Well, it has taken a while but there it is. Number 729 is running and in service. As I have said I find painting and lining difficult but it does look reasonable from normal viewing distances. I am pleased with the way it runs, smooth and with quite sufficient tractive effort for my needs. Watching it in motion I think that the closed doors do make a difference, if I make another tender engine I will repeat that bit.

Anyway a few pictures .

A bit of video, rough but best I can manage.

Hello to everyone I met at the SECC  on Friday, interesting exhibition.

There we are, the D63 in service after its 30 year refurbishment.

I’m not sure that I’m completely happy with it but perhaps we are all getting a bit harsh on ourselves since close up photography shows up all sorts of things that are just invisible from normal viewing distances. You never know, one of the rtr manufacturers might bring out a very nice version. Probably by the time this one has been in service for another 30 years……

So a close up pic;



Aye, well. In practice these vans would have spent most of their time on coal traffic so thats the service I will be using it for.

Some progress has been made, a few more wagons are now in rakes with magnetic ajs and I have been generally fixing some of the minor details. Of course all this photography is like going over the layout with a magnifying glass, you see all sorts wrong that you thought were ok.

However none of that is really interesting to the observer. Far more fun to have a session of playing trains and take a few pics of that. So here we are , just a few snaps of the faithful pug doing a bit of shunting. It also keeps my mind focussed, it is after all the whole point of it all.







A dray from a langley kit.

Sepia just for a change.

Off heading East

Here we are, a diagram 24 wagon painted, lightly weathered and in service. The sheep spars were removable so that these wagons could be used in general use, but I don’t know to what extent that was done.

I don’t know what happened to the sheep, but the Caledonian pup is asleep under the viaduct, from which direction comes a slight aroma of mint sauce……..

The Beattie Well Tank can be backdated to LSWR condition (did they run this while you were there on Sunday?) but it's not a conversion for the faint of heart. I drew the line at chopping the 2mm out of the running plate just behind the buffer beam and the one decent photograph I had didn't show the donkey pump at all well, but in the early days of the Swanage branch these were very common so we really had to have one.

I've also never felt brave enough to cut back the smokebox on the Hornby T9 which ought to be done to be completely accurate.

In my initial post I mentioned my target of having at least one model of every loco type that the SR possessed at nationalisation, and that this was my reason for not modelling a prototypical location; I thought that it might be interesting to introduce one or two of the more unusual locos in the collection to illustrate the problem!

First is DS 1169, a Ruston Hornsby 48DS shunter acquired by the Southern to work first on sea defences at Folkestone and later at Broad Clyst; this tiny little loco is from a Judith Edge kit and was built for me by Chris Phillips:

RMWebbers were very helpful on this one in determining the most likely livery for the date that I am modelling.

Next up are a pair of PD&SWJR locos, 'A.S. Harris' and 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe', each from a CSP Agenoria kit by the sadly, very recently, deceased Roger Slade, and again, built for me by Chris Phillips:

Next, an ex-LB&SCR E4 tank, this one RTR by OO Works:

One of the advantages that I see from modelling the period that I have chosen is that I can run locos, and trains as well, in a number of liveries through from Maunsell olive, via wartime black, to Bulleid malachite. None of my locos is as yet weathered, although all have coal, crew and more recently SR headcode discs added, whether they are RTR or kit built; one day I shall get around t weathering as I am now convinced that it looks far better!

Finally, a Hornby RTR ex-LSWR T9, posed next to a kit built ex-LSWR L11, to highlight the similarities and differences; the latter from a Martin Finney kit and again, built by Chris Phillips ( http://www.crphillips-models.co.uk/ ), whose work I greatly admire - no connection other than as a satisfied customer!

I am now only a very small number of types away from fulfilling my original aim, but it is fair to say that the last ones will be difficult since no kits exist. I am looking at 'kit bashing' for one, and having a 3D body printed for another, but I am determined to get there!

Tony

Edited 9.10.16 to add link to Chris Phillips' website.

Earlier this evening Lacarthedrale posted a photo of his superb model of a Midland van in 7mm in the pre-grouping general discussion thread as he has no workbench thread to show it in, although there is nothing wrong with posting it there I thought we should have a showcase thread where our finished individual models (rather than layouts) could be shown off together.

So I thought I would start it off with my NER 1001 No 1093, built at North Road Works in April 1867 as No93 (S&D section number) and named Uranus, it later received a Worsdell boiler and fittings and was withdrawn in 1909.

Look forward to seeing some pre-grouping models

I don't have a workshop thread either on account of the fact that I don't have a workshop, but here's a couple for starters.  

CR 2-2-2WT No. 1A and Officers Saloon No 2A.

Jim

I dug these out thought they might be of interest

Marc

Here are a few of mine.

NBR Jubilee Van

Great North of Scotland Vacuum Cleaner Wagon

GER Wool Wagon.

A bit of SECR in N:

Photo by Andy York

One of J C Craven's designs, originally a tender loco, but converted to a saddle tank almost immediately. 

The full saga was written up in the much lamented Modelling Inspiration.

Constructed from some etched frets supplied by Ian White http://early-lbscr.co.uk/grinsted/grinsted.htm#_Operating

Best wishes 

Eric

The current pre-grouping encumbents of my workbench.

Skytrex GER G15 - this is mounted on a regauged Bachmann 0n30 tramcar chassis - a nice smooth runner. Just need to finish off the painting on the body and it's complete.

Next up is 'Robin' (formerly Crosby) - repainted Dapol A1 - I'm in the process of lining her at the moment - this is as far as I've got tonight. I think I'm going to paint the wheels to match the body at some point. She has also been fitted with the later iron brakeshoes, replacing the wooden ones supplied with the standard A1 model.

And lastly is 'Swallow' - again a repainted Dapol A1X - same Railway but representing a later time period, hence the different shade of green and simpler lining.

The two sisters together :-)

A couple of LB&SCR sheeted wagons at West Wittrering.

A few more from me.

NBR Open - Parkside Kit

NBR Floor Cloth Wagon - Dragon Models Celtic Connection Kit

NBR Dropside Wagon - scratch built with Parkside W Irons, brakes etc.

Midland Railway Locker Wagon - Modified Slaters Gloucester 5 plank Open

Just some re-posts for now  - various West Cumberland pre-group wagons in 4mm / EM:

How about some locos for a change (I do still have more rolling stock if I am not boring anyone)

Recently built/painted  NER H3 (J79)

GCR Class 5A (LNER J63) 

GER Y6 Tram Engine

Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway No2 'Severn'

This loco has appeared previously on the RT Models thread since it was built from the RT kit for an old class I. The prototype was bought to assist construction of the extensions to Newhaven harbour and only one, rather hazy, photo of it is known to exist. It belonged to the harbour company which operated in very close conjunction with the LB&SCR, which is how it comes to be painted in Mr Stroudley's Improved Engine Green.

Best wishes

Eric .

Keeping up the industrial end of the pre-grouping era, here's my 7mm scale Manning Wardle Class F.

A  few more from the Midland

 Don't know how I missed this thread lovely stuff all of it.

 As a bit of light relief a couple of my loco's;

Florence No. 12 North Tees Railway circa. 3rd Aug 1913 11.30am. approx. LRM NER P1 kit adapted.

South Farne Iron Company No.1. circa. 3rd Aug 1913 11.30am. approx.  Adapted Consett A class Judith Edge kit.

Builder's official photo of "wing tank" Anubis in the yard of W.G. Bagnall's Castle Engine Works, Stafford. April 1892.

And an unofficial shot with some of the works staff.

Some GW wagons for your perusal.

First, a Coopercraft 4 Plank wagon and 2 David Geen 3 plank ones.   

And here are some modified Coopercraft 4 plank wagons as seen in the Nov 2016 Railway Modeller.

Then there is this D & S double bolster wagon - very nice and easy to build and still nominally available through the the ABS brand (although with Adrian's illness he isn't in business at the moment it seems.)

Now a couple of cattle wagons.  First an ABS W2 medium cattle wagon modified to have grease axleboxes and awaiting the final detailing the of interior (straw) and then the roof can be added.

And here is a Ratio/Shire Scenes collaboration to produce the one off iron cattle wagon.  I have done it as built, so again grease axle boxes. (And it is resisting all attempts to get it the right way up on here)

Something in grey this time, the prototype Mink D, a modified Parkside Mink D kit with new ends and a longer wheelbase, as seen in June 2017 Railway Modeller.

Finally, rake of red wagons with an outside framed brake van (D & S).  The wagons are Ratio and Coopercraft (and modified too).

Another one for my fictional Coal & Clay Company mineral railway. This time a Kitson long boiler type pannier tank.