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Blimey! It's been a while since the last entry. Woodwork and electrics have taken over recently and modelling has been put to the side. Last night I thought I'd actually try to finish off the three Ninelines L&B wagons I have sat on the workbench. Thanks to Jaymz he was able to help me clarify the positioning of the lettering on the brake van. Also the purchase of a second hand copy of Chris Leigh's book on the L&B recently and a loan copy of the Prideaux et al book helped to speed things up considerably. This is where we stand at the moment. Here's the brake van which needs its windows putting in. The bogie van: The bogie open: Decals are by Fox/HMRS. I also need to complete the weathering and add the vacuum pipes then they are finished. Cheers, Mark

I couldn't put it off any longer and have made a start on a building. I am treating this as a bit of a test bed so I might not actually use it in the end but we shall see. There are going to be an awful lot of new techniques to experiment on here and I mustn't overlook the fact that I haven't made any buildings (except a couple of real ones!), in over 30 years. Here is the picture that I am using as a guide. I have found a higher res one somewhere but is not to had at the moment. So here is a basic foam board shell; And with some joists where a hole in the floor will be; Some floorboards added; Some joists upstairs and batons for the laths; And with laths fitted; Now you might think that this is a lot of trouble to go to has all been done pretty roughly and didn't take long but most importantly, an awful lot of this is going to be exposed. I haven't worked out what to use for the plaster yet, DAS, thick paper, thin card or even plaster! Actually I probably should have put bricks behind the laths but that might be going a bit too far. How to colour the wood is another issue. I want to try Colron Wood Dye and know I have some somewhere but is being elusive - also worried that it might melt the foam board. Other thing is that I probably should have coloured the wood before gluing as the PVA won't stain. Anyway, as I said - A test bed.

Having finally completed the insulation and fitting out of my new shed, I now have a hobby room with internal dimension of some 10' x 5'8". Not huge, but large enough to house a reasonable 2mm scale model railway, a table/bench, etc. Because this new space will also be my modelling room, what I intend to do is to construct a layout along the back wall of the shed which will allow the modelling table / workbench to go under the window for natural light to be used when using my lathe, etc. Some time ago I decided to locate my model in the South Hams of Devon, and be a fictional station in that area as the only real railway in the area was the Kingsbridge Branch from the GWR's main line at Brent. The assumption I have made is that the South Devon Railway Company built their line from Exeter to Plymouth as they initially intended by constructing their line from Newton Abbot down to Churston, crossing the River Dart a little to the South West of that station before continuing along the coast to Salcombe, Kingsbridge, and across the South Hams to Modbury, Yealmpton and thence to Plymouth. The line would have been built to Brunel's Broad Gauge. In my little world, the existing real main line from Exeter to Plymouth was also subsequently built along the south of Dartmoor rendering my "old" line little more than an elongated single track branch. The whole of the South Devon Railway was absorbed into the GWR in 1876, and was subsequently converted to "narrow" or standard gauge in May 1892 along with the rest of the GWR's Broad Gauge network. My model will be based c.1906, and will still retain Brunel's Baulk Road track work. The model will comprise a 20" diameter traverser fiddle yard at each end, and a 6'0" long scenic section which will allow me to model a through station with 2 platform roads which will allow trains to pass each other. The buildings will be based on those on the Moretonhampstead and Ashburton branches (both originally Broad Gauge lines in South Devon). At the left hand end, the platform tracks will disappear under a road bridge, the turnout joining them will be off-scene (and will be replicated by the traverser), this will allow a short section of countryside at the right hand end but will not impact on the operational aspect. The diamond crossing in the plan above will actually be a single slip (I just haven't worked out how to draw them in Templot yet ). Over the last couple of days I have made a start on building the baseboards, so will post again when a bit more progress has been made.

I have been rather preoccupied of late and have not been keeping up with the various forums. I have given myself a break today and for some relaxation I will attempt an answer to the question - Hornby Grange or Bachmann Hall – which is better? First why would you want a Hall or a Grange? The old GWR constructed around 255 ‘Hall’ Class locomotives and then proceeded to build a further 70 or more ‘Modified Halls’. With 6ft driving wheels the Halls were designed to provide a powerful general purpose engine. As such they could be seen all over the BR Western Region on both freight and passenger duties, often deputising for the bigger and more powerful Castle Class. In contrast the ‘Grange’ Class locomotives had slightly smaller 5ft 8in wheels. The Granges were supposedly rebuilds of earlier 2-6-0 locomotives and with their smaller capacity tenders they were designed for fast freight and intermediate passenger work. Construction of the Granges was limited to 80 locomotives and looking back at my Ian Allan books they must have been rather rare as I only recorded seeing four of the Class. My last memory of a Grange Class was on the Birkenhead to Chester line, an immaculate green liveried locomotive on a tanker train, I guess originating from the Stanlow oil refinery. Now how do the models compare? Hornby Overton Grange Bachmann Guild Hall Bachmann Mere Hall I would say they all look good – even the older Bachmann split chassis varieties. What happens if we put the models head to head? Bachmann Guild Hall left verses Hornby Overton Grange right Close up Bachmann Guild Hall left verses Hornby Overton Grange right I would say these head to head pictures are the most definitive. I do wonder if the Smoke Box Handles and the Lamp Irons on the Hornby Grange are too thin. They are definitely rather delicate. In fact that would be my criticism of the Hornby Grange. Everything about the Hornby engine is very fragile – including the vacuum pump spindle and the sanding gear beneath the cab. What about performance? The newer Bachmann locomotives run superbly – the older ones tend to be somewhat problematic – although in the past these could often be improved by buying replacement nylon axle joiners direct from Bachmann. However because of the small diameter of the boiler the Bachmann model of the Hall is rather light in weight and the model does not reflect the power of the prototype. The Hornby Grange is similar but appears to have more space available for adding lead ballast and can perhaps be persuaded to haul heavier model trains than the Bachmann engines. On balance I prefer the Bachmann models.

Hi Click on the image below to run the animation. This entry was prompted by a comment made about my blog entry below, the person said it look like a film! It was Job's Modelling and his exact words were 'Almost like picture movie. Nicely done.' http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1428-steam-julies-blog/ The first part is now a film! Julie

This should be the last entry on my two Western diesel-hydraulics for a while. The Heljan one, D1007 Western Talisman, now goes around my tightest curves, so it was time to patch up any damaged paintwork and weather the bogies, brake gear and skirts. The result is shown below. The leading brake blocks still need a little bit of wire or plastic rodding to anchor them more securely but it runs well as it stands. The weathering used the now usual mixture of black, leather and metallic gunmetal in varying proportions. In the meantime, I decided to try adding headcodes to the insides of the Kernow/Dapol Western, D1037 Western Musketeer, instead of the supplied externally applied self-adhesive labels. The spare Heljan ones would have been my ideal but they were a fraction large for the aperture, allowing for the thickness of the moulded clear plastic rims on the insides of the headcode 'glasses'. A bit of digging around showed that the Heljan class 53 (D0280, Falcon) printed headcodes would fit when suitably cut down to suit the split apertures of the Western. They are not perfect but look better to me than externally stuck on labels. See what you think. I deliberately chose class 6 and class 8 headcodes to suit freight workings. As with everything else, compromise is needed as only two headcodes can be displayed while ten, or more, fitting trains are available for it to haul!

Well I haven't had much to report this last few weeks as I have been at our other home in Turkey. Unfortunately being there does not lend itself to modelling due to the sense of lethargy that the high temperatures bring. Anyway it is nice to lay in a hammock and read a book now and then. However back to modelling. Projects completed since returning to England are as follows: I have finally been able to find the fault with my L.S.W.R. Railmotor which has been 'bugging' me for some time. The Railmotor is a Jidenco etched brass kit and is painted in LSWR colours with lining done with a bow pen. The problem that I had was that the motor would run and the driving wheels turn but the vehicle just had no grip and would only move sporadically. It took me ages to work out that the motor bogie mounting angle was wrong. This has now been modified and the railmotor now flies round the track (or tries to!) Motor is a DS10 with open gearing. Second build has been a SEF Crane Tank kit as supplied to the South Eastern Railway in 1885, number 409, and has been left in ex Nielsen Works grey because my 80 year old hands will no longer let me do lining of such precision. Looking at the photo of 409 in 'Locomotives of the S.E.R. by D.L. Bradley the lining would appear to be very fine and my white transfer lining is much too thick. Some modifications to the kit have been made to make the loco more like the works photo, The power is provided by a Mashima 1015 motor working through a High Level gearbox and it runs very nicely. Only thing left to do is to put coal on the tops of the side tanks. Third build has been an open wagon of the East & West Yorkshire Union Railway, built in my preferred way with actual wood, but this time I have taken on board the advice from 'Burgundy' and others, and I have scribed the inside planking as well as the outside planking, which I think can be clearly seen in the photo. Since taking the photo, I notice that I seem to have lost a door stop so that will have to be replaced. Next project already under way is a Brighton 'Atlantic', also from a Jidenco kit but modified to bring it somewhat nearer to the many photos. It will probbly end up as an 'H!' Wheels and gearbox, again Mashima and High Level arrived yeaterday. After that, 'Inspector' is next due in the build shop as the wheels etc arrived yeaterday from Alan Gibson Wheels. Hope to get a lot done over the winter. We will see!

Just a quick update on progress so far. The track is down and wiring nearing completion. There's been a lot happening here of late with family matters of one thing and another so modeling time has been severely compromised. My wiring method ain't neat, but it works! All points are motored and the frogs wired to Peco switches - a lot of work but worth the effort for a yard type layout. So hopefully loco stutter will be non existent and slow running should be superb when all things have been tested. I like to attach the motor directly to point then cut out a hole in the board to take it - note the piece of mounting card between point a motor that fills the gap in the hole. This is going to save a load of work patching up the holes at a later stage when it comes to ballasting. When wiring, I tend to draw a crude track plan on the side of the layout support boards then put a load of screws in that represent the point switches and isolated sections etc - these have the appropriate wires under the board soldered to them. I then use stud probes to test the under board wiring by placing them on the screw heads. Later on these screw heads will have wires soldered to them that, in turn, will connect to surface switches on a control panel. It seems a good way of testing first and also limiting the amount of wires under the board itself. I've already identified a point that was giving a short - forgot to remove the tiny wires under the electrofrog that connect the blades and frog! If you look carefully at the picture you'll see these screws. This is a pic of the layout on its side on my workbench. I've tried to nail that fan shape that's typical of Barrow Hill. Hope I've succeeded - only time will tell! Another pic of the track plan. That's all for now - testing during the week!!

Hi New photograph of DCC wiring added 26-11-13 Since the last blog entry I have wired the scenic board, in similar fashion to the fiddleyard board. I have also wired both boards together at both track crossing points. Some people may say that this is over the top! But I remember from electronics at college, that if you have 2 resistors of value R and you connect them in series then the total resistance is 2R. However if you connect them in parallel the total resistance is 1/2R instead. The main power bus is single core wire, whilst the links are multi-core cable. This allows the cable in the links to bend without damaging it. But the cable has slightly higher resistance than the solid core cable. The programming switch is arranged so that when the switch points towards the programming track, the programming track is selected, and therefore when it points away from it, the main is selected. Now after the track over the joints has been fettled, I can turn my mind back to the task of doing the scenery again. Julie PS An animation of running around a passenger train in the fiddleyard can be found at :- http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1429-steam-julies-general-blog/

Hi, A little more progress has been done on the Bridge now, putting together some of the main buttresses with capping stones. Cheers, Mark.

When I did our weekly shopping I found this nice Santa. Light works on batteries and has a switch to put the light on and out. Santa was easy to remove. In this way a had a nice led light for the inside of my warehouse. I have to find a way to construct my building in a way I can put the light on when required. I started with the inside of the warehouse. I have finished one pile of wooden whiskey boxes and have to build more. There will also some barrels along one of the walls. The interior wall and floor are created with a seamless texture from CG Textures. The sliding door is from Scalescenes goods shed. I tried to find the right colors, so everything will go nicely together. I have managed to create a solution for the light. It will be placed in a opening in the side wall. I have made a small wall before the light. The white piece of card at the left side. I almost forgot. I have finished the front of the warehouse, see the picture below. As you can see I have also worked at the road in front of the warehouse. I hope you like the atmosphere and the building. Unfortunately I cannot finish the building. I want a figure inside the warehouse and have to order that by Dart Castings. Ordering 1 figure is too expensive for me. I decided to start designing my next diorama and see what figures are needed on that on. On Northall Dock I can start with the last warehouse and then finish the road. Regards, Job

In 1898 the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway purchased two brake vans from the Bristol Wagon & Carriage Co. The vans initially came with open verandahs until they were enclosed during 1908 and a 'Dog Box' which was also later removed. They were numbered No:5 and No: 14 but on grouping and the railway coming under control of the Southern Railway became 56039-56040. The Nine Lines kit represents one of these brake vans in as built condition and is a very crisply moulded kit. With this build I wanted to represent a brake van in Southern Railway condition so modified the verandah to it's enclosed form. This was done with Plasticard/Plasticstrip and a Parkside brake cylinder cut in half to represent hand brake wheel housing. Also the ride height of the kit has been lowered and clearance at both ends has been made for BEMO couplings. This entailed chopping away part of the buffer beams. The trussing is made from a piece of piano wire and the paint will be blended in eventually. The acetylene lamp housing and vent on the roof have been moved back into the correct position too as they were originally above the verandah end. Handrails have been added from .45 gauge Gibson wire. The van has been finished with an assortment of Valejo/Tamiya acrylics and a coat of Klear to seal prior to applying the decals. I'm using a combination of Fox and HMRS Southern Railway decals. This is where I am at present: L&B Brake NGRM 12102013 002 by kettering15b, on Flickr One thing that is proving a bit elusive is the positioning on the 'S' and 'R' on each side as well as the 'Tare/Tons' and van numbers. Does anyone have a suitable reference or picture to ascertain the location on the sides? Here's a square on view. Although the lettering looks right-I'm not sure if the 'S' needs to go back further towards the end? L&B Brake NGRM 12102013 001 by kettering15b, on Flickr The guard is a Monty's Station Master figure and will go in the verandah end. Cheers, Mark

What has been really taking up my time over the last few months are these: They are the basic Farish Poole-based PCAs being detailed with the TPM detailing kit. I went to attach the walkways this morning only to find out I had to make a slight adjustment to get one of them to fit into the new holes. As I adjusted one, it pinged open. This is not the first time this has happened but it now means I'm going to have to solder them together, or they might spring open once painted. Then I'd have a problem on my hands! They are at slightly different stages in construction as I am using one to learn for all the others I plan to do (up to 8 in total). I have followed the instructions, but have digressed slightly in making the upper grabrails out of fine wire - seen on the right-hand model (this is clearer if you click on the lower photo). Although the ends are missing they are complete and ready to be attached. I need to file the lower end pieces further before doing this. The next photo shows the models against an RTR model for comparison.

I recently read an article in the Hornby magazine, June 3013 edition, on salt weathering and thought it would be a good idea to have go. I asked the missus about non-perfumed hairsprays and she said she had one that she didn't like, saying I could use it. Well, what could I say? I followed the advice in the article on a wagon that will never see the light of day. I only did one side to see how it would turn out. This is the result: The hardest part was getting the salt to sit where I wanted it to once it had been put on the hairspray-soaked side. With practice I will be able to manipulate it and be happy with it. Overall, I am happy with the result and all I would need to do is to tone down and dirty the bodyside once the transfers have been added and to weather the underframe, if I was to make it into an operable model. It certainly has yielded promising results!