Mikkel

I do have some EZ line, but thought it would not have weight enough to drop naturally. Still, worth a try though - thank you!

Here's a challenge for you Rob 🙂

Very evocative. And you must have friendly neighbours 🙂

This is a later shot of the same vehicle, taken in 1920. Smaller wheels with thicker spokes have been fitted, and the sides are now straight. There are a couple of drawings in Janet Russell's "Great Western Horsepower". She implies that the GWR made different types of these, but it is also possible that the drawings show the same van in different configurations. The best drawing says 8 ft high (and a bit, not quite legible). Tony Atkins GWR Goods cartage Vol 1 also has one of the drawings, although quite small.

I hadn't heard of the self adhesive foil, thanks Rich. Another disadvantage of using transfers that I found is that they can be difficult to weather properly. This is thin foil laminated to a printed paper sheet, which is a tad thick but does have the advantage that it's easy to shape.

Thank you. Looks like it focuses on creating gaming environments, you've made nice creative use of it.

Perhaps it is not so much the details that people focus on, but the time period?

The cynical view would be that the "wow" effect of interior detail is a way of drawing attention to your products. A more romantic view - which with Rapido is perhaps not entirely unlikely - is the George Mallory thing: -Why did you want to climb Mount Everest? -Because it's there.

We all know that one! 🙂 Another excellent build, Nick. It looks so crisp in that photo with the primer! The trick with the former is a nice one, I had not considered that it could be used for down-sloping sheets like that. And that rope must be the tightest I have seen, very impressive. I always feel compelled to paint the whole thing, whether sheeted or not, but from a rational point of view it is pointless of course.

That must have been painstaking work. Impressive stuff.

I like the presentation with drawings in the background. Can I ask what software you use?

Here is the response, with the measured time and precision of someone who has been a long time in the business 🙂 Apologies for leading the thread a little astray.

But try as they might, they can't fit us in there. So the next logical step is VR goggles. (only half kidding)

This is the problem with the LB&SCR, it's always there in the wings, waiting for the next opportunity to lure innoncent men away from their chosen company. A family saloon is a nice excuse though. Must give that some thought, thank you.

A lovely assembly of stock. And the Devensian Ice Sheet in the background, proper historical modelling 😜 Edit: But wait, it never reached your location. Tut tut.

Excellent idea! The only disadvantage is that you'll only sell one per customer 🙂

Similar condition as this view of 3317 on Mike Morant's site, which seems to have faint shadow of lining on cab when enlarged: https://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-Railways-British-Isles/GWR-and-BRW/GWR-4-4-0s/i-RdxP6NZ/A Edit: But 3317 has screw reverser cover, which I understand was fitted from mid-1920s.

Thank you very much, Nick. That Archer's photo is indeed quite a sight! BTW, Paddington have been in touch, asking why on earth there has been no mention of the company's own Pantechnicons. Here is an 1894 specimen. Tempting subject for a scratchbuild.

Thank you. No pick-up on the power bogie at all in my case. But it's the least of my worries, as it turns out. Also various assembly/QC issues on the powered bogie (bits not pushed home etc). Runs like a bag of nails, despite running-in. Will arm myself with a glass of the strong stuff and do some surgery. Worse things are happening in the world.

Your comment made me realize that the prototype photos I have seen of Pantechnicons all show them on flat wagons, not well wagons. @magmouse, can you think of photos that shows them on well wagons? (I looked in the HMRS collection but only found photos of them on the ground, but probably my error).

I wonder if anyone can help with a little query: My SRM will not run when the unpowered bogie is off the track/rolling road. Does anyone know if this is as it should be - i.e. a result of the way it is wired - or does it indicate an issue with pickups on the powered bogie? PS: No. I'm not trying to run it with one bogie off the rails 🙂 Just trying to diagnose a variety of issues with my replacement example.

Well that's a dilemma! 🙂 Probably best not to, it would distract me every time I looked at it, prototypical or not.

I haven't. I thought Powderham might be that example, but maybe you're right that the angle conceals it: In RCTS Part 7, photo G31 shows 3307 with top feed in 1913, but that has the boxes (D2 boiler though). Maybe the topfeed and boxes/covers go together, timewise.

Thank you, it would certainly be nice to leave them on, as it will be tricky to conceal the cut-out completely. I have so far found only one photo of a pre-WW1 curved-frame Bulldog that has the covers mounted, but will investigate more. Excellent, you have thought of everything! That's the advantage of someone who develops products for his own use too.

I’ve started a curved frame Bulldog project, directly inspired by @The Fatadder's recent build (seen here) which alerted me to @heraldcoupe’s 3D printed loco bodies. Many thanks to both. I must emphasize that my Bulldog shell is one of Bill's rejects. It has various small flaws and should not be taken as representative of his approved prints. But I think I can fix most of it. The project is an experiment anyway, a means to to cut my teeth on 3D printed loco bodies. Above is the Bulldog body on the Bachmann Dukedog donor chassis, for which it has been designed. If I understand correctly, Bill's body shells represent latter-day Bulldogs, modelled after particular prototypes. I would however like to backdate mine, either to ca. 1919-22 or ideally to 1913-14. At first I thought this would involve a good deal of work, but the more I look, the simpler it seems. In particular I have become enamoured with this photo which shows 3301 "Powderham" at Par in 1913. As far as I can see, the body matches the Powderham photo on the following counts: D3 taper boiler (right?) Top feed Early lubricator cover Strengthened frames (as far as I can see?) Chimney Plain smokebox door Tapered buffers Deep frame “swing-hanger” bogies (although slightly different pattern?) Fluted conrods C10 and Siphon 😊 What would need doing: Make portholes in cab front Remove "boxes" at bottom of firebox (what are they?). Edit: Or maybe not, see comments. Replace tender. Is that a Dean 3000 gallon tender on Powderham? If so, Bachmann's City tender would match Standard name and no. plates from Light Railway Stores (Powderham did not have the special plates). The “tiebars” below the cranks were always going to be tricky, regardless of date. I want to be able to remove the body, so must either come up with something detachable (micro magnets?) or just leave them off. Edit: Dukedog tie bars will do, see comments. But I may have overlooked something significant, or got it all wrong?