Jack374

A shed, sat in front of a bigger shed, awaiting the signal on Fordley… Thanks, Jack.

Thanks for the kind words chaps! Yesterday Cal came over to play trains, so I set the layout up again. What a difference 11 months and some blue paint makes! The first photo is a reminder of what it looked like last summer, since RMweb have lost the photos… To summarise, I’ve finished, filled and painted the backscenes (with help from my better half!), added and wired signals, added platform surface and road surface, and done slightly more on the bridge and buildings. The loader has been completely revamped, with a new design using a motor and offset load, thereby creating a vibrator (oo err!) which I’ve attached to a static chute. I’ll detail this and the wiring etc in a future post. Below are some vids, of the loader and some trains running, under Cal's control…… Lots more items added to the "to do" list, but I think I’ve got the mojo back to actually finish this b*gger…2024 will be its 10 year birthday…! I hope I’ve exhibited it before then… Thanks, Jack.

Not wanting to go too far OT… All my own pics…plenty of options to model! Regarding specific locos on 'other' workings (like shown above)…many people are happy to run them with anything. They’re not all sticklers for accuracy. Anyway, cobble together some MK1s or any other coaches really, stick a shiny modern mainline loco on the front, and you’ve got yourself a preserved working at a diesel gala…. Just seen this one on Flickr… Looks smart IMO. The new Wascosa wagons are ripe for the picking, as they’ll supplement/replace the Falcons, Tench, Coalfish and other such infrastructure wagons. Look how long those have been around…I saw a comment that some of the B_A steel bolsters are the oldest items of regular use rolling stock on the network… Thanks, Jack.

Today 66796 worked the first aviation fuel train from Grain Oil Terminal to Sinfin Sidings (Derby), supplying the Rolls-Royce jet engine test beds. I believe GBRf have taken the contract from Colas, who have supplied fuel from Grangemouth since circa-2011. Thanks, Jack.

After taking HM and other Royals from Windsor to Edinburgh overnight, I managed to see 67007 T&T 67006 work the ECS of the Royal Train back to base at Wolverton as 1Z60, through Grendon near Atherstone. Thanks, Jack.

At the end of the day, staff at DRS' Tighte End Yard depot head home, as 20303 whistles away amidst the lengthening shadows. This was actually taken at Blackburn exhibition in 2019, when fortunate positioning of the layout allowed some natural light to come through the high windows near the end of the show. Thanks, Jack.

There's been some 68 action of late through Derbyshire. 68016 was charged with the 6U77 Mountsorrel to Crewe bulk ballast yesterday - the first time a 'Cat' has been seen on this for a good few years I think. The working was double-headed today but I couldn't make it. Then today, the same 68 (016) was commandeered to go and rescue the 4E49 Daventry to Doncaster 'Tesco Express', after the usual 66 had developed square wheels and was failed at Daventry. Here it is at Stenson - again very very rare to see anything other than a shed on this: Thanks, Jack.

Bit of excitement today in Staffordshire/Derbyshire, as 37218 was summoned to work the 6G94/6D95/6K97 engineer's trips, after the (apparently) allocated 68 was drafted in to rescue a stricken Tesco intermodal. I saw the 6D95 and 6K97 at Stenson and Weston on Trent respectively: Thanks, Jack.

66731, in its special NHS livery and name commemorating Captain Sir Tom Moore, was rostered for today's engineer's circuit between Bescot and Toton, seen here at Barrow on Trent: Thanks, Jack.

Cheers Rich, was great to meet you too! Well, this is the last time you will read on these pages that university work has taken most of my spare time recently! Dissertation all but finished, all 14k words of it, and a week on Tuesday it’ll all be over…for good…it’s been a long 4 years. With that in mind, the past week or so I’ve been able to get some modelling done. At Ally Pally I realised I needed to get some projects which were half finished over the line, as well as sort out my DRS 37 fleet, most of which I couldn't run/exhibit. First loco chosen was 47813 in ROG with 'Thank you NHS' branding. I had prepped and painted the bodyshell fully in summer of 2020, but then shelved the project. For various reasons I decided to get the thing finished, so the excellent Railtec transfers were ordered and applied, with the ROG 'constellation' artwork and the NHS branding being applied in the same sitting to make sure they settled and dried together. The transfers went on well as usual: I also added the buffers, which I’d prepped previously. The shiny shanks were done with adhesive foil tape. The next project(s) are my DRS 37s. 37716 needed a bit of work and so did some of the others, so I’m getting them all to the same standard so I’ve got 4 (2x runners 2x 'dead') to play with. The bogies received attention first, starting with 37716. It sits on cast bogies, which are of the 'Deltic' type not the class 50 variety. Using Bachmann's most recent fabricated 6-wheel drive bogie moulding, the raised lip around the edge of the main frame was removed with a knife, then sanded to a slightly rounded profile on the corners, as per the prototype. A piece of plastic strip was added at the nose end too. The steps were removed and bulked out with plastic strip, then re-mounted using the original spigots which are long enough to fit. The brake cylinder lines were removed and a wire replacement fashioned from 0.3mm steel wire. On the real thing it has a couple of sections which bend outwards along the top of the frame, but after I did one this way I decided life was too short and did the rest straight along the top. Finally, some brass brackets from a PH Designs etch I had were glued in place and a speedo cable made from plastic strip and 0.3mm wire. Next job was to sort some snowploughs. These are a real mixed bag, mostly Bachmann, with one PH Designs set from 37716. All were prepped, with the set for 47813 requiring rebuilding with plastic pieces as I’d cut a hole in a set for Kadees, but this didn’t work. I decided to mount them using thin brass strip, bent at a right angle to roughly represent the actual mounting style of the centre section. I’d already added plastic strip mounts for 47813 so these will remain. One of 37716 ploughs will be removable, so the mount is made from 0.9mm steel wire - more on this later. They were primed and today sprayed yellow from a Halfords rattle can. Buffers will be replaced on 3 of the 4 37s, which means I need 6 'class 60-style' and 6 oval, since 37558 has a pair of each! I’ve used some of the resin castings I made of the Hattons 66 buffers, which were cleaned up and primed with the snowploughs. 4 in the picture will be for the next project, detailed below… Finally for this post, I bit the bullet and bought a Bachmann class 90. Despite being for a future WCML layout, I decided to get one for sub-£150 while I could, considering new releases are now pushing £200! Despite the price tag, when mine arrived (from a well established retailer) the buffers and detail at one end had taken a pounding. As I was replacing it anyway, I didn’t ask for a replacement and received a meagre postage refund. However, having removed the detail and opened it up, I found both bogie mounts were snapped, which appears to be a common issue with the first batch. As I’d removed some bits I couldn’t send it back so had to keep it. So my solution to the bogie mounts was to make some from brass and attach with a wire split pin. In hindsight, I could’ve soldered a 2BA nut to the mount and used a bolt to secure, but my original method works well. I found a 1mm copper wire washer sufficient to sit the split pin level with the chassis floor. I’ll let the pictures explain. I’m glad the fix was straightforward and it means I’ll now not have to worry about the mounts breaking due to mishandling in future. I got 90037 in RFD triple grey, and have decided to portray one of the Freightliner grey fleet, with red triangle branding. This meant the RFD branding had to go, which thankfully came off using cheap white spirit, cotton buds, and a lot of elbow grease! Transfers arrived from Railtec today so I’ll add them soon. Thanks for reading and sticking with me! I’m enjoying these projects and the 'back to basics' detailing work which was lacking on the 222. More soon! Jack.

Ex-'Euro Shed' 66028 (with repainted EWS maroon cabsides) leads UK Railtours' 'The Powerful Pieman Panorama' tour ECS through Attenborough earlier today. The tour had run from Toton North Yard (where the shed was attached) via Doncaster to Nottingham and was headed for Toton TMD when I saw it, to detach the shed. The skips either end were 67016 & 67013. Thanks, Jack.

Today GBRf's 'Glory to Ukraine' 66708 could be found on the Bescot NDS circuit, so I popped to Stenson Jn this afternoon to see it top the 6G45 Toton North Yard to Bescot UES, with 66710 for company. Thanks, Jack.

A couple of celebs from the last few weeks - firstly 37418 propelling 'Caroline' through Willington heading to Crewe via Stoke. It ran this route again today for Revolution Trains' jolly... And DRS' 37425 'Sir Robert McAlpine/Concrete Bob' hauling a lengthy 25 container flats from Bescot to Mossend: Thanks, Jack.

Today the 6K97 Toton to Crewe engineer's produced a 'Cat', 68017 running light from Crewe to Toton, missing out Bescot as is usual. I saw it in nice evening light near Castle Donington: Thanks, Jack.

Speaking of Ally Pally, here are a few pics of some finished project which got a run out, that have featured in this thread. The container train was a bit temperamental on Saturday but had settled down by closing on Saturday. One issue was it was so long, my homemade magnetic couplings weren't strong enough and failed on the gradient on the front wagon! A couple of stronger pairs for the front few wagons are in development currently... Very good weekend Jack.

My model can’t look like all or any EMR Meridians…I’ve gone for a specific unit and not tried to represent the fleet generally. 222101 was the first of any Meridian to receive the purple ends and grey band variation of EMR, after 222104 received the full aubergine treatment. I photographed it on its first journey in its new vinyls, with clean body sides but weathered chassis (and roof). Below is the main photo, but I took a burst of all the coaches and all were spotless with little discernible sign of the former vinyls: Such is the way with the modern railway, that less than a year later, there was a pretty major alteration anyway! It’s since been replaced with an aubergine fairing. I'm not particularly fussed about it being uber-correct…it’s close enough for me, looks the part and represents the first time I saw it, nice a shiny, after it’s facelift. It ran superbly this weekend on DL - thankfully! Anyway, I’ve moved onto proper traction now…the workbench has no less than 1x 47 and 4x 37s on it currently! More on this later… Jack.

There were even more in stock boxes and on the layout, but it took Cal over half an hour at least to shunt them all together. The train left the yard at almost bang on 4:30 if I recall, so it’s a balancing act of having maximum load and minimum disruption to the great pack away operation at closing! All good fun, though! Jack.

Well...we're finally back. Day 2 of Ally Pally was another great day, in which most of the trains had settled down. We had a couple of upcoming new releases visit thanks to Cavalex and Accurascale, namely some lovely TEAs and HYAs/IIAs. Oh, and the Sunday afternoon specials didn't disappoint... Pictures below (if the site will allow them) and a link to my compilation video: Thanks, Jack.

A good first day was had today at BRM Ally Pally. The layout ran really well with only minor niggles after 2 years without an exhibition, and so did the stock bar a few teething troubles - mostly with my stock! The new board looks fantastic and the extra length is certainly noticeable, now allowing some monster trains. Looking forward to another busy and entertaining day tomorrow... Thanks, Jack.

Thanks Rich! I’m really excited to run the unit and operate Mick's layout for the weekend for the first time in 2 years. Feel free to say hi when you pop by! Regarding aerosols, I did actually start a thread with a view to it being a database for post-privatisation or D&E colours. There is a more established (if outdated) thread for older colours, but I didn’t find much in there of use. The link to my thread is below: The colour yellow I use is Rover Inca Yellow. It’s relatively golden-yellow and I feel quite a good match, however no colours matched from Halfords will be perfect. Below are some photos of yellow ends I’ve done with the spray can, including the 222 in my last post. Usual caveats apply regarding lighting, any varnish I may have put on (but tried to find pics without). I can’t recall which primers I sprayed it on but I assume red may give more warmth. I’d guess I usually used grey or white for the above photos. I've not tried to match EWS red yet…in another thread (copied into my thread) I found a recommendation of Ford Aporto Red, but haven’t seen any pictures or tested it. I'm of two minds with rattle cans now, as they are always really thick but give a superb ultra-gloss finish ready for transfers. The custom match purple for the 222 was particularly heavy and needed lots of rubbing down. I’ll most likely stick with the matches I’ve found (warning yellow, DB red, DRS/ROG blue) for future projects, as they look right and I’ve proven them. I’m more sceptical about matching new colours at £5.99 a can, when the specific colour exists from railway manufacturers. That’s why I’m not going to try and match EWS maroon and will use Phoenix and try adding some other colours for an upcoming couple of EWS projects. It’s personal preference I suppose! Hope that helps, if you’ve any questions let me know! Jack.

I was going to say, in order to cause a crash on the layout you have to have a controller in your hand! Or put the controller down on the track… After a 2 year gap, I think Saturday morning will be quite entertaining……looking forward to it! Live streams seem all the rage Mick, maybe set one up to show our exemplary operational skills? Jack.

Thanks very much for the kind comments guys…it’s been a long old job but I’m very happy with the result, and that it’s finally done! In the last couple of months I’ve had little time so have been preparing for next weekend's excursion to Ally Pally with the Deadmans Lane crew. I’ve weathered the Meridian on the roof and underframe with a quick airbrush mist of matt black (for exhausts) and Railmatch frame dirt. This was sealed in with brushed matt varnish. Other jobs have included sound fitting (well…swapping decoders!) and painting the wheel faces… I’ve also finished my Hattons EWS 66. I was waiting on a custom renumber set before weathering, however I had second thoughts, since 66207 has an odd cab door and is still in use in EWS livery today. So to hell with a renumber, I’d rather play with it as soon as possible! An airbrush weathering similar to the 222 was used… And that’s it I’m afraid. Other small but nonetheless important jobs have included repairs, usually involving bits which need gluing back on, or straightening grills or the odd dab of paint. All wheels have been cleaned, couplings checked, and sound levels increased to exhibition volume from 'small box room' volume! Seriously looking forward to my first exhibition in 2 years! If you’re attending then feel free to say hi, I’ll be behind Deadmans Lane for the most part, unless I’m hunting some food or being tempted by something expensive on a trader's stand… Thanks, Jack.

The week countdown has begun…must say I’m very excited to be back behind the layout at an expo after a 2-year gap! In preparation, I’ve finished the purple 222, which will make it’s debut (in finished form) next weekend. Come and see the Meridian on Deadmans Lane at The London Festival of Railway Modelling at Alexandra Palace, next Saturday and Sunday. Thanks, Jack.

A couple of lunchtime regulars through Barrow on Trent (south of Derby) on Thursday 10th...regular if DB can find enough tugs to deploy on the oil flows! Both pics are Flickr links. Firstly 60019 on a Kingbsury to Lindsey... Then DCR 60055 working Burton on Trent to Wembley: Thanks, Jack.

Cheers for the wave Jim! Quite a turnout at the 'usual' Barrow bridge (including a pole-user in my shot), but the road was closed leading up to it from my way so I had to settle for the next one along... Cheers, Jack.