[Deadmans Lane. Showing off at DEMU Showcase - June 2024]

On 14/01/2024 at 11:03, ISW said:

Jack,

 

That's why I always 'resize' any photos before uploading to RMWeb. I keep the 'full-size' version at home. I resize down such that the larger dimension becomes 1080 pixels (in your case the height). Actually, anything over 720 pixels is probably perfectly okay for viewing in RMWeb.

 

This reduces a 3280x1476 mobile phone photo (~2mb) down to 2400x1080 (400kb), meaning I can upload more photos in a single posting without RMWeb 'complaining'.

 

Ian

Ian,

 

I do already resize my photos in Photoshop down to ~500kb, meaning I *should* be able to upload 20 photos. To check, I select those I want to upload in file explorer and they total less than 10mb, sometimes considerably less.

 

When I come to upload the photos, RMweb lets me upload around 10 before I get an error message. I know for sure the photos have not reached 10mb, as even the file sizes RMweb provides are circa 5mb in total.

 

I messaged Andy about this months ago but received no reply, so I am left with no option but to either upload less photos (boo) or post twice.

 

In any case, I upload full-res photos to the Deadmans Lane Facebook page instead:

 

https://www.facebook.com/DeadmansLane
 

Regards,

Jack.

[Class 66 photos]

Today 66192 was entrusted with a Royal duty…only a test run for 7 of the Royal Train coaches, but still probably the most glamorous job it has ever done! The working was 5Z25 Crewe to Wolverton CS after having set out as 5Z24 earlier this morning. Flickr and YouTube links below:
 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[How realistic are your models? Photo challenge.]

Here are a few shots of the refurbished Georgemas Junction at its debut show  (in its current form) at Blackburn this weekend. Originally built by the late George Woodcock, it has been recently extended and upgraded by Spike Taylor and team.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Georgemas Junction - the second coming]

A great second day at Blackburn - here are some more photos I took today...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Bryford County. Downsizing.]

BCT kept Mick occupied all weekend and looked a very versatile layout with lots of shunting possibilities. Here are some shots from today:

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Georgemas Junction - the second coming]

And some more due to the restrictive RMweb upload limit...

 

 

Oh...the layout was awarded with the Model Signal Engineering Trophy for Excellence in Signalling! It was also voted 2nd place in the public vote.

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Georgemas Junction - the second coming]

Day 1 of Georgemas V2.0's debut exhibition, and the layout ran very well! A credit to the effort put in by Spike, Mick, G, Lucas and the rest of the wider team over the last few months (years).

 

Below are a selection of photos. I'll take some more tomorrow.

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Phil Mc's workbench]

On 30/10/2023 at 07:44, Phil Mc said:

Don't suppose anyone has any info on what the inside of 977868 looks like ??

 

This is the best I have, taken at Preston one evening.

 

 

I did 977868 too, but couldn't be bothered doing the interior properly after fitting tinted Laserglaze!

 

Jack.

[Show us yours - Realistic modelling]

Here are a couple of photos of Deadmans Lane at Wakefield show this weekend just gone...

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Revolution goes nuclear - again!]

Newbryford and I assembled our 6 at Wakefield show this weekend for a delivery run, with suitable traction :)

 

 

A longer train of them looked great.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Cavalex - all new Class 56 in OO]

On 28/09/2023 at 20:29, newbryford said:

Thank you to Cavalex for loaning the  Colas and DC Rail sample locos for use on Deadmans Lane this weekend at Wakefield show

 

The class 56 performed faultlessly and sounded great all weekend!

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Deadmans Lane. Showing off at DEMU Showcase - June 2024]

...And some more due to the tiny photo upload limit 🙃

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Deadmans Lane. Showing off at DEMU Showcase - June 2024]

Great couple of days at Wakey. We had a few items of guest stock, featuring 56091 pre-prod sample courtesy of Cavalex, 69004 thanks to Chris Burnage, and 2x BR green class 20s & LSL crimson/cream railtour set created by Steve Moore.

 

Below are a selection of photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Class 37 Photos...]

2 hours ago, 6990WitherslackHall said:

I meant 3J51 (York-Scarborough-Hull-Scarborough-York)

With it being well-photted, just type your headcode into Flickr and sort by date uploaded…

 

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=3J51&sort=date-posted-desc

 

Jack.

[JTs mostly modern workbench]

On 13/09/2023 at 20:37, virginhst539 said:

Compressor housing built up for the side of the pug. Have used a section of the original handrail valance to find the end off. Hope to get it painted and fitted later this week.

 

 

Modelu driver has arrived as well so got that to paint up and fit.

 

If a anyone knows where I could get my hands on some oo gauge later style two lens wipacs let me know

I spoke to Brian Hanson from Shawplan at a show a few years ago and he supplied me with some laser cut plastic backs and lovely etched covers for the '  Oo' style as seen on DRS 66/4s, for example. If it’s the more modern ones as fitted to DBC 66s, I’ve not seen anyone produce those yet. I’m sure if you ping Brian an email he can help you.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Jack's Present Day Workbench - Coaches of Many Colours]

Cheers Jack!

 

Over the last week I’ve been on leave so have done a spurt of modelling before I go away for 4 weeks minimum. I decided to get the airbrush out as I had a nice queue of projects waiting to be finished.

 

My RHTT set has been waiting for weathering for a while. I showed how I faded the blue using washes of white applied with a brush, and to finish off it received a coating of frame dirt. I did this with the location of the spray in mind, as looking at the real thing a few days into the season shows some cleaner areas which are out of the spray direction. I’ve tried to replicate this and think the result is good for the very start of the RHTT season.

 

 

I also lightly coated my NR coaches, PFA and support coach underframe.

 

 

And to complete the airbrushing, 37407 and 37424 have been weathered. This started with brushing a dirty wash in the grilles and roof, and all over on 424 (which I’m portraying as dirtier than 407), then frame dirt sprayed on the underframe and roof. I made sure to mask off the side windows and windscreen-wiped areas first! Differing amounts of black were sprayed around the exhaust too.

 

 

Aside from covering stuff in grime, this week I received a lovely package from Revolution, containing a pair of FNA-Ds. Naturally, I set to work modifying them 😁 thankfully I only wanted to add a couple of individual touches - otherwise they’re stunning models. I replaced the tension locks with my homemade magnetic couplings, which allow the buffers to touch on the straight while still negotiating pointwork.

 

 

To run the models as empty, I cut some pieces of Tamiya masking tape to cover the warning placards, then coloured them black with Sharpie. This is only temporary before I weather them, to run a delivery trip with someone else’s wagons at Wakefield exhibition…. 👀

 

 

As I say, I doubt much will get done in the next few weeks so the next post might be of some stock on Fordley and/or Deadmans Lane.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Class 37 Photos...]

7 hours ago, newbryford said:

11 days after last seeing them, 37401/425 turn up again.

On the BLS charter Derby-Ribblehead.

I saw them near the start of 'The Garsdale Growler' tour, powering north through the Amber Valley out of Derby:

 

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Revolution goes nuclear - again!]

I also took delivery of my FNA-Ds recently…as Mick says, I also experienced very fast service by Rainbow Railways.

 

The models are stunning. The printing and livery application is superb and the wealth of separately fitted detail, even underneath, is first rate. I’m particularly impressed by the distributor pull handles which are very finely etched.

 

I've made two additions to my pair - firstly fitting a set of my homemade magnetic couplings. This allows the gap to be closed up, and thanks to the cam coupling, on the straight the buffers can almost touch, while still negotiating pointwork and curves.

 

 

Also, I added some pieces of Tamiya masking tape, coloured black using Sharpie, so it looks like the wagon is running empty. The low-tack masking tape hopefully won’t ruin the finely-printed placards over time, should I want to remove the tape in future.

 

 

This is a fantastic model by the Revolution team, and for a very attractive price too.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[RAILS/Dapol New Class 88 in OO]

6 hours ago, newbryford said:

Cabside logo is the most obvious.

And finger trap warning stickers on each door, but these are the only two differences I can see.

 

Some Flickr links:

 

 

 

From the Dapol artwork it appears 001 is the only one without the stickers.

Thanks,

Jack,

[When the real thing looks like a model]

Nice weathering, nice lighting, but clearly a shot in the owner's fiddleyard! I like that they’ve modelled the crane with legs outstretched and jib up, mind.
 

 

(Flickr link)

Thanks,

Jack.

[Jack's Present Day Workbench - Coaches of Many Colours]

Over the last few weeks, modelling has provided a nice distraction from train driver rules, as well as cycling in the nice weather.

 

I’ve now finished the NR coaches. This included fitting light boards made from copperclad and 0603 LEDs, simply wired up to the front/rear light outputs on a Train O Matic function only decoder.

 

 

The lights are powered from the pickups on both coaches, with a homemade coupling between the two. This is a 4mm round magnet encased in plastic strip, with two strips of adhesive copper tape over the magnet - insulated from shorting on the magnet face with insulation tape. Wires soldered to this are routed into each coach.

 

 

Once I’d reassembled the coaches, I decided I’d try and sort the gap between the coach corridor connectors. I used the tried and tested method of black card folded and cut to form a concertina assembly, which looks a lot better than the originals.

 

 

To round off, here is the train so far. I’ve got a generator coach to finish as well which will complete the set.

 

 

Onto something completely different (but another colour of coach), I’ve also signed off my 2x DRS MK2a escort coaches. These are the original Model Rail Bachmann releases, which I’d already weathered, and added a tail lamp to one. However, a few years back I decided to update them to post-2014 condition, with black roofs and no curtains in the windows. The roof was an easy mod, but I thought I could use white spirit on the printed window curtains. That went badly, but not as badly as trying to remove the ridiculously strong glazing glue, which broke most of the windows.

 

Thanks to @newbryford's kind donation of some replacement glazing, all I had to do was paint the window frames blue:

 

 

Also while I was at it, I replaced the battery-operated tail lamp with a track-powered arrangement, powered from DCC Concepts wheels. These I first painted up, then mounted with a switch to turn off the lamp if required. Each bogie only picks up one rail on both axles, thus requiring one wire per bogie.

 

The track power was fed to a bridge rectifier (4x diodes) and smoothing capacitor, with a suitable resistor (660 Ohm) added. The cap has the dual effect of smoothing the supply from the bridge rectifier, but being 330uF it has enough power to act as a stay alive.

 

 

The setup fits well in the guard's compartment:

 

 

To finish, I’ve attempted to represent to mirrored window film added to the coach windows, done with aluminium tape on card and glued in place. This final touch adds to the mystery surrounding these coaches and those who travel on them!

 

 

Next projects to be finished will be the large logo 37s and Duchess' support coach I hope, depending how much time and mojo I can find!

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[When the real thing looks like a model]

Found on Flickr:

 

Subtle weathering on the Hornby 50s, but they need to weather the track in the yard!

 

Jack.

[Jack's Present Day Workbench - Coaches of Many Colours]

Thanks for the support Jack and Jo 🙂

 

The last couple of weeks I’ve managed a bit more on the support coach for Duchess of Sutherland. Cosmetically, both ends have had details removed (such as steps and roof boards) with a sharp craft knife, and both ends have been painted black.

 

 

Underneath, I’ve added steps and the LPG cupboard. The battery box on the LPG side was cut off and repositioned, working from prototype pics. New components were painted matt black, and step edges and tyres painted white, again working from images of the real thing.

 

 

Electrically, I added 2 pickup wires in the tender, simply soldered to the tender pickups atop the chassis and fed through two holes, terminated at a 2-pin plug. The socket on the coach chassis can be seen in the above pic, bottom left.

 

 

Inside the coach, I mounted a 25mm square 'megabass' speaker from Roads and Rails as close to the tender as possible. The edges had to be filed to a chamfer to allow the body to seat properly. This is fed from a Hornby TTS Princess Coronation decoder. I removed the class 150 circuitry and added an 8-pin socket, with connections for the motor, pickups and tender pickups/2-pin plug. The switch visible is simply to cut sound to the speaker, should I ever want to push anything other the the Duchess!

 

 

The weights strapped to the chassis are visible above. I’m not sure it needs it, but this now brings the weight up to 576g - heavier than an old tooling Bachmann 37 and certainly the heaviest item of coaching stock I know of! This should be more than enough to shift 11 coaches and push the free-rolling kettle!

 

 

This is as far as I can take the support coach now, until I receive the transfers from Railtec.

 

The Network Rail RTOV has had cab windows added, cut from 1mm clear styrene sheet.

 

 

And Stenson Models disc brake etches have been added to all the wheels:

 

 

Next for this coach is fitting the light board, then I need to sort out a coupling. I’m currently experimenting with magnets…and I've decided the RTOV needs pickup power from the TSO as well…I’ll hopefully have a solution in the next post.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[EWS60065's Modern-ish Wagon Projects (Weathering, Modifying, Scratchbuilds)]

Funnily enough I’m in a strikingly similar position regarding the super tench! I had a Hornby representation of the FFA/FGA and added headstocks and new wheels, and made a bed (with weights) and started to build up the sides, then lost interest and it’s sat in a drawer since.

 

I’ve done this with a few projects - my idea of which models I want and what I want to spend time on changes (sometimes daily), so there’s no harm in shelving projects for a rainy day. I'll probably finish the FJA, one day, when I’m at a loose end with projects.

 

So I’d suggest you maybe shelve it for now, and do a bit whenever you find the urge to. It doesn’t have to be reworked in one sitting, or even one year! But eventually you’ll have a model that represents your ambition and skills at a particular point in time.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[When the real thing looks like a model]

I must hand it to the modeller - the weathering on the forthcoming Rails of Sheffield exclusive 'Syphon' is sublime. However, they need to sort out the lighting rig, and I feel the static grass is a bit too widespread. 😁

 

Thanks,
Jack.