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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
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Baseboard

That feeling when you make the first irreversable step

The next task was to cut an entry hole from the fiddle yard.   I don't know if you are like me, but I find it a bit daunting cutting holes in or otherwise modifiying (and therefore potentially ruining) any expensive and lovely model. This is why, even though I was pleased with my weathering on some wagons, I haven't yet built up the courage to tackle a locomotive yet.   I mean, I know most things that go wrong can be sorted with a bit of work, but there is a feeling that it m
EM

Clevedon WCPR at Yate 9 March 2024

I don’t post much about my Clevedon layout anymore but just a note to say that the layout will be having a run out at the Sodbury Vale show in Yate on 9 March 2024. I’ve spent a pleasant evening servicing all the engines and checking the layout still works! All is well. Do come and say hello if you’re passing.
ullypug

ullypug in EM

1
Horse-drawn

A Pantechnicon for Farthing

A horse-drawn furniture removal van has appeared at Farthing. The kit is a reborn Gem product, marketed under the John Day Models label alongside other re-introduced whitemetal ranges. It’s all run by Daryle Toney who is very helpful (no connection).       The main parts are a fair fit. As usual I used Loctite Gel to stick it together. Unlike most superglues it does not require a perfect join to bond well.       Some parts did require fettling.
General

An early CR horsebox, part 1

The latest kit from True Line Models represents a horse box built by Metropolitan in 1870 for the CR. This is a different method for TLM being a resin print. I have used 3d printed parts but this is my first go at a complete 3d printed wagon.   Removing the body from the supports taught me just how brittle resin prints can be. Since I want a practical layout vehicle I decided to reinforce the steps and springs with 0.3 brass wire. Wheels are on MJT internal compensation irons soldered
General

Paddington Engine House 1840

“Towards the end of July 1837 I heard that Mr. Brunel wanted some one to take the post of locomotive engineer on the Great Western Railway, and I at once went to him, on July 20th, preferring that department to railway making.”   Thus wrote Daniel Gooch about the event that changed his life when he was just 21 years old. As a result, he left Manchester and went to London, beginning his duties with the Great Western Railway at West Drayton on the 18th August 1837. Because no engines had
MikeOxon

MikeOxon in General

11
Rtr improvement

Autocoach tinkering

I have been working on a couple of Autos for Caia Road. This has included a comet BR(w) auto, an uplifted airfix and a Bachmann example.  I have been doing a bit of weathering and have given the airfix one a spray of muck. The roof remains loose as I need to finish some details inside.  The sides were kept relatively clean on the airfix coach I made a bit of a mess (not in the intended way) of the Bachmann example but have tried to correct this. I have gone quite heavy
Kit building

Dapol Kitmaster Presflo uplift -Ex works

I have tonight ckmpleted decals on the Presflo kit. The wagon was primed with Halfords red oxide and then I droped the whole thing on the floor. Some detail was losr and a couple of cracks needed to be sorted. The project was very close to being binned!  But.... I persisted and I am rather happy with the decals. The colour is mixed from Mr Hobby brownds which I have never used before and , although not righyt provide a base for an interesting weathering project.  I need to p
46444 Blog

Part 2: Wagon Miscellany. Including BR/WR/GWR ballast wagons x 3.

Bit of an update on the wagon building miscellany.    The Three Peaks Models, Lancashire & Yorkshire Low Goods Wagons are coming on well. I must say how pleased I am with these kits.    Following on from reading Jonathan's West End Workbench, I decided to drill out the axle boxes to receive Alan Gibson brass bearings.         One is finished in BR unfitted grey. The other is in late LMS livery. Sole bars are to be painted brown on th
46444

46444 in 46444 Blog

16
Blog Entry

The Little People

For years my wife has been pointing out that my layout lacks people.  Enter my son-in-law Martin.  He likes his technology and he has invested in a 3D printer.  After making some War Game figures for his son he would turn his attention to some little figures for the railway.  Not only did he print the figures but he also painted them – that is skilful. Some of Martin’s 3D Printed and Painted Figures   Problem is that printer files for suitable little people are in short s
'Sir Harry'

'Sir Harry'

Recently, I decided to treat myself.   When the Hornby W4 Peckett came out, like some of us, I went a little mad and ended up buying four examples, over a period of time. Not all at once, you understand, that really would be silly.   I thought that at least one could be converted to P4, seeings as I model in both OO and P4. One I would fit scale couplings to, weather and allocate to one of the outrageously improbable OO light railways that I'm rather fond of modelling.  
Structure Kits - Plastic

2. Bahnhof Kirchbach

I've been on the lookout for a countryside steam era Station kit.  Faller offer several fairly generic examples, often Combination Depots with an adjoining Goods Shed (Güterschuppen).  However, I was rather taken by this one, which I spotted being sold with a generous preowned discount as the box had been opened.  It'll need a separate Goods Shed:     The only bit missing was the station clock.  As I want it for an earlier era, I can live without the modern clock in the pict
General

Paddington Station 1840

Brunel’s great arched roof is to many people the epitome of Paddington Station but this was not built until 1854. The passengers who first travelled on the line from Paddington to Maidenhead, which opened on 4th June 1838, started their journey from a far less imposing structure – little more than a collection of wooden sheds.   A London terminus for the GWR was needed in a hurry, after negotiations with the London & Birmingham Railway for a joint terminus at Euston broke down. Wit
MikeOxon

MikeOxon in General

26
Layout

Cheddar P4 - February 2024 update - it lives!

Major milestones this month. For the first time since I started building Cheddar, some 11 years ago now, I’ve finally been able to put all of the 8 scenic boards up together. Cheddar is going to be making its exhibition debut at RailWells this August as a work in progress and with under 6 months to go I needed to take stock of just how much left there is to do before it gets there!   The layout has been in various unheated garages for the last few years and it’s almost 6 years sin
ullypug

ullypug in Layout

9
GWR

93XX progress

Following on from my post of a month or so back about accepting yesterday's standards as being "good enough", here's the sort of finished 93XX, now with the Comet cylinders as promised. They make a big difference I reckon.     I say "sort of" finished because the livery and tender transfers are just to get something into BR service without doing a full repaint from the original GWR green. I removed the latter's lettering with T-cut, then added HMRS transfers for the late cre
Barry Ten

Barry Ten in GWR

3
Information required

Boilers with flue tubes but no superheater elements.

From 1925 the GWR fitted a pair of 5 1/8 diameter flue tubes in the upper corners of untapered boilers that had belpaire fireboxes, pressure 165psi and above and no superheater. This is reckoned to have reduced cracking in the corners of the firebox. Tapered boilers like the 94xx never had this feature, but it was seen on all post 1934 designs and also on replacement boilers on smaller pre group pannier tanks and side tanks like 850s, 2021s and I think 517s. Did any other lines use this design f
Fen End Pit

Little grey? Fergie - did I go too far?

I had a first go at weathering the Ferguson tractor. I don't really have much experience with weathering vehicles and even less experience with Vallejo acrylics. I think I'm fairly happy with the outcome but would welcome your opinions. I do note looking a the prices of tractors on Ebay that I have added a couple of thousand to the price by weathering it as it would appear that you pay less for a 'restored' tractor than you do for a 'barn find' by about £2000.      
Fen End Pit

Fen End Pit in Fen End Pit

2
46444 Blog

A Red Pannier and a BR Brake Van....

In the background I've been working on a number of projects including a few London Transport protoypes.   Here's a snifter of what's in store.   The venerable Bachmann GWR/BR 57xx has been available in London Transport livery over the years.          Railtec Transfers do a LT Pannier number set and I was able to renumber one of my Panniers to L89.   Essentially a very simple job. The existing numbers were removed carefully usin
46444

46444 in 46444 Blog

9
Trackplan

Adjusting the track plan.

I originally wanted to build a photo/shunting plank, if you've seen "Jinty's" YouTube video (such as the 08 sound decoder demo) you'll have seen how fantastic a straight piece of track can look with sympathetic scenery. Well, I thought I'd better put a couple of points on the track so at least the trains can shunt about a bit. Something like this:     But then I thought if I'm going to bother doing that, if I put two more points in, I get an actual "station" with run round l
StuartMc

StuartMc in Trackplan

2
Baseboard

Tim Horn Delivers...

Some of you may have heard of Tim Horn, well it turns out as well as a skilled craftsman, he's also a lovely chap (with a lovely dog, Arnie who came along too).     Tim kindly agreed to put together and deliver the baseboards. They are very nicely put together, probably twice as good, done three times more quickly than I could do.   One thing I hadn't quite twigged is that even a small baseboard in 7mm, if it has the facia and backscene is actually a huge item!
StuartMc

StuartMc in Baseboard

2
Fen End Pit

More work on the Fergie

I liked the look of the Fergie, but decided that the steering mechanism was very 'representational'. The 3D model just had a couple of bumps meant to represent the steering rod and axle supports. I decided to try and model a better mechanism. I was able to import the STL file into CAD and then try to draw up the extra parts. The original model was designed to be printed on a filament printer so the detail was quite simple.   Ideally I would have removed the original features from the m
Fen End Pit

Fen End Pit in Fen End Pit

0
Buildings

New building project continues etc

Painfully slow progress on the newsagents interior continues. At present the retail magazine stand has received a couple of coats of Humbrol Enamel to provide a rather corporate look. I will be printing off some 'mags' to line the shelves with soon.  The front counter is also being fabricated at present, with the 'sweet confectionery display' in situ on the counter. This was made with Slater's red Plastikard, and attached to the shelving is many individually cut pieces of cheap reflect
CJM

CJM in Buildings

0
Track laying

Laying track

This is somewhat intimidating part of the whole process to me, purchases can be sold on, designs can be rethought and controls are somewhat interchangable.  Laying track however is a "forever" action, if the track is out by as little as 1mm then the railway might not work, at least as it appears to a novice N gauger.  There is a real pressure to align track piece 1 because track piece number 32 that will be laid in a month can critically depend on it being placed in the right place at the right
ngaugenic

ngaugenic in Track laying

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