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Steve Smith

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  • Location
    Mendip Hills, UK
  • Interests
    Salisbury & Dorset Junction Railway in BR days. Member of South Western Circle and EMGS. Modelling Verwood in EM Gauge.

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  1. Very pleased with the look of these, though apparently the supports for the roof need another attempt. The original etched superstructure has been removed and the running plate rebullt 2.5mm shorter. Width of running plate at a shade under 35mm (s/be 8'7") is something that I can live with. The overall wheelbase of the Mercian chassis is 60mm when it should be 58mm, as someone on WT said, a 'rubber ruler' job!
  2. My Mercian Models kit was purchased from Trevor in about 2006. When built up it came out about 4mm too high and 2mm too wide and 2.5 mm too long. The biggest problem was the way it towered over any box van. It's a perfectly reasonable kit just not quite the right size! With no obvious way forward it was parked for a long time, but a fortnight ago I realised that I could produce a 3D printed model of the superstructure that could be fitted to a cut and shut of the etched running plate to correct the width and length. Thus I could retain the etched steps and other detailing that was rather good and very robust. The Roche drawing was used as a starting point, checking everything I could carefully against photos to winkle out any errors in the drawing. In the absence of detailed drawings it's an artists impression of the finer detail, but that to some extent is what all modelling in smaller scales is. The roof is a separate part and the running plate is just there for context. The light grey bits and glazing will be minused out for the final print to leave holes for metal fittings and pockets for glazing. 3D prints for roof and body have been ordered and are eagerly awaited. For anyone interested there is more detail here: https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/mercian-models-armstrong-whitworth-0-6-0-diesel-electric-shunter-in-em-gauge.12512/
  3. And then there's those two strange 'tunnel' bridges in Cannards Grave cutting: This one is in 7mm scale on YMRG's 'Evercreech New'. All the structures on the Bath Extension have subtle differences depending on where they are. Around Shepton big clay bullnose coping bricks and zig-zag wing walls definitely a 'thing'. The (widened) up side walls lined in brick, and down side walls in stone.
  4. . That really looks the part, and I'm impressed that the footsteps are nicely lined up - that's a Maunsell feature. One of Dave Ford's Dorset Walks (filmed last year), shows him returning from Swanage to Corfe Castle behind a gleaming 31806 running with a 4000 gallon tender - a prototype for everything! https://youtu.be/srwfnCJ5pZc I'm planning on modelling 31614 which had the same sort of tender. This was a Bournemouth and later a Yeovil engine, and was photographed at least once in the Salisbury bay platform with what is described as a Bournemouth train.
  5. The Ex-Wills Finecast kit was my original intention for an as-built U and I did pick one up off Ebay. Dave Ellis sent me a U/U1 chassis kit for it after I re-typed the SR Mogul instructions for him. He very kindly added a few improved mouldings from the River kit. The Wills kit expects larger wheels to be fitted to the Triang chassis raising the whole thing by 1mm. Parts are only provided for an N or N1 Class running plate so the rise measured at about 5.3mm will be too low if used to make a U. The instructions state that "Very small splashers should be made from card for the U and U1, it is not necessary for the driving wheels to recess into these however." This would leave cab and buffers 1mm too high, and perhaps higher if those 6' wheels don't touch the thick cast running plate! The running plate drop position under the cab seems to be something of a compromise between U and N. There is a cast left and right running plate each incorporating a cab side making modification of the drop difficult. The higher running plate gives the as-built U something of a 'Baby Arthur' look that I would definitely want to capture in my model. Interestingly the cast spectacle plate provided is for a U rather than an N. I can PM you a copy of the re-typed instructions if it would be useful. Needless to say the Triang 2-6-2 chassis originally intended for this kit can't be correct for both N and U, and as this is a 'Bodyline' kit may not be correct for either (see T9 etc.). I'm of the view that the DJH kit (modified DLT style with an SEF chassis) would be a better route to a new-build U to modern standards of accuracy. This should be the link to the page of DLTs SR loco build thread with the start of his U Class build: DLT's U Class Build Of course what I'm contemplating for my spare Bachmann N Class body and tender might also work, but that remains to be seen, and seen to be believed!
  6. The partially completed model is of a Rebuilt River, whilst the drawings compare a 'new build' U Class to an N Class. The new build U and rebuilt River U are the same apart from the rebuilt Rivers having a much wider cab and running plate which is set quite a bit lower necessitating larger splashers, and of course that very different arrangement of cab windows. The cab front of N and rebuilt River U although sharing a similar arrangement of windows differ as the rebuilt River cab is wider. My purchase of the DJH kit occurred before SEF brought out their kit for the River Class tank engine, and that I'm sure would have been a better starting point for a rebuilt River. The intention of SEF at the time was to go on to do the U Class to a much better standard than the old Wills Bodyline kit, but Bachmann bringing in their N Class stopped them taking it forward. As to how easy it would be, it really depends on whether or not the River tank kit components were designed with a rebuilt River kit in mind, and only Dave Ellis will know that.
  7. The DJH kit isn't really sure whether it's an 'as built U' or a 'Rebuilt River U'. The running plate and cab have the width of the 'as built U', but the height of the running plate more like a Rebuilt River. Built as per instructions the buffer beam, cab and footplate are likely to be 1mm too high - though that's not a lot in the grand scheme of things. I turned my DJH kit into a Rebuilt River with the addition of scratch built cab and running plate, and although a runner I'm also stuck on building the valve gear, in my case for an SEF chassis kit. Rebuilt Rivers are wide and the cab is very clearly cut down from the enclosed cab of the tank engine. This one will be 31792 when it was a Yeovil engine with a fairly regular turn on the Salisbury & Dorset.
  8. The Bachmann N is a much better candidate for conversion to an 'as built' U Class rather than a 'Rebuilt River'. The conversion would benefit from a replacement chassis due to the wheelbase difference, and the SEF chassis with Bachmann valve gear is what I will use. It will also need a new running plate because the U Class running plate is higher and runs under the cab further than the N Class. The cab looks reusable with a new front. To try to illustrate the differences, I've scaled and traced an Eastleigh Weight Diagram for the U Class, and superimposed it on one for the N Class. The N Class happens to have a rebuilt front end, so is longer. I've started a thread on Western Thunder to collect the changes that would need to be made ready for my own conversion: https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/converting-a-Bachmann-n-class-to-as-built-u-class-in-em-gauge.11833/
  9. For my Bachmann N Class, my initial approach was to re-wheel to EM Gauge, but that wasn't entirely satisfactory, and I eventually fitted an SEF etched chassis with twin beam compensation reusing the Bachmann valve gear. I'm planning a U Class conversion using a Bachy N Class body and will use the same approach for that chassis. I'm also planning to fit the Hornby valve gear to an SEF chassis to convert a Hornby Schools to EM. Fitting the Bachy (or Hornby) valve gear to the Comet chassis for the LN could be the way to go for you too.
  10. Courtesy of National Library of Scotland, this link to the OS 25" map from a survey 1882-3, published 1888 shows you to be correct! https://maps.nls.uk/view/106019255 On that basis NE part first, then as it's quite different the SE part fairly soon after in a more 'economical' style. I wonder what the signficance of pink (Midland Shed) vs grey (S&D Shed) was? The obvious difference being masonry vs. timber construction, and I think that interpretation would work for the other buildings shown. Steve
  11. Those photos show that the east end of the north shed had a large clerestory which included the chimney vents that was a doppleganger for the one on the Midland shed - I hadn't realised that. That large clerestory is still visible in my 'tenement' crop from 1966. Steve
  12. Someone was asked why it hadn't caught fire, and the answer was that it had several times, but they'd always managed to put them out. It's very likely that we're also seeing fire damage, and the resulting repairs. Steve
  13. A crop of the shed roof in 1966, with some Bath tenements behind. If we think the front looked rough....!
  14. ...and tidy. My mate lacked ambition and space, just as well really as it saved me worrying about the changes down the length of the d**n thing, not to mention those interesting stone bits at the end! If only there was a scale between 7mm and 2mm that represented the best of both worlds...!
  15. Very nice! On model railways what you see are roofs, lots of them, and yes I'm inclined to obsess about them and their funny little ways. I did find photos of the roof, and there were flat areas between the pitches that would have allowed access. If they were leaded gulleys they would have 3" steps at no more than 8' intervals - the limit for code 8 lead stepping up from each drainpipe the outlets of which would coincide with a column internally. The limit for Code 6 is 6' and so on. The photo was taken before I put the steps in. The slates are 3D laser etched, and show a lap, which is pretty cool. I really liked the chimney vents, but they didn't make the final cut as they'd gone in BR days.
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