LBSCRAlex

Thank you. I'm not sure what the wagon is supposed to be now! Was going to be turned out in G&SWR grey but now when I look at the axleboxes, they remind me more of the earlier LB&SCR open wagons. It certainly is profane... and definitely not for the purist. However I am likely to drape a tarpaulin over the top, hiding most of the body and only showing the underframe and some straps/ironwork detail...

Regrettably, I have not been blogging as much despite having several projects on the go. To keep followers interested I have provided photos of what I currently have on the workbench. Starting with a non-rail vehicle: an Aveling & Porter steam roller from an old 1/72 scale Hales plastic kit. I built this in my late teens; I was satisfied at the time but I could definitely build one to a better standard now. I am slowly improving the model where possible without causing permanent damage. I started by repainting the company name on both sides of the canopy (a fictional company with my name). Above is the new attempt, below the original. Painted by hand with a 10/0 brush. The next photo shows two current wagon projects; an LSWR covered goods wagon from a Cambrian kit, and a kitbash 5-plank open wagon. The latter comprises of spare ends from the LBSC Hi-Bar kit, a Ratio LNWR 9ft underframe and scratch built side panels from 30 thou plasticard, planks scored with an Olfa blade and finished with ironwork from Alan Gibson and Mainly Trains. The wheels and bearings were from a Ratio Iron Mink van that I bought second hand, sold as new but was incomplete. Fortunately, I ended up getting a full refund and got to keep the item! The bearings were a little large for the original W iron holes to accommodate. After reaming these out I accidentally created splits in the W irons. Fortunately, a touch of glue and the addition of the axleboxes/springs covered up this mistake. Since then, I have bought another Iron Mink van kit (a complete one this time) and the next photo shows its components (and those of a second LBSC wagon) being left to dry after soaking and scrubbing in a sink of water and soda crystals to remove any surface grease/deposits that may hinder glue/paint adhesion. The Mink will become an LSWR gunpowder van. The SE&CR Lowmac has been coated with Halfords Grey Primer. I have made some last-minute amendments to the rivet strips before painting, filling in gaps with Deluxe Materials "Perfect Plastic Putty".

Many thanks. Admittedly, I did not form them myself (although I should do next time) - they are jackstay eyebolts by a company called Amati Models (code 4703). I bought my pack from Squires Model & Craft Tools in Bognor Regis (my local model shop) but unsure where else in the UK sells them. I believe they are brass but the copper/rose gold tint could suggest otherwise. I've checked one with my calliper and it is about 20 thou (0.5mm), about the same as the brass wire Slaters supply which could be used to shape the same way. Hope this helps.

The buffer beams were cut from 80thou (2mm) plasticard; the thickest available and consequently the hardest to cut. I found that they were too small to "score and snap", so I ended up scoring with a scriber and gradually cut the beams out with my trusty Stanley knife (with a fresh blade, of course). The holes for the buffers were drilled out, increasing the bit size each time until I reached 2mm. From then on, I reamed the holes with a diamond needle file until I reached the desired size. The buffers are of the Caledonian Railway 3-bolt self-contained type (courtesy of 51L) - slightly larger stocks than the SECR prototype but have the right character. They were fixed with Deluxe Materials Rocket Rapid cyano glue. The covers(?) for the buffer stocks were cut from 10thou (0.25mm) plasticard. The top plates were rounded at the corners with the black surface on a nail file and fixed with Plastic Magic adhesive. Finally, the rivet strips, Smiths coupling hooks and brackets were fixed with the same cyano glue as the buffers. This was very small and fiddly work - would have been far more difficult without my magnifying lamp!

I always wanted a Lowmac-type wagon to form part of my pre-grouping southern goods train. I began by flicking through my three "Illustrated History of Southern Wagons" books until I found two prototypes that closely resembled the Dapol kit; the SECR 15 Ton Implement Truck (SR "Well C" Diagram 1679) and the LSWR 12 Ton Low Machine Truck (SR "Well A" Diagram 1673). Having checked the components with the drawings of both wagons, I decided to base my model on the 1903-built SECR vehicle. Before assembly, I reprofiled the main frames to a rounded shape by clamping them back-to-back in a vice and filing by hand. I knew this profile would be too large, but good enough to satisfy me. Straight out of the packaging, the major components were relatively straight; only one frame was slightly bowed by easily fixed with warm water/weight on flat surface treatment. I use either a large pane of glass or a granite chopping board for ensuring flatness. As usual, the sprues on top of the frames had to be filed flat before they could be married to the bed. Using a miniature square and the human eye, I made sure that the frames were perpendicular to the underside of the bed and correctly spaced for the wheels to turn freely (apologies for not photographing this). I used Gibson 10.5mm 10 spoke Lowmac wheels with Markits top hat bearings. Next, I decided to focus on detailing the underframe. Firstly, I applied rivet strips from Mainly Trains and (later) smaller fittings from Gibson. I decided to go to the next level and add separate shackles. These will have fine chain attached to them when the vehicle is complete and ready for the load to be added. The next challenge: The buffer beams.

Many thanks for your comment Gary! The lining was a painful process but worth all the effort Which livery is your SECR one going to be in? Fully lined green or grey? Alex

So here it is... The completed transformation of my Hornby/Dapol terrier from BR 32670 to LSWR 734! The lining did take around 2-3 months on and off, though it was definitely worth the effort. The most difficult parts were around the cab and the front splashers, though all of the lined areas were a challenge as I had to cut and align my own corners as the HMRS LNER lining transfers did not include square corners. On the Hornby model, the number of the locomotive was applied to the back of the bunker. As I could not find any photographic evidence of this on 734, I decided to avoid doing it. The locomotive was sealed with Humbrol Satin Varnish (aerosol), which has left a very satisfying finish on the model, with no bulges or defects left in the paint. There are some slight brush marks on the model, but I still achieved a good finish for hand painting standards. The locomotive was finished off with RT Models chain-link couplings, which although not the most authentic were very good value for money. Would very much like to hear your opinions/thoughts in the comment section

Continuing from where I last left off, I replaced the badly damaged plastic cab handrails with cut-down sewing pins, which give a nice silver/chrome appearence, making a change from the all-painted parts on the model. They are also much finer than the plastic ones, giving the model a more finescale look. The final modification to be made was the larger toolbox on the back of the cab, which was too small in comparison to the drawings. I made this around the original toolbox on the model using Platicard and some filler to smoothen the surface afterward. The cab handrails and buffer heads were masked off prior to primer coating as I wanted to retain the chrome finish on them. After the primer had been applied and left to fully set, I began work on the rather elaborate livery; LSWR green with purple borders and black/white lining. I decided to use Tamiya masking tape for the borders to achieve a straight/smooth transition between the two colours.

Many thanks for your feedback... I've seen your lovely model of 735 before and was hugely inspired by it! I will probably model 735 with complete push-pull gear for my next terrier project. I would have done so with this one, but I just couldn't find the correct components at the time.

I'll create an entry showing my terrier collection sometime soon. Many thanks.

I'll be dividing this topic into about 3 or 4 separate parts to make life easier... Following on from my previous entry, I had a go at using Humbrol Model Filler for the first time in areas affected by glue damage and for the hole where the old dome was placed. I was initially on the lookout for a slightly wider dome which would be more to scale with the prototype one, though I was not successful. Instead, I decided to further butcher a scrap yard terrier bodyshell I had lying around and pinched the dome from there (take a guess as to which one it was from). As some of you may know already, the two terriers sold to the LSWR retained their A1 guises, with modifications being added later. The A1 Terriers are distinguished by the "wings" located at the front of the smokebox, which I cut out of thin plasticard (about 0.6mm thick) using 4mm scale drawings of the original as a reference. To achieve a flush finish with the new smokebox face, I decided to cut away the back of the smokebox door and file away the excess. In addition, I filed off the BR number plate moulded on the front, as well as the moulded door handles to replace them with seperate brass ones. Later on, I cut the spectacle rails from the rear cab windows and fitted sprung buffers from a Hornby T9 on to a new bufferbeam cut out of the same plasticard used for the smokebox.

Around October 2016, I purchased a Hornby Terrier in BR black No. 32670 for a low price of £25. I currently own about 23 Terriers in OO gauge, which are in either pristine, unmodified condition or repainted/customised to resemble more uncommon liveries. Upon bringing the locomotive home for further inspection, I found that it had been badly caked with an adhesive which reacted to the plastic on the bodyshell, thus melting it away. These glue patches were found on the cab floor (where a driver/fireman was glued down), on the bottom of the cab side panels (ruining the hand rails), and on the top of one of the tanks, where a lamp was glued. Although the chassis was running, the blackened colour on the wheel tyres seemed to have been filed away (deliberate or not, I don't know), so they appeared in a more gold colour, which looked both unrealistic and horrid! The motor was also very dirty and covered in a mixture of dust and shards of wheel tyre plating. Because of its poor condition, I decided to give the locomotive a complete makeover using some new techniques I had not previously applied to my other Terrier projects. Despite owning over 20 Terriers in OO, I had not yet purchased or modelled either of the two Terriers sold to the LSWR. I was not happy with the overall appearance of the Hornby Collector's Club Terrier "735" in LSWR green livery and thought that the unpainted details made the model look like a sloppy attempt. In short: the plan was to restore this model cosmetically but recreate a livery which (in my view) would be a better attempt by that done by the bigger brand. To further differ my version from the Hornby one, I chose to number the locomotive "734" (originally LB&SCR 46 "Newington"), which was later sold to the Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway (FYN) on the Isle of Wight and is now preserved there. I kicked off by stripping the bodyshell free of all detachable parts, which would give me easier access to places which would need filing and/or filling, particularly the glue spots. One of the footsteps also had to be reinforced with a small strip of plasticard it was coming loose from the bottom of the running board. I also decided to remove the dome as I planned to relocate it further back to make it more accurate to the prototype. The same would be applied to the tank filler caps.

Very Nice!

Here is a K's terrier I bought 4 months ago, It is built to a very high standard with all of the original parts included in the kit, Runs nicely too. In detail: The locomotive is No. 54 Waddon in its SR Maunsell black livery numbered 680s.