Mol's MSC Layout: "The Boysnope Bump"

[Mol_PMB]

9 minutes ago, Ruston 48DS said:

Mol this is a pictures that shows you after many years of heavy industry, nature has a way shinning through.

Thank you for sharing.

That’s very true, and also in the water! Back in the 1960s the canal was a filthy stinking ditch with a film of oil on top. Now it is clean and full of fish and an absolute haven for wild birds including several families of Kingfishers which I see frequently. Herons, Great Crested Grebes, Oystercatchers and Swans are also common. The wide variety of duck species include Goosanders which particularly need clean water. On the banks, rabbits are common but I have also seen weasels and evidence of badgers. It’s a pleasure to explore. 

[Sandhole]

Your plants look superb.
The ragwort gives me shivers.
Chris.

[sb67]

Apologies if I've missed it in the text but what was the yellow scatter used for the Ragwort? I'm trying to make some using grated crayons but the colour isn't quite right.

 

Many thanks.

[Mol_PMB]

17 minutes ago, sb67 said:

Apologies if I've missed it in the text but what was the yellow scatter used for the Ragwort? I'm trying to make some using grated crayons but the colour isn't quite right.

 

Many thanks.

It’s a Green Scene ground foam product, ‘Gorse’ colour. 

[sb67]

4 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

It’s a Green Scene ground foam product, ‘Gorse’ colour. 

 Thank you 

[Mol_PMB]

The ups and downs of real life continue, but for the past week I have been able to make some more time for modelling. I decided to take my mind off some life issues by starting a new loco kit on Saturday afternoon. That's a bit naughty considering how many half-finished projects I have on the go already.

 

Anyway, it turned out to be a superbly-designed kit that has gone together really well. I've only had to make a few minor tweaks to represent my prototype, and it's now almost finished within less than a week! I've really enjoyed building it and it has achieved the goal of taking my mind off things and keeping me out of the pub.

 

There are still a few minor details to add, and obviously it needs painting, but here is my Planet:

 

Hibberd 'Planet' 3906 was delivered new to Weaste (Eccles) in 1959, where it replaced a steam loco shunting the sidings of the former J.E.C. Lord tar distillery and creosote works, by then part of Lancashire Tar Distillers. The cabside was lettered M.C.&S.C. Weaste, which stood for Manchester Creosote and Storage Company, another subsidiary of LTD. It worked there until the tar distillery closed in 1974, and then moved a few miles down the ship canal railway to the larger LTD tar distillery at Cadishead. On that journey it travelled via the location of 'The Boysnope Bump', so although it was very much a local loco I'm stretching reality a bit to have it as a regular shunter. But I like Planets, so I have invoked Rule 1!

 

The subsequent history of the loco is also interesting. It was transferred to LTD Preston in 1981 where it continued to work into the early 1990s. It was preserved, initially at Carnforth, then Chasewater, and is presently at Titley Junction (no, I hadn't heard of it either) where it is still in working order.

 

As delivered, the loco carried an elaborately lined livery which I would like to try and replicate if I can. The lining was very fine white, with reversed corners, and seems to have been a standard Hibberd livery also carried by the narrow gauge Planets. Here's my own favourite Planet in original condition carrying the same livery that 3906 did when at Weaste. I do have some black and white photos of 3906 when new, but can't post them here for copyright reasons.

Any suggestions for how to create such fine lining with reversed corners? There are 17 panels to do, some with rather odd shapes!

Lining pen, pressfix transfers, waterslide transfers?

 

[Kevin Johnson]

MOL that's a lovely loco kit you are building. 

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks Kevin! It is a super kit, I should have mentioned it's from Taff Vale Models.

The kit comes complete with everything except solder, glue and paint.

http://www.taffvale.wales/New-Products.html#void

 

There's a photo of my standard gauge model's prototype in later life at Preston here:

https://issuu.com/ribblesteam/docs/pilot_43_web_standard/31

 

And here's the narrow gauge version when I last drove it a few weeks ago, it's changed a lot since the early photo at Llanfair in my previous post:

[sir douglas]

i recently read something about how much has changed on Upnor; gauge, wheelbase, bodywork, engine and transmission

[Mol_PMB]

Today I did a little bit of research for the final detailing of the Planet, such as the sandbox piping and the bonnet door knobs (which are represented on the kit etch but I think I might drill them out and fit some track pins in place to give a better 3D shape)

 

 

Followed by a trip driving Dobbin with the Victorian set in beautiful autumn sunshine and with free cake. Some days are good days! 

[Mol_PMB]

[Sandhole]

The cake at Tanybwylch is always good.
Regards,
Chris.

[Mol_PMB]

I have been making some more progress on the Planet recently, and it's now nearly finished as these photos show.

 

I went to the effort of removing the panels from the compressor housing and representing the compressor inside, and then realised that on the 'Boysnope Bump' if I put the loco the correct way round those details will all be on the non-visible side. Doh!

 

 

I'm still waiting on buffers (my prototype has slightly different ones from those supplied in the kit) and DCC decoder.

The bonnet latches and windscreen wipers will be added after painting, along with the makers plates and final adjustment to the sanding pipes.

Also the glazing, headlights and wiring will go in last.

I'll need a driver at the controls, and probably a few odds and sods like a shunters pole and oil can on the footplate, those details can be added later once painting and weathering is complete.

 

[Ruston]

The Hibberd is looking very good. I don't think you told us who produces the kit...

[Mol_PMB]

21 hours ago, Ruston said:

The Hibberd is looking very good. I don't think you told us who produces the kit...

Thanks!

It’s from Taff Vale Models:

http://www.taffvale.wales/New-Products.html#void

 

[Ruston 48DS]

The Hibberd kit looks a good one.

[Mol_PMB]

A bit more progress on the layout itself this afternoon - the sector plate fiddle yard. I've done the basic carpentry and a trial fit.

Hopefully tomorrow I can complete the pivot and sliders and then think about the track to go on it.

I also need to put in some routes for wiring and connectors to the main board (both physical and electrical).

[Ruston 48DS]

Nothing wrong with your carpentry, the sector plate looks great.

[Mol_PMB]

Gosh, it's been a while since I posted on here. Most of the progress has been on the locos, wagons and containers which feature in other threads of mine.

Anyway, I was busy at the work confuser this afternoon when I noticed some low winter sunshine illuminating the layout nicely, so I snapped this photo:

The layout is currently populated by half-finished projects waiting for various custom parts such as etches, transfers, or simply time.

 

The layout itself still needs a few more structures, trees and shrubs, plus lots of minor details. My latest custom etch should include some signs for it too. Watch this space!

Mol

[Sandhole]

Bloody Gorgrous!
Regards, Chris.

[Mol_PMB]

Today I've been doing some more work on the Planet. I've done some detail painting and then made a start on the lining out.

I'm using Fox transfers, and this is definitely a job that requires a lot of care and patience, and a fair amount of wastage. There are17 panels to do on this loco and two is about as much as I can face doing in one go!

Experience shows that the straight lines are much harder to get straight and parallel, so it's best to do them first and then add the reversed corners afterwards. For now I've brushed some micro-flat on the lines I've done so hopefully they will stay put when I do the other side.

This is an industrial loco, fortunately my MSC Railway locos won't need much lining!

[Ruston]

Cracking! It's almost enough to tempt me back to O gauge.

[Sandhole]

That's lovely work Mol.
Regards,
Chris.

[Kevin Johnson]

Mol excellent modelling, looks awesome.

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks all!

To slightly misquote the famous song, White Lines are Blowing My Mind!

This is a warts-and-all closeup showing the progress since yesterday's photo. I've now done 5 panels on the bonnet and 4 on the cab, so I'm just over half way there.

The upper cab front panel is going to be the most difficult to line, I think. The bonnet top might be pretty tricky too. Then I need to do the cabside lettering.

This is going to be the smartest model Planet in history, for a few hours, until I get the weathering kit out!

 

Excellent news is that my custom etches from 4Dmodelshop should be arriving tomorrow morning. They seem determined to be quicker every time - they only got my artwork on Tuesday and after discussion of some minor tweaks I approved the revisions on Wednesday.

That means that several stalled projects are going to be unlocked tomorrow - I'll have to decide which to focus on first.

 

Further excellent news is that Paul Martin of EDM Models is going to make me a custom 3-D printed chimney for the Kitson. He also sorted me out with the sound project and DCC components for this Planet. A very helpful chap!

 

I've also just won my first road vehicle on eBay, thanks to being encouraged by @pwr and @37114 to look at the IXO range. Since I've started building container wagons and containers I thought it would be good to have a road vehicle to carry containers too. Needless to say, nothing is simple because my preferred prototypes don't exist in the right scale, but I've bought something similar and I have a cunning plan to create a scene like this:

 

That's it for tonight.

Mol