JDaniels

As a change from Blagdon I can share some of the limited progress made with Westbrook. This was a very small station on the Golden Valley Railway that ran between Pontrilas and Hay. I had already constructed a baseboard and laid the track but since then that baseboard has sat under Blagdon. Rather than buy anything new I thought I should get the unfinished projects completed so a faltering start was made on completing Westbrook. The first job was to construct the station building which I did some time ago and I also built the platform, this time of wood rather than Plasticard as I've done in the past. I also completed all the station "furniture," aided by a few photos of the prototype although, annoyingly, some corners of of the station have escaped the few photographs taken at this remote location. Having completed the platform I wanted to see how it looked on the baseboard so withdrew this from under Blagdon (a task that requires our back door to be open). I've taken a photo as below but please ignore the backdrop of cleaning materials and paint brushes. Photos of course show up any flaws and I have corrected the leaning milk churn. The slightly wonky fishplate needs a little more work. Although out of focus you might notice the wooden lean to attached to the side of the station building. The fencing was Microstrip and is a good match for the original. The other point worth noting is the nameboard. I used the posts from a commercial item but the nameboard itself was constructed from Plasicard. The broad surround might look odd but follows the prototype. The Slaters letters (not quite in line!) do not match GWR running in board lettering. I recollect etched brass letters closer to the font used were available at one time but not it seems now. I'm quite pleased with the trackwork which illustrates a feature rarely modelled, flat bottom track in sidings. On many branch lines chaired bullhead rail replaced the original flat bottom rail secured to the sleepers with spikes but this was usually done on the running lines only. Sidings, which had far less use, were more often than not left as they were. Oddly Blagdon retained flat bottom track to the end but with stone ballast. The Golden Valley line was upgraded to chaired bullhead but with inferior ash ballast. The gardens were a feature of Westbrook, as indeed they were at Blagdon, and both seemed to have been made in the same way. The beds were edged with large stones, the ones on Westbrook came from sieved sharp sand (also called Thames grit) which has small stones within the sand. Whislt doing this I came across a tiny shell fossil which of course found a place in the flower bed. The layout of seats and lamp posts is taken from photographs although it seems that sometimes the seat migrated to the front of the building. The platform was edged with the familiar blue bricks with a diamond pattern set upright. I used a diamond pattern Plasticard for the top and ridged for the edge. The latter does not look completely correct but captures the look that would be hard to reproduce otherwise (the only way would be to cut each brick individually and I'm not doing that!). The scenery will be poystyrene blocks glued to the wooden frame of the baseboard. I was partcularly keen to keep weight to a minimum so only the trackwork is on a MDF base. As Westbrook was sited on fairly open land the backscene is going to be particularly difficult. At Blagdon a long line of "GWR firs" provided a very effective visual stop. Once I've got a little more done I'll keep readers updated but in the meantime having acquired a second-hand copy of the comprehensive HMRS publication "All about Iron Minks" it will give me the opportunity to take a closer loook at my minks and see if any further detailing is required.

Hi Mikkel, Yes I've been raking through my railway books and of course I can't find it. The photo was looking along the platform with the carriages on the right, all in the lake livery and spotlessly clean. It must be in a book that you wouldn't expect it to be in. There are very few photos of the 4 wheel carriages. Not surprising really as the photographers of the day concentrated on the more spectacular main line scene.

Many thanks for your comments. I have to say I like the lake livery which somehow looks dignified. Those not that familiar with the GWR assume that the coaches were always chocolate and cream but for nine years lake was used whilst in the four years or so before that all over chocolate was used. I suppose that railway photography became more widespread in later years and hence chocolate and cream predominates in published material. I do recall though seeing a photo of a rake of immaculate 4 wheelers in Brixham station and thinking how smart they looked. I need to be careful though as during this period "brown" vehicles were also painted lake, perhaps an excuse to buy another horse box? Dave, yes I've learnt my lesson using cyano. I started using Araldite again and although the longer drying time is an inconvenience this has the advantage that you can reposition things. it also acts as a filler and whilst the instructions require equal amounts of the adhesive and hardener it doesn't seem to matter too much if the mix isn't quite right. I find using a cocktail stick ideal for ensuring the glue goes where it's wanted as well as for mixing. Mikkel, the coaches do look a lot better than I expected them to. I think we perhaps get too hung up over detail or flaws that aren't visible at normal viewing distance. I like having variations in liveries; modelling a small station means that not much stock is needed and it's therefore easier to cover a number of different periods. Finally, if you get the chance Mikkel do come and try some of our walks. I meet walkers from all over the world who come here, one advantage we have is what are called public rights of way. If a path has been established over the years it becomes a public right of way allowing a person to walk along a footpath or bridleway over private property, a right enshrined in law. This means that you don't look at the countryside from a distance, you can go into it and experience it.

Firstly, I have to apologise for the absence of any blog entries. Life as they say overtakes you sometimes and I've had a number of issues to sort out, most notably an aging mother and, more recently, mother-in-law having to go into care homes. We now have yet another house to empty at a time when I should be at my modelling desk. Still had two good walks this year, another part of the SW Coast Path and almost all the Cotswold Way (weather interrupted). I did notice in my prolonged absence a number of interesting blogs, I would love to have contributed my two pennyworth but it's a bit late now. Now to my main confession, readers of my blog may have noticed a photo of a GWR U4 compo in lake livery painted by Geoff Haynes. This though was actually only one coach of the three coach set that worked the Blagdon branch. I have sets in both the elaborate and simplified chocolate and cream liveries but as my preferred modelling period is the early 1920's it was essential that I had a set in the lake colour in use at that time. I wanted this set to be more realistic than the others so used the highly detailed Mainly Trains chassis and for the brakes the Shire Scenes sides. The Ratio sides are fine for a T47 brake third but it was the T36 example that was used on the Blagdon branch (and many others). This has three rather than two compartments. If you think about it a train with four third class, two first and two second compartments is hardly representative. Geoff understandably painted the sides prior to fitting the glazing and the grab and door handles. All I had to do was fit these when they came back in their immaculate lake livery. I did have misgivings on this score, justified as it turned out. The composite was fairly straightforward which is why it appears in a past blog. The plastic sides, flush on the inside, meant I only had to cut one length of glazing for each side and this could be secured with liquid poly. The holes for the door and grab rails had already been drilled and these were easily fitted. I used etched handles, the grab rails are not really that realistic as the etching process results in a flat section rather than circular but the prospect of bending brass wire into the correct shape and uniform for every handle was to my mind impossible. On to the brake thirds which of course had Shire Scenes etched brass sides. As I think I mentioned earlier, the droplights are a separate etching fixed to the inside of the coach so the glazing has to be sectioned, one piece for each pair of adjoining windows, another for each droplight. Stupidly, I thought I'd use cyano to fix the glazing and guess what, I got it on the paintwork. Even more stupidly, if that's possible, I used cyano to fix the door handles and grab rails. Yet more adhesive on the paintwork. If someone was cruel they might think it funny looking at me running around like a headless chicken trying to wash the cyano off. Of course it damaged the expensive paintwork so feeling rather chastened I quietly packed the two bodies and the separate chassis in an ice cream tub thinking maybe one day I'd have another look at them. I did seriously think why am I pursuing this hobby. They languished in that ice cream tub for some time until recently when I decided to have another look at them. At Expo EM I bought a tin of Precision Paints GWR lake which, as luck would have it, was the paint that Geoff used as it was an exact match. I had another look at the glazing, some of which had come adrift whilst some others were cloudy where the cyano had got on them. I replaced the missing and the worst of the cloudy glazing with new but this time using Araldite which doesn't go everywhere. Turning attention to the handles, I used the Comet etch which is a little wider than some of the other handles on the coach (I was reluctant to take them all off and start again) but has the advantage that it keeps the correct shape. I'm not sure where some of the etched grab handles came from so they are a bit of mix and match but you'd have to look very closely to notice this. Maybe one day I'll replace the ones that don't match. Mating the bodies to the chassis for the first time I was encouraged that the sides didn't look as bad as I first thought. The grab rails effectively hid the cyano on the paintwork and applying thinnned down paint to the damaged areas did quite an effective job. At last I'm now able to show the three coach set for the first time, the photo shows it standing at Blagdon's platform The two brake thirds are numbered 951 and 952, the ones used at Blagdon from 1902 to cessation of the passenger service in 1931. Whilst close examination will reveal the flaws, at normal viewing distance these aren't visible (neither is the detailed chassis!). This wasn't the only disappointment I had. I've been experimenting with track construction using ply sleepers and rivets to represent flat bottom rail spiked directly to the sleepers. This has not worked as for some reason the spacing of the rivet holes in the ply is not that for EM gauge. Also it's difficult to get the holes in the correct position on pointwork, the exact position of the rails using the various gauges does not conform with the position of the holes drilled using the template. If I was using chaired track I'd certainly use the EMGS points and trackwork (incidentally the reason EMGS membership has increased dramatically) but for flat bottom spiked track it's back to copper clad again. This is much easier to use and by scraping an old piece of hacksaw blade over the copper sleepers I've been able tomake a representation of the grain. So far this has gone reasonably well but until the EMGS stock again the wider point sleepers work has come to a halt. One encouraging point (no pun intended) is that by taking great care over the crossing V's stock runs very smoothly through the pointwork. I replaced the wooden sleepers one by one, unsoldering and then offering up the copper one so I didn't have to dismantle the point. The intention is that the track will be the basis of a new Blagdon over two boards to accomodate any downsizing. Like the Siphon C, it's been good to finish the unfinished. The last unfinished kit I have is the GWR 2021 0-6-0ST, now reintroduced by SE Finecast. At Expo EM I brought the chassis so that might be the next thing on the agenda.

Thanks for that. It's odd that these kits don't appear on the SE Finecast website. I'll order a chassis from them and put it away for next year.

Yes I could see that as being a problem. I've ordered a pack of 603 from Zoro. I had thrown away the wheels in disgust so last night saw me wading through the bin to find them!

Thanks for that. I'll look out for Loctite 603 as wheels slipping on the axles is a problem I've encountered on other locos. Maybe I won't need new wheels after all.

I've now been able to add the gas pipes to the roof to complete the model. Those who have read my blog will know that I'm quite obsessive about roof detail. It always surprises me that people spend so much time detailing the underframe which is hardly seen whilst ignoring the roof which is always visible. We don't look at models like you look at the prototype. Having said that I'm not sure of the exact layout of the piping. I recollect a photo of what may be a Siphon C on the Highworth branch taken from above but can I find it? As the model represents the later 1920's period, I've added the thinner acetylene pipes. For bedtime reading I've been re-discovering my old BRJ magazines and an article in one of them about gas lighting showed that remarkably few Siphons actually had any form of lighting. The Siphon C certainly did though. The plastic rod came from a model shop discovered whilst visiting my mother in a home in Axminster, Devon. Buffers is in the middle of fields but is an excellent shop with a far wider range of goods than I expected. I'm sure those in the area already know of it but if you are in the vicinity it's worth looking in. Back to the Siphon. as so often with me, things go well until I pick up a paintbrush. I wanted to do some weathering using Humbrol washes but, stupidly, picked up the dark brown which for me dries to a high gloss finish. I consequently had to use "dust"wash to cover the gloss finish which means the model is rather dirtier than I wanted. Photographic evidence shows that like all wagons they were not cleaned and therefore the level of dirt is typical. I like the dust colour as I know when washing the car the "dirt" is light but whether that holds good for a steam railway is questionable. I do like the way that weathering picks out the fine detail. Incidentally, when it comes to weathering in the aforementioned BRJ there was an advert for a book by John Hayes, "The 4mm Coal Wagon." Look at the photos and weep. The Siphon C was one part completed project that I wanted to finish. Another was a kit for a GWR 64xx pannier tank. Those of you of a certain vintage may remember a range of kits by a manufacturer, Stephen Poole. The 64Xxx was one of those and had, as all kits did in those days, a crude brass chassis. I rebuilt this to EM gauge using Romford wheels but it still looked crude. I probably wouldn't have bothered with it but it had been painted by Larry Goddard (brass safety valve cover?) so I thought it deserved a little attention. Below is a photo taken in 2015 before I tried improving it. I wanted a better chassis but the only one I could trace was the one from the Westward Models (I think) kit. This unfortunately was etched in one piece as an inverted "U" for OO gauge of course. In a fit of enthusiasm I split the chassis down the middle and using brass spacers set the sides wider for EM gauge. There was no provision for compensation so it was fixed bearings aligned using lengths of 1/8th inch OD brass tube. I didn't want to spend much (any?) money on this so raided my spares drawers for a Mashima motor, Comet 38:1 gears and a motor mount of indeterminate origin. I had a number of Alan Gibson wheel sets and this was where the problem arose. The wheels I found were a tightish fit on the axles but not tight enough. Trying to quarter the wheels I found they slipped on the axles and even cyano would not cure the problem. If I wanted to make a proper job of this I would get a High Level gearbox and a new set of wheels. The moral of this story is if ever using wheels that are a push fit on the axle don't expect them to be a tight fit if taken on and off more than a couple of times. I had some old Romford wheels of the right size but the oversized flange and fixed balance weights were too much even for me. Incidentally these defects have been cured in the "Romford" wheels marketed by Markits. As any layout I do is likely to be in the "uncoloured" category the 64xx won't find any use which is why I'm reluctant to spend too much cash on it. A Bachmann body too would would be better detailed. As ever though this is the modellers quandry, what to do with those efforts from earlier days when the products; look at those handrail knobs; and your personal skill level were of a lower standard than now. I think though it is worth updating, maybe a job for the next modelling season. The other kit I mentioned in a previous blog was a GWR 2021 kit. This is being re-introduced by SE Finecast (the same range as the 517) so will wait for that to appear as it seems they are doing the chassis separately.

"That sounds fascinating! I have seen various clips from the period on youtube, but not what you mention I think. I'd like to see the colourised version, it really brings things to life as you say. Thanks for the tip, I will see if I can access it somehow." Mikkel, Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier. There seems to have been issues with the website. The colour film is from Channel 5: https://www.channel5.com/show/edwardian-britain-in-colour/ The early black and white film was, as I recall, by Mitchel and Kenyon. What is so good about these films is that they show everyday life, not a coronation or royal wedding. Off now to complete my Siphon C blog. John

Mikkel, I wish I had the eyes to paint figures like that. The faces on my figures progress no further than a whitish blob. There's no doubt that the extra detailing really does make all the difference and you've inspired me to have another go with a magnifying glass to see if I can add eyes and moustaches. What I like about the age that you are modelling is the elegance of the clothes. Not sure whether you've seen them but a few years ago a large amount of cine film dating back to the early 1900's was found in the cellar of a shop in the NW of England. I think it was by someone named Kenyon and after restoration gave a wonderful evocation of life at that time. More recently there was a TV programme where the film had been "colourised" and that really brought it to life. The subjects suddenly became real people, not some remote figure in the distant past. I noticed the gas lamps which are presumably the Dart Castings ones. I nneded three for Westbrook and they are very well detailed but a pig to glaze. Two of the four supporting bars were cast in with two loose ones provided. I made a rough template to cut the Plastiglaze to the correct size and substituted Microstrip for the two bars that had to be attached. I'm still not happy with the appearance as the cyano clouded the Plastiglaze and I'm sure I can't use the excuse that the lamp glass was dirty, not at least on the GWR in the early 1930's.

There's nothing like a photo to embarrass and that's hom I felt about the photo of the Siphon C in the last entry. It hadn't looked too bad until I applied the Pressfix transfers. It's a good idea to use 3mm transfers, the 16inch GWR would then become 12 inches. as Mikkel pointed out, thye size is given in the Fox Transfers website and I think it was 5.3mm which equates to 16inches in 4mm. I had another look at the Pressfix sheet and noticed that for wagons, i.e. in white, there is a size that would be suitable. I've applied those and overpainted them in yellow. The overpainting worked well on the "W" with all straight lines, less so on the "G" but still acceptable. All Siphons never seemed to be cleaned and consequently became quite mucky so any yellow off the character will be masked. I also took the opportunity to address the wayward "10 Tons," just why do errors that you never notice looking at the model become immediately apparent in a photo? A photo of the revised model below: Dammit, the original large "G" still shows through the paint! Maybe that's realism as that wasn't unknown! Like many others, I like the Siphons but I'm not sure how relevant they are on branch lines post WWI. The railways lost a great deal of milk traffic after that war as large number of surplus Army lorries became available and were promptly snapped up by budding haulage contractors. The ability to pick up milk direct from a farm and deliver to a dairy or railhead meant that that traffic was the first the railways lost. Blagdon was supposed to have a fair amount of milk traffic but a photo exists showing it being manhandled into the guard's compartment of the branch passenger train. I'm sure that was how milk was treated on most branches, the main reason for seeing a Siphon on a branch was, I believe, if required for other traffic, the strawberry specials on the Cheddar Valley line is one example that springs to mind. I mentioned in my earlier entry about downsizing and Mrs. D and I have agreed that having lived in our present house for almost 34 and a half years we will move in 2021 after my daughter's wedding. Thinking ahead an 8ft by 2ft layout won't be accomodated so will have to think about where I go from there. The modular system as suggested by Mikkel has it's appeal, perhaps a couple of stations on the Golden Valley Railway. Downsizing might also mean having to dispose of some of my disparate collection of stock acquired and built over many years, What use do I have, for example, for two, not one but two, detailed Airfix auto coaches and a detailed Siphon H? These would never have appeared at either Blagdon or the Golden Valley Railway. I also have what must be 100 or so railway books, mostly concerned with the GWR as well as a number of official publications including several service timetables. As I said yesterday, lots of decisions and ones that will be painful to make.

Many thanks for your comments, interesting to know what you have for breakfast. I'm a muesli man myself but like porridge when it's colder. I have made some progress and will be doing a Siphon C update shortly.

This winter has been fairly aimless as far as modelling is concerned. I thought though it might be good to try and finish one old project, the conversion of a K's Siphon F to a Siphon C. (By cutting and shutting.) This has been attempted before and I referred to an old Model Railway Constructor for information. This advocated putting the body on a Ratio 4 wheel coach underframe but as I already had the Mainly Trains running gear kit as well as the Dean Churhward brake fret I thought constructing the chassis might make a better model. It also helped that the Russell book, Great Western Coaches, has several good photos. It's not been an easy task as to enable the body to sit at the correct height (and the top of the springs to sit on the solebar) meant having to cut out part of the Plasticard floor as the W irons protrude into the body. Using the Mainly Trains fret though meant I could use the correct springs, the ones on the Ratio underframe, being designed for a coach, are too long and it does show. The brake detail was taken from the fret. I'm not too concerned whether the layout of the gear is strictly accurate, I believe just having the rodding there and visible from normal viewing angles (no model is designed to be looked at from underneath) is sufficient. The truss rods were brass as was the stepboard, at least that won't break as inevitably happens with the Ratio plastic version. The body didn't require too much work. I added brass handrails, door handles and lamp irons. I also drilled the holes to enable access to the outside door handles if someone was locked inside. Why though did every door have to have a hole, surely one each side would suffice. The roof was an appalling fit, with the Araldite already applied I realised that it wasn't going to fit so frantically looked in my box of spares and found a plastic roof that fitted almost perfectly. No idea where it came from but even the rainstrips were curved for exactly the length of the body. In the photo below I haven't painted the roof as I want to find out how the gas pipes were laid out. It seems clear that there were two gas lamps and there must have been the associated piping. For bedside reading I'm going through my old British Railway Journals, interesting and somewhere there may be a helpful photo. What is painfully obvious is the problems I had with the lettering. As usual I resorted to my years old Pressfix sheets but fear I might end up scraping most of it off. Any film will disappear under a coat of varnish, it's actually not as prominent as in the photo, but I see no answer to the size of the "GW" branding. It's known that the standard size was originally 25 inch and then 16 inch but what isn't so well known is that the size would be further reduced if there wasn't the space. On photographs the lettering fits neatly in the appropriate space so it must have been hand painted to fit. I reckon it's 12 inches high, and is that available? Of course not. I may even advance it earlier in time so I can safely use the 25 inch letters which were on the louvres along with a ridiculously large number, which is on the Pressfix sheet. That may however compromise the either side brake handles which I've fitted. Incidentally the wagon is sitting on the trackwork I made last year. The wooden sleepers need further painting but actually look quite good. What is not so good is the gap between the bottom of the rail and the sleeper, inevitable as the rail is soldered to a protruding rivet. Finally, I understand there is an article in Model Railway Journal detailing a similar conversion. I gave up on that magazine at issue 60 as I felt, no I know, it was way beyond my capabilities and I was quite uncomfortable with the sniping and backbiting in the letters page which has to be seen to be believed. Not sure what I'll do next. I have a Stephen Poole 64xx 0-6-0PT body painted by Larry Goddard along with a modified Cotswold chassis. That requires a decent gearbox to get going although the body is not as detailed as the Bachman offering. There's also the M&L 2021 0-6-0ST which has sat partially completed for years. However as we're looking to downsize in a few years time I'm not sure whether it's worth doing too much as there won't be space for Blagdon Mark II. The points for which are shown in the photo. Decisions, decisions.

Many thanks for your comments. Since I started constructing this model I've looked more closely at stone buildings and it's suprising just what variations in shade there are. I do wonder though whether when the eye takes in a building close up it tends to look at parts, not the whole, and the variations, whilst there, aren't so noticeable. Looking at a model the eye takes in the whole building and whilst the variations in shade are authentic, because the eye sees the whole building it may look a little overdone. The website Mikkel has highlighted has I think every photo ever taken of Westbrook. The one of the station in the snow shows that I haven't got the arrangement of the notice boards quite correct, I had this photo but overlooked it. I've now rectified this adding the small enamel notice at the end of the building. The photo also shows that battens were used as I guessed. The photos show ramshackle sheds tacked on to the end of the building. I've constructed these from Plasticard although the platform facing side does not appear in any photos so have had to make a guess as to the appearance, there must have been a door. I painted the sheds but stupidly used a Humbrol dark brown wash which dries to a gloss finish. The Golden Valley branch was an attractive line, most trains were mixed with a couple of mismatched four wheeled coaches. The 517's worked the line until the Collett 0-4-2T's came along and after a few new examples were used, 5818 settled down to become the Golden Valley loco. It was always kept in immaculate condition. Next job is the platform surface and a visit to Screwfix for aluminium oxide paper.

I've now painted and therefore completed the station building. For the most part I used Humbrol acrylic paints and was pleased with how I got on with them. I've had problems in the past but I like the matt finish (unlike some so called matt enamels), the way in which you can mix the paints and the ease with which they dilute with water. I collected a number of greyish acrylics whilst I was at Gaugemaster at Ford but didn't realise that some are a satin finish, this is not shown on the container. As a result the first coat of paint was with one of these, my puzzlement answered by reference to the Humbrol colour chart. My conclusion is that acrylics are great for painting natural colours, for representing painted surfaces such as locos and coaches, enamels are best. I would have liked the underlying brown to show through a little more though. The results of my efforts: Photographs of the end without the extension seem to show a lighter patch of stone in the middle of the wall with darker patches either side. I had thought about trying to represent this but thought that if I did anyone looking at it would say that I got the weathering wrong! As you can see, I have added a couple of notice boards. Photos of the station show boards in the position I've fixed them although these disappeared in the "goods only" days. In part 3 of his series of books on modelling GWR branches, Stephen Williams suggested putting a raised border round the edge of the board to better represent prototype practice. The flat surface of the Tiny Signs boards are just that, flat. I didn't feel able to cut out a square in paper as he did so used the finest Microstrip instead. I also fixed the boards with two battens each, if I was presented with the job of fixing a flat board to a rough surface that's exactly what I would do.Also, as Stephen Willaims suggested, both boards were given a coat of matt varnish. I really must refer to the Stephen Williams books more,they are full of simple ideas that can make such a difference. The roof has turned out well, if a little irregular, but I didn't do too much weathering. We had Sunday lunch at a local pub yesterday, the service was slow and I found myself looking out at a house opposite with a slate roof. It had been raining and the roof looked new, pristine dark grey with no staining at all. We probably forget the cleansing properties of rain and the Welsh border country has plenty of that. I'm now looking at the edging of the platform. I recently visited an excellent little model shop in Salisbury and found a sheet of moulded Plasticard with a very small diamond pattern. This is perfect for bricks (or slabs) that formed the edge of the platform. If I had felt like it I could have scored the strip to represent the separate bricks but balked at the thought. The separate bricks are hardly noticeable and bearing in mind my complete inability to consistently measure the same distance each time I thought it would probably look worse. If anyone would like to see photos of the prototype Google "Westbrook station" and any number will come up. Take out the photos of Westbrook station in Canada, there's no mistaking them, and you're left with fewer than half a dozen and only some of these show the station building. It's a gloomy looking station overshadowed by trees but did have quite a floral display. With two trains each way a day (three on Thursday, Hay market day) Station Master Knowles had plenty of tinme to ensure the gardens were tidy.

Many thanks Mikkel. I've replied with a PM.

Thanks Mikkel. We'll see what the roof looks like when it's painted. I wasn't sure about the roof but the individual tiles do look better. I forgot to mention in the entry but I took the opportunity to put in a slipped tile, this quite often happened when the securing nails rusted. I've painted the walls using the photo of the bridge as a guide but it's very difficult. Weathered stone seems to take on a different hue every time you look at it. I manged to get Railmatch Light Stone (I was wrong above, it was the dark stone they didn't have) which looks very similar to the Precision Paint version of that colour I had used previously. I'm looking at the colour samples in the HMRS guide which were matched with Swindon samples and IMHO what paint manufacturers purport to be light stone looks very much like dark stone. Light stone on the colour samples is almost a pale khaki colour, quite unlike any of the model paints that I've seen which tend to have a reddish-brown hue. It's not as warm as dark stone, or stone number 3 to give it the official designation. In fact looking at the two colours it's impossible to say what is dark or light, the shade seems the same and it's only be referring to the text that we know number 1 is light and number 3 dark.Stephen Williams in his book expressed similar reservations about the shades used but given the manner in which the paint was prepared I'm not too concerned as there must have been infinite variations throughout the system.

Thank you for your kind comments. I'm quite sure a model of Westbrook would be unique. I did get down to Gaugemaster yesterday and found they only had the dark stone paint. One of the frustrations of modelling! Still I was able to drool over the Dapol 'O' gauge models.

Thank you. The Perseverance kit wasn't available for long. I remember getting it after seeing it advertised in an early issue of MRJ. The instruction book, and it is a book, is one of the best I've seen and an example to kit manufacturers everywhere. I think the next 48xx model I'll be getting is the long awaited Dapol 'O' gauge version, particularly so if it's the same price as the Terrier. I saw the Dapol 64xx/74xx in the flesh yesterday and it would make anyone an instant convert to the senior scale.

I've now completed the station building apart from the painting. Unfortunately due to the weather it looks as though we won't be going down to Ford tomorrow (celebrating Mrs. D's birthday) so the light and dark stone I was going to get from Gaugemaster will have to wait. In my last entry I was about to make substantive progress with the roof. The jig I made to cut the tiles (in 5thou Plasticard) worked well apart from the odd occasion when I failed to notice the strip was firmly against the stop which resulted in a slightly narrower tile. Experience prompted me to make another jig (visible in the front of the building in the photo below). This was simply a strip of etched NS waste with a length of bullhead rail soldered to it. The distance between the edge of the waste and the edge of the rail is important as this will be the height of the tile visible. I made sure the first, bottom, row was in line and thereafter the other rows were laid by aligning the edge of the rail to the bottom edge of the tiles already laid. The next row was then laid with the bottom of each tile abutting the top of the etch. This ensured the row spacing was consistent and that they were all in line. As a check I ruled a few parallel lines on the underlying Plasticard base to ensure that as I went up towards the apex of the roof the rows were not sloping one way or the other which would have been disastrous for the appearance. Fortunately the template ensured this did not happen. In total I think I laid about 600 tiles but with a ready supply of pre-cut tiles and the jig in place I found I could lay a row of 21/22 tiles in 2 minutes or less. I just put some liquid poly on the base sheet and picked up the tiles with the point of a craft knife, in fact it was putting the cement on that was the biggest hindrance to quick progress. As the underlying tiles showed above the jig it was easy to locate the tiles midway over the underlying joint and against the strip of NS etch. I can say that without these jigs I would not have been able to do the roof, I find difficulty in measuring millimetres from a ruler and even the smallest variance in the size of the tiles would have been immediately noticeable. I thought the ridge tiles would be slate but photographs show conventional rounded clay tiles. This caused a little head scratching but I found a length of thick walled plastic tube of about the right diameter in my "plastics" box. (I also have a "metals" box.) I filed a flat along the length of the tube, actually exposing the hollow core. The core was further filed out which then enabled the length of tube to be fitted over the apex of the roof. I have only traced 4 photos of the building, 3 of those are taken from a roughly three-quarter angle looking towards the plain end wall and only one is taken, again at a roughly three-quarter angle, of the wall with the extension. This one was taken after closure. I have no photo looking directly at the front (or indeed back) wall. The plan did not show the extension or detail of guttering and downpipes although it appears from the photos that there was guttering along the front and back, as indeed one would expect. I still had a few lengths of fine plastic angle which, if the external right angle is sanded down, makes very acceptable guttering. I must try and get more of this as the back gutter is made up of 4 strips as I didn't have one length long enough. The downpipes were plastic rod which fortunately takes a little bending. There was no sign of the downpipes on the front face of the building so I had to assume they angled in and were fixed to the end wall. Such is the joy of modelling a prototype location but I don't think anyone alive can tell me that's wrong! One final complication was the chimney. The photo I used for reference showed the chimney lost in a haze but it was only after I looked at another photo did I realise the structure was a good deal higher than I had made it. It was also more elaborate at the top so I spent some time adding further layers. It is interesting to see how ornate chimneys could be when compared with the rest of a building. A couple of other minor points. The door handles are brass handrail knobs and the gap between the extension roof and the wall of the main building was covered by a strip of 5thou Plasticard to represent the lead flashing. I was quite pleased to see on a better photograph of Clifford station (the other on the Hay extension and with a similar, though larger building) that the lead flashing was prominent; I previously guessed it must have been there without any evidence. For those who don't know the Golden Valley Railway, it is worth mentioning that the branch originally ran from Pontrilas to Dorstone. The stations all had wooden buildings. Soon after opening the line was extended to Hay on Wye with three new stations, Clifford, Westbrook and Green's Siding. The latter was always just a halt but for some reason the other two stations were favoured with a substantial stone structure for the main building even though they contributed less traffic than Dorstone for example. I can perhaps now make a start on painting the stonework. I found by Googling a colour photograph of an existing bridge on the Hay extension which was useful in determining the colour of stone used. It is clearly made from the same stone as Westbrook station building as the blocks appear identical, and indeed very similar to those on the embossed sheet I used. The bridge is a light brown with what I thought was a slight grey tinge, again similar to that used for the embossed sheet. This type of research is one of the interesting parts of modelling a prototype location and it's always a good feeling to fill one of the holes in your knowledge of the prototype. This has been an interesting exercise and it's nice to be able to construct something from scratch rather than a kit. Now I have to think about what I do next.

Thanks Mikkel. i've always liked those remote branches in the Welsh border country, more so than the "chocolate box" Cornish and Devon lines. Another station I'd love to model is Dinas Mawwdwy, much of which still exists and which I've visited several times.The Golden Valley branch book is well worth looking out for; the line seemed to have offered a personal service, if you wanted a truckful of cattle delivered to you, the staff would oblige with a special trip. I wonder if the GWR's accountants were aware! I haven't constructed a building in at least 15 years and felt it was time to do something that didn't involve locomotives and rolling stock. If I'm also honest, I feel a little jaded with the hobby and hoped that the change might resurrect interest. It has as I quite like problem solving and there have been plenty of those with the turnouts. I'll try and do something on the blog about the issues I've had with them Finally, yes every GWR branch line modeller should have the Stephen Williams books. He goes into impressive detail, including as I said in my blog, the size of slates mostly used by the GWR.He also has some very practical tips on constructing a layout so some of the content extends beyond the GWR.

Many thanks for your comments. I should be able to amend the end tiles to a slate and a half. As for the colour, Stephen Williams used Davy's grey (actually made from slate) with white, and very small amounts of brown madder alzarin and veridian green. He warns against using blue which I guess would be the automatic choice for many. I've also just noticed that he has done the slates in strips with half cuts to represent the gaps between the tiles. That would be a lot quicker but then the station building at Farigdon is much larger than Westbrook.

Underneath my Blagdon layout is another smaller baseboard with a representation of Westbrook station on the Golden Valley Railway. This prosaically named branch has always appealed to me and some years ago I laid the track and started the scenery for a model of Westbrook. Wanting a change from constructing locos and coaches I had a go at resurrecting this. I firstly stripped all the scenery off and cut the baseboard so that it follows the line of the track only. My intention was to mount this on a frame with the infill (the scenery) made from expanded polystyrene. My aim has been to reduce the weight without sacrificing the rigidty required for the track which still has a MDF base. I was dismayed to discover that the track had buckled in places so had to repair this. The running line through Westbrook was chaired track but the siding still retained the original flat bottom track. This is something very characteristic of many stations. I also rewired the track and fitted the socket for the controllers that I now use. The track was I think SMP EM gauge flexitrack with the point on the running line made from their components which use separate chairs. The siding was constructed from flat bottom track soldered to PCB sleepers. I repainted the track and generally improved its' appearance as best I could. I made a far more substantial platform from ply rather than the Plastikard I used initially. Having done this it was time to look at the station building, an attractive stone structure. Fortunately the book on the branch written by W H Smith includes a plan of the building. This, incidentally, is a very interesting book as the principal driver on the line kept a diary and was quite a keen photographer. The day to day operations of branch lines are rarely recorded but the book quotes extensively from the diary giving a real sense of how this long forgotten outpost of the GWR was run. The station building was constructed from Plastikard with the embossed stone facing. This seemed to match very closely the size and layout of stones used on the actual building. An additional complication was the quoins at the corner which, according to the plan, were of different sizes. The quoins on my model are also of different sizes but that was not the intention. The note on the plan was my get out clause! The walls of the building are several layers of Plastikard as the original building I made many years ago warped badly. The windows and doors were constructed as sub-assemblies fixed to the inside of the walls when completed. The big problem I could see was the roof. I consulted the Stephen Williams book on GWR Branch Line modelling and for slate roofs he suggested using thin writing paper cut to the size of each slate (the book helpfully gives the sizes of the slates most commonly used). I couldn't get on with using paper so substituted very thin Plastikard which of course fixes better. Cutting the slates is far harder that it seems as whatever size of slate is used, every slate has to be the same size. As, with all tiling, the slate / tiles overlap the join of those underneath and if the width is even fractionally out that overlap will be lost. Knowing that I was going to have to cut several hundred tiles (this is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby?) and realising that my older eyes weren't up to the job I fashioned a simple jig using a redundant frame spacer and two pieces of scrap etch. The frame spacer is bent up, the upturned sction will be the surface against which the strip of Plastikard is pushed against. A piece of the scrap is soldered to the base of the frame spacer against the upturned edge and at right angles to it; the edge of the Plastikard strip bears against this. To this piece is soldered, at right angles, a further strip of scratch etch parallel to the upturned surface of the frame spacer. This last piece of metal is the edge against which the strip is cut. The Plasikard strip goes under this last piece of metal and bears against both the upturned edge of the frame spacer and the scrap etch at right angles to it. All I have to do is cut along the last piece of metal, flick the cut piece out of the way and push the strip along ready for the next cut. So far it's worked really well. The height of the slates (the width of the strip) is less important as any discrepancies are hidden under the overlapping slates. I've described this in some detail as I think others may find it useful. Moulded sheets do not capture the appearance of slates at all. The photo of the station building also shows the jig I used for the slates. I haven't yet painted the walls and found that my tin of GWR Light Stone had gone off. The Dark Stone was a little better and as there isn't much woodwork to be painted I persevered with this; the Light Stone to be added once I get a nfresh tin of it. There is a lot of comment about the exact shade used but it's worth remembering that the colours were made by mixing burnt sienna pigment into white lead paint on the job. A colour card was provided (the HMRS guide includes a colour chart matched to Swindon records) but you can imagine how the foreman's sensitivity to colour, the lighting at the time and the dirt on the card can all affect the final shade. As the HMRS guide points out, there were doubtless times when the card was lost altogether. I'll update readers of further progress with the layout. I have also been working on trackwork building four turnouts for a potentially better model of Blagdon. These use wooden sleepers with rivets and Code 75FB rail Whilst the sleepers look realistic I'm not convinced that it's a quantum leap in overall appearance over PCB. I've also ignored some of the accepted practices of turnout construction and encountered a few problems arising from the use of FB rather than bullhead track. What I can say is that initial running tests show rolling stock passes very smoothly over the completed turnouts. If there is interest I can describe how I constructed these turnouts.

I built a Wills (as it was then) Metro tank many years ago and updated it with the etched chassis. I like the prototype, a pleasant change from the 0-4-2T and they were, in their latter years, widely spread throughout the system. I also like the kit and it's nice to build a model that didn't have as many variations as the 517's. I wouldn't be too frightened about a compensated chassis. I have one loco using the CSB system, one sprung and all the others compensated.My Metro has the rear axle fixed with the compensating beam resting on the front driving axle and pony truck (not sure if that's the correct term). Kits that have provision for compensation are easier as they're designed with this in mind. The important thing is to ensure that the floating driving axle has no play within the hornblocks, time spent on ensuring this is well spent. Ignore anything you read about filing the bearing, I use grinding paste and moving the bearing up and down within the hornblock using the handle of a needle file. Also useful to scratch a "T" on one face of the bearing to ensure it goes into the hornblock the same way each time ("T" = top). The aim is to have the bearing sliding freely within the hornblock without any play. The rear bearings are of course fixed, the usual 1/8th inch bore top hat variety. It's also important to have the axle spacing jigs, these look like an extended 1/8th axle with the ends turned down. Put one of these through the fixed rear bearing, the other through the bearing and hornblock assembly (a spring is provided which goes over the axle in the middle of the frame to ensure the two hornblocks are firmly located against the chassis sides). Once you have done this, it can be a bit fiddly, fit the coupling rods over the extended axles on both sides and this will automatically ensure the bearings are in the correct position. Once this has been achieved simply solder the hornblocks to the chassis. This very simple jig ensures that the axle centres are exactly the same distance apart as the ccoupling rods. The compensating beam is simply a reasonably solid brass rod. The chassis should have holes showing where the fulcrum of the beam is located. I use a fine bore tube (Mercontrol point control tubing is ideal) and solder the compensating beam to this. The wire through the two holes in the chassis is threaded through the tube which therefore allows the compensating beam to pivot even though the wire may be soldered to the chassis sides. One final point, the holes in the coupling rods need to be slightly larger than normal to allow for the slight variation in the distance between the axles arising from the deflection. That in a nutshell is the way I compensate my locos. In many respects it's actually easier than a fixed chassis where the axles all have to be exactly in line. To my mind the improvement in running is worth the extra time. One point I forgot to mention, driving on the rear axle may mean the motor intrudes into the cab. I used a Portescap 1219 with the adapter (can't remember who did them) which pushes the motor farther back into the boiler. If you're confident with a soldering iron and have the few tools required an etched compensated chassis isn't too difficult.

That's very observant. I hadn't noticed anything myself but you're right. The wheelbase (rear coupled wheel to trailing truck) is 30mm on 1463 but 33mm on the others. The K's kits have both got etched chassis from two different sources, I think 1463 is Perseverance whilst 4836 is Comet. I always say "never assume" but as with the smokebox door when you buy these kits you do assume that the most basic details are correct.