MrSimon

Hello everybody! Another long standing job started - the bit of industry at the end of the fuel road, on the end board by the bridge. Snappy title. I didn’t think I’d been putting it off for long, but I took this picture in 2016 so I’d know what to trim… I’ve also had this kit on my desk for years, it’s going up on a corner of the baseboard so I might still swap out all the posts - but I made two new posts in brass for the ones right on the edge. I trimmed the top layer and made/fitted coping stones. The wall was also altered to sit higher. It all just needs painting now. I’ll make a choice on the other 8 posts when I see how different they look painted up. This is mostly done except for the detailing and sticking in a few fences… Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody, Bit of a tick over the weekend - I love more or less finished the replacement building to hide the scenic break: (The new one is the one on the left) The older one was made two days before the layouts 2012 exhibition debut and I never liked it. The new one needs some details adding but aside from trimming the roof to fit the space it’s done. Today I painted all the base colours, they need some more work but it’s pretty much complete. Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody! I had a few new arrivals over the last month, so instead of doing any modelling I had a session on the floor with the unitrack. It’s split over two sessions so there are a few continuity issues… Also, I gave the newly detailed tanker a run (because paint needs test running) and realised I had 16 tankers… it was a surprise! There are two left to weather (but I think I’ve got detailing bits and bogies for one more…) One of the new arrivals - ideal for Gresby! Lots to do! Simon

I decided to go with a closed door, and 45 minutes later some evergreen strip was turned into this: Once the cement has set I’ll smooth the surface and paint it… holes only been there 8-9 years Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody, As threatened I made a start on buildings for Gresby, which started with finding where I put them all! One or two bits still to find! This was weirdly dusty, but I think it’s nearly finished I think I need to strip back the wet’n’dry roof off and switch it for Rizlas, the 2mm modelling material of kings. Then it’ll be into the paint shop and then onto the field Finally the brewery, the main building is almost done but I have no idea why the lift shaft was painted that weird green… So that’s where I started, covering the green with slightly more patchy black, and rusting up the corrugated top. I’ve since glazed it and the next bit will be finishing the door, the bricks, and matt varnishing away the shine. Then it’ll be time to stick it together and finish it off. Lots to do! Simon

Hi all, My Merseyrail one came this morning: It needs a little weathering below the body but I’m happy with it… only thing to change is the destination (does anyone do replacement transfers?) Many thanks Simon

Hello all, This weekend I planned to get re-started on scenic bits for Gresby… so instead I did a bit more work on the Tipplers that have been on here for the last few years (to clear space you understand…) First, orange ends on 14 wagons. They’d all had at least one coat already but this time they had a slightly faded coat mixed in with a hint of rail grey to show fading. The 7 on the right were faded slightly more than the 7 on the left. Next (one of the reasons why they’ve taken so long) I had another go at the grey. The previous go I’d had, on the right of the wagon, was far too white. I’m happy with the latest version, which is a mix of Executive Grey and Railfreight Grey (a change from the Rail Grey I’d used on the first attempt). Finally today I painted the bogies and underframes: The body paints have dried slightly glossy, which I hope is glossy enough for the transfers. Next job is the transfers which true to form I’ll put off as long as possible…. Total work on Gresby scenery: Nil. Lots to do! Simon

Hello everybody, Quick modern project finished: Another tanker conversion - I’ve had the detailing kit on my desk for quite a while and the tanker fell on me the other day so I finally got on with it (literally fell on my face from the cupboard of doom! Its the standard TPM detailing kit with new NGS bogies. This one was harder than the others because a) I wanted to keep the livery (all others in the rake are complete repaints, and I could paint over every time I went wrong) and b) Farish seemed to have made this in the glossiest plastic paint ever, so it was hard to work with. After three coats of matt spray I’m happy with how it came out. Now to test it in the rake (who am I kidding, I know it will work I just want to play) I picked up a cheap GBRF 66, my other one is dead. I got the dead one out to donate parts and discovered the engine drawer had magically fixed it, so now I have a renumbering job on my list… Slowly getting through the last mass of ‘live projects’ so I can start something new! Lots to do Simon

Right then, best get on with this lot… Luckily I’ve started most of it, still a lot to do though! Simon

Hello everyone, Here are two of the more unusual workings seen through Croft Spa over the weekend: A short steel train, the load obviously couldn’t have waited to go on the next train going that way… Clayton let out on the mainline south of Darlington, would it get there? Would it return? Cheers Simon

Hello everybody, Over the weekend the four-car 108 had its first trip out for an exhibition at Aldershot, ran more or less faultlessly all weekend once it was warmed up: It might need some slight tweaks to the CVs so it doesn’t coast/take as long to accelerate, but nothing urgent. On Sunday afternoon as we started to put the trains away I took the opportunity to run the 101 as a four-car unit, it normally only runs as a eight car formation. Finally, it was good to be able to rummage around a scrap box, £10 for this, I’ve got some donor sides in the draw - might be a buffet, maybe a restaurant - we’ll see! The v3 came back with me to have the wiring sorted - all the wires from the chip need shortening, it runs slightly too well to worry about fitting stayalive. It’ll be a good opportunity to see if the chimney first running issue can be sorted… Lots to do! Simon

Hi Duncan, I just got a pair of tender vents from N Brass (part 23196), the new false bottom is plasticard and the hook/vac pipe came with the engine - then it was just a bit of coal and paint. Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours! Simon

Hello everybody, I’ve had a bit of a finishing off week this week, before a few weekend trips out to train shows this month. Firstly after a midweek modelling session three more wagons finished: This was a simple re-wheel, a bit of weathering and new couplings. I still need to fit lamps and a guard (when I work out where it’s going, etc.) but it’s as good as done. Second, a second Farish PO conversion and I finished off the LMS van I tried to put on the wrong chassis on page 27… I left the van looking either relatively new or relatively recently painted, and the PO was orange… A package came from N Brass this week so I could sort out the coal area on the 4F. The Farish one-pice shiny removable load just wasn’t doing it for me…. So here’s the new coal space with some bits of plasticard I found on my desk (it fits over the chip etc if I ever join the dark side…) After I painted the rough shape and vents I blobbed varnish and coal in until I was happy with how it looks - the look I was aiming for was of an engine that’s been coaled but not stopped to push the coal forward yet. Jobs left to do include lamps (although not until I know what train it’s running), re-blackening the tender handrail, building and fitting a replacement accelerator (I don’t think that’s the correct name for the thing I caught with the soldering iron), and I might weather the tender a little dirtier… I’m happy with how it looks, it runs well and it’s my second complete 2mm engine - plenty more in the pipeline! Lots to do, Simon

Hi Nigel, No word of a lie, I didn’t think of putting the bit in the other way round (or even using a length of axle) so I ran the drill backwards … I thought it might at least have been the reason I had a wheel slightly loose on the axle until I glued it - but it was a different axle! Lesson learned for the next chassis Cheers Simon

Are they also on the coaster that comes with the paper copy? Will the new pop-up videos be old extras or random rubbish? I’m holding out for silver. Still keen to know what comes under the banner of ‘etc’ if it’s not a tablet…

TBH I’d prefer an ad free subscription - £20 a year no ads but none of the gold benefits (BRMs already on Readly, why buy it twice?) The new videos are annoying, I was more surprised to see one on my iPad when it said they wouldn’t be on mobiles etc - kinda assumed it’d be covered by ‘etc’. Doesn’t matter, I can turn off a cooking video just as easily as I can ignore an advert. Every page is too much though, especially when you’ve clicked the wrong topic because the screen hadn’t stopped creeping while the ad for pop-up-blockers/CBD Tampons loads up… There’s my twopennarth, take my £20

Sad to have missed it! I’ll try and make a future one Hello everybody, This week while transferring the 4F I also finished off some wagons: These two are also a bit dirtier than I wanted (but look good with the rest of the rake) - the wagon with the opening doors has been waiting for me to add transfers for 15 years! Midland 3 plank, since taking this I’ve dry brushed body colour over the letters to knock them back. Next up for this is a load, I’m thinking something like bales of straw or cotton with a tarp (but I need to find some pictures of that) I finished painting the underframe on this, I haven’t done anything with the bodywork - the varnish has yellowed (it yellowed pretty quickly with being a dodgy tin of Humbrol) and it’s got finger prints in the weathering, so I’m in two minds about a repaint. Today I did the final checks on the 4 car 108 to be ready for Farnham show in 2 weeks. The only think we’re not sure about is the decoder address… what could go wrong! Lots to do! Simon

Thanks Duncan! I must admit it’s a Bob Ross style happy accident! I’d been aiming for ‘clean but in service’ - ie still black but with a bit of clean sheen/dirt oily-rag cleaned in - and I missed! Missed is maybe the wrong word, I put too much gun metal on the boiler: (Above, after the gun metal bit pre-powders) I wasn’t sure whether to strip the body painting back and start again with a fresh coat of black so I gave it a go over with the powders to see if I could save it… (above in similar light to the phase 1 picture, with the loco weathered with powders) I think I’m going to keep it this dirty and do a different goods engine cleanish instead, it’ll probably end up halfway between the two as the powders come off while I finish the tender! Really aught to get on with my 2mm plank so I can photo in them in their natural habitat… Hope the Shirebrook running day went well l! Simon

Hello everybody, been a while! The other week I finally ran out of other things to do, and it was raining, so I shaped and fitted the clip things for the L&Y 060 smoke box door, then stuck the smokebox down: I’m not sure if there’s still scope to take a little more off them, but I think these are as good as they’re going to be. Next up the buffer beams, boiler bottom and steps and then it can be painted. It’s been a long build mostly because I keep finding other things to do! Its been 5 months since I melted the steps on the 4F. I got a new underframe pretty quickly from Bachman and then put it in a box for sulking… until last weekend Looked a bit brutal for a while. I got the chassis fitted into the new frames and wired back together so it picks up from all wheels now. Then I randomly renumbered it (genuinely don’t know what I was thinking there) and after I sealed the numbers with Klear I ran some dirt over it the body… There’s stuff i need to do still on the loco, and I’ve barely started on the tender! Lots to do Simon

It looked in quite good external condition on Thursday - no flaking paint like the Tram that’s in there

I feel your pain - Maybe all new topics/threads should say what gauge they are so we don’t keep clicking on OO gauge threads by mistake…?

So it’s not a fault… How annoying. I get why we have adds but if they get too regular or I have to arse about I’ll stop coming. I’d go ad-free for £20-£30 a year, but I’m not interested in the rest that comes with Gold/WOR+ so I’m not getting it. I don’t think I’d browse as much in this brave new world.

I don’t want the full VSOE set or only be able to buy large packs. Maybe just a pair of brakes or 2-3 parlour/kitchens would be sufficient. Even to run the VSOE the K types must couple reliably to Farish Mk1s because there’s usually at least one in the charter set next to the engine - maybe even mk2s depending on what’s being used a a support coach?

Great that these are coming out - would be interested to see what the options are - would be good to have some 2 packs for modern rail tours where they can be mixed in with other types. Also, they must run well with Farish MK1/2s and Mark 1 Pullmans.

Hello everybody! Here’s the elegant motor mount I lashed together for the Jinty. It turns the wheels which is the main thing I was worried about. When the epoxy is dried I’ll pretty it up a little (which will involve insulating tape and rizlas) then I’ll temporarily solder the wires to the chassis and take it for a test drive! The motor is fully removable (on its mount) but you’d never think to look at it… Lots to do! Simon