I'm working on bringing up to date all of my three blogs. There's this one here, with the current standard of black/red/white, then the external Copley Hill blog, and The British Railway Series blog, all of which have different designs while conveying similar information.
I'm working on the external Copley Hill blog first, working on a new template to try and freshen everything up:
Copley Hill Blog
See what you think - as always, feedback greatly appreciated.
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
With two weeks left of my degree, and a full list of modelling to finish after that, I may be a much happier bunny sooner rather than later. At the moment all my time has been taken up tying up the loose ends at Loughborough University, but soon I will have some updates, I promise!
I have done one thing in the past few months - I have given the D11 a fresh coat of paint, while it's awaiting its new chassis - I'll post a pic later on if the laptop lets me!
Until next time.
So it dawned on me a few weeks ago that with the dissertation writing, any projects I have on the go at present are not going to be finished - or in a few cases started! - until the summer. Then I started to count up the number of projects I have on the go...oh dear.
1. K1 Kitbash - Not Started
2. Stirling Single Kitbash - Not Finished
3. J11 Restoration - Awaiting Chassis
4. D11 Restoration - Not Started
5. 5MT repaint/renumber - Not Finished
6. 2010 Layout Challenge - Not Started
The above model was my first airbrushing attempt, way back in the November of 2008, on the old RMweb. A few comments were made from an Equine member regarding the thickness and I made no attempt to disguise the fact it was a little...thick.
Okay, a LOT thick. However that being said, I had done a lot of modifications to the model, and mixed the paint colour myself. Transfers were applied, and I even detailed the cab interior and the tender. It was my first real conversion, first air brushing
Here's an update I had plum forgot to mention (but its on my external blog, along with another project, currently in the works queue). This is an ex-Great Central Railway (hence the title) J11 (colloquially known as a "Pom Pom"), and it is to have the "J17" treatment to it. In other words - I'm going to buy the DCC fitted standard Hornby 0-6-0 chassis (which I'm thrilled to say, fits) and then paint into BR early crest livery.
So far the main job has been removing years upon years worth
I bought this wonderful model for a small sum at the Loughborough Model Centre recently. It's the latest Hornby Railroad Black Five, in an LMS livery. The model itself is forty pounds cheaper than the super detailed model, but I don't think the detail is that much worse, in all honesty.
I intend to modify this model into 45249 - one of the Black Fives seen in and around the Leeds area in the 60s. There's a photo on Flikr - found here. A fabulous photograph, and I hope to make the black five
You may be wondering why I haven't updated anything recently - I wanted to wait until the changeover of RMweb from a new server was finished. New posts are ready to go up (J11 and D11 to talk about next) and some other bits and bobs, but for now - see you on the other side!
Good Luck with the changeover, Andy!
A big shout out to the Loughborough Model Centre for holding onto my Tornado order - I picked it up today, and, well...
Fabulous! Every little detail I can think of has been done on this model (bar the roller bearings, but that's an accepted compromise). The livery is perfectly applied, right down to the maker's plate on the tender frame, picked out in silver. Under a magnifying glass you can read the legible printing on the dedictation plaque too...!
This is by far the best A1 mode
Two birds and a Boat.
It's a stunning lineup. Now that I have my Heljan Kestrel home for the holidays, the fun of comparing it to the two diesels before it come to pass...but a disclaimer first:
From right to left, we have Falcon (2007), Deltic (2008) and Kestrel (2009). The two birds are from the Heljan stable of model locomotives, while Bachmann is a National Railway Museum commissioned piece from Bachmann.
The Reviews
Falcon - Heljan
Base
It's official: Hornby is making the Thompson L1 for 2010.
Therefore sadly I am cancelling my kitbash, but turning towards making something else using the same pieces I picked up for the L1. Another thompson machine perhaps...
I am thrilled by the presence of an Express Passenger blue A4 train pack set - I will buy two, one to match with a non-corridor tender and rename/number, and the other to keep as is to match that one.
That, and the absolutely stunning USA Tour Flying Scotsman...
I've been mulling over the idea of a different kitbash to replace the L1 kitbash (should Hornby announce it!) but utilising the same N class chassis I had planned on using for the L1.
Utilising the spare N class tender I have decided to make a Q class from a GA kit I will be ordering in the new year - the intention is for that model to take up permanent residence on a friends layout, Coldhorten, in 2010.
Having looked through sean's K1 thread on the old RMweb, seen here, that I had a tho
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 (
I found this amongst a few other tatty photographs in a drawer at my grandmother's house. It shows some photographs of Leeds, Copley Hill as my grandfather knew it in the late 1940s and possibly early 1950s. Is that him standing on 60119's front, cleaning its smokebox door?
Of course, this is just the layout with the smoke machine in use and the camera set to sepia and grayscale modes. But there has been some modelling - more grime, the lintels are done on the shed as well as
I've been quite ill over the October and November period, and for the most part, confined to bed. However my darling girlfriend bought me an E-Z Command Controller (to act as a spare for my ever suffering Dynamis system at home), and some track so I could play with the birthday present she'd got me in September.
Happy man, despite the swine flu and infected lung!
At any rate, my little test track on my desk at university has been reborn, with the sole intention of testing models an
This is an update I've been meaning to post for a while now, but couldn't find the relevant photographs to do it with!
I've been building a shed for 56C, being made from plasticard, Peco Roof kits, Scalescene scratch building aids and similar - in essence, it has been built in the same way as the carriage shed.
Here's a few photographs, taken at the end of August:
Since these pictures were taken, I've added a lot more details to it and weathered it - ful
Hi all,
Been quite ill recently! A swine flu bout, followed by an infected lung and throat. Happily after four weeks of bed rest, antiobiotics and lots of strepsils and lemsips, I'm feeling much better and raring to do some modelling (if funds allow before Xmas!)
Until next time (with a full and proper update).
Interesting 0-16.5 Engine
I've been looking at this engine with some interest. It has what I believe is a rivarossi chassis, and bits of a Hornby "Bill" or "Ben" saddletank coupled with some parts from a Dapol Pug kit, and a cab which looks scratchbuilt.
I'm interested. My finger was hovering over the "bid" button.
If I did end up buying it, I'd make some changes to the model - removing the weathering being the first job, maybe adding a few details - and definitely making it an 0-4-2
In my last update, I was test fitting the tender body. Thats now been stuck together, and once painted with a coat of black paint to show up where filling needs to be done with some milliput, hasn't scrubbed up too badly:
On the locomotive side, I've removed the raised printing and am preparing to drill out the driving wheel splasher. This was done using a cotton bud, some nail varnish remover and some wet'n'dry paper to smooth it down afterwards.
Getting there, bit by bit
For the past few months I've been having an argument with myself regarding what the Sidcup & Danson Lake Railway would use for motive power.
I've been drawn to the idea of some resin kits from the Smallbrook range (and indeed, an order is on its way to them shortly for a body kit and brakevan kit), but my initial thoughts in my "Creative Writing" blog entry, gave Kerr Stuart and their Tattoo design as a strong contender.
I've been thinking about that over and over, and I've realised
The above is reproduced for educational purposes only. It is a comparison chart of L1, V3 and N class. Photos come from the LNER Encyclopedia and SEMG, my thanks to them.
After discussion on Sean's L1 blog, found here: Sean's L1 Blog , I've decided to throw my hat into the ring as I have always wanted one of these locomotives for my Eastern Region themed layout.
The difference between my build and Sean's will be in all likelihood choice of chassis. Sean is advocating the 2MT, and I am le
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
While Andy's been fixing the image display problem (thank you Andy! :icon_thumbsup2: ), I've had the flu and have had little energy to do any modelling. However the last few days I have felt a little better, so cracked on with modifying the tender for my Stirling Single No.1 bash.
First up, I have two plans - and am going to do both and fit whichever one fits the "look" better. First up then, is removing the coal rails from the Bachmann Emily tender.
This is how the tender looked a mont
In my last update, I outlined my other ongoing project in the Copley Hill Works Blog. That was to create a Lake Railway layout, to exhibit and hopefully have some building at the same time.
I've written a short history section, which has a fictional and real history section, which should hopefully explain what my little layout should be able to convey:
Now, bearing that in mind, here is my summation of the truth of the matter:
I will be making edits to this section o
