31A

Thanks for those kind comments, both. I know unfitted open wagons usually look a bit unkempt in photos from the BR period, but I'm always afraid of over doing it, and usually working from B&W photos a lot of it is guesswork. The Rapido models are certainly very good. I didn't realise until after I'd done it, that there's a picture of that same ex LMS wagon in David Larkin's book. The real one looked a lot smarter than mine in the photo! Oh well, I suppose it wasn't always like that. The SR one is also very nice, but a bit plain on the inside. Have to confess, I've got an unmade Cambrian kit for a similar wagon so I looked at that, and as a result added the vertical ironwork either side of the doors. Apart from that, the kit one has only got bolt head detail on the inside, so I guess the real ones must have been pretty plain inside, too. I could probably give it some chalk markings, as well.

Erm well hmm thanks but no not really Phil, as one of the first things I did was to replace the too small (wagon sized) wheels that it comes with, with coach sized wheels that it should ride on! The small wheels looked really 'wrong' to me! I replaced the 12mm dia wheels with Hornby coach wheels which I believe are 14mm dia., which means it now rides 1mm higher than it originally did.

As a bit of light relief from that stressful Stove experience, a couple of very nice RTR open wagons that had arrived recently have been given some 'treatment':

Mine propel OK through reverse curves (crossovers), using Roco couplings which hold the swing arms on each coach together as if they were a single rigid bar.

I did go to the EUR 150 event so it could well have been, but it is from a print that I scanned as a one-off a few years ago so to confirm I'd have to dig out the original to see if I made a note of when I took it (which I'm afraid I didn't always do!).

Not quite the same....

It's Tony Wright's thread, "Wright Writes": https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/64295-wright-writes/page/3100/

Hi Ian, Looks like the top left and top right in your photo are the same fret, which is from the original MSE (Derek Mundy) range. The 1987 product list has got a picture of this etch which is S003 and described as "McKenzie & Holland LQ", the description says "Pre-group parts for 23 signals including Slotted and Somersault - GNR, GCR, GER, NER, HR, NSR, Cam R, RR, TVR". The bits that remain on the LH one are mainly the brackets for somersault signal arms, and the RH one includes those and the somersault signal arms (those with the two holes in the middle) and spectacles (incorporating crank arm for the somersault arm pull rod), as well as other LQ signal arms and spectacles. The middle etch in your picture is a D&S Post Fittings set, and the small scrap below that looks like part of the MSE S0012 "Westinghouse UQ", with the remaining bits on it being balance weight arm pivot bearings (SR type?).

Hi Mark, Yes, it looks as though I did shorten them, although I'd forgotten doing it - it was a few years ago! In practice my sets are used as fixed rakes and the Roco type couplings act as permanent couplings, but it is sometimes handy to be able to lift individual coaches out of the set which would be more difficult with the fixed bars that come with the Keen couplings. With your coaches with the full width diaphragms, perhaps it would be possible to fit them above the floor, within the vestibule area so that they're not visible below the vehicles? Although I've no idea what the inside of your coaches is like.

Thank you for passing on this sad news. I can't say that I knew Jonathan, but was very impressed by his modelling as displayed on this thread, and also by the way he communicated with us during his illness. Condolences to his family and friends, RIP.

Coincidentally I have just put some pictures showing how I did this on "Wright Writes", in response to a query re these couplings that was raised on there!

Hi Mark, Not sure whether I'd call myself 'high end' or not! But a while back I fitted the Keen Systems close coupling units to several Bachmann BR Mk1 Suburban coaches, and it went well enough. The coaches run as semi fixed sets together with Hornby ex LNER Suburban coaches (Gresley and Thompson types) which have their own kinematic system, and they work together very well. I had to remove quite a lot of material from the Keen moulding to allow it to fit within the recess in the Bachmann underframe moulding, and I attached them using countersunk self tapping screws, partly in case it didn't work and I wanted to revert to bogie mounted couplings! I also had to remove quite a bit from the bogie headstocks to allow the couplings and bogies to swing separately without interfering with each other. The pictures show both ends of the same coach, which is an 'end' coach of the set, hence one end has a tension lock coupling fitted to couple to a loco and the other end has a Roco-type coupling to couple to the next coach. As you can see, on this coach I added a self-centring mechanism with phosphor bronze wire springs, which the instructions allude to but don't really give much detail of how to achieve. With the other coaches that I modified I didn't bother with these springs, and where one was an 'end' coach I only fitted the Keen coupling at the 'inner' end and left the bogie-mounted tension lock at the 'outer' end to couple to locos. Anyway, I was quite pleased with the results and have got some more to do when I get around to it. Hope this helps!

Yes they seem to have been a bit restricted with ringing the changes with the possible B17 permutations. I must admit I hadn't realised they'd not done a GS tender in LNER livery, but on the other hand, I've always hoped for a Westinghouse fitted one in BR livery (either type of tender) but to the best of my knowledge they've never done that either.

Well, time to put the 'Stove R' saga to bed now, at least for now .... Following a good dose of 'Parcels Van Weathering' it is now a lot less gaudy, and the gloopy paint job is disguised, to some extent. But, despite what I said at the beginning, can I live with the over height issue? It's only about a millimetre or so, and the original maroon van has been running around the layout for years without bothering me at all, but maybe it's one of those things that once seen can't be unseen? Anyway, I think it's time to put it into traffic for now and maybe give some thought to a replacement underframe sometime down the road.

Good point!😁

Well after that diversion to Pickering, back to the saga of the Stove R. By the time I'd scrubbed the paint off, the weather had turned. I managed to get another coat of red oxide primer sprayed on, but then resorted to brush painting Railmatch Enamel for the Crimson livery. Red paints can be quite translucent and that was the case, so it took at least coats of the crimson (maybe three) before decent coverage was achieved. I painted the gutter / cantrail black as seems to have been the custom, and picked out the wire handrails with a black Sharpie pen. The moulded door handles aren't overly defined and had become less so under the coats of paint, so I didn't feel confident that I'd be able to pick them out. With hindsight, they could have been replaced with metal ones! Unfortunately after all this messing around with the paint job, some of the moulded detail on the sides is no longer as sharp as it once was. I thought I'd be able to find suitable transfers amongst my Stash, after all BGs don't have much writing on them, but nowhere could I find STOVE R or STOVE BGZ. Scouring the Internet, Railtec came to the rescue: https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=3286 This sheet has made up number sets for two of these vans, and lots of other useful stuff. Carefully following the comprehensive instructions, applying them was straightforward - except that I managed to get one of the number sets folded back on itself and was a write off! So, I resorted to the second set which went on as intended. Sadly though I no longer have a second set in case I want to do another of these vans (not that I do, at the moment). I did then have a 'window of opportunity' in the weather which gave me a chance to spray a coat of satin varnish over the transfers. The whole thing then clipped back together easily enough; I didn't need to use any glue to hold the glazing in place. At this point it looks a bit gaudy!

Thank you, much appreciated! Surprising sometimes what comes out of a smart phone when you just point and shoot!

Thanks Stuart, worth looking into!

Another "Railway" football club. I believe their ground is near Starbeck station, where the loco depot for Harrogate used to be: https://harrogaterailwayathleticfc.co.uk/default.aspx

Thanks John, that's a couple of others to look for then. My brain couldn't cope with remembering all those, I need to start a shopping list!

Thank you Andy; I was quite surprised by how well those pictures at Pickering came out! The last one wasn't a great shot of the loco but I like the way the steam filters up into the roof ironwork. Ford Rosso Red - that's the one! I haven't got any of that, but will try and remember to look for it when I go to Halford's next. Cheers!

That is very handy to know Lez, as I was wondering where I could keep such a thing if I got one!

Thank you Ian, glad you like the photos. I think the Pickering station restoration maybe one of the best things the NYMR has done!

To blow away the cobwebs a bit, I had another trip to the NYMR yesterday, squeezing as many drops as possible from the Annual Pass. It's often the 'closed season' for heritage railways but since Christmas and up until tomorrow, they have been running one Pickering-Whitby & return round trip daily. It had to be booked in advance, and yesterday's train was well filled. The timetable allowed for a couple of hours to look around Whitby which made a nice change as on recent visits with the normal timetable, I have usually come straight back on the same train. Yesterday the Black 5 5428 "Eric Treacy" was doing the honours. The 9F 92134 was also working, hauling the Pullman Dining train on what seemed to be a private charter. I do like Pickering Station since they've restored the overall roof, and in the twilight it was very atmospheric. I suppose the Christmas lights are a bit incongruous really, though!

Hi Lez, many thanks for this; I really must give some thought to buying a spray booth of some sort, it would make life a lot easier when the weather is like we've had so much of lately!