SRman's Current Layout - Newton Broadway

[SRman]

The carriage shed works continue: I have added some wall cappings and painted the brickwork a brown shade. This shows first coat only so far. I'll try to represent the mortar courses and weather it to suit the location later.

[SRman]

Returning to the ex-LMS CCT, a first coat of paint has been applied to the body and a few underframe parts. I used a Revell colour SM331 which I thought approximated BR 1950s crimson - as can be seen when posed against Hornby's ex-LMS horse box, the colour match was closer than I expected. I think I'll keep using this colour and once weathered slightly will blend right in.

[SRman]

A new video I did this morning. It highlights a few minor problems to iron out, but overall I am quite pleased with it.

It gives a driver's eye view of each of the lines in the motive power depot and goods sidings, and also shows trains being driven into the appropriate roads for storage.

I edited out the big hand from the sky changing the points throughout the video session.
 

 

[SRman]

Work has started on building a hill in the far corner. This will be a little lower and more gently curved than the initial shape suggests. It will give the road along the back of the engine shed somewhere to go (marked by a couple of lorries and cars approximately where it will go, in the photo), with a bridge over the railway line. The temporary scenery along the back will be revised and a more permanenet solution added eventually, with the narrow road meandering along up a gentle slope towards the bridge. That whole area between the level crossing and behind the yards will also slope very gently up towards the back, leaving trains mostly visible along that stretch, apart from behind the embankments leading to the road bridge.

That's the plan. It's a long way off completion, though!




Now for a well deserved sit-down!

 

[SRman]

Having sat down and looked at my own photos and video, I went back to the train room and fixed up a few things highlighted in those.

The dead point frog was traced to a loose wire - I may well have disturbed it while I was still poking around under the layout before. Tested with a Hatton's Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST and it passed with flying colours.

There were two rough spots of track where I had left small spots of solder; a flat needle file took care of those.

I removed the baseplate on the Heljan 07, pulled the wheels out and tweaked the electrical pickups. I replaced the wheels and ensured the pickups were all touching the wheel backs properly, even on their full side to side play, and then tested that through all the points. Again, it passed with flying colours. I still have to check the Arthur's pickups, but that can wait.

Then to those board joins and rough spots on the roads in the goods yard and level crossing areas: a bit of DAS clay has been spread around the bits that needed filling. Once dried and painted, they will look a lot better.

 

And finally, just to show how the video was done, here are a couple of shots of the SLW class 24 D5000 with the camera wagon. D5000 was allocated to Hither Green for a few years.









 

Edit: additional: I inverted the N15 the morning after posting this. I cleaned the tender wheels and checked the pickups, then tweaked the contacts on the loco to tender coupling. 'Sir Uther' ran perfectly through everything after that.

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by SRman
Update to information.

[SRman]

Just a little further progress with painting the ex-LMS CCT. The sides and ends have had another coat of the Revell red, and the ends and underframe have had a wash of dark grey, while the roof has had its first coat of paint (Humbrol #66).




Also, newer pics of the previous two wagons I was building. First, the ex-GWR gunpowder van, then the BR 12T fruit van. Many of the other wagons in the photos are also kit-built, including the 21T mineral wagon (Parkside), ex-LNER trestle wagon (Parkside), and ex-SECR 'dance hall' brake van (Cambrian kits) in the first photo, and the ex-GWR Mica B (Parkside), and Palvans (also Parkside) in the second.






In the meantime, back to Newton Broadway and the patches of DAS clay, I dug out the Hurricane grey paint and painted those bits in, plus some of the bare woodwork between the goods yard access road and the engine shed building.





 

Edited June 7, 2021 by SRman
Spelling error

[SRman]

A minor update on the scenic side of the goods yard. I have been experimenting with different types of fencing to protect the main running lines from errant lorry drivers, and have finally settled on some double rail stanchions from Ratio. They are a little fiddly, but nowhere near as bad as the fence I built in situ on the other side of the lines. Painted a nondescript grey, I think they look reasonably appropriate.

There are a couple of bent stanchions and I could straighten them out, but they look as if they have been doing their jobs in preventing wayward lorries from encroaching on the tracks.




On the rolling stock side, continuing the story of the Parkside ex-LMS CCT, this has now had transfers put on and a couple of coats of matt varnish. It is currently sitting on the workbench with a black wash to enhance the planking details drying. The photo shows it before the black wash.




The class 30 was a much earlier project: a Hornby first release with the eggshell cab window surrounds painted out and yellow warning panels added, plus a full renumbering. This one had to have its chassis block replaced because of the metal rot.




Another much quicker project was to update an early plain green 4 CEP unit with yellow cantrail bands added for the first class portion of the composite coach, and number '1' door insignia added - (one '1' on the other side got damaged so I'll have to replace it. It is seen here in the middle unit of a 12 CEP formation.





 

Edited June 9, 2021 by SRman
Spelling

[Sandhole]

Thus proving early bodies are good. I thought your Brush Type2, was a scale detailing job done on the old Triang body.
That Triang Type 2 was a benchmark model. Unlike the old Lima one, it had the correct wheelbase motor-bogies.
Layout is looking good,
Regards,
Chris.

[SRman]

I can just about call the Parkside ex-LMS CCT complete now. Perhaps a small amount of rusty brown on the underframe to represent brake block dust could be added, but otherwise I'm happy with the effect. It is seen here with a Bachmann Fairburn 2-6-4T, which I renumbered to a Three Bridges (SR) locomotive and lightly weathered a few years back. Both sides of the CCT are show in the photographs; there are slight differences in the brake gear on each side.

[SRman]

Another video session from me, this time showing off a trio of Bachmann 4 CEP units, all in BR(S) green travelling around Newton Broadway high level, with the camera wagon propelled by a Heljan Hymek diesel hydraulic, following or overtaking the 12 CEP formation.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2021 by SRman

[SRman]

Something I started a long time ago was this Golden Arrow Productions resin original style Merchant Navy, mounted on a Hornby chassis. The model pre-dates Hornby's own releases of the original air-smoothed MNs. I am including a photo that shows it in its raw form, together with an intermediate stage, plus some new ones showing as it is now.

I have repainted it with the correct post 1954 BR green (previously it had GWR green), and spent yesterday evening putting the lining on, then added the crests on the tender this morning. It will remain unnumbered and named for the time being: I had allocated 35029 'Ellerman Lines' to it, but 'Ellerman Lines' spent a large proportion of its life with a shorter 5100 gallon tender, so I will have to revise that plan as the tender I have is a 6000 gallon version. These 6000 gallon types were originally allocated to all of the 3rd series MNs, but tenders got swapped around fairly quickly.

It is still a little rough in places, but starting to look the part, now.

Amusingly, I have a few duplicate names and numbers between original and rebuilt MNs, as a form of 'before and after' models.

[John Tomlinson]

The more I look at original MN's , the more bamboozled I get with the proportions and shapesof the casing, the relationship of the tender height and the cab windows.

 

Yours looks pretty convincing, having a fairly flat top to the casing, and a gentle slope down to the cab roof. I'm in process of making a Millholme kit for same, which came with a curved top more akin to an LNER Thompson coach! I've now replaced the cab windows with a neat etch from RT models, and reshaped the top, I still don't think it's quite right, but probably the best I can do. The Millholme kit also had the cylinders far too low, and I've corrected that as well.

 

John.

 

P.S. meant to add that GA seem to have done a good job on the tender sides, which aren't particularly curved  for these larger tenders. That said, having scrutinised a lot of photos, I'm not convinced that they were all the same shape in profile.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2021 by John Tomlinson
Added P.S.

[SRman]

15 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

The more I look at original MN's , the more bamboozled I get with the proportions and shapesof the casing, the relationship of the tender height and the cab windows.

 

Yours looks pretty convincing, having a fairly flat top to the casing, and a gentle slope down to the cab roof. I'm in process of making a Millholme kit for same, which came with a curved top more akin to an LNER Thompson coach! I've now replaced the cab windows with a neat etch from RT models, and reshaped the top, I still don't think it's quite right, but probably the best I can do. The Millholme kit also had the cylinders far too low, and I've corrected that as well.

 

John.

 

P.S. meant to add that GA seem to have done a good job on the tender sides, which aren't particularly curved  for these larger tenders. That said, having scrutinised a lot of photos, I'm not convinced that they were all the same shape in profile.

 

 

 

I have an unfinished Millholme kit, the same as your version. I could never get the chassis to run properly, so have a spare Hornby chassis to shoehorn in, eventually. That will take a bit of hacking to get it to fit. I do like the shape of the side casing on the MIllholme kit, but as you say, the cab roof seems much too rounded.

I did have problems deciding the right level for the upper lining on my GAP model. I chose the tops of the cabside windows as the datum, but the upper tender lining seems a tad too low to me. I made sure it lined up with the cab and casing lining though.

I have a second Millholme kit for the 1st series locos still untouched in its box.

Incidentally, I still have memories of calling into W & H models in London to buy that first kit, and having a clearout of boxes of old papers and magazines just a few days ago, I came across a W & H catalogue from the early 1980s.

[BWsTrains]

On 09/06/2021 at 21:36, SRman said:

A minor update on the scenic side of the goods yard. I have been experimenting with different types of fencing to protect the main running lines from errant lorry drivers, and have finally settled on some double rail stanchions from Ratio. They are a little fiddly, but nowhere near as bad as the fence I built in situ on the other side of the lines. Painted a nondescript grey, I think they look reasonably appropriate.

There are a couple of bent stanchions and I could straighten them out, but they look as if they have been doing their jobs in preventing wayward lorries from encroaching on the tracks.




On the rolling stock side, continuing the story of the Parkside ex-LMS CCT, this has now had transfers put on and a couple of coats of matt varnish. It is currently sitting on the workbench with a black wash to enhance the planking details drying. The photo shows it before the black wash.




The class 30 was a much earlier project: a Hornby first release with the eggshell cab window surrounds painted out and yellow warning panels added, plus a full renumbering. This one had to have its chassis block replaced because of the metal rot.




Another much quicker project was to update an early plain green 4 CEP unit with yellow cantrail bands added for the first class portion of the composite coach, and number '1' door insignia added - (one '1' on the other side got damaged so I'll have to replace it. It is seen here in the middle unit of a 12 CEP formation.





 

 

Hi Jeff,

 

Not noticed before how vertiginous your "drop" is off the front face of N-B

 

Ever had anything go over and how good are your reflexes?

 

Colin

 

[SRman]

3 hours ago, BWsTrains said:

 

Hi Jeff,

 

Not noticed before how vertiginous your "drop" is off the front face of N-B

 

Ever had anything go over and how good are your reflexes?

 

Colin

 

 

I haven't lost anything over the edges yet. It is mostly carpet underneath, and the tracks along most edges either have some 'land' between them and the edge, or there are bridge walls and parapets. Even the underground lines' trackbed in the tunnels have a generous ledge to land on before the drop-off.

[John Tomlinson]

8 hours ago, SRman said:

 

I have an unfinished Millholme kit, the same as your version. I could never get the chassis to run properly, so have a spare Hornby chassis to shoehorn in, eventually. That will take a bit of hacking to get it to fit. I do like the shape of the side casing on the MIllholme kit, but as you say, the cab roof seems much too rounded.

I did have problems deciding the right level for the upper lining on my GAP model. I chose the tops of the cabside windows as the datum, but the upper tender lining seems a tad too low to me. I made sure it lined up with the cab and casing lining though.

I have a second Millholme kit for the 1st series locos still untouched in its box.

Incidentally, I still have memories of calling into W & H models in London to buy that first kit, and having a clearout of boxes of old papers and magazines just a few days ago, I came across a W & H catalogue from the early 1980s.

Yes, I remember W & H in New Cavendish St., one of a several good model shops in Central London when I started work there in 1978. Much entertainment for the lunch hour (or two), but sadly the next twenty years saw them all go. It would seem that the Millholme late series kits are quite common, much less so the earlier ones with smaller tender as in your stash.

 

I wouldn't like to say if the upper tender lining is too low, very difficult to judge, and it might be that the tender itself is a bit tall. The lining on the loco should sit just below the lowest washout plug, and near to the top  of the cab window, which yours does. The fact you've got loco and tender to line up is an achievement in itself, and something that otherwise would shout "not quite right". Since the photo was taken I've shaved a bit off the tender top on my kit, and added an etched brass cab window etch, and now I'm not sure if the tender was right before!

 

After a bit of fiddling about the loco chassis rolls quite freely, though that isn't the same as running with a motor and gearbox. The two sides of the chassis hadn't been etched the same, and so took some effort to get to work at all. I have some K's Bulleid wheels to add, but these are push fit on the axles and so the Romfords are being used for set up as they can be taken off at will.

 

Mine is being left for a bit to ponder, as I often find this helps with tricky projects.

 

John.

[SRman]

1 hour ago, John Tomlinson said:

Yes, I remember W & H in New Cavendish St., one of a several good model shops in Central London when I started work there in 1978. Much entertainment for the lunch hour (or two), but sadly the next twenty years saw them all go. It would seem that the Millholme late series kits are quite common, much less so the earlier ones with smaller tender as in your stash.

 

I wouldn't like to say if the upper tender lining is too low, very difficult to judge, and it might be that the tender itself is a bit tall. The lining on the loco should sit just below the lowest washout plug, and near to the top  of the cab window, which yours does. The fact you've got loco and tender to line up is an achievement in itself, and something that otherwise would shout "not quite right". Since the photo was taken I've shaved a bit off the tender top on my kit, and added an etched brass cab window etch, and now I'm not sure if the tender was right before!

 

After a bit of fiddling about the loco chassis rolls quite freely, though that isn't the same as running with a motor and gearbox. The two sides of the chassis hadn't been etched the same, and so took some effort to get to work at all. I have some K's Bulleid wheels to add, but these are push fit on the axles and so the Romfords are being used for set up as they can be taken off at will.

 

Mine is being left for a bit to ponder, as I often find this helps with tricky projects.

 

John.

I had a K's rebuilt MN: all of the 'carrier' wheels were dreadful and off-centre. The driving wheels were not too bad, but as you have inferred, can't be repeatedly removed from their axles or they get very loose. I used a Triang (loco drive) 'Flying Scotsman' chassis under the K's product, in the end, with Triang Bulleid wheels.

My Millholme part-built MN used Romford wheels with Kemilway brass etches over them initially - the etched wheel overlays also came from W & H. Of course, that becomes academic now I intend using the newer Hornby 5-pole MN chassis.

Edited June 15, 2021 by SRman

[SRman]

New arrivals and visitors at Newton Broadway.

Two new items of rolling stock arrived last week: a Hornby BR blue Merchant Navy, 35024 'East Asiatic Company' and a Hornby GLV / Cor PMV in BR crimson (edit: photo in next post). Both have been placed in service and are working in the same train at present. Seen with the Hornby MN is my nearly finished Golden Arrow Productions resin MN, to soon gain its 'British India Line' nameplates.






We had a running session on Saturday with DougN and two other friends. This produced a few "foreign" items running around. Doug's L&NER J36 was hauling his three newly acquired North British Railway 6-wheel coaches from Hornby, seen running slowly past the camera.








Visitor Rob ran his Hatton's GWR 14XX and Autocoach for the very first time, fresh out of their boxes. They also ran very nicely. I trundled a Bachmann Wickham trolley behind Doug's NBR train just for a bit of fun, to give it a run.






Visible in the background is the new scenic hill I am working on. There is much more to do with this one yet.

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by SRman

[SRman]

And here's the Hornby Luggage Van.

[Sandhole]

2 hours ago, SRman said:

New arrivals and visitors at Newton Broadway.

Two new items of rolling stock arrived last week: a Hornby BR blue Merchant Navy, 35024 'East Asiatic Company' and a Hornby GLV / Cor PMV in BR crimson (no photo of this yet). Both have been placed in service and are working in the same train at present. Seen with the Hornby MN is my nearly finished Golden Arrow Productions resin MN, to soon gain its 'British India Line' nameplates.






We had a running session on Saturday with DougN and two other friends. This produced a few "foreign" items running around. Doug's L&NER J36 was hauling his three newly acquired North British Railway 6-wheel coaches from Hornby, seen running slowly past the camera.








Visitor Rob ran his Hatton;s GWR 14XX and Autocoach for the very first time, fresh out of their boxes. They also ran very nicely. I trundled a Bachmann Wickham trolley behind Doug's NBR train just for a btit of fun, to give it a run.






Visible in the background is the new scenic hill I am working on. There is much more to do with this one yet.

You've done a lovely job on that resin bodied MN.
Nice work.
Regards,
Chris.

[SRman]

I have just a few more buffer stops completed now, two of the new bullhead version from Peco for both roads of the engine shed, and one new Peco sleeper built stop to go at the end of the turntable road, replacing some old and rather bashed about versions recycled from older layouts. The rail-built ones are shown on the workbench attached to a spare length of Peco bullhead track, which was a convenient way of painting them. I used some real ballast to overlay the plastic ballast on the sleeper-built one.

Also visible is one of the Southern vans I have been refurbishing. One received a new Parkside chassis, the next received the old chassis after I had rebuilt it and repaired damaged brake gear and added brass bearings, and the one in the photo was a Dapol unfitted van, which now has a vacuum cylinder added and tie bars fitted between the W-irons. I really want to remove the very thick handrake levers, and replace them with much finer Parkside spares from the sprues in the chassis kits, but removing the Dapol versions is going to be tricky.


 

Also on the workbench, progressing slowly, is Merchant Navy 35018 'British Inda Line', now with its nameplates and smokebox door number plate, from Fox Transfers. Still to do: reduce depth of cab side windows then glaze all windows, and add firebox / ashpan castings.

[Gwiwer]

7 hours ago, SRman said:

 

 

 

That's the shortest end-to-end layout I have ever seen!  

[SRman]

One more, with the engine shed buffer stops in place, plus a different angle on the turntable end.






I have extended the ballasting of the main lines here too, but it is only loose at present I mixed some Cascamite powdered glue into the ballast, so once it has settled a bit, I'll spray some water/detergent mix into it and let it set.

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by SRman
Spelling/typo

[SRman]

Another wagon kit, and some minor repairs to a Hornby Peckett.

Continuing with the Parkside wagon kits I bought at a BRMA meeting, I wanted an engineers' wagon suitable for transporting pre-cast concrete items (as beloved by the Southern Railway and beyond). It needed to have drop sides to allow pallets to be loaded from the sides, and the 13T Medium (Medfit) wagon fitted the bill admirably, particularly as they were general revenue earning wagons that got taken into engineers' use, often with little more than the odd patch of paint and a letter 'D' added to the running numbers. The kit is seen here with the Peckett 0-4-0ST, and had to have a piece of plastic card cut to replace a part that pinged off into the carpet somewhere, never to be seen again. I have added transfers, but it is not yet quite complete for painting and weathering. The concrete loads are from Base Toys. I suspect I have overloaded the wagon a bit! I added lead sheet cut to fit into the various recesses in the underframe, but it was still a little light, overall, so the load also adds some necessary weight for good running.

The Peckett has a Hattons 3D printed crew, which paint up really nicely. However, when I went to show a recent visitor how it looked, the fireman had obviously had too much, and was lying on his back. I have rescued him and glued him back upright. The Hornby Pecketts have a weakness, and that is the plastic roof-mounted whistles are very vulnerable to damage. I have replaced a couple before on other Peckett models, but this one was broken off almost flush. I had a Markits LNWR/LMS style turned brass whistle in my boxes of spares, and thought that this would suit perfectly. I cleared the remains of the old whistle with a file and drilled a new #77 hole for the replacement to fit into. It will still be vulnerable to knocks, but should not break off like the plastic ones did.






And now for a little bit of pre-grouping fun. I have posed a few trains of pre-grouping stock for effect, using appropriate locomotives (or the nearest I have to that). The coaches include the Bachmann SECR birdcage 3-set, with a couple of brass Roxey Mouldings luggage vans, and two sets of Hornby 4-wheel coaches in LSWR and LBSC liveries. Locomtives in these photos are a Hatton's P class 0-6-0T 'Bluebell' (a preserved livery), a Hornby SECR H class 0-4-4T, a Bachmann LBSC E4 0-6-2T, and a Hornby LSWR M7 0-4-4T.












 

Edited July 14, 2021 by SRman
Fixing typos.

[John Tomlinson]

The whistle and also what look like the safety valves on the Peckett look like they're waiting to be clonked!

 

I've found Hornby's Drummond locos, particularly the T9 are also very delicate, my three second hand examples all had bits missing. Fortunately the details pack for the M7 was/ is? freely available as a spare and this can be used to repair damage.

 

John.