Modelling on a teenager's budget in OO.

[tubs01]

On 04/05/2021 at 13:28, The Johnster said:

I warned you about this a while ago, tubs, the slippery slope.  One of us, one of us…

 

It is clearly too late for you now, all hope is lost, resistance is futile, one of us, one of us…

If I keep telling myself I can afford 4 more intermodal wagons and a Hornby 47 then it might just come true! 

[tubs01]

Going to a model show in september so I might try my luck and see if I can get mk2s and 3s secondhand for less than £25

 

Obviously the older Hornby mk2s are plentiful and it's not the lack of flush glazing that puts me off, it's just that they're abit too early for my time period, which is ironic considering I'll be getting some railroad mk1s for railtours (I've also seen an older Hornby scotsman, about mid 2000s so obviously not super detail but it's got all the lining! Just slap some smoke deflectors on it and you've got a decent representation of her before her overhaul)

 

As for the wagon front EWS enterprise trains have recently captured my interest amd I've got two of the older Hornby mcvities/red arrows/kellogs type van thing on the whiskey grain hopper chassis that I've set aside for repainting into EWS for something similar-ish to an VCA van. I saw one VCA where they painted over the graffiti with grey, might try that out. 

 

[The Johnster]

12 minutes ago, tubs01 said:

If I keep telling myself I can afford 4 more intermodal wagons and a Hornby 47 then it might just come true! 

Dude, I'm the same, just one more and that'll be it, I can give up any time I like, I'm completely in control.  I started Cwmdimbath intending to run it with the locos I had, all 4 of them, and that was back in 2016.  I have bought 17 locos since then, and am fattening up the wallet for an attempt on a Southeastern chassis for a Wills 1854 Pannier that Philou gave me.  When I've done that, I'll be looking at kitbashing a Collett 1938 31xx large prairie, and if anyone brinks out an RTR 2721 to current standards I'll have to have them as well, followed by another Bachmann 57xx or 8750 body to go over the chassis currently under my ancient Hornby 2721.  It is an insane level of motive power overkill for a South Wales mining backwater, even if  you accept my pathetic justification that I need more loco than the timetable demands to cover boiler washouts and the odd works visit!  I'm a poor pensioner, I can't afford any of this, but like all addicts, I manage somehow!  

 

The rolling stock situation is much the same, and for a layout that I have had to invoke a Rule 1 working to justfiy NPCCS (I love NPCCS) I will shortly be buying one of the new Hornby Southern PLVs.  I am weak and suggestible...

 

Face it, you are just another lose soul, Tubs.  One of us, one of us...

[cypherman]

Hi Johnster,

I know that feeling. I keep saying this is the last engine I will buy to restore, And the next thing you see is the credit card coming out and the click of the Ebay button. I think I have bought about 30 engines in the last 12 months alone to repair and restore.

Keep them for a while, Then when the buzz has worn off on to the next project. My wife keeps saying when a box with my name on it arrives "Not another bloody train"....lol

Edited May 5, 2021 by cypherman

[tubs01]

My next project is bringing a Hornby 58 up to scratch, mainly with some brass parts. I've also still got that 69 project to do and some of the leftover parts from that will be used. As for now, pictures! Excuse them being upside down, rmweb does that for absolutely no reason at all it. I love the top one, it looks the most realistic of the bunchseems⁸

[The Johnster]

The top shot is good enough for the 'How realistic?' thread, Tubs; excellent stuff!

[tubs01]

Whoops. I'm pretty sure Hornby made a GBRf 66 in the original livery with the first logo on the front so if I come across it I'll just have to get one won't I? Runs well, and it's DCC fitted if I ever want to switch to DCC. any other Hornby 66s anyone wants to recommend that fits in the 2000-2010 period?

[tubs01]

Hi all again. weird to think I made this thread originally when I was 14 and now it won't be long until I'm 16, and I've got my first mock GCSEs in just over a month. I haven't posted in this thread for a while because I felt like it was going no where at all, and the same for my modelling. I'm no closer to an actual layout yet, and it's only this month I've got back into modelling after spending most of my holidays going for as many walks as i could pack in and as many minutes on the exercise bike as possible, so funnily enough, despite me growing quite rapidly the past 6 weeks, I've lost quite a lot of weight! However I'm just worried that with me now being in my last year of school I won't have time for the hobby,  and it's already a bit overwhelming; I feel like I need to now if I'm going to college or sixth form, and I don't know. I think I want to go to college and see if I can do something artwork/graphics designer ish, something I enjoy doing quite a bit. Either way the modelling slowly trudges on, but I'm finding even that stressful aswell. I can't afford paint at the moment, but all I have is some BR blue and glossy brunswick green, notice that black, browns, greys and whites are missing, arguably the most essential colours in modelling. So, I can't weather or do much repainting, so most of what I can do is running the trains, but that's the thing I find most stressful! I can clean the track and wheels all I want but the track is worn out from being mistreated by other family members, the connections are weak, meaning that at any speed, let alone realistic ones, the locos awkwardly slow down very noticeably at certain points, and despite my many locos, only some run well, but I want more variety, diesels ect. I think I really do get too stressed out over it all, but sometimes I want to just slam my head against the floor. I do apologise if this comes off as moody or anything, just thought I'd do an update, some nice models that I'll be sharing soon! 

[tubs01]

Hopefully I am going to a carboot tomorrow. Once I've shifted my stuff I'll go round and see what stuff they got, hoping to find an 08 or a bodyshell that I'll plop on my jinty's chassis

[Nelson Jackson]

As someone who has recently (few years ago) gone through the same stages of life as yourself, the best advice I was given was if you ever need to choose between education or model railways (or any hobby), then always choose education. 

You only go through it once and modelling will always be there for as long as you want it. You mention modelling becoming stressful.... sometimes it is, but if it no longer becomes enjoyable then take a break. You need to find a good balance between education and what you enjoy doing. 
 

The joy of this hobby is that you can come and go as you wish. Although you may not be doing some actual modelling, you can still keep up to date with all the news, exhibitions and various videos on YouTube, all of which help to inspire me to do some modelling, whenever I am next free. 
 

Hopefully this is of some use... there are others out there with vastly more experience than me and can probably give more in-depth advice. 
 

Nelson. 

[DK123GWR]

Hi Tubs.

I would like to second everything that Nelson says above. Education is of course far more important than modelling and it will almost certainly be your primary focus at the moment. That said, don't force yourself to work too hard. Everybody needs a break from time to time and you shouldn't beat yourself up for taking one (this applies to education, modelling, and virtually everything else in life). Remember too that the summer after exams is often long and relaxing - if you want to do some modelling then allow yourself to use that summer as a reward (it may be worth saving for it).

 

As for whether to go to college or sixth form, don't worry if you haven't fully decided yet. You should be able to apply to both and then choose between them later in the year. It's amazing how quickly a picture can form of what you want to do, even if you previously thought you wanted to do something completely different. I went through school knowing that I would go to my school's sixth form and then to university - because I'm embarrasingly academic, the school's sixth form was very good, and it didn't make sense to move out of an environment where I was already settled (other people need a change though, and end up at different school's sixth forms).

 

However, I was very uncertain about what I wanted to do at university. The main options were physics (I was the top student in my school at GCSE), or something to do with politics or economics (subjects I was interested in but wasn't able to study until sixth form). I don't think I actually made my choice until last summer (year 12 into year 13) when I applied for various courses in the field of economics (sometimes combined with politics). It felt like most people had decided broadly what they wanted to do before they even started sixth form. I can assure you that some of those who had changed their minds a long time after my plans were set. One person was adamant until Christmas (2020) that they wouldn't go to Oxford irrespective of whether their application was succesful, and will start their History course at Oxford in October. Another person was set on a particular uni course until a month or two before exams, and is now taking a gap year because they've changed their mind because they want to apply to a conservatoire. I hope you can see why I reccomend applying to college and sixth form if you are unsure - people who have been sure often change their minds, and you really don't want to end up doing something for two or more years if your heart isn't in it.

 

Finally, on the subject of locos not working, I am very tempted to join the Jeremy Clarkson school of maintenance with respect to one particular Railroad A4 which has always run flawlessly - but has now developed an issue where it either won't move at all (pickups not making sufficient contact with wheels), or will cause a short every single time it passes over points. Several other locos have also given up, despite thorough cleaning of every moving part an electrical surface,  and I'm left trying to operate a three platform terminus with a 50, a 56, a 66 and an 08 with a loose wheel - not really ideal.

[DK123GWR]

8 hours ago, tubs01 said:

I'm no closer to an actual layout yet

My advice on this is not to think too big. The aforementioned three platform terminus has gone the same way as every other layout I've attempted to build on wood - baseboard, track, electrics, platforms, stalled...

 

I've found progress much easier when working in the limited space offered by boxes. I was walking down the road one day when I noticed a TV box which had been left for the binmen. I have built a BLT to about 80% of scenery complete, destroyed it (there were a number of problems, and am currently working on Mk2. I am currently building a very simple Inglenook - two shoeboxes form the baseboard, with one strip of cardboard for the FY. I have used two set-track points cut down to fit the space more effectively (somebody, from memory @DCB, had suggested doing this to reduce the distance between track centres, but I used it to save length) and some second-hand flexitrack. I want to get it finished in the next month so I can take it to university, and because the space is so manageable I really think that I will. The great thing is that a layout it a box can be packed away easily - no mistreatment by family members. The concept favours shunting layouts, and @TechnicArrow has produced some excellent examples in shoeboxes, but there is no reason a first radius loop couldn't fit into a TV box - you may even fit an R2 loop into a larger one (the crazy 100" TV's advertised at the Euros would have boxes big enough for R4 plus, but as this is the size of my front window I can't imagine too many 'normal' people buy them).

 

I would imagine a TV box or some shoeboxes could be acquired easily on Freecycle if you don't have them already, and I would highly reccomend looking at this option if you do want to start a layout.

[33C]

I would advise having a plan for life. What do you REALLY want to do when you leave school and for what end. Further education can be expensive so find a career path and follow it. If your chosen path offers an apprenticeship, go down that route and you earn while you learn. Go in at the bottom and work up. All my kids have gone through the ranks in their chosen paths and are doing well, are happy and owe nothing to nobody and will likely be able to retire a lot sooner than most! Like me!!

[tubs01]

Thank you everyone for the replies, very much appreciated! Modelling itself I find very nice to do but with my current track running the is a nightmare. Fortunately now everything is coming together in my head, and how I will do it all. Unfortunately we didn't go to the car boot, slightly disappointed as I had been looking forward to it for a good few weeks, and it would have lifted up what has been quite a horrible week. Add to that my phone refuses to work anymore, so I've been using my old smashed to pieces nokia for a good  month now, which now doesn't charge, so I can't talk to my friends either! More absolute boredom that anything else. The model shop in my town closed down a few months back so now I have to buy paint online, not very cheap.  

[33C]

12 hours ago, tubs01 said:

Hi all again. weird to think I made this thread originally when I was 14 and now it won't be long until I'm 16, and I've got my first mock GCSEs in just over a month. I haven't posted in this thread for a while because I felt like it was going no where at all, and the same for my modelling. I'm no closer to an actual layout yet, and it's only this month I've got back into modelling after spending most of my holidays going for as many walks as i could pack in and as many minutes on the exercise bike as possible, so funnily enough, despite me growing quite rapidly the past 6 weeks, I've lost quite a lot of weight! However I'm just worried that with me now being in my last year of school I won't have time for the hobby,  and it's already a bit overwhelming; I feel like I need to now if I'm going to college or sixth form, and I don't know. I think I want to go to college and see if I can do something artwork/graphics designer ish, something I enjoy doing quite a bit. Either way the modelling slowly trudges on, but I'm finding even that stressful aswell. I can't afford paint at the moment, but all I have is some BR blue and glossy brunswick green, notice that black, browns, greys and whites are missing, arguably the most essential colours in modelling. So, I can't weather or do much repainting, so most of what I can do is running the trains, but that's the thing I find most stressful! I can clean the track and wheels all I want but the track is worn out from being mistreated by other family members, the connections are weak, meaning that at any speed, let alone realistic ones, the locos awkwardly slow down very noticeably at certain points, and despite my many locos, only some run well, but I want more variety, diesels ect. I think I really do get too stressed out over it all, but sometimes I want to just slam my head against the floor. I do apologise if this comes off as moody or anything, just thought I'd do an update, some nice models that I'll be sharing soon! 

You like walking and cycling.  Get a paper round, make your own flyers, e.g. "Wanted, model railways, etc. Call xyz.", slip 'em in the papers you deliver and wait. Also, on the round, keep your eyes open on bin day and look in skips, recycling. Amazed at what I was offered (and found). Plus your getting paid! My newsagent would also order me the odd items through the trade at cost just because I asked, including loco's and paint. Worth a go?

[cypherman]

Hi all,

My current project just at the painting stage. And 2 pictures of what it started out as.

 

[Dave John]

Hi tubs 01.

 

Shops with a lot of model railway items are becoming rarer.

 

However, there might be local shops aimed at the arts and crafts market closer to you. Many of these stock modelling basics, enamel and acrylic paints, brushes, small tools and often a good range of materials such as card. Well worth finding some and having a browse around them. 

[The Johnster]

Maybe make up a scenic plank to test and operate on, and a small workshop that can fit in a case or a box with a handle.  These can travel about with you during your unsettled student and early career/getting married/getting a mortgage/having anklebiters, to whatever extent you do this in the next decade or so.  A layout at your parents is a possibility for when you visit them, so long as they are ‘on board’ with this, but this has the potential to be untenable of they want to move when they retire; you will have to abandon or rehome it very quickly!

 

During the aforementioned decade or so, you can hone your skills and develop a clearer idea of the form your eventual layout will take.  You have already shown yourself to be keen, skilled, adaptive, and imaginative; you’ll be ok, eventually. 
 

The other standard advice is to join a club, but if I were you I’d need to very sure of the aims and personalities involved; the one I was a member of in the 80s and early 90s was not suitable for someone with my personality and we have parted company, amicably enough but I wouldn’t do it again now at my age…

 

 

[tubs01]

7 hours ago, 33C said:

You like walking and cycling.  Get a paper round, make your own flyers, e.g. "Wanted, model railways, etc. Call xyz.", slip 'em in the papers you deliver and wait. Also, on the round, keep your eyes open on bin day and look in skips, recycling. Amazed at what I was offered (and found). Plus your getting paid! My newsagent would also order me the odd items through the trade at cost just because I asked, including loco's and paint. Worth a go?

Unfortunately it seems my town is a bit lacking. as much as I love it. No model shops or toy shops, no paper round jobs (would be useless anyways since I can't ride a bike haha) As for jobs , my brother got a job working at one of the billions of co ops in this area, and its definitely not a bad job, pays good too, that is my plan atleast

[tubs01]

5 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Maybe make up a scenic plank to test and operate on, and a small workshop that can fit in a case or a box with a handle.  These can travel about with you during your unsettled student and early career/getting married/getting a mortgage/having anklebiters, to whatever extent you do this in the next decade or so.  A layout at your parents is a possibility for when you visit them, so long as they are ‘on board’ with this, but this has the potential to be untenable of they want to move when they retire; you will have to abandon or rehome it very quickly!

 

During the aforementioned decade or so, you can hone your skills and develop a clearer idea of the form your eventual layout will take.  You have already shown yourself to be keen, skilled, adaptive, and imaginative; you’ll be ok, eventually. 
 

The other standard advice is to join a club, but if I were you I’d need to very sure of the aims and personalities involved; the one I was a member of in the 80s and early 90s was not suitable for someone with my personality and we have parted company, amicably enough but I wouldn’t do it again now at my age…

 

 

Funnily enough i found a nice bit of card today, and I've already set it aside for a little diorama, a few months ago I was told of a new club forming a few miles away and I will definitely try and join once I have a layout. The cupboard under the stairs was recently parted with its door in exchange for a plastic slide door. it's been sat it the shed for a while and i have definitely thought about using that as my baseboard, it is quite long so in spite of short curves I'll have a lot of straight to give them a good run. One Idea I've had for a while is covering up one of the curved ends with a tunnel that goes through a hill, walking down said hill then leads to a little park thing, which then has access to the local station, and a level crossing leading into a little carpark. Just something to use up the middle space really.

[33C]

Can I suggest, when you leave school, contact the railway companies about the "Young Railway Professionals" schemes they run. These are like a college course specifically geared to prepare people for a long railway career in the modern, supervisory and management grades.  Our company does this on a tri-yearly basis I think in partnership with Railtrack. Again,earn while you learn. You could subscribe to the "Railnews" paper to get the lowdown on rail vacancies.

[DK123GWR]

6 minutes ago, 33C said:

career in the modern, supervisory and management grades

 

6 minutes ago, 33C said:

in partnership with Railtrack.

 

[tubs01]

did my post about the Hornby pride wagon get through? it isn't showing up here, even after refreshing. If not, you'll hear about that project when I finish it, not typing all that out again!

[DK123GWR]

Just now, tubs01 said:

did my post about the Hornby pride wagon get through? it isn't showing up here, even after refreshing. If not, you'll hear about that project when I finish it, not typing all that out again!

No, sorry.

[33C]

12 minutes ago, DK123GWR said:

 

 

Modern, yes, big changes are on the way. Railtrack/Network rail depending on which headed notepaper they send you.....