Upbech St Mary, Upbech Drove and Pott Row a journey through 00 and then into EM and 009.

[mullie]

Colouring track work has started, the replacement track has been given a coat of Tamiya red brown to get a good colour on the rail sides. Existing track was masked off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mullie]

An opportunity was also taken to smarten up the front of the layout and one of the back scene panels with a new coat of Halfords grey primer. The whole layout was masked off to spray the front.

 

 

 

[mullie]

Another loco has joined the 1960s stud.

 

 

A class 31 will not be as easy as thought as Gibson's don't have an EM wheel set for a Hornby chassis in their catalogue any more. However, I do have a Bachmann 08 and Derby lightweight to convert hopefully by early to mid next year. Once the second 08 is done I will renumber and finish the diesels.

 

I have a few more 1960s wagons to convert to EM and Kadees before I get on with the S&W couplings and the J39 chassis. Would be good to get the Claud converted to EM too.

 

Lot's to be getting on with.

[mullie]

It's getting colder in the garage at night so the tea tray is back out with some more manageable projects that can be completed at the dining room table. Parkside kits are easily converted to EM and I have been experimenting with some kits that I have had for years. I quite like this type of renovation project for whiling away a few hours especially when it works. The 00 gauge wheels can be pushed out on their axles and the brake gear can either be moved or has been replaced with some of the spares I have accumulated over the years. Some wagons don't make it. A 16 ton mineral wagon that was close to twenty years old needed its chassis replaced because of damage but this was not possible so it went in the bin. I have a spare chassis that can be used on another project.

 

 

The mineral wagon in the middle now has Kadee couplings, the other two need couplings the painting needs finishing, they just have a coat of rust at the moment and then numbering.

[mullie]

Can you ever have too many vans? a Mix of Bachmann and Parkside kits, some built around 15 years ago

 

A new Hornby toad has crept in, now fitted with Kadees it needs weathering

[mullie]

And another one, the upload limit wouldn't let me put it in the previous post.

 

[NHY 581]

Morning Martyn.

 

I quite agree. One cannot have too many vans!

 

I have quite a few more awaiting the attentions of the weathering step. I'm waiting on the new ex-SECR vans from Rails which I think will be something a bit different. I might well pick up a few Parkside vans myself for a bit of variety. 

 

Nice to see the layout progressing. Top stuff as usual. 

 

Rob. 

[dhjgreen]

Branchlines usually have the wheels I need, you could ask them about the class 31.

[mullie]

14 hours ago, dhjgreen said:

Branchlines usually have the wheels I need, you could ask them about the class 31.

Will be using them for the Derby lightweight. I had a very useful conversation with them at Expo EM.

 

Thanks for the tip, will be worth following up.

 

Martyn

[mullie]

14 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Morning Martyn.

 

I quite agree. One cannot have too many vans!

 

I have quite a few more awaiting the attentions of the weathering step. I'm waiting on the new ex-SECR vans from Rails which I think will be something a bit different. I might well pick up a few Parkside vans myself for a bit of variety. 

 

Nice to see the layout progressing. Top stuff as usual. 

 

Rob. 

Is that an LNER toad I spy on your latest photos?

[NHY 581]

13 hours ago, mullie said:

Is that an LNER toad I spy on your latest photos?

 

It is Martyn. One popped up on the Wenford branch so I thought one could easily appear 'somewhere in Devon'. 

 

I do like brake vans and this is one of Hornby's finest ones to date. 

 

Here it is at Bleat Wharf. 

 

 

Rob. 

[mullie]

And very nice it looks too.

 

There was an LNER carriage on the Hemyock branch in the final years of steam and I'm sure there are other examples. I was looking at a photo of Temple Mills yard today with a Southern Q1 in it. That's all the excuse I need to have one of those, a design I have always been fascinated by. Will need to get on with the urban layout.

 

I have photos of SR brake vans at Cromer Beach and Upwell. This is something I hope to recreate. In East Anglia ex LMS brake vans seemed common, so I have A Dapol model and a Lanarkshire models detailing kit in the roundtuit pile. I assume this may be because the new BR vans were put on the longer mainline trains up the WCML and then the LMS vans were cascaded down to replace pre grouping stock? Does anyone know the answer?

 

Once the steam era wagons have had their couplings reinstated I intend to get on with the chassis on the J39 and exploring class 31 possibilities based on an old Airfix model I have.

[mullie]

More wagons to potentially join the fleet. Mainly Parkside kits with one mixed heritage wagon as follows:

 

BR 21 ton coal wagon fitted with Kadees

 

 

BR medium goods wagon to be fitted with Kadees

 

 

LNER open wagon to join the 1940s/1950s fleet. I think the rusty finish will have to go as it would have been relatively new.

 

 

LNER Conflat, Mainline body, with kit built chassis though for the life of me I can't remember what make of chassis is under it, might be Parkside?

 

 

I began re fitting the adapted S&W couplings tonight, hope to finish that within about a week. A couple of the Kadee equipped wagons need some minor adjustments.

 

Need to start reinstating the scenics as well.

[mullie]

Around 3/4s of the steam era stock have now had their couplings reinstated. The intention is to be finished by the end of next week  then I really need to press on with the scenery and J39 chassis.

 

 

 

More cassettes will be built for the diesel stock so I can switch between eras easily. 

 

 

[mullie]

Last of the wagons have had couplings fitted/ reinstated.

 

Medium goods wagon with Kadees

 

 

Three open wagons; Bachmann Slaters, Airfix.

 

 

Dapol Brake van modified to represent an LNER type. Yes I know a vac hose is missing.

 

 

And finally a close up of the mark 1 S&W coupling. Over the weekend I hope to fettle the couplings sing the J15 whose coupling height had to fixed due to difficulties fitting a coupling wire but early tests seem to suggest this could be a really good modification. Not my idea I hasten to add.

 

 

Decks cleared to begin the J39 chassis. I now need to just get on with it!

 

[mullie]

Coupings being fettled today against the J15. It proved very difficult to attach a coupling loop through the buffer beam due to the way the loco is constructed. Here is a wagon being offered :

 

 

And most of the stock used on the layout, yes the steam age stock is back.

 

 

Cassettes will be built for the 1960s stock and more will be added in time.

[mullie]

Gearbox for J39 seems to working ok. Has been assembled and tested though only for a short time as it hasn't yet been lubricated. During the week I will fit the wheels to the chassis. I also have a flywheel to fit as well.

 

[mullie]

Not as much time as I would like for modelling at the moment but progress is still being made. Having put together the gearbox, the wheels have now been fitted to the chassis and tonight the chassis seemed to be nice and free running. Next stage is to fit the motor and gearbox to the chassis for test running.

 

[mullie]

Nice few hours spent at the East Somerset Railway today courtesy of a Christmas present from our eldest daughter that we have only just got round to using. An enjoyable ride behind 5637 and a wander round the workshops too. I've taken a lot of photos of interesting things like weathered brake gear!

 

 

 

 

 

[Alister_G]

I've thought before that an observer could probably spot members of the railway modelling fraternity, simply by watching what we photograph

 

Whilst most touristy types are taking loving views of the locomotives, modellers will be found taking closeup shots of brakegear and point levers...

 

Nice pics Martyn.

 

Al.

 

[wiggoforgold]

46447 = proper engine

[mullie]

Little more progress this week. Began building an occupation crossing at one end of the layout for local farmers to get to the goods yard. What you see is balsa and some Langley gates.

 

 

I needed another brake van so went into the boxes and got this out. Fitted with Wizard models EM wheels and S&W couplings it is now in service. Not used Wizard wheels before but like all his products they seem good and as they can be ordered online are easy to get hold of. 

 

 

Eventually the Lanarkshire Models detailing kit will be fitted to the model and it will be weathered.

 

The wheels formed part of an order for point rodding parts so now have to work what all the tiny parts on the fret do. Downloaded and read the instructions, they almost make sense! I want to get this job done before deballasting the track.

 

I've bought very little new recently, mainly parts for upgrading models I already have. It is a very different type of modelling and I am enjoying the process. The last new item was the toad brake van that has now joined the 1960s fleet and is fitted with Kadees.

[wiggoforgold]

Looks good. I'm interested to see what happens with the brake van.

point rodding,s a bit of an art, isn't it? I've been studying the subject recently, and found a few useful sites on the net. Talking of using old parts, I,ve got a couple of Colin Waite etches that might get pressed in to service.

Alex

[sb67]

On 05/10/2019 at 18:32, mullie said:

Nice few hours spent at the East Somerset Railway today courtesy of a Christmas present from our eldest daughter that we have only just got round to using. An enjoyable ride behind 5637 and a wander round the workshops too. I've taken a lot of photos of interesting things like weathered brake gear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice set of photo's Mullie. Nice bit of weathering on 46447, wonder how I'd replicate that! 

Steve.

[mullie]

J39 ran on the executive rolling road for the first time tonight. Comet box with extender that will need fixing in place when the chassis is finished. The old 00 wheels in the tender have been removed ready for Gibson replacements.

 

 

Biggest frustration tonight was the BBC Sounds app not working at the start of the Jamie Cullum jazz show - very annoying.