Aberdeen Kirkhill T&RSD

[Flood]

Well it's been a while.

 

I haven't seen Aberdeen Kirkhill, apart from in photos and on Zoom, for over a year now. Glenn has had the extension to his garage completed so we now have a purpose built location for the layout and Glenn can test sequences, add more points and generally play with the layout at any time he wants. As his wife is an "at risk" person regarding Covid I will just have to wait for the vaccinations to roll out before I get to play trains again (on Kirkhill at least).

 

I do have a set of sidings, which were originally a fiddle yard, to do some shunting with so I've been looking at freight locos and more wagons for Kirkhill.

 

The first two wagons are original Bachmann VGAs. They just need to have Railfreight logo transfers added and then can be weathered, one lightly and one very heavily.

 

 

The next wagon was a Bachmann EWS OTA, Railfreight ones were particularly hard to find. As it was I needed to remove one stanchion from each side as there were only eight when first built so the wagon got a full repaint anyway.

The model was missing a few supports so I used spare Cambrian ones, trimmed to length and then drilled to accept a 0.5mm piece of wire for added strength.

 

 

Whilst having a general look on the Shapeways site I found that a FPA container flat (two per pack) was available so I ordered two packs. Thoughts of having to scratch build four chassis with Cambrian side frames were, thankfully, removed and the 3D prints are of excellent quality. Far better than I could have scratch built. There is a little rib effect on the prints but far better than on prints from a few years ago and barely noticeable. Brass bearings and Bachmann wheels were added and thoughts then turned to the containers.

 

After drawing some rough diagrams, to work out which Evergreen strip I needed, an order was placed with Eileen's and a start made. All in all they've taken just under five days to make, a week last Sunday and then last Saturday to this morning - having a week off work for a holiday was much needed.

There are three basic types. The original (orange) style uses 5 thou brass sheet to get the overlap effect of the top section. A lot of time was spent cutting and gluing 60 x 30 thou plastic strip but I'm very pleased with the results.

 

Original (orange) style

 

Plain top

 

Recessed top

 

 

 

 

In all four containers have been made. Two plain, one orange, one recessed.

 

The door ends need a bit more detail adding then it's some paint and transfers before going off to Alex for weathering.

 

The last photo also shows two new locos.

37355 renumbered from a Bachmann 37032 (still available at a very fair price at Bure Valley Models). The numbers, nameplate and large Tinsley rose were inked over individually by a medium black permanent marker (pressing reasonably hard) with the black ink then removed using Meths. The effect is superb, the transfers slowly get removed and the paint below is left perfectly intact. I bit of weathering touch up is just needed now.

 

Lastly is 47004. A Heljan loco like all our others, this loco was a 47122 without Serck shutters and no headlight but with a Spanner boiler port. Numerous flush front conversions have meant spare ends and spare shutters so these were grafted into the original shell. Being a freight loco it has got fully detailed ends and now just needs to be weathered. The real loco didn't have data panels either.

 

 

Well that should keep someone entertained for a little while. As usual if you have any comments or questions just fire away. Have yourselves a great Christmas, stay safe and hopefully Kirkhill will be back out on the exhibition circuit in a year or so.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Flood

[rob D2]

Nice one ,

it’s nice to have some trains to play with even if the big set is away on holiday 

[forest2807]

Thanks for sharing the info on the FPA wagons. I had no idea Shapeways did them, I will have a look at their website. I was planning on scratchbuilding bodies on old Hornby SAA chassis but I’ll have a rethink now.

[Flood]

 

11 minutes ago, forest2807 said:

Thanks for sharing the info on the FPA wagons. I had no idea Shapeways did them, I will have a look at their website. I was planning on scratchbuilding bodies on old Hornby SAA chassis but I’ll have a rethink now.

 

Here's a link to the Shapeways page:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/KQPJ3FW9K/fpa-chassis-x2?optionId=175463902&li=marketplace

[Ramrig]

3 hours ago, Flood said:

Well it's been a while.

 

I haven't seen Aberdeen Kirkhill, apart from in photos and on Zoom, for over a year now. Glenn has had the extension to his garage completed so we now have a purpose built location for the layout and Glenn can test sequences, add more points and generally play with the layout at any time he wants. As his wife is an "at risk" person regarding Covid I will just have to wait for the vaccinations to roll out before I get to play trains again (on Kirkhill at least).

 

I do have a set of sidings, which were originally a fiddle yard, to do some shunting with so I've been looking at freight locos and more wagons for Kirkhill.

 

The first two wagons are original Bachmann VGAs. They just need to have Railfreight logo transfers added and then can be weathered, one lightly and one very heavily.

 

 

The next wagon was a Bachmann EWS OTA, Railfreight ones were particularly hard to find. As it was I needed to remove one stanchion from each side as there were only eight when first built so the wagon got a full repaint anyway.

The model was missing a few supports so I used spare Cambrian ones, trimmed to length and then drilled to accept a 0.5mm piece of wire for added strength.

 

 

Whilst having a general look on the Shapeways site I found that a FPA container flat (two per pack) was available so I ordered two packs. Thoughts of having to scratch build four chassis with Cambrian side frames were, thankfully, removed and the 3D prints are of excellent quality. Far better than I could have scratch built. There is a little rib effect on the prints but far better than on prints from a few years ago and barely noticeable. Brass bearings and Bachmann wheels were added and thoughts then turned to the containers.

 

After drawing some rough diagrams, to work out which Evergreen strip I needed, an order was placed with Eileen's and a start made. All in all they've taken just under five days to make, a week last Sunday and then last Saturday to this morning - having a week off work for a holiday was much needed.

There are three basic types. The original (orange) style uses 5 thou brass sheet to get the overlap effect of the top section. A lot of time was spent cutting and gluing 60 x 30 thou plastic strip but I'm very pleased with the results.

 

Original (orange) style

 

Plain top

 

Recessed top

 

 

 

 

In all four containers have been made. Two plain, one orange, one recessed.

 

The door ends need a bit more detail adding then it's some paint and transfers before going off to Alex for weathering.

 

The last photo also shows two new locos.

37355 renumbered from a Bachmann 37032 (still available at a very fair price at Bure Valley Models). The numbers, nameplate and large Tinsley rose were inked over individually by a medium black permanent marker (pressing reasonably hard) with the black ink then removed using Meths. The effect is superb, the transfers slowly get removed and the paint below is left perfectly intact. I bit of weathering touch up is just needed now.

 

Lastly is 47004. A Heljan loco like all our others, this loco was a 47122 without Serck shutters and no headlight but with a Spanner boiler port. Numerous flush front conversions have meant spare ends and spare shutters so these were grafted into the original shell. Being a freight loco it has got fully detailed ends and now just needs to be weathered. The real loco didn't have data panels either.

 

 

Well that should keep someone entertained for a little while. As usual if you have any comments or questions just fire away. Have yourselves a great Christmas, stay safe and hopefully Kirkhill will be back out on the exhibition circuit in a year or so.

 

Someone's been busy during lockdown 2. Nice work Mr Flood.

 

All I have managed recently is dry stone walls!!

Have you heard anything from "Poor Old Bruce" recently. His thread seems to have dried up

Edited December 2, 2020 by Ramrig
Spelling

[Mike Bellamy]

16 minutes ago, Ramrig said:

 

Have you heard anything from "Poor Old Bruce" recently. His thread seams to have dried up

 

 

Hi Steve - I got a wave from Richard a few weeks ago just before lockdown as we were in Weavers Carpet shop and he walked by - and by strange coincidence I also saw him there mid summer. Perhaps if you go and buy a carpet, you'll meet him as well !!

 

Mike

[Flood]

45 minutes ago, Ramrig said:

 

Have you heard anything from "Poor Old Bruce" recently. His thread seems to have dried up

He's been joining us for Zoom meetings on a Friday. I was working last Friday but he was with us the week before. Give him a ring, I'm sure he'll be pleased to hear from you.

[50002Superb]

7 hours ago, Flood said:

Well it's been a while.

 

I haven't seen Aberdeen Kirkhill, apart from in photos and on Zoom, for over a year now. Glenn has had the extension to his garage completed so we now have a purpose built location for the layout and Glenn can test sequences, add more points and generally play with the layout at any time he wants. As his wife is an "at risk" person regarding Covid I will just have to wait for the vaccinations to roll out before I get to play trains again (on Kirkhill at least).

 

I do have a set of sidings, which were originally a fiddle yard, to do some shunting with so I've been looking at freight locos and more wagons for Kirkhill.

 

The first two wagons are original Bachmann VGAs. They just need to have Railfreight logo transfers added and then can be weathered, one lightly and one very heavily.

 

 

The next wagon was a Bachmann EWS OTA, Railfreight ones were particularly hard to find. As it was I needed to remove one stanchion from each side as there were only eight when first built so the wagon got a full repaint anyway.

The model was missing a few supports so I used spare Cambrian ones, trimmed to length and then drilled to accept a 0.5mm piece of wire for added strength.

 

 

Whilst having a general look on the Shapeways site I found that a FPA container flat (two per pack) was available so I ordered two packs. Thoughts of having to scratch build four chassis with Cambrian side frames were, thankfully, removed and the 3D prints are of excellent quality. Far better than I could have scratch built. There is a little rib effect on the prints but far better than on prints from a few years ago and barely noticeable. Brass bearings and Bachmann wheels were added and thoughts then turned to the containers.

 

After drawing some rough diagrams, to work out which Evergreen strip I needed, an order was placed with Eileen's and a start made. All in all they've taken just under five days to make, a week last Sunday and then last Saturday to this morning - having a week off work for a holiday was much needed.

There are three basic types. The original (orange) style uses 5 thou brass sheet to get the overlap effect of the top section. A lot of time was spent cutting and gluing 60 x 30 thou plastic strip but I'm very pleased with the results.

 

Original (orange) style

 

Plain top

 

Recessed top

 

 

 

 

In all four containers have been made. Two plain, one orange, one recessed.

 

The door ends need a bit more detail adding then it's some paint and transfers before going off to Alex for weathering.

 

The last photo also shows two new locos.

37355 renumbered from a Bachmann 37032 (still available at a very fair price at Bure Valley Models). The numbers, nameplate and large Tinsley rose were inked over individually by a medium black permanent marker (pressing reasonably hard) with the black ink then removed using Meths. The effect is superb, the transfers slowly get removed and the paint below is left perfectly intact. I bit of weathering touch up is just needed now.

 

Lastly is 47004. A Heljan loco like all our others, this loco was a 47122 without Serck shutters and no headlight but with a Spanner boiler port. Numerous flush front conversions have meant spare ends and spare shutters so these were grafted into the original shell. Being a freight loco it has got fully detailed ends and now just needs to be weathered. The real loco didn't have data panels either.

 

 

Well that should keep someone entertained for a little while. As usual if you have any comments or questions just fire away. Have yourselves a great Christmas, stay safe and hopefully Kirkhill will be back out on the exhibition circuit in a year or so.

is 47004 the one that was named Monster? I can’t find many photos of it with its name online but assume you have some to do this model?

[Flood]

50 minutes ago, 50002Superb said:

is 47004 the one that was named Monster? I can’t find many photos of it with its name online but assume you have some to do this model?

Class47.co.uk says 47004 was unofficially named Monster in August 1986. Although there is a photo of the name on the bodyside I can't find a single photo on the web showing it on the loco. As the name was not there in 1988 I can leave it off. Interesting though, would have made a nice change.

[50002Superb]

2 minutes ago, Flood said:

Class47.co.uk says 47004 was unofficially named Monster in August 1986. Although there is a photo of the name on the bodyside I can't find a single photo on the web showing it on the loco. As the name was not there in 1988 I can leave it off. Interesting though, would have made a nice change.

Was it removed by 1988?

[Flood]

1 minute ago, 50002Superb said:

Was it removed by 1988?

Certainly by 1988. I can't even find any photos showing it in 1987 so it may well have disappeared very soon after being applied.

April 1987, photo by Roddy MacPhee

 

August 1987, photo by Shawford Junction

[Flood]

While I'm thinking about it, here are a couple of images of the FPA wagons in primer. Just to give you an idea of what the 3D printed wagons look like:

 

 

They just need wheels, bearings and buffers to complete. You even get disc brake actuators, which are a bit of a bind to fit.

[50002Superb]

8 hours ago, Flood said:

Certainly by 1988. I can't even find any photos showing it in 1987 so it may well have disappeared very soon after being applied.

April 1987, photo by Roddy MacPhee

 

August 1987, photo by Shawford Junction

Thanks. 
 

would love to see a full shot with the name rather than the one on class47

[Poor Old Bruce]

On 02/12/2020 at 17:25, Ramrig said:

Have you heard anything from "Poor Old Bruce" recently. His thread seems to have dried up

 

You could always pick up the 'phone and ask me.

[Enterprisingwestern]

28 minutes ago, Poor Old Bruce said:

 

You could always pick up the 'phone and ask me.

 

I've noticed a lot of phones only seem to work one way as well!

 

Mike.

[KMS Railtech]

Do phones actually still function as phones these days? :-)

 

great work on the projects. Think it’s about time you moved on to a new layout though, nudge nudge, wink wink!

Edited December 4, 2020 by KMS Railtech
Spelling

[Flood]

Glenn is currently using some form of black magic (not the chocolates) to have working signals.

 

He has a logic diagram so a mini-panel can check how points are set and whether a train has just passed (using infra-red detectors). Don't ask me how he programs this thing, I'm just pleased that I understand the concept.

He's sent me some photos of the signals working manually. On Monday I said he'd have everything fully automated by Thursday, he said "Yes, but I'm not committing by which Thursday".

 

Depot exit signals (with shunt to headshunt under the bridge)

 

 

Down main, including link to South end of Depot

 

 

 

 

View from the front of the layout

 

All very impressive, I hope you'll agree.

[Clagmeister]

Absolutely superb

[Mike Bellamy]

2 hours ago, Flood said:

 

On Monday I said he'd have everything fully automated by Thursday, he said "Yes, but I'm not committing by which Thursday".

 

 

Hopefully he can relax and spend more time modelling after tonight . . . . . . . MMRG members will know why . . . . . 

[Rich Papper]

11 hours ago, Flood said:

 

View from the front of the layout

 

 

Looking absolutely fantastic, really blends well with the original parts of the layout. Can't wait to see it in action again one day.

 

It's a long time since I last went to Aberdeen, but from memory you've really nailed the colour of the sky backscene!

 

Rich

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Impressive.

Far too clever for his own good that Glenn chap!

 

Mike.

[Flood]

Well I've just had my usual week off in March and I have managed to do some modelling.

The containers for the FPA wagons are now finished. For months I struggled to find a solution to model the cleats on the sides that were used to tie down a cover on the originals. When searching through for other stuff from Eileen's I found a length of 1/32 x 3/32 brass bar. Wrap 0.3mm wire around it, dremel through the wire on the wide edge, stick sellotape along this side, turn over, dremel through the wire on other wide edge - hey presto, lots of 1/32 x 1/32 U shapes of wire. All that was needed then was to individually glue 141 of them over three containers!

 

The transfers are all hand made. I had to make a few spares as they broke up quite easily but I'm really pleased with the finished items. Just a bit of weathering for Alex to add some time this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As stated on another thread I also had my LPG TTA back after 9 months. The orange stripe was too deep, 5mm instead of 4mm, so on Saturday night I masked off the stripe I wanted to keep and set to with some brand new P360 wet and dry paper. About an hour later it was all sorted and I feel the proportions now look so much better. Just a bit of weathering to be blown in to finish.

 

I also got the Cerestar starch wagon back from Alex with some subtle weathering so here are the TTA and PBA together.

 

 

That's all for now. By August I might actually get to see the layout again and, with 2 weeks booked in July, I might even have a look at the FBB whisky container wagons (only a year since I last touched them!)

 

As always please add your comments as you feel fit.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Flood

[Flood]

Another update!

 

When I picked up the PBA starch wagon and LPG tank I also collected my DCE rake which Alex Carpenter had weathered to varying degrees of grime and, as usual, to an excellent standard.

 

After have a quick look how I could stain Scale Model Scenery wooden sleepers I poured some black shoe colour restorer polish into a honey jar with about 2 to 3 more parts of water and dunked six packs of sleepers, 312, in for 1 to 4 hours (sounds like a cooking recipe).

 

Depending whether you let them dry on kitchen roll (absorbs some of the dye) or brown parcel tape (leaves them virtually black) you get varying shades.

 

A lot of glueing of sleepers later you have the below:

 

Full rake

 

ZAA ex SPA

 

ZDA ex OBA

 

Another ZDA ex OBA

 

ZDA ex OCA

 

Another ZAA ex SPA, virtually out of paint shop

 

I'm really pleased with the results, now I can take the weekend off whilst seeing if I can find a cheaper alternative to Peco loco lifts for carrying 3 ft  sections of freight train.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Flood

[Enterprisingwestern]

1 hour ago, Flood said:

I'm really pleased with the results, now I can take the weekend off whilst seeing if I can find a cheaper alternative to Peco loco lifts for carrying 3 ft  sections of freight train.

 

Get creative with timber and aluminium angle?

 

Mike.

[Flood]

31 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Get creative with timber and aluminium angle?

 

Mike.

That seems like a plan Mike.

 

One of the thoughts is "do we have a movable siding?", i.e. remove the track from one siding in the fiddle yard so a 3 foot long "carry section" can be placed on the board and the stock rolled off ready to be used.

 

The Peco loco lifts will sit on existing track. I can't see an easy way off doing this d.i.y style but this is only needed if a loco  is to be driven off the lift. If only the freight stock is on the lift then this removes the weight of a loco and ensures better overall weight distribution.

 

It would be useful to keep half sets in their 3 foot carriers when transporting the stock/layout but the thought of carrying 3 foot sections of stock any distance does seem daunting.

 

I think a chat with Glenn is needed.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Flood