JDaniels

Mikkel, I've been reading a few publications that I have concerning liveries and it's interesting just how many opinions there are on the subject of the red wagons. I suppose that until, or rather if, someone finds definitive instructions issued by Swindon then dates will be conjecture. I think though I might get a few kits for early wagons and paint them red as I can see that in 1902, the year Blagdon opened using 1384, red wagons would certainly have been used, even if by that time Swindon was painting them grey. Fortunately goods traffic at Blagdon was always light so, apart from the PO coal wagons used to supply the pumping station which I already have, I only need to get a couple of opens and maybe a mink. I'll have to fit these in with the new set of four wheel coaches in lake livery I hope to build using Mainly Trains underframes and Shire Scenes etched sides. BTW, great photography. John

Mikkel, excellent work, it's good to see something a little different. I recently wrote about this, you have created a scene that was very common but rarely modelled and would certainly attract a lot of interest at an exhibition. I do like seeing recreations of early railways when they were at their zenith. I must have a look at your other blogs but the one about GWR wagon red caught my eye. Early liveries are difficult to research but have you had a look at Great Western Way? It says that grey was introduced at the end of the 1870's with brake vans going grey first with the others following soon after. The livery details given in the book are more comprehensive than other publications I have seen.

Basking in the warm glow of satisfaction having completed the railmotor I thought I'd share some thoughts on prototype GWR stations that might be worth modelling. As anyone who has read my first entry on Blagdon will know, I like to model a prototype station. The research is often as interesting as the modelling and there's always a thrill when you find some obscure photograph that sheds light on a particular aspect of the station that had eluded you. It is also interesting to be able to operate the actual timetable which often throws up problems that the staff at the prototype must have faced. Blagdon is still in operation, indeed I want to rewire the underside of the baseboard and by-pass the built in switches on my old H. and M point motors which seem to be gradually giving up the ghost. I am interested though in looking at other prototype stations with a view to future modelling and I hope perhaps persuade others to consider actual locations as a basis of a model. As readers may know, the second part of R J Smith's record of Great Western Railway Stations was recently published and I obtained my copy a couple of weeks ago. I already have part one so the two together now give me the track plan and in most cases at least one photograph of every station on the GWR extant in 1947. Part two includes South Wales and it is this that has been something of an eye opener. It is often said that South Wales is a neglected area but I never realised just how many single track branches there were in the area. Further, whilst I'm not sure that the scale in the book is constant, many of the terminals seem quite compact as land was probably more expensive than in the country. Let me give a few examples of GWR branch terminii in South Wales that might be worth modelling: Cwmmawr Aberwynfi Blaengarw Nantymoel Gilfach Goch Maerdy Nantmelyn Blaenavon To this you could add Brynamman which seemed to have an end on connection with the LMS. How many modellers have wanted a location where they could run trains of different companies but have had to make do with a fictitious location? I've only focussed on the terminals as they are more interesting to operate but each branch has often several through stations. The other point is that the track plans show that the layout of these stations was often very different from the norm whilst the presence of industry, often "offstage," gives the excuse for running more goods trains. The notion that somehow these lines were in an industrial wasteland is completely wrong. Although it has no terminals, the Neath and Brecon is probably one of the most spectacular lines on the GWR. Whilst not necessarily in South Wales, I'm certainly leaning towards some sort of semi-industrial location for my next model, something that those who have seen my attempt at grass will understand! One station that does appeal is Rosebush on the North Pembroke and Fishguard Railway. This had a siding leading to slate quarries well offstage and although these had closed at an early date, modeller's licence could still allow traffic from the quarry. A rather more industrial environment is Porthywaen quarry near Oswestry which would allow the use of superannuated Cambrian locomotives. In the same area, Dinas Mawwdwy is a terminal that I think would make an attractive model. This had slate traffic and has the advantage that the station is still extant; I've been there although sadly the old loco shed burned down some years ago but after my first visit. I've put forward a few thoughts and would welcome your views. I know that when I go to a model railway exhibition the layouts that really catch my eye are those that are different. I particularly remember one featuring the Cromford and High Peak with working rope incline which attracted a lot of attention. A twee GWR terminus has become something of a cliche and no matter how well modelled it is just another twee GWR terminus. There are, or have been, prototype stations that will make an interesting layout, it's just a question of finding one that fits the bill.

Christmas Day and having watched SCD I had the greater pleasure of seeing the steam railmotor work under its' own power. There have been times though when the chassis nearly ended up in the bin. Following on from my last entry, having done the basic chassis it was time to set up the motor and gearbox. Unusually the High Level gearbox was not as smooth as they normally are when I fitted the brass final drive. The motor was a Mashima 1624 which fitted neatly in the brass frame I had constructed that would carry the central bearing locating in the body and thus bear the weight. The fit was a little too neat as I found the motor and gearbox would only fit if separated and I had to fix the motor afterwards. I do find one of the great advantage of the High Level gearbox is the ability to fix the motor in place without having to remove the gearwheel, the screws can be fitted at the side. Once I had the gearbox and motor in their correct position I smeared Araldite over the joint between the two sections of the Road Runner gearbox to prevent torque movement. Soldering would be easier but I had visions of melting the idler gears. The Alan Gibson wheels were then fitted and the interminable job of quartering began. Eventually I had the wheels running freely with coupling rods fitted and was able to solder the crankpin nuts on the leading pair of wheels. This was where the problems started. I wanted a good solder join as once the valve gear is fitted the front wheels are virtually invisible, let alone accessible. If the nut came loose it would mean having to dismantle the valve gear. Of course trying to get a good join meant the plastic on one of the wheels softened slightly, I thought though I had got away with it as the crankpin was still firm. Having done a brief test run without valve gear I was a little perplexed that the quartering seemed to have gone out. Correcting this I turned my attention to the valve gear and cylinders. My big problem here was that there was no way of checking clearances etc., the whole assembly had to be fitted in place first and hopfully everything would be OK. I therefore Araldited the cylinders to the frame with the front flush with the stretcher as per the example at Didcot. The valve gear assembly then had to be fitted; I had decided to lightly tin the slide bars, apply some LMP solder to them and fix them in the cylinders by applying a soldering iron to the slidebars and gently push them in ensuring that the white metal crosshead was well to the rear away from the soldering iron. At the same time I had to coat the motion bracket with Araldite to fix that to the frame and then this had to be threaded through the coupling rod. Seems very complicated but it did work and I had the chassis runnning well for a brief time. Well after I eliminated a dreadful screeching noise, the end of the motor shaft was fouling the bulkhead in the body. I simply removed part of the bulkhead as it can't be seen. Unfortunately the quartering problem arose again and on closer inspection I realised that one of the front drivers was, if not loose, not tight on the axle. It was clearly slipping and having thought about it I realised that that the softening caused by the soldering iron had done more damage than I thought. There was nothing for it but to dismantle the valve gear and take the wheels off. Having giving it some thought I decided that because of the inaccessibility I would use Romford wheels which were far more durable and wouldn't melt. The quartering was an added bonus. These wheels are now made by Markits and having looked at their website found a 4ft wheel that fitted the bill. I have to say that I was a little reluctant to use the old Romford wheels as whilst they were good in their day the coarse flanges and fixed balance weight don't bear comparison with more modern offerings. However I was pleasantly surprised, the wheel profile is to RP25 standard and there are no balance weights cast in. I also thought that the wheels seemed to fit better than before in that I didn't notice the wobble you would get once fitted and the nut secured due to inaccuracies in the casting. In the old days the only way to eliminate this was to use Romford wheels turned on the axle. The crankpin hole is now threaded to take Romford crankpins, I opted for the de luxe version which has a threaded shaft to take the bush also threaded 14BA. The bush is the same thickness as that on the Gibson crankpin which avoided any potential problems with the coupling rods already drilled. The Markits website is well worth a look as amongst other useful bits they do the old Romford screw couplings which I always thought were the best you could get. They may be slightly overscale but this means they are easier to use and most importantly are pre-assembled. I don't see the point in spending the best part of an evening making up a pair of screw couplings. The only slight disappointment with the couplings was that they were not blackened as they were back in the old days. The wheels arrived promptly and I began to reassemble the chassis. It was a lot easier to use spacing washers with the Romford wheels (the washers were another good find in the Markits website) as I could fit and take off the wheels to insert the correct number and thickness of washers without fear of the wheel loosening on the axle. I'm not sure that with the straight cut gears it is absolutely imperative to have no play in the driving axle but my problem was the limited clearance behind the valve gear. Any sideways movement would have meant the wheel or crankpin hitting the crosshead. I did find the wheels were a tighter fit on the axle than I recalled when I last used Romfords but then that is probably better. Unfortunately I had to remove the cylinders as the wheels were behind them but I was pleased to see that the Araldite really held them on and it required a lot of effort to break the bond. Basically from then on it was a case of reassembling the valve gear as I had done earlier. Before fixing the cylinders though I had a very close look at them and found that I had to pack one of them out from the frame with a piece of etch scrap. It was impossible to have done an accurate saw cut when I separated them from the original cast stretcher. I did one side first and found that the crankpin fouled the crosshead very slightly. I was able to sand down the crankpin which did the trick. The Gibson crankpin bush has a thin flange adjoining the wheel to give some clearance and is secured by a nut. The Markits crankpin has a thicker flange adjoing the wheel as this is part of the pin assembly whilst the bush is threaded with the retaining flange on the outside replacing the nut used to secure the Gibson bush. Overall the Markits crankpin protruded fractionally more than the Gibson one, not normally a problem unless clearances are critical as in this case. Having set this side up I did the other side, again I had clearance problems and had to sand down the crankpin bush. I also found that the tiny nut holding the connecting rod to the crosshead just fouled the coupling rod so I cheated and bent the rod very slightly which solved the problem. There was no way I could have reached the small screw fixing the con rod so this was the only option. I always try turning the wheels with the final drive nut loose to see just how free running the chasis is. It wasn't perhaps as free as I would have liked but there was not the tight spot that indicated incorrect quartering of the wheels, I think with so much of the valve gear being driven the various joints imposed a slight additional load. Anyway after some tweaking of the current collectors the chassis ran very well. I had looked again at the fixing to the body, the nut at the top that engages in the hole in he roof and felt this could be improved. I soldered a washer to a nut that I fitted to the screw protruding into the hole and by running the nut up and down the thread meant I could get the correct clearance as the body rested on the washer. The body seems to sit a little high if a wagon is coupled to it but if any lower then the solebars fould the valve gear. After all this effort the completed railmotor was running well and packed away as a "finished job." I've attached a photo of the chassis as completed, apologies for the quality but it was testing the close focusing qualities of the camera. I certainly learnt a few lessons and I hope recounting my mistakes enable others to avoid them. It was certainly a challenge to incorporate parts of a Nu Cast chassis with an Alan Gibson chassis but if a proper etched kit with all the fittings becomes available then I'll certainly replace this one.

Hi Jim, Thanks your E mail. Sorry to be so late in responding but I'm still struggling with the railmotor chassis.All I need say in that respect is that I've abandoned using plastic wheels and am taking a trip down memory lane using Romford, now Markit wheels. Regarding the station roof, I think it must be roofing felt of some sort or whatever passed for that in 1902. I think I will paint it a darker grey along with some other improvements I'll be making including a total rewiring under the baseboards and a respray of some of the grass where I overdid the water colour tinting. Hopefully I should be able to update progress on the railmotor after Christmas celebrations.

Since my last entry I have made more progress but it's painfully slow. I did have a good photo of a railmotor chassis which looks to be taken outside Swindon works. I had been using this as a basis for the model but now I'm not so sure whether this is the right thing to do. The GWS railmotor was built from plans so must be correct and there are many photos on their website but there are subtle differences from the photo I was using. In particular on the photo the frames protrude beyond the cylinders but on the GWS example the stretcher is flush with the front of the cylinders. The Nu Cast kit also had this. I had thought that the steam railmotor chassis were much the same (apart from the first two built) but now I'm not so sure. Yes I know I should have read the book on the subject but there's little I can do to change the chassis and valve gear even if they are incorrect. I did also notice that the on the Nu Cast kit the valve spindle and the shape of the cylinders seemed quite different from the photos. The upshot is that the chassis is something of a hybrid. If anyone brings out a nicely etched chassis complete with all the valve gear then this one will be dumped. In my last entry I had just completed the frame that would locate into the body allowing free movement without the chassis dropping out. I turned my attention to the valve gear adding some sort of reversing lever that I had omitted originally. The slide bars fit into the cylinder and I had to drill the holes out a little to ensure they were firmly located. I made sure the slide bars were in line with the cylinder and temporarily held the assembly against the chassis to ensure everything was i line and the clearnces were OK. I was glad I had drilled the hole in the chassis for the screw on the cylinder as it meant that the position of each cylinder was consistent when checking clearances. I had to check carefully that the wheel behind the slidebars, when fitted with the coupling rod, did not foul the slidebars and crosshead. In fact a great deal of time was spent making sure clearances were adequate. Because of the small clearances I had to make sure there was no play in the axle behind the slidebars. Using the old wheels was useful here as I could take the wheels on and off to add spacing washers until I had the axle running freely without any play. I do find that if you take the wheels on and off their axles they lose their tightness and can in fact become quite loose. Once I had established the number and thickness of washers these were put in plastic bags, one for each side, to be used with the new wheels. The motion bracket fitted farther behind the front wheels than I would have liked and again this did not match the photo I had. I had prepared a piece of NS scrap (from the fret of an etched kit, I never throw them away) with rivet detail and the representation of the springs. Because the motion bracket fitted farther behind the wheels than on the photo I had to move the springs closer together and cut of some of the NS. Once satisfied that the size was correct I araldited the assembly to each side of the frame making sure there was room in front to attach the motion bracket. I did not use solder as I could see the white metal parts coagulating into a blob and I find Araldite better than cyano which seems to require perfect conditions to work. Araldite is more forgiving. Before painting I added double sided copper clad sleepers to each side of the frame; these will carry the current collectors. I soldered a piece of NS scrap (more fret from a kit) to the back of the sleeper and then soldered the NS to the frame. I thought that if I soldered directly to the copper it may delaminate as the soldered join is very small and the copper is not always securely fixed to the paxolin. On to painting, my preference is to use a spray primer and then Halfords matt black, again sprayed. i did the cylinders first using Maskol to ensure the back face which locates against the frame is left bare. Once I had dione this the slidebars were fixed into position permanently, well not so permanently as the lower slide bar on one cylinder needed fixing. Unfortunately on one cylinder the lower slidebar hole had come out of the bottom of the cylinder so it needed some Araldite to fix the slidebar in place. (You can see this on the photo). On the chassis I used Maskol to protect the bearings and those parts of the chassis that would be Araldited. You can see where the cylinders go but looking at the photos I realise that I need to take off the Maskol behind the leading wheels. This is where the motion bracket locates. Unfortunately in taking off the Maskol around the sprung bearings one of the springs came away and was stretched. Hunting around I found a spare spring which I had to fit which in turn meant unsoldering the keeper wire under the bearing. Must be more careful in future! The photo shows the chassis and cylinder / valve gear assembly ready to be put together. My first job though is to fit the front drivers complete with coupling rod attached and all the necessary spacing washers. These wheels are totally inaccessible once the valve gear is in place so everything has to be correct. In particular I need to ensure that the crankpin does not stand too proud as it could foul the crosshead. Fitting the motor is the easy part. Once the front drivers are fitted the cylinder and valve gear assembly wil be fitted to the chassis using the screw and Araldite. A stroke of luck was that the front of the cylinders lined up with the front of the frame so it does look like the GWS example. I added a stretcher of scrap NS with some rivet detail punched on as this is clearly on the GWS railmotor. I had also been thinking about brake gear but nothing is apparent on any of the photos I've seen. The brake blocks could be tucked away behind the valve gear but if I can't see anything on the photo you won't see anything on the model. Looking back on work to date I have to confess some disappointment that parts of the chassis in particular the valve gear don't seem to tie up with prototype photos. The photo attached is also a little cruel, the chassis doen't look that bad and once tucked away under the body a lot of it will be obscured by the valve gear. I felt I could have done a better job of the springs but if you aren't sure that the photo you are using as a guide is correct for your model enthusiasm does wane. Hopfully my next entry will have a photo of the completed chassis. I'm looking forward to seeing that valve gear in operation again.

There was i thinking I'd got the hang of this. The three photos are attached.

This entry will be of interest to those changing the chassis on the Nu cast steam railmotor. I guess that won't be hundreds of you! As I model in EM the chassis provided with the kit was not really suitable, it's a large lump of white metal with little detail and no provision for springing or compensation. The only chassis that I can find for the railmotor is the one produced by Alan Gibson in etched brass. Having aquired this I made it up in the usual way with EM frame spacers with one axle sprung. The first real hurdle to overcome is fitting this to the body. The Nu Cast kit has the powered bogie supporting the body by means of a pillar on the bogie rotating around a hole near the roof. To avoid the bogie dropping out two "ears" project at either end and these locate above the body floor which has an arc at both front and rear of the opening. To withdraw the bogie there is a gap in the arc in one corner of the front (the cab end) enabling the "ear" to be dropped in or out. I hope the photo of the body makes this clear. The first job was to replicate the pillar that located in the prominent hole near the roof. Some stout brass rod I found in my scrap metal ice cream tub did the trick and I made this up into a squarish frame. Unlike the NU Cast version the frame means a large motor can be accommodated as it can pass through. I then soldered a piece of brass with an 8BA nut soldered to it to the frame. An 8BA screw head fitted neatly into the pivot hole in the chassis and this was screwed into the nut on the frame. I did solder a washer underneath the screw head to avoid the head passing right the way through the pivot hole. I fitted some old wheels of the correct size and by adjusting the screw was able to get the body to sit at the correct height. My usual method is to put the body on level track and using a wagon check how the buffers line up at each end. The next step was to replicate the "ears" and the same piece of brass rod came in handy for this. I used a slitting disc to cut a slot down the piece of rod so the slot fitted over the frame spacers. Yes that called for a steady hand but it was then much simpler to fix it to the frame spacer. The front "ear" in particular called for some care as there was only a narrow ledge that held the bogie in place and I did have to scrap my first attempt as I overcorrected when I cut off too much of the rod. the next one fitted fine though and the power bogie fits without too much play but still pivots easily. The photos of the body, chassis and the completed ensmble are attached. One job I could do is to solder some double sided PCB sleepers to the frame for the pick ups. My preference is always to have the pick ups inside the body and out of site and there is plenty of room to do this. The next job is to replicate some of the detail on the chassis. There were various springs etc between the wheels and I'm thinking of soldering these to some thin brass sheet on which I can also emboss rivet detail and Aralditing this to the chassis. That's for another day though, Still I'm glad I got the first stage done, I did think it might be difficult but after giving it some thought it didn't turn out too bad.

Yes thinking about it lead would have been too heavy. I have an old copy of Steam Days which had an article "Light rails to Wrington" which crucially included a colour photo, albeit of Wrington in 1961. The roof is a very light grey although by that time it would have faded. If my shed is typical though the felt must have been replaced many times over the lifetime of the building! I will have a look at earlier photos of the station as I suspect that when newly felted the colour would have been much darker; even a B & W photo would show the shade. Thank you for your contribution.

A few more photos that I took today. The first shows the Blagdon branch goods in the mid 1930's. The second van is another ABS kit, as I mentioned in my earlier blog these are excellent and cover the more unusual prototypes. I would also add that not all my coaches and vans have roofs this white! The second and third are shots of the platform and station building. The station buildings on the Wrington Vale line followed a standard pattern but that at Blagdon and Langford were extended a few years after opening. The extension is on the left hand side, if you look carefully you should be able to see the original end wall on to which the extension has been built. You will also see that the chimneys were originally on the ends of the station building and that the left hand pot has been replaced. I might see if I can get a better shot of the underside of the canopy where it wil be apparent that the bay windows were cantilevered out which made for interesting modelling. The roof appears to be of lead and I do need to have another look at the gutter. The final shot is of a 58xx 0-4-2T (and also the one in the first photo). I included this as it is a Rod Neep etched kit made for Puffers of York. I don't know whether it is still available anywhere but I haven't heard of it for some time so probably not. As you'd expect from Rod Neep the kit is very detailed (the instructions run to 16 pages) and went together fairly easily. I quite like the 48xx / 58xx as built when their lines were much cleaner without the added ATC piping, whistle shields and steps and handrails on one side of the bunker. The loco has a Portescap RG4C motor and was painted by Larry Goddard. The loco is spoilt by the buffers which are clearly too small for this class of loco. It should be a simple job to replace the buffer heads and one day I will get around to it but I need to check that whatever I get will fit the buffer stocks. Hope these are of interest and thanks to all those who commented. I now need to get back to the railmotor. John

Mikkel, Thank you for your kind comments. I was looking at the thumbnails which were square so I was pleased to see the correct proportions in the published blog. I'll see if I can add a few more photos now that my daughter (who happened to phone as I was struggling) emlightened me on reducing the file size. The original photos were something like 6 or 7 mb. Thanks again, John

Jim, Thank you for your comments. 1384 was one of the first etched kits I made and I did have a number of false starts. It was very difficult to get this running properly as the space available for moror and gears is very limited and inevitably they intrude into the cab. I had to use Comet 38:1 gears but I was able to use a slightly larger motor than I originally planned. I guess you have to compromise on either the gears or the motor. The fact that I managed to construct the kit shows that it is not too difficult, I gave up on a 517 0-4-2T as it used thin NS overlays to represent the rivets etc. and there was no way I could solder these satisfactorily to the main structure. I have some odd used chassis parts for 1384 so if you need anything let me know. Out of curiousity I had a look at the date Larry Goddard painted 1384, he signed the underside July 1987. Hemyock is a great choice for a prototype, I saw Chris Lamacraft's layout at Expo EM earlier this year. I've always liked the look of Ashburton but the thought of just being able to run an auto train backwards and forwards (if modelling from the 1920's on) seems a bit tedious. If you need any photos of Hemyock let me know. I have a copy of the excellent Twelveheads Press book, Paul Karau's GWR branch line stations (which features Hemyock) and the 1964 book published by the Narrow Gauge and Light Railway Society. The best photo of 1384 though is in the Watlington Branch book published by OPC, a full page broadside shot. I'l try posting a few more photos. John

Mike, Thanks for your help, I'm bveginning to understand how this works with the help of my son and daughter. Yes the photos are OK, i was probably looking at a thumbnail where the photo was square. Now I'm sorted I'll be able to post some more photos. Regarding the paint, I did stir it for a long time, in fact I had the bright idea of fixing a piece of bent brass rod in my Minidrill and using that to stir the paint. I learnt just how much mess a small amount of paint can make, fortunately Blagdon and my workbench is in the utility room but I had to hastily wipe black paint off the fridge and freezer before anyone noticed! Many years ago I had most of my locos painted by Larry Goddard and a great job he made of them, 1384 in particular. I asked if he would paint the railmotor but he does not like doing panelling on coaches so I had to do that myself. Originally I painted it in lake but changed it to fully lined chocolate and cream as it would have been in the 1920's. Thanks again for your help, I'm getting there. John

Rather than add them to the album I've done them as an attachment here. Slightly concerned that the rectangular photos appear square. My son is something of a whizz at computers but even he found this more complicated than he imagined. Looking at the 64xx shows how far handrail knobs have advanced!

I wil get the hang of this eventually. I've tried taking a few photos and in the process broke my desk lamp so no modelling tonight. Instead I'll let you know what I've done so far this season (as those who read my earlier blog, modelling for me has a season, rather like grouse shooting). My first task was to finish off the outside frame brake van which needed painting. This was one of the ABS kits and I have to say they're rather good, excellent in fact. The white metal castings are crisp and free from flash and the kit goes together easily. I like also the comprehensive instructions and the additional parts included where there were variations. I also have an ABS GWR wooden mink and this too was very good. The brake van also had the parts for compensating although once gummed up with paint I'm not sure whether the compensation works. I particularly wanted the outside frame brake van as it is a better choice for my earlier period. I'd certainly recommend ABS kits and they cover some interesting early wagons. For some reason when I painted the brake van I painted everything below the solebar black. It was re-reading the HMRS livery guide that I realised this should have been dark grey. Quickly checking the other wagons I found that only the last wagon I had painted was incorrect, it's odd how somehow an idea takes root in your head. I also found myself agreeing with others who have criticised the quality of railway paints. The so called matt black I used had a high gloss finish but as this was subsequently painted over this was not a problem. Military modellers would never tolerate the paints we have to use. Hopefully a photo of the brake van in company with 1384 is in the album. The locos and rolling stock I have has been collected over a long period, probably since the late 1970's. Much of it is unsuitable for Blagdon but notwithstanding that I still feel it should be as accurate as possible. One of the most satisfying tasks i did recently was to look at every item of rolling stock and make a note of inaccuracies and breakages. All the rolling stock is in 6 stout cardboard boxes purloined from work (originally they held Lloyd's Register of Shipping). Just to give one example, from box 5 "LMS Open, tonnage not shown, transfer film needs hiding, needs load." One item of rolling stock that needed a fair bit of work was my old K's auto trailer. i think it's been generally established that it represents an A31 trailer and I've seen several articles correcting the inaccuracies in the model. One defect that doesn't seem to be mentioned is the roof which should be the 3 arc type rather than a single arc (as provided in the kit) but somehow I had a spare Airfix trailer roof. I added underframe detail using the one of my two converted Airfix trailers as a guide (don't ask where they came from, they have both been detailed with the dart castings kit and represent the trailers as built). The K's auto trailer is in BR newly applied crimson and cream but I think a lot of the panelling would have gone by then. Again a photo should be in the album. One loco that would never have appeared at Blagdon was the 64xx 0-6-0PT but somehow I have one made from a Stephen Poole kit. It's been a problem getting this running satisfactorily and last "season" I tried to improve matters using a Westward chassis fret. The first false start was using leftover wheels from the scrapbox and finding that it could never be made to run smoothly. Closer examination revealed that what appeared to be the same wheels were in fact a mixture of types (presumably Gibson and Ultrascale) with marginally different crankpin throws. Even after buying a complete set of Gibson wheels I still had problems making it run freely and it didn't like even the slightest bend in the track. Because the Westward chassis was not very deep around the central axle I couldn't compensate the chassis. Thinking about this I thought the answer might be to articulate the coupling rods as they seemed rather stiff. I had thought that this would entail buying another chassis just for the coupling rods but, joy of joy, when I looked at the coupling rods I realised they were two layers that I had soldered together. All I had to do was use a slitting disc and cut halfway through behind the central crankpin hole, turn it over and cut halfway through the other side in front of the central crankpin hole. The coupling rod is now in two halves pivoting around the central crankpin. I also replaced the motor. I had a 5 pole motor based on the old Rovex XO4, I think it may have been MRRC, but this drew too much current. I therefore replaced it with a discarded Anchoridge DS10 and Romford gears. It now runs well but I can't help thinking had I used a High Level gearbox with a Mashima motor it would be even better. The quandry I have is how much do you spend on a locomotive that is not going to see front line service and has inaccuracies that can't really be corrected. Again there should be a photo in the album for you to judge for yourself. Incidentally, to line up the bearings in a fixed chassis try using lengths of 1/8th inch outside diameter brass tube. If you use lengths of a foot or so you can thread these through the bearings and see how they line up. Because of the length of the tube any slight inaccuracy in the alignment will be magnified at the ends of the tube. The other locomotive I have worked on is the Dean Goods, a K's kit. This had an Anchoridge DS10 and Romford gears but my new controller doesn't seem too happy with this motor. I therefore substituted a Mashima motor with a High Level gearbox. This only took one evening (and that included making up the gearbox) and the loco now runs beautifully. I'm sure 6 wheel pick up is one reason for this. Others I know have commented on the High Level gearboxes and I would certainly recommend them. They are easy to assemble but you do need a 2mm reamer. I have an aversion to any gears that require the final gear to be force fitted preferring those that use a grub screw which does limit my choice of High Level gearbox. I generally use the Road Runner +, 54:1 ratio. the reason for my aversion, if the fit is too tight it is too easy to damage the chassis and it would be difficult to remove without further damage. If the fit isn't tight enough then the gear could slip. Also a grub screw means the chassis can be checked for free running by simply slacking off the grub screw. One advantage of the Road Runner + is that it allows more cab detail to be shown as the bulk of the motor and gearbox is in the firebox and bolier. The photo shows the Dean Goods numberless. It is 2322, one of St. Philips Marshs' finest used on the Sunday diversions over the Severn Bridge which may be the reason it was one of the few retaining the larger tender as supplied with the kit. Fox Transfers are kindly doing the numberplate with a red background which it had in BR days. The allocation of the loco meant it could well have seen service on the daily Blagdon goods when not hauling 5 or 6 coaches over the Severn Bridge. All in all the start of the season has been very promising with much achieved. I've now looking at my steam railmotor, a Nu cast kit. The chassis was a crude white metal casting which I had packed out so it didn't look too odd in EM. Last season I acquired a Gibson chassis and the appropriate wheels. One axle is fixed, the other sprung and I have a Mashima 1624 and High Level gearbox ready to provide the power. This is proving very difficult though, the photo in the album shows the body and chassis, the curious arrangement of rods replicates the white metal support, this engages in a hole in the body near the roof although I think this is to high and will need to be reduced. The cylinders overlap the wheels so I'm going to have to make these removable. I am thinking about fixing these to a brass plate with a screw thread. By drilling a hole in the chassis I can fix these whilst the glue is setting. Future blogs will probably focus on the railmotor, it appeared daily at Blagdon in the 1920's and unlike the 6400 is front line motive power. Dinner is now ready so must go. Will advise on progress with the railmotor in due course.

Many thanks Mike. The photos were there but disappeared in the published version. I guess the file size may have been too large. I'll try again but with my son watching over my shoulder (or at least guiding me over the phone). can't disturb him now though as he's watching some Spanish football match.

I've had an interest in model railways, on and off, since I was about 16. As I retired a few years ago (albeit at 62) that's a long time. Model railways are not my only interest, indeed during the summer months I normally don't touch the railway preferring instead to be in the garden, travelling around the country, visiting stately homes and walking. Since I retired my son and I have walked the South Downs Way, the Ridgeway, St. Cuthbert’s Way, part of the Two Moors Way and the Norfolk Coast path. More recently add cruising to that. I don't claim to be an expert modeller but I enjoy what I do and it's a nice way to while away a wet afternoon or a winters' evening. Incidentally, I'm not into technicalities of this blogging lark so please excuse any errors. My interest has long been the GWR, maybe it stemmed from my schooldays when in the last years of SR steam I watched rusty and decrepit N and U classes at Redhill on the Reading line trains and then one day an immaculate Reading Manor appeared, (I think it was either Freshford or Fringford). I can see it now, in lined green on platform 3 with a short train. It was such a contrast to our usual fare. My current layout is Blagdon, a GWR terminus in Somerset that has been modelled before as it is relatively small and therefore takes up less space. Even so without any compression the layout requires an 8ft by 2ft baseboard; branch line stations took up a great deal more room than many imagine. Much as I'd like to colonise the spare bedroom I'm not sure my wife would approve. I do have a thing about modelling an actual station. I've never quite got my head around creating an accurate model of actual locomotives, coaches and wagons and then putting them into a fictitious location. I respect those that do but I enjoy the research that is required and operating the layout with the same timetable and in the same manner as the original. Some years ago I also began modelling in EM gauge which I think is a good compromise between OO and S4 (or P4). Because the number of locomotives and rolling stock required is relatively limited I've taken the opportunity to set the layout at different periods. For example I can operate Blagdon as it was in 1902 using the locomotive used in the first few weeks, the wonderfully eccentric 1384. This was a Peter K kit and once painted by Larry Goddard in fully lined GWR green really shows why railways were at the height of elegance in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. I can also model the station in the 1920's, the 1930's and up to 1950 when the goods service ceased (passenger traffic ceased in 1931). The station environs didn't change much but an additional room was added to the station building a few years after opening. The building therefore lost its' symmetry and I think is a good example of the sort of thing that happens in the real world that a modeller of a fictitious station might overlook. I also have to overlook the fact that the trees in the background only grew over the years, when the line opened the hillside at the back of the station was quite bare. However the trees and the embankment form a good visual stop avoiding the problems of merging the foreground into the backscene. As regards research, this I find very enjoyable and the Oakwood Press book has been very helpful in filling in some of the gaps in my knowledge. There was an article in a very old Model Railway News by Michael Farr that had a plan of the back of the station building, the only clue I could find to the layout of the windows. I also found some colour photos of Wrington in the early 1960's which showed the colour of the stonework facing the platforms. In a black and white photo they could have been any colour (it looks to be red sandstone). I know the station still exists as a private house and I have seen it but felt that I could hardly barge in and ask to take measurements and check the colour of the stonework! Apart from 1384, for operating Blagdon I have a 517 class 0-4-2T, a Metro tank, three 48xx / 58xx, (two in GWR green, one in early BR livery representing 1950) and a Dean Goods in early BR livery (again representing 1950). I do have a few other locomotives acquired many years ago (I had contemplated modelling New Radnor) and also an ex Cambrian 2-4-0T using the old Gem body kit with a Mainly Trains chassis, the chassis it has to be said better detailed than the body. I bought this simply because I like out of the ordinary, non-standard small locomotives. I have my eye on the kit for Lady Margaret! Currently I am trying to get the Nu Cast GWR steam railmotor running. The old white metal power bogie chassis was jettisoned, perhaps a little too hastily, and I'm now working with an Alan Gibson brass chassis with the non-driving wheels sprung. Trying to fix the Nu Cast white metal cylinders to the Gibson chassis is proving complicated and I've also got to fit the complex valve gear. Why does no one currently make a decent kit of a steam railmotor? One visited Blagdon with the midday round trip all through the 1920's and in their day these were as much a part of the GWR branch line scene as the 48xx in later years. Incidentally, I would encourage anyone to see and ride on the steam railmotor at the GWS at Didcot. It truly is one of the most memorable experiences in railway preservation. You need to remember that 30 or so years ago the range of decent locomotives was limited, we had no Bachman then, the RTR examples were generally poor and in any event focussed mainly on express passenger locomotives so if you wanted a small branch engine you had to resort to a white metal kit. Three of the locos have Portescap motors (58xx, Metro and 517) whilst most of the others have the Mashima motor / High Level gearbox combination. Unfortunately due to space considerations I can't use the High Level gearbox in 1384 and consequently it doesn't run quite as well as most of the others but it is still far better than it was (thanks to Peter K supplying a new chassis fret). Most locomotives are compensated. Recently I spent some time looking very carefully at each item of rolling stock and checking for breakages (bits such as buffers do get broken off) and inaccuracies (my knowledge of GWR brake gear for example is better than it was 30 years ago). It’s been very satisfying bringing each item of rolling stock up to the same standard, it’s a fact that our modelling abilities improve over the years but you cannot afford to throw away the earlier examples of your work because they don’t meet the standards of the latest models. I hope the photo gives some idea of what I’ve tried to achieve. I’m aware that I fail a little on the scenery front but I have developed a few mantras as follows: Grass is green, not bright yellow or brown. Old black and white photographs have given the impression that 100 years ago people lived in an age of greys. There was more colour around than people imagine; a bright delivery van for example draws the eye of the viewer. Whilst the public (passenger) side of railways was tidier than today, the areas outside the public gaze were not necessarily cleaner. For example in an environment where horses were everywhere the inevitable by-product would be apparent, mine are moulded from Milliput but the proportions may be the reason why the horses on my layout have watering eyes. If people are interested I’ll continue to update on progress to date. This may mean having to rename the blog as under the Blagdon baseboard is a partially completed model of Westbrook and I’m starting to think I need a change.

The New Radnor branch book that you mention has several photos of B sets, quite modern stock for a very rural backwater but then these photos were taken in the 1940's. There was an article about Presteigne station in a very old Model Railway Constructor but this gives little information on the rolling stock used. However the Oakwood Press book, Great Western Branch Lines, does have two photographs taken at Presteigne and whilst earlier than the dates you are looking at these show four wheel coaches. It is quite reasonable to assume that four wheel coaches would still have been used well into the 20's. I do have a vague recollection that an old GW Journal may have further infornmation on the carriages used. The same photos show the inevitable 517 0-4-2T but also, and more unusually, a 1701 0-6-0ST. In later years (mid 1930's on) a fair clutch of 58xx 0-4-2T's were allocated to Leominster with a couple outstationed at Kington and these worked all the branches from Kington. The 3571 0-4-2T's did appear on the New Radnor trains but I think these were through trains from Worcester (via Bromyard) and were more associated with the Bromyard branch rather than New Radnor as understand they were shedded at Worcester. The service timetable I have seems to show that the Kington and Eardisley branches were worked by the same loco and coaches throughout the day. The goods traffic was worked by an 0-6-0T. I've always liked the more rural backwaters of the GWR and Presteigne, a very attractive station, is one well worth modelling. I hope that temptation turns into reality.

My first contribution and somewhat late I know for this article. I too was surprised to see the loco in unlined green with the early crest but reference to the HMRS bible (part 6) states "in 1956 it was decided to paint them green whilst from early1957 some (the numbers are given) were turned out resplendent with full lining and with polished sfatey valve covers." I believe the move to painting every locomotive green and the introduction of chocolate and cream coaches was instituted by Keith Grand when he became WR General Manager. The later BR crest was introduced at the end of 1956 so it is entirely possible that those 14xx undergoing overhaul during the transition period would have been green with the early crest. Just remembered now that I have the Irwell Press publication and reference to that indicates that 1454 had a heavy intermediate repair at Swindon at the end of 1956 coming out early 1957 so it is highly likely that the earlier crests were being used up on the less important locomotives. As further evidence that those overhauling locomotives had little regard for modellers in the future, some 14xx appeared fully lined with the early crest, one example being 1458, as the works concerned (I think it was Newton Abbot) had "run out" of the new crest and were using the old ones. Also, on nationalisation, the livery earmarked for the 14xx was unlined black but a few, 5816, 1465 and Asburton's pet, 1470, were lined out with the mixed traffic lining. If modelling the class as built (as two of mine are) then a photo is probably not necessary as each lot would have been identical. As they age though it becomes more of a problem as modifications and liveries mean each locomotive is different and a photo is then essential. I reckon the 48xx/14xx 0-4-2T must be the most modelled loco. I have three, two much modified K's kits and one Rod Neep etched (made for Puffers of York). The etched kit is excellent and the instructions alone are a veritable gold mine of information concerning the changes and modifications to the class over their lifetime. I have never modified the Airfix version which I think needs a lot of work to capture the look of a 14xx, like the K's kit it suffers from the wrong smokebox door which stands out like a sore thumb. Easily rectified of course but you feel Bachman would make a better fist of it should they choose to model this popular locomotive. Two of my 48xx / 58xx work the Blagdon branch goods in the 1930's with one 14xx in unlined BR black representing 1950, immediately prior to closure. Hope I've not bored everyone and looking forward to making further contributions.