thegreenhowards

Thanks Jonathan, I don’t think I’d lower myself to the GWR! So I’d better go the private owner route. I’ve never tried Powsides, but I think this might be a good excuse to try one. They have a bewildering range and only a very few seem to be suitable for a Slaters 7048, so finding a SE example suitable for our joint LNER/SR terminus will be a long job! I will need to sit down when I have a couple of hours to spare and go through their lists. How well do they flex to go over the detail on the side? Regards Andy

I’ve been sorting out some cheap wagons I bought at the SVR O gauge get together a few weeks back. I’m struggling to work out what to do with this one and I’m hoping one if the wagon experts out there could advise me. It was badly painted in a wagon brown colour with a black patch and white numbers but no company identification. I’ve stripped (most of) the paint off and the underlying wagon seems nicely built - the underframe is certainly nice and true and free running. I think it’s a Slaters 7048, RCH 1923 7 plank with side door which makes the £10 I paid for it good value! https://slatersplastikard.com/linePage.php?suffix=JPG&code=7048 I’m now trying to work out how to re-livery it to run on Smithfield, our club O gauge set in the 1920s. I’ve looked through my LNER wagon book and it seems that the LNER only built end door mineral wagons. So that is ruled out. Did the other big four built side door (no end end door) wagons? If not then I’ll have to go with a private owner version but that would be quite expensive in transfers which makes the wagon less of a bargain - call me a cheapskate if you like! Andy

Thanks for all the comments on how to renumber these. I’ve now done it with the fine paintbrush and heavy weathering method. I changed a ‘5’ to a ‘6’ and two ‘4’s to ‘1’s (which was much easier). The spacing at not be 100% on the latter but the numbers are much neater so that’s a compromise I’m prepared to accept! Andy

Looks great. Is she coming down for testing tonight?

I’m pleased to say that Smithfield is featured in the Gauge O Guild virtual show today. Entry is free. Just click on this link and scroll down for Smithfield. https://www.gaugeoguild.com/guildevents/doku.php?id=virtual2023:layouts Andy

I wondered if that was the source of your name. I’m a long term member of the MBA with my personal favourite being Bearnais in the Fisherfield Forest.

The spreadsheet will be very useful - thanks ‘billywhizz’ and Rob. A couple of suggestions from me. It would be worth having a column for window beading - that caught me out on 9016. Also Rob, have you got the buffet blanking colours the wrong way round on 9016/16? I thought 9015 was black and 9016 was white (possibly black at some point). Andy

Yes 7mm. I think that makes the brush approach slightly easier. That’s an idea. I think my lining pen should have the same effect, so I may try that as an alternative to the brush. Andy

Thanks to all who replied to me. I don’t really want to spend £25 on an HMRS transfer sheet for two numbers, so I’ll give the fine sable approach a go. I suspect that I’ll need to give it a heavy weathering to hide my none too subtle brushwork! I’ll report back when I’ve given it a go. Andy

Tony, Thanks for the masterclass on renumbering. I have a slightly more challenging proposition! Can you suggest any ideas for changing the identity of two of these wagons as I have three ‘8245’s? They’re Dapol 7mm wagons weathered by yours truly. Andy

Thanks Bill, we’ll have to commission you to write our backstory sheet! My version goes like this: “I like LNER and other club member like Southern/ LBSCR.” I’d like to be more sophisticated but we’d have to re-write a lot of history! It was good to see you. Operations got steadily better as the two days went by. We were quite good by Friday evening with young Alex on the fiddle yard. andy

Humbrol decalfix helps as well. Applied once the transfers are on and dry it creeps under the transfer and ‘sucks’ it onto the surface.

Rob’s 6-wheelers inevitably stole the show. I grabbed a few photos and a lot of video which will need editing. Here are a selection of photos…more to follow. Rob’s J69 on Howldens My A5 on the Howldens My C12 at the buffer stops on parcels stock. C12 departing on Howldens with the A5 alongside on the Quad Arts. And finally the A5 with LMS vans behind. Andy

Perfect - I withdraw my pedantry! In fact the main time trees which look this this are evident is on the edge on blocks where the neighbouring block has been felled, so spot on. The extra stumps make it more convincing.

Nice trees. Can I put a little pedantic and point out that they are ‘forest trees’. I.e. they are made to look like they have grown in a forest surrounded by other trees and have therefore lost their lower branches (through light starvation). If they were open grown like you have shown them they would have branches down to the ground (like the ones on the right). Primo do both sorts. These will be fine if you are planning on putting other trees in front, otherwise, I’d suggest they are moved back into the forest with some fully branched trees in the foreground. Sorry to be picky and feel free to ignore - I’m sure most people wouldn’t bother! Andy

I’d be interested to see pictures of your work in progress on the embankment.

I agree. As a forester I get quite upset at the pathetic size of some trees on some layouts. But as an O gauge modeller I get quite scared at the size of the trees I need! Having said that 100ft is quite large. I tend to harvest my spruce at age 30-40 when it is typically 20-30 metres tall. This is the maximum height, it will spend most of its life rather shorter. Certain prize trees do get to 150ft, but not much taller as they tend to blow down in our windy climate!

They look great Rob. I think they’re a good representation of what was there in your photos and about right in terms of scale. Andy

I think Fox do the best transfers for pre nationalisation coaches. Not cheap though!

I'll be at the Beckenham and West Wickham show tomorrow manning the Gauge O Guild stand. Do pop by and say hello if you're coming.

Thanks Rob, That's incredibly useful. My brain got a little confused, so I prepared a simple spreadsheet table with the variations. Hopefully I've got this right and the simplification will be useful to other people I'm relieved and amazed that all my 37s appear correct. The Heljan 37s generally come unnumbered and I chose 051 and 264 for my two 37/0s. Heljan seem to have chosen single rivetted for split box and welded for centre headcode, both with no cantrail strengtheners. This is logical I guess as the most numerous for each headcode box type. I have 37043 on order which should be correct, but was thinking of doing 26/27 or 81 next as they were very common when I was on the line. How easy would it be to add the cantrail strengthening or double rivet lines? I'm glad all the ETH ones are from the same batch, so need need to worry about swapping identities there. Did the 37/5, 37/6 and 37/8 variants keep their roof details when modified? Andy

Thanks, it remains to be seen how the exhibition boards stand up to being carted in and out of the garden!

Rob, I like the mods on ‘264, I did similar to my Heljan version. One thing I’m never sure about though, is the roof differences which you talk about between different batches. Could you show a picture of the different layouts? Thanks Andy

A Primo forest would look really impressive, but might dent the loco budget for an awful long time!

Graham, I enjoyed seeing HOTN again. Your sequence of trains through the ages is a great way of running such a layout - one I intend to follow when I get that far with my Glenfinnan layout. I really appreciate the well researched and put together formations which raise the layout above the norm. I found the show as a whole unpleasantly crowded. Between 1100 and 1400 on Sunday it was hard to move. But it was worth the effort as there were a lot of good layouts there. Andy