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Chris Nevard's Blog

A blog by Chris Nevard in RMweb Blogs

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About this blog

Welcome to my RM web BLOG, it's used like most to highlight recently modelling projects and photographs. The postings here tend to mirror my independent BLOG at http://nevardmedia.blogspot.co.uk/

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Mr Grumpy's Friday Snap

nevard_110222_catcott-collett_DSC_1470_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. Swindon's finest 3206 pauses at Catcott Burtle with the 2.20pm service from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction during the rear end of the summer of 1965. Note the brisk westerly wind catching the exhaust (which I admit to being Photoshoppery). OK, enough of the old tosh, hopefully the grass is a good advert for static grass "ground foam is so 90's don't you know?". The reeds are not the right colour and

February 26, 2011

4

Digital Photography with 1960's Tech.

Click on the photo above for a 1024 sized version. This snap shows a typical Highbridge Branch train as seen in the last 2 years of the line's existence; a single Hawksworth Brake Compo and a ex-Southern Railway bogie-van for perishables (fun things like cider and cheese). You can see some rather nice prototype photos of such trains here. Note the narrow gauge trucks in the background used for transporting peat from the nearby moor. I hope to get that aspect operational before the next show

February 6, 2011

10

The 6.05 pm Service from Evercreech

nevard_110206_catcott_DSC_1324_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. BR Std Class 3 MT No. 82005 slows for Catcott Burtle with an early evening service from Evercreech Junction during the late summer of 1964.The layout lights were turned off and the natural north facing window light was allowed to stray in. Clunk. The only addition is the fake engine-clag and some git leaning out of the engine. The Morris traveller has been sprayed with a little matt varnish to kill the toy like shine.

February 8, 2011

9

Look, I Shrunk the Wife!

Click on the pics to enlarge to 1024 pixels... Ok, now I've got your attention with my wife superimposed in unseasonal clothing onto the little bridge that crosses the remains of the Glastonbury Canal next to Catcott Crossing, the reason for this post is to highlight a little basic weathering on the rather splendid new Hornby ex-GWR Hawksworth Brake Compo. These rather stylish coaches were regularly used during the final couple of years of the former SDJR Highbridge Branch. And yes th

February 6, 2011

7

Track Laying on Brewhouse Quay

nevard_110204_brewhouseQ_IMG_9104_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. Track laying has now started in earnest on my brewery project. Because the layout will be presented diorama style with a high curved backscene on 3 sides as mentioned on previous posts, I'm laying the track 'off set' using a 5mm foamboard sub-base which will be firmly bonded to the proper plywood base once most of the fiddly stuff has been done. It's much easier to work this way because I can spin the base aroun

February 4, 2011

8

Natural Window Light

nevard_110123_combwich-53809_DSC_211127b_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. At Combwich, a nicely buffed up 82005 prepares to take on coal next to the foreman's Morris Traveller. For most layout photographic commissions we have to use portable studio lighting to get the best out of layouts because most model railways are nowhere near a good source of natural light or are lit by domestic spotlights. This type of artificial lighting, whilst popular is totally unsuitable for photography

January 27, 2011

6

Barking Bill

Watched by Tiddles the huge station cat bruiser, SDJR 7F No. 53809 arrives at Combwich with the afternoon goods from Evercreech Junction during the August of 1961. The obligatory WIDESCREEN wallpaper version is here! This is of course the rather super new Bachmann SDJR 7F 2-8-0 which has appeared a few time over the last few week on this blog. The big difference now is that I have at last finished the weathering process. I never weather in one go, but tend to do it in stages over a

January 23, 2011

3

Catcott Burtle - Now with Working Gates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSb3kSeeFdc In preparation for the weekend show in Guildford at the Astolat Model Railway Circle Exhibition, I've finally managed to bodge up some working crossing gates and a working signal. I won't go into too much detail for the mechanical brigade will probably shudder at my Heath Robinson approach using brass rod and code 75 bullhead rail; you'll just have to imagine - but if you come along to the show at the weekend I'll let you look under my drape an

January 13, 2011

17

Time for a Pint!

The Astolat Model Railway Circle Annual Exhibition on Saturday 15 Jan went very well indeed after a quick set up of only 17 mins from getting out of the car to running a loco. Much to my surprise the layout performed admirably as it did at its last outing at Railex in May 09, with the only 2 derailments of the whole day being caused by not placing stock properly onto the fiddle yard tracks in the first place - duh! The newly installed working level crossing gates went down

January 15, 2011

9

An Italian with Great Legs

Ah - gotya! I expect you were hoping for some prime totty! Sorry, nothing so exciting, but what would you expect on a toy train BLOG? But I can tell you that my huge heavyweight vintage pro spec Manfrotto Art 075 tripod is suffering with 4 broken leg extending clips after 25 years of use - not bad, it having been made in a country better known for cars that rust when new and dishwashing machines. Getting hold of spares has been impossible, so for the last few shoots I've been resorting of

January 14, 2011

4

Not a Train in Sight

nevard_101128_catcott_IMG_8455_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. I must admit to when photographing model railways, apart from the odd cut-away sort of shot to show a cameo or fine detail when shooting a layout for publication, I tend to always have a train in shot somewhere. This is probably something to do with the fact that inevitably that's what I end up doing when photographing full sized railway scenes where the train is very much the star. In an attempt to break the h

November 30, 2010

7

Countdown to the Weekend

nevard_110103_catcott_IMG_8887_01_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. Catcottâ€™s first outing in well over a year is now just a few daysâ€™ ways. The railway has been set up with a view to giving it and up and under to hopefully ensure a hassle free experience for the public and for me.Jobs so far have been to tidy up the reeds along the front and to relay one of the fiddle yard sidings that had gone out of gauge due to me being too tight with the amount of copper clad used. Later this

January 10, 2011

2

Summer Saturday Over Mendip!

nevard_110109_pines_DSC_20926_BW_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. Acclaimed West Country snapper Ivan Locksmith with his Rollieflex and a roll Kodak Tri-X captured this photo of the Cleethorpes to Exeter pounding up the Mendip slopes near Masbury ably hauled by 40564 and 53809 in August 1959. On summer Saturdays Bath shed was frequently short of motive power, so a SDJR 7F heavy freight locomotive was often rostered on to assist over the Mendips and was always marshalled on the inside

January 10, 2011

2

Hemp!

nevard_110103_catcott-reeds_IMG_8878_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. When somebody mentions hemp, especially if they look a tad thin, speak rather slowly in a warbling manner, have their hair platted, wear colourful home knits as well as knitting their own wall paper, we tend to associated it with something smoked that will generate a mind altering experience. Yeah-man! For most people who are not so much into â€˜vegetable rights and peaceâ€™ as coined by Neil off the early 198

January 3, 2011

6

Ivan Locksmith's Jowett Javelin

Influenced by Ivo Peters' fabulous photo of of his famous Bentley posed next to a down goods train at Binegar (or was it Chilcompton?); Ivan Locksmith didn't delay in creating a similar shot to Ivo on the day he part exchanged his elderly Austin Seven for a shiny Jowett Javelin. Here is the photo that was taken at Catcott Burtle with goods from Highbridge Wharf. Just a bit of fun! Wants to see the colour version? http://nevardmedia5..../p68631542.html

January 7, 2011

4

Shunting at the 'Burtle

SDJR 7F 2-8-0 No. 53809 is captured on a stinking hot day in the summer of 1961 shunting at Catcott Burtle.The loco is of course the new Bachmann SDJR 7F and is seen here after stage one of a little weathering. In due course I'll add some more colour washes, lamps and a crew. Chuff chuff buffs from Tonbridge Wells will notice that the tablet catcher is now in the retracted position too. You'll be able to see this locomotive and layout on Saturday 15 January 2011 at the Astolat Model Railway

January 7, 2011

2

Bachmann SDJR 7F Test Runs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alp5njFTJZs The new Bachmann S&DJR 7F 2-8-0 performing some test runs on Catcott Burtle. Any jerkyness seen will be the YouTube processing and compression. In real life I'm very impressed by the smooth running qualities - sadly not seen here on YouTube. For my original review and some nice stills, follow this LINK.

January 4, 2011

14

Brewhouse Quay: Track Laying

Just before the Xmas holiday I started to lay the track on Brewhouse Quay. The delay in getting the snaps here being due to that increasingly shocking excercise of actually interacting with people face to face (cue the H&S Executive for another new directive no doubt) rather than keyboard, eating all the wrong foods, drinking too much beer in foreign climes and probably in due course getting a dose of lurgy due to all public places being heated to suit the staff rather than the heavilly dres

December 30, 2010

6

Trams and Beer

nevard_101226_munich-tram_IMG_8832_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. For a change we decided to escape the Christmas mayhem and head to Munich for a few days, not really for any cultural experience but unashamedly to sup a few beers in the various beer halls all over this beautiful city. And anyway, most things are shut over the Christmas period and let's face it, it's way too cold to do much else so I don't feel the slightest bit guilty in this respect! Of course one needs

December 28, 2010

2

Thursday Pic - that 7F again....

Here's a spare shot of the new Bachmann SDJR 7F 2-8-0 left over from the other day, and whilst it wasn't taken specifically for the cab detail, it does demonstrate how nice the detail is from a normal viewing angle. I make no apologies for the car which is from a Sprinsgide white metal kit, it's simply there because I like it. The only enhancement is the puff of smoke, again because I like it. The crew are stood on the platfom behind the loco Click to enlarge. Version without the in

December 30, 2010

3

Brewery Project Approved by the Cat!

As a brief diversion from my Mendip Colliery project, and because I have a spare freshly made 4ft x 2ft baseboard kicking about as well as a keen magazine editor hungry for stuff like this, I've decided to do a quickie in the form of a brewery based around the excellent Bachmann Scenecraft Oak Hill Brewery buildings. Interestingly enough, the Oakhill Brewery did really exist, and in the early part of the 20th century was served by a 2ft 6 inch gauge railway from the standard gauge S

December 6, 2010

14

Bachmann's Super S&DJR 7F 2-8-0

Bigger view? Click on the photos above and below for a bigger version! B) Bachmann's much anticipated SDJR 7F 2-8-0 has finally arrived at Nevard Towers from Hattons in Liverpool, and what a beauty she is too. I'll refrain from commenting in detail too much, because there are many merry souls who get out even less than me who'll no doubt keep the forums bulging over the next couple of months with stuff about the loco that you cannot see. To me Bachmann have captured the look of this ic

December 23, 2010

10

Midnight Oil/Brewhouse Quay Plan

I suffered from a little insomnia last night, so between midnight around and 2 am I worked on my rough brewery trackplan pencil sketch to produce the below using a little Photoshop to tidy up some of the rougher bits. I've tried to avoid that computer look - preferring that 'back of an envelope/organic' style as seen in magazines like the excellent French model railway magazine Voie Libre and the wonderful illustrations of Paul Lunn. I'm in a lucky position to have been asked to come u

December 15, 2010

13

Brewhouse Quay: Wiring fun

K_point_wiring_01, originally uploaded by nevardmedia. Brewhouse Quay update.....The materials have arrived, so I'm looking at the most complex bit of track well in advance to plan the wiring and where isolating breaks will need to be cut into the rails and how power will be fed to various sections. Slitting the sections will probably be easier after laying due to the fine nature of code 55. Point operation will be via manual miniature yard levers as in Nigel Burkin's feature in th

December 18, 2010

7

Brewery Project: Back of an Envelope Sketch

Just now I grabbed a couple of snaps to illustrate the Brewery Project's likely track plan all in an area of 4ft x 2ft 3inches, kicking off with an early rough sketch which will be used as a bases for a proper layout plan. Note the sector plate to allow access to hidden sidings behind the backscene. The headshunt seen on the above sketch will allow a small loco with just 2 SWB wagons - a shunting puzzle should be fun! The track plan has started to be marked out roughly fu

December 13, 2010

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