Adam

Steady on Simon, ‘pre-publication information’? Goodness, some of us haven’t got over regular colour! Adam

Sorry to hear about the stroke, Rod, but glad that you're recovering well enough to resume work on this fascinating project. Adam

It's a compromise I wasn't happy to live with (much more noticeable then the steps, I think) and, as it happens, it's not that difficult. You an see that I added a 5 thou' overlay with superglue to represent the decking. The protruding headstock ends are something Geoff Kent did and where the master leads... I think I've done four now (spread over twenty years - my second ever plastic kit was one of these: it eventually fell apart and it's since been rebuilt. I knew how to pick 'em) and they get easier. Adam

Very nice, David - I've never bothered to replace the steps on mine, perhaps I should? I agree that the key bits of the Cambrian kit are usable, but there are improvements to make in some of the details. One thing, however, is that because Colin Parks designed the operators' platform to fit inside the solebars, the ends of the safety rail are too far away from the outer edge of the solebar. It should be right to the edge per this picture: https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brcatfishzev/e172cfd16 From what I remember of building a Mermaid, I abandoned the headstock/solebar locat

And here's the near finished SE&CR hopper, in the paintscheme that I guess the real thing would have ended its days. All the pictures I have of them in the BR period were taken before 1952 and show the vehicles in well-rusted Southern livery which is probably pushing it for something that lasted until after 1960. So all over black it is. The straw lettering isn't, as you'll observe, BR Gill Sans as I strongly suspect a repaint would have been performed outdoors at Broadclyst or Meldon and the signwriting on BR(S) service stock often looks a bit crude. So my way of approaching this comes fr

Not research, citation. The reference should be to the archive or publication where they were found. It's nothing to do with copyright (though images of archival material may be subject to copyright clearance and fees and material held at The National Archives is more complex than most in that respect: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/re-using-public-sector-information/uk-government-licensing-framework/crown-copyright/) just, if you like, good manners to other people interested in the same thing. You're quite right, I know almost nothing about Engine Recor

Right, after my slightly intemperate musings earlier - but really if using archival material you must cite the source - as this will help other researchers and allow them to check that what you say based on the sources is accurate. Ok, so that's a professional perspective, but it really does help. You might well find that what you're after is contained in the following archival references: TNA, RAIL 254/448 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4350291 TNA, RAIL 254/449 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4350292

It’s pretty amazing that such a relatively well-known source type has been so comprehensively unreferenced for literally decades that someone like @Stationmaster didn’t know where they might be found. Ok, so railway authors are well known among other historians (declaring an interest that’s my day job), for this, but I still find that amazing. They’ll be somewhere in the RAIL 254 series based on a quick search of the catalogue. I’ll play with the advanced search later. Adam PS - these cards are presumably the main source for the various Irwell Press series on

Interesting! I think we can discount any tramway connection - tram rail and wheels were quite different even away from street running. It’s likely to have been a catalogue item from one of the permanent way suppliers, TW Ward, Robert Hudson or someone of that ilk. The next road over appears to have concrete sleepers with a narrow section between pads and such items were not uncommon in industrial settings and were probably bought new, even if the rail wasn’t. Adam

The end is almost in sight! The last remaining detail parts will be a set of safety loops before moving on to reassembly and painting. So what's new? I've rebuilt the axleboxes (losing the nice moulded LNER lettering in the process), steps and some tiny door springs. Fiddly just about covers it, but I think it's worth it. Adam

Not quite like a Fruit D. As ever, there's a Paul Bartlett image (or two): https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/e5d113ae https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/e261ab53d Adam

Hi Jack, They're from Masokits - self assembly from flat etches - a bit tricky from New Zealand as Mike Clarke prefers to deal in Sterling cheques. There are ways around this, of course if you want to try them (you can DM me) and there are other sources of etched screw couplings (Rumney Models do some which are more adaptable but not quite such good value). Adam

Late last night I broke the back of perhaps the last really difficult job on this conversion, running the vac' pipe round the fixtures. I guess that its just about possible to modify a casting t do this, certainly at the platform end, but it you're going to make one, you may as well make both. The pipe is formed of several bits of 0.7mm brass wire, with fine electrical wire and bits of shim for detail and, in the case of the vac' cylinder end, to represent a join clearly visible of the real thing. This is much, much easier with a decent drawing as supplied in Southern Wagons volume

A little bit further - I've replaced the hopper supports at the outer end and the handrail stanchions to match. The vac' cylinder comes from an old Dapol Presflo that was started just before the Bachmann one turned up and needs plumbing in. The latter is no simple job as the pipe is in view above the solebar all the way along the wagon mostly without obvious means of support... Adam

I think you can probably make up 12 foot wheel base push rod brakes (the ‘Morton’ bit was the clutch which was patented: not common on 12’ web wagons*), from some of the etched in the AMBIS range, but that’d be an unholy fiddle. Guy Rixon has done the assemblies as a 3D print: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/guyrixon Not sure how easy it is getting things from Shapeways is right now, as I think they’re based in the EU, bu this is the only source I’m aware of. Adam * Some BR pipes had the clutch but I can’t think of any others. The RCH standard was the liftin