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  1. An Earl arrives with a local passenger service.
    31 points
  2. With regard to white metal loco bodies on RTR chassis, I’ve done lots. I still find creating a smooth running chassis the most difficult part of a kit build and although I’ve had some success recently, for years I relied on RTR chassis to get my kits to run. I think things have moved on from the days when provided it had the same wheel arrangement, it was fine. There’s such a wide range of RTR out there that a suitable chassis is normally available. I generally have no major problems. The key things are that you will probably have to remove some metal on the body or chassis to get them to fit and you need to insulate the inside of the body. Here are some examples. Wills A3 on Hornby chassis. The body is no improvement on the Hornby one but the extra weight is useful. While a weighted Hornby one will pull nearly all my trains (up to 14 bogies with a smattering of metal coaches), this will pull more and I use it on a heavy/ stiff sleeper. N8 built in my teenage years on a Triang 0-6-0 chassis but later upgraded to a Bachmann E4. It needs a dust! Wills A4 on Hornby chassis. Again haulage is the main benefit. KX J50 on Bachmann pannier chassis. The weight of the body allowed space for a good DCC sound fitment. Done before Hornby one was available. Wills K3 body bought from ‘sir’ for a pittance and put on a Bachmann K3 chassis which had been dropped and the body smashed. Ks J3 on a Bachmann pannier chassis. Cotswold F1 upgraded with SE Finecast parts and converted to F2 running on Bachmann LYR 2-4-2 chassis. Any questions, please ask. Andy
    27 points
  3. Today we visit the ECML between York and Northallerton at Pilmoor in 1967. Pilmoor A3 4472 Flying Scotsman down Hadrian Flyer June 67 J928 Pilmoor A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley special A4 loco society Kings X to Newcastle July 67 J970 Pilmoor Castle Class 7029 Clun Castle special Kings X to Newcastle Sept 67 J1121 Pilmoor Feb 67 J774 Scan-131129-0008 Pilmoor Class 55 D9018 Ballymoss down ex pass September 1967 Scan-131129-0010 Pilmoor Class 47 D1519 up ex pass September 1967 David
    25 points
  4. Modelling has been a bit slow lately and what there's been has mainly been making brass coaches for other people. Anyway by way of some light relief, I thought I'd make a Ratio GWR Open High kit. It must be about 40 years since I made one of these and I'd forgotten what a good kit it is; this must be one wagon kit that it's impossible to put together unsquare! But as usual, I couldn't resist a few tweaks. I've recently taken to replacing plastic brake levers with the nice etched bits from Wizard Models under the 51L banner. I think metal ones look better than plastic (although the Ratio ones aren't bad), and are also stronger. So I've used the 51L parts for the brake levers, brake lever racks and V hangers. As the GWR used a ratchet type brake lever rack I filled the etched holes for the pin down type with solder, but couldn't think of a way to represent the actual ratchet. I kept the plastic brake shoe / push rod mouldings from the kit, but replaced the safety loops with brass ones from the same etch. A piece which most kits omit, and so did I until recently is the stay that ties the bottom of the brake lever rack to the axleguard. It's fiddly to do, but as well as looking better it seems to make the whole thing a lot more robust. I drilled a hole in the end of a piece of strip and soldered a peg of 0.45mm wire into it; this goes into a hole drilled in the axleguard. The strip is then bent so that it sits behind the bottom of the brake lever rack. Then taking a sharp intake of breath and with the steadiest hands possible, very quickly soldered to the back of the lever rack. Holding it with tweezers between the rack and the peg helps provide a bit of a heat sink, but you don't want to hang around with the iron! Then finally cut off the strip flush with the edge of the brake lever rack. The Ratio buffers always seem a bit flimsy, so I got some suitable metal replacements from Lanarkshire Model Supplies. The holes in the headstocks need to be opened out to take these and there isn't much 'meat' below the buffers so I was aiming for a push fit; unfortunately one of them needed a bit too much 'push' and I managed to snap off the buffer head whilst pushing! Despite rummaging around in my Stores (and bearing in mind that wagons with odd buffers weren't unheard of) I couldn't find a suitable replacement but I did find a packet with four steel buffer heads in. So I snapped the heads off the other three buffers, and drilled them all out to take the steel heads. I wouldn't normally have bothered, but I think they do look better for it. I replaced the plastic 'door bangers' with ones made from 1mm brass strip, bent to sit in the web of the solebars and at the top to pass through a hole in the solebars, to make a strong fixing with glue on the inside. The drawhooks are also metal, this time from an Ambis fret as it happens. Here's a couple of pictures of the unpainted model, showing all the additions. The buffer nearest the camera in the second picture got sorted out later! I painted the wagon with a Humbrol No. 64 from a rattle can, then picked out random planks in different shades of grey and weathered over that. The inside was painted similarly but first painted with a base coat of 'wood colour' mixed up from Humbrol 29 / 121/ 67. The kit was a new Peco / Parkside one that includes transfers, but unfortunately only for GWR livery; luckily I found a suitable number for this kind of wagon on a Model Masters sheet. So here's the finished thing; a nice simple project spread over a few days. And a gratuitous extra shot taken in the Loco Yard, just because the Peco Bull Head rail looks so much better than the old FB Streamline!
    25 points
  5. Today I started to convert the mocked-up track alignment for the single line and Treloggan Junction into real plywood track bases. First, I fixed the second Polperran baseboard to the secondary joists and added a couple of cross-joists to support it and the Polperran - St Enodoc (loop) line trackbase, then added a further piece of trackbase at the St Enodoc end of the triangle. These are all joined by ply fishplates underneath and supported temporarily by various random pieces of 42mm x 19mm. The large triangular piece of ply might be big enough to form the Polperran - Pentowan (branch) trackbase and also support Treloggan Junction signal box, which will face the Pentowan - St Enodoc (main) line. I then moved to the St Enodoc end of the single line and added the trackbase for the rest of the transition curve and the start of the 12000mm radius curve. The missing link is just under 2m long and I should have enough odd pieces of ply to complete the trackbase for that. Once the horizontal alignment is fixed, I will sort out the continuation of the 1/100 gradient to Treloggan Junction, where it levels out. Then I can trim and fair in the edges of the trackbase before laying the cork and foam trackbed itself. My current target is to be able to run the long china-clay train all the way to Polperran in time for our September running session (if we are allowed to hold it...).
    23 points
  6. Hi everyone, Well the update was too big for the milkfloat, so it's now on our blog! Finally, an all new Mark 5 update including decorated samples. Check out what's been going on with both the Caledonian Sleepers and the TPE Mark 5s with lots more images and the full news story in our latest blog: https://accurascale.co.uk/blogs/news/sweet-dreams-are-made-of-these-decorated-mark-5s (Please read the blog, it has all the info and took me ages to write it!) Cheers, Fran
    20 points
  7. A rather poor photo, but at least taken from a place of safety. followed by something much more sensible.
    20 points
  8. Another busy day on the railway: I concluded work on The Earl 4-4-0: it’s had it’s post war logo removed and replaced with the shirtbutton logo. The old logos didn’t come off that easily, so the tender was resprayed and is a slightly different shade to the loco. I also started to paint The Turntable: it still doesn’t work… I’m still waiting for the cable… In order to get GWR dark stone, I had to mix some Vallejo paints and the result is quite pleasing. It’s slightly different to the station building, but I’m working on the basis that the loco dept having different stock of GWR paint! To be continued…
    19 points
  9. A busy weekend in prospect and plenty to shew you over the next few days. I have my finished LMS D1666 wagon and it's back from weathering and decals fitted by @toboldlygo and seen here. This was the Cambrian kit and is one of a pair I've recently built.
    18 points
  10. Almost. The last toplight addition was this all-third which runs in the North to West train along with a couple of "'ell of a mess" coaches. (I see from the pics that a grab handle needs straightening.) Built in the same batch were another third and a brake third, which have found a home in a Paddington - Plymouth formation, pictured below heading west behind Laira's King Henry V. The coach behind the toplight van third is an E73 toplight compo. I say "almost" because I still have in my small stash a body-only version of a Slater's toplight third, bought on eBay, which was marketed by that firm we aren't going to mention. My plan for this is for it to become one third of an E set alongside a D33 clerestory brake third (I have the sides, and a Hornby donor coach) and another toplight brake compo. (I'll order sides for the latter from Worsley Works.) I think I have enough PC kit bits & bobs to do this, but it won't be very soon. John C.
    18 points
  11. Some very interesting locos Andy, Thanks for showing us. I can certainly vouch for your A3 being able to shift a substantial load............ It also looks good. Speaking of 'good', I'm delighted to see that old Wills K3 running again. It has a most-interesting history. A friend bought it off eBay for not a lot. Rather strangely, it was mounted on a South Easter Finecast K3 chassis (rather than the past-recommended Tri-ang 2-6-2T chassis). Though the chassis needed a tweak or two to get the running I demand, I thought I'd buy the lot from my friend to see what could be done with it. I thus bought a K3 loco body from Dave Ellis, made it and mounted it on the SEF chassis, keeping the tender. I then sold the old body to you. The result.............. After my painting/lining/lettering/numbering/weathering, a perfectly-acceptable 'layout' K3. At least, in my opinion. Regards, Tony.
    18 points
  12. Some from last night pride 66 in Bescot then my locos to Mountsorrel, 66786 and a dead 66779 and as it was dead I had to run round in Leicester station to head back to Mountsorrel then after picking up the train it was away to Loughborough where I got off and the other driver took it on to Bradbury possession in rugby later tonight
    17 points
  13. No, much better looking than that. Having had an operation yesterday to remove a tumour from my proboscis and not got much sleep last night as a result, I'm still officially on the sick list this morning and am being looked after with solicitous care as well as being excused duties. Me, milk the situation for all it is worth? Perish the thought! The only downside is that the memsahib has decreed that ethyl alcohol is in the bad thing category so small libations of happy juice are verboten. So I wish you all good morning from my recumbent position on the sofa. Time for another muggocoffee methinks. Dave
    17 points
  14. Changes are afoot… As some of you may know and mentioned a few times in this thread; I’ve worked in the fine art supply industry for the last 10 years. I’ve never stated who explicitly, not that it was a great secret, but Daler Rowney has been my professional life since I graduated. It was never the plan to stick around for that long; originally I joined with the intention of staying a few months whilst I worked out what to do with my life. But things worked out and, at 29, I found myself managing the largest fine art colour factory in Europe and small army of staff. It’s been a family throughout that time. Collectively we’ve dealt with everything but murder, made half a billion tubes in that time and filled just over 8 Olympic swimming pools with colour. I enjoy the art industry. It’s fast paced, you meet some colourful people and it’s easy to like the product. And there’s never a dull day in production. But, my time has come to move on and the displays you see here are my gift to the team I leave behind. A small, personal gift that has been on my workbench for the last couple of weeks to say thank you for the warmth, friendship, achievement and memories that we’ve built together. So, what’s next? I’m joining Accurascale as Product Manager. I couldn’t be more excited.
    17 points
  15. Coaches looking good. I appreciate your point of view on the iron minks. Most of mine are Ratio and have been on the layout for many many years. What I like about the Ratio is the ease to convert to other versions. This one I did as a teenager (yes the kit has been around that long) and depicted as one with replacement wooden doors. I have just brought this one in for new buffers and brake lever. The mink that is often overlooked in my opinion, is the Kirk big mink with the original doors. It was one of the first 'basic' kits he did. I have lots of these and have converted them to other versions courtesy of the Railway Modeler articles by Brian Huxley in the 1970's. Mike Wiltshire
    16 points
  16. Hi Guys, I have spent all morning doing product photography and website work, and have finally released the 00-SF version of the B7: https://www.britishfinescale.com/product-p/finetrax-00sf-b7.htm EDIT: I am still working on the downloadable template, so this link doesn't work just yet...
    16 points
  17. Well, the 'staycation' is over and we've returned from Vectis. . Walking the former trackbed from Wroxall to Shanklin in a thunderstorm reduced the six of us to the wettest I've ever been in my 65 years. . But the coastal path from Shanklin to Ventnor in glorious sunshine required a very slight diversion inland to pay homage at what must be the hobby's most iconic church. . Still nothing running on the 'Island Line' and the view taken from the 'rail replacement' bus at St John's Road is the closest I came to 'the new' stock. . However, despite another torrential downpour that flooded the road beneath the Havenstreet overbridge, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway came up trtumps....as always.
    16 points
  18. A former CEGB 204HP RSH/Drewry, now in the ownership of Charlie Strong Metals, shunting the Metal Box works siding, at Watery Lane.
    16 points
  19. I bought a new hot glue gun earlier this year, at least I think that’s what it is…
    15 points
  20. The problem with both the Dapol and Bachmann van underframes is that they are made with full-width headstocks to suit BR vans that lack corner plates/strapping below body level. GWR vans that do possess this feature therefore have to be made over-wide to fit the chassis. This is nothing new, it's been going on since the days of Hornby Dublo, and has been perpetuated by everybody else since. What's needed is a different r-t-r underframe that will fit beneath new scale-width GWR bodies. John
    15 points
  21. Same here, it wasn't until I posted a picture of my scratch built weighbridge office that I realised I hadn't painted the return of the brick plinth by the bottom of the door frame. Spot the shiny red plastic!
    15 points
  22. Two gunpowder vans sitting in the quietist siding I had waiting to go to the paint shop. This will highlight any areas needing further attention, can see a few in these pictures, as I have said before - funny what you don't when working on them but then see in pictures!!
    15 points
  23. It is a little known fact that when the smuggling of brandy, tobacco and wine into Britain was rife, that after they had dropped their cargo the smuggling vessels would go the other way laden with Eccles cakes as contraband into France. This was the start of what became the currantcy exchange. Dave
    14 points
  24. Westerham, Friday afternoon that's the crane put away for another week.
    14 points
  25. Just saw a bit off the axles and take some of the shim washers out.... I'm wasted, I really am.... Talk about cr@pping on a Guy when he's down.....
    14 points
  26. Was the Little Joe some form of electric pannier tank? Because like the little GWR star, these locos seemed to get everywhere. In other news, residents of the lane in which I live were subject to a power cut last night which lasted nearly four hours. Not all the houses in the lane are on the same main circuit, so the galling part of the power cut was the street lighting came back on, then our neighbours on either side got their power back, but the Hippodrome remained shrouded in darkness. With no internet or TV, I was unable to send messages nor even catch up with the Limp Pigs, so I had to resort to finding a bottle of suitable beverage and drowning my sorrows. This I continued to do long after the power had been restored.
    14 points
  27. MRJ issue 284 is now in stock down here in Titfieldshire. Edited by Barry Norman, it has a nice varied collection of articles and content, together with a thoughtful and upbeat editorial. My brief description and take on it is here. Subscribers issues are now being sent out, as are supplies to all other trade outlets and the newstrade. Happy reading and modelling! Simon
    13 points
  28. Another wagon finished and again LMS is this diagram 1674 bolster wagon from a Five79 kit. This will probably run with with my TMC double bolsters . A lovely kit and I would probably build another one.
    13 points
  29. I was just talking to Mrs Y about Gordon and told her he'd been along to Members' Days so she asked what he looked like, After showing her pics on the tribute page she said "That's him! He kept coming back for Staffordshire oatcakes and he wouldn't take any change". Yep, that'll be Gordon!
    13 points
  30. I thought we wanted him to make a speedy recovery? An antidote to that is required:
    13 points
  31. That was last week (when I worked the 196s, a peak forest and Trafford park!) got 12 days off coming up from the 15th of august, I’ll be at the caravan so unless there are jobs out of Carlisle I’ll be enjoying the time off then! As a slight non train aside Had to pop to Liverpool earlier for Dominic to do his theory test (which he passed) so while he was in the test centre I went for a walk, ended up walking about 5 miles around Liverpool and down the docks where the Disney magic cruise ship was docked The Beatles experience Mersey ferry passed by Liver building Oasis A Liverpool pilot boat in the dry dock and a schooner Back in later bescot to rugby via a run round in Northampton (which I don’t sign so I’m being conducted from rugby)
    12 points
  32. Thank you AlfaZagato (and all you ice cream fans) for deftly changing the subject. There's nothing I aspire to on the scenic side which I could dignify with the word 'plan', but I do have some E-Z line in stock with which I intend to add some wire to the signal wire posts. (I'm not even going to think about the telegraph wires - that way madness lies! And I might add a few more reeds to the field with the little pond. And one of these fine days I might renew the post-and-wire fencing at the front of the layout at the goods yard end. It's suffered a bit of battering now and then due to its position, and is a long way from being as neat as Kevin's @KNP I quite enjoyed doing the scenics (especially the groundwork, with the hot glue gun and cardboard lattice work), but was glad when I'd finished. For me any non-railway scenics are intended to be just a foil or backdrop to the trains.
    12 points
  33. This'll be the one Shamus!
    12 points
  34. Just a follow up to the Wills A2 shown yesterday............... In comparison with a modified Bachmann A2, it rather does show its age. The Bachmann A2 is much too clean, of course................... Now, much more-realistic after a visit to Tom Foster's marvellous weathering workshop, it's seen passing a much-modified Bachmann A1. These are the only two Bachmann LNER Pacifics I have on LB.
    12 points
  35. Photos are good at showing things up, posted this photo of my NER gunpowder van converted from a Mink on ANTB and only then did I notice the tare weight at a jaunty angle... No one has pointed it out, hasn't anyone else noticed or are they just being polite?
    12 points
  36. Here comes Gannet with the Glasgow. The photographer will have a very short life if he keeps standing in places like this. It makes quite a dramatic picture though.
    12 points
  37. Thanks Tony, I regard my K3 as a just about acceptable layout loco which would make yours more than acceptable. Mine’s clearly deficient in the cab department and being all white metal lacks some crispness. The chassis also suffers from the Bachmann small wheels. But it runs nicely and will outhaul any of my other K3s (two Bachmann and two SE Finecast). It’s the only K3 which will haul my 50 wagon loaded coal train as shown in this short video and so that’s what it gets used for and I’m very happy with it. Andy
    11 points
  38. Many thanks for the heads up, I went to Gateway West Jn to see it leave having run round: Not a very 'green' departure! I can confirm the clag still smells like a diesel and still lingers, be it veg/HVO or not... The Frying Scotsman is good but I reckon greenhouse is better given it's a green shed??? Jack.
    11 points
  39. Hi folks, I did a little video showing the process of designing, printing and applying the livery using the OKI laser printer, in case it is of interest!
    11 points
  40. Yes, some folk I talked to in 2004 told me that they were in the process of buying a new fleet so they are still going. Anyway the Tardis is still on the south side of Denver in 2005 on 3rd August. I was riding the RTD south line and at one stop I noticed a line coming in from the west with a train approaching. This turned out to have two units in Rio Grande colours on the point as they pulled alongside the joint line. GP40's I think. They were UP 2292, and RG 3100 and 3129. They can be seen on the right here along with some more light rail cars. I then spent more time opposite Burnham shops. The film that I put in my OM1 didn't engage properly so the next 3 days of photos got lost. The next day I did another short training ride to find a way north out of town that didn't take me onto the interstate. Then on the 5th I set off north, following the UP line to Greeley, heading down the South Platte Valley. At Greeley the motel clerk apologised for giving me a room overlooking the tracks. On the 6th I headed from Greeley, 4500' to Cheyenne, 6'600'. Again following the UP line most of the way through Nunn and Carr. It was quite a hard day but this was the sight that greeted me as I entered Cheyenne from the south. Note the yard control tower with the huge UP shield in the middle of the overpass. After booking into my motel and riding round the top end of town to buy a new inner tube it was time for some serious train watching. I am fairly sure that tis is a Denver bound portion of a double stack train about to go under the Colorado and Southern bridge, where BNSF had helpully parked a train. And this is it as it headed past me at one of my favourite trainspotting locations. Jamie
    11 points
  41. A last look at Gannet. As the A4 will be coming off and occupying the main, it is very unlikely that anything will be approaching the photographer from behind, on its way to number 5 bay. Perhaps he has an observer though, standing in a safe place and ready to warn him if necessary.
    10 points
  42. Wow! I find that quite reassuring! I've been cursing myself for a couple of years for using Railmatch coach brown instead of trying to match the shade Hornby use. The thought of repainting (and especially re-lettering) all the kit-built coaches has been haunting me. Henceforth, if challenged, I'm going to claim that Miss Prism's much deeper GWR prototype knowledge has let me off the hook!
    10 points
  43. These are the wheels that were included in two of the kits along with brass bearings. I have now fitted three link couplings and added the buffers. I sanded down to moulding lines of the front face and found that the best way I could hold them to clean up the shanks was to glue them into the buffer beam. @KNP was right about cruel close ups, the roof corners need tidying! I sauntered into Boots at lunchtime and bought four packs of their Emery boards. They last longer than pound shop items and importantly, still only cost a pound. Pro tip: Bulk buy Emery boards and give a pack or two to SWMBO. It saves her pinching your stash on the grounds that you pinch all of hers....
    10 points
  44. It's a feature of the latest upgrade. Once you're in, you're in, and there's no way out...
    10 points
  45. May the Lords of Swindon look down on you with sympathy and shower you with their wellbeing.
    10 points
  46. I've attached a few "lower level" views of the lie by. This has been ballasted and grimed (quite a bit of other stuff has, too) and has received a couple of washes of a diluted burnt umber/grey acrylic mix. It'll need another 3 or 4 treatments before I'm happy with it, but at least I have control over how dark it can get, unlike the dark cinders ballast I tried earlier this week. Jeff
    10 points
  47. An interesting old photo from 1979 popped up yesterday, found by Trackside ECML. It shows Stirling Way and the area for the industrial units being prepared at Bretton. Marholm Brook is prominent in the centre. The area in the bottom left is the field that the Development Corporation used for growing small trees which were used for planting around all the parkways (new roads when Peterborough expanded in the 70's and 80's). It was never used again until Morgan Sindall arrived at the end of 2018 to set up their main site. Above that on the left (second blown up photo) is the foot crossing from Lincoln Road (Cock Inn corner) curving passed Dukesmead to the white wicket gate. The original footpath went straight across the field (its course can be seen adjacent to the curved path) until Werrington Parkway was built and access to Dukesmead was diverted from Carron Drive to the new roundabout that serves the Royal Mail and small industry on the east side. The foot crossing was closed when electrification of the ECML was done and a new footbridge was installed. It was quite a long crossing to negotiate across both the ECML and Stamford Lines. It became quite hairy when the Deltics where going full chat, but at least you could hear them coming, unlike the HST's which were quieter and faster, at least there was a bit of a refuge between the ECML and Stamford Lines if you got caught out. Walton footbridge can just be made out above the first large white building to the right which was Crossfield Electronics, later to become Fuji (making office printers), then Bounce and now called Flip Out.
    10 points
  48. Today I was at long last able to carry out the long awaited haulage test of my LNER Q2. Those who are regular readers of WW will remember that after a disappointing haulage test prior to the start of the Covid epidemic the decision was taken to relocate its motor into the tender so that additional lead ballast could be placed in the firebox and boiler. The haulage test was delayed due to the sports hall in which our clubrooms are housed being closed by Bradford Council during the various Covid lockdowns. We only got back into the building for the first time a couple of months ago and since then we have been completing some re-programming of the bespoke digital control system before the layout could again be operated. I am delighted to be able to report that the test was successful. A train of 29 assorted wagons was hauled without issue up the 1:50 gradient on the 54" radius embankment. Next time I will add additional wagons to find out how many it will haul before it loses traction but this will be an academic test as there is nowhere to store a longer train on the layout. I recorded the event on the attached video. It is apparent that the driver must have had the regulator fully open because the train is moving at a significant (and probably non-prototypical) rate of knots.
    10 points
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