Stoke Courtenay

[THS92-GWR-NO]

Hey John! 

I must say I love this layout. Have gone through most of this thread, but I got a couple questions for you I haven't found

 

Are all your buildings from Timber Tracks? 

Edited March 6, 2021 by THS92-GWR-NO
Found the answer to my first question

[THS92-GWR-NO]

Hi John! 

What sort of alternative couplings have you fitted here? Very good and low key in contrast to the factory delivered ones. 

 

Appologies if I've missed a post here. 

 

Thomas, 

On 15/03/2017 at 13:17, checkrail said:

Following Captain Kernow's tip I went back to the small prairies and improved or replaced the chunky Bachmann lamp irons.  

 

 

The front irons are actually a separately applied brass item, with spigots fixing them into the footplate.  A tug with pliers will usually bring them out, leaving the spigot slot ready to accept new irons -  or the old ones filed down, which is easy to do off the loco, by holding the spigot with pliers and using a needle file.  Trouble is that on occasion the spigot snaps off and stays cemented into the footplate, so I used 0.75mm ns strip to form new irons as CK recommended. 

 

The improved lamp irons now work as intended, with lamps easily removed or positions changed, and I've been able to dispense with glue, tacky wax etc.

 

The same story applies to the Bachmann Halls, though the Bachmann iron on the smokebox door is susceptible to very careful filing down, resulting in it also accommodating removable lamps.

 

So thanks Cap'n!

 

John C.

 

 

[checkrail]

22 hours ago, THS92-GWR-NO said:

Are all your buildings from Timber Tracks? 

Hi Thomas.  Thanks for kind comment - I'm glad you like Stoke Courtenay.

 

Yes, the station buildings are from Timber Tracks www.timbertracks.co.uk   I had heard that owner Brian Lewis was retiring, but the website is still open for business.  It no longer seems to list the two kits I used ('Tetbury staion building' and 'Island platform building') but there are others.  They're made from laser-cut plywood and MDF (medium density fibreboard) and are satisfyingly complex to build.  Not a quick job - and not cheap either!  The finished results depend very much on the painting, especially the dry brush technique on the brickwork.

 

Other buildings' origins are:

•  signal box - Bachmann 'Truro' box, commission for Kernow Model Railways (based on Truro box)
• water tower -  as above (based on St Ives)
• footbridge - ancient plastic kit made by Pola for Hornby, with drastic surgery (height cut down by half).  Now available again as part of Gaugemaster's 'Fordhampton' range.
• goods shed - Ratio plastic kit
• cattle dock - as above.

More on these in the earlier parts of my layout thread if you look for it.

 

Hope this helps.  Nice to think of a GWR layout being built in northern Norway within the Arctic Circle. Good luck with your project.

 

John.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by checkrail
typo

[checkrail]

15 hours ago, THS92-GWR-NO said:

What sort of alternative couplings have you fitted here?

Just 'goalpost' type loops from thin brass wire, which work in the same way as the loops on the tension-lock couplings on other stock.  I have them on front and back of all tank engines.  They're glued in place with superglue, onto body or chassis, whichever is more convenient.   It then allows you to put full detailing on the buffer beam - dummy screw coupling, brake and steam pipes. 

[THS92-GWR-NO]

Hi John 

 

My appologies for my late response. 

 

Thank you for the answers, a great inspiration!

[checkrail]

More than once on this thread I've voiced a vague aspiration to remove the anachronistic topfeeds from my pannier tanks "one of these days".  Well, the day's arrived.

 

A while ago @Coach bogieof this forum kindly offered me two Bachmann pannier bodies on which he'd started work.  He'd later abandoned the project due to his requirement for pulling power on his gradients and has gone over to white metal pannier bodies from K's and the like.  So I'm grateful to Mike both for the bodies and for spurring me on to get those panniers sorted.

 

 

Mike had done a good job getting rid of the topfeeds and associated pipework and applying filler to the resulting holes.  He'd also made a fine job of fettling the tank side handrails, removing the kink where they contoured round the former vertical topfeed piping.   So I thought I had a straightforward project with all the hard work done for me.  Then I started doing a bit of research ........ !  More anon.

 

John C.

[KNP]

More work involved than you think.

Injector overflow pipe on the footplate for one needs altering, removing depending on class.

I found the Pannier Papers really useful for this.

[checkrail]

3 hours ago, KNP said:

More work involved than you think.

Injector overflow pipe on the footplate for one needs altering, removing depending on class.

Thanks Kevin.  So even more pitfalls than I thought.  I'll now have to find out what an injector overflow pipe is and what it looks like.  

 

As an historian by training and a librarian by profession I shouldn't say this, but sometimes I think, "Don't do any more research - ignorance is bliss!".  Though I guess that's just another version of Rule No. 1.  

[Neal Ball]

This is going to be interesting to watch John @checkrail I have one more Pannier to do! It’s currently sat on the side waiting it’s turn....

[checkrail]

20 hours ago, checkrail said:

Injector overflow pipe on the footplate for one needs altering, removing depending on class.

Thanks Kevin @KNPfor drawing my attention to this.  I'd noticed in the past that many later pannier pics show this pipe as curving round the outside edge of the footplate, but I'd never been aware that Bachmann had represented this arrangement on their 57xx and 8750 models, in spite of having owned one of each for about 9 years!  Observant or what!  So these bits will need to be carved off.

 

On other locos the pipe goes directly through the footplate, but what puzzles me is that on many early pics of early locos it doesn't seem to be present at all and there's no sign of an L-shaped pipe behind the cab steps.  Am I imagining this?  Back to the photo albums and Smugmug!

 

John C.

 

 

 

[KNP]

13 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Thanks Kevin @KNPfor drawing my attention to this.  I'd noticed in the past that many later pannier pics show this pipe as curving round the outside edge of the footplate, but I'd never been aware that Bachmann had represented this arrangement on their 57xx and 8750 models, in spite of having owned one of each for about 9 years!  Observant or what!  So these bits will need to be carved off.

 

On other locos the pipe goes directly through the footplate, but what puzzles me is that on many early pics of early locos it doesn't seem to be present at all and there's no sign of an L-shaped pipe behind the cab steps.  Am I imagining this?  Back to the photo albums and Smugmug!

 

John C.

 

 

 

 

A very confusing subject indeed.

And don't forget the other item that I fell foul of....

the Pep Pipe......

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, KNP said:

 

A very confusing subject indeed.

And don't forget the other item that I fell foul of....

the Pep Pipe......

 

At least we managed to decide on how it was spelt in the end....

[Miss Prism]

17 hours ago, checkrail said:

On other locos the pipe goes directly through the footplate, but what puzzles me is that on many early pics of early locos it doesn't seem to be present at all and there's no sign of an L-shaped pipe behind the cab steps.  Am I imagining this?  Back to the photo albums and Smugmug!

 

I think the overflow pipe being routed outside the footplate came in probably at a late-ish stage, possibly WWII??

 

The earlier 'within the footplate' versions seemed to be:

 

- on the contractors locos, rudimentary vertical pipes either not visible below the valance or later extended, but still vertical;

 

- on the Swindon-built locos, the pipe was routed to be the L-shape behind the cab steps.

 

[checkrail]

35 minutes ago, Miss Prism said:

I think the overflow pipe being routed outside the footplate came in probably at a late-ish stage, possibly WWII??

Thanks Miss P.  From the photo evidence that makes sense and I'll be getting rid of this feature on both locos.

 

Info re contractors' locos also matches pics I've seen, so a bit more removal to do on my 8709.

[checkrail]

I decided to keep the numbers of my two panniers - 8709 (57xx) and 3603 (8750) - and not just because it saves me buying new number plates.  8709 was at Newton Abbott in the late 30s and is the subject of a great 1936 photo in Beck & Copsey, while 3603 went new to Exeter in Jan 1939.  

 

The photo of 8709, built 1931 by Beyer Peacock, shows it in 'as built' condition, so the work involved (besides removal of the topfeed and its pipework) includes:

• removal of whistle shield
• removal of external ejector overflow pipe
• removal of bunker-side steps and associated roof handrail
• addition of handrails on footplate above side steps (not modelled by Bachmann)
• removal of doors and revision of cabside vertical handrail to pre-doors pattern
• removal of the little bit of cab window shutter appearing behind curve of cabside cut-out.  At least I hope that's what it was!
• addition of lamp irons fore, aft and spares at side.

Here's my current 8709 followed by its replacement superstructure - very much work-in-progress at the mo.

 

 

John C.

[The Fatadder]

How did you go about fitting the handrail over the footstep on the footplate?

 

[checkrail]

Just now, The Fatadder said:

How did you go about fitting the handrail over the footstep on the footplate?

Smallest handrail knobs from Eileen's and 0.45 handrail wire.  I did make a Plastikard template for drilling but, as usual, failed to get them on quite as straight as I'd have liked!  

[checkrail]

Another pic of 8709 under reconstruction.

 

3603 was a slightly different kettle of fish.  After a search I found a superb photo of 3621 of the same lot number in the Smugmug railway photography collection, showing this loco, which went new to Neath in 1939, with shirtbutton emblem and no topfeed.  It did however show most of the other refinements added since the earliest 57xx builds - clasp-type tank fillers, large whistle shield, cab doors, and bunker-side steps with associated extra handrails to roof.  So I'm using this pic as reference for 3603.  Mike had already carved the bunker-side steps off the 8750 body he'd sent me so I cannibalised my existing 3603*.   

 

Another thing I noticed about 3621 is a later pattern of tank top vent.  Fortunately these are available from Phoenix and can be seen in the photo below.  It's pleasing to have such as number of detail variations on two very similar models.

 

* The bunker comes off quite easily once the three screws under the back end of the footplate are removed.  Incidentally, a lot of the tank-top detail is separately applied and can be removed with a bit of persuasion, e.g. water fillers, tank vents, safety valve cover, whistles.  (Don't know about the dome.)  This helps avoid damage when hacking off topfeeds etc.

 

John C.

[KNP]

Then you'll have to think of the sandbox rodding and moving the lid to the sandbox so it is actually over the centre of the container.....

It's all go these panniers you know....!

[The Fatadder]

56 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Smallest handrail knobs from Eileen's and 0.45 handrail wire.  I did make a Plastikard template for drilling but, as usual, failed to get them on quite as straight as I'd have liked!  

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

Edited March 28, 2021 by The Fatadder

[checkrail]

32 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Did you drill from above or below?  

Below.  Thanks for tip re RT models.

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, KNP said:

and moving the lid to the sandbox so it is actually over the centre of the container.....

Just been up to have a look.  See what you mean.  Why the heck didn't Mainline/Bachmann put these things in the right place?  Or were they just like me and had given no thought as to what those little bumps on the footplate were?

 

Will have to see if I can slice them off without damaging the new lamp irons.

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

a set of RT models sandbox linkages would be a good addition to finish it off

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?

[The Fatadder]

14 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?

Have a look on @Killybegslayout topic as he had scratch built them, and it clearly shows the location.  there are some good prototype shots on rmweb somewhere that were a help with mine.  
 

you have two linkages from the sandbox lids to a central cross bar, and one on the fireman’s side towards the cab. Which links slightly inboard from the cross bar.

I left off the crossbar as it would

stop you removing the body, and couldn’t work out how I would fit the other linkage due to the thickness of the plastic body (and lack of the aforementioned bar between the two rods.)  

 

Edited March 28, 2021 by The Fatadder

[KNP]

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

I didn't do the third link one that runs behind the back of the toolbox on the LH side......as I couldn't get it to glue properly or not enough to stop it falling off!

 

 

 

Hope these help...

Edited March 28, 2021 by KNP