I was all set to start a new project, completely unrelated to Thompson's Pacifics, when a timely email from an old friend reminded me I had yet to finish the most controversial one of all...
This is a project I first had a go at in 2007, on the old RMweb. The project's premise was clear: to build a model of the Thompson A1/1, Great Northern, from a Gresley A1. Much as Thompson did, in a way, by adapting the standard components of the A1 and converting them into the larger Thompson 6ft 8in Pa
It all started with this review video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEfXm6AS7Sk
I'd finished filming the review, and found that the right hand set of buffers - which are all plastic, moulded as part of the bodyshell - had been damaged in transit.
I was not very impressed with this aspect of the model. Whatever your thoughts may be of the moulded handrails, the model is clearly designed to be a cheap and cheerful representation of the new build A1. I could forgive the moulded p
Whilst I wait for the transfers for 62678 The Morpeth to arrive, I have been working on another conversion, this time using a set of Graeme King's superb A2/3 resin castings - you can inquire about their availability here - to create a Thompson A2/2 using the Bachmann Peppercorn A2 as a basis.
So the current progress is as follows, after a day's work:
The original Bachmann valve gear has been carefully remove, and the chassis filed down in the necessary locations to fit the conve
What's this?! A first look at a new Hornby product?!
A brand new, DCC fitted, Gresley W1 4-6-4. Simply stunning.
Okay, hands in the air - it's not technically a new product, direct from Hornby.
What it is, is a commission build by Graeme King for me, to produce a W1 by extending the Hornby Railroad Mallard as a base.
The great advantage of using 60022 was its DCC fitted chassis - which, straight out of the box, runs perfectly.
Taking this model out of the box and pl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1aMWoAW8KU
It's not often I post videos on my RMweb blog, but I had a request from a reader to make a video of the A2/1 running, so here it is running on my rolling road. If I can get up to the High Wycombe club soon at some point I will film it on the test track.
The bufferbeam's been painted red, the dome painted green, I am working on cabside transfers and the model will get a coat of Johnson's Klear tomorrow too in preparation for weathering at some s
The above is my railroad Black Five, numbered 45249. I've bought - second hand - another Stanier Black Five to restore. Pic below shows the extent of the damage it had when it arrived at the works:
45455's smokebox was badly melted, with the chimney at an odd angle, and the smoke gen popping through. It also had (not clear in this photo) damage to the left hand side valve gear.
After removal of the smoke generator, and the damaged chimney, and rebuilding the smokebox to some exte
Can't believe I'm doing this...but due to some rumours surrounding the Hornby 2010 announcements, I have decided to wait to start cutting up my spare V3 bodyshell until after the Hornby announcements on Christmas day.
In all honesty, if what has been hinted it being announced I can think of at least two people, myself included, who'll be happy to the extent its being made, but absolutely furious that for the second year running, I start a project and Hornby announce that they are making it (
Okay, we can all admit it. There is at least one, or two, locomotives that we all want to see on our layouts. There's no doubting that everyone strives for authenticity when building their locomotive stud, but there's always one particular engine which people want "just because". Mallard is one of these for me, though happily as a regular performer on the King's Cross to Leeds expresses in the 1940s and 50s, I have no problem with justifying putting 60022 amidst the A4s in my planned stocklist f
A bit of finishing off prior to weathering. Firstly, the front steps on the running plate have been removed. 60508 didn't have these steps, and it was a timely post from one Tony Wright on another thread which spurred me into removing them (particularly as 60508 is photographed in this livery quite clearly without them). Lining out was also added to the bufferbeam, along with gluing down the buffers, hook and coupling and vacuum pipe.
EDIT: I should point out that 60508 is the only A2/1 whic
Two new sets of nameplates from Narrow Planet. I have been so impressed by this company I am making up another order as I speak. Quick to deliver, great communication, and more to the point - the nameplates are terrific.
The first set is for the Permanent Way Model Forum Staff Competition - I'm building a "Gresley W2" (which is an entirely fictional locomotive based on certain not built designs), and Eastern Eagle is to be its name.
The second set, is finally going on my K3, well over a
From this...
...to this:
Yep, I finally stuck my finger out and started working on my backlog of projects. The Stirling single, seen just behind, has had its handrails removed so that a new set can be added that will be more accurate, and the J11 has had a new motor fitted onto its old (but very weighty and sturdy) Triang chassis.
The model is indeed to be modelled as a J11 during the early cycling lion period, including the red coupling rods, and the ross pop valves and cab mou
Inbetween work on my veritable and varied fleet of steam locomotives, I have begun clearing out my railway room in anticipation of the first section of my Pathfinder layout.
Remembering the priorities I covered in one of my previous blog entries:
My idea is a simple scenic layout; a double track main line with no turnouts or complicated track formations, and the ability to bring together all three priorities in one first test section.
Having studied and poured over photographs an
How else to describe this particular conversion, but "emotional". There's a lot of emotion behind this one.
It all began on a family holiday to Canada. We had met up with my Uncle Edwin and Aunty Grace in Toronto, and taken a variety of transport to arrive in Quebec. Saint-Constant, specifically. Uncle Edwin, or "Uncle Ed", wasn't actually relative by blood, he had married my maternal grandmother's younger sister, but he had always been a close member of the family, and such a wonderfully in
You will recall that recently, I had been indulging in some conversions of Hornby garter blue A4 Pacifics in order to gain 1949 condition A4s. I identified a few problems with this approach, went away, had a think, and came up with a solution; a set of etches that makes the removal of the valances easier, and also caters for missing components and/or damage.
Peter Harvey of PH Designs recently finished a set of test etches for a conversion kit I had specified. Unfortunately, it's taken me a
Today I made a little breakthrough. I modified the cab of the Emily loco to better represent the shape of the preserved single. Note, in the above picture I've removed the horizontal handrails but not the vertical ones - I am using the moulded handrails to measure up my plasticard tender body (seen later in this post):
Now I've been experimenting with plasticard this week. I wasn't happy with modifying the original bodyshell as its proportions are too large for the tender I am modelling
It all started here, in January 2008. The original post in what was intended to be my very first modelling project, building a Thompson Pacific, specifically no.60508, Duke of Rothesay.
That project ended somewhat abruptly, with metal fatigue present throughout the kit. Happily, bits of that original project live on in several different locomotives. The chimney and smokebox door were donated to two different Pacifics, the Romford wheels have been put to good use on a friend's P2, and the ten
Photograph is copyright of Simon Gott and replicated here for educational purposes only.
Lone Wolf
Oh dear. What have I done. I've taken on yet another project! (I have in fact taken on about five projects, one of which was the Ivatt Atlantic, but more on that later).
The above model will soon be in my possession and will be the subject of an excercise to see if I can produce a more reasonable P2 model for my personal collection and use in my future stocklist for my KX-Leed
Well, Wednesday evening came, and Harry Fielding and Graham Muz of this parish were very kind in letting me come up to the club to use the club's test track after work. I had a very warm welcome from the club members, and enjoyed in particular talking to Graham and Harry about Hinton Parva, which is a fantastic layout to watch. They are terrific people and I will be going back for sure, during the time I have left on my work contract.
The main reason for coming up to the club was to test 628
It's getting more and more difficult these days to write blogs. Not because I don't want to, but because modelling time is at an all time premium, and there are many projects still outstanding.
One which I have finally got around to finishing off is my model of 62822, the last London & North Eastern Railway Atlantic working by 1950. I have found dozens of photographs of this engine in Grantham, King's Cross, Doncaster, even York, but for a long time any shots of the engine in the Leeds a
It's been a while between blog entries this month, mostly because I've spent an inordinate amount of time sleeping when at home. The traveling is finally starting to get to me! But I cannot complain because I like my job and it pays well for the time I put in. However with the tiredness, comes mistakes, and for anyone who has a copy of RCTS volume 2A, you'll spot the mistake which creeped into my modelling this month in about three paragraphs time.
I choose to relate it here, because in a no
Last time I was getting to grips with the major bodyshell conversions. This time, I've finished the valve gear.
Yes, it's very crude. It uses components from the donor A2 model, and a spare set of Bachmann V2 valve gear I had squirreled away. Does it work? Surprisingly, yes. It works quite well. I have managed second radius curves with the model in its current state quite happily.
I've been making modifications to the boiler - removal of certain boiler bands, and a co
Here's something I'm working on currently.
My planned RMweb Comp project - sadly due to lack of funds, could not be completed or even started in time!
However I loved the idea of it so much, I'm going ahead with it - and part of it involves creating some locomotives, rolling stock, and buildings for my planned project - simply titled "Museum". It makes a change from my BR era, ex Eastern region rolling stock, and gives it a bit of a link to my missus and her family, who are from Malta.
In my previous review of the Hornby Railroad Tornado, I was impressed with the overall quality of the mechanism, and the accuracy of the model. I made a mistake in my review, where I incorrectly stated that there was no detail pack included in the box. It was in fact, stuck into a recess on the back of the polysterene packing.
The Special Edition model of Tornado has now been released, and with it comes the opportunity to compare it with the Bachmann model of Tornado. The Hornby model is an
I've recently had a spate of budget-purchases in terms of coaching stock, and a few surprise gifts from the missus in the same vein!
Charlie forgot Valentine's Day this year - not really a crime, she is starting her PGCE and is at the highest of stress levels. However, she found the time to shop around, and while attending Ally Pally on Sunday, bought me the three coaches seen below:
They are a set of three Airfix LMS Suburban coaches, and they have a terrific finish on them
A little recap of the "Proof of Concept": I am embarking on a joint endeavor with a friend to produce a range of bodyshell and basic model kits to try and encourage younger modellers and beginners of all ages into the hobby. Something more basic than the old Airfix kits, and more durable than the current plastic Dapol kits of varying heritage.
The above picture has had a great deal of care and attention to get it to this stage, though it looks simplistic in the extreme, and very pl
