Churminster & Stowe Magna, Southern Railway

[Tony Teague]

On 25/03/2021 at 21:09, Sandhole said:

I meant to ask, you have got models of the co-co electric locos.
Are you going to run a 4COR at all?

 

 

Hi Chris

 

Not sure anyone has mentioned my ediface before!

I have a model of Co-Co CC1 (needs weathering!):

 

 

I bought this 2nd hand but I think it comes from an old Genesis kit and is pretty noise (open frame motor).

I'd love to run a 4COR (and other EMU's) but I don't have one.

I only have RTR EMU's, 2-BIL's, 2-HAL's  & a 5-BEL; I had various others including a COR on order from Marc Models at one point but he is no longer producing (he did the Cinema Coach & generator van that are behind CC1.

 

Tony

Edited November 23, 2022 by Tony Teague

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

It is not quite finished, but it has certainly come a long way!

It doesn't do to rush things.

[Tony Teague]

You can now follow how Steve Hewitt is going about building the signals for whcih I showed the drawings a couple of posts back:

 

[Tony Teague]

I never quite finished the 'then & now' tour, so here is the last sequence, and this includes what I might term "the elephant in the room" - that is the large, non-scenic'd bit down the middle of the railway room, currently used as a rubbish dump / storage space and lacking a backscene (which would also hide the fiddle yards beyond):

 

 

I did decree some years back that this would not be touched until all other areas were complete, and so to an extent its current condition is according to the plan - nevertheless it offends my eye, and from time to time various bits have been attended to, in contravention of my own dictat!

 

 

At the far end, RAF Charmy Bottom sits above the railway cutting and tunnel and both the airfield and the cutting have received some attention, although neither is finished.

 

 

At the near end, Churminster Quarry is largely complete, barring tittivation (if I may use that word) , but right in front of it is what will almost certainly be the last area to get completed, as it currently serves as a useful secondary workspace and site for putting tools, cakes, rubbish etc:

 

 

This is to be the site of Old Churminster village, adjacent to the canal and where the centre of life was before the railways came.

 

The real problem is that at about 18' by 4' this whole central area is bigger than many layouts and so will take some effort to finish; having said that the railway aspects are complete & operational - the two track main line along the front, the 15 road lower fiddle yard beneath the central boards, the narrow gauge line running from the quarry and up to the RAF station, plus the branchline with two terminating platforms up at the airfield itself. The NG line and the airfield branch are both automated using Heathcote shuttle modules, whilst the road running from Churminster and disappearing under the airfield is fitted for the Faller Road System - but lacking suitably modified period vehicles. Nevertheless it is all currently an eyesore!

 

So what is next?

 

I have been a bit diverted to other priorities dueing the last 10 days but with Easter looming and nothing planned, I feel the need for some sort of 'challenge', so I am considereing attacking the never ending weathering 'heap'. This might please Mr Bonwick, however, if I get up in the morning and do not feel like weathering, then who know what might take precedence!

 

Tony

Edited November 23, 2022 by Tony Teague

[pete_mcfarlane]

On 25/03/2021 at 22:05, Tony Teague said:

 

Hi Chris

 

Not sure anyone has mentioned my ediface before!

I have a model of Co-Co CC1 (needs weathering!):

 

 

I bought this 2nd hand but I think it comes from an old Genesis kit and is pretty noise (open frame motor).

I'd love to run a 4COR (and other EMU's) but I don't have one.

I only have RTR EMU's, 2-BIL's, 2-HAL's  & a 5-BEL; I had various others including a COR on order from Marc Models at one point but he is no longer producing (he did the Cinema Coach & generator van that are behind CC1.

 

Tony

Very nice. Whoever built that did a very good job - if it is Genesis, it's the first time I've seen a built up example of that kit which actually looks like a class 70. 

 

 

 

[Tony Teague]

It came to me in silver and black, although I can't find a pic of it in that condition, and some may consider it sacrilege to have had it repainted in malachite!

Tony

[Jack P]

4 minutes ago, Tony Teague said:

It came to me in silver and black, although I can't find a pic of it in that condition, and some may consider it sacrilege to have had it repainted in malachite!

Tony

 

Absolutely not sacrilege! I think they look their best in green.

 

I really hope someone produces a 4-COR RTR, or any of the pre-BR electric stock. 

[Mick Bonwick]

2 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

 

 This might please Mr Bonwick, however, if I get up in the morning and do not feel like weathering, then who know what might take precedence!

 

 

 

It may be of interest to Mr Teague that I might be getting up tomorrow . . .

 

[Mick Bonwick]

2 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

 This might please Mr Bonwick, however, if I get up in the morning and do not feel like weathering, then who know what might take precedence!

 

 

. . . and getting down to doing some weathering.

 

It's more fun than ballasting.

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

 

 

Ooh! An E5000! Hadn't spotted that before.

[Tony Teague]

10 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

It may be of interest to Mr Teague that I might be getting up tomorrow . . .

 

 

10 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

. . . and getting down to doing some weathering.

 

It's more fun than ballasting.

 

Well I decided to join you - both in getting up and in doing some weathering!

 

It's also more fun than threading those insulator clips on conductor rail and a host of other jobs....

Edited April 2, 2021 by Tony Teague

[Tony Teague]

19 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Ooh! An E5000! Hadn't spotted that before.

 

I'm afraid its actually sitting there awaiting disposal.... I just can't find the box for it.

 

At one point I had decided to additionally collect stock to enable me to run trains in the late 60's - '70's period - especially EMU's which I used to travel to school on - but I realised after a while that this really was a bridge too far and so I disposed of the RTR VEP's, CEP's , HAP's, DEMU's etc. Interestingly, most of them realised more than I had paid for them, I imagine because they were only produced in fairly limited quantities.

 

So if I get bored with weahering, I'll have another look for that box!

 

Tony

Edited April 2, 2021 by Tony Teague

[Tony Teague]

And so it begins!

 

The Easter Weathering Challenge got underway just after lunchtime today...

 

Not having used my airbrush for several months, I first had to clean off the spiders and cobwebs, but once done I started with a couple of smallish / repair type / patching up jobs:

 

 

A couple of wagons that just needed touching up following other repairs,

 

 

A Bachmann Nelson that I had weathered some time ago but which had needed other attention in the meantime,

 

 

and then I sprayed the DS75 body to improve on my previous attempt at brush painting, which had looked pretty awful. I think its an improvement so now work on this one can continue.

 

By now I had already cleaned the airbrush twice because, after a prolonged period out of use, and despite having cleaned it after that last use, tiny dirt particles tend to come loose with the renewed uasage and so it was blocking and sputtering a bit - but I was not to be deterred:

 

 

So I moved on to a batch of three locos that had been waiting in the queue; I tend to work in threes as it enables me to mix a reasonable amount of paint, plus each loco can dry between coats (not that this is really necessary).

First was the LSWR K10 'small hopper' No.347 constructed for me a while back by DLT (Dave Taylor); I intend that this will only get light weathering

 

 

This was followed by the recently acquired Bachman H1 Brighton Atlantic No.2038 'Portland Bill'; this one will be recently ex-works being as it is in malachite but I felt that the over-bright paintwork just had to be taken down a notch.

 

 

Finally in this batch a visiting LNER J15, No.7942 which may end up with a slightly heavier treatment.

 

At this point none of these three locos is finished; they may get a further coat from the airbrush - particularly the J15 - and they will certainly have washes, greases, and powders applied before I regard them as complete.

 

Nevertheless a good start to the weekend's challenge.

 

Tony

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Tony Teague

[Mick Bonwick]

You did far more than me. I only managed a Class 24.

 

I'm still tempted by Portland Bill.

[Tony Teague]

2 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

You did far more than me. I only managed a Class 24.

 

I'm still tempted by Portland Bill.

But perhaps you finished it?

Finishing my 3 will probably take twice as long as I have spent so far.....

[Tony Teague]

Well day 2 of the weathering challenge has come and gone, but not without some frustration!

 

I am thinking of taking a sledge hammer to my airbrush in the hope that it will improve its performance..... Nevertheless I did make some progress.

 

I started by applying some powders etc to the three locos sprayed yesterday, and one of them is probably close to being finished:

 

 

It needs lamps appropriate to its duties running inter-regional coal trains through the East London line tunnel but that is about it.

 

The other two locos received similar attention but No.347 also needed spectacle glass, tools + coal in the bunker, both of which I have added but they need to dry out, whilst No.2038 needed coal, crew, tools, headcode discs etc, which I have dealt with excepting that I may not have a suitable crew in stock.

 

I also repainted the black springs detail below the footplate on DS75 which got oversprayed yesterday.

 

I decided to move on to the wagon weathering queue in the Churminster headshunt, but immediately found that I had never got around to painting the underframes black on two of the recently built vans, so I attended to these first.

 

 

I think I managed to make a reasonable job of the remaining three vans, which I regard as more or less complete; I also sprayed the underframes of the two Bachmann / TMC LMS 21T double bolster wagons that were in the queue before realising that they still both had the same number - so I shall either now have to renumber one or make one of them so filthy that the number can't be read!

 

 

The LMS double bolsters and two remaining vans await their turn on days 3 or 4 of the weathering challenge.

 

I'd really like to get beyond the various "queues" and attend to one or two complete trains from the operational fleet, but whether I shall get to this stage over the weekend must be in some doubt - nevertheless I will be bringing that aim a little closer.

 

Tony

Edited November 23, 2022 by Tony Teague

[Mick Bonwick]

59 minutes ago, Tony Teague said:

 

I am thinking of taking a sledge hammer to my airbrush in the hope that it will improve its performance.....

 

 

There is another way!

[Michael Edge]

If you have a look at my workbench thread you might see something to cheer you up a bit.....

[Tony Teague]

1 hour ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

There is another way!

 

Back over it in my car??

[Tony Teague]

2 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

If you have a look at my workbench thread you might see something to cheer you up a bit.....

 

An excellent set of videos - and a useful aide memoire!

[Jack P]

Do you have just the one airbrush Tony?

 

I bought a second one a few months back and am now looking at possibly obtaining a third (this is by no means a 'brag') but I find that as I tend to use the two different airbrushes for different things - it also means I have a spare if one of them doesn't want to play ball.

 

Those bolsters looks really nice, I reckon you should just weather one so the number is entirely unreadable. 

[Tony Teague]

17 hours ago, Jack P said:

Do you have just the one airbrush Tony?

 

I bought a second one a few months back and am now looking at possibly obtaining a third (this is by no means a 'brag') but I find that as I tend to use the two different airbrushes for different things - it also means I have a spare if one of them doesn't want to play ball.

 

Those bolsters looks really nice, I reckon you should just weather one so the number is entirely unreadable. 

 

Well, funny you should say that!

 

I used to have three - I think two came free with magazines or similar and when I went on my first weathering course at Missenden I took them along; the tutor, a chap named Bonwick, took one look and told me to put those two in the bin - which of course I did, so since then I have only had the one - until today!

 

I now have two, and following a very timely, but socially distanced, open air visit to the said Doc Bonwick's clinic for distressed airbrushes, even my existing one is now working properly!

 

I did however, receive a reprimand from the worthy doctor for having what he called a "very grubby tool".

 

It seems that despite my best cleaning efforts, a couple of fine hairs from the brush that I use to load the cup with paint had got into the nozzle, following which other gunge had built up around them. The moral of this tale is that one should always keep one's tool finely polished and free from gunge!

 

Tony

[Tony Teague]

So to day three of the weathering challenge, and I'm afraid that whilst progress must be regarded as positive - my airbrush now works and I have a spare - very little actual weathering was completed.

 

I did, however, individually paint the floor boards inside the two LMS double bolsters in a range of 4 different wood shades, so that tomorrow I will be able to add some powders to dirty them up a bit and finish them off.

 

During my visit to Dr B's clinic, I also collected a complete train that Mick had very kindly weathered for me during lockdown; it is my 'City Limited' set that runs on the Victoria to Worthing service and comprises Maunsell 8 car Set No.469 plus a Pullman car, and an ex-LSWR bogie luggage van, which is currently hauled by Schools No.917 'Ardingly':

 

 

It now looks spledid, but I am especially happy with Pullman car Medusa:

 

 

All of which will hopefully spur me on to greater things tomorrow!

 

Tony

Edited November 23, 2022 by Tony Teague

[Tony Teague]

Well, best laid plans etc, but the final, day 4 of the weathering challenge just didn't happen

I got so many interuptions from well-meaning family members that I was only able to complete a couple of insignificant tasks - renumbering a loco and a wagon (the LMS double bolster), adding some further detail to nos 347 and 2038, plus a front lamp to LNER no.7942, HOWEVER....

Rather than see the weathering extravaganze just fizzle out I have decided to re-schedule Day 4 to a day later this week, as I really want to be able to report that weathering has been noticably moved forward.

I will report back thereafter; now off to get a G&T.

Tony

[Mick Bonwick]

Progress, nonetheless.

 

Similar delays here - only one quarter of the rail length painted that I had aimed for. There's always tomorrow!