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D6150

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Blog Entries posted by D6150

  1. D6150

    Das Bus (sorry Bart)

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    The grand plan for my boxfile layout includes a road overbridge to hide the join between the two boxes. And of course railway modeling 101 dictates that if we have a road bridge there should be a bus driving over it....
    I have a few 1:76 buses from EFE, but very little in HO, apart from an old Wiking mercedes 0305. This has now been cut down from a "bendi" into a regular two-axle bus. 
    A Saviem or Renault PR100 would have been a lot more typical french, but it's that money thing again, and the merc was already lurking at the bottom of a cardboard box. The 0305 was actually sold in france (Nantes had a fleet), and eventually there was a license built version from Heuliez (rectangular headlights instead of round). 
    The bus is more or less complete, just needing door mirrors and a few other bits. Its supposed to be an in-service vehicle, so the less than perfect paint is hopefully realistic....
    Can anyone suggest a source of 1:87 drivers and passengers? The ones on ebay seem to be either horribly inaccurate or horribly expensive. Thanks in advance. 
     
    Ken 
     

  2. D6150

    Boxfile part 2

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So another bit of progress with the boxfile layout. Scalescenes low relief warehouse chopped to suit 1:87 (ish). Still needs some signs and a coat of matt varnish to finish, but quite happy with the result. 
    The car poking out of the roller door is a 1950's Opel as modeled by Wiking in the 1980's. A bit short on details but ok for background. 
    The Scania T142 is an 80's matchbox toy, which is marked as 1:90 scale, and looks pretty good for HO. Some nice crisp detail on the cab.
    It's based on an Australian spec tractor unit, but shouldn't be hard to convert to a more European version. These were relatively common in Scandinavia and some other bits of Europe at the time. A few even made it to the UK on low loader/construction work, but were never as common as the 142 cabover. 
     
    Ken

  3. D6150

    Boxfile part 1

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So after a lot of procrastination (oh yes...), here's a first look at my upcoming boxfile layout.
     
    The setting is deliberately vague (or just inaccurate), somewhere in NE France between the late 1970's and mid 1990's. When finished there will be two boxfiles joined end-to-end, with a road overbridge to cover the join. There will be a sector plate or fiddle yard at one end (accessed through a tunnel portal), representing the rest of the SNCF system. In the photos 70001 is arriving light engine from its home depot at Chalindrey.
     
    There will be one siding for assorted freight stock and locos, possibly awaiting repairs. The other siding will be a (very) small oil or lpg terminal, as I have seen several photos of mainline sncf diesel and electric locos with trains of only 1 or 2 lpg tanks. I will probably also work in some decaying heavy industry.
     
    I'd love to do prototypical trains of 20-30 grain wagons, but it's never going to happen....
     
    So there you go. This will probably take a while to complete (sorry), but any comments and suggestions are welcome. 
     
    Thanks 
     
    Ken 

  4. D6150

    Wagons...

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So having more or less finished CC70001, I realised it's in need of some wagons to shunt in it's upcoming boxfile layout home. A locotracteur would be a much better choice for a boxfile, but hey....
     
    Being short of cash for modelling projects, I borrowed an idea from another RM webber (sorry I have forgotten your username) and bought one of those cheap plastic trainsets from Ebay. £9 got me three roughly ho-scale wagons and a battery-powered loco (not sure what I'll do with it yet).
     
    Wagon one is now more or less complete, having been re-branded from a petrol tanker (really) to a grain hopper. I went with Coopagri Bretagne because I like their logo. First attempt at weathering with watercolours, and quite happy with how it turned out. 
     
    Thanks 
     
    Ken

  5. D6150

    SNCF 70001

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    Hello,
     
    It's been a wee while, but time for a quick update on what I've been doing. 
    Having finished (for now) 70001, I figured I needed some ho (ish) stock for it to pull/shunt. Not having anything specific in mind, and given the increasing prices of decent secondhand stock on Ebay, I borrowed an idea from another RM-webber, and bought a (very) cheap plastic train set, which includes 3 x approx ho scale bogie wagons. One of these, bizarrely stickered-up as a fuel tanker is now almost complete as an SNCF grain hopper. Just trying to decide between Breiz-Al or CoopAgri Brentagne colours. 
     
    Thanks 
     
    Ken


  6. D6150

    Extra time...

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    A bit of weathering on 70001. Diesel stains from the fuel fillers. Dirt and grime on the bogies. Some dirt on the steps and door handles and some more on the (many) grilles. Tried some soot around the exhaust vents also, but not an easy effect to achieve (black on black???).
    Tried not to overdo it, and quite happy with the results. In most photos 70001 isn't clean, but isn't filthy either. 
    Ken
     

  7. D6150

    Done! Well almost...

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So 70001 is back on it's wheels. It's not quite up there with current RTR models, but it probably only cost around £40 all in. 
     
    The original mehano shell is pretty accurate as far as I can see, once the cab ends are sorted. It certainly captures the bulk of the real loco. 
     
    To be honest, it does sit too high on the bogies, but I'm not sure how easy this will be to fix (limited space inside the bodyshell). 
     
    All that remains to be done is a bit of weathering to tone down the finish. Some couplings also required, although I'm not sure what type. 
     
    Next up, a boxfile layout to run it on.
     
    Stay safe folks.
     


  8. D6150

    Across the channel part 4...

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So 70001 is slowly coming together. Not perfect, but quite happy with it for what it is. 
    Tried adding grab-rails, but this didn't work well. Anything close to scale was extremely fragile, and my sausage fingers snapped them off again in minutes. Anything strong enough to stand a bit of handling was obviously over-scale... 
    There is some weathering to be done once the loco is back together, which should help to disguise the odd paint issue. I'm modelling the loco towards the end of it's career, by which point some wear and tear was evident. 
    As I've mentioned before, info on 70001 and 70002 is a bit limited, and one of the french websites I was using has now disappeared, after their servers were burnt out.... 
    70001 was apparently withdrawn from Chalindrey in 1983 with electrical issues. But confusingly Flickr has several photos of it tagged as being taken in 1988, and showing the loco complete and coupled to a CC72000. 
     
    Thanks for looking.
     
    Ken
     
     

  9. D6150

    SNCF 70001

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So 70001 is progressing. Cutting and shutting the cab ends wasn't too bad. Started on the paint, which is proving a bit challenging, but should hopefully tidy up ok (for my fairly low standards..). Picking a shade of blue has been difficult. There aren't all that many colour photos of 70001 and 70002, and they vary wildly in terms of colour. 
    There isn't all that much on these locos on the web, and a lot needs to be translated from french. They seem to have been a fairly advanced design, which proved temperamental in service. However when they did work they were really good. 70001lasted from 1965 to 1983, based mainly around Chalindrey. 
    Thanks for looking.
    Ken
  10. D6150

    70001

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So a bit of tinkering with the mehano Sncf 70000 this week. The model is a bit of an oddball, just like the real thing. The side profiles are pretty accurate, but the ends are wrong. And it's red instead of blue. 
    So far, I've made a start on fixing the cab ends, cutting them off and refitting them, so the lights are at the right level (the bottom of the lights should line up with the bottom of the cab doors). New buffer beams are required, plus grab-rails and brake hoses. 
    A couple of before and after shots attached. 
    I've decided against making my own power bogie for the CC65000 (way more difficult than I expected). So I will be scouring ebay for a lima deltic/class 50 motor bogie instead. I may recycle so of the parts I've collected into a locotracteur instead (eventually)
    Stay safe folks 


  11. D6150

    CC65000 continued

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    Hello again. 
    The CC65000 is coming along slowly, the body is perhaps 60% complete, and I've started on the bogies. These are recycled from a Kitmaster/Airfix/Dapol kit. I'm going to try and assemble my own drive mechanism... I may regret this. I had wondered about using bogies from the original Lima deltic, as these are HO (or not far off), but given the prices these go for on ebay, a lot of other people must have the same idea. 
    2020 has left me with an interest in french trains, and I'm now planning a boxfile layout. This will need a handful of locos, and too much time on ebay resulted in me buying an old Mehano/RSO CC70000. The cab ends are wrong (but fixable), but the rest of it isn't bad. I'm not sure why it's red though...? My plan is to tidy up the cab ends, add some missing details, and paint it up in the correct blue/white/black SNCF colours. As an aside these were technically advanced locomotives when they entered service in the mid 1960's, and contributed to the development of the later CC72000. 
    Stay safe folks. 
     
  12. D6150

    CC65000 continued

    By D6150,


    Sncf cc65000
    Happy new year to all on RM web.
     
    Another quick update on the loco. Amended lower body sides now added, and I've made a start on sanding and filling the first lower-end. 
    Still a long way to go, but it's good to have something to help fill the long winter nights. 
    Stay safe folks.

  13. D6150

    Starfighter!

    By D6150,

    Another wee project moving closer to the finish line. Revell's kit of the Lockheed F104-G Starfighter. It's been a long time since I tried an aircraft kit. This one was a bit different to the (mainly Airfix) ones I remember, the fuselage is in 4 bits not 2, and getting them to join neatly wasn't easy. Would like to blame Revell, but its probably me...
     
    This will be painted up as an F104-G of the Italian Aeronautica Militare. Italy was an enthusiastic user of the F104, only retiring the last of their S variants in 2002. 
     
    An old aircraft that still manages to look futuristic, at least in my eyes. 

  14. D6150

    CC65000 part 3

    By D6150,


    Sncf cc65000
    So on we go with the CC65000 conversion. The "new" nose is now largely completed at one end of the V200 shell. A lot of filling and sanding required, but I think it's starting to take shape. Nothing to do with the bottle of Balvennie I opened yesterday..... 
    Can anyone suggest a supplier of HO loco parts like buffer heads and air horns? I've scoured ebay but haven't found much that might suit? 
    Thanks 
    Ken 
     

  15. D6150

    Starfighter! (3)

    By D6150,


    F104
    So the f104G is finally finished. Not the easiest kit, or maybe I'm just a bit rusty with aircraft. Anyhow it's off to brighten up my home office; I've been working from home since March (as I'm sure lots of other RM webber's will have been). 
    Italian airforce markings were really difficult to source, but eventually got a set designed for the earlier f86 from FantasyPrintShop.co.uk . Not the cheapest, but excellent product and service. 
    I now have the final f104S-asa on my to do list for 2021.
    Thanks for looking, and all the best for Christmas and New Year.
    Ken

  16. D6150

    CC65000 part 2

    By D6150,


    Sncf cc65000
    A bit of progress altering the nose of the V200 shell to look a bit more like a Cc65000. Not that much of the original plastic left, but starting to look a bit more like the prototype (I hope...). A fair bit of filler required to try and replicate the compound curves of the original. 
     
    Thanks for looking. Ken 

  17. D6150

    Cut and shut...

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So how to covert a DB V200 shell to something a bit more like the CC65000? 
    So far I've altered the cab-side windows at both ends, including the plated-over windows above the cab doors to represent a loco towards the end of their life with SNCF. 
    I've also cut the V200 nose off at one end, and made a start on re-shaping the windscreens. The CC65000 has windscreens that are straight at the bottom, while the V200 screens have a curved bottom edge.
    Fingers crossed it all goes together as planned. 


  18. D6150

    CC65000

    By D6150,


    Across the channel
    So time to reveal my mystery project. It's going to the SNCF CC65000. 
     
    The inspiration for this came from an excellent video on YouTube showing 65005 in its second career with Agrivap in the Auvergne. There are also some excellent photos on Flickr.
     
    Hornby made a model of the CC65000 in their ACHO range, and there have been some more modern replicas, but the cost of these is a long way beyond my budget (although I can't deny the quality).
     
    I was going to try scratch-building, but tbh I don't think I have the time or patience. The DB V200 has a similar profile to the bodyshell, and ebay turned up a cheap one from Jouef  so I have decided to use this as a base.
     
    The result is probably going to be a bit like the infamous Hornby Dublo Deltic. You know what it is, although some of the details are not quite on the money. Apologies to all the finescale modellers who have run screaming from the room...
    Thanks for looking. 

  19. D6150

    Starfighter! (2)

    By D6150,


    F104
    So a wee update on the F104. Paint and transfers now mostly done. This took a lot longer than expected, but hopefully looks a bit better than the Airfix kits I used to knock together in a couple of hours. 
    Italian airforce markings have proved difficult to get hold of, the first set from ebay were old stock which fell apart when I tried to apply them. The second set have got lost in the post apparently... 
    Thanks for all the feedback on my previous post, I was surprised by the level of interest in what for many people must be an old jet with an iffy safety record that retired from frontline service a couple of decades ago. 


  20. D6150

    Guess the project.

    By D6150,

    To cheer myself up following imposition of a local lockdown I've decided to do teaser photo for my next project.
     
    I'm not going to say what it is intended to be, guess away. What it actually ends up as may be a different story. Possibly pushed to the back of the "work in progress" shelf. 
     
    Comments and suggestions welcome as always.
     
    Ken

  21. D6150

    Another small step

    By D6150,

    So here we have the airfix moon buggy, or more correctly the lunar rover. I have added seat backs, antenna's, and the cargo rack/bulkhead behind the seats. I still need to add the satellite dish on the main antenna, and the distinctive orange mudguards.
     
    The two astronauts in the background are taking rock and dust samples, that's some kind of probe, not a rifle. These guys are roughly half way through painting, I think the space suits look better with a matt finish. 
     
    I also have a Revell F104G starfighter in progress at the moment, will get back to something rail-related soon. 
     

  22. D6150

    One small step....

    By D6150,

    A bit off topic for RM Web, and about 12 months late for the Apollo 11 anniversary, here is my first attempt at the Airfix astronaut figure set.... 
     
    These are made of slightly squishy vinyl rather than hard plastic. This can be hard to paint (ask my 12 year old self), but it turns out a quick coat of watered-down PVA glue works as a primer (leftovers from IKEA). Paint used is a mix of humbrol and revell enamel, with some cheap watercolour paint from The Works for weathering.
     
    Think I will try assembling one of the moon buggies next. 


  23. D6150

    37681

    By D6150,

    So my latest project is completed, or nearly. A repaint and minor detailing of the old Hornby class 37, which had been stored away and largely forgotten for 20-odd years. 
     
    Briefly I have...
    - Fitted new air horns
    - Fitted fixed-beam and high intensity headlights
    - Fitted some jumper cables (possibly not all of them)
    - Fitted new cab steps in the correct location (removing the class 47 steps wasn't easy) 
    - Altered the nose grilles
    - Removed the buffer beam cowls
    - Changed the buffers
    - Renumbered as 37681 from 37130
    - Repainted in a generic modern livery. Theres a bit of TfW, a bit of Virgin Trains and a wee bit of LoadHaul in there. As the experts amongst you might know, the real 37130 was scrapped after an accident in the 1990s, so there is no accurate modern livery for this particular loco.
     
    Horns, etc., came from an old Dapol Deltic kit that went very wrong very quickly.....
     
    Incidentally does anyone know what service the 8H22 headcode Hornby used referred to? 
     
    There will eventually be a short rake of BP tta tanks to go with the loco, inspired by the Lairg and Fort William tank trains. 
     
    So there we go. Comments welcome. 
     


  24. D6150

    Another project....

    By D6150,

    So having completed the first Hornby TTA wagon, I've moved on to my next project (victim?) Hopefully still just about recognisable as the Triang Hornby R751 class 37. I'm trying to complete the modification/detailing I started a few years back (1997 if I'm honest, it's been a busy 20 years or so). 
     
    The plan is to update 37130 to it's final form as 37681. I'm still debating liveries. 
     
    Various alterations to the body shell so far (some better than others). Not one for the rivet counters I fear, but I have at least filled the slot in the fan-end nose. 
     
    I have good memories of class 37's on the Elgin/Inverurie-Shotton timber trains in the mid 1990s, and may have some photos somewhere, if I can find them.....

  25. D6150

    Some time later....

    By D6150,

    So after a bit of a gap, some progress to report. My ho scale Australian project is currently on hold as I grapple with the bits I'm not so good at (scenics, buildings). 
    Meantime I have been clearing out some of the old Hornby/Lima which has been cluttering up my folks loft for the last 20 years or so, and seeing what (if anything) i can do with it.
    First up is one of the omnipresent Hornby TTA wagons. This was the red Texaco version, but is now in BP colours, inspired by the Lairg tanker trains  and quite a few posts on here. Quite pleased with how this has turned out, but probably not one for the rivet counters....
    Planning on doing a couple more, so any comments and suggestions welcome.

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