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About this blog

A record of the trials and tribulations of an average modeller

Entries in this blog

Westbrook

As a change from Blagdon I can share some of the limited progress made with Westbrook. This was a very small station on the Golden Valley Railway that ran between Pontrilas and Hay. I had already constructed a baseboard and laid the track but since then that baseboard has sat under Blagdon. Rather than buy anything new I thought I should get the unfinished projects completed so a faltering start was made on completing Westbrook. The first job was to construct the station building which I did som

JDaniels

JDaniels

Confessions

Firstly, I have to apologise for the absence of any blog entries. Life as they say overtakes you sometimes and I've had a number of issues to sort out, most notably an aging mother and, more recently, mother-in-law having to go into care homes. We now have yet another house to empty at a time when I should be at my modelling desk. Still had two good walks this year, another part of the SW Coast Path and almost all the Cotswold Way (weather interrupted).   I did notice in my prolonged a

JDaniels

JDaniels

Siphon C and GWR 64xx

I've now been able to add the gas pipes to the roof to complete the model. Those who have read my blog will know that I'm quite obsessive about roof detail. It always surprises me that people spend so much time detailing the underframe which is hardly seen whilst ignoring the roof which is always visible. We don't look at models like you look at the prototype.   Having said that I'm not sure of the exact layout of the piping. I recollect a photo of what may be a Siphon C on the Highwor

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JDaniels

Siphon C - an update and thoughts on the future.

There's nothing like a photo to embarrass and that's hom I felt about the photo of the Siphon C in the last entry. It hadn't looked too bad until I applied the Pressfix transfers.   It's a good idea to use 3mm transfers, the 16inch GWR would then become 12 inches. as Mikkel pointed out, thye size is given in the Fox Transfers website and I think it was 5.3mm which equates to 16inches in 4mm.   I had another look at the Pressfix sheet and noticed that for wagons, i.e. in white

JDaniels

JDaniels

Siphon C

This winter has been fairly aimless as far as modelling is concerned. I thought though it might be good to try and finish one old project, the conversion of a K's Siphon F to a Siphon C. (By cutting and shutting.)  This has been attempted before and I referred to an old Model Railway Constructor for information. This advocated putting the body on a Ratio 4 wheel coach underframe but as I already had the Mainly Trains running gear kit as well as the Dean Churhward brake fret I thought constructin

JDaniels

JDaniels

Westbrook Station Building

I've now painted and therefore completed the station building. For the most part I used Humbrol acrylic paints and was pleased with how I got on with them. I've had problems in the past but I like the matt finish (unlike some so called matt enamels), the way in which you can mix the paints and the ease with which they dilute with water. I collected a number of greyish acrylics whilst I was at Gaugemaster at Ford but didn't realise that some are a satin finish, this is not shown on the container.

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JDaniels

Westbrook Station Building

I've now completed the station building apart from the painting. Unfortunately due to the weather it looks as though we won't be going down to Ford tomorrow (celebrating Mrs. D's birthday) so the light and dark stone I was going to get from Gaugemaster will have to wait.   In my last entry I was about to make substantive progress with the roof. The jig I made to cut the tiles (in 5thou Plasticard) worked well apart from the odd occasion when I failed to notice the strip was firmly against the

JDaniels

JDaniels

Westbrook Station Building

Underneath my Blagdon layout is another smaller baseboard with a representation of Westbrook station on the Golden Valley Railway. This prosaically named branch has always appealed to me and some years ago I laid the track and started the scenery for a model of Westbrook. Wanting a change from constructing locos and coaches I had a go at resurrecting this. I firstly stripped all the scenery off and cut the baseboard so that it follows the line of the track only. My intention was to mount this on

JDaniels

JDaniels

GWR 0-4-2T's

As I write this it's pouring with rain outside so a return to modelling or rather the blog. I tend to vacate the modelling bench in the summer for other pleasures, this year a cruise round the Baltic and more recently walking the Cleveland Way. You just know it's time to get away from the television when Channel 5 do a programme "The Great Model Railway Challenge" and no I didn't watch it. As a result of these other activities I haven't even looked at RM Web for several months.   Those who hav

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JDaniels

A mixed bag. Expo EM-GWR 4 wheel coaches-Mainly Trains-Dapol 'O'

Firstly apologies as I haven't looked at the blogs for a while. After the late snow the weather here has been great and the modelling has taken a back seat. My son and I walked the Limestone Way in May and I've been organising our next walk, the Cleveland Way in September.   I went to Expo EM mainly to hand over the SEF 517 to Geoff James for painting. There were a number of layouts there but one that did impress was Tim Venton's Clutton. There is a trend today for layouts the area of a Corn F

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JDaniels

SE Finecast 517 0-4-2T

I noticed that whilst I included a photo of the chassis in my previous entry, there wasn't one of the almost completed loco. Now rectified. It will look a lot better once decked out in GWR unlined green.   I also noticed that in my previous entry I referred to the motor as being a 1620. I should have said 1420.   One small point I forgot to mention which illustrates well the frustration with modelling this particular class. There are two spare lamp brackets on the left hand side of the footp

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JDaniels

SE Finecast 517 0-4-2T

Well I've just about completed the kit and I'm reasonably pleased despite the shortcomings outlined in my earlier entry.   I tried two new features (for me) on the chassis, CSB suspension and Alan Gibson plunger pickups. The CSB suspension does make life a little more complicated as all hornblocks have to move up and down (not sideways!) and unlike a compensated chassis, the suspension only works when weight, i.e. the body, is applied. I used spring steel wire but even here care is required as

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JDaniels

Parkside Dundas kits

I've just had an E-mail from Eileen's Emporium. They have now taken over the marketing of the Parkside Dundas kits from Peco.   Whilst the kits are predominantly BR wagons, there are a number of GWR types there as well as the interesting SR CCT truck.   I've never really thought about the Parkisde kits as they seem so hard to find but that should now change. Not sure I could justify any more wagon kits but the range on offer will appeal to many.

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JDaniels

SE Finecast 517 0-4-2T

This has been a frustrating project. Progress has not been helped by having to clear, and eventually sell, my mother's house. She is living with my sister and modelling has taken a back seat of late.   In my last entry I commented on the difficulty in trying to find a suitable prototype. Although a large class the number of individual locos that mirror the Finecast kit is very small. I eventually settled on 848, there is a photo of this loco on the internet and, fortuitously, a photo of the ot

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JDaniels

SE Finecast 517

I've come to a dead halt with the construction of this kit. The chassis commendably includes three different types of brake shoes, two types of brake pull rods and three types of guard irons. All you need to do is find a good photo of your chosen prototype and work from there. It wasn't until I looked more closely at the kit and prototype photos did I realise that my chosen prototype, 540, was quite different from the kit.   Firstly, as the kit is based on the Collett cab version initially tha

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JDaniels

GWR 517 0-4-2T

To add to my recent blogs on the subject, attached (I hope) are photos of my 517 0-4-2T, 559.   This was built many years ago and has a Portescap motor with the MJT gearbox conversion.    

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JDaniels

GWR 517 0-4-2T

The Finecast kit arrived this morning, impressive when you consider I only phoned yesterday.   The kit has the 15ft overall wheelbase (7ft 4in + 7ft 8in) with provision for both inside and outside bearing trailing wheels. One disdavantage is that the kit only comes with the later extended bunker although I may have one of the earlier bunkers that hopefully may fit. The full covered cab is supplied but the instructions do say that this could be modified to a half cab. The kit also includes thre

JDaniels

JDaniels

GWR 517 0-4-2T

I'm thinking of constructing another 517 0-4-2T to work alongside the M &L kit I already have. I was contemplating the Malcolm Mitchell kit but really wanted something that would not take as long to construct and I'm also a little put off by comments that on some of these kits the boiler has to be rolled. I've since read reports that SE Finecast are supposed to have produced a kit for this locomotive but although it appears in the price list, I've yet to find a photo of it.   The M & L

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JDaniels

Current collectors

When it comes to the running qualities of our locomotives, I've long thought that the weak point are the current collectors, the way in which the current is picked up from the tyres. We have very good motors and gearboxes and with compensated, and now CSB suspension systems there is no longer any problem in ensuring all wheels are in contact with the track. However when it comes to collecting the current from the wheel tyres we end up fiddling about with pieces of phosphor bronze wire or strip.N

JDaniels

JDaniels

A Siphon H for a change

I have been modelling on a semi-serious basis now since the early 1970's and in my collection of rolling stock are items that I have no recollection of buying or detailing. Some of these have absolutely no place at Blagdon so occupy a separate box to the other stock which is relevant to the Wrington Vale. That box currently hold two Airfix auto coaches, both in as built condition (with windows both ends) and detailed with the Dart Castings kit, a Stephen Poole 64xx 0-6-0PT that recently acquired

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JDaniels

Yet more on those GWR 4 wheel coaches.

Thankfully the three coaches constructed from a mixture of mainly Trains, Shire Scenes and Ratio parts are now completed and boxed ready to be handed over to the painter at Expo EM. I'm still not sure whether the quality of my work justifies the considerable expense of having them professionally painted.   However this has left me with three spare Ratio chassis (two short and one long), some roofs and the sides for a composite. In addition I have many spare sides acquired in the distant past b

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JDaniels

GWR 4 wheel coaches - nearly there! (and a bit of Broad Gauge)

Having assembled the two brakes, I turned, with some trepidation, to the composite. This uses the Ratio sides and I was concerned that as these were thicker than the etched brass the problems with clearances might be more acute. Also as they were plastic I couldn't be so carefree with the soldering iron and I was concerned that gluing might not give as good a bond as solder.   With the brake thirds I soldered the sides to the ends and then, allowing for the slight overlap of the sides over the

JDaniels

JDaniels

More on those GWR 4 wheel coaches

I was going to write something this evening but the rain has driven me out of the garden. Hopefully I have more success with railway modelling than I do with growing clematis!   The second brake coach is now almost finished and ready (just about) for painting. A photo is attached. As with the first coach, glazing and handrails will be fitted after painting.   Unfortunately it's not quite the same as the first brake as I dispensed with the ends that came with the underframe kit. The ends are,

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JDaniels

GWR 4 wheel coaches - further photos

I haven't yet worked out how to attach a photo to a reply so in response to Mikkel's comment I attach a photo of the inside of the first almost completed coach.   Unfortunately my camera and lens is better at landscapes than close ups but I hope this shows how I tackled the fitting of the body to the chassis. The folded tabs on the ends are no good as using these means that the ends, and consequently the sides, sit on top of the floor. I cut these off and made my own tabs out of brass sheet be

JDaniels

JDaniels

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