To the Continent ...

[Neil]

Here's a rather nice photo of a BR ferry van at Ostend, all I need to do now is build an HO version.

[Re6/6]

I must say that is tremendous! In fact, I have to ask, is it the real thing?

If not, it is really superb modelling.

 

John, IIRC it is 1:43 (or thereabouts) Netherlands narrow gauge modelling. Excellent cobbling but the track is a bit coarse for me. I try for that worn effect in 4mm P4!

 

Sorry to hijack your thread Neil. I can but aspire! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Neil]

No need for the apology John, good model making is a joy to behold wherever it crops up. Back with prototype matters I was very pleased to find this image of a fireless loco amidst a swarm of NMBS shunting power in Antwerp. Even better, it's in yellow.

[Neil]

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun; I see that it was last year I last posted progress. Since then the cobblers have been busy with the result that all the inset track on the main board has been completed.

 

 

Areas of paving are starting to appear.

 

 

The narrow cafe building, squeezed in between rail and water has been developed from mock up ....

 

 

.... to something approaching a finished, detailed structure.

 

 

Obviously there's some way to go but it's possible to see how it fills the space and provides interesting sight lines and viewpoints.

 

 

Though hard to photograph effectively the view through the cafe's side window to the railway behind was something that was high on my list of things I wanted from this particular part of the layout. Though the building facade was a commercial resin casting the rest of the cafe is scratchbuilt in plasticard. This takes time but a great part of the fun in model making for me comes from seeing a small scale world slowly emerging from raw materials. There are many things in life well worth taking one's time over; I believe model making to be one of them.

 

Vischkaai is due to make an appearance at Larkrail this July, hopefully it'll have tottered a little further towards completion but the finishing line is still some years ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Neil]

Further update, the waterside cafe now has windows, further paint and the yard properly and permanently attached ....

 

 

 

.... and a start has been made on weathering some of the stock.

 

 

 

[Captain Kernow]

That all looks very lovely.

 

I would be happy to have my poissons transported in a van like that.

[Neil]

Since May little had changed on Vischkaai until a week or so ago. The good summer saw me outside building a pergola and wood store combination, laying slabs and generally enjoying the sun. The traditional August wet weather had me inside in the garage building baseboards for my new OO layout. However once all the donkey work was done, with grey skies and drizzle overhead, Vischkaai has benefited from further attention. I've now completed another area of paving , this time round the water side cafe and along the river bank. 

 

 

[south_tyne]

Looking good Neil! The inset track is particularly effective and the buildings are wonderful.

 

Do you have space in your workshop to have this and the new OO layout set up and in situ at the same time?

 

David

[Neil]

Looking good Neil! The inset track is particularly effective and the buildings are wonderful.

 

Do you have space in your workshop to have this and the new OO layout set up and in situ at the same time?

 

David

 

Thank you David.

 

Time to confess that I have two playrooms, so yes both can be set up at the same time.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Neil

[woodenhead]

I'm glad this one is still in development, I thought it had been dropped in favour of your UK Oop North model.

 

The buildings on this model are exquisite

[Ramblin Rich]

That all look very atmospheric Neil.

I assume that, because Larkrail was cancelled, there's not been a public appearance yet? Any further plans for showing?

(Also, any details on the 00 layout?)

[Neil]

Thank you Rich. Vischkaai has already been out last year at the Corris Railway's exhibition held in Y Plas, Machynlleth. It was very much a work in progress just as it would have been at Larkrail. As for future bookings there's nothing firm as yet.

 

There are a couple of pages on the new OO layout here. It's very much a home based layout.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Neil

[south_tyne]

Thank you David.

 

Time to confess that I have two playrooms, so yes both can be set up at the same time.

Lucky man!

[Ramblin Rich]

Thank you Rich. Vischkaai has already been out last year at the Corris Railway's exhibition held in Y Plas, Machynlleth. It was very much a work in progress just as it would have been at Larkrail. As for future bookings there's nothing firm as yet.

 

There are a couple of pages on the new OO layout here. It's very much a home based layout.

Thanks for that link, it had slipped under my radar! It's good to see you working on a UK layout again.

[Neil]

Looking back through this thread I see it was January that I last posted an update about the construction of my Night Ferry brake van, one of the OO gauge expressions of my interest in the continent. Though progress has been hampered by all manner of diy projects I have managed to dust it down and crack on a little. Rather than an involved description of how I cut and stuck each little bit of plastic I thought I'd let the latest photo speak for itself.

 

 

There's still a way to go but since taking the snap I've added glazing; we're very much on the home straight with this one.

 

 

 

 

[Re6/6]

Looking good there Neil!

[Neil]

Thank you John; it adds a welcome splash of colour amongst all the freight grey and bauxite.

[Neil]

A further brief update on the Night Ferry brake.

 

 

A bit of cutting and sticking has resulted in the glazing being fixed in place, the roof permanently fitted and rain strips from microstrip added over the doors. Not terribly apparent from the photo are the Bachmann couplers fitted using Parkside coupling blocks. 

Edited September 13, 2018 by Neil

[Neil]

Over the last week or so I've resumed work on my tiny slice of Belgium as it's due for a second outing this August bank holiday and I'd like to be able to show it in a more fully developed form. I've mounted a two pronged attack, tackling a further section of paving ....

 

 

.... and started work on conversion of my Fleischmann Prussian G8 (in Swedish livery) to better represent a member of the NMBS class 81. Specifically getting rid of the weird square box on the roof and removing the wrongly positioned (for the 81) safety valves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Neil]

I hadn't intended to do much more to the 81 other than address the issue with the cab roof but my gaze wandered to other areas where I thought I could do better.

 

 

Starting at the front I realised that the moulded on  smokebox numberplate would have to go to allow for the characteristic large painted number on the smokebox. The lamp positioned just above it would have to go too. Further down the body I prised off the air reservoir which sat alongside the boiler (easy) and removed by grinding, paring and sanding the two lugs which supported it (not easy).

 

 

At the rear of the loco I pruned off the short rainstrips from the cab roof and replaced them with longer examples which run all the way from front to rear of the roof. The tender body had the moulded bumps, which I think are meant to represent works plates, removed by scraping and sanding.

 

 

With all the work done it's no longer viable to patch paint before weathering and besides most of the work demands a witness coat to check the finish. At the moment the body sits upstairs in my playroom in a coat of Halfords grey primer. Since the pictures were taken I've done a bit more to the smokebox door, handrail and hinge removal and the cab sides, rivet removal. I need to build up new, wider spaced hinges on the smokebox door, then a further witness coat and if alls well I can start to reapply colour to the model.

[TT-Pete]

Over the last week or so I've resumed work on my tiny slice of Belgium as it's due for a second outing this August bank holiday

 

Neil, where is it going to be?

[Neil]

Neil, where is it going to be?

 

It'll be on show at the Corris Railway's exhibition in The Plas, Machynlleth, Sat and Sun of the August bank holiday weekend. I'll post full details nearer the time.

[Neil]

While the forum's been away having its thingies tweaked and prodded I've been doing more things to the class 81. The keenly observant will notice that it's now grey and that on this side the gruesome handrail stanchions have been shaved off and holes drilled for where the new handrail fixing will go. As I didn't have any handrail knobs in stock and as the class 81 had rather plain fittings I prepared some small split pins to do the job.

On the other side you can see how it's worked out.

I've also adjusted the pipe runs under the cab to better represent the real thing and unseen because I forgot to take a photo are new hinges and straps for the smokebox door.

[Neil]

I'm pleased to report that the class 81 is now painted and back together. I couldn't resist taking a couple of photos of it threading the streets on Vischkaai.

 

 

 

As a shunter it has more than a touch of overkill about it and it's far too clean. When the mood strikes I'll be attacking it with gunge coloured Humbrols to tone it down. The plan is to finish it in a particularly disreputable state for the full Belgian end of steam effect.

 

 

[Captain Kernow]

That's a superb brute of a machine, it's all looking really excellent.