Stoke Courtenay

[Neal Ball]

Just now, Clearwater said:

 

John, there was a review in the September Railway Modeller.

David

Thanks David, what was the general opinion? Given the deficiencies we have observed above.

[Clearwater]

1 minute ago, Neal Ball said:

Thanks David, what was the general opinion? Given the deficiencies we have observed above.

 

Neal,

 

Complimentary on the level of detail.  "hard to believe .. 3D printed".  They comment on the 'stepping' om the printing and there's a comment that it fits the Jinty chassis and not the Bachmann 57xx but it's fairly short and factual.

[The Fatadder]

41 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

Thanks David, what was the general opinion? Given the deficiencies we have observed above.

It will improve with running in? 

[checkrail]

Another day, another duty and the other side of 3603, seen here on a train of cattle wagons.

 

 

Most models I've built or messed about with have a good side and a less good side (or perhaps a bad side and a less bad side!).  This is the latter, but having seen it in context, running on the layout, I'm becoming much more relaxed about its imperfections and the residual scarring on the tank sides and boiler top are fading from my consciousness.

 

Also visible from this side are the bunker side steps and cab roof handrail, among the many details that differentiate it from 8709.  It's good that Mainline/Bachmann tooled up for both classes all those years ago.

 

 

 

John C.

[Neal Ball]

Looks great John, engine and the train.

 

PS: Cant see any imperfections!

Edited September 29, 2021 by Neal Ball
edit: Added the PS

[BWsTrains]

No worries, your bad side looks better than my "any" side

 

BTW, I'm assuming here that being viewed from left side the fireman's slacking off a tad?

 

Colin

Edited September 29, 2021 by BWsTrains

[checkrail]

56 minutes ago, BWsTrains said:

BTW, I'm assuming here that being viewed from left side the fireman's slacking off a tad?

He is indeed Colin.  Sometimes the pose adopted is the one that will give the best purchase to the adhesive that holds figures to the inside of the cab!

[checkrail]

And here's the other one, 8709 .....

 

.... and again in close-up'

 

This one proved a tad more difficult than 3603 and required a bit more work.  This included removal of the cab doors and the re-modelling of the cabside handrails to the pre-doors arrangement, removal of the whistle shield and the temporary removal of the safety valve cover before repainting (8709 had a polished sv cover).

 

The filling and smoothing didn't go so well with this one either as can be seen from the lower rh end of the pannier.  But I'd been at it for months, on and off, and got to the stage where I thought I'd start making things worse rather than better.  But once again, in context it doesn't look so bad from NVD, as per the two pics below.

 

 

John C.

Edited September 29, 2021 by checkrail
remove duplicate pic

[checkrail]

A few more of 8709 and its train.

 

 

This fireman too seems to be idling.  That's because he's the only modelu loco crew member I had in stock and is actually supposed to be a driver.  I'd blithely assumed that I could just swap out the crew from my original loco as I did with 3603, forgetting that on this one I'd removed the cab doors and that they were going to look a bit weird having had their legs amputated in their previous incarnation. 

 

 

 

After it had been sprayed with Railmatch green and transfers applied (HMRS Pressfix in this instance) 8709 was airbrushed with Vallejo matt varnish to which a little Vallejo black had been added and applied in layers until I got the oil and soot stained look I was after.  Then the cab front porthole window rims were re-touched with Humbrol metallic gold, also used on the safety valve cover (which also received a coat of gloss varnish followed by a bit of Lifecolor black wash).  Glazing, number plates and whistles (Markits I think) were then added.  Unfortunately I lost the smaller of the two whistles off the end of the tweezers (a common occurrence round here) and had to substitute a little piece of brass wire.  I've been meaning to order a replacement, but now the loco is back on the layout it's becoming one of those 'round tuit' jobs.

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Here are the final pannier pics showing the other side of 8709.  The driver looks like a bit of a shortar$e - perhaps he's an H0 person.  He started out as a flag waving guard with whistle who fell out of the box of a second hand loco I bought years ago. He had to have his arms removed to fit into 8709 but he's all I had around.

 

 

 

The only bit missing now from 8709 is the Beyer Peacock builder's plates on the front splashers, as in the pic below of my original Bachmann donor loco.  Not sure yet how I'm going to replicate these.

 

Rather like the last shot - don't think I've found quite that angle on the goods yard before.

 

John C.

[THS92-GWR-NO]

I don't know what to say here really. 

 

I can't even find the "faults" you mention in your posts on those Panniers. 

They look astounding! 

[checkrail]

A long time since I took any pictures to show you.  Got the camera out today and had to give myself a 10 minute tutorial in how to operate the thing.  Not been much time for railway modelling this year (but lots of other enjoyable aspects), but now back with various projects in mind, if not yet in hand.

 

Anyway, here are a couple of today's shots.  5557 runs round its train as 6305 passes through with a westbound goods.  Meanwhile 3603 shunts the yard.  More in processing.

 

 

 

John C.

[Graham T]

Great pictures, I always enjoy seeing your layout.  Could you tell me where you got the station lamps from please?

[MrWolf]

Good to see you back again. Those pictures are inspiring as ever, it always reminds me of something that I need to deal with on my as yet unfinished layout.

[checkrail]

13 hours ago, Graham T said:

Could you tell me where you got the station lamps from please?

I'm pretty sure I got them from Dart Castings (if you can find them on their labyrinth of a website).  They're actually streetlamps rather than the correct GWR pattern.  I was too clumsy to cut out and glue the glazing properly so used the clear acrylic inners from some old Merit (now Peco?) gas lamps.  They're a tad too small but not noticeable from a distance.

[Graham T]

20 minutes ago, checkrail said:

I'm pretty sure I got them from Dart Castings (if you can find them on their labyrinth of a website).  They're actually streetlamps rather than the correct GWR pattern.  I was too clumsy to cut out and glue the glazing properly so used the clear acrylic inners from some old Merit (now Peco?) gas lamps.  They're a tad too small but not noticeable from a distance.

 

Thanks very much.  I know what you mean about that website - a touch busy!

[checkrail]

Current project is to update my Hornby H33 restaurant car to late 1930s condition using Comet sides.  

 

 

 

I did a lot of the hard yards two or three years ago, so it already has a new style Hornby Collett underframe & bogies, with the continuous stepboard removed (except for directly below the doors) and Comet gas cylinders added, plus replacement shell vents and roof handrails.  It also has Keen Systems replacement Collett coach ends with floating gangways.  This means that the coach is already the right length, so the sides will need trimming.  On offering them up to both the model and the Russell book drawings it looks like I might be able to do this necessary shortening at one end only (if the position of the aforementioned stepboards allows - must look at that again before I reach for the saw).

 

 

And once this is done I can put my Wolverhampton - Penzance express back into service for a spell.  (It vies for fiddleyard space with a north to west express.)

 

John C.

 

[checkrail]

Informative and thought provoking post from @Crichel Down on @KNP's Little Muddle thread the other day.  It seems that the GWR stopped hosting enamel advertising signs (with only one or two exceptions) around 1935 and that their removal was pretty quick.  Who knew?  Certainly not I!  So the signs in the photo below couldn't have co-existed with a copper-capped Aylburton Grange (or for that matter with this diagram of Fruit D I suppose), and certainly not with 3603 as featured in yesterday's pics.

 

But I like my enamel signs (courtesy of Sankey Scenics and faced with clear duck tape to provide a bit of a surface sheen), so I'm going to invoke Rule 1.  Anyway, removing them would damage my platform fencing!

 

John C.

 

 

 

[Graham T]

I have some as well, and will also be invoking Rule 1!  (If I ever get round to building the station, that is...)

[Neal Ball]

3 hours ago, checkrail said:

Current project is to update my Hornby H33 restaurant car to late 1930s condition using Comet sides.  

 

 

 

I did a lot of the hard yards two or three years ago, so it already has a new style Hornby Collett underframe & bogies, with the continuous stepboard removed (except for directly below the doors) and Comet gas cylinders added, plus replacement shell vents and roof handrails.  It also has Keen Systems replacement Collett coach ends with floating gangways.  This means that the coach is already the right length, so the sides will need trimming.  On offering them up to both the model and the Russell book drawings it looks like I might be able to do this necessary shortening at one end only (if the position of the aforementioned stepboards allows - must look at that again before I reach for the saw).

 

 

And once this is done I can put my Wolverhampton - Penzance express back into service for a spell.  (It vies for fiddleyard space with a north to west express.)

 

John C.

 

This will be interesting to watch if I may! 
 

I looked at the Comet sides as a project potentially from Santa…. I have 3 x donor carriages I could use.

 

Good luck John, look forward to seeing it progress.

 

34 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Informative and thought provoking post from @Crichel Down on @KNP's Little Muddle thread the other day.  It seems that the GWR stopped hosting enamel advertising signs (with only one or two exceptions) around 1935 and that their removal was pretty quick.  Who knew?  Certainly not I!  So the signs in the photo below couldn't have co-existed with a copper-capped Aylburton Grange (or for that matter with this diagram of Fruit D I suppose), and certainly not with 3603 as featured in yesterday's pics.

 

But I like my enamel signs (courtesy of Sankey Scenics and faced with clear duck tape to provide a bit of a surface sheen), so I'm going to invoke Rule 1.  Anyway, removing them would damage my platform fencing!

 

John C.

 

 

 

Yes, I also wasn’t aware of this…. Nor was I aware of the comments about coal staithes not being as common a feature as we all believed. Yesterdays posts on @Graham T Chuffnel Regis layout.

 

I have loads of Sankey Scenics signs to add to the station, so will also be invoking rule 1 :-) 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Neal Ball

[checkrail]

Another study of 6801 Aylburton Grange on an up parcels train, and a couple more as 8709 approaches with a westbound local goods.

 

 

 

John C.

[The Fatadder]

4 hours ago, checkrail said:

Current project is to update my Hornby H33 restaurant car to late 1930s condition using Comet sides.  

 

I did a lot of the hard yards two or three years ago, so it already has a new style Hornby Collett underframe & bogies, with the continuous stepboard removed (except for directly below the doors) and Comet gas cylinders added, plus replacement shell vents and roof handrails.  It also has Keen Systems replacement Collett coach ends with floating gangways.  This means that the coach is already the right length, so the sides will need trimming.  On offering them up to both the model and the Russell book drawings it looks like I might be able to do this necessary shortening at one end only (if the position of the aforementioned stepboards allows - must look at that again before I reach for the saw).

 

And once this is done I can put my Wolverhampton - Penzance express back into service for a spell.  (It vies for fiddleyard space with a north to west express.)

 

John C.

Will be very interested to see how this comes out when its finished, having done a similar conversion I have given thought before to upgrading it with the new Hornby underframe.

1 hour ago, checkrail said:

Informative and thought provoking post from @Crichel Down on @KNP's Little Muddle thread the other day.  It seems that the GWR stopped hosting enamel advertising signs (with only one or two exceptions) around 1935 and that their removal was pretty quick.  Who knew?  Certainly not I!  So the signs in the photo below couldn't have co-existed with a copper-capped Aylburton Grange (or for that matter with this diagram of Fruit D I suppose), and certainly not with 3603 as featured in yesterday's pics.

Something I also hadnt realised, very glad that you have brought this up before I started adding them to Brent!

[checkrail]

Thought it might be worth trying a cropped version of the last shot to provide a slightly more close up view of the locomotives.  Seems to give them a bit more 'heft'.

 

The second vehicle in the goods train is the Rapido iron mink.  The Ratio one is lurking somewhere in the goods yard.

 

John C.

[Crichel Down]

On the subject of the display of enamel adverts, I strongly agree with 'Rule 1'.

 

I like these adverts too.  My 'base' period on the Burford Branch allows me to add them with a clear conscience, but I sometimes run stock on the layout from a later period, and I just shrug my shoulders at this and other anachronisms in those circumstances.

 

My general approach is that I like to know what the correct position was, and then (if I choose to do so) I simply ignore it - Rule 1 again.

[toboldlygo]

So the word is in  from the escape committee and they've cleared my glider for take off.

Edited November 30, 2021 by toboldlygo
typo