A Nellie bash, well on the way.  It gets less Nellie towards the front. Bachmann USA 4-4-0 tender loco provides the underpinnings.

 

A quick post to say I have just taken delivery of these beautiful panels for Addleford Green's backscene.

 

 

They are 3mm Foamex with the images printed on the surface and treated with a matt protective layer. I bought them online from one of many suppliers of this kind of material. I ordered them Monday and they arrived this morning, Thursday! The process was uncomplicated, completed entirely online and they even contacted me when they thought some white would show at the edges. Probably cheaper overall than having images printed separately and less stress than gluing them nice and straight to something myself!

 

The photos feature the Kent landscape not far from my house, taken with a reasonably expensive (10 years ago!) non-SLR camera and stitched together on the computer. Hopefully I made the right measurements and they line up nicely once on the board. I'll post some more photos once they're up. There will be some square joins - something of a divisive subject, indeed all areas of backscenes seem to draw some controversy from what I have seen! - but the board is only small and to include curves was to lose just too much vital space. All joins are going to be disguised with tactically placed scenery.

 

Some image manipulation was required to the photos I originally took before sending for printing. Most of the scenes didn't include enough sky so I had to extend that area. My digital photo editing skills are zero, so everything done was crude and would likely make a true photographer cry. For two panels this involved removing the sky entirely and replacing it with a block of closely colour-matched blue/grey. I thought this might look odd, but apparently that's exactly how the real sky looks round here. For the biggest panel I simply mimicked the sky that existed and flipped a copy of it upwards, like a mirror. Again I thought this might look odd but it's blended in quite nicely. Judge for yourselves!

 

All for now,

Jonathan

 

The Isle of Wight brake vans photographed by A B MacLeod during his time in charge in the 1930s. (CJL)

Taurpaulins!

So here is the simple method I have found to make effective Tarpaulins that is easy to do.

 

So first of all we start with our victim. In this case an exLMS Dia1892 unfitted open made from an Airfix body on a Bachmann chassis.

 

 

Next we need our tarpaulin material which is the wrapper from a Tunnocks Caramel Wafer. This is cut to the appropriate size (research before hand as different companies made Tarpaulins different sizes!) Then using card I made a "load" for the wagon which is just card put into the desired shape.

 

 

 

The Tarpaulin is then painted using acrylics (I use Games Workshop or Vallejo). Test fit the Tarpaulin before any glue is applied and to find your desired shape (after the paint dries) then glue the Tarpaulin to the top of the card "load" and then glue the bottom of the long edge to top of the wagon.

 

 

Using fine thread to make the ropes I glue a piece into each of the corners of the tarp and then tie these off around the buffers. I also add two ropes over the top of the wagon which are then glue to the underside of the wagon.

 

 

 

Once this is done the tarpaulin is then given washes of browns and blacks to create the desired weathered effect.

 

Once dry you have what to me is a reasonable stab at sheeting!

 

 

Hope this helps

For the road surface, I have used this product for the roads and yard surface on Ladmanlow and it's offspring, and on Cawdor:

 

http://www.miniaturebricks.com/bricks_wallingstone_specials/modelling_dust/4003dg

 

Don't forget that contrary to popular perception, road surfaces are rarely black or dark grey, unless very wet. Normally they are in reality a fairly light grey in colour.

 

 

Al.

I say, those are rather tasty! It's nice to see more 3d printed pre-grouping Southern stock. @TurboSnail of this parish has done some very nice SECR wagons and an LBSC Open A, and I've drawn up a few LSWR ones too, both for the Photon:



I've gone for printing NEM pockets on my wagons, using the dimensions found here: http://www.doubleogauge.com/standards/couplings.htm and they seem to work well for me, although I make the coupling slot a little bigger (by about 0.2mm in height and width) to compensate for light bleed in the Photon.

When I built the Newhaven Harbour Company's "Wave" from the RT Models kit, my research suggested that the only thing these "standard" classes have in common is that they are all different....

Best wishes 

Eric 

 

Rhayader Signal Box

 

 

 

View from the northbound train approaching Marteg Tunnel

 

 

 

46514 crossing 46520 on a southbound train at Pantydwr

 

 

 

46520 leaving Pantydwr on the Brecon train

 

 

 

Llanidloes Station

 

 

 

Moat Lane Junction - the main Cambrian Line platforms.  The Mid Wales Line platform was behind the station building.  46523 at left and 78002 on an Aberystwyth train at right.

 

 

Disclaimer

This post describes the production of an approximation of a GWR T38 coach, in 1922-27 livery. Photographs and plans of the chosen coach are scarce, so numerous assumptions have been made. The resulting model is not meant to be seen in a glass case. Rather, it is intended for use in a rake of assorted coaches as seen on Central Wales branches in the mid to late 1920s (Ref.6).

 

Introduction

Over many modelling years, I have converted some commercially available models into different designs, to suit the train formations I was interested in at the time.

 

The Bachmann Emily coaches have been useful to make 6-wheeled coaches for my Stirling single:

 

 

One has also been remade into a GWR U9 coach:

 

The venerable Tri-ang clerestories have been rebuilt into a variety of designs:

 

GNR 6-wheeled 3rd:

 

GWR C10:

 

GWR C23:

 

GWR V5:

 

Ex-Cambrian Railways bogie compo:

 

Ex-MSWJR brake 3rd:

 

Hornby toy 4-wheelers have been rebuilt to an ex-Cambrian Railways 6-wheeled 3rd:

 

Recently, I came across a free download file to make a 3D printed model of a nondescript 6-wheeled brake 3rd. I downloaded it from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4716947 and made it up, finishing it as a workmen’s coach:

 

The files came in two parts – body and chassis. The wheelbase was a little shorter than the standard GWR wheelbase (19ft), so I went back to the chassis file and stretched to to conform. It was then a perfect fit overall for a T38 4-compartment 6-wheeled brake 3rd. (See Ref. 2 for a drawing.)

 

I had a spare Tri-ang clerestory brake 3rd which could contribute all the body sections. Wheels, bearings, couplings and buffers were all in my spares bins.

 

Construction – Chassis

 

The stretched chassis was printed, axleboxes were all drilled 2mm and plain Romford brass bearings fitted to the outer axleboxes. Hornby 14mm dia disc wheels were then fitted to them, making any necessary adjustments to give them clearance from under the floor.

 

Old Peco Mansell wheels were used for the centre axle, leaving them plenty of sideways movement. Tests showed the chassis could cope with 1st radius curves.

 

The flange on each side of the top of the floor was ground flat to permit the body sides to sit properly on the chassis. Scale buffers and tension-lock couplings were then fitted.

 

 

Construction – Body

 

An old Tri-ang clerestory brake 3rd – much loved since arriving for Christmas in 1966 – was taken in hand.

 

It was dismantled, with all surplus parts set aside in the scrapbox. The underframe mouldings were ground smoothly off the body and the floor was cut away, leaving an open box:

 

The donor body was then sliced into the parts needed for the T38 – ready to be reassembled like one of my wife’s quilts.

 

Reassembled:

 

Body on chassis, with luggage windows blanked off:

 

From this point, painting was done as stages were completed and while access was available to the inside.

 

Holes in ends filled and lower steps attached. Glazing, seats, partitions and passengers added:

 

Roof made and fitted - awaiting transfers:

 

Results

 

Here is T38 No.1532 in a typical Central Wales train from the late 1920s, comprised of ex Cambrian Railways 4-4-0 1043, T38 brake 3rd 1532, U9 compo 6283, ex Cambrian 3rd 4069 and T31 brake 3rd 301.

 

The model is not as accurate or as well detailed as an etched brass kit, but none seem to be available for this design. Nor do they appear to be available commercially as 3D printed models. Neither the Hattons Genesis nor Hornby generic 6-wheelers include something similar to the T38. Hence, this project has produced something otherwise unobtainable.

 

As for cost, nothing was bought in especially for this project – everything was already on hand. Had all components been purchased locally, the cost would have still been under A$50. At the time of writing Hornby generic 6-wheelers (non-GWR variants) can be bought in Oz for A$70-100 (plus post). I’m happy with what has resulted from my quilted model.

 

Parts List

·         Tri-ang clerestory brake 3rd (R333)

·         3D-printed 6-wheeled chassis

·         Hornby 14mm dia wheels (R8218)

·         Peco Mansell wheels (PR13)

·         Coach buffers from scrapbox

·         Tension-lock couplings (Hornby R8099)

·         Card for roof & partitions

·         2mm x 2mm L-section brass strip

·         Balsa for seats

·         Flat-head nails for roof vents

·         0.020” dia polystyrene rod for roof gutter

·         Filler: Finely-ground sodium bicarbonate, applied dry, then mixed in situ with super glue

·         Humbrol enamels: 98 (Matt brown), 16 (gold), 135 (satin clear)

·         Humbrol RC424 acrylic GWR cream

·         Gloy LNER teak enamel – for coach interior

·         Phoenix PR108 BR maroon – for coach seats

·         Black paint pen: Uni Posca 24 black, 0.7mm

·         British Paints grey spray primer – for roof

·         Clear packaging sheet for glazing

·         PC Methfix & HMRS Pressfix transfers

 

References & Further Reading

1.       Russell, J.H.: “A Pictorial Record of Great Western Coaches including the brown vehicles: Part 1 (1838-1913)”, Oxford Publishing, 1972

2.       http://www.gwrcoaches.org.uk/

3.       https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/159541-cheap-and-cheerful-6-wheeled-gwr-coach/

4.       http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/138426-gwr-diag-u9-composite-coach/

5.       http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/91150-cheap-cheerful-cambrian-railways-composite-coach/

6.       C.C.Green: “Cambrian Railways Album – 2” (Ian Allan, 1981)

7.       https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/126196-gwr-ex-cambrian-railways-large-belpaire-passenger-4-4-0-94-class/