Timmy84

February 6, 2022

super as usual Duncan.

January 15, 2022

Newly modelled 47289 with classmate 287.

January 8, 2022

Enjoyed catching up on this Jo.

The pencil lines you use for panelling look really good. I use the tip of a tiny file to actually make a groove and then work some paint in to it (have used this on JGAs and the recent HTAs to add relief).

some really incredible stuff on here. The OBAs you did particularly caught my eye. I’ve attempted similar but yours are much better.

Tim.

January 8, 2022

9 hours ago, Steadfast said:

This is the sort of thing in intending to look into, the patched strips, presumably from welding, which loads of them seem to sport, along with various styles of blanked NP logos.

https://flic.kr/p/aazJ9G

Still all in my head at the moment, but with a set of HKAs to do myself in a mix of National Power and DB red it's something I will look at.

Jo

yep the three stripes are distinctive so I intend to find a method for that.

I’ve also bought some decals so I can reintroduce some elements of the logos/branding to the weathered wagon as there seems to be 101 combinations of patching.

Based on how I get on I will decide weather to buy more pristine or weathered wagons to finish the rake. The weathered ones are very good but of course all look very similar so it depends on how well I manage to fade the very blue pristine ones down.

this is all why I did the HTAs first as they were an easier job!

Hopefully I’ll have time to start them soon.

Here’s another of your decals I missed off the previous post.

Tim.

January 7, 2022

49 minutes ago, Steadfast said:

Nice work on the HTAs Tim, glad to hear the decals went on well. It breaks up the block colour of a the rake nicely.

On mine I've used Bachmann USA knuckle couplings, they close the gap really nicely but they're rarer than hen's teeth at the moment. I have some Fox valley ones to try, but not had a go yet, but they look to do the same job.

I'm planning some bits for the National Power hoppers too, both graffiti and some weathering effects, don't know if that's of interest to you.

Jo

please do keep me posted! Although again the pics I’ve seen of the Liverpool JMA rakes in the 2000s don’t have too much graffiti but they are pretty faded. I’ve got a mixture of the pre weathered and pristine ones so going to try a few things.

January 7, 2022

Forgot to mention that something will need to be done about the couplings but the wagons pre date NEM pockets so not yet settled on a solution. Maybe Tomix tight couplings from Japan.

Tim.

January 7, 2022

Also on the workbench over the last few weeks have been some Farish HTAs. I have done 9 in total but those posted here feature some of Steadfast Models excellent decals. I apologise to Jo that I have not used them all and in some cases gone off piste with what goes where. My rake is modelled relatively early in its career so the weathering is light and the larger graffiti pieces were not necessarily prototypical. For me, this was about getting a finish that looked “right” for the time period.

Wagons will form Liverpool Bulk Terminal to Ironbridge and Ratcliffe services. I intend to do about 17 and have already sniffed out another three that were lurking unsold at (the excellent) Alton Model Centre. If they’d had more I’d have bought them too! I went in for a tin of paint and accidentally spent £180 but I am sure this happens to the best of us…

A complimentary rake of ex-Nat Power JMAs will follow to form LBT to Fiddlers Ferry.

January 5, 2022

Hi everyone.

Happy new year. Goodness me where did 2021 go? As predicted most of last year was spent on DIY with a lot of work to do on the new house. However I got to the end of a stage in November and have been on DIY holiday for a few weeks so have actually got some modelling done.

Avid N Gaugers will note that my thunder has been stolen by two other beautifully weathered Class 92s posted in the last week or so. But here’s my effort. At least it’s a different one!

Hopefully adding some variety is renumbered and weathered 47289, “updated” from sectorisation livery to FL triple grey.

After much studying of pictures the FL grey 47s always seemed to look like a black-grey-black sandwich to me so I’ve tried to capture that with quite a subtle look. Damage to the red triangle logo is deliberate - check photos of the real thing if you don’t believe me!

All the best and inspired as ever by what’s going on elsewhere.

Tim.

December 30, 2021

That’s great thanks.

I’ve got a Dapol FNW 153 which bizarrely comes with Northern branding so I need to back date it. You’d think the manufacturer would apply the original branding for the modeller to change if they want to but clearly not!

Tim.

December 29, 2021

Hi Simon,

Nice work on the pacer. Not easy.

Were those First Northwestern decals from the Precision range or customs?

I can't find them on their website.

Tim.

April 5, 2021

Hi all,

Apologies for the complete lack of updates recently. I ended up moving house just before Christmas and there is a lot of work to do on the new place.

Speke East is still wrapped up in it's dust cover and the airbrush hasn't been out either. I do have some projects that need doing as I continue to evolve my stock collection to reflect the Merseyside scene in the early 2000s. I have some of the new Farish JMAs to work on as well as some HTAs I picked up on ebay and a Revolution 92 for Speke. In the meantime I have been making do with running sessions on my Kato unitrack to keep my locos in good nick and have been enjoying the intermodal rake featured last year.

Here's a shot of the HTAs (un-weathered) that I took before the move but forgot to post. Hopefully there will be the odd update in 2021 amidst all the DIY!

I've just enjoyed a quick look at every else's updates so that has given me some inspiration!

Tim.

January 8, 2021

92s looking great Simon. Hopefully mine will be here soon!

As you say, worth the wait.

Tim.

December 9, 2020

Super as ever.

Love the 90, something a bit different.

I am surprised we don’t have RES 47 from Bachmann yet as surely it would be very popular. They always seem to start with the oldest liveries and it takes a long time to get to something that would interest me!

Tim.

December 5, 2020

3 hours ago, Steadfast said:

Wow! I didn't realise how small the layout was! Amazing stuff

Jo

Yep it’s tiny. Just over 4 feet of scenic area. As I have mentioned in previous posts the “long trains” are staged as it’s really just a photo plank. Although it is still quite fun to operate due to the split level.

Tim.

December 5, 2020

Thought it was worth re-posting the original plan - drawn years ago! It's not far off!

December 5, 2020

Hi all,

Preparing for the house move forced me to get round to finishing the fascia around the layout. Hopefully this will help me to pack it up safely for transit.

The top section lifts out for maintenance. Eventually I may get round to fitting an LED light rig to this, especially if I can find a spot to have the layout out more permanently rather than stored away. Definitely a job worth doing I think and it looks pretty neat!

Tim.

November 29, 2020

The first Sunday working in a while. Engineering work around Warrington means that a coal set from the Fiddlers Ferry circuit will start from Speke East in the morning. At dusk, 60054 is in charge of a loaded set arriving from Liverpool Bulk Terminal ready to continue to the power station first thing.

November 29, 2020

Still watching with interest.

Presumably when you come to build the fiddle yard it will be easier/cheaper to use ready built points. Assuming you can transition from finetrax back to Peco off scene?

Also (sorry if I've missed it in the thread) will you need to do anything to your stock to get it to run?

Tim.

November 26, 2020

Final intermodal update! EWS service headed up by a FIA twinset loaded with 40 foot "high-cube" containers. This local service between Ditton and Arpley has run round at Speke East.

Thanks for all the comments and likes over the recent days. It really helps with motivation.

Tim.

November 25, 2020

9 hours ago, Ben A said:

Hi Tim,

Great job weathering all the stock, but especially the KFAs.

You mentioned the Cawoods coal container flats - they are a signature Liverpool Docks wagon. In case you’re interested the first samples are going to be featured in a Facebook Live next Tuesday.

cheers

Ben A.

Cheers Ben.

They are fantastic wagons and the weathering takes them to the next level. I was also really happy with the IZAs I posted earlier in the thread.

I had been musing Liverpool as an option for a bigger layout project for the future and the Cawoods and Farish JMA sealed the deal. Finally I may actually need 8 Class 60s! It's so important to have wagons available that allow modellers to create time and place and the revolution range has really improved this in N Gauge so thanks for all your hard work.

Look forward to the update (which no doubt I will watch on "catch up" as I am always too disorganised to catch them live!).

Tim.

November 24, 2020

Intermodal update number 3.

Some different FEA-Bs on this rake and a new angle on the layout I experimented with.

Tim.

November 24, 2020

3 hours ago, Steadfast said:

Hi Tim,

Yeah I've been there too with spending ages on detail then covering it up! My megafret pair should in theory be loaded so the brake detail can be seen, but we'll see what happens!

In a similar style, I tend to matt varnish stuff before weathering, which as well as giving a nice matt surface for the weathering to grip onto also prevents accidentally removing the printing with thinners, though a lot of wagons aren't as grubby as the container flats! I hadn't thought of dry brushing for the marks across the deck, I'll have to experiment with that, see if I can get my dry brushing neat enough!

Jo

Just clicked on the Steadfast Models link - at some point in the future I will be in touch for some HTA graffiti!

Tim.

November 24, 2020

4 hours ago, Steadfast said:

Lovely weathering on those container flats Tim. Tempting me to get distracted from all my other on the go projects and crack out my flats and the air brush. Hmmm!

Jo

Thanks Jo.

I've enjoyed them actually. At first glance they are simple wagons but some of the new models have so much detail. The megafrets in particular were quite challenging due to all the nooks and crannies. I spent a while on some of the tanks under the deck and then went and stuck a container over the top! Oh well, at least I know the detail was there....

My top tip is to prime them first. Because it's basically a respray due to the fact that in real life they are bear no resemblance to their original colour schemes, you need something for the muck shades to adhere to and give the nice matt, consistent finish. On the KFAs I used masking to create variations on the deck but got a more subtle result dry brushing some marks on the FEA-Bs. I used an excellent specialist dry brush obtained from games workshop.

Tim.

November 23, 2020

6 hours ago, DavidMcKenzie said:

Another brilliant set of photos Tim. That 47 looks right at home at the front of the intermodal rake. Always nice to see a loco thats been modified and personalized. it's highly unlikely that it exist like that anywhere else in the n gauge community.

Thanks for posting, always motivating to see what can be achieved in a reasonably small space with some imagination. All the pictures look as if they are part of a gigantic layout (or the real thing).

All the best,

Dave

no code 40 track though Dave! I am watching with interest...

thanks as ever for the encouragement.