ROSSPOP

Airbrushes do a great job with track colours and are a good way to try an airbrush. Start with a light grey and then use various shades of `rusty browns` till you get what your looking for. I bought one of these from the USA and it`s great for doing track work because it`s air line free !! Keep your airbrush mix on the thin side.

Oh Dear Kev, That`s opened a can of worms methinks. My feelings are that there is no right or wrong sleeper colour, but in the situation of my 7mm diorama layout then my choice is right for the effect I am trying to achieve. For that I believe you have to study the real thing and adjust as required. Also it depends on what kind of railway line, main line or siding , or engine shed etc. Certainly, painting the sleepers all the same is wrong. Of course this is todays preserved railway so maybe not really prototypical of yesteryear perhaps. But then if I painted my sleepers like this it would perhaps look awful in model terms. So I`ve gone for a lighter shade to convey perspective and distance. But in reality , the more shades the better in model terms.

Thanks Al............ about caution re the blade. but I`ve never had any issues with it ( I use them for cleaning solder off etched kits ) If you take care and use the flat of the blade you get a nice shine. Also I use Graphite on my rails which improves running no-end especially with DCC sound. John

Never been sure about ballasting before painting...... my take on it... Rattle can etch primer to get rid of plastic look and stop the paint coming off the rails. Rattle can rust browns of your choice ...or very thinned rust enamels using a large brush for the sleepers and then hand paint the rails with a thinned rust colour. Then add the ballast then paint the rails again with a lighter very thin orangy rust colour afetr the ballast has dried off lettine the orangy rust seep into the ballast ( not got that far yet_ Then using a new stanley knife type blade scrape away all paint from the running rail top edges. Will take longer but looks the biz..

So the last loco has been built and it`s time to crack on with this layout. I have been visiting it on and off over the past year , but was interrupted by catching Covid. Firstly the Engine shed watering fascilities have been changed. The goods shed has been re-positioned onto the platform but still needs bedding in. At the other end of the diorama the crossing gates have had their servo motors and associated gubbins removed as they were a total waste of time. They seemed to be activated at the slightest interference from point motors , awitch movements and low flying aircraft ! The gates are now operated by hand having built a rubber band operated mechanism...... All the track ballast has been chosen and mixed together with many other ground cover materials...... Today I am experimenting with Heki static grass products

Hi Dave and Dave, Many thanks for your kind comments. Yes, the Walschaerts valve gear, I`m afraid, is possibly one of the kits idiosyncrasies. The combination lever has a tendency to `waggle` outwards but it is nothing to do with catching on anything and is ( my theory) probably to do with the Radius rod being etched too short. The other cause maybe due to my attempt at getting the expansion link to work in conjunction with the radius rod to which it is connected through the expansion link and this caused a slight `binding` in the valve gear. Although it all operates well the result is the `waggle` outwards. I also ignored the instructions telling me to drill all link holes 0.7mm whereas I drilled them 0.6mm to avoid `sloppy` linkages and this may be to0 tight a tolerance. Any how, the other side is just the same, so unfortunately me and the modelling world at large will have to live with it as I was`nt prepared to take it all apart again. It pays not to be too clever..... but next time... As for the sound chip Dave, I prefer to use Zimo MX645 as they have a superior motor control over the ESU chips which I have only used once. I use either Digitrain sound files or as in this case Youchoos who have recorded from preserved NO 93. Overall this is a good, (but not perfect) baring in mind it was designed in the 1990`s, kit which I have enjoyed building very much. There a an abundance of lost wax parts including all the many handrails. Unfortunately, where lost wax parts are really needed as in the underframe brake gear and autogear parts these remain in whitemetal. The vertical boiler is a work of art. Some of the coach sides and roof etching is not up to todays standard, but after a decent coat of paint is not noticeable. Overall, with all the errors of which are my own, I`m pleased with having her built. Verdict: Would I build another?..... Yes I `bleedin `would.... but not this year.... I propose that you `go for it` Dave as I`m sure you`ll get that valve gear spot on...... Cheers JOhn

Last entry on this build now folks as the project is completed................ I seem to have inadvertently come full circle over the past 40 years as my last Railmotor build was in the late 1980`s and was, in fact, a Jidenco kit of the LSWR version......... ..................................... that the GWR borrowed and the results led to the building of the one I have completed this month. So, back to the plot................ The vertical boiler containing the motor took a fair while as it had to be hand painted with Closterman`s black etch primer. The coach part had a lot of detailing to assemble and add particularly the seating. But she`s done and dusted............... .....`scuse the roof line but I hav`nt finally fixed it down just yet............... No 76 is in the 1929 simple livery with extra coal rails for increased capacity.

Hi Bob, Mine was the same as yours . I used a pure DC Helmsman controller. The oil was`nt even near the gears on mine. I examined both bogies on mine and there seemed to be issues with the wheel tyres rubbing against the plastic bogie side frames . So I fiddled and managed to unglue a couple of the (fragile) bogie corner assemblies to free things up. I`m not a believer in running in/ wearing out. Any how changing over to a quality DCC decoder and cleaning the wheels has improved things no end on mine. Still not run in........................ Cheers John

Apart from a good clean up the external build is now in the bag !

Thanks , I`m honoured !! Please arrange the following words into a well known phrase or saying.................. Nellie, Your. Not, On.....

This bank holiday weekend has seen the completion of the railmotor steam unit and I`m glad to say it fits into the body work without any problems..... The upright boiler part is held in place by two screws at the rear , so is removable for motor servicing despite all the pipe work.

A lot of careful brass bending and patient soldering to be done with this project. The body needs a lot of concentration to keep everything level and square. There is a novel way of using extra internal section dividers with longer tabs that protrude through the chassis to keep the roof in place. But it all seems to provide a removable roof for later internal detailing. ......and I made the sliding doors and windows fully functional. There has been a lot of work to get the prototypical steam motor bogie attachment mechanics to work properly .... but she`s now a mover...

Three hours from the USB port on lap-top...... IT`s a cordless airbrush with handheld compressor..... Freedom for those small air brushing tasks... About 30 minutes continuous spraying so plenty of time to even spray an O gauge Tank loco. ...and much better than those propellant cans ... ................... after about 10 minutes work using enamels....

Already ahead of the game ....... I`m planning to use mine on airbrushing scenic grass and some weathering experiments .... so far I`m pleasantly impressed. Scary business, as the following week I contracted Coronavirus ....but I don`t blame the airbrush !!!

Today I started the Railmotor body construction. My biggest concern was shaping the flat roof etch into a GWR shaped roof profile . It`s one thing shaping flat brass in 4mm but O Gauge is a major beast..... I dont possess any rolling bars, not that they would be a lot of use to me. But I wanted to get this worry out of the way so I could enjoy the rest of the build knowing I hav`nt got a black cloud hanging over me........... So it was study photos of the real thing and then find suitable diameter brush and broom handles and slowly work away by hand. Surprisingly, it turned out easier than I envisaged............. I expected difficulties with the etched on roof rain strips going against the bends and considered filing them off in case of trouble. But in the end they were`nt a problem... There are a few `dinks` here and there but these will easily be sorted later... Whew ! that headache is out of the way. I shall retire for a cuppa and a slice of ginger cake plus Paracetamol for my aching hands and fingers.....

Thanks Mike, Spent a few days on the trailing `fish belly` bogie which is quite a kit in itself...... Having assembled the basic bogie chassis I spent time piecing together all the brake rigging and white metal brake blocks and after a struggle trying to get it all in place decided that there was far too much risk of electrical shorting between the brake blocks and wheels....far too risky for an impending DCC sound set up. Also, I needed as much space as possible for unobtrusive wiper pickups so without all the brake rigging is going to be much easier. At any rate the bogie is now completed, so on to the basic body build........

Meanwhile, back at the shed...... last night I wrestled with making no less than three cones and a round tube which played havoc with my arthritic fingers..... Pondering about using a screw fixing to keep the boiler attached to the bogie...but at a later date. There are a myriad of lost wax boiler parts to be fitted later. I`ve decided to push forward with making the un-powered bogie and the Railmotor body completed before super detailing when all the complex parts have been made.

Thanks Graham, I still have nightmares about the valve gear on the Jidenco 4mm LSWR Railcar from way back in the 1980`s !!! Which was the last steam ralicar I made.

The valve gear is small and there is not much wriggle room for errors. Pleasingly the kit etches are accurate and if you take time enough a satisfactory mechanism is easily achievable. The gearbox is a simple fold up etch and fits the bogie innards very well.... The kit provides some lovely front axle bearing castings to help with the tightness of space behind the slide bars. All in all a very enjoyable build so far. This kit is for an` experienced` modeller.... now there`s a funny thing. `Experience` well you can be a modeller of 40 years plus and have achieved one experience or you can be a modeller of one year and have achieved 40 experiences. I would say that if you feel confident and competent and not scared of soldering then this kit is for you.... Now back to Dave and his Sherton Abbas layout where a Steam Railcar would fit in nicely.... An enjoyable interlude at Sherton last seen by me at ` Telfords End ` while I return to the shed........................

Thanks Dave, Ah yes Sherton Abbas a favourite of mine....... more about that anon....

Sadly Just Magic kits are no more as the owner died around 2010 and he did not wish to sell hi business. Everything went to the skip.

With aging hands and eyesight this will be the last kit build for me as I`ve now got quite a selection of builds to play with, plus it`s time to start playing with them all. I`ve been wanting to build one of these for quite a while and took the plunge just after Christmas. £ 400 gets you a complete kit including wheels and a motor/gearbox kit plus all the detail parts in either lost wax or white metal including seating parts for the passenger saloon. Scorpio supply three instruction booklets, covering the motor bogie, trailing bogie and body. It is a complex kit. As ever I kicked off with building the motorised bogie and vertical boiler unit, starting with the coupling rods. There is a great set of etches in nickel silver for the bogie frames etc. There is provision for beam compensation but I have opted for a fixed chassis as this is a complex build. Reading the instructions several times is essential for this kit as they flit about rather than flow in sequence. Nickel silver solders so well and I numbered the parts required at each stage. The etched bearing holes are accurately positioned. But I like to be doubly sure, as this mechanism will be difficult to be dismantled even for painting. I do like to have compensation with loco chassis but this would have added too much complication with the internal white metal detailing. The motion parts are very finely etched or lost wax which benefit from fettling before assembly. Not the simplest of ways to construct slide bars, but they do look the part. But after a bit of a clean up it all comes together.... .......................... more to follow...........................

Ahh! The work of Ken Ashberry. Made in many iterations the last being in O Gauge. Courtesy of The Railway Modeller. September 1982. Vol 33. Number 383; pages 312 -319 Cheers

Yes Norman the Zimo gives full control of lights just as Heljan intended, plus choosing Youchoos immersive drive set up you get much more control including a half power mode on F20 for slow shunting. John

Your probably right Norman, However , in the pursuit of realism I have plumped for a hard wired replacement alternative circuit board ( Zimo Adapus) so that I can take advantage of using the prototype GWR railcar sound file from Youchoos using their Zimo MX645Plux22 21 pin decoder. This is Heljans excellent circuit board designed for a Locksound V5 decoder. And this is the Zimo Adapus replacement board , rewired by me last evening using Youchoos installation guide. This is the result of my handy work . Now to fine tune her and gently run her in with gentle use.....