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Woody100

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Posts posted by Woody100

  1. Hi, 

    I'm a couple of weeks off finishing my DJH 31 in 7mm scale. I always intended to sell it (Ebay) once complete (i just enjoy building). I now have a quandry; 1. do I paint it too in either blue or early green? 2. Do I prime it and leave it up to the next owner to choose livery? 3. Do i sell it in bare metal for the new owner to have carte blanche choice? 

    Option 1 offers a complete model but narrows 'the market', whereas 2 and 3 also narrow the market by the potential exclusion of those not wishing to paint. 

    The model has been detailed to a class 31 (first roof mods) and is a 'skinhead' version so will cover around 63 to 80 (ish) and so could appeal to steam runners and post tops blue diesel runners too. 

     

    Oh...... And there's the Pre-TOPS or post TOPS transfer issue too!

    I've not seen too many for sale in 'to paint and transfer' condition. Is this something that would appeal to the average 7mm scale modeller? 

     

    What would you do or what have you done in similar circumstances? 

     

    Thanks

  2. Never drove 31's but passed on 33's and 37's. The 37 was poor pulling away under a heavy loading and would cut-out if you were not super gentle with them. The view out of the cab was poor and some were fitted with some sort of device on the rad fan that squealed like a pig being slaughtered when it started up. By the time I was driving them, the cabs were draughty and the front windows leaked. The ones I got on from South Wales were in a terrible, filthy, poorly maintained state. Compared to a 33, the 37 was weaker, certainly under heavy load when trying to gain speed. If I had two 33's in multiple, they'd pul anything up any gradient.

    • Like 3
    • Informative/Useful 1
  3. Now I still drool over these titans of the decade that brought us Brotherhood of Man, Abba and the HST and i'm an avid collector of the contents of catalogues 19 to 27. But, did anyone in Margate realise someone had dropped this open wagon prior to photographing? 

    Or that using this Brush 4 image for a model that clearly looked better than this beast when finally released made sound business sense? 

     

    IMG_20191127_164751.jpg

    IMG_20191127_164944.jpg

    • Like 4
  4. Who'd of thought it, the darn charlatans! I've just taken (what i thought was going to be) a trip down memory lane into the glorious late autumn of 1974, with the prospect of Slade and Wizzard and instantly flammable Christmas tinsel sat patiently waiting to adorn the house again. A flick through the 1974 Hornby catalogue in excited anticipation of the big fella popping down the chimney seemed like just the way to begin the yuletide build-up. But I find that Hornby doctored the images in the catalogue. 

    I never knew! 

    Where can I go from here! All those  boyhood imaginations blown away! 

    Here's the evidence in 3 damning exhibits:

     

    IMG_20191127_062211.jpg

    IMG_20191127_062253.jpg

    IMG_20191127_062155.jpg

    • Like 2
    • Funny 6
  5. Hi all,

     

    As (real) modelling is on hold pending a house move, I'm currently concentrating on researching the consists of workings through Selby in May-Oct 79. The WTT's throw up a few interesting workings from the period and it's fascinating to see the railway divided almost into two types: the day railway of restricted pathways of expresses interspersed with locals and the night railway of sleepers, van trains and fast freights. As an example the first HST didn't pass through Selby until 0809 as 1A05 0650 ex Newcastle to KX; the last HST passed through at 2200 as 1N10 1955 ex KX to Newcastle. 

     

    I have the BR carriage workings (passenger) for the period and the consists of class 1 and 2 trains are pretty much complete. I need the traction booked onto various loco hauled workings. I assume most (even all) would be designated for type 4 or Deltic traction. There are some heavy trains. As an example 1S70, the 2215 KX to Aberdeen, has a booked consist of GUV x3, BG, SLSTP x2, SLF, SLSTP, SLF, SLSTP, SLF, SLSTP, BG - a total of 13 vehicles loaded to D560. I assume such a train would be booked a 47 or at least a 45?

     

    Any help on the consists of class 3 NPCCS would be gratefully received too!

     

    Thanks and regards 

  6. Hi all,

     

    I'm also well advanced in the construction of the original Station Master's house and booking office from the original terminus station. The building is distinctive one with the high level bay window on the upside at the York end of the station. From images, the building has been repeatedly extended and altered over the years. In 1979, some railway facing windows were boarded up and the frames were painted a shade of emerald green. The building shows the 'scars' of previous alterations in the varied brickwork shades and I've tried to replicate these on the model.

     

    post-10208-0-99473600-1541003136.jpg

     

    post-10208-0-36257100-1541003148.jpg

     

    This is the view from across the river showing the frontage of the building.

     

    post-10208-0-21084000-1541003177.jpg

     

    This aspect shows the view normally seen from the down platform. The track level is around the level of just below the bay window. The gable end rendering was created by tearing a lamination layer from mounting card for the texture. Soft pencil was used for weathering. 

     

    Here's the image I worked from dated 1970:

     

    post-10208-0-69288100-1541003485_thumb.jpg

    Photographer/image owner unknown.

     

    Regards

     

     

     

     

     

     

    • Like 6
  7.  

     

    The tongue in cheek comment about the tide was a reference to the deep mudbanks that surround the Ouse at low tide.

    I believed that the river drops somewhere in the region of 4 or 5 metres between high and low tide.

     

    Ian T

     

    Hi Ian,

     

    The tidal swing and strength of current in the Ouse through Selby has always been 'impressive' (apart from when the high tide meets a heavy outflow of course!). I've given the mud banks some thought and will probably model around mid-tide with plenty of exposed mud and reeds. I thought of possibly using modelling clay and gloss varnish with a poured in epoxy resin for the river. Kathy Millatt has some excellent instructional videos on You Tube that covers an wide variety of landscaping techniques. I hope the clay is safe with the resin.

     

    Regards

    • Like 1
  8.  

     

    Will the tide go up and down? That would be impressive!

     

     

     

    Ian T

     

    Thanks Ian. Tidal flow would be very good. I would imagine it would be fairly straightforward using real water and something like a peristaltic pump. But water doesn't scale well or mix well with N gauge (apparently).

     

    Here's another couple of views of the bridge. I've considered making it swing open but decided it wouldn't be worth the faff. The timetable I want to mirror is pretty intense and it makes you wonder when it actually opened without causing delays during that period! There's a Network Rail video online showing the operation of the bridge from the control room. It moves so slowly I would imagine at least 20 minutes would be needed between trains for a swing. The summer 79 timings show only 3 windows of more than 20 minutes all between 0200 and 0600.

     

    post-10208-0-76176000-1540917093.jpg

     

    post-10208-0-96749700-1540917124.jpg

     

    post-10208-0-10994400-1540917149.jpg

     

    The third image shows the hydraulic actuating tower beyond the bridge. This has been finished and has been placed in its approximate location.

     

    post-10208-0-95050000-1540917413.jpeg

     

    post-10208-0-12272100-1540917423.jpeg

     

    The tower is a simple box from plastic sheet with overlaid brick paper and added detail from plastic strip. The whole thing is weather/coloured with acrylic shades.

     

    To give some idea of scale in 2mm the bridge is 480mm long and the support base will be the lowest contour level on the layout. A DMU is shown 'trundling' over on its way to York.

     

    post-10208-0-70631100-1540917671.jpeg

     

    post-10208-0-31293000-1540917681.jpeg

     

    I drew the bridge up onto paper based on plans available online and then used various thicknesses of plastic sheet and card to build up the structure. The curves of the two sections are have variable radii and were the trickiest to get right. I opted for measuring the height of the curve at multiple, equidistant points to form an accurate arc. The rail is Peco code 60 that has dropper wires soldered up and sits upon copper clad strip placed long ways. I made the mistake of soldering the whole length of the rail onto the copperclad. I quickly realised the differing expansion rates of copper and nickel-silver cause a curling of the rail (the classic bi-metallic strip thermostat switch). The whole was redone with just 4 solder points.

     

     

     

    Regards

    • Like 6
  9. Hi everyone,

     

    Following on from my successful building of Selby swingbridge in 2mm scale as here:

     

    post-10208-0-29549200-1540832097.jpg

     

    I've decided to embark upon a long term project to recreate Selby on the ECML as it stood in the summer of 1979. Research suggests the real location infrastructure and landscape has changed almost year on year in one place or another and so I've plumped for the concept of capturing just a few brief weeks in a long history.

     

    Penmanshiel tunnel collapsed in the March of that year and ECML services were disrupted until late August. However, Selby timings appeared largely unaffected. My plan is to run, as near as I can, the exact timetable along with correct consists. The period holds particular interest with a full blown HST timetable with York - KX class 55 aircon trains alongside the 'night-time' economy of news, mail, sleeper and Motor Rail trains with an immense variety of stock still extant. Trans-Pennine routes were run with Class 124/123 DMU's and enough freight was allowed through the bottleneck to allow almost a constant flow of trains. Actually, I've counted about 180 odd timetabled/conditional over the 24 hour period Tuesday to Friday. 

     

    The plan as per below (minus the little used up station yard shown) has been drawn up on AnyRail and will be housed in a 5m X 3.6m out-building. The actual size of the layout is 4.6m long by 2.5m wide. The 'theatrical' section will be modelled from Bawtry Road Bridge to the West/South to Barlby level crossing box to the North/East. This incorporates Selby station, swingbridge, Barlby loops and the crossing. I'm just short by about 2m to model the ECML/Hull lines junction and just cannot fit in the Selby West triangle without severe compromises on station length and track direction. This is the biggest loss as the WTT shows a regular (about a dozen) flow of oil trains from the Humber and Lindsey refineries to Leeds ShellMex in Hunslet.

     

    post-10208-0-51627000-1540833565_thumb.jpg

     

    The curves to the top are an off-scene access to 20 x 3.3m long storage roads (in 1979, Freightliners ran through Selby conveying 20 vehicles). At the opposite end is the scenic cut-off at Bawtry Road. The lines simply curve around to storage roads from this point giving an operating well around 1.2 to 1.5 m wide. The storage lines will be on a large draw slider.

     

    Regards 

     

    (edited for grammar!)

    • Like 16
  10. Thanks LNERGE.

     

    And thanks for that image. The detail there is very useful indeed!

     

    I've done some fairly extensive research into the station and its immediate environs and service patterns around 1977 to 1980. It was a period of significant change that would be great to capture in a model.

     

    Regards

     

    Stu

  11. Here's a few more images with the, to offer its proper title, hydraulic actuating tower in an approximated correct place. I think it makes everything look more lifelike due to the myriad of images around taken from the country end of the down platform.

     

    The first image captures the complex radii on the swing span that were a pain to work out without engineering drawings and the representation of the rotating mechanism. De-tyred Lego wheels have been used here.

     

    The others show a class 31 trundling over with a short van train to help with scale.

     

     

     

    post-10208-0-00295200-1511100241_thumb.jpeg

    post-10208-0-92953900-1511100255_thumb.jpeg

    post-10208-0-76585200-1511100279_thumb.jpeg

    post-10208-0-91551700-1511100294_thumb.jpeg

     

    Regards

     

    Stu

    • Like 4
  12. Ian,

     

    Images show the walkway in 77 with clean, newish paint. There's a gap from around 74 to 77 in available photos. So I'm making a best guess at 72-74. I could be wrong. The date on images might be awry? Hopefully a date can be pinned down for the work because the steps were changed at the time too.

     

    The cabin at the London end seems to have gone by about 81. I want to build that too. I'm also well advanced on the building of the Station Masters house on the upside too. Now that building has been continually changed!

     

    Thanks all for kind messages and indicators.

     

    Regards

     

    Stu

  13. Hi Ian,

     

    Thanks for the info. The bridge is about 75% complete and items added like aerials will get damaged if added at this stage in my clumsy handling.

    It's interesting how many alterations have been done in a seemingly constant procession of changes. The upside walkway with railings only appears in images from around 1972 to 1974 as an example.

     

    I still need to add hand railings to the two sets of steps, marine warning lights with associated protective railings and further weathering. The bridge, in the period depicted, was pretty grubby.

    The white plastic supports at either end elevate it to the necessary 40mm above riverbed level (model lowest datum, not actual) and the central pillars will, when in situ, be surrounded by the timber frames.

    The swinging mechanism is represented but is largely hidden by river bank, plant growth and more timber framing. I hope all such will be modelled (eventually).

     

    Regards

     

    Stu

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