Stoke Courtenay

[The Fatadder]

Again really reiterates the need to get that missing handrail added on mine!

[gwrrob]

59 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Had never heard of RT Models but have now found the item.  Why are there 3 rods on the fret, only two of which are the same?  Does this mean I need two sets to do one loco?

 

Here's the relationship between the filler cap and the rod.

 

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, KNP said:

Posted these a month or to ago when I converted 7768.

Excellent - thanks Kevin.  Had seen them, but hadn't gone back far enough to find them.  (There are a lot of posts on your thread! As others have said - could do with an index.)

[KNP]

1 hour ago, checkrail said:

Excellent - thanks Kevin.  Had seen them, but hadn't gone back far enough to find them.  (There are a lot of posts on your thread! As others have said - could do with an index.)

 

I know, just need a volunteer.

You see, if I mess around doing one of those then the front ends suffers and all the followers would have nothing to read.......for months!!!

 

 

[St Enodoc]

12 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Did you drill from above or below?  I wasn’t sure about the access, but really need to get it done on both my 74xx and 57xx

 

if you haven’t already, a set of RT models sandbox linkages would be a good addition to finish it off

I was going to do that on my 74xx but couldn't find my 0.45mm wire, so I just used a U-shaped piece of 0.5mm wire. Once I'd finished it, I found the 0.45mm wire...

[checkrail]

17 hours ago, gwrrob said:

Here's the relationship between the filler cap and the rod.

Very useful pic.  Thanks Robin.

[checkrail]

Sandbox filler caps now repositioned, external ejector overflow pipes removed and sandbox operating rods o/o from RT Models.  In the meantime a break from panniers and back to coaches.

 

I recently put into service a North to West express.  One or two of you may remember that I had a nagging doubt about the two Stanier LMS period 3 coaches I'd included in the formation, thinking that they were bit too up to date for such duties.  So I've replaced them with two tarted up Mainline/Bachmann period 1 vehicles, seen here behind 'Knight of the Grand Cross'.

 

Once again I'm grateful to @A Murphyof this parish for giving me first refusal for a pair he had in storage.  Thanks Alastair!

 

In the second picture 8709 can be seen shunting in the background, still with its topfeed (but not for long).   

 

John C.

 

 

[Neal Ball]

Lovely photos as ever John

[A Murphy]

I am biased obviously, but the period 1 coaches look much more the ticket to my eye John. Lovely.

 

Best wishes,

 

Alastair

[Mark90]

2 hours ago, checkrail said:

Sandbox filler caps now repositioned, external ejector overflow pipes removed and sandbox operating rods o/o from RT Models.  In the meantime a break from panniers and back to coaches.

 

I recently put into service a North to West express.  One or two of you may remember that I had a nagging doubt about the two Stanier LMS period 3 coaches I'd included in the formation, thinking that they were bit too up to date for such duties.  So I've replaced them with two tarted up Mainline/Bachmann period 1 vehicles, seen here behind 'Knight of the Grand Cross'.

 

Once again I'm grateful to @A Murphyof this parish for giving me first refusal for a pair he had in storage.  Thanks Alastair!

 

In the second picture 8709 can be seen shunting in the background, still with its topfeed (but not for long).   

 

John C.

 

 

The LMS coaches look good. As I think I mentioned a while back, I’d be interested to know what improvements you’ve made to them. 

 

Really splendid photos as usual. 

 

Mark

[checkrail]

Here's that valiant knight again.  He's a star!

 

And here are individual shots of the two vehicles.

 

 

These old Mainline/Bachmann models were pretty good for their day and scrub up quite well.  As 'layout coaches' they will normally only be seen passing through, so I didn't go completely to town on them, one of the main considerations being that I didn't want to get into repainting them.  So the work done consisted of:

• New LMS scissors gangways from Keen Systems. (Had to saw the original ones off first.)
• Early LMS buffers from Lanarkshire Model Supplies
• Alan Gibson Mansell wheels to replace plastic originals.
• Close coupling.
• Shaving off torpedo roof vents and replacing with Dart Castings items. (Gave a bit more relief, but at least Mainline's mouldings were straight!)
• Shaved off short roof handrails and added wire ones.
• Painted ends black and provided strip brass lamp bracket on outer end of brake 3rd. 
• Painted roofs with Lifecolor roof dirt and underframes/bogies with LC weathered black, drybrushed over with LC frame dirt.

I didn't bother with the moulded side and end handrails because of the livery considerations mentioned above.  However, I feel that the biggest single thing I did in lifting the appearance of these models was one of the simplest - touching up the door and grab handles with Humbrol metallic gold.

 

I think the livery is meant to represent the post 1934 'simplified' LMS scheme (though without the black element to the gold waist lining).  However, I suspect that this means the 3s on the 3rd class compartment brandings should be in the flat-topped style?  Not going to lose any sleep over it ('though I'm always happy to be educated, informed, corrected).  As usual with me it's about flavour, atmosphere, impression, rather than strict fidelity.

 

And now I've got at least part of a train heading towards my home city. 

 

John C.

 

 

[Mark90]

11 hours ago, checkrail said:

Here's that valiant knight again.  He's a star!

 

And here are individual shots of the two vehicles.

 

 

These old Mainline/Bachmann models were pretty good for their day and scrub up quite well.  As 'layout coaches' they will normally only be seen passing through, so I didn't go completely to town on them, one of the main considerations being that I didn't want to get into repainting them.  So the work done consisted of:

• New LMS scissors gangways from Keen Systems. (Had to saw the original ones off first.)
• Early LMS buffers from Lanarkshire Model Supplies
• Alan Gibson Mansell wheels to replace plastic originals.
• Close coupling.
• Shaving off torpedo roof vents and replacing with Dart Castings items. (Gave a bit more relief, but at least Mainline's mouldings were straight!)
• Shaved off short roof handrails and added wire ones.
• Painted ends black and provided strip brass lamp bracket on outer end of brake 3rd. 
• Painted roofs with Lifecolor roof dirt and underframes/bogies with LC weathered black, drybrushed over with LC frame dirt.

I didn't bother with the moulded side and end handrails because of the livery considerations mentioned above.  However, I feel that the biggest single thing I did in lifting the appearance of these models was one of the simplest - touching up the door and grab handles with Humbrol metallic gold.

 

I think the livery is meant to represent the post 1934 'simplified' LMS scheme (though without the black element to the gold waist lining).  However, I suspect that this means the 3s on the 3rd class compartment brandings should be in the flat-topped style?  Not going to lose any sleep over it ('though I'm always happy to be educated, informed, corrected).  As usual with me it's about flavour, atmosphere, impression, rather than strict fidelity.

 

And now I've got at least part of a train heading towards my home city. 

 

John C.

 

 

Thanks for sharing your method to improve these coaches, John. They look great, and you’ve inspired me to do some work on a couple of BR-liveried ones for my own layout. 

[checkrail]

Some views from the lineside as the same train passes in the other direction on another day, behind 'Launceston Castle'.

 

 

 

 

I treated the brake 3rd to an LMS pattern tail lamp from Modelu.

 

But I still rather like those Hornby Staniers.  Lovely models.  So I think I'll keep them and alternate them with these two from time to time, even if they didn't make it down to Devon in the late 30s.

 

John C.

[checkrail]

A portrait of 5000 Launceston Castle ........

 

....... and a couple of pictures of its train.  I think sometimes it makes a nice change to see views of a train in the station but no locomotive in view. 

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Gosh, it's been a while since I posted anything from Stoke Courtenay.  TBH I haven't had much new to show you for various reasons, but more to come soon.

 

Over on ANTB there's recently been some interesting discussion of the new Rails/Dapol iron mink, especially its price!  Mine arrived yesterday and is shown below in a class H goods behind mogul 6305 - and immediately behind its Ratio kit-built cousin.

 

 

Here are the pair again.  Once more the new Rails model is on the right in both pictures.

 

 

Will say a bit more about these when I've processed a couple more pics.  In the meantime the message from me would have to be that if you want an iron mink, buy the Ratio kit and save your money!

 

John C.

[checkrail]

The Rails and Ratio iron minks seem to be dimensionally as near as dammit identical.  The only obvious differences I can see are the horse hook holes in the solebar which aren't present on the Ratio model.  Ditto the early period end numbers.  I also note that the roof of the new Rails model seems a bit bowed on one side (the side facing the camera), and I have to say that the Ratio roof fit seems better (even though I built it!). 

 

I replaced the shiny, shiny wheels  with their steamroller treads with Alan Gibson items, and gave the dazzling white roof a couple of coats of Lifecolor roof dirt.  I also trimmed each NEM pocket by about 2.5 mm, then trimmed the tails of the T/L couplings before supergluing them back together so that the coupling loop was in line with the buffer faces as per my normal practice.

 

As I think you'll agree from the photos, there's not much to choose looks-wise between the Ratio and Rails offerings - except that one is about a quarter of the price of the other and goes nicely together in about 20 minutes!

 

A couple more pics to follow.

 

John C.

[Graham T]

Nice to see this thread active again John.  It was one of the first that I read end to end when I joined this forum.

[checkrail]

As 6305 trundles through Stoke Courtenay's platforms 5557 comes off the branch with a local passenger train.  The leading vehicle, a toplight van compo, is the Earlsbridge through coach on the first leg of its return journey to Paddington.

 

 

 

John C.

[MrWolf]

I've got several of the old Ratio iron Minks in my kit stash, I must say that the roof on the Rails version looks rather thick, more like a wooden roof. For years people have been saying there's this that and the other wrong with the Ratio model, but I now know where to drill the holes! 

I might just dig them out and build a batch. 

The Rails model is nicely detailed and finished (how thick are the brake levers though?) but I suspect that I will be sticking with the Ratio relics.

Speaking of which, how many of us would like to see a re-issue of the GWR Open C ?

[checkrail]

12 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Speaking of which, how many of us would like to see a re-issue of the GWR Open C ?

Yes, that would be nice.  Don't know if it's featured yet in the series of informal mini-polls going on over at ANTB?

 

Funny how all those old Ratio kits keep on appearing year after year in the Peco etc. catalogue, like relics from an earlier age, but not that one.  

[Denbridge]

1 minute ago, checkrail said:

Yes, that would be nice.  Don't know if it's featured yet in the series of informal mini-polls going on over at ANTB?

 

Funny how all those old Ratio kits keep on appearing year after year in the Peco etc. catalogue, like relics from an earlier age, but not that one.  

several years ago, before Peco took over Ratio, I asked Richard webster (?) about releasing the open C again. he told me the tooling was worn out, along with another issue, which I can't now remember. He said they didn't think it was worth re-tooling.

[MrWolf]

It's possible that the moulds are worn out, MIA or scrapped.

 

Or perhaps there was an online campaign complaining that they were 0.365" scale inches too narrow?

[MrWolf]

You beat me to it @Denbridge! 

[MrWolf]

Considering what dog eared unmade Open C kits command on eBay, messrs. Peco might want to have a look at those old dies.

[Siberian Snooper]

To my eye, the Ratio kit looks more refined than the Rails offering and also the darker grey of the kit, looks better.

 

It would be nice if Peco revisited the Ratio kits now that they're in the Parkside range.