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Inspired by Brent June 1947


The Fatadder
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25 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

I’d certainly like to add at least one more of the slaters kits, but given the wide variety of Toplight designs I think I will be relying on Worsley Works etched sides at some point to get sufficient variety.  I found getting a straight side with the slaters kit harder than I would have liked 

 

I seem to recall the two I built were as fiddly as anything to get right. I still dont think they run properly.

 

One day soon, they will come of of the must sort out box and get back onto the layout!

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50 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

 

I seem to recall the two I built were as fiddly as anything to get right. I still dont think they run properly.

 

One day soon, they will come of of the must sort out box and get back onto the layout!

 
the bogie design was very over complicated, I managed to get it to work in P4 on the clesterory brake (but it never worked in well after I converted it back to OO.)  this kit came 2nd hand part built and the previous owner had replaced the slaters bogies with MJT compensated units.  The only issue at the moment is the wheels, i tried to replace the slaters wheels onto pinpoint axles but one went on out of true and they need replacing...

 

ive just realised I have to make an attempt at building the corridor connections today.   

 

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33 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

 
the bogie design was very over complicated, I managed to get it to work in P4 on the clesterory brake (but it never worked in well after I converted it back to OO.)  this kit came 2nd hand part built and the previous owner had replaced the slaters bogies with MJT compensated units.  The only issue at the moment is the wheels, i tried to replace the slaters wheels onto pinpoint axles but one went on out of true and they need replacing...

 

ive just realised I have to make an attempt at building the corridor connections today.   

 

Based on what I've read and heard, including here, I plan to use different bogies when I build mine - either K's or Mailcoach Americans.

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18 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Based on what I've read and heard, including here, I plan to use different bogies when I build mine - either K's or Mailcoach Americans.

Very sensible, 

my Coopercraft/ scratchbuilt hybrid third has a pair of Ks bogies to go under it.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

That Toplight looks lovely. 

 

Apparently Slaters have the moulds back and are going to re issue them. Although I found them very fiddly to make, another couple would make a nice rake.
 

 

Has this actually been verified? It was mooted around a year ago but there's been deathly silence on the matter since.

 

If it's true i'd be delighted as I've wanted some for years.

 

CoY

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3 hours ago, County of Yorkshire said:

 

Has this actually been verified? It was mooted around a year ago but there's been deathly silence on the matter since.

 

If it's true i'd be delighted as I've wanted some for years.

 

CoY

 

I have no way of verifying it. There was a suggestion someone here on RMWeb was helping them, but I have no idea who.

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Bringing the Toplight towards completion, With the interior painted and fitted, along with the glazing done yesterday, today’s job was to fit the roof.  
not the easiest job as the fit between the compartment partitions and the roof was pretty poor.  My solution was to chop a section off the top off them before supergluing the roof into position.

 

couplings have been fitted (hopefully the right way round...)  I didn’t really have a choice given one buffer beam shattered while I was fitting the roof.  This meant that I was not comfortable drilling two holes in the repaired bufferbeam for the loop so that end had to have the hook.  If it is the wrong way round. I will just make that formation the wrong way round. 
 

the roof needs a couple of paint touch ups, and I still need to make corridor connections then it can enter service.   
 

This coach will end up in my sleeper formation, 

Brake third (bow end)

Third (sunshine)

Composite (Toplight)

Sleeper First (J12)

Third (Bow end)

Brake Third (tbc, something else will be slotted in for now, but I want a large window brake eventually)

 

Will get some photos up tomorrow.

 

 

i have also picked up something for my milk train via eBay, a part built Falcon Brass kit for a dulplex tank.  Once it arrives it will be straight to the bench for the remaining soldering then paint.   

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The missing photo from yesterday having fixed the paint before work.

 

C84214C3-E0B0-4298-A1C2-93366EF9581A.jpeg.2bee48d0cd607744aeced122f569f1b1.jpeg
 

it now needs the final work( corridor connections, bogie steps) along with a minor tweak to the coupling.

While in a stroke of luck the loop

and hook are the right way round, the hook is too short (which is exaggerated by the  loop on the sleeper being too short). I don’t want to fix the latter as it was a pain to work with (soldered to the rest of the bufferbeam rather than fixing to the floor).  So I will replace the hook on the Toplight with one that is 5mm or so longer.  
 

Over the next couple of days I will get the remaining coaches couplings fitted and where necessary roofs painted & corridor connections before getting some photos through Brent at the weekend...

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1 hour ago, checkrail said:

That toplight looks really good Rich.  Love the weathering - what techniques did you use?

All fairly basic stuff

 

the underframe / ends were painted with a mix of black, grey black, leather and German black brown.  The roof was a mix of Grey Black and Sea Grey.  In both cases using Vallejo paints straight from the jar.

 

for the sides masked and painted the black line (ignoring the gold).  Added the transfers for the First etc, the. Applied several thin washes using the same base paints as for the chassis and roof. I started by applying and wiping off, then moved to an even thinner mix, allowing it to flow to the corners.   Really pleased with how it came out, though the rest of the train is steel sided and rather stands out in comparison, so I need to find a weathering technique which I’m happy with for those as well...   

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 Before I get started on the couplings for the rest of the sleeper rake, I have been working on some siphons.

 

first up a set of Bachmann 9ft bogies (Modified to remove the steps) were fitted to the O33.  These had been fitted to a siphon. h which I believe was incorrect.   
 

A set of Ks American bogies were fitted to a Siphon F

 

and another set of Ks American bogies were built for an Airfix Siphon G (with another set pending build for a H.  But I need to get some more wheels in order to finish it.   Now they join the ever growing queue for couplings...

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Holes drilled, and copperclad plates are glued in position on the next 3 coaches for the sleeper formation.   Just need to sort the 2nd brake now.   While they were in bits, the bogies and underframes got a quick coat of a weathering mix to tone down the black, while the Mainline third had the interior painted.   Tomorrow lunchtime‘s project will be painting the remaining two roofs and soldering the loops / hooks into position.  Before gluing the new corridor connections on tomorrow evening.  
 

one thing this did show me is that I need a lot more coaches.

 

The  down Rivera’s centenaries is the only fully complete rake.  the up Rivera needs a sunshine composite (and the large window first should really be the sunshine first which is awaiting building).  
min the other formations I only have 1 Hawksworth and 3 more bow end brakes, two bow end compos, a sunshine brake compo, a half built Toplight third and 3 more sunshine thirds. 
 

in short I need more diagrams of third, some alternative brake thirds and more composites!   
 

on the other hand subbing a sunshine third for a compo (and the large window first for a sunshine first) gives me a useable down riveria. 
 

the sleeper can be completed with the spare Hawksworth brake

 

a sunshine third with 3 bow ends gives a local m set

 

The centenaries are sorted
 

And after today’s work, I should be able to get couplings fitted to enough siphon G/H a monster,  some fruit vans, and an LNER van sufficient to cobble together a parcels formation.

 

so based on that there are three key coaches, the addition of which would get the fiddleyard complete.  The Large Window brake to finish the sleeper, a full brake for the parcels and a full brake for the milk.  Adding another M Set would also be handy, though I have most of the bits needed for the set I have in mind.  The main thing holding it up is the need for a set of LMS coach transfers to finish my ex LNWR compo.  One day I will get round to buying the HMRS sheet...

 

 

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This evening’s modelling has resulted in the completion of the sleeper formation, which now has gangways added along with the new couplings soldered into position.

 

Moving on I have set about doing some of the finishing activities needed to finish them off, firstly 3 of the coaches are still carrying older liveries (a bow end brake and sunshine third in Shirt Button and a bow end third in GWR over crest). 

 

The printed logos were removed with Microsol (followed by a touch of varnish to remove the shininess).  Annoyingly the crest is in a different place on Great crest Western liveried coaches so that had to go as well.  The two bow ends with their double lining both gained Great crest Western (HMRS), I should really have also replaced all of the compartment door lettering in yellow but I have left this alone rather than risk the lining!  The single lined C55 third has gained G W R (in yellow) over the crest, in this case because the printing is pretty poor quality (and a much lower risk to the lining) I also replaced the Third lettering in yellow.

CFABBB47-2667-4919-A66A-EBB25895BCA1.jpeg.6fdd711d60d1412f87787efea4737816.jpeg

Unsurprisingly I haven’t found any photos of the sleeper in my period, so I have assumed a Castle would be the appropriate motive power.  As such Berkeley Castle had a brief trip to the workbench to gain a Dingham coupling onto the rear of its Hawksworth tender.

 

D0026B0A-1EF3-4B8B-A510-C1858E9DD60B.jpeg.7a0212f5cf750547eaade2559eb3cbe6.jpeg

 

Berkeley Castle 4085

 

3D0DA1D5-B487-4B3A-94DA-098A5C163DAA.jpeg.fa8ca00b33a5c24bcebf0be5962cf1d6.jpeg

 

Hawksworth D133 Brake Third

 

9421DAF2-7441-4DD1-8490-44B834B76287.jpeg.dd5d0e1cdbcab9b60ca546e01862bcf0.jpeg

Collett C54 Third

 

E90ADDA5-595E-4EE7-AA33-F54E9A202EDF.jpeg.4c38aa72c9bba4683cc72353e50e7fda.jpeg

J12 Sleeper First

 

0CF08586-0BA7-4D66-B11D-FA1109617ECE.jpeg.14fb500bbae13464121fe26f95b76bb3.jpeg

Toplight Compostite E88

 

39303884-C414-40F7-BF95-CCB062EC54A5.jpeg.a4c6ea0c5ecb5cd99beec9547f3bbade.jpeg

Sunshine Stock Third C77

 

BD7365E6-6C8B-4674-9B2C-5902F4BC67B0.jpeg.46fb4ea55b5c2916100cf317381b6ee7.jpeg

Bowend Brake Third D95

 

 

While I had the soldering iron out I also set about improving the couplings on the Kingsbridge Branch No.1 B Set , adding a loop/bar added between the two coaches and Dinghams on the ends.  This coach also needed a minor repair to the all important transfer on the ends (I should have varnished them!) which was touched up by hand.  I have a spare set of these transfers for No1 and No2, but I am keeping them for when either a decent kit or an upgraded RTR model replaces the crude exAirfix example I have in service.  While they were on the bench they were also finally fitted with the correct numbers for the rake 6468/69.  I am still in two minds as to what I will do to these, mostly because they really need the sides replacing (to fix the dodgy door handles / extra window).  When Kingsbridge Branch No2 comes in for couplings, I think  I will at least correct the underframes (as on No1 the couplings are to far forward thanks to the curved headstock.)  I have taken the GWR Black 4500 inside to fit its own set of Dinghams…

 

04EF1A9C-DD22-4626-AF46-5D3380622CA8.jpeg.2db965e4b9177b99e34d375d07290d17.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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With the couplings all finished on the sleeper rake, I have turned attention to the fiddleyard.  The aim being to sort things out and work out what fits, what I have and what I still need.   
 

There are of course 8 roads, starting by the wall:

Up Cornish Riviera Express

Up Plymouth Liverpool (coaches currently say in the row intended for the sleeper)

Up milk (with a brake standing in for the full brake / up local freight

Up parcels  / Up workmans non corridor 

 

Down Riviera

Down sleeper (currently sat in Brent station)

Down M Set / down local freight 

down heavy freight 

 

 

B4403D7B-27EC-4648-BEFE-6B64A599B813.jpeg

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Very nice, I’m fairly sure I’ve seen photos of this before on the old version of the forum.  
 

Captures a lot of detail in the areas rarely seen (water tower / stores building at the west end) for example.


however the bit that really interests me is the coal office behind the cattle dock.  I’ve never seen a photo of it before, was this modelled from the prototype?

 

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Lunchtimes work today:

glazing, lining and lettering a H33 restaurant car.

 

the lining was my first attempt at lining by hand, (masking and painting a black line then hand lining the gold with a pen).  
 

transfers (HMRS) were a bit of a pain, a slightly dry sheet.  The water

to remove the backing film also removed the gold...   (hence why there are no numbers yet).  I also noticed an A has gone from the Great Western lettering which will need to be replaced wasting another transfer!  
 

I will eventually commission some numbers, an email to Railtec is needed to see if they can assist...  I would aim to get a sheet done with numbers for my centenary rake, other CRE and a bunch of others....


mid I try this lining approach again (as I probably will) I will varnish before glazing.


Right now I don’t have space for this in the fiddleyard, it will eventually form part of a Paddington - Plymouth set. 
 

the interior has been populated with the usual Chinese passenger (who have had their legs chopped off).

B736DC39-7C8E-4F81-83B6-9B07116FA65C.jpeg

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Todays lunchtime project is continuing on a theme of restaurant coaches, a Comet H27 (a mistake as I should have built a H26

but didn’t specify accurately on my order!  The H26 and H27 are the same basic body, with the 26 having 7ft bogies and bow ends while the 27 has 12 wheel bogies and flat ends. 
 

the Cornish Riviera formation I am modelling should have a H26 diner, as with the fact it has the wrong First included this will one day get replaced with the correct coach cascading the H27 into another rake.
 

The coach was built a while back and painted last year.  With the sleeper formation the Up Riviera is the next formation to gain couplings and corridor connections.  
 

Today I hand lines the side, and added the required HMRS transfers (working from the photo in Russell fig184).  All a little different livery wise with the crest below the Restaurant Car branding, but with GWR letters between the lines (to the left and right).  Along with the classes written mid way along the sides rather than on the doors.  
 

This time I learned from the H33 and painted the black lines, added the transfers, then did the gold lines.  Net result - no water issues when doing the transfers!

 

 

it now needs an interior, but that will have to wait as lunch is over!   From memory the reason it hasn’t been done so far is that I got fed up with cutting the seats to size!

1B26CFAF-D64A-4FF2-9C8B-7922A0681EE6.jpeg

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Tonight I have been finishing off the H27 diner, for the 10:30 Cornish Riviera Express.    This consisted of the very tedious task of cutting and assembling a Comet interior kit ( it would be a lot quicker if the seats were already to size!)  it’s not the most accurate (I can’t believe there were bench seats in first for example) but it’s better then nothing.   
 

the formation is based on one recorded in Harris, although shortened to 7 coaches bg loosing the rear portion.

 

Loco: King George V

 

Hawksworth Brake Third (Hornby)

F010B157-0EAD-4092-90DA-5A66333ED218.jpeg.bba7a959723f0f797d4c59b7021b96d7.jpeg

 

Hawksworth Third (Hornby)

8CB6A6A4-02FB-4B79-A028-AFA2F6E580E3.jpeg.527385dbc3f19c26ddcbb45ea999ece1.jpeg

Large Window first A20, still needs glazing and interior (tomorrow’s task).  This should be an A22 sunshine first but the 2nd hand kit I purchased was misdescribed.  The correct coach is in my to do pile, but lack to need for firsts has lowered its priority.  The kit has separate drop lights soldered In place making glazing more time consuming 

6B55D5D9-1187-4D5F-826C-6B5ACC08F913.jpeg.e300dab54f5e1c0851084f9c59b1b107.jpeg

 

Restaurant Car H27, again a mistake as should be a H26 (the same coach but with bow ends and 4 wheel bogies.)  This one won’t be replaced 

8033A29E-4703-4E8B-85D7-3F6F4561D0D7.jpeg.4552db12c7d53ca18029e6a8bc2756ca.jpeg
 

Composite E158 - need to source a comet kit, for the moment replaced with either a sunshine third or a Hawksworth composite 

1B2A7BFC-2666-4C9F-95D2-6EBD8901EC1C.jpeg.9a9eaef6c3a211279073c074035f175b.jpeg

 

Third C77 Sunshine Stock -

repainted Mainline into Wartime livery. 

51BF60D6-9B6B-4027-B475-47667AF40302.jpeg.5c9e52f574450cf1e545f86ca5c25480.jpeg

 

Hawksworth Brake (Hornby)

DA5EA913-176C-4476-B07C-97BC1A921AFE.jpeg.c0507e15e9c6e97608517b840b9a6e97.jpeg

 

 

my duplex milk tank arrived today and will be hitting the bench once the Riviera is complete.  Oddly it came with 12 mm wheels which is assume is incorrect (every milk tank i have seen having 14mm coach wheels.  Looking forward to finishing this one....

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Pausing from the Riviera work, I have made a start on finishing a Diagram O41 duplex milk tank.  
 

I only have the instructions and one photo on the Steam website to work from.  The basic chassis and tanks were built by the previous owner (including melting a hole in one end casting!) 

 

I have assembled the tank mounts, the reinforcing plate, solebars and headstocks (along with soldering the tanks into position.)

 

it now needs the strapping adding along with the supporting rods, end brackets and the castings.

 

one area I am a little unsure of is between the tanks.  On the prototype it looks like there is a beam between the two tanks but this is missing on my kit.  (It also appears to be omitted from the instructions). I assume this is an error, and would welcome any other sources of photo (there is nothing in Russell appendix vo2).  I also have no idea on livery other than as built.  (As per my other topic...)

 

 

120E5699-009A-4542-B29C-7C3B9B86B451.jpeg

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