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About this blog

An occasional update on SRman's workbench projects

Entries in this blog

Further progress on the H & D Bristol LS coach, plus weathering Corgi Trackside machinery

I am reporting a little further progress with the three coaches I have been working on. The Southdown ones have had a little further tidying of the paintwork (no photos as you cannot tell the differences!) while the H & D Bristol LS has had a coat of Tilling cream and some initial touches of Tilling green, plus the seats painted.   The Tilling green was used on the mudguards, wheels and thin strips between the chrome 'bumper' strips. It still needs another coat of cream and all of the chro
SRman

SRman

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Two Southdown coaches and a Hants & Dorset coach

After a longish spell of not doing anything with the buses, concentrating more on the trains and layout building, I have resumed work on the Southdown pair I started a couple of years ago.   I painted the seat units today and touched up some of the body paint work. There is more to do but they are looking somewhat more complete, nearly ready for glazing. I find painting the seats rather tedious, particularly doing the antimacassars on coaches or the seat back handrails on buses.   The First
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Dapol Western Headcodes Updated Using Heljan Headcodes - 2

Further to yesterday's entry, I have now fiddled with the CV settings on the Dapol/Kernow Western, with a view to dimming the excessively bright lighting in both headcode panels and cabs.   I downloaded the full manual from TCS's website and eventually deciphered it to work out what changes were necessary to the CVs in the EU621 decoder fitted to D1030 Western Musketeer. I set the following values, using the TCS Constant Dim level 2 setting):   CV49 (forward direction headcode/headlights, fo
SRman

SRman

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Dapol Western Headcodes Updated Using Heljan Headcodes

I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way the headcodes looked on my Dapol Western. You may recall that I mounted some Heljan class 53 headcodes inside the Dapol headcode boxes but the font is not right on those.   I have now redone the headcodes, using Heljan headcodes supplied with their Western diesels. These were mounted on bits of 20 thou plasticard, approximately 17mm x 6mm which were then stuck inside the headcode boxes using a little Black-Tack (actually Homelux Bath Seal). The font typ
SRman

SRman

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Bratchell NSE class 455/8 - finishing touches

Quite a while ago, I started building a Bratchell Models class 455/8 unit - the first batch with the really ugly front end! Most of the build has been covered in my layout thread in the main forums but it really belongs here on the workbench blog. The unit has actually been running on the layout for some time.   I started the handrails on the leading DTS car using handrail knobs but this looked much too coarse when compared to photos of the real things. On the trailing DTS, I used shaped wire
SRman

SRman

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Yellow paint everywhere! Hornby 2 BIL and Heljan 33/1 additions - 2

The Hornby BIL has now had the final coat of yellow on its ends, this time with a hint of orange added to closely match BR's warning panel yellow shade. My initial attempt failed as I mixed too much orange in! I started again with the paint mixing before I was happy enough with it to actually apply it to the model.     I have also applied a wash of the new Humbrol weathering washes grey to the roofs.   Next, I have to retouch the jumper cables and add unit numbers, plus amen the coach num
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Yellow paint everywhere! Hornby 2 BIL and Heljan 33/1 additions - 1

I seem to be splashing yellow paint (or transfers) everywhere at the moment! I have been adding yellow panels and first class stripes to Hornby BR(S) green 2 BILs, my 'Tin' 2 HAL, plus, while I had the yellow out on the brush, the ends of the jumper cables and lamp irons on my previously untouched Heljan 'Dutch' class 33/1. 33 108.   For the 2 BIL and 2 HAL first class stripes I have been using ModelMaster yellow stripe transfers, but for the BIL corridor sides I have taken to hand-painting th
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Bratchell NSE class 319/1 kit under construction - 3

Work on constructing the Bratchell class 319 continues: I have now assembled all of the bogies as per the instructions and installed them under the correct coaches.   I drilled out the head and tail light apertures on the Driving Trailer coaches and tacked some red and white LEDs into them. These will be made to work later. I will hve to touch up the WIPAC panels as they chipped slightly during the drilling process.   I posed the four car unit on the layout for one photo, although it has no
SRman

SRman

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Returning to the 'Tin' HAL unit

Remember the 'Tin' 2 HAL I started and had running some time back? Up until now it hasn't had any markings or insignia on it at all. I have now added the first class yellow stripes above the relevant windows and numeral 1s on the doors, plus small yellow warning panels on the cab fronts.   I will have to hand paint some of the fiddly bits on those front yellow panels before adding the black triangle on the one at the van end (the driving motor coach). The coach and unit numbers in yellow will
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Bratchell NSE class 319/1 kit under construction - 2

I have started on the motor bogie sideframe modifications to suit the Replica Railways motorised chassis. Because there is a 1mm difference between the motor bogie wheelbase on the chassis compared to the kit sideframes (accurately modelled), I have removed approximately 0.5mm from the sideframes on either side of the central airbag and spring plank.   I file down the Replica blank sideframes to match the profile of the kit versions then glue the lot together with solvent. The Replica frames s
SRman

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Bratchell NSE class 319/1 kit under construction

We had our first postal delivery since Christmas Eve today (Monday), and look what the postie delivered! My Bratchell class 319/1 kit in Network South East livery! I pre-ordered this kit back in May and got the special advanced order price, which saved me over £50.   The body shells go together very quickly and easily, so I have glazed and assembled all of them already and slipped the Replica Railways motorised chassis into the PMS coach (that's Pantograph Motor Second!). I still need to remov
SRman

SRman

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A quickie project - Hornby class 60 chassis in Hornby class 92 - 2

I have made good progress on this project.   I wired the chassis back up, initially for a quick test on DC power, which involved tack soldering the feed wires to the brush wires. It ran perfectly, so the next step was to wire in a decoder. I chose a TCS M4 that I happened to have lying around. While I am only using two functions at the moment (for the headlights), it leaves the way open to improving the lighting later with separately worked tail lights or cab lights, if I so choose. One correc
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A quickie project - Hornby class 60 chassis in Hornby class 92 - 1

As a quickie project, I bought a Hornby class 60 on eBay for a quite reasonable sum with the intention of updating the old class 92. I made a previous attempt to improve it with a 5-pole armature and DCC decoder but it still didn't run as well as I would really like. In some ways it is almost a shame to lose the EWS 60 as the only fault with it was the windscreens were broken (easily replaced if I wanted to).   The real class 92s used a very similar body shell to the 60s and after examining th
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More on Western Diesels - Heljan and Dapol/Kernow

This should be the last entry on my two Western diesel-hydraulics for a while. The Heljan one, D1007 Western Talisman, now goes around my tightest curves, so it was time to patch up any damaged paintwork and weather the bogies, brake gear and skirts. The result is shown below. The leading brake blocks still need a little bit of wire or plastic rodding to anchor them more securely but it runs well as it stands.   The weathering used the now usual mixture of black, leather and metallic gunmetal
SRman

SRman

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Improving the brake gear on Heljan's Western - 2

A test run showed that the Heljan Western in the form I left it in the previous post would not go around my curves, inner or outer radius. I had to remove a bit of material from the shoes and hangers and the body skirts. This meant losing some detail from the shoes as well but this is all about the art of compromise and the hangers are mostly hidden from view anyway. However, they are needed to support the end of the wire pull rods.   After grinding away a bit, Western Talisman has completed a
SRman

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Improving the brake gear on Heljan's Western

Inspired by the newly arrived Kernow/Dapol Western locomotive, I decided to try to upgrade the brake gear on my Heljan example, D1007 Western Talisman. This involved cutting the plastic pull rods off and substituting wire, inserted into drilled holes in the end brake shoes, as well as shortening the mounting lugs behind the shoes to narrow the fittings down. More work is still needed as it doesn't quite go around the sharper curves yet. I need to fiddle around more to get the clearances right bu
SRman

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More Pre-Grouping Stuff - LSWR and Met Brake Vans

I have just started on some more pre-grouping brake vans, this time from Smallbrook Studios (http://www.smallbrookstudio.co.uk/). These are all resin kits and come complete with Dapol OO wheels, white metal buffers, NEM coupling pockets on self-centering mounts with (changeable) tension lock couplings, and all the handrail wire, microstrip, styrene and other bits and pieces to makea complete model, except for paint and transfers. The instructions seem reasonably clear and a re backed up with di
SRman

SRman

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GAP kits for the G16 and Z, plus a detailing job on a Triang 'Nellie'

I have been working on the Golden Arrow Productions Z class 0-8-0T, the body kit for which arrived last week. Rather than duplicating everything so far, I have hijacked Norwenglish's thread that deals specifically with this model, here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74548-gap-z-class-kit/page-1. This uses a Hornby motor-driven Stanier 8F chassis but involves a lot less modification than the one in the G16 kit.   While most of the previous posts about the Z could equally well
SRman

SRman

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Bachmann blue class 25 - a quick weathering job

And now for something completely different!   I performed a quickie weathering job on a Bachmann blue class 25, 25 276. This locomotive has lost its sound-fitted chassis to a green example. I have used the usual weathering mixes of Humbrol #62 leather, #85 coal black and metallic gunmetal, plus some matt varnish.   I have tried to be subtle on the sides, leaving some nearly pristine blue showing. As a visual displacement technique, I have carried the yellow of the front up over the centre p
SRman

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The LCDR brake van brake gear construction continues apace

I managed some further work on the brake gear on the ex-LCDR brake van on the weekend. All rigging is now in place - at least, all the rigging I am ever going to do! - but the tops of the brake blocks are not yet anchored. I have threaded the tops through holes in the floor. Where I managed to break off the top strips I have soldered short lengths of wire for the same purpose. The last photo shows these projecting inside the van body and also my stove, made from a resin barrel with a brass tube
SRman

SRman

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The LCDR brake van brake gear construction continues slowly

Having found the correct SECR grey I gave the ex-LCDR brake van a quick coat. The grey is darker than I thought it would be and seems to resemble Great Western wagon grey fairly closely. The paint will have to be touched up as construction proceeds but it is nice to get an idea of what the final appearance will be like.     I have now commenced fitting the 'wooden' brake shoes, adding them to the rigging already started last week. I have only done one side as this is extremely fiddly work
SRman

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The LCDR brake van brake gear has been started

Also on the workbench again is the SECR (ex-LCDR) brake van. After pondering the diagrams and thinking about how the brakes would work, I have finally worked out how to do the rigging. This photo shows the first steps, with a little black-tack holding the components in the middle.     Next items to be fitted will be the wooden brake blocks. The kit has etched brass blocks which are way too thin to properly represent the wood, so my intention is to use the brass blocks as templates to add so
SRman

SRman

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A crew for the SECR 'C' class 0-6-0

A couple of shots of the Bachmann SECR 'C' class from my phone camera, using only the effects available on the phone. I actually took these to show off the newly painted crew, which actually look a little too glossy still - matt varnish coming up shortly! The full colour originals show the true colours, then the 'sepia' and 'antique' effects on two of the shots show how they might have looked at the turn of the 20th century. I was unsure what colours to use for them so made it up as I went!  
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SRman

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