.
    • ikcdab
      Modelmaster - failure to deliver

      By ikcdab · Posted

      I'm afraid this is a very long standing issue. Loads of people have lost money, I placed an order that was never delivered.  You can contact trading standards  South Ayrshire Trading Standards (01292 61600) and add it to the list.
    • MikeOxon
      North Star - a GWR Icon

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      and yet North Star is the earlier of the two.  This engine was originally for an overseas order so perhaps a less 'decorative' style was applied   The haycock-style firebox was devised to provide a dry steam-collecting space and was adopted by Gooch for many of his early designs, including the Firefly class and his first of the series that became the famous 8 foot singles.  After the first of these, Gooch reverted to a round-top firebox

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