M.I.B

Good afternoon all. Back from spending the early summer in Eastern Europe - all trees, lakes, storks, and cold pilsner...... So not much done other than some long distance Ebay sales to fund mainline toplights. I have been crushing beer-cans for 2 years, and along with some ally offcuts, a few alloy VW Beetle engine parts and some car batteries, the fund is growning healthily after a trip to the scrap man. It's that special "once a year time" soon and thanks to Bygone Wagons for providing me with something to treat myself with......... Looking more like a boxcar from the Toledo and Tacoma Railroad........... one of the MINK F fast freight vans. Apparantly a bit like the 4700s, not ofton seen in their working role due to late shift rostering when young boys with BoxBrownies were tucked up in bed..... Sorry for the slight blurring - I tried to capture the rivett detailing. in the same box was this early GRANO with excellent wire rail detailing. This is one of the "late" early GRANOs. Bygone Wagons can also provide the "early" early GRANOs as well, but being firmly based in the late 40s I have chosen this type. Fitted with NEM pockets and the couplings to go in them, as well as more detailing parts to add. I am not going to dive into finishing these - the tenders for the weedkilling train have been on the block for a while and I'm trying to be more disciplined when it comes to finishing projects. I am determined to revisit the failed "sides onto RTR" that went wrong in 2016 next before the Centenary Full Brake coach......... I hope that you are all happy and healthy.

Thank you for the continued inspiration John. Tomatoes are still seedlings here, but the raspberries and tayberries have come and gone - a great crop this year. Even made a couple of litres of raspberry and tayberry gin.

Ranges are still open Clive. Most locals aren't bothered by range noise or by all the Apaches and Chinooks doing low flying - as we say the Army at Play keeps Barratt/Taylor-Wimpy and Persimmon away....,,,,

You should try living where I do: Fingrinhoe in Nth Essex Non locals always call it Finger-ing- ho and teenagers titter Locals say Fin-grin-ho..................

The Dublo 2 rail one was made in this colour!!!!

Hinton and Compton Manors are expected in next month. I have been without Manors for 24 months or so, but in this time I did order up replacement plates to turn these two into Dunley and Anthony (or vice versa). These were the two Mainline models sold off when the Dapol announcement was made. Nothing really much to report - a couple of Ebay sales made, Toplight suburbans (non-corridor) (Dapol) are now paid for so I'm working towards funding 4 mainline toplights (Dapol again). Just like everyone else I have no idea what diagrams or prices they will be, but in conjunction with the post above, I broke up the rake of "long" clerestories by the inclusion of some Bill Bedford sided RTR and these exress toplights. All a paper exercise, and I do look forward to setting them up in 3d. In the meantime summer has hit the Sunrise Coast, and the weeds are loving it.........busy weekend ahead. I hope you are all happy and healthy.

Following on from above I did revisit the stock boxes to look at the rake of "long" clerestories from Hornby. They are all "late" logo, which has prompted a rethink. These 5 individually numbered coaches would not have run in reality. Whilst I do apply a fair amount of Rule 1, the chances of a full train of matching late logo clerestories in the late 1940s is too much to expect. This set will have to be broken up and diluted with items from the "pool" of unallocated coaching stock, which is now larger than the formed sets. D130s, Collet Compos, C68s and 76s.........all used to break up uniform formations to give that special GWR randomness to passenger work. I think i have just publically convinced myself as to what to do.......... Make two sets out of one. Have my cake and eat it so to speak. Fruit only thanks - I have never liked sponge cake/carrot cake/ chocolate/pineapple upside down cake etc. But I will always love a fruit cake. I am doing some modelling, mainly items to put on eBay - the new Dapol express Toplights won't be cheap and I would like a few. The suburbans are now all paid for by the same method. Hope you are all happy and healthy.

I have 4 or 5 " Comet sides onto RTR" projects which went badly wrong still in the projects box - I used the wrong glue. I have promised a few times on here that they will be the next things to get done........and it's been like that since at least 2016 I think........

The mystical K44 indeed. Thank you Rich and Mike. Regards,

I have given up looking on here, but I know i'm not going mad......... Some talented person here has already built an 00 centenary full brake out of two Airfix/GMR brake thirds. There is at least one photo on here too. Does anyone know who this talented person is please? They are a regular contributor and a talented modeller. Thanks,

Just down the rails from North Cranford, where vans for Lyons Tea, and for Eldorado Ice Cream are dropped for forwarding to Greenford Green.......... To what is now the home of Ferrero Rocher......... Will be watching this with interest, even if it is a couple of years younger than my version of NC.

A simple task split down into a couple of sessions. This makes a nice break from decorating.... A recent Hornby "long corridor clerestory" with "Garter Logo" - little too early even with a bit of licience. This one has evaded capture for a few years- it was always slated for this work, but never seemed to surface when reviews of the stock box took place. These models are flat in profile because the panelling is part of the decals. So Ideal to show a clerestory in much later life covered in overplating. Railmatch spray can Coach Brown, HMRS decals and Testors all over before the glazing went back in. This is the only clerestory with foot boards, and the roof is only "grubby" as opposed to my usual "super sooty". Both make for a bit of variety withing my carriage stock. I did notice that there is a full rake of these long corridor clerestories in the box as well. I may just leave them as they are and run them as a set behing a Saint or Lode Star with her original tender top. I hope that you are all happy and healthy. Stay safe.

What sort of April Fool do you think me to be........? Stay safe.

Welcome back everyone. Fair few photos missing - seems to be a random selection that have disappeared. Never mind. There have been some changes to NC while we were off the airwaves - I've changed the era to BR Blue - a period I especially like and remember well. Steam era stock has been selling well on Ebay and the Post Office and Royal Mail have been busy as a result. Hope you are all happy and healthy.

Thank you for fixing this and getting it back up and running.

Hang a PBV on the front or back of any express or medium fast train. Run a full train of them - mixed types of course - full of papers, parcels, mail. Need one at the rear and often also in the middle of a milk tanker train. Like John I too have Hawksworth full brakes in GWR livery, which never happened in reality - the passenger versions were in service but the brakes came just into BR days. There are quite a few K diagrams which can still be made - either as a full brass kit, or by bonding Comet sides onto suitable RTR bodies. Mailcoach K22s ( plastic) regularly turn up on eBay. K40, K22, K36, K42, K 19, K15 K14 K25 K29 are all possible as either full kits or "sides onto RTR". And if you are lucky there is the rare sighting of an O13 Milk Brake brass kit on Ebay but save your pocket money for these nowadays.

I managed to buy Testors Dullcote last year via Amazon.

I turn my back to decorate and floor the sewing room/upstairs office/modelling room.......and Toplights finally make an appearance on the radar in RTR form. Definitely a set of 6 of the shorter, lower-er commuter ones in brown for me - suits NC down to the ground - perfect for "Maidenhead to Aldgate" etc. And a promise of some mainline corridor Toplights later in the year. I don't think I will be buying those in rakes, however, a few as fillers and to add that special GWR "random/harlequin/mix-and-match" look to an express train. Time to scour the cupboards and see what i can sell off to raise some funds........ It was Groundhog Day yesterday. Plenty of badgers here, and GrundDachs Day is where this comes from, on the feast of Candlemass...... (Dachs - badger dachshund - badger hound - small and angry little beasts bred for going down setts.....) So what was the outcome - I saw plenty of shadows just after dawn even if i didn't see any badgers. That means summer is still a way off. Stay warm and safe and dream of Toplights.......

Thoughts go out to BG Man for a swift and painless recovery. And I hope the rest of you are happy and healthy.

Happy New Year to you all. The Dapol Manors are here in march ( apparantly) so that's good news. From my pre-orders that just leaves the LORIOT, 9400 and the 6 wheeler coach to become S&T stock, What is the next thing to tempt me to part with cash (other than carpets, Dulux products and bathroom fittings....? I have almost finished my SIPHON C. In hindsight I should have done more to hide the centre join , but I slightly lost the will with the build and it's definitly on the list for some corrective work. I will add the promised Hornby wheels at the same time too. The Ratio ones have "tightened up" despite using brass axle pockets. But it has got me modelling again so no bad thing. Weedkiller train work continues next. 1485 is one of the later wide (standard width) bodied C's, and one which didn't get branding, either in it's early life, or as one of those who saw out their last days dedicated to moving Harris' products out of Calne. Hence it's utility for me is increased. Body was painted with Pheonix brushing enamel, roof is Halford's matt black rattle can with a squirt of Rustoleum blackboard paint over the top. This gives the nice crinkly effect as long as the coat is light and thin. Once lettered with "HMRS Pressfix" a couple of coats of Testors Dullcote was used as usual. Weathering will follow the filling work on the centre section (centre door sills if you haven't noticed). These are odd vans to letter as they were in reality - they break some of the GW "rules" early ones had end letters, and often the SIPHON branding was omitted (apparantly). I made it fit so I'm happy to have branding on there. I have no idea how I ever ended up with an empty MACAW B box, but with the aid of a pair of scissors, the moulded plastic liner has been tailored to suit the van. Not super proud of the outcome but it can be rectified when more mojo is available. But at least the mojo has returned. I hope that you are all happy and healthy.

You Aint Seen Nothing Yet.......

Thank you all.

How long would a section of rail be on GW or early BR(W) track? Almost as long as a GANE or CROCODILE suitably fitted for carrying rail? I have some rail to paint and chop up to be scenic items and thought that red lead/rust covered sections would look good and ready to dump between the rails or running lines. But how many scale feet long? Thank you in advance.

7830 "Phear Manor" once again takes it's annual place, supervised by Winston: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Titfield Thunderbolt is on, and the log burner is aglow.... On this Christmas Eve I hope that you (and your folk) are happy and healthy.

Sorry - no photos of Cs with branding. I did read that some Harris traffic was abbotated on carriage style headboards as well.