I have finally finished the first B set for Cheddar. Little did I know that this was going to be quite so involved when I started, what now seems a very long time ago.
The origin was a set of sides, roofs and ends from the Ks kit, kindly given to me by Tim Venton. These coaches were prevalent in the Bristol division after nationalisation so I was always going to have a set on Cheddar.
When it came to start, I’d lost one of the ends so ended up making a blank from plasticard. The
Some projects just seem to take on a life of their own. The WC has been ongoing for a long, long time now and seems to have been one of those projects.
I'd decided that I was going to have to paint the loco. I wasn't expecting to have to do it twice.
First off was a Humbrol rattle can over Halfords plastic primer. The finish was awful so after much cussing it was stripped right back and second time round Precision BR loco green was airbrushed on.
Lining was achieved by Fox transfe
At the end of the last instalment, I'd managed to get a rolling chassis without too much difficulty.
The fun started when I tried to use a Markits single slide bar crosshead assembly. It just wouldn't fit. I couldn't adopt the usual dodge of widening the cylinders as their outside face is flush with the loco body. So another plan was hatched using the original Hornby slide bar and crosshead. I had to fit by trial and error, using epoxy to fix the cylinders and the slide bar assembly in plac
A very long time ago, some 10 years to be precise, I started a conversion of a Hornby West Country pacific to P4. At the time, I was trying to use the existing chassis and had modified the existing bogie and pony trucks. I was having all manner of problems with the slide bars though and despite trying everything I could think of just couldn’t get it to run properly. After a valiant effort I reached the point where I stopped and put it to one side for a proper think.
I decided to go down the
Glad to see the site is up and running again. I'm slowly adding back the lost images to my blogs so if there's anything anyone has a query on please ask.
During the site down time I finished off the engine and it's now released for traffic.
First up was a coat of Halfords etch primer, then Phoenix olive green through an airbrush.
I'm quite pleased with the paint job. I haven't tackled Southern livery before and I was a bit apprehensive about it but it seems to have turned out ok.
With the tinking table open again, I’m trying to get another loco finished before Stonehouse goes to Expo EM. It’s one of the ex PD&SWJR 0-6-2T’s built by Hawthorn Leslie. The origin of the model is a CSP kit and has been on my to do list for a while. The chassis will be compensated and I’ve got the body done. Frames are done with rods etc and next will be to fit the wheels. The high level gearbox is in the bench so hopefully not too far to go now.
Happy to report the tinking table has been reinstated!
It’s been a quiet (by my standards anyway) couple of years on the modelling front. Primarily due to a divorce which thankfully is now all resolved. The house was sold in December and I moved into my new abode just after Christmas.
After sorting the essentials I was able to build a new modelling bench in the box room. This also houses the office desk on the opposite wall but I’m left with a 6ft bench to play with. It’s so nice to have
After quite a lengthy delay, the 1361 has been finished, painted and weathered this weekend. It was great to get the airbrush out, though my set up was a little rudimentary. I just need a name plate, crew and couplings. Oh and balance weights and coal...
But I'm quite happy how this has turned out. There are naff all clearances between the wheel rims and underside of footplate (that's why the Kernow one had splashers) so Ive lifted the body up slightly.
All runs well and the CSB's work
Another bank holiday and a bit more time at the tinking table working on the 1361. The cylinders and slide bars are done, crossheads fettled and con rods added. CSBs are fitted and all runs smoothly.
The cab, roof, smokebox, bunker and tanks have been fashioned from about a million bits of brass. Everything has an overlay. Even the overlays. Thank goodness for my RSU. The kit is carefully thought out and any mistakes are mine. I can see a couple of things in the photos that are going to nee
I recently found a few photos of a recent conversion I did a while back of the Dapol B4 to EM for my Covid shunting layout.
I've been working quite a bit on Guernsey in the Channel Islands so this was originally an impulse purchase.
I decided the LSWR would have loaned it from Southampton Docks to work the Stonehouse branch in Plymouth in my universe anyway.
The B4 is a tricky thing to convert by the usual standards. I didn't want to change the wheels as there isn't a 100%
It's been a long time since I posted anything on here. Time doesn't seem to be what it was and a painfully slow divorce coupled with Covid restrictions has hampered modelling progress.
But in a rare alignment of planets, stars, work and other more domestic arrangements I've actually had a couple of days at the modelling bench. Must be a holiday or something...
I've been building a little Covid layout using the EMGS track and turnouts, details of which will follow I'm sure
Due to a senior moment, I forgot that I'd ordered one of these some time ago from Model Railways Direct. I duly ordered one from Kernow so imagine my surprise when two finally arrived. Hey ho.
As has been documented elsewhere, the colour of these vans looks a little on the light side. As I never saw one in service prior to 1923, I'm not qualified to say whether the LSWR brown is the wrong shade. The general opinion is that it is. Having a second model meant that I was prepared to have a go
Having just about got the hang of the new software and negotiated the family birthday fest between mid Jan and mid Feb, I've returned to the modelling bench. The 2MT detailing has been finished off. I've added injectors, ejectors, upjectors and downjectors, quite a few bits of wire that no doubt have very technical names. I cut out the original door recesses and replaced with a new set back one and added side hung handrails. I've fitted a new chimney (thanks Dave) and subjected the body and chas
Happy New Year to you all. I'm not sure how long we're all supposed to keep saying that but as its my first blog of 2019, I will.
This time of year is always slightly frugal when it comes to modelling as both the Mrs and myself have birthdays in the first half of the month and being the big 5-0 we spent last weekend in Barcelona, which was nice.
Anyhow, the Ivatt chassis has been wired, a substantial amount of lead glued into the body and pick ups added. Happily, it trundles quite satisfacto
Merry Christmas and festive compliments of the season (whatever they are - that's a moist turkey etc.) to you all.
Following some sound and appreciated advice, I turned with some trepidation towards the Walschaerts valve gear on the 2MT.
But, as was predicted, I took things steadily and didn't really have any problems at all (Thanks Dave!). In fact I enjoyed it. So much so I want to do another one!
I've used a 16BA nut and bolt to join the two halves of the valve gear on the expansion link
As it's been too cold and wet to go to the garage this weekend, I've shuffled up to the work bench and turned my attention to another loco for Cheddar.
This one's an Ivatt 2-6-2 2MT tank which were a regular feature of the Cheddar Valley branch. No idea what number it'll be yet.
The basis is the Bachmann body with a Comet chassis to go underneath, Gibson wheels, High Level horn blocks and gearbox and fully sprung with CSB's, as is my usual these days.
The chassis side frames were assembled
One of my long standing 'round tuit' projects has been a Triang bogie luggage van that was given to me by the late Bob Haskins. As is the way, I was looking for something else in the modelling room when I came across a box containing a number of wagons he'd given me, some years ago now.
I knew I'd picked up a detailing conversion pack for it from Roxey Mouldings at a bring and buy so I thought why not?
I guess Bob had this coach from the early seventies and the Roxey kit was also in a suitab
I was doing a demo at the recent Railwells show and was pleased that I managed to do virtually no modelling. Always the sign of a successful 'demo' weekend.
I did get as far as dismantling an Oxford models AA3 ex GW Toad in BR livery.
Several people pointed out the errors in the model (apart from the chassis being supplied in the wrong scale as the wheels are too close together obviously), so I didn't do much more than take it apart and compensate one axle with a low profile MJT unit. The ax
With the loco virtually finished, I've set about making a tender to go with it. This is a Mitchell 3500 gallon one, pretty much made up as per the instructions. Wheels are Ultrascale.
The front two axles are meant to be compensated but the instructions noted that the compensation beam could be omitted if you wanted to have the tender weight bearing on the loco drag beam and increasing adhesion, which I do I think so I'm trying it. If it doesn't work I'll add the compensation back later.
At t
Following some time off for good behaviour, walking the 192 mile coast to coast trail (which was absolutely fab I have to say), I've returned to the modelling bench this week and just about got 5311 to the finished stage.
The chassis has been motorised and pick ups added and all works. The body has been painted and last bits added. It's surprising how long to takes to put all the finishing touches together and add all the various fittings etc. The back head isn't as detailed as some might like
Very little to do with modelling but a very enjoyable way to spend time none the less!
Full modelling to resume in a couple of weeks.
Blog link in case anyone's interested:
https://wordpress.com/posts/ogwtcoast2coast.wordpress.com
The chassis was retrieved from the paint booth and I made the final assembly. I had that nagging feeling I should have done something about the slide bars and cylinders and so it proved. Wheels were reinserted and no problems with the quartering but there just wasn't space between the leading crank pin and the back of the cross head. So dodge number 1, I cut through the cylinder assembly spacer and re set about 1.5mm further apart. Some redundant 00 frame spacers were soldered over the cut with
After a very enjoyable weekend at Expo EM I've had time this week to get back to the mogul.
This is the current state of play. Footplate and cab done so far. This is made easier by the use of my RSU and I've discovered the technique promoted elsewhere of using slivers of solder, placing these near the join and watching it flow once the foot pedal is depressed.
There are a lot of overlays in the kit but the RSU has made light work of them.
The engine will be 5311 so has the longer splasher
With the chassis assembled, the cosmetic sides were added and then the time came for the wheels to be trial fitted so the brake gear could be assembled. Taking a few lessons from the various High Level kits I've built over the years, this is demountable. The brake hangers fit over spigots of wire soldered to the chassis and will be spaced out by tubes of either brass or plastic, depending on what mood takes me. The cross pieces and pull rods were assembled and pinned allowing full movement until
In between lurching from crisis to crisis at work, I've been making progress with the 43xx chassis. Or is that as respite from the crisis at work...
The kit is of Mitchell vintage and must be fairly old since the label on the box has it supplied by Slaters. That's going back a bit. The prototype will be 5311, since I've a very nice photo of it at Wells.
Anyhow, I mentioned on some other post that I've made a start on the High Level hornblocks. After that I made up the coupling rods, making s
