Cowgill em gauge

[Simon Moore]

Introducing Cowgill In em gauge.

 

Cowgill came to us as a partly finished layout that needed a lot of scenic work & restoration which we the Keighley em group did. We completed all the work some years ago & it's been our train set ever since.

 

We started a new layout based on halifax St Paul's a few years ago which was a failure so we scrapped it & decided to start a layout that would fit the footprint of our alloted space. As a result we decided to retire Cowgill & sell it on. I could not see a layout I love so much go so it was agreed that I could retire the layout to my home. 

 

We have always run the layout in the br period as that is what most of the group model & whilst I like it my preference is LMS & its constituting companies. I have a good selection of lms central division locos so plenty of midland amongst them.

 

Cowgill is currently set in the late 20s to early 30s. My intention is to eventually have it set in the midland period.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a couple of videos too.

 

 

 

I will post more videos & photos plus projects I'm currently on with.

[Physicsman]

The architecture of the buildings gives this away as Midland. Nice work.

 

Can we have a trackplan, please? I'm especially interested to see the overall context of the track, station and scenic surroundings.

 

This will be an interesting project to follow.

 

Jeff

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

A fellow EM gauge layout preserver, well done.

I will watch with interest.

 

Mike.

[Simon Moore]

22 hours ago, Physicsman said:

The architecture of the buildings gives this away as Midland. Nice work.

 

Can we have a trackplan, please? I'm especially interested to see the overall context of the track, station and scenic surroundings.

 

This will be an interesting project to follow.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

Hiya Jeff sure I will post up a trackplan. I will have to draw it out as railway modeller cocked it up when they did it. 

 

I have had a session this evening getting all back up running properly. Having only just been allowed back to the club the layout had been sat for 2 years in store so it needed a bit of fettling to get it working again. All is well now & it's now time to work on some fresh stock projects & other bits & pieces. 

 

I am itching to get a claughton running on the layout, I just need to finish it off although it won't have the ROD tender that they ran with on the S&C. That & a 3f conversion is this next weeks projects.

[Physicsman]

Hi Simon (I assume!)

 

No hurry for the plan, whenever you can manage it.

 

Great to see another splendid layout (I refer to Dent as another, not my own!) in the S&C section.

 

Jeff

[Dragonboy]

Lovely layout and choice of period. 

[Simon Moore]

To keep everything for Cowgill In one place I will post my workbench topics for the layout here too.

 

I bought 3 Bachmann lms period 1 coaches off ebay the other day in need of a bit of work. The glazing is missing from one which was a bit of plasticard to repair & the others the glazing had popped out. 

 

I firstly fixed the glazing then fitted em wheelsets to the bogies. Before I fitted them back together I decided to add some figures to the interiors. 

I bought these figures off ebay from China for about a tenner. I think I got 100 figures which are not the best painted or detailed but for fitting in a coach it really doesn't matter as its only the odd head you see & a dash of colour. I often look at layouts & all the passenger trains are empty which was never the case. Cheap figures make the difference for coach interiors.

 

 

 

Last night I also built a slaters midland brake van which I will paint this evening.

 

Next job after that  I really must get on with is the Claughton which I want on the layout. Holbeck did have a stud of them for use on the S&C although mine doesn't have the correct ROD tender. 

[eldavo]

Very nice. Can't beat a bit of Midland!

 

Cheers

Dave

 

[Simon Moore]

One loco I have not got in my stash of kits or converts is a 2p. I had a look at the best option to go down & decided on a Hornby / Dapol with a comet chassis & associated gubbins.

I had a browse on ebay & the body for the loco alone was changing hands for thirty quid. Once adding a tender of some sort it is getting costly until earlier this week.

I spotted a Hornby 2p in LMS black for twenty quid. I purchased the model which arrived today. I spent a few bob at wizard models getting the frames & markits drivers plus a few odds n sods I needed for other projects. I have also ordered the other wheels from Alan Gibson & a new portescap rg4 already in stock completes the bits needed to complete the model. If I have a bit of time this weekend I am going to assemble the frames & get a rolling chassis running. Looking forward to getting this one running on Cowgill.

 

 

[Simon Moore]

It's been a bit quiet recently I have been rushed off my feet sorting out mine & the wife's wedding we had last week.

All went well & this week I have had a holiday so I have spent a bit of time ironing out 1 or 2 of Cowgill's faults. A couple of points had been causing issue so I decided to spend some time getting the bits fixed. I have a couple of microswitchs that need replacing but other than that we are back up & running.

 

I have not touched the 2p for sometime & it is on the horizon to finish but I want to build a g2. A number of ex north western locos travelled the S&C during the 30s & 40s & so I choose to do my brassmasters kit next. 

[Physicsman]

Congrats on your recent marriage!

 

I hope she's appreciative and supportive of the amount of time your devotion to the S&C requires!

 

Jeff

[Simon Moore]

14 hours ago, Physicsman said:

Congrats on your recent marriage!

 

I hope she's appreciative and supportive of the amount of time your devotion to the S&C requires!

 

Jeff

 

Cheers Jeff

 

Thankfully she does kick boxing & jujitsu so I have plenty of workshop time whilst she's at evening classes.

I have tomorrow morning in the workshop & a empty house so I'm going to get stuck into something, if the comet chassis etch arrives for the g2 I will be very happy & I can get cracking. As always its a wait for parts.

[Dragonboy]

Kick boxing & Jujitsu. Gulp!

 

Sounds like you’re going to have to be on your best behaviour. 

[Simon Moore]

2 hours ago, Dragonboy said:

Kick boxing & Jujitsu. Gulp!

 

Sounds like you’re going to have to be on your best behaviour. 

 

Me & best behaviour,never

 

 

Edited July 17, 2021 by Rhb Simon

[Simon Moore]

I have had a el cheapo airfix 4f which is only 44 years young & its been converted to em on its original wheels which has been been spaced with a few washers.

Now I have a 4f that's capable of hauling the heaviest of trains & cost next to nowt. 

I think these old models are a superb buy for cheap modelling projects. Mines going to get lamps, a crew, coal, fire irons & a light weathering which should make it a very nice model. I am a big fan of taking older models & making a up to date loco from them. 

 

 

Here's a video of the 4f heading north whilst the morning Glasgow, Leeds service passes by.

[Simon Moore]

I have been doing a bit of work on the layout over the past few days to iron out a few niggles. I had a dry joint & It was causing all manner of issues in the goods yard. I also seem to have a few point motors that are not working correctly. The layout runs with old H&M motors but thankfully a friend gave me 20 brand new ones so my next task is to replace them with new ones & hopefully its good for another 50 years service. 

 

I have been running allsorts of stock on the layout recently including some br ex great northern engines which are for use both on our new club layout & my other em layout which is currently changing period to 1950s br.

 

A

[Physicsman]

It sounds like you are having a lot of fun with that layout Simon (I assume it's Simon, given the title!) I'm also impressed with the philosophy of trying to re-vamp a lot of older gear, if possible.

 

When (it may take ages) you get chance can you post some wider-angle views of the layout and, maybe (!) an outline plan?

 

Jeff

[Simon Moore]

I will do my best Jeff, it doesn't help that the layout is in the garage which makes wider angle shots harder to take. I will have a go when I get home. I am actually sleeping in the middle of the layout at the moment. I got roped into doing a week of nightly runs to Wigan in the wagon & the garage is the only dark, cool place to sleep during the day. 

[Simon Moore]

I recently had a couple of operations in the nether regions so recovery has been rather painful. As a result I have not done a great deal of modelling!

 

My problem is I like to many things & I end up with my fingers in a lot of pies. As much as I want to model everything I can't so I decided to stop doing the other things, have a good clearout on ebay & concentrate on both of my em layouts. 

 

My other layout Cullingden is again em & set in the West Riding & I almost have the stock finished for that in the br period. My thoughts then turned to Cowgill. With the proceeds from my eBay clearout I have purchased a number of rtr locos that can be converted to em & the layout brought into the br period as the layout originally was at the club. 

 

Since building my fowler tank from a Hornby body & comet chassis I have wanted to do another valve geared loco & I chose the S&C staple of a Britannia Pacific. The first port of call was wizard models for a full chassis & wheels then onto ebay for some Hornby bodies. I also picked up some detailing parts for a brit from one of the ebay stores. I am very much looking forward to building that this autumn & winter. I do like comet kits for anything they build exceptionally well & you do not get bogged down with lots of parts to produce a model.

 

The mainstay of locos is complete although many still need converting so it's now onto stock. I need to work out what I have & what I need to make the layout correct. The Long Meg, Widnes anhydrite train is a must & I know just the chap who does the wagons.

 

Best get saving

[Simon Moore]

The past few days I have been tinkering with a few models. I converted a stanier mogul to em 18 months ago & it's never been right. The gibson bogie wheels went on badly & the tender shook as a result & the loco had a tight spot.  I replaced the gibson with some ultrascale wheels, tweaked the pick ups & undid the keeper plate on the loco a smidge. Loco is now cured & runs beautifully. If you ever get a rtr model regardless of gauge that has a tight spot just undo the keeper plate on the loco a tiny turn of the screws. Nine times out of ten it will cure the issue straight away. 

 

The other model I converted was a jinty using a set of ultrascale wheels. I converted the whole thing in less than 20 minutes & again it's a lovely performing model.

 

Here's a video of my scratch built jubilee & the stanier mogul with a little bit of movement from the jinty.

 

 

[Simon Moore]

So here is something a little different, a king Arthur class.

 

I have a thing for the southern region it is going to be a future layout project at some point. Anyway I spotted on ebay this model in em gauge sold as a none runner. Looking at it I knew it wasn't a rat & was probably a reasonably easy fix so I had a bit of a bid & won the auction. 

 

It arrived today & as described it was a none runner. It has a portescap rg4 & ultrascale wheels so it has had some money spent on it. Rg4s when stood for ages get gummed up & seize a little so I sprayed it with contact cleaner which freed it up. All the wheels turned bind free so I then looked at the pick ups. Very well done & no gunk on them. Whoever built this got it running, sprayed it with matt varnish & never cleaned the wheels. Out with the fibreglass pen & a quick once over & a drop of oil & it is a superb running model. Not exactly a loco that was seen on the northern fells but it is certainly one of my favourite classes of loco. Not a bad model for what I paid for it.