Popular Post Ruston Posted March 25, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) The coaling stage. Balsa and Southeastern Finecast corrugated sheet - simples! Progress on the engine shed area. Some ground cover and ballast down, plus a corrugated iron extension being bedded in and covered in cling film whilst the glue around the magnets that hold it in place dries. I've had the people out for a few photos. Some of these were bought at Xmas 2017, so they have been waiting a long time to be placed on the platform. All are by Andrew Stadden and painted by myself. They'll all have to go away again whilst more scenic work is done. Edited November 4, 2022 by Ruston 19 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 Shed extension unwrapped. It is unweathered as yet but won't receive much weathering as it is supposed to be a fairly recent addition in the intended time period. I need to add some bits and pieces - bits of dismantled loco and other junk. Empty oil drums is a favourite for this sort of scene but would they have been around as far back as 1900, or would it be wooden barrels for oil, grease and other such things? 15 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Streeting Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 nice.. love the green reminds me of a old church near where i grew up acording to wiki Quote Henry Wehrhahn, employee of Nellie Bly’s Iron Clad Manufacturing Company of New York, received two patents in December 1905 that would lead to the modern 55-gallon steel barrel 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
5050 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Didn't you know that Xerxes Montmorency Gittins, a distant relative of Exuperias Aloysius Hipployte Gittins the main contractor, invented the sheet iron drum in 1900 which was introduced to the railway soon after! I bet Wiki doesn't know that!.............. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ruston Posted March 29, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 29, 2019 7 hours ago, 5050 said: Didn't you know that Xerxes Montmorency Gittins, a distant relative of Exuperias Aloysius Hipployte Gittins the main contractor, invented the sheet iron drum in 1900 which was introduced to the railway soon after! I bet Wiki doesn't know that!.............. I believe that he upset Zacharias Aldwyth Cooper, the owner of England's largest wooden barrel manufactory, with his invention and was found soon after having accidentally brutally cut off his own head whilst shaving. His death meant that the steel drum did not come into use until some American stole Gittins' idea a few years later. Anyway... I've got the canal looking more like a canal than in the earlier pictures. Nothing fancy here, just Tamiya acrylics. Khaki paint, a coat of yellow gloss varnish and built up layers of cleargloss varnish to give a slight ripple effect. 21 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandhole Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 14 hours ago, Ruston said: I believe that he upset Zacharias Aldwyth Cooper, the owner of England's largest wooden barrel manufactory, with his invention and was found soon after having accidentally brutally cut off his own head whilst shaving. His death meant that the steel drum did not come into use until some American stole Gittins' idea a few years later. Anyway... I've got the canal looking more like a canal than in the earlier pictures. Nothing fancy here, just Tamiya acrylics. Khaki paint, a coat of yellow gloss varnish and built up layers of cleargloss varnish to give a slight ripple effect. I know I keep on saying this about your work, Dave, but that split level canal shot is perfection!!! There is nothing wrong about it at all. You should be chuffed to bits with it. DCC Sound be beggared! I can hear the gentle hiss of the Peckett waiting for the next move, with the sound of the Neilson creaking along with the stone train! Speaking as somebody with intimate knowledge of 'The Cut' round Worsley and out over the edge of The Moss, you have got that canal surface perfect!!!! I can feel the breeze blowing over the water and the birds singing!! That simple backscene just sets the whole picture off!! I've rambled on too much, so, to quote Mark Williams, " I'll get my coat!!" Chris. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Dave, your modelling is superb, I'm sure Mr Frith will send you a Farthing commission for every postcard he sells. 10 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 In 1900 the railway purchased two coaches from the North Eastern Railway and refurbished them in its own workshops. They are both Pocket Money Kits, by Jim McGeown, that I bought, unbuilt, from another RMwebber, last year. 14 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 (edited) I have just returned from Scalefour North with various modelling bits and pieces; couplings, wagon transfers and other things. Notably a second hand but unbuilt GNoSR coach kit, by Prickley Pear, which matches the one I am currently building. More importantly I have the last piece of the track plan jigsaw. I have decided that a traverser is too much faff and one is enough, so for the other end of the railway I have gone for a turnplate, which won't turn all the way round - a sector plate? Anyway, it's custom-made by Tim Horn and is nothing more than a sheet of the same good quality 9mm ply that the baseboards are made from, laser-cut and drilled for the pivot. At £15 I couldn't have made it any cheaper myself and certainly couldn't have cut it as accurately! Once it's fitted and the tracks laid upon it, all that remains is to install a shelf at the rear for the high level and the track plan is complete. I also bought a load of Gibson split spoke wagon wheels for upcoming rolling stock projects. Edited April 6, 2019 by Ruston 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted April 6, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 6, 2019 (edited) Nice to have a chat today Dave and to get you and the transfers united! Baz Edited April 6, 2019 by Barry O spellung! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 10 hours ago, Ruston said: I have just returned from Scalefour North with various modelling bits and pieces; couplings, wagon transfers and other things. Notably a second hand but unbuilt GNoSR coach kit, by Prickley Pear, which matches the one I am currently building. More importantly I have the last piece of the track plan jigsaw. I have decided that a traverser is too much faff and one is enough, so for the other end of the railway I have gone for a turnplate, which won't turn all the way round - a sector plate? Anyway, it's custom-made by Tim Horn and is nothing more than a sheet of the same good quality 9mm ply that the baseboards are made from, laser-cut and drilled for the pivot. At £15 I couldn't have made it any cheaper myself and certainly couldn't have cut it as accurately! Once it's fitted and the tracks laid upon it, all that remains is to install a shelf at the rear for the high level and the track plan is complete. I also bought a load of Gibson split spoke wagon wheels for upcoming rolling stock projects. Ruston, that looks like a wonderfully neat solution. Tim Horn's products are clearly first class and also a bargain at that kind of price! If you don't mind me asking, how long is the sector plate? Cheers, David 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 8, 2019 Author Share Posted April 8, 2019 On 07/04/2019 at 02:34, south_tyne said: Ruston, that looks like a wonderfully neat solution. Tim Horn's products are clearly first class and also a bargain at that kind of price! If you don't mind me asking, how long is the sector plate? Cheers, David It is 54cm long, which is the same as the traverser at the other end. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 4 hours ago, Ruston said: It is 54cm long, which is the same as the traverser at the other end. Cheers Ruston, that's very helpful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ruston Posted April 10, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) Further along the line are staithes, where coal is dropped into canal boats. This traffic was handled in Chaldrons that were very similar to those used in the North East. They are built up from Smallbrook Studio resin kits, bought without wheels and couplings as the usual wheels that are provided have straight spokes, where the vast majority of chaldrons appear to have split spokes, so I have used Gibson wheels. The couplings would be tension locks, which would have gone straight in the bin. These open wagons are also from Smallbrook and are of a design also used in the North East for carrying bricks. The idea here is that they carry bricks to an off-scene canal wharf. Both these and the chaldrons have a decent amount of weight to keep them on the track but not too much (unlike the RT Models contractors' wagons) that they can't be pulled up the bank. The weight here comes from lead shot that is mixed in with the resin chassis casting. The Peckett will manage 6 chaldrons up the bank but only two contractors' wagons. They will run as a fixed rake and so to couple them I have made simple L-shaped 0.5mm brass parts and loops. The far end of the rake has it's L-shape bent and filed at the top so that it lifts a Dingham loop that is run against it to allow it to couple to a locomotive. At this end there is a Dingham loop but no hook. The frames are much lower than any other stock, which prohibts the fitting of complete Dinghams. The company lettering, tare weights and running numbers are all hand-painted. Edited November 4, 2022 by Ruston 17 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Corbs Posted April 10, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 10, 2019 Bleedin’ excellent looking, Dave. Glad you liked them and good shout on the wheels. Like you I joined mine as a 3-wagon rake with wire hooks and loops. The weathering and lettering looks spot-on. I’ve read somewhere that wagon works staff would take chauldrons with knackered wood and just set fire to them, before retrieving the ironwork from the smouldering remains to make a new one! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 1 minute ago, Corbs said: Bleedin’ excellent looking, Dave. Glad you liked them and good shout on the wheels. Like you I joined mine as a 3-wagon rake with wire hooks and loops. The weathering and lettering looks spot-on. I’ve read somewhere that wagon works staff would take chauldrons with knackered wood and just set fire to them, before retrieving the ironwork from the smouldering remains to make a new one! That would save a lot of work, I guess. The far left hand corner of the layout is going to feature part of the company's C&W shop and that could make an interesting little cameo. One other thing that I did, which the kit and its instructions don't mention or feature, is to fit flat brake levers. The kit just shows to use 0.7mm wire. I was going to make a pattern to mill some out of sheet but couldn't be bothered and simply heated up the wire and battered it flat instead. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Corbs Posted April 10, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) I'd noticed they were flatter, looks way better than the rod I've used. Did you bend them to shape before flattening them or after? The Beamish Transport Online blog has quite a bit about Chaldrons but does take some sifting through the articles: http://beamishtransportonline.co.uk/2009/12/chaldron-waggon-restoration-project-announced/ Edited April 10, 2019 by Corbs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 1 hour ago, Corbs said: I'd noticed they were flatter, looks way better than the rod I've used. Did you bend them to shape before flattening them or after? The Beamish Transport Online blog has quite a bit about Chaldrons but does take some sifting through the articles: http://beamishtransportonline.co.uk/2009/12/chaldron-waggon-restoration-project-announced/ I bent them to fit before heating and hammering them flat. I notice the one in the link is fitted with a ratchet to keep the brakes on, and a more complex mechanism (cast iron brake blocks too?) but most didn't have this, so I just used wire. I have the Chilton Ironworks book The Chaldrons and most in there seem to have just a plain bar, with no ratchet or any other means of keeping the brake on. How the brakes were pinned I just can't work out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 (edited) Serious rollin stock (No G) projects (If you listen to Radio 2 on a Friday afternoon, you'll understand). Great North of Scotland coach. Prickley Pear kit. NER Saloon, as seen previously before painting. Break van. This is to be a CVMR van and is built from a Slaters Midland van, with the addition of beams for buffering to chaldrons and a second verandah (all made from plastikard). I have also filed off the moulded handrails and will add brass wire handrails in their place. Edited November 4, 2022 by Ruston 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 Turnplate fitted and working. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike morley Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 I'm obviously missing something here, specifically anything that might be described as sleepers. What's keeping those rails in position and in gauge? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 6 minutes ago, mike morley said: I'm obviously missing something here, specifically anything that might be described as sleepers. What's keeping those rails in position and in gauge? Superglue. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike morley Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Is that a method you've tried before or an experiment? As the price of copperclad is getting scarily high it has considerable appeal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 3 hours ago, mike morley said: Is that a method you've tried before or an experiment? As the price of copperclad is getting scarily high it has considerable appeal. It's the first time that I have used it but I was talking to Geoff Tiffany at last year's Scalefour North and he told me about how he had superglued rail to wooden sleepers and how it fared better over time than soldered joints on copper clad on a layout that he built years ago and had been stored in a garage. The only reason that I have used it here is a miscalculation that would have put the level of rail on sleepers above that of the rail on the scenic section but fixing the rail directly onto the board puts it at a height to match the track on the scenic section. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 On 28/03/2019 at 18:43, Ruston said: I need to add some bits and pieces - bits of dismantled loco and other junk. Empty oil drums is a favourite for this sort of scene but would they have been around as far back as 1900, or would it be wooden barrels for oil, grease and other such things? Superb work, which I continue to enjoy seeing. Apropos oil drums, we had this discussion on Castle Aching a while back, and, as discussions on CA generally go, we went into it in sufficient depth to reach what we felt was a sound conclusion that there would not be metal oil drums this side of the Great war. The details elude me, but whereas you might be able to find examples of oil drums earlier, at least in the States, the norm was wooden barrels at this period. Allied discussions were Scottish shale oil - use of shale oil for compressed gas for Pintsch coach lighting - and the Norfolk shale oil industry (true, if abortive and possibly fraudulent). 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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