“WASHBOURNE”

[F-UnitMad]

I should hope not, Jordan. I need Hilda to lighten the thread.

Just 'cos you couldn't get Nigella to pose like that...

[Northroader]

No, Nigella’s the Doc’s “muse”, though TBH I’m a bit worried about the way the Eagle is flying off into the blue yonder.

Edited December 23, 2018 by Northroader

[St Enodoc]

For lightness, you may need to choose a more slender muse.

Quite. I think that "beef up the thread" would make more sense.

[ChrisN]

Happy Christmas to you and all yours.

[31A]

There’s been quite a bit of comment about “operation” recently, and this thread certainly ain’t the place to come for enlightenment. Anyhow, I like to highlight “best practice” wherever I see it, so I’m putting in a link to another thread on the website. You know how it is, there’s things going on for years you never spot on this web, then suddenly - wow! Not O, not pregroup, it’s inner London set in BR steam/ diesel years, in OO. I’m sure at some time we’ve all had a look at the “Minories” idea, this line has expanded a bit on that, and is worked by a fleet of RTR, with some customising, but it’s how he groups the workings and allocates sets that’s interesting, also the comings and goings of different loco hauled trains needing turnaround that creates a great scene. Besides the operation, the layout and buildings are excellently carried out, and really do capture a feel for that part of London. Then there’s the point control! Possibly you’re already aware of it, and can agree with me, but if not, pop over and take it in.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/83030-train-spotting-at-finsbury-square/page-1

 

Hi Northroader,

 

Thank you so much for this, and apologies for not acknowledging earlier!  I just stumbled across this thread whilst searching for my own thread!  Anyway I'm humbled, and glad you like it; there's still a lot to be done!

 

Thanks again,

Steve

[Northroader]

It’s still a very good representation of a small London terminus, with a full representative set of trains coming and going, so ok, there’s still bits to do, but I’m very envious of how much you’ve achieved. Another Doncaster Pacific recently arrived, I see. Ah well, back to scratch building country lines in O...

Edited January 3, 2019 by Northroader

[Northroader]

Washbourne Shops has got more then it’s fair share of dim corners with tubs and boxes with halfdone models lurking within, and the last couple of months I’ve had a drive to strip cobwebs and dust off a few. They’re now lined up on the paintshop siding in primer, so let’s see what’s there, using the low winter sunshine.

First off is one of the longer stay tenants. The prototype was built initially as a Fairlie type, but later batches were built with a conventional arrangement of the frame at the leading end, and this model is intended to be one of those. However, I decided that there was quite a long wheelbase, and stuck to the double bogie arrangement when I scratchbuilt it. The driving bogie has a centre stretcher with a pivot, so the motor overhangs the rear end. There isn’t much side clearance within the firebox, limiting how far it can turn, and as a result the rear bogie still needs some side traverse. Beyond that it was quite straightforward, buffers, dome, safety valves, bogie axlebox detail, handrail knobs bought in, and the rest from brass sheet and sections.

The basis of this one is a CCW frame I picked up cheap at a bring and buy stall. CCW had an advert in the very first Railway Modeller I bought for wood bodied coaches in 4mm, and I always regarded them as a well established outfit. The first loco I built in O later on was a Leinster kit, and for the second I got a CCW chassis kit, and modified it to a different prototype. Great job, they had a catalogue of nice cheerful yellow pages, with a good range for the Big Four, carrying back into pregroup, and reasonable prices. There’s me planning what would be nice to get next, saving up, and then suddenly bang! they just disappeared, no ads, no show stands, just stopped trading, gone, and I never saw any comment about it in the Gazette. I miss them, anyway. This chassis was for a LSWR/SR M7, but I worked out if I brought the bogie centre forward, and chopped a bit off the nose, it was a good basis for a Scottish loco, and I strengthened where the frame necked over the leading bogie wheels, which looked a bit flimsy. This chassis taught me the correct way to treat 0-4-4s, allowing the bogie pivot to move transversely in a slot in the main frame stretcher, with a spring acting on the bogie frame. Beyond that it was just putting a superstructure together.

This one is an eBay adventure, just the kit to assemble, sans wheels and motor, coming in some small anonymous bubble wrap bags. I’m fairly certain it’s a Slaters job, but no identity, even instructions. It was simple enough to identify all the parts, excepting one or two little bits I still haven’t worked out what they’re supposed to be for. More importantly, it came without buffer beams and coupling rods, but I made these without any trouble. Putting it together, the footplate didn’t match the footplate valance / running plate angle, and as the latter was a nicely milled brass bar, I took this as the one to work off, and it turned out to be too short. The other thing was a slot had been cut for the motor in the footplate, forward off the lead axle, but this brought into view in front of the side tanks, another time I’d put the motor facing backwards. One last job was getting a different chimney casting, the kit comes with the later type.

Another kit, bought new this time, so something of an extravagance. I had bought some points off Tower Models, but as soon as I got them I realised the geometry was wrong for what I needed. Luckily Tower gave me credit, and at their stand at Bristol GOG last year, I fancied this kit and made up the difference.

It’s by Gladiator, and is a scaled up version of a 4mm kit. You realise this when you get to the frame stretchers, three sets helpfully marked 00, EM, P4. Its the first “modern” kit I’ve tried, insofar as it’s a stack of etched brass sheets and some castings. If you’re used to sixteenth inch brass frames with machined bar spacers, the lightness of the frames and spacers is a bit of a culture shock. It’s also compensated, another first for me. Usually I keep the driving wheels solid and level in the main frame, and just let the carrying wheels float. Then it’s a matter of laying the track nice and level and searching for humps and dips. There are masses of detail pieces, and the prototype had variations with wheel diameters, splashers cutouts, you name it. The only thing not catered for was it came with the later boiler mountings, which are a set of expensive castings, and I was after the early set, being perverse.

Well, there you have it, there’s no need to work out long lists of motive power needs, all you really, really need is a nice friendly 0-4-4 tank to cover the lot — unless you’re a GWR or LNWR modeller, of course.

[Compound2632]

Wonderful. I must say I'm a little surprised at finding you building such a completely ordinary and conventional locomotive? 

 

I'm sure you can work out which one I mean - not the McDonnell for sure!

[Northroader]

But individually they’re all a nice bog standard, maid of all work, light duty loco, sort of mini black fives. I can’t imagine which one you’d select as being particularly commonplace ;-)

Edited January 4, 2019 by Northroader

[Nearholmer]

Superb work, thanks for sharing them with us.

[Mikkel]

Wonderful locos all of them.

 

Beyond that it was quite straightforward, buffers, dome, safety valves, bogie axlebox detail, handrail knobs bought in, and the rest from brass sheet and sections.

 

Yes yes, scratchbuilding a loco from brass sheet is very straightforward. For you that is! Impressive stuff 

[Edwardian]

Wonderful. Am in awe.

 

Modest sort of chap, Our Bob.

[Donw]

Very nice some good modelling there.  Re your comments about the 0-4-4Ts, I haven't any of those at present but my Bulldog 4-4-0  has the drivers all sprung and the bogie on a simple pivot. It hold the road really well the most surefooted of my locos and will take a curve down to about 3 ft radius that came from a CCW kit so has a fair weight.

 

Don

[Northroader]

Wonderful. Am in awe.

 

Modest sort of chap, Our Bob.

Come on, give it a year or two, and you’ll be coming into your suite in the House of Lords, taking your wig off, and getting out a soldering iron to relax, and knocking out a loco just the same.

[Charlie586]

Just pressing craftsmanship/clever didn't seem enough. That's a very impressive line up and good modelling too.

[Northroader]

One job I’ve progressed today is trying to do a bit on the station platform. Usually I go for cutting out paving slabs and laying them, this time I thought a country station might only be thought to merit gravel, as being a cheaper option. Slabs have just been done for the edging. Kirtley Pete does printed paper strip for these, and I’ve stuck some of these on a thin card backing, and cut them out individually, as the edge is curved, and remembering to tint the cut edge before laying. The platform is cut from a thin ply sheet mounted on stripwood, and I’ve glued a paper strip round the outer edge of this to prevent spillage, also collars in the holes where the locating dowels for the station building fit. Then pinch a cupful of the boss’s horticultural sand, which is quite fine. Spread this out over the platform surface, it was a bit of a game getting it level and smooth, using an aluminium angle as a ‘float’, and gently tapping with a hammer round the sides to help it settle. Some pva adhesive was poured into a small pot, a squirt of washing up liquid in with it, then topped up with tap water, and stirred up thoroughly. I’ve go an old eye dropper from the chemists, and it just needs going slowly over the sand, keeping close to the surface, and dripping out the solution to soak in. I’ll let it harden for a couple of days, trim off the edging, and think about colouring it to take the sandy look away. What shade? watercolour paint? pastel chalkdust? more experimenting needed.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Northroader

[Donw]

One job I’ve progressed today is trying to do a bit on the station platform. Usually I go for cutting out paving slabs and laying them, this time I thought a country station might only be thought to merit gravel, as being a cheaper option. Slabs have just been done for the edging. Kirtley Pete does printed paper strip for these, and I’ve stuck some of these on a thin card backing, and cut them out individually, as the edge is curved, and remembering to tint the cut edge before laying. The platform is cut from a thin ply sheet mounted on stripwood, and I’ve glued a paper strip round the outer edge of this to prevent spillage, also collars in the holes where the locating dowels for the station building fit. Then pinch a cupful of the boss’s horticultural sand, which is quite fine. Spread this out over the platform surface, it was a bit of a game getting it level and smooth, using an aluminium angle as a ‘float’, and gently tapping with a hammer round the sides to help it settle. Some pva adhesive was poured into a small pot, a squirt of washing up liquid in with it, then topped up with tap water, and stirred up thoroughly. I’ve go an old eye dropper from the chemists, and it just needs going slowly over the sand, keeping close to the surface, and dripping out the solution to soak in. I’ll let it harden for a couple of days, trim off the edging, and think about colouring it to take the sandy look away. What shade? watercolour paint? pastel shades? more experimenting needed.D82BA0F0-124B-4D2C-A695-A878F0F31005.jpeg

 

Looks effective although you may have to be carefull paint may reduce the texture. I was thinking about that and wonder whether one could add a tint to the PVA? Do two jobs in one. Another possibility might be to seive floor tile grout onto wet PVA

 

Don

[Caley Jim]

 What shade? watercolour paint? pastel chalkdust? more experimenting needed.

I would dust it over with dry powder colour, or, if you can't get hold of that, ground down pastels.  The moisture in the air will be enough to eventually 'fix' it, alternatively, you could mist it over with water in one of the bosses empty domestic cleaning spray bottles.  The colour will depend on what the local gravel was, or perhaps it might be ash?

 

Jim

[Northroader]

I’m between a red brown gravel, and a grey black ash. Probably do it with a thin water colour wash, which shouldn’t clog the texture up too much, then dust over the top with pastel chalk here and there. I’ve seen American “ziptexturing” articles advocating powder paints mixed in with the surface material, but it’s having the powder, and it would be a bit uniform in look.

While I was at it, by the way, and had some of the glue mix, I also did a coal load for a wagon. Just a wood block shaped to fit inside the wagon, a paper collar glued round it, and the lot painted Matt black. Then some crushed coal inside to form a layer, and splash the glue mix over the top. I forgot to go round the inside of the collar with some neat pva before I put the coal down, this helps stopping the mix running down inside the collar, lucky I didn’t put it anywhere that mattered. (Once it’s set, I’ll trim the collar down to the coal and go round with some more Matt black paint.)

Edited January 13, 2019 by Northroader

[Nearholmer]

Fiddly old job, neatly done.

 

I’d be inclined to wait and see what it looks like when it dries, because my experience is that PVA seems to darken/intensify colours slightly.

 

The top-dressing on a platform of this kind, in your area would probably be graded ‘beach’, maybe stones 1/2” to 1”, and Sussex beach (shingle) isn’t a very dark colour at all. From a distance, the innocent might even mistake it for sand.

[Caley Jim]

I’m between a red brown gravel, and a grey black ash. Probably do it with a thin water colour wash, which shouldn’t clog the texture up too much, then dust over the top with pastel chalk here and there. I’ve seen American “ziptexturing” articles advocating powder paints mixed in with the surface material, but it’s having the powder, and it would be a bit uniform in look

That's why I do it with dry powder afterwards as you can vary the colour and blend different shades together.

 

For coal loads, I put a generous layer of black 5 minute epoxy on the false base, sprinkle a generous layer of crushed coal over it and then gently press that down with a wad of tissue.  Once the epoxy has set,the excess can be shaken of back into the tub.

 

Jim

[Mikkel]

That platform gravel looks effective. Chinchillas worldwide are dismayed to see this setback to their plans of cornering the 7mm market. (I suppose Chincilla dust is too fine for 7mm?)

[Northroader]

TBH, I’ve never seen Chinchilla dust, you’ve got me there. The nearest I’ve got to that is moggy ranching.

[Mikkel]

You can see it being applied about 3/4 down this page (P4 I think): https://www.newportmrs.co.uk/whatwedidin2016.htm

[Nearholmer]

Just struck me that The Dyke is the ideal reference for this sort of platform. Quite coarse material and pale. http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/d/dyke/index3.shtml