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Bill

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  1. Bill
    With the imminent arrival of Sherlock Holmes, it is time, once again, to dig out the London Transport Underground stock and give it a whirl.
    Having put together the four car Northern line set - powered by two Tenshodo motors courtesy of Metro-Models.
    John did the conversion on a Bakerloo non-driving power car in London and sent it over the pond.
    All that then had to be done was to replace the body with the Northern Line version already here.
    So I now have a spare Bakerloo Line non-driving power car...
    I now wish I had bought the Bakerloo Line set, as it can run alongside any Metropolitan Line stock..
    Ah well - I suppose it might be possible to convert it?
    Did the Bakerloo submarine service ever run with grey rooves?
     
    Now in running the Northern Line train it ran like a pig as I had not replaced the wheelsets.
    It was fair jumping around!
    The EFE wheels are for show only - they are for all intents and purposes 'square'.
    The profile is off, they are not cast true, and some are not even set true on the axles..
     

     
    So it is amazing they can run at all without derailing - especially over a code 100 short Peco point - followed by a code 83 Tillig crossover followed by another point in quick succession... well they did.
    Anyway the decision, a real no-brainer, was made to re-wheel.
    Fortunately I had enough spare Bachmann USA H0 36" wheelsets (ordered by mistake..) which were an exact match.
    All that needed to be done was to use the Xurons to remove the pin-points.
    (The pin-points flew off in all directions during this operation but have yet to find any of them!)
    A little filing to smooth the result..
    And to cut away the excess insulation on the inner face of the insulated wheel.
    They then plopped in quite easily..
    The re-wheeled cars now run as sweetly as any modern Hornby RTR coaches..
     

     
    When Sherlock Holmes arrives the proposal is to run it with four Hornby Gresley suburbans in tow...
    I have no dreadnoughts - and until some kind person makes some RTR the Gresleys are the best fit I have so far found
    Especially when compared with Mk1s...
     

     
    Unless I decide to dive in the deep end and find an inexpensive Dreadnought kit(s) to assemble.
  2. Bill
    What went up has stayed up so the two different layouts are now separated - The experiment has begun.
    How to put an H0/H0e layout within and O gauge layout.
    What..
    Began as a simple O gauge arrangement - which then had a simple circle of track included so I could run and enjoy my old OO stuff, has morphed into a much more ambitious project (and expensive!).
    The H0/H0e part is placed in the Austrian Alps around Innsbruck and the Zillertal -
    (This all happened because I could not wait for the USA tank to arrive so I invested in a Rivarossi USTC - having done so it needed something to pull and whilst researching ÖBB epoch III stock came across the H0e gauge - and as I had already put in a small N gauge loop. The devil in me said "why not?".)
    SO..
    what is now beginning to appear is an Epoch III ÖBB layout of some kind - combining an H0e layout - the two interacting so that the H0 wagons can be rolled onto a H0e Roll-Wagon and taken for a ride up the "Zillertal".
     

     
    What is delightful about continental railways is the sheer range of RTR options...
     
    Having discovered that Tillig make a H0/H0e crossover I ordered one without really thinking about what might be involved
    ... So it duly arrived from Modelbahnshoppe-Lippe.
     
    It is then that it dawned on me I was rapidly getting out of my depth.
    For..
    The Tillig Gleissystem in all its glory is code 83 and all my H0 track is code 100...
    How to join it together ( never mind wire it all up so it works)?
    Fortunately a well known supplier of Model rail stuff sent me a code 75 curved point (for no reason I can discern).
    So in case I had a yen to change to code 75 sometime, I bought some code 75 joiners and some Peco Code 75/100 transition track as something to experiment with..
    ..Which I discovered, to my delight, works well enough on Code 83 (everything runs over the transitions without any noticeable hiccups).
    (It is amazing what one fails to think about and then how sometimes serendipity comes to rescue... )
     

     
    But does it mean If I am to continue down the Tillig route will it be bye-bye to code 100 and an investment in code 83?
     
    Now about wiring.. Does anyone know what this means?
    I have meditated long and hard over this diagram and see I need a switch -
    ...
    Most of the switches that I have come across lack instructions...
     

     
    I've honestly tried to figure it out - but when it comes to 4 pole single/double/etc., throw or whatever switches that may or may not reverse the current flow - I am a complete novice/idiot/... (I need to find someone who can explain in detail what different named switches actually do, and in a way that a human can actually grasp..)
     
    For now I have put a brute force arrangement of on/off switches in place that can simply kill the current in whichever track section that is not being used.
    (I found that switching things off using Atlas type switches is not effective. They appear to only break the circuit and not isolate anything; so in relying on these current still flows (or not) when one thought it would not - with some bizarre results (i.e. either nothing mostly when you would expect something! or a loco suddenly moving on a distant siding for no apparent reason in a direction one would not suspect was possible!))
     
    Here is a pic of the current state of affairs for the composite layout.....
     

     
    The next project ?
    It is time to build a bridge..
  3. Bill

    O Gauge - Buffer Lock

    By Bill,

    The latest news from Barcoombe...
    Well having now fulfilled my O gauge dreams of having a viable circle of track and a BR Mark 1 BSK new problems emerge...
    Having 40" set-track curves solved the problem.. of having a circle in limited space...
    But they are un-prototypical and so having scale models run on such a curve can present new difficulties.
    There is enough slack between the coach and the engines to work just fine in forward motion..
    However..
    Reversing a mark 1 coach out from a siding and then straight into a 40 inch curve (an almost reverse curve scenario) we get..
    Buffer lock deluxe with derailment powerful enough to lift the loco off the tracks..
    Now I don't know about you, but I like my railways to work..
    (I had to retire of an early version of an OO gauge Lit Hornby Pullman IBIS because no matter what one did - it did not do reverse!)
    So here is how this was solved...
     

     
    Now this is probably a case of reinventing the wheel...
    But it works!
     

     
    It was fashioned from a piece of 1/16" thick plastic cut from a folder cover..
    And as you can see designed to slide over the buffers.
    Because it is black it is hardly noticeable in operation, especially when coupled to a Heljan mark 1.
    It is easy to use and remove - but whenever I am running the coach I just leave it on the Loco..
    In this instance my trusty Lionheart Pannier Tank - (not perfect but designed to be faultless in operation which is a huge plus.)
    Now ..
    One might say what if I had two or more coaches...
    The answer is simple..
    If I had two coaches I would have a much larger layout with much gentler curves..
    A ten by eleven foot space severely limits what can be run.
    I am not in the enviable position, like some others who have much larger spaces for their layouts..
     
    I thought to publish this just in case anyone was interested..
  4. Bill
    The reformed layout is rising from the ashes in its new digs. For now it is still called Barcoombe but all will eventually be renewed.
    The size is 11' x 10' which is not ideal! But it has been possible to squeeze much of the functionality of the previous layout into it - plus a circle of track so that the Locos can get some decent 'running in time'. This new version has allowed the construction of a small OO/H0 layout - plus a small OO9/H0e/N scale/'spur' layout. The OO/OO9 will be based on the SR and interconnect with the Lynton & Barnstaple Rwy and on the other hand will run as a representation of the OBB interconnecting with the Zillertalbahn. The challenge will be in integrating it all together - it should be fun!
     
    Going around clockwise here is an impression of what this 'train-wreck' or mash-up looks like - The track for the OO9/H0e part of the layout has not yet arrived so its 'make do' with all sorts of odds and ends for now.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    As the weeks fly by reports of any progress should appear..
     
    This new house is a welcome change from the last residence as the workshop is right next door in the basement.
    This means the messy parts of modelling can be done there - no more paint spilling all over the layout!
     
    For the moment ideas as to how to do all this well are bening mulled over..
    One idea I thought might work is to use lots of trees to mask some of the difference in the gauges.
    Is not a large tree in OO although a small tree in O still a tree?
  5. Bill
    Well this arrived after a Regent and three Esso versions and very nice they are too...
    They have a good heft, the bearings are all sprung, have nice screw link couplings -
    However the hooks were designed almost identical to the prototype and are thus a bit awkward to use..
    They might need their points fettled to increase the gap to improve their ease of use.
     

     
    The other day I noticed an end link from a screw link coupling upon the floor of the train room (in and of itself a miracle)
    Upon further investigation made the discovery it had dropped off from the newly arrived Heljan Mobil Class B Tank...
    Closer scrutiny revealed that the screw bar was barely inserted into the block of the link attached directly to the chassis frame.
    So that could also have been irretrievably lost...
    Rotating the screw bar caused it to penetrate no further into the block, so I made the mistake of removing the screw bar.
    I managed with some difficulty to re-attach the end link to it and then tried to reattach the assembly - but with absolutely no success.
    Somehow the thread in the block was rejecting the screw-bar....
    After two days of fruitless attempts in which I had to restrain my impulse to completely 'lose it' a revelation - remove the thread and glue in the screw bar instead.
    Easier thought than done - none of my drill bits were of the right size or made much impression on the cross-threaded block.
    Then I discovered a diamond drill bit that a friend had given me back in 1983 and never used since.
    It was just the right size and after a couple of minutes drilling the screw-bar now slid easily through the block.
    All that was now needed was a little Gorilla brand super glue to fix the screw bar in place and voila..
    A half working screw link coupling!
     
    Now I do wish they would notice these things before sending them half way round the world..
     
    'Wistful sigh'! knowing nothing will change and that every so often repairs will be needed...
     
    At and around the same time this arrived...

     
    As it was crying out to be run - an oval of track was hastily assembled for it to use...
    And as I rather like the result, ways are being investigated to incorporate an OO gauge layout...
    More later...
  6. Bill

    OO Gauge - Ramp Construction

    By Bill,

    The move to O gauge has caused me to come to the conclusion that I needed to wind down the old OO gauge layout.
    So a couple of weeks ago the task of packing up all the models, creating an inventory and disassembling the layout commenced.
     
    Clearing all the stock off the layout had a purgative effect and allowed the entry of fresh thoughts...
     
    Thoughts - like the need to never again leave the models on the layout but to place them there fresh every time the layout was operational.
    The clutter was preventing me for enjoying it and seeing all the many the possibilities...
    This clean sheet triggered a thought - "Why not build a ramp so that he outer circle could directly access the inner circle?"
    I had always wanted to do this but there was no space - well now there was.
     
    So some practical research was undertaken to do with height, slope and width and the radius of any curves.
    After messing around with some blocks and making a few small adjustments to the existing layout - plus consulting various forums on RMweb - and after going against all the sage advice that was gathered, decided on the following...
     
    It had to rise to a height of 3" above the track and because of limited space it had to do this in 6 feet which gave a slope of 1 in 24 - the recommendation that came with dire warnings was to never, ever go steeper than 1 in 30 and that 1 in 50 would be far wiser - this would have necessitated a 12 foot plus ramp, and there simply is not the space...
     
    Next the whole thing was mocked up using bits of wood etc., and it was discovered that it needed to be 3" wide to accommodate the 22" curves and be able to handle coaches and any other long wagons with bogies etc..
     
    The next big question was how to build it and with what?
     
    The answer was to use art board - its about 1/16th of an inch thick and much easier to handle and cut than wood. It bends much more easily around curves and can be glued together using cell technology into something that is pretty sturdy. It can be safely spray painted and It also accepts glue in a way that allows it to be covered using brick papers in a way that leaves them reasonably flat. I was going to use wood to fabricate the parapets, but in the end this board was used throughout in the construction.
     
    Tests also showed that a Bachmann or Heljan diesel could pull any amount of coaches up a 1 in 24 incline and that a Hornby Schools or Castle could tug 5 coaches - which was more than adequate for my needs. (Even an M7 could manage three...)
    So construction commenced and I soon became very glad that this up and over and down again ramp was only 1 in 24 as it was apparent that the longer it was the more work would be needed to finish it -as it is it took two weeks of concentrated effort to pull it off.
    Here is an image in bare unfinished art-board....
     

    That was the quick part...
     
    It was built in short sections - the straights were mostly 24 inch modules (except where they are not) - the 2 curves were built 1/8 circumference sections (19" long approx. on the outer and 16 " approx. on the inner and the two bridge portions were joined together to make one whole 1/4 circumference. (If anyone should need the exact dimensions I would be happy to do a plan and pass it on. It was all designed in my head as it progressed so at the moment no plan exists...) Mock pillars cover the joins.. The whole construction once built was covered with yellow London brick paper that was printed out using Photoshop - (The original was a single sheet of brick paper that was bought on eBay and scanned into the computer many moons ago and has been over years the scaled up or had it colours changed etc..)
     
    Here is an image of the finished for now ramp - the vertical smoothing curves still have to be designed and built..
     

     
    and another view...
     

     
    Should anyone be mad enough to want build one like this do feel free to ask about any other details concerning the construction.
    It was a fairly straight forward build designing as I went - but they did train me to be a Civil Engineer in my distant youth and what might be totally obvious to my mind might not be so to another's. The geometry of the curved sections might be more difficult to grasp for some rather than others..
    .
    The ramp as is has been tested using a class 37 pulling MK1 coaches and a castle pulling a rake of 5 Hawksworth coaches and both have successfully negotiated a closed loop 'round and up and over and down and round and round and up...' through some tortuous points etc.. over track that has yet to be fixed down without coming to any grief.. (Mind you - It takes a bit careful driving...)
  7. Bill
    It's been a while and a little more progress has been made...
    The layout has gotten a name - 'Barcoombe'
    I don't know why it sort of came to me and has been pleasantly irritating me ever since.
     
    The missing stove for the Springside signal-box detailing kit arrived and now the signalman can keep warm, dry and have a cup of tea...
    Springside were very good about the missing part - even though I bought he kit over a year ago - and sent it over for free.
     

     
    I managed to acquire some Skytrex items before they declared bankruptcy - they announced that there would soon be a sale of all their stock. I am not sure if this represents a final liquidation or not.
    This picture shows their GWR lamp hut. It comprises of five resin parts which, after some cleaning, easily come together.
    I managed to get the roof on back to front, which is typical.
    It comes without instructions of any kind but there should be more overhang on the end with the door, and less over the window end.
     
    The GWR station platform lamps are made by Duncan Models - although I got these from Scalelink.
    They come together quite easily, provided a lot of care is taken to think it through before starting, "What can possible go wrong?".
    The grain of wheat bulb was quite a surprise, I did not expect them to be able to light up.
    The kit has five parts - the top 'roof', cast from white metal, has to be drilled to accept a finial, similarly made from white metal.
    The 'glass' is made from a piece of moulded plastic.
    The column is white metal with the bulb already inserted with about 14" of wire extending.
    A lot of care is needed in the assembly to check that all is in line and stays that way whilst the glue sets.
     

     
    The station sign came from a double kit made by Skytrex .
    It is made from white metal, and comes in three parts - the board and two pillars.
    It was just crying out to be soldered, so I had a go - never before having attempted to solder a white metal kit.
    So summoning all my courage and experience soldering copper pipe, did the deed without melting too much of the kit in the process.
    The station name was designed and printed using Photoshop. (who knows if it is in anyway close to being prototypical...)
     
    The station bench was made from a white metal kit by Skytrex - the back rests were made from thin pieces of styrene.
    The kits were glued together using mixture of super glue and epoxy resin - the superglue was used to hold the parts in place whilst the epoxy set.
     
    The platform has now got a red-brick face and a white edge. To make it look a wee bit more than just an artists impression of a platform.
    I am experimenting with ways to grunge up the bricks.
    The experiments so far have been restricted to smudging damp charcoal from an artists stick over the pristine bricks and mortar.
    But I am not yet satisfied with the results..
    Any ideas welcome...
     
    Lastly...
     

     
    This signal came ready made (at a price) from Wizard Models.
    Its an MSE kit assembled and painted by hand. .
    Its not perfect but acceptable. The build is great but its possible to improve a bit on the paint finish.
    On the subject of signals...
    Does anyone know the purpose or meaning of the white diamond shape half way up the signal pillar?
     
    That's it for now...
     
    Upcoming are some signal kits, including ground signals needing to be built...
    (And that should provide a real challenge - as well as a lot of fun!)
     
    A Parkside-Dundas GWR style Toad Guards van - Into the unknown with all seriousness.
    Just how difficult can it be?
    The decals had me worried me when I first inspected the kit.
    I just could not figure out how they worked never having seen anything like them before..
    It took a while before the penny dropped and I realised they were definitely not of the waterslide variety....
     
    And a white metal kit of a totters cart from Duncan Models for Henry the Shunting Horse to tug around...
    Which will probably be tackled next
     
    Onwards with enjoyment
    Bill
  8. Bill
    Having begun and almost finished a white metal kit from Duncan Models - Henry - the Shunting Horse...
     

     
    There was one more kit left to attempt - the Springside Signal Box Detailing Kit... It is all white metal and requires a great deal of time, focus and concentration. It is, I think, well worth the effort - even if its never going to be seen again, hidden in the signal box, once made. It forced me to consider the layout in terms of a working railway. There was research needed into how the signalling systems of the GWR worked - something I knew nothing about when I began... and only precious little more after gleaning just enough information to make up the kit. Signalbox.org proved to be an invaluable resource, they have a photograph of the interior of the old signal box at Sarnau in Carmarthenshire on their site.
    http://www.signalbox.org/gallery/w/sarnau.php
     
    It makes for a good starting point. It shows the wheel that operated the level crossing gates and locking levers. Plus a fair bit of the rest of the levers and the shelf of instruments above them... So before beginning the kit I needed to make a full schematic of the layout - not just the part that could be built but the rest that could not be because of lack of space. It would appear that every signal box has a schematic of its particular block above the instrument shelf. This needed to be drawn up in Photoshop complete with signalling... my best guess and hopefully not too far from reality
     

     
    First I emptied out the plastic bag the kit came in, cleaned the excess metal off the castings and checked the contents - the stove was missing they had included an extra cupboard instead - Springside were absolutely excellent in response and will be sending the missing stove. The signalman does after all need to keep warm and more importantly needs his cup of tea..
     
    Second I needed to figure out how many levers and of what kind were needed. The signal box is the 7mm Bachmann model of Highley Signal Box and is too small for 32 or so levers - it maxes out at 25. This figure allows for two locking levers for the level crossing - Two yellow distant signal levers for each end of the block - a detonator lever (they exist so why not?). 8 points levers in black, 10 red levers for all the other signals the remaining two were for two blue coloured locking levers. There probably should have been more of these but there was not enough space.
     
    Third - having worked all this out I then made up the 25 lever frame from the bits supplied and painted it black. This required some enterprise...
     
    Next - the levers were painted according to the pre-determined scheme and fitted into the frames - this requires great patience - but the levers definitely need to be fully painted before assembly. Springside provide a painting guide but it is best to also take a peek at the real thing and make up your own mind.
     
    Next before gluing in place make sure the lever ends fit in the frame - very important this...believe me
     
    Super glue was used for the fixing - Springside recommend quick setting epoxy but this stuff in this situation does not work well for me. Super glue sets firm in seconds and allows one to zip along fitting the levers - to describe fully how it was done would take pages... But good pre-thought and planning is of the essence.
     
    Once the frame and levers had been completed it was a breeze to do the instruments and instrument shelf, plus all the furniture - notice board, chair, stool, desk, cupboards, fire bucket, coal bucket, clock , telephones etc., and fix them in place in the signal box - which also needed renaming from Highley to Barcoombe.
     
    Springside also supply two forms of equipment for single line working - staff and tablet. Having done further research I opted for the staff system on this occasion. There is a photograph of the equipment on this site.
    http://www.mining-memorabilia.co.uk/CumduCollieryKey.htm
     
    And quarter-way down this interesting page..
    http://www.davidheyscollection.com/page33.htm
     
    Well once its all painted and put together it looks quite good, feels better - I would reserve good or very good for someone who has a steadier hand and more patience than I..
     

     
    The kit comes with a signalman - but I preferred the signalman from border miniatures and have used him instead...
     
    If anyone wants to know more about the kit and how it went together - do ask...
     
    P.S. A Dundas-Parkside Kit of a GWR Toad Guards Van has just arrived in the post... Now what on earth possessed me to order that?
  9. Bill
    The Slater's BR Van kit, which arrived here over a year ago has now been built.
    The last plastic model I ever built was an Airfix Sunderland Flying Boat way back in 1960...
    So I have had to resurrect and improve my modelling skills to tackle this job...
    Here is an image of the finished van - all that is missing are the transfers which, hopefully, are on their way from Fox.

     
    The build seems to be quite straight forward, but if one has never done anything like this before, very slow.. very,very slow.
    It also is full of unexpected twists and turns and surprises.
    The box the kit came in was opened over a year ago - and after inspecting the contents and instructions - buried in haste!
    Along with a number of white-metal kits.
    The whole project having recently awakened from dormancy, it became imperative to finish all the various model kits.
    So...
    (1) One night about two weeks ago I opened the box and removed all the plastic bits that were needed from the various frets.
    (2) Not as easy as it appears - some are very delicate and shattered in the removal process.
    These had to be put on one side for further consideration as to how they might be repaired or rebuilt.
    In fact it would have been much better had Slater's made them from brass
    (3) Then hid the whole lot away for further contemplation and a rainy day - which was not long in coming.
    (4) On Monday its was raining so I steeled myself to begin construction. Got out an orphaned circular glass table top useful as a working surface and began the construction...
    (5) Quickly found out that MEK and I have a mutual distrust of each other and went back to using aeroplane glue - sticks every time.
    (6) During assembly some interesting discoveries came to light -
    ...
    (a) That the sub-frame needs some trimming in order to fit the ends square.
    (b.) That there may be a predrilled hole here or there but what is supposed to fit in it might not. E.g. The 'W' irons needed to be drilled out in order to fit the wheel bearings. etc.. This is especially difficult to do if it has all been glued together. Fortunately I spotted the W iron problem before any glue was applied.
    (c.) The brake shoes as supplied rub on the wheels - these needed to be made thinner. A process that needed to happen before gluing!
    (d) There are brackets that hold a tube, that houses a rod that acts as a bearing for the brake levers and Morton cam arrangement. The hole in these brackets needs to be made larger - this was not discovered until after gluing. Managed to break said bracket in the re-drilling process. Fortunately Slater's provide an abundance of plastic strip of different sizes that can be used to repair things - including broken stirrups and brake lever holders etc..
    (e) Completely misunderstood were the buffer assembly instructions (it must have been the antibiotics :-) - they are now no longer sprung buffers as the designers intended. It is rather complicated to explain but somehow I felt I needed to drill out the buffer holders (I wonder what their actual name is?). These are bronze castings - These holders needed cleaning out - they come partially blocked with what appears to be chalk. But not drilling out - oops!. Also unfortunately one of the castings was a little bent and does not sit flush on the model. Nothing much could be done about that...
    (f) The mini blackboards on either end of the van come with four pegs - there are only two holes, diagonally set, so two pegs need to be removed. However the result does not sit square so it is best to remove three - and also check that the right ones are removed as they are handed.
    (g) The gubbins that hold the brake levers if put on as shown on the assembly diagram seem to be in the wrong place for the levers, but in the right place according to photographs of actual vans - it could be the levers are too long? It is a puzzle needing to be resolved.
    (h) The kit came with only one vacuum pipe - a bronze casting. A second one, you need two, was improvised from a piece of industrial strength copper wire... Only one pipe seemed odd but having no experience assumed Slater's know best. Its too late now to ask them for the missing one.
    (I) The curved roof does not fit well - this is because the doors jog out and are at the same level as the walls a supplied in the kit. IMPORTANT - the modeller needs to chamfer the top of the doors so the roof can be fitted. Only a little needs to be removed - but removed it needs to be.
    (j) It would have been better to have pre-painted the chassis - painting it once assembled complete with wheels is a pain. It was decided to paint it using semi-gloss black Tamiya acrylic paint. This turns out to produce a rather streaky and lumpy result due to the constriction of painting a sub-frame that is already assembled, and it was also far too shiny - After much experimentation, a coat of matt varnish was found to satisfactorily reduce the shiny-ness factor -which also accentuated the lumpiness of the applied paint. The matt varnish left the paint with a more satin like finish and a smoother looking result, which is what was being sought - Flat black on its own seems well - too flat. (probably a matter of individual preference.)
    (k) For North American modellers the paint used for the body of the van was Model Master Acrylic RUST - it is an exact match with the paint colour used by Bachmann on their OO gauge BR vans - whether or not his corresponds with reality I do not know! But for me it works well.
    (l) The roof was spray painted with a grey primer as the final colour before fitting...
    (m) It would have been a good idea to follow Slater's advice and get a good look at a diagram 208 van before starting out on this enterprise. Not to do so is a bit like sailing across the Atlantic in hurricane season without a map.
    (n) Not forgetting to clean the paint off the wheels...
    (o) It might be a good idea to source some better looking 3 link couplings.
    ...
    (7) On the whole it was a very enjoyable, if not fraught at times, build. The kit cannot be assembled as supplied - it needs some fettling. A good tool kit is a must before setting out on such a venture or misery will follow. (Some (at least 6) nice square cut 2x2 finished pieces of pine/fir about 6 inches long will also prove to be an indispensable aid...)
    (8.) Would I build another? Having learned the ways of this Slater Kit - I do feel ready to tackle another. The steepest part of the learning curve has been accomplished - "Better the Slater's you know than the Dundas you don't."
    (9) Building ones own rolling stock is definitely very satisfying and helps one to engage at a deeper level with the modelling process.
  10. Bill

    O Gauge -

    By Bill,

    And here is the result notified in the last post...
     

     
    Introducing - Jock the shunter, signalman Dave and naturally Andy the guard - more to come...
    Including engine drivers, a fireman and a passenger..
    It was quite enjoyable painting them - not exactly professional...
    The was a minor disaster with the water crane, leaving a it little out of plumb...
    Somehow the epoxy resin took longer to dry than it should
    Jock's shunting pole lost its prong and was repaired using a bit of copper wire and far too much glue.
    Somehow in the middle of all this painting a bottle of black paint wound up on the carpet - oops!
    New painting protocols have been put in place which should prevent this from happening in the future.
    The station shelter came ready made from Skytrex - Some Slater's GWR canopy edging has been added...
    It will need some painting so that the browns match up.
    The next project is well under way, which is to build a Slater's Diagram 208 Vent Van...
     

     
    I am waiting for some transfers to arrive from Fox so it can be completed.
    The whole saga will be the subject of the next post...
  11. Bill
    The Peco Level crossing has been assembled and painted and located (not finally, but good enough for now,).
    The paints used were Tamiya and excellent they are too, they give a good finish and are water clean up. They appear to be consistent in quality, which is more that can sometimes be said for other brands.

     
    Because of the way The gates were hung and in trying to conform to Peco's picture on the box. Essential if one does not know what one is doing, it wound up with having to put the closing bolt on upside down...
     
    So I searched for a prototype to see whether the hanging post should be on the right or left from a streets eye view.
    Here is a photo of it -

     
    <div xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" about="http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/17/58/175826_a44be158.jpg"><span property="dct:title">Level crossing gate, Oakington, Cambs</span> (<a rel="cc:attributionURL" property="cc:attributionName" href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/2182">Rodney Burton</a>) / <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA 2.0</a></div>
     
    (with appropriate permission...)
    Now the Peco image shows it reversed... i.e. hanging on the left from the streets eye view
    So some questions for anyone who wishes to answer..
    (1) Does it matter which way the gates are hung?
    (2) More importantly - was this style of crossing gate ever used on the Western region?
    The layout is more or less stuck with it - maybe in this instance GWR bought some surplus gates from the LNER? :-)
  12. Bill
    After much thought and 'Outlay' and a happy accident a proposal for a 'Layout' appeared...
     

     
    Not being versed in the black arts of Templot and its kin, this is a rough sketch.
     
    The happy accident referred to above, occurred when the mails managed to mangle a left hand point being sent over from Kernow. Believing Kernow had no more in stock, I ordered two more from Hatton’s, and informed Kernow about the tragedy.
    Now before you could say 'refund' Kernow had mailed out a replacement - fantastic service from these guys!
    Now there are three LH points to play with as part of the layout.
     
    Some current big questions are...
    "Will the proposed layout work?"
    "What signals and where should they be placed?"
    "What to call it?" - for the moment it is "Teignmoor"..
     
    ".....?" - the unknown question that is bound to crop up sooner rather than later...
     
    Ready made track and points are being utilised as a part of the ongoing experience gathering process.
    But what has become clear in playing around with bits of track to establish what would be a workable layout, is that having excellent track and points will enrichen the overall experience of modelling in this scale, which means that DIY track will eventually become the only viable way forwards...
  13. Bill
    A maroon auto coach W38 and a class 6400 Pannier Tank number 6421, shed plate 83D - Laira, have arrived from Lionheart... Goodness knows if they ever worked together in the real world - but in this alternate universe they are about to...
     

     
    They are lovely models - at least I think so - but beauty is in the eye of the beholder -
     
    A standard BR van kit is on its way from Slaters so some real modelling will also get done.
     
    The planning for the backscene has started - The plan is... (unless someone comes up with a brighter idea)
    First - Draw up some plans for a fictitious village or small town on the border of South Devon and Cornwall in which this layout is set.
     
    Secondly - Make sure the village/town map extends way beyond the edges of the layout.
     
    Thirdly - When something exciting has been developed, do some research to get the right style, look and feel of the various buildings, trees etc in the proposed setting..
     
    Fourthly - Paint the panoramic view of what someone leaning out of a coach window or standing on a platform might see of it.
     
    The whole thing when finished will be 24" high and extend around three sides of the layout
     

     
    Maybe it will painted somewhat in this style? Any ideas?
     
    Some vehicles other than cars and tractors are still needed, I can't belive that Corgi makes British outline coaches, buses and large lorries only in 1/50th scale which is completely useless (its almost 1/6th or so too small),
    Some sellers on ebay routinely try to pass this stuff off as 1/43rd - which it isn't.
     
    The decent large sized stuff in 1/43rd scale is all continental and left hand drive - so, unless my researches come up with something unexpected - there will be a group of German tourists visting from time to time in an ancient Mercedes coach ( probably made by Minichamps.) Vanguards and Oxford make some passable models of light trucks in 1/43rd, but so far they have not got round to doing the heavy stuff in 1/43rd..
     
    On the ready made miniature people front - which seem to be an inescapable component of any layout - Preiser do some very charming figures but they don't yet do something specific in the way of BR railway staff. US train drivers really don't seem to meld with steam engines...
  14. Bill
    The build of the Peco Signal has gone as far as it is going for now... It comes in kit form and comprises...
     
    An instruction sheet
     
    Some white plastic parts for the pillar and the signal arms (you get a choice between Home or Distant)...
     
    Some dark brown parts for the finial, cap, hinge brackets for the signal arm and the lever, lever weight, ladder platform, lamp and lamp base.
     
    A black plastic fret holding the ladder...
     
    A brass etch holding - the lens holder, 3 washers, platform railings, ladder supports, 4 lugs, 2 different lever arms, an 'S', an 'O' and 'X' to fix on the arm for specialist use - seeing the brass fret caused a minor panic never before having worked with brass...
     
    A stiff steel wire to operate the signal arm, two black steel pins to use as pivots, red orange and blue translucent plastic lens material... (Note: Do keep the sprues as later they can come in handy...)
     
    When most of the parts are put together - (The ladder and platform will be assembled and attached later when the signal is eventually placed on the layout) it all looks a bit like this...
     

     
    Just a banged up first attempt at making a signal...
     
    The instructions, such as they are, needed some effort to interpret, and even so I am not sure everything is where it is meant to be - the good news is that it works...
     
    First you glue the post together and add some parts and drill some holes, then paint..
     
    Painting proved to be a near disaster - Some humbrol primer was first applied which then refused to dry properly.
    After much thought a decision was arrived at to paint over it using spray paint from a can - some satin white - under the mistaken impression that it would somehow come out looking smoothe...
     
    However the result resembled a cracked crocodile skin and clearly needed to be removed.
    This was done using lacquer thinners - which unfortunately also had the effect of melting the plastic - especially the dark brown softer plastic bits... Acteone was then employed to clean and rescue what was left of the signal post - but at the time it was becoming quite a comedy - leaving formless blobs and sticky cloth fibres where the bearing plates had been glued on.
     
    Then on cue as a finale, the finial dropped off...
     
    Not to be deterred I set about trying to rescue what could be rescued... so...
     
    The fibres were removed, the post and attachments cleaned, the finial reattached and the assembly re-primed (using another brand of primer), dried, sanded, made smoothe again...
     
    This time Humbrol Satin White (130) was used to paint the post plus attachments...
     
    Using a piece of discarded sprue, a new bearing plate for the signal lever arm was improvised.
    The pivot plate for the signal arm, which also melted into a formless shape, was redesigned and rebuilt using a tube to act as the bearing for the signal arm pivot - this was fashioned from a piece of cable insulation glued onto what remained of the plate - this cable covering also served to make some essential spacers.
     
    The signal arm was painted using humbrol red matt (153) paint as the humbrol red gloss (220) paint was far too thin cover anything as it came out of the can - it was used painted over the much thicker matt paint to get a gloss effect.
     
    The black parts were painted with humbrol black satin (85)... (not much to say about it as the paint performed as expected.)
     
    After much fiddling a working signal appeared - instead of looking smart and brand new, it now looks a bit battered - like it has been around for 50 years - which is probably more prototypically correct...
     
    That perhaps is the beauty of modelling railways - your mistakes can only improve things!
  15. Bill
    Somewhere in the west of England during the early 1950's there is a small branchline station with a coal siding, and possible freight depot serving the local industries which mainly consists of agriculture and light manufacturing... Now to get all that plus something a bit more stimulating into a 12 x 2 foot space at 7mm scale!
    So far there is no name for it... But I thought to record its progress. So far the stock includes a small Tower Models steam shunter 1364 (made for them by San - Cheng) some Lionheart coal wagons and a Skytrex brakevan - which unfortunately has plastic wheels and no windows - where the windows are supposed to be it has been painted silver. As it develops it promises to hold hours of interest and modeling fun.
    The current puzzle is, "How on earth does one assemble a Peco buffer stop without either cutting the Peco BH track or the buffer?" - the designers of the buffers appear to be living in a totally different dimension to the people who designed the track! One would imagine that both would work together - Maybe this is a feature of the 'O' Gauge universe - Welcome to the Twilight Zone...
  16. Bill
    Welcome to this blog all about the delights and trials of ready to plop modelling in 00 gauge. I live in Canada so this takes on an added dimension to do with the wonders and failings of the existing international postal services.
     
    The main focus of my interest is the Southern Region during the 1950's - however from time to time I suffer from strange and uncontrollable enthusiasms which have resulted, for example, in a growing modern fleet class 66's and appropriate rolling stock, as well as a large collection of early(ish) BR Blue.
     
    I discovered that the impelling force of nostalgia for the BR that I experienced in my youth needed balancing with something more representative of all that has happened in the British railway system over the seven decades of my life.
     
    The current layout is called "Wyvernstoke" - a fanciful place where three railway regions and London Transport are prone to meet.
     
    A recent addition is a small Western Region circa 1950's shunting layout in O gauge - which will become the main focus of this blog for the forseeable future...
  17. Bill

    O Gauge - Childrey Manor

    By Bill,

    The days grow short and the nights longer and its time to get back to some serious modelling...
    However I have yet to pluck up the courage or whatever it is that is needed to assemble and paint a brass kit of a working loco.
    In the meanwhile I have turned to the manufacturers of RTR locos.
    The latest arrival is a model of Childrey Manor - commissioned from Tower in Blackpool.
     

     
    It was made by San Cheng in Korea as supplied by Finescale Brass to Tower who completed it for me.
    I placed the order in August and was informed it would be ready by December/January at the earliest.
    To my delight it arrives in mid - October.
    They did a lovely job and I am very pleased with the result - It looks and feels like a GWR loco - which is enough for me ...
    It runs smoothly.
     
    I wanted to be able to put together a small and easy to assemble/disassemble running circle using Peco set-track curves.
    (They make a number 2 curve which is 40.5 inches in radius.)
    So I acquired 4 pieces to form a quadrant to test if Childrey Manor would successfully negotiate such a tight radius.
    I am glad to report that it does so with ease - so hours of simple pleasures now await...
     
    This has encouraged me to get some coaches for it to pull - I missed out on the Heljan Mark 1s when they first came out - I can only hope they will produce another batch of the blood and custard variant.
  18. Bill

    O gauge - Restart

    By Bill,

    On the 20th Nov last year I moved to a new home - still in Nova Scotia but now in the town of Bedford..
    Much closer to civilization than before .
    There is space for a small trainroom that permits a layout that is about 2' wide in the form of a 11' X 10' rectangle...
    At last the locomotive stock can be properly run in.. The previous shunting layout did not permit any going around in circles for half an hour at a time...
    Here is view of the new premises..

    (At this point I have abandoned using IEX. It has been getting progressively fussier with RMWeb - and now it won't even allow the uploading of files.. Bye Bye IEX hello FireFox!)
    Unfortunately I discovered O gauge is not like OO, one cannot just create a space and cram points etc., in on the fly - It all needs to be measured and planned in advance..
    Just like a real railway...
    Also..

    I am now stuck with a load of OO stock cluttering up rather a lot of useful space... It's mostly 1950's-70's BR(s) steam and diesel stuff. with a bit of here there and everywhere
    A result of getting far too enthusiastic which 00 scale permits - It is all totally wasted on this side of the pond as no one would know what to do with it...
    If there is something you have been desperately been searching for and don't mind payin the freight from Canada, then do ask - you never know!
  19. Bill
    To me, one of the things that helps set a good railway layout are a few vehicles.
    Cars of any vintage can be found off the peg or RTR at a scale of 1/43...
    Trying to find Trucks, Lorries and Buses at this scale in any kind of UK outline vintage or not - impossible.
    It appears that the scale of choice is 1/50... In other words useless....!
    Many have tried to persuade me that 1/50 when seen from a distance is just fine.
    Fine for them maybe but not me.
    So imagine my joy to discover that one can buy from EBay a fully finished diecast Regent III at 1/43...
    And at a reasonable price of around £20 or so...
     

     
    Now Orpington is nowhere near St Pancras and the words 50p a tad too modern.
    But it provides somwhere to start from.
     
    I also found a ford Thames for a similar price, but it suffers from Chinese language comprehension disease...
     

     
    Can you spot the deliberate mistake?
    ...
    Unless there was in the early 1950's a town called "North Restern"...?
     
    My sense of humour and the complete unavailabilty of any 1/43 RTP at a reasonable price, lets me live with it.
    It is excellent starting material to be formed into something else.
    There are other UK outline trucks flaoting around, but with foreign markings.
    There is a nice Bedford coal truck - but how does one explain coal being delivered from France?
    A miner's strike perhaps? They were quite common in the 50's and 60's...
     
    Now its about time the layout was designed... Mmmm...I wonder...
  20. Bill
    Things slowly grind on, I'm a thinking about getting a Tower Models B set...
    My mind is going around in circles with the folowing...
    Should I go for GWR livery and mix it in with the early BR?
    I do like the GWR but its not going to fit...
    I should really get Blood and Custard - I much prefer Bachmann's paler custard colour on their MK 1's rather than the Hornby as they used on the maunsells...
    But BR Maroon is a much neater colour - did the B set ever appear in all over crimson?
    That would be useful - but I do like the GWR livery and on it goes full circle...
    And nowhere is the cash available to buy three sets..
    If I go the GWR route then that would be good excuse for getting a GWR Prairie or Manor to pull them.
     
    Meanwhile back on the farm a cheapo plastic shed that came from somewhere in the states has been painted to resemble a creosote finish to serve as the Coal Merchants office and in this instance, doubling up as the local filling station. (Wattoncombe is a very small village somewhere close to Dartmoor) -
     
    Some enamel signs were designed in photoshop, printed on a laser printer and then stuck on to provide a garagy feel - the petrol pump comes from Corgi. The guy in overalls is a Preiser off duty US train engineer, who is currently selling coal in Devon whilst enjoying a cup of joe The Coal truck is a Vanguards 1:43rd (so they say!) NCB Morris Commercial, which will need to get a new livery - does anyone know how to remove the lettering from the sides of a diecast vehicle?...
     

     
    Its all a work in progress, so it is suck it and see time, nothing is as yet written in stone. Which reminds me, to find out the prices of a cwt of different kinds of coal and coke in 1955, to chalk on a blackboard on the outside of the hut.
     
    P.S.Why is it that primer always seems to feel tacky even weeks later?
  21. Bill
    Activity has resumed after a lengthy hiatus. Buildings have appeared and are appearing, mostly RTP. Fences are being planned and located. The garage/coal merchants has now a home. The Peco level crossing is mostly built - all it needs is some final assembly and a paint job. At last some RTP 50's lorries in actual 1/43 - this truly a wonder - I found them advertised in the O gauge guild magazine...
    So things are looking up and if the momentum continues - summer is a busy time for my business and can slow things down - there ought to be more to report...
     
    Here are some not very expert pictures to give a sense of how things are moving on...
     

     

     

     

  22. Bill

    O Gauge - Raising Track

    By Bill,

    Having summoned the will the new layout is under way..
    It would be completed but cork is in short supply - here in Canada we are at the wrong end of the food supply..
    So as a coarse idea of what it might be like here is WIP image..
     

     
    Very messy, as always, just like the real thing..
    The new location for the O gauge part of the layout is about 8 inches higher than it was..
    I hope it is all going to work, after all the effort to get thus far..
    ....
    It is odd how a layout that once fitted together perfectly, now, when reassembled no longer does!
  23. Bill
    The transfers from Fox miraculously appeared in the post thus introducing me to my worst nightmare, 'Applying Transfers'...

    So I carefully read and re-read the instructions that came with them...
    ... and dutifully gloss varnished the areas where the transfers were to be applied
    Then as test of skills decided to first place the XP - having found out where it was supposed to go.
    The first attempt was an abject failure as the transfer simply rolled around the backing paper and stuck to it, rather than depositing itself on the model...
    And likewise the second attempt..
    Then, a brilliant idea - perhaps the transfer needs to soak longer? somehow be wetter?...
    And thus it was that the third XP came off a treat, but ran into difficulties getting it to become mobile so it could be properly located.
    The solution was to add yet more water to the location where it needed to be placed..
    That seemed to do the trick... Plenty of water, flood the model!
    Emboldened by this success the rest of the transfers were added - except for the 6 digit numbers...
    The six digit numbers, long and thin seemed to be disasters waiting to happen...
    And true to form they were..
    I thought I had it beat when the first number went on with no real problems..
    But the second - the second one decided to somehow curl and stick to my thumb rather than the model.
    Anything but go where needed
    Now Fox whilst supplying an abundance of ready assembled 6 digit numbers only supplies 2 of each -
    After another attempt I think I got the knack but nonetheless ended up with two different 6 digit numbers on each side of the van...
    This irritated me for some reason - somehow the numbers really needed to be identical even if they did not fit this particular diagram...
    On the next day having slept on it...
    I learned how to remove transfers - but I had a disaster adding the new one - it folded over on itself.
    So now I needed to start all over and add two new identical numbers...
    Success!
    So the current situation is that there are at last two identical numbers on the van... B783446
    However, after a little research on the internet I discovered that they belong on a Vanwide - diagram 217...oops!
    ....
    But at least there are 'some numbers' on the model and they look the part...
    ...
    According to Salter's B763446 would be a suitable number for a diagram 208
    So now I am trying to figure out a way to alter the 8 to a 6...
    The plan so far is to varnish the 7 and the 3446 and wait until the varnish hardens.
    Then to apply some microset to the 8, let it soften and then remove it -
    Then next, carefully add the essential 6... etc..
    Hopefully performing the task in such a skillful way that I do not end up using all the available 6s ...
    Fox supplies you with 8 of them... I think the plan has a reasonable chance of success..
    ...
    But before doing that I shall have to mentally and psychologically prepare and steel my nerves to tackle the task...
     
    Please note - Fox Transfers are excellent and would highly recommend them - It's my lack of experience and skill that is the problem here
  24. Bill
    A short update..
    Bridge building has begun.
    Here is a knocked together mock up (or an artists impression) of an Iron Girder Bridge.
     

     
    The main bridge structure is a simple piece of 3/4" ply that spans the 30".
    The girders were designed to drop in place.
    They were built using odd scraps of wood - Ply, Balsa and Bass.. And are minus about 2000 rivets...
    The abutments and sidewalls are made from 1/4" hardboard and covered with brick paper printed using a laser colour printer.
    They, like the girders slide in and out.
    Producing a bridge effect or illusion rather than an actual bridge...
     

     
    Having decided this would make a good project..
    My mind is now turning to the possibility of building an actual model bridge - one that functions as a bridge.
    One better way to get a good representation of an old Victorian era Iron Girder Bridge - might be to use plastic..
     
    (Another would be to make one from soldered brass - but lets not go there just yet
    The realm of plastic strips, sheet, I sections etc., is now under investigation
    I have been researching pre-formed plastic rivets in strips - but so far come up with zilch!
     
    A problem that has occurred by building the bridge in O gauge is that it intrudes on the space of the H0/H0e layout..
    One idea to help blend the two different scales together, is to board up, probably using corrugated Iron and wood fencing, the lower part of the bridge?
    All ideas welcome..
  25. Bill

    O Gauge - White Metal

    By Bill,

    A whole range of white metal kits and figures from a variety of manufacturers arrived in the post quite a while ago, they just sat in a bin as progress on the layout ground to a halt.
    Recently things started moving again, and it was quite a surprise to rediscover them. Now was/is the time to assemble and paint them...
    Here is picture of some of them before painting - all ghosts from a far distant past...

     
    To this day I am not sure what I was thinking when they were ordered..
    The Water Crane, obviously fits. An ancient metal luggage label machine? Not so certain. The metal figures are from Border Miniatures and work very well - 10/10. The Peco platform pieces are serviceable. But I also now know which manufacturers of white metal kits I personally shall avoid in the future, (names withheld as other's experience might be different).
     
    Assembly and painting is currently underway along with the construction of a Slater's Diagram 208 Vent Van.
     
    The difficulty in living in Canada is getting paints that match 'British Railways' standards. I am having fun making do with what is available here and have so far found some good matches but it is an expensive journey finding out....
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