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  1. Hello It seems like an age since I have last posted and I am scared to check to see when the last post was! I havent given up on things though. I was hoping to post some swanky piccies of all the many things I have finished but sadly not, so you will have to make do with these shockingly bad (taken on my phone) photos instead.. Elvis is alive! Well, to be correct, Elvis now has wheels! It also has a working chassis (well it worked until I removed the temporary wires so I could paint the chassis. I did have to chop the body slightly to get the bogie sideframes to fit but its now sitting at the right height and the bogies seem to have some movement in them too so fingers crossed it will go around corners! Secondly, the crane is now complete. I have now fitted the hook bit and the chain (which was a pain to fit) then weathered it a little. Sorry the pictures dont really do it any justice but the peeps who have seen it said it looks good! Missy
    9 points
  2. The new Hornby O1 seems to have been well received. With my roots in the north east of England I would have preferred a Q6 or maybe a Q7. However they are not as yet available so I have invested in an O1 to complement my WD 8F. My Ian Allan Shed Book confirms that I ‘spotted’ two of the four O1s allocated to Tyne Dock. I am guessing that I would have seen these engines passing around the outside of Newcastle Central I can imagine heading north on a freight bound for Edinburgh. First impressions of the Hornby O1 were very positive. Out of the box it looked good and it performed well on the layout. I have posted a number of short videos on YouTube comparing the performance of the O1 with Bachmann’s O4 and WD 8F. These are obviously personal views and highly dependent on my particular models. In summary using the same Controller setting (DC) and same train load, the is the most sedate. The comes in the middle while the is quite the fastest - almost racing round the layout. With the Controller setting lowered the Hornby O1 will crawl nicely on the level but the running becomes slightly less confident than the Bachmann locomotives. In conclusion my Hornby O1 would not need any additional ballast. Whilst I might have been happy with the performance of the Hornby O1 I did have an issue with the appearance! I had intended to use the view above in my previous Post. However when I came to publish I noticed that the footplate was not level (the camera never lies!) and I had to investigate. Hornby O1 Chassis with flywheel in smoke box and motor driving in ‘reverse’. Close up of Motion Bracket In contrast to Bachmann who tend to make their ‘motion’ from individual castings (and which I prefer) the main parts of the Hornby motion are preformed from sheet metal. On my model one side of the Motion Bracket was sitting too high and required some gentle persuasion to get it to a more suitable level. With the Motion Bracket lowered I had then expected the footplate to return to a nice straight profile. However nothing is quite that straightforward. Hornby O1 Footplate The plastic moulded footplate is very thin and after being forced up by the incorrectly positioned Motion Bracket it had no intention of taking up a straight profile! Underside of Footplate An inspection of the underside of the footplate is quite revealing. Removing the body shell from the chassis had been straightforward but I had noticed some reluctance when parting the footplate from the Motion Brackets. The view of the underside of the footplate suggests that during assembly Hornby have lightly glued the footplate down to the Motion Bracket – probably to prevent damage to the relatively delicate footplate moulding when lifting the locomotive off the track? Use of Double Sided Tape. There are probably numerous solutions but I applied a couple of pieces of double sided tape to the footplate above the Motion Brackets – success! All straight Well how do I rate the Hornby O1? Well perhaps a smidgen below the 28xx. For those of you who like numbers, the Hornby O1 weighs in at around 280gm while the Bachmann O4 is only a touch over 250gm. Both engines have complex tender couplings incorporating relatively stiff wiring harnesses which I suspect will confuse load transfer between engine and tender.
    8 points
  3. Nörreport station, Copenhagen. Every day after work, I wait here for my local train home. Today it’s late, rush hour is over. Everyone is tired, noone is talking, noone is present. We’re not really here, we’re already somewhere else. While I wait, commuter trains roll into the platforms and leave again. Many are nearly empty, having already dropped off most passengers at Copenhagen Central. They will terminate soon, at the next station. Then an ICE train pulls into the platform, all the way from Berlin. At the sight of it, something stirs inside the weary commuter: A slightly unusual train, an arrival from far away. Is there anything like it? And thoughts begin to wander... Imagine a fine summer’s day in 1906. Imagine the bay platform of a junction station. A 517 class arrives with an autotrailer. Bit of a cliché, I grant you, a bit twee. But as a tired commuter, I’ll go with twee any time! And the autotrailer, which one is that? Ah, it’s the unusual A12 from the Plymouth area. Oh and look, here’s another train. River Class No. 69 “Avon”. Odd that, I thought I’d sold it some time ago? And what’s a fast engine like that doing in a bay platform? Never mind, it’s my daydream so I can do what I want! Argh, what’s all this disturbance now? Oh, it’s the Nivaa train. Well that’s no use for me. And quit staring at me people, I’m not really here, can’t you see that? Ah that’s better. Now this is what I call passengers! Stylish, sophisticated and not a care in the world. No ashen-faced commuters here! A-ha, here's the River again. And the infamous fireman known as "Mad Charlie", in conversation with Station Master A. Woodcourt. I wonder what they’re talking about? How she’s running today, maybe. Or the qualities of different kinds of coal. Or the Bambatha Rebellion. Certainly not tax forms or car repairs or any of the other trivial matters of today's world. Speaking of the Bambatha Rebellion (yeah well, look it up), here’s some real buffalo power! And it’s propelling an interesting 6-wheel U28 clerestory. And here’s a Buffalo with a tender! Well sort of: The Armstrong Goods were pretty closely related to the Buffalo tanks, if I’m not mistaken. And in my daydreams I’m never mistaken! Now what? Oh, it’s the train I’m in. So it arrived? I got on board? Never even noticed! We commuters are like robots sometimes. But look, it’s been snowing again. Looks nice with the lights, eh? And these are decent DMUs: comfortable, sleek, effective. Come to think of it, reality isn’t that bad after all. I wonder what’s for dinner? Click images for full size
    5 points
  4. In one one of my last post's concerning stock for Juniper Hill-my Northamptonshire Ironstone micro-layout I posted some pictures of the Hornby J94/Hunslet I'm working on called 'Cranford'. Paul (Halfwit) suggested I could improve around the injectors by cutting and drilling away excess plastic as he had done. I think he mentioned Chris Nevard had done something similiar. The easy way out would be to just cut them off and use some RT cast injectors but I went with Paul's advice and was impressed how easily the operation went. In a matter of minutes the excess plastic was removed and a new pipe made from brass wire was bent up and glued in place. Final details were crew from Dapol (Airfix), real coal, RT Models oil cans, lamp brackets from bent up staples and a homemade Stones turbo generator. Here's the finished result. Also, I've finished detailing the Sentinel 'Twywell' with real coal in the bunker area, crew and an oil can from RT Models. Both models are finished with Tamiya/Vallejo acrylics. Nameplates/worksplates custom made by the excellent Narrow Planet. I'd like to thank Paul for his suggestion on the injectors-it has made a difference. Cheers, Mark
    5 points
  5. Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog. I haven't lost interest, I've carried on collecting and weathering wagons, but there isn't really much to show when they are identical dogfish wagons. I have, however, obtained a dutch Class 37 and more importantly...a baseboard! So here is a dodgy photograph taken from my phone of said 37 doing a bit of shunting of the PW sidings. The layout is basically a long inglenook for shuffling wagons around on - perfect for me, as electronics and complex trackwork are not my forte. Track is stuck down and as you can see, ballasting has started - still a lot of tidying up to do, but I've got an idea of where I'm going now and I can't wait to get stuck into the scenic work!
    4 points
  6. Session 2 Thanks for all the comments for my first entry, they are very encouraging. I am working on how to power it and thanks for the suggested reading all very useful and inspiring. So after building a card platform with number 1 son (8 years old) for his Thomas and Friends garage layout, its 10*7 tail chaser with engine shed, turntable controlled with a JMRI powered Raspberry Pi, Hornby Elite and phones and Ipad for control. It keeps the boys happy (and dad), but thats maybe another blog. Back to the Clayton, work has started on the first engine cover. I am leaving the cab interior until the power challange is solved. The engine covers are being built separately for the same reason. This took about an hour. I need to work on my soldering technique as there is sometimes too much solder. Back to work for 2 weeks, so plenty of time to work on motors.
    3 points
  7. A smile is exactly what it's about Pete, not to be taken too seriously Rob, you could ask Mr Longbottom if he's ever heard that question - but knowing him I think he'd be smart enough not to have any opinion at all !
    3 points
  8. http://www.flickr.com/photos/barkingbill/2138786812/in/set-72157603696486994/ And you think a bent footplate is a problem? :-)
    2 points
  9. Good news to see progress!! Will be interesting to see what you do with scenery etc, especially if the wagon weathering is anything to go by! Look forward to seeing it in the flesh sometime. Lee
    2 points
  10. I always read your blog entries with great pleasure but I don't think I've commented before. An absolute delight. Jerry
    2 points
  11. Building a 2mm Clayton. I am building a layout based on the section of Waverley route that runs passed the Lady Victoria Pit in Newtongrange. Coal from here was hauled by Clayton's for a time and unfortunately its not RTR yet. After trying to work out how to draw one in Sketchup and have it 3D printed I discovered that Judith Edge kits did a 2mm version of their 4mm kit. Perfect (I couldn't figure Sketchup out any way), so the kit was ordered. But I've never built a metal kit before and when it arrived yesterday the size of the task ahead got a little frightening. So today I decided to take the plunge and make a start. The following pictures are todays progress. The kit as it arrived. The first part completed. Starting the cab area. Both together. I have really enjoyed the build so far, I have learnt that you really don't need much solder at all. Hopefully more tomorrow!
    1 point
  12. All of it. You don't need a lot of movement to get around sensible corners so I would imagine you'll be fine.
    1 point
  13. Thanks for the tips and inspiration here, Mark. I will post my Hunslet when I eventually get round to it! cheers, Iain
    1 point
  14. Thanks Iain for those kind comments. As I said in the text the Austerity was resprayed with Tamiya acrylics let down windscreen washer fluid. My airbrush I use is one of those Expo
    1 point
  15. Here's the original Halfwit post http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/428/entry-6508-austerity-mods/
    1 point
  16. The finish looks spot on to me, green always suiting these locos so well and I really like the oily sheen you've achieved. Here's what I did to the injectors after acting on Halfwit's good advice http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/5705979513/in/set-72157626597657462 Here's to Halfwit - top man!
    1 point
  17. I like this very much, the Hunslet looks very good with those amendments...the paint job is particularly fine, it actually looks heavy. Now I really ought to try after seeing this to spruce up my Dapol Austerity that has been sitting on my shelf for over 25 years! cheers, Iain
    1 point
  18. On the other hand, were footplates always perfectly level once the engines were in service? There tended to be a fair degree of distortion, and sometimes a rough shunt / late on the brakes could certainly reshape things. By way of example, "Black 5" 45212 retained into preservation a cab which was considerably askew, and remained so for years afterwards. I'm not sure if it has been corrected even today.
    1 point
  19. ....and I thought it was Devil in Disguise!
    1 point
  20. It's good to see flywheels on Hornby's loco chassis. But the glueing that you illustrate seems to be a bit of a bodge on their part?
    1 point
  21. Great to see you back Julia. Quite brilliant and inspiring stuff as usual. Jerry
    1 point
  22. Remind me - Why Elvis? The King, I presume - not that Costello Fello!
    1 point
  23. Hello Mikkel. No, I added them to the etch (as I was getting all the other bits done anyway), although when the watch bits came through the post I did think they would have been a good alternative way of doing the gears. M
    1 point
  24. Very nice. Thanks for your comment on my blog - I only just picked it up - I think you are right, these are definitely the way to go. I will be following your progress with interest!
    1 point
  25. Hi everyone, thanks for all your comments - it's nice to share these everyday thoughts with other modellers :-) The modern day photos are just snaps with the mobile, there's nothing like a bad mobile camera to capture the everyday! The Farthing photos are a bit of a mix from the past year or so that haven't been posted before. Some of them show stock that I don't actually own anymore. I've recently been selling off various locos and coaches to help ease the deficit in the bank account, so before I put stock up for sale I usually take a few "last shots" to remember them by. The autotrailer is one example of this. I picked it up on ebay several years ago. It's quite special, with real glass windows and brass sides. I enjoyed owning it, but it has had it's time on Farthing and in the future I want to focus more on building my own stock. So it's now winging its way to someone else who will hopefully enjoy it as much as I did. Who knows, maybe when we're all gone it will still be around :-) I totally agree that the Edwardians will have had their share of concerns - not least those who were less fortunate than the First class travellers seen above! Maybe the sum of human worries is more or less constant. But still, there are days when a little daydream does a lot of good :-)
    1 point
  26. Yes. The less solder the better; it saves on cleaning up time. Very good start. If you had not have said then we would not have known you were an etched kit virgin.
    1 point
  27. Hello Mikkel, thank you for the encouragement. I was thinking that when I ran out of engines to fill with bits of lead I could start describing the 'route' in more detail. In the meantime if you get impatient there is a growing number of pictures on Flickr. Regards Ray
    1 point
  28. Thanks gents! I actually picked up some more couplings today so the rest of my steel wagons are now converted to Dapol knuckles. So maybe my mojo is back! I haven't sealed it no - I don't think any of my models have been varnished. I sometimes use neat White spirit as a fixative for powders, another tip nicked from the military modelling fraternity!
    1 point
  29. Time to inspect progress at the main station. All the ballasting is complete, just need to get on with some Station canopies. That will be a job for next summer! This is a view of the 'bay' platforms with a Bachmann 22xx on a branch train. As originally conceived this was The Terminus for an 'out and back' layout. In fact an 'out and back' double track mainline and a single track branch line accessed from both The Terminus and a junction on the mainline : The layout was constrained by the flue from the Aga and I long coveted the space beyond to form a continuous run. After much negotiation a plan was drawn up and approved and the main terminus platforms were swung to the left using 5 ft (1.5m) radius curves to allow the lines to just skirt the chimney breast, much in the same way that Brunel's original Temple Meads station was extended westwards. Interestingly as soon as the woodwork and track laying for the extension was completed, the Aga was converted from oil to electricity and hence the necessity for a Class 1 flue disappeared. Life is too short so don't even think about suggesting doing away with the chimney breast.
    1 point
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