2996 Victor

Thanks again, BeRTIe, that's brilliant! I'm most embarrassed - I've got the Southern Wagons books, but I obviously missed the entry on clay wagons when I looked through it 🤦‍♂️ I need to look again. Properly! I'll search out the Irwell book as well: that sounds very interesting. Thanks again! 😃 Mark

Thanks Keith! The link is great, fab photos although later than I'm looking at. Great atmosphere and details, though. Interesting about Fowey, that's the sort of info I need. The GWR carried "ordinary" clay loose in its special wagons; as I understand it, the casked clay was top quality that couldn't be stained during carriage. I'm wondering what the LSWR/SR did for carrying the ordinary clay, or was Wenford clay top notch only? Cheers, Mark

Thanks, BeRTIe, that's great to know. I've got a copy in my Ebay watch list, so that'll be a purchase come payday! Cheers, Mark

Dear All, Can anyone advise how China Clay was transported from the Wenford Bridge clay dries in pre-War days? Did the Southern Railway (and LSWR before it) have specialist wagons like the GWR? I can find no reference in Bixley et al. Or was the clay carried in casks or just sacks in standard open wagons? Thanks for any help or advice with references. Cheers, Mark

Brilliant, Paul, thank you! I for one am looking forward to going through the thread again from the start. Cheers, Mark

Perhaps if you posted a copy of the photograph with the car, the make and model could be identified and could narrow the search period? Cheers, Mark

Ah, confession time 😊 The 009 layout is on Britmodeller here: Yeoman's Wharf and the EM ones are on Western Thunder here: Newton Lane and here: Great Bunbury I'm embarrassed to say I've never got around to putting threads on RMWeb. All the best, Mark

Hi Mikkel, Thanks :) I'm sure it's just a temporary glitch! I've got three micros on the go at the moment, one 009, two EM. I should have sufficient materials for landscape and buildings and also track to keep me busy for a while :) And there are always the new ideas that keep popping up that can be refined on paper :) All the best, Mark

Many thanks - I'm sure it'll only be a short hiatus! It is what it is, and I'm sure there'll be a silver lining just as you say! I think you're absolutely right - it's very easy to expect big outfit service from a one-man-band. I too was in business by myself for some years, but it became overwhelming without being rewarding, so it was back to the desk job. I do hope Peter will be able to continue, and as you suggest as soon as I can I'll contact him again. Looking forward to seeing your O Gauge build! All the best, Mark

Two fab layouts, great to see a bit of operational action on them - thank you for sharing! All the best, Mark

Hi @hayfield, thanks for the update - that's very good news indeed! The etchings do look very nice - hope there'll be build threads in due course!? I'll keep hoping for a reply to my email but I won't be following up, at least not yet, as I've since been made redundant. Them's the breaks! Thanks again and best regards, Mark

On my "to try" list! 😊

I've got some DAS recently as I want to try out Chris Nevard's cinder ballast method, but I do want to give it ago on buildings, too. I only started using filler/PVA as that's what I had to hand: it worked pretty well and it's nice and cheap, too 😆 The windows in the engine house look fantastic, it's shaping up to be a stunning building and I'm looking forward to seeing it finished! All the best, Mark

I used the same method as Jay - steel rule (or setsquare) and a scriber. The "courses" were scribed in first, then the individual stones scribed off, staggering joints as per the real thing. I used a stiff toothbrush to scrub the setts which helped round them off a bit, and painted with acrylics. They still need a bit of blending and toning down! Cheers, Mark

Fantastic work! I've never tried scribing DAS clay, although I use a household DIY filler/PVA mix which works well. Its laborious, but actually very satisfying (at least, I think so!) although I imagine a flat surface is relatively easy compared with a building: The vertical wall is Wills sheet, of course, but the cap stones and setts are scribed filler/PVA. Apologies @JustinDean for the thread hijack! All the best, Mark

An absolutely stunning locomotive, and the multi-media construction is an inspiration. Thank you for sharing! Cheers, Mark

Me again - sorry! I'm sure I saw the word "kip" mentioned in connection with the incline gradient, but cannot now find the post in question. Could you possibly explain what a "kip" is, please? Many thanks! Mark

Ah, work! The curse of the modelling (and drinking) classes! Seriously, though, family time comes first by a country mile, and I hope the new job is going well, too! Glad to hear the layout is alive and well and that you're hoping to move on to the scenery. Don't worry about the photos, it happens, and hopefully they will be restored anyway..... And don't be pressured by your club chairman 😁 Looking forward to following your progress in due course. All the best, Mark

Hi @Zunnan, I've been following this thread on-and-off for a while, and just had another skim through. Have you made any more progress? Also, and I know this will a royal PITA, but is there any chance of the photos being restored? I seem to recall they were fairly spectacular! All the best, Mark

Just caught up with this thread. How wonderful to see this classic layout saved and being given a new lease of life. I'm very interested in the interlaced sleepering on the new points - was that something that the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire did? I presume that it's remaining part of the S&MLR? Thanks for the updates and great pictures, please keep them coming! All the best, Mark

I also meant to add that my wagons are usually spray painted with Tamiya rattle cans. In this case, for pre-1899 I settled on AS-10 Ocean Grey (RAF) and for post-1899 on AS-2 Light Gray (IJN), with ironwork picked out by hand in XF-84 Dark Iron.

Looking back through my notes, I think it was Alan @Quarryscapes that sent me his spreadsheet on Cambrian wagon numbers/build details - he's definitely the guru. All the best, Mark

Volume 2 has arrived, and bizarrely, Volume 3 as well..... 🤣 now to find 1 and 4! Looking at Volume 2, I'm all the more determined to have a model Small Well Tank, but the Large Well Tanks look rather attractive, too.....oh dear Cheers, Mark

For what its worth, here is my take on the pre- and post-1899 liveries. Pre-1899 Post-1899 Both are Cambrian Models sides and ends on scratch built underframes. As you can see, both still need their brake levers! Brake gear is slightly simplified in the interests of retaining some sanity, and use etched brass vee hangers and safety loops with refined moulded brake shoes and rods. Buffers and axlebox/spring assemblies are 3D prints from Coastline models, sprung buffers are MJT, as are the W-irons. Transfers are from the Welsh Railways Research Circle (Camkits, I think). I've also built some CM 2-plank dropsides in the same way, but they're even less advanced! Hope that's of interest. Cheers, Mark

Hi @Schooner, just finished catching up with your thread: excellent progress so far, if I may say so! The buildings and inset trackwork look very convincing. For your little MW H (sincerest commiserations on the first two, btw), could I suggest a thinner spectacle plate? Maybe from brass or NS? The real thing is obviously sheet iron/steel, so I think the model would benefit from something thinner. Just my two penn'orth :) Looking forward to seeing your next instalment. All the best, Mark