Johnserle

Hello Andrew. Yes I have been building 4 x O gauge 'Gresley Coaches' to go with the 'Flying Scotsman. They are constructed from Kemilway Etched kits and are very labour intensive. What are you planning with your o gauge purchases?. Space is a problem with this gauge. Some of my neighbours have garden railways!!

Here are a few new pictures from the layout. 1. No.5 with a load from the quarry 2.Clevedon backdrop with Curzon Cinema, Old School House (now library), St. Marys church etc. Attempt to show some 3d but on a flat board. ​3.Locos Weston, Clevedon and Portishead in the sheds. ​4.Locs WC&P out on the track ​5.Loosening up the coal on the dump. ​6.Coffee outside the waiting room 7.WC&P locos plus Walton Park and Hesperus ​8.Waiting for the milk train to arrive.

Here are the finished ex LSWR coaches, nos. 15, 16, 17 together with a photograph of the originals together at Clevedon on 13th July 1935. The construction using the plasticard method was tedious, along with the lettering due to the word "second" appearing sixteen times. Each letter had to be individually applied. The individual steps were also a chore but use was made of 1/8" brass angles, clamped back to back and cut with a razor saw at 10mm angled increments. The angles were then separated and taped to the work surface and the steps soldered into the razor saw slots. Each set of steps was then cut from the length below the 3rd step and soldered to the footboard.

Here is my offering for ex LSWR no15. The coach body is made from plastikard using the method outlined in David Jenkinson's book. Cutting out the panel layer in .01 plastikard is a bit tedious but the results are ok I think. The chassis is scratch build from brass sheet with added axle box white metal castings.The other picture shows the completed scratch built model of 'Clevedon'. Does anyone know if the coach buffer beams should be painted red or left black as in my model? John

Thanks Andrew. I have the book and the photograph of no.17 and I have the photograph of the 3 coaches from page 39 of Peter Strange's book. I guess nos 15 and 17 were the modified LSWR 24ft saloons of 1869 mentioned in G.Weddel's book for which there are no drawings.? No 16 looks like a 28ft ex.LSWR 3rd class modified to all second class (5 door). regards, John

Thanks for the info. I believe 2 of the coaches were rebuilt 24ft carriages(1889) from 1869 LSWR saloons. The 3rd coach (no.16) was an ex LSWR 28ft all 2nd class (5 compartment) but is probably the same as ex LSWR block set of 1879 3rd class.(Ref.G.R.Weddel vol.1 page 90). Let me know if you have etchings for no.16 , thanks, John

Finally got around to building the Dubs 2-4-0 "CLEVEDON". This was another 'scratch build' due to the unavailability of a kit. Here are a few pictures before painting. The body is complete, the valve gear, brakes, guard irons have to be added to the chassis. Nameplates are on order from 'narrow planet'. Next major project will be the scratch building of 3 ex LSWR coaches which ran on the WC & P. I was able to locate a copy of Gordon Weddell's superb book on LSWR carriages vol. 1 .the drawings and photographs are invaluable.

Spent a few days away from the rolling stock building the station building. Just about fits on to the baseboard. I will need to extend it if I want to add the level crossing etc. I have included a few pictures of the stock to date. Not looking forward to building the four or five feet of 6 wire railing between the platform and the end of the baseboard. The section next to the station building worked out ok but was only 16 in long. It was accomplished by stacking 6 x 2.5mm wide strips of thin bass wood in the toolmakers vice and drilling a row of 6 x 0.02 in holes using the pillar drill. The stacks were held together with masking tape to enable the stack to be fed onto the 6 x 0.02 in music wires. The station building roof was made by carefully removing the backing from corrugated cardboard of the appropriate size and forming to shape. John

Thanks Andrew. Some interesting footage there including a glimpse of the sheds at a Clevedon and the locomotive Hesperus.I was in Clevedon in June around by the Morrisons supermarket trying to get photos of the skyline for a backdrop. Not very successfull with the view being blocked by many new buildings. Shame! John

Here are a few pictures of the latest rolling stock additions to the layout. Walton park was virtually scratch built . The ex Taff Vale coach no.18 , as yet unnumbered and lettered was kit bashed from 'Branchlines' etchings. The second Terrier named 'Portishead' has also been completed. The reason for the delay in progress was the ebay purchase of an unfinished Hachette Flying Scotsman project which has now been completed.

Thanks Jim, I would appreciate you sending me that info. For future reference, regards, John

Here are a few stock pictures. A pair of ex Metropolitan Jubilee coaches which became WC & P nos. 8 and 13. Ex LBSC Terrier, WC&P no.4, Manning Wardle no 5, Sharp Stewart Hesperus and a view of the end balcony of the pair of bogie coaches.

Thanks Michael for providing that clip. I have only got 'Somerset's Lost Railway' by 1st take.