Shez

Pictures look great Sam. The layout and stock performed well all weekend.

Sam has been working on the bridge and having completed the scribing of the stonework brough it down last night. The second photo is looking towards the goods yard.

Number 648 has arrived in 1904 through a time warp having been rebuilt. She will have to deputize for the as yet unfinished Holmes goods at the exhibition. Meanwhile, a passenger still has to wait a week for a train to Berwick.

just one week to the show now so we had a test run yesterday afternoon.

Spent a morning working on the layout today. First time I had seen the completed water which looks fantastic. Completed the platform edging, and then went on to do the tops of the walls along the back of the platform. Have used DAS rolled into lengths and then (hopefully) secured with a bit of wood glue. The stone toppings were then scribed on. I have also been working on the grounded coach body. (There were actually two but some compression only allows one). Again, like the water tower its one of my "build it from scrap" projects as I have used the original test etch from Jamie Guest's North British six wheelers cut down to four wheel size. Just took it down today to check its going to fit in the space. I had an off cut of roof from a n NBR bogie coach and then it was just off cuts of plasticard, brass sheet and brass tube. for the details.

I Had meant to also load a photograph of the painted water tower in position on the layout. It just needs some more weathering now.

Had a morning at the club and got on with some further work on the platforms today. Almost got the edging completed but ran out of the edging blocks which I have made from stripwood, so I need to cut some more before I can finish. The wooden part of the platform is made from some very thin wooden sheets, which were then scribed with my craft knife to represent the planking. The wood came from the wonderful Calder Graphics in Huddersfield, always a great source of modelling materials. I used embossed plasticard for both the stone and brick sections. The platform surface was of crushed stone. According to the evidence I have read it was not "tarmaced" until world war one. I am planning to use either OO o N gauge ballast to represent this unless someone out there can suggest a better idea. In another development the branch loco and some of the coaches have been fitted with "Flippem" autocouplers , so we should be able to test this out on the layout once we decide where to put the magnets.

Finished construction of the water tower today. The last part was the tank filler on the end which had got me thinking a bit on how to go about it. In the end I used a piece of balsa as a former and used some scrap etch from a coach kit. I cut notches into the side so I could solder it on to the tank. I bit of heatshrink was found for the "bag". The whole thing comes apart for painting which will be the next job. Not so much scratch building as scrap building! Apart from the slaters brick sheet everything came out of my scrap box. I will bring it down to the club and make sure that there is enough clearance on the pipe for passing locos.

Looking at the picture I would say a class E. Later J31. Originally a Wheatley design, rebuilt by Holmes. The giveaway is that they retained the slab sided Wheatley tender with no coal rails as in picture. Quite a few had Westinghouse so they could run mixed. Berwick shed had no 195 so it could well be that loco. Almost identical to a class C In appearance excelpt the C had a Drummond tender.

Got some more work done on the water tank over the last few days as some appropriate bits and pieces appeared from the scrapbox. Firstly I built the water gauge from some pieces of scrap etch and wire from a loco I am building. As I couldn't get a close look on a photo I used a picture of a similar tower elsewhere on the NBR system. I then cut some plasticard to represent the planked over roof of the tank having soldered some bits of etch inside as a support. The scrap box also produced a couple of etched window frames which will be a good fit once I add some sills to the brickwork. I have just blue tacked these on for the picture. Next job is to add the pipe work, both for filling locos and the feeder pipe which was boxed in on the left side of the tank. I cant help feeling there should be a ladder somewhere, but I cant see any evidence of one on any of the photographs. Hope the rest of the team are happy with it so far. I have also started a Class C tender loco. This is a Holmes rebuild of a Drummond 0 6 0 with the curved cab roof. (Later J32) Although the is no direct evidence these worked on the branch I thought It would be a good loco to work a none fitted pick up goods in between the fitted mixed trains. They are very similar to the J31s that are known to have worked the branch.

Been making good progress with the water tower. The tank it self is constructed of scrap brass which was left over after building a couple of NBR bogie coaches, along with some brass wire soldered on and then filed flat for the beading. The basic structure of the brick base is made from laminates of slaters plasticard with the outer layer being embossed brick. With the basic structure complete its now on to detail both the base and the tank. Back to modelling now after a long break resulting form the house move and grandparent duty.

Hi Folks. Its been a while since I was on. Work on the new house and grandparent duties pretty much taking up all my time so the new workshop has had very little use in the last few months. I even skipped Guildex as I decided I have plenty to get on with for the moment. Any work I have got done relates to painting all the models I made in lockdown. I have not posted any pictures as I became quite disillusioned after all the pictures disappeared from this thread. (the NBR bogie coaches just need seats and glazing now. The J35 is being painted and lined, the Director is in primer.) I think that this particular thread may have run its course and therefore will sign it off by thanking everyone who has read it, and everyone who has given me so much help in completing my models. I hope that its initial intention of showing that you didn't need to be an expert to have a go at building kits has provided a bit of inspiration. I hope to get back to modelling regularly in October (once grandchild no 2 is safely here and the weather makes outside jobs difficult) I will post progress on the GOG website, so if you are on their you should be able to catch up on what I am up to. Any further posts on here will probably relate to threads on individual projects. Thanks form Shez, (or Mark if thats what you know me as !)

Will look out for you!

Thanks DOC! I am a NBR study group member. Is it on photos accessible from the website?

Getting on with a few small finishing off projects between jobs on the house. Just wondered if any of you will be at GOG Kettering on Saturday?

Had another look at the Roger Jermy book last night. States clearly that the water tower was on a brick base. I bow down to Sam once again! Seems that underneath was used as a store by the member of the Berwick shed staff who was stationed at Eyemouth in the early NBR days. The branch loco was stabled at Eyemouth overnight despite the lack of a shed or coaling stage.

I have now received the 3D printed bodies for the NBR open fish wagons which have been kindly drawn by Rob Pulham of this parish. They are nice and crisp in their detail and am now looking to source extra parts to make them up. The wagons were dual braked and were marshalled in passenger trains. As "passenger" vehicles they were painted in crimson rather the the usual grey with yellow lettering. While I am on a couple of requests for help if any one knows. I am continuing with the water tank, which as a none standard NBR building unlike the station is proving some what problematic. Sam and I have looked at loads of photos and cannot agree on the following. 1. Was the main part of the building brick or stone? ( I favour stone - Sam brick!) 2. was the top of the tank open or closed? One aerial photo seems to suggest closed, but I cant be 100% sure.

The video looks great Sam. Thanks. Nice to have 828 running so nicely. She is now completely finished with lamps, couplings and a crew being the finishing touches. Colm is now putting the DCC chip into my J21 for the option of operating the layout in the 1920s.

Feeling better, and some decent weather so have been able to get back in the shed and complete the bogies. The bogie comes in two parts which are then folded into an L shape. A two part spacer to make the bolster is attached on one side and then using slots and tabs you add the other. Sounds straightforward enough, but the the brass bogie size and end are really flimsy. Just cutting it out and cleaning it up are enough to pull it out of shape, so take lots of care with both operations. Peters instructions suggest adding the cast bogie side before you put them together to increase strength. Here was a case where I was rally glad of my temp controlled iron. I tinned the brass bogie side with 145 before I cut it out to prevent distortion. I then added the side with low melt. I was very relieved when the whole thing went together and ran smoothly. Repeat 3 times! The details were then added to the bogies. The brake gear, springs, footboards (which I fixed on with superglue on Peters suggestion) and axle box covers. With the bogies completed I attached to to the underframe of the all third and then added the body. I gave it a quick run through some reverse curves to make sure nothing was catching. I will do the same with the composite tomorrow. So a build that has been somewhat erratic due to the house move is approaching its final phase. I now need to spray the underframe and roof, but that needs to wait for better weather so the two coaches will go back in their boxes to wait for warm weather. Its then glazing, roof fittings, eats door handles buffers and lettering to finish off.

The compsosite underframes is completed and I made a start on the bogies. However a nasty cold has kept me out of the shed for the last few days so its been a case of getting on with stuff that can be done inside. I cut the roofs to size and drilled the holes for the gas lamps. I then decided to take advantage of the nice bright morning light to do some lining on the all third and so got one side completed. Used humbrol light buff number 7 in my bow pen. Always thinks that the NBR livery looks a bit garish at first so it will need to be toned down eventually with a matt varnish and some weathering powders as I have done on the six and four wheelers. Feel they are starting to come together now. Can I take this opportunity to wish all RM webbers especially the kit and scratchbuilders a Happy New Year. Here's hoping we have some events to meet up at.

In the last week or so I have got some more work done on the water tower. This is a very much in and amongst project as scrap etch from the Holmes coaches I am building comes available. One of the side plates is now attached. I have made the sides slightly narrower than they may have been to compensate for the fact that we have narrowed the site to make everything reachable, and feel the models footprint will fit nicely in the given space.

Finally got a couple of decent sessions in the workshop after Christmas festivities and have completed the underframe for the all third. A number of issues arose during the building and I am graceful to a poster on the GOG forum who is building a rake of these coaches for some guidance. The first job was to attach the step supports. These are good strong lost wax castings and provide a firm base. However when it then came to attaching the long footboards I noticed that the slots in them did not match up with the position of the supports and some careful filing of these long thin pieces was needed. ( the other poster did not encounter this problem so chances are its been rectified. What he did point out to me was the omission of the queenposts and turnbuckles from the written instructions, though they are shown in a photograph. Its important to get these in first before you tackle the gas cylinders as you wont have access to them otherwise. The locating recesses also seem to be at right angles to where they should be. Then the gas tanks. These are heavy whitemetal castings and gave me some trouble with the 4 wheel coach. I first folded up the brass support and tinned the whole thing with 145. I then used low melt solder to attach the tanks. Then I flooded the recess with flux and secured the support again using 145. The other builder decided to replace the whitemetal castings with his own version made from brass tube. A technique I used on the 6 wheelers built from Jamie Guest's original etches. The remaining westinghouse gear and lower footboards were then attached It was on re reading the instructions that I noticed I had missed the advice to construct the underframe with it bolted to the body to lessen any chance of distortion. It was therefore with some trepidation that I bolted the floor to the body. Fortunately everything appeared to have remained square. So its repeat the whole process for the composite next. Good to be finally back at the workbench and actually making something!

I have not seen this photograph either! Having a look at the middle coach of the passenger train between the two four wheel brakes. Is it another 4 wheeler or a six whee composite? I wonder if there are any more photos lurking out there. I would put it earlier than 1907 as 828 had been transfered away by then.

I have got some work done in the last couple of days on the water tank. Unlike the station building we do not have a drawing for this structure and the various photos don't give a complete picture. The resulting model therefore will be a bit impressionistic. Pity the NBR didn't replace it with a standard structure when they did the station building! I tend to like to build things out of a material not too far removed from the original, so I decided to use metal for the tank its self and am using offcuts of scrap brass and nickel silver left over from building loco kits. I have now finished the front plates. I used scrap etch and 188 solder to make the basic structure. I then made the beading by soldering short lengths of wire using 145 solder as shown in the picture below. Once in position this was then filed flat with a large flat file. The next job is to make the side plates using the same technique, and then bring the sub assemblies together.

Not quite as neat as before as had my first session this afternoon as I tried to remember which way round to hold the soldering iron. First project is to crack on with the water tank for the Eyemouth layout which I am making from scrap etch left over from loco and coach kits. Then probably the underframe for the Reid coaches. Jamie, when it comes to sheds I know I can never compete!