Jump to content
 

03060

RMweb Premium
  • Posts

    1,006
  • Joined

  • Last visited

1 Follower

Profile Information

  • Location
    Within sniffing distance of Esholt Sewage Works ...oh, aye !
  • Interests
    3mm , Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway , West Highland Line , Industrials , Cornish Clay lines , 1980's diesels , Yorkshire !

Recent Profile Visitors

1,445 profile views

03060's Achievements

2.2k

Reputation

  1. Back on with the L&Y fish van this evening. Out came the mini blow torch to remove a stubborn piece of strapping that was soldered on solidly but slightly at the wrong angle ... wouldn't budge for some reason with the soldering iron but came off easily with the little flame. Several other tiny bits of strapping added and a bracket that I lost early on was remade by filing up a spare piece of the fret. I thought that was it for the bodywork but have just found 4 more bits of wraparound straps and 2 door latches to fit. There's also the brake levers and rods to do but I was leaving them till last anyway before tackling the roof and sticking on buffers and axleboxes. Not finished yet but happy with tonight's progress. Good to see others are also making successful progress with their projects. Regards, Ian.
  2. Again not really on my workbench but of interest (I hope.) I spent a couple of hours this afternoon unpacking my Masbury layout up in the loft and 'winkling' (and I mean winkling !) it back into a useable position. The loft was crammed with stuff but looked worse with the layout boards stored together on their ends, plus I have Mark Haynes old Hemyock Road layout up there as well ... so I literally had to think movements carefully through ... boxes to there, one piece to there, box to there, layout section in to position, etc. An odd bent tree and a small piece of fencing knocked off but I got further than I intended ... and the swear box was almost still empty !!! The layout hasn't been used for approx. 5 years since I last exhibited it at a Leeds show and modified the scenic 'corner' sections to make them more aesthetically pleasing when viewed by the public ... unfortunately one board now needs a lump to be cut out for it to fit around the vertical post at the far end ... which is why it's remained 'boxed' up ... but I have a plan. At least I should be able to get it runnable again if only for testing locos and stock. The other layout currently up in the loft is Hemyock Road but I haven't the space to put it up up there. This unfortunately got slightly damaged the last time that I exhibited it and needs some repairs. It fits nicely into my modelling room downstairs but is either then the wrong way around for operating or for viewing with the pointwork being operated by manual wire and switch type levers, these would be difficult to fit point motors to due to the layout's construction but maybe not impossible. At least one section will have to go back downstairs as Masbury's fiddle yard needs to come back up yet, so I shall see what's possible then. You'll notice an unsceniced end board attached to the main station board at the moment, this being an experiment to see if I can give this little layout 'multiple identities' (I still have Mark's dairy board) ... again ... a long over due bit of work that may or may not be successful. Back to work for the next 2 weeks, so that's as far as I'll get for the time being but at least it's now work in progress again. Regards, Ian.
  3. Thanks Dave and @bradfordbuffer, have now found the page by looking on my phone rather than my rather old tablet. Prices seem comparable with other gauges and pretty reasonable in my opinion. I'll have good study and think about future requirements but as ever in this scale I try to buy things when they are available rather than when I might need them and a comment in this months BRM has got the brain ticking again ... strangely in a kind of Sulzer fashion, Hmmm. Regards, Ian.
  4. Another satisfied customer here in West Yorkshire, I particularly liked the article on the West Highland Line in the previous issue. Hopefully others will also enjoy the new format, I've found myself picking it up more often over the course of the month, sometimes for just another casual scan, more than say either a dedicated modelling or factual magazine ... ie. it's kept my interest for longer. Regards, Ian.
  5. Not really a workbench question but with all this diesel activity on here at the moment it's got me thinking about a. What's already in my 3mm stash ... and b. What might be added to my 3mm stash. With this in mind and having just had a look at Lenny's Lincoln Locos site can I tentatively ask how you get hold of Lenny's 'Nearly RTR' locos or more importantly ... chassis, please ? I couldn't see any mention of them but have already bought a few steam outline bodies only from him. Looking forward to hopefully seeing Bluish and Lakebank at York this w/end. Regards, Ian.
  6. Just looking at the Model Rail exclusives page in Issue 324 and one of the Class 12 versions (MR-521)is actually of 15224 in green with that early emblem ... so Model Rail think that they appeared like that, a black / early emblem model is also on the cards. Sorry, that doesn't really help you with this particular photo. Regards, Ian.
  7. Superb Dave ! I'd been thinking that headcode boxes looked a tad large when viewing the earlier photos of them whilst just painted yellow but now that they have the black backgrounds and marker lights fitted they look just right .... glad I kept my mouth shut now ! LoL Have I mentioned that that looks superb ?? Regards, Ian.
  8. I thought the same regarding it being an undercoat as one of the photos that you posted a few pages back shows a lot more areas painted in this colour and also from behind the nameboard when it was removed (IIRC ?) Although wasn't the general colour scheme more of a brown and cream anyway in earlier times (50s/60s ?) or am I thinking of Arisaig ? Photo from Irishswissernie's album showing possible undercoat. Regards, Ian.
  9. Spot on Andy, I'd say, looks great ! Glad that you didn't think I was being too picky with my previous post. I've just 'discovered' that I can get pretty flat results with brush painting using Tamiya accrylics so have bought myself a small range of basic colours to see if I can mix some shades up and test myself rather than trying to use specific shade enamels which I've never really got on with. I'll be trying these out on a few more 3mm scale wagons first before tackling anything larger. Regards, Ian.
  10. Thanks for the Tamiya painting tips Phil and the kind words of encouragement from others; I'll attach a copy to my little note board next to the workbench as I can see that this method of painting certainly being adopted for wagons first before trying it on larger items is the way forward for me. I have a couple of air brushes but haven't used them for many years, preferring to spray with Halfords paints and found that I just couldn't get on with Railmatch brush painting, which is why I probably have a lot unfinished models. Hopefully back to finishing the fish van in a few days which may now end up in L&Y livery as it's not required to go behind an LMS Crab anymore. I'm really enjoying the work being currently done on this thread. Regards, Ian.
  11. Having (so far) failed in my attempt to finish the L&Y fish van in time for the Kingsbury meeting yesterday, mainly due to having been on nights all week, I had a very late brainwave as to what I could finish and enter in time in order to meet the competition rules of trains being made up from at least 2 group members work. With only Friday being of any sort of use to me (and that being limited due to Thurs night working) I next considered two 5 plank wagons that I have that were built and painted for my Masbury layout but are so far unlettered as they are to become Emborough Quarry wagons but this needs to be done using individual letters on an arc which I haven't gotten around to yet. Surely, I thought that I could finish these off with some pre-printed transfers of a more Northern persuassion to go behind Alan Smith's LMS Crab but alas I had to dismiss this idea as all of my transfers were for 7 plank wagons and just wouldn't fit ! A Thurs afternoon dogwalk brainwave though provided a solution ! Many years ago I had been given (or probably had to buy from Maurice Pilsworth !!) a trio of generally built but unpainted Slaters Coke wagons which I have struggled to find prototypes of in the format of the kits design and had so far only managed to spray them matt black in the last 15 years or so that I've had them. Anyway ... out came the paints when I got home at 8am Fri and a 1st rather weak coat of Railmatch Signal Red was applied before trying to get some much needed sleep. 3hrs later I was back up and downstairs only to find that the paint was unsurprising still tacky and really hadn't gone on very well at all ... b****r ... game over ... time for a cup of tea and an RM Web update. Reading the then latest posts by @Phil Mason unwittingly provided a last chance saloon, get out of jail card in his description of painting his Class 37 using Tamiya accrylics which "will be dry by the time I come out of the bathroom tonight" comment resulted in a quick dash down to my local model shop FMR and a small collection of said paints acquired. A quick blast with the hairdryer and the still tacky surface was almost dry to the touch so a 2nd coat of red using the accrylics was applied just before 6pm. The result was better but still not fantastic as the black was still showing in patches (not the end of the world as it's a coal wagon after all) but I decided a 3rd coat would be best after a bath and dropping the wife off at the pub. 3rd coat applied around 8pm and blasted with the hair dryer. Black strappings painted around 9pm, chassis given a weathering coat of a mixed reddy brown, hair dryer used in between, coupling mounts made and fitted having unblocked the super glue ! Transfers cut out and applied with water (haven't done this for years !) and managed to get them in position first attempt, not that this type can be moved once water is applied as I found out trying to adjust a single number and ruined and had to change but was pleased with the results. I'd managed to break a brake lever so this had to be repaired with solvent whilst I looked in vain for my can of Games Workshop spray varnish ... which is lurking somewhere in either room or in the attic room after my recent re-organisation but was nowhere to be found !! Panic ... look through my paint tins but no varnish ... Eureka moment when I spotted a small box of paints from Phil Kirtley's (Aireworth) left overs and found a very, very old tin of matt varnish which after a quick test was brushed on. Couplings super glued on at midnight ... and a hot toddy of whiskey and honey poured just as the wife arrived home. Bed for 1am and back up again very bleary eyed at 7am ... wagon was good to go but a little pristine so was given a quick overpaint with a very weak wash of black accrylic ... better but still not quite right. Broke out the powder paints and gave it a dusting of black which looked better than I'd dared hoped for and could have ruined it all together ... but didn't ... PHEW !!! Left for Kingsbury at 08.30 to collect Alan and the rest of our train entry which got us a joint 3rd which was nice and even I voted for the winning entry of a pre-grouping freight train from the Woking group which was fronted by a lovely SECR green painted and lined 0-6-0T which I thought deserved it. Anyway this last couple of weeks has been eventful but ultimately worth it as it's gotten me actually making things again instead of just buying and will hopefully see me reinstate Masbury back up to working order up in the loft this week where it's sat for the last 5 years or so in it's 'transportable' state since it's last exhibition outing. Sturminster Newton will just have to wait a bit longer to be built ! So all is good again in my 3mm world. Sorry for the ramble ... but to quote Vinnie Jones ... "It's been emotional !!" LoL. Regards, Ian ... who can't sleep !!
  12. Thanks for that Andy, I'm almost ready to start putting track down on a 'Mallaig Line' inspired N gauge layout which will feature one of the viaducts as it's main feature and whilst it will probably be Loch-nan-Uamh I still haven't ruled out changing this to either Morar (pre road bypass, Grrrrrr !) or Arnabol depending on which 'looks right' in the space and layout plan that I'm considering, so your video is very useful and timely to me, thanks for posting it. Regards, Ian.
  13. Have just picked up a copy of Model Rail on my way to work so my weekend's reading will mainly be of a 'Bluish' nature !!
  14. Superb photos, thankyou for sharing them with us, I'd never heard of the Austerity 'Monty' before. Quick question regarding the latest Bickershaw photos ... would sand being used on the left hand line be the reason for the difference in track colours ? Regards, Ian.
  15. Fish van update, I'm afraid that I've missed my goal of getting this project finished for next week's Kingsbury meeting as I haven't made the progress that I'd hoped for this weekend and a week full of night shifts has now curtailed any more work being done until after the event. I found that I had another 'rectification' to make when I realised that the buffer beams were too high on the ends of the van, this being down to my interpretation of where the end overlays should be positioned which I think I've got right going by the two drawings that I have but haven't been able to confirm from the two photos that I know of which partially show van ends. When the buffer beams are in there correct position there is a good 1mm gap between them and the end overlays into which I decided to solder a filling strip which looks Ok ... interestingly Alan Smith dug out his model and he had elected to position the end overlays lower down onto the top edge of the buffer beam, the 1mm 'space' at the top being mainly covered by the end vent but this gives uneven visible plank spacing on the end whereas I interpreted these planks to be evenly spaced from the drawings. Not really a major issue but it did use up some valable time whilst I decided how best to rectify it. I suspect that the end overlay etches should have been a mm longer ! What has really slowed me down was putting the small details on the sides, ie strapping, corner plates and door rails. It took me a long time to do the first side last weekend and so I deliberately saved this until I was in the right frame of mind this weekend ... however both the 'Ping Fairy' and the 'Carpet Monster' had other ideas and I now have 2 bits to either still find or remake ! These bits are definitely fiddly to get right and for some peculiar reason there are some shield shaped brackets that will stick in any position other than the correct one ! One of these is not right and so far has resisted all attempts to to be repositioned ... I'll have to break out the bigger iron !! Anyway, to cut a long story short what with this, the brake gear still to do, castings to fit, roof to cut, cleaning up, painting, lettering and varnishing still to do ... it ain't going to happen in time as realistically I only now have next Friday evening available. Hey-ho. Having said all of this I'm enjoying making this kit and think that I will have a nice little model once finished. If anybody is going to the Kingsbury meeting next week please say hello, I will try to remember my name badge (Ian Evans.) Regards, Ian.
×
×
  • Create New...