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Ellerby - 4mm/OO gauge - All photos working, hotlinked.


Jamiel
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  • 1 month later...

It's been nearly two months since I last posted, but it looks like things are turning around after a some difficult months this year, working again, and with a little time to model as well. Hope to rejoin the club in Leeds before long as well, everyone at the show last weekend were so welcoming.

I have continued to work on the signal box interior. A combination of a Springside small box set of white metal castings, and the Smiths by W&T etched levers which I like a lot more than the blocky and untapered Springside ones.

 

I have made a base for the levers from a piece of 40thou plasticard, filed into the arch shape, mounted on a piece of 20thou, then scored the length, and cut across at 1mm approx with a model saw to make indents for the levers and their base.

SignalBox22.jpg

Levers glued in (evostick), and edges added from evergreen strip.
SignalBox23.jpg

Initial painting of the Springside castings, apart from the levers parts.
SignalBox24.jpg

The levers undercoated, and more detail painting on the castings, through a magnifying glass.
SignalBox25.jpg

I also treated myself one of the last TMC weathered Bachmann Midland Pullmans in full blue. They have actually got some more stocks from another shop, but had to pay almost full price for them, so have jumped a bit in price to cover their weathering. I'll post some photos of that soon. It does need some oiling as one power car is whining at the moment, but I think will be OK.

More soon, I promise.

Jamie

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A quick update.

I have been adding the windows. I airbrushed the etched windows before adding glazing. Clear plastic lightly airbrushed with grey for the upper windows, and a little heavier for the ground floor windows.

I would probably hand paint window etches in future, as the airbrush tended to blow the etches around, even when tacked down, and then it added too much paint when they caught on a damp patch of the backing paper. Perhaps I was a bit clumsy with it on this occasion.

The etches are a little offset forwards and back wards to represent how the windows could been slid past each other, as seen on the Castleford gates box. The width of the frames did eat into one of the sets of windows space, so one of the 2 pain width sets was used on the front, and I will need to paint another set for the end. I will use those to have an end window slightly open.
SignalBox26.jpg

I have also painted and glued in the levers.
SignalBox27.jpg


Hopefully more soon.

Jamie

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  • 2 months later...

Sorry for the lack updates, but as someone who works freelance, as usual it has gone from last year's work famine, to having so much to do, that I haven't even had chance to run a couple of loco's I bought at the end of last year.

 

Hopefully in a few weeks, some sort of balance will return to my life, and I can get back to some modelling. I will post updates, just as soon as I have something to update.

Jamie

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Blinking heck Jamie....

 

Your absolutely the dogs b.... at modelling...

 

a true professor at modelling mate all your creations and track work etc. are more the brilliant/excellent dude...

 

Sadly I only carry the same name.

 

Got you on file to come and see you threads from here on in mate.

 

Well done..., is not a good enough saying to use on your modelling.

 

fecking ace mate...

 

Jamie

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Thank you for the compliments. I hope to get back to modelling soon.

I did start on a couple of wagons a couple of weeks ago, but the work got in the way again, plus my 3 year old daughter wasn't well the last couple of weeks. Still I hope to have some updates soon.

Jamie

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  • 1 month later...

Well at very long last I have finished on the film 'Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie', no Oscar winner, but I suspect a fun ride for a couple of hours. Such a lovely and generous bunch of people to work with, to be honest not particularly my sense of humour, but I know many love it, so have fun if you do.

 

More importantly this means some time to start doing trains again. I made a start on one of a number of Cambrian Kits I got in a sale a little while ago, with their Dogfish ballast wagon. Like others have read, on the archive of rmweb I think, I can't say that I am hugely impressed with the kit itself. The detail is pretty good, but the sense of how the pieces fit together to make a solid and square kit is not great. Pieces run straight to the sprue so you don't know where the part should end, and there isn't a sense of parts interlocking, they just but up to each other, so good luck fitting them together.

 

Anyway, after following the instructions, a bit of looking on the web, and a few extra pieces added, Smiths screw link sprung couplings, the a couple of bits of plasticard, and most importantly, cutting off over-sized plastic railings at the ends, drilling holes in the holding L girder(?) and threading through the metal supplied (plus some more from a MSE pack for the handles at the back) it isn't looking bad (in my opinion).

 

I am looking forward to painting and weathering.

Dogfish1.jpg

 

Dogfish2.jpg

 

They will be finished in original black with straw lettering and I am planning a rake of 3xDogfish (Cambrian), 2xCatfish (Cambrian), 2x Grampus (Parkside Dundas), 1xBR 13ton medium goods - often went to engineers trains according to (Parkside Dundas) and a Hornby Shark.

 

I anyone can add any information on such trains in the early 60's, there is a thread I have posted some questions on:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74698-br-departmentalengineering-trains-in-the-late-50searly-60s/

I have seen lots of photos of Engineers trains from the 70's and 80's, but none from the 50's and 60's. There is the excellent book by David Larkin which is very good on the wagons themselves, but has nothing about the makeup of trains and what pulled them. Did wagons from different regions end up in rakes together, or were they very region based, what pulled the trains? In the midland I would have guessed at 8Fs, Ivatt 4MTs, 3 & 4Fs and maybe Black 5s, but if anyone can add any information I would be most grateful.

 

Anyway, off to watch Mr Paxman putting the students through it on 'University Challenge', more very soon I hope, and back on with the signal box and signals too.

 

Jamie

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A little more work on the wagons, I have almost completed three Dogfish, but after some looking around the web have ordered some etched hand wheels for both the brakes on the side and the hopper discharge wheels on the end platforms.

Dogfish3.jpg

Some finescale modellers have done some lovely work with these kits:
http://scalerail.phpbbhosts.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=118&t=1020&start=0&sid=a6d530d5971d37793b97da73f6ff1baa

I am happy with the wheel bearings from the kit, but will do a little extra detailing under the chassis as well as adding the etched hand wheels which I think make a huge difference.

The Catfish are very similar for the frame, but seems like a more nicely detailed model, although I will do the same detailing on them. Hope to get those done in the next couple of days.

With the wagons having Vacuum cylinders on them, I presume that they should also have vacuum pipes? It seems a little odd to me, unless somehow the cylinders were hand operated?

I would also appreciate any suggestions for locos to haul the rake when it is finished, I am tempted by 8Fs, Ivatt 4Mts, Standard 4MTs, and Black 5s, again any suggestions would be appreciated.

More soon.

Jamie

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A quick update. I bought some 51L etches of hand wheels from Wizard models, 51L is Wizard's manufacturing name, alongside their MSE signals stuff. I have soldered some nickel silver wire on the hand wheels I want to use, and have been replacing the previous plastic hand wheels, on the Dogfish.

Dogfish4.jpg

Dogfish5.jpg\

I think the difference is worth the extra work.

Dogfish6.jpg

I have also started adding some extra rodding to the brakes, and will see if I can make the catch pieces that were also added to stop the rods if they feel, which do add some nice detail.

Dogfish7.jpg

A couple of old Airfix/Dapol wagons in the background, these will also get upgraded. The painted one is one I made in my teens.

I have started one of the two Catfish I have, and hope to get on to the Grampus and 13 ton wagon soon too. Can't wait to start painting and weathering them.

More soon I hope.

Jamie

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well the rake of engineers wagons is nearly ready to start painting. With some help from members of the forum I got the Grampus wagons built:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/84538-help-with-parkside-dundas-grampus-sought-4mm/

Here is an image (posted in that thread as well) of the undersides of the two Parkside Dundas Grampus wagons:
Grampus1.jpg

One has a replacement buffer beam as I split the original one when trying to thread the coupling through.

I now need to decide on which wagons will have permanent loads, weight them (liquid lead I suspect), and also add the safety hoops to all the wagons other than the two Grampus.

I am enjoying making some goods/engineers stock, but must finish the signal box and the set of signals soon. I am also researching the station building more, I would like a bridge entrance/first floor with steps down to the ground floor at the platform's height. Keighley will have some influence, but so will Great Central stations, and also some places like Preston, but I haven't found a building that I would definitely want to model, and I did enjoy making the good building and the water tower which pretty closely followed prototype buildings.

Even if the layout is fictitious, working from a real example of architecture that would fit would be a great help, and also adds challenges to the modelling. I am open to suggestions, and any reference photos, or links if anyone can suggest locations to look at.

More soon.

Jamie

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a very little progress. I moved the cross bars on the two Grampus wagons to one at the centre only. I dispensed with the safety loops under the brake cross bars, on the grounds they were too fiddly, and too much to go for on a first set of wagons. I also checked the EMGauge70's website, and saw they didn't tend to add them, so if missing them off is good enough for Kier Hardy and friends then, it is definitely OK for me.

The rake has now been undercoated black, and will be left to dry for a while then more paint, and transfers before weathering. Sorry not the best exposure of the photo, I have only just finished the undercoat and it is getting quite dark.
Dogfish8.jpg

As the layout is on the verge of being packed up ready to put this flat up for sale, it is a bit hard to get motivated modelling, and hopefully when it gets it proper home, then I will have both time and energy to make more rapid progress with it.

I do want to finish the signal box, and maybe start some more buildings soon, which can be done without the layout be set up, just the one section left to detail while the rest is packed away.

Great to follow the progress on the other layouts on the forum I follow, I am definitely not lacking in inspiration.

Jamie

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Catfish and Dogfish have had a bit more work on them. They have had transfers added, and then a light dusting of rust (and I forgot to take any pictures at that point).

I then brushed on some weathering.
Dogfish9.jpg

Following RS4's technique I swabbed the streaking with a cotton bud dipped in white spirit, to soften the strokes.

As I did with the buildings I then airbrushed a dilute layer of the base colour, for the wagons black, to pull it back.
Catfish2.jpg

Another light dusting with rust, lightened with a little white. Then a little more swabbing with the cotton bud, and dry brushing, more gently this time with rust, black and white.
Catfish1.jpg

You can see just a little of the liquid gravity lead weighting poking put underneath in this photo, but I can live with that.
Dogfish10.jpg

I did the same to the inside, but airbrushed a lot more rust, and was more liberal with the streaking. I will add loads to all these wagons, but used the inside to test how it would look anyway. The catfish have their Liquid Gravity inside, as I couldn't see anywhere else to put it.
Dogfish13.jpg
Catfish3.jpg

The Grampus wagons will be on hold until I can get some transfers for them, hopefully not too long.

The completion of the signal box is next in line. Unfortunately most of the layout will have to be packed away this week in readiness to sell the flat, but I will keep one section of the base boards out to keep working on. I am also starting to get ready to plan the man station building, which after a lot of research is going to be mostly based on the Midland Railway's fairly short lived Finchely Road station, also Hendon, which was very similar.

More soon, I hope.

Jamie

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Thanks Freebs.

I have found with both buildings and wagons that after an initial painting with the basic colours and some rough weathering, that a couple of light coats with the airbrush using the base colours to tone them back does make the painting come together. A little fine dry-brushing after that can then be added.

On a different subject I have started a thread in Prototype Questions to see if anyone can advise me of reference material for the Midland Railway's stations at Finchley Road and Hendon:
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/86083-finchley-road-and-hendon-midland-railway-stations-reference-material-sought/

Any help would be appreciated, as so far I have only found about 10 smallish pictures of the main station buildings.

Jamie

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  • 1 month later...

Well progress good and bad.

The good is that I have got back to working on the signal box. I had added the braces and walkways around three sides. Next step to solder on the rail, I have decieded to just have the one top rail. At different times the reference box at Castleford had one or two rails, but for modelling I think trying to do two would be too difficult, and also might look cluttered.

The inside has also been painted a whited out LMS cream, and the floor has one coat. Another coat on the floor and some weathering to tone it down. I have then to add all the details before starting the ceiling, roof and lighting.
SignalBox28.jpg
SignalBox29.jpg
SignalBox30.jpg

The other good news is the flat has sold, subject to searches etc. The bad is that Ellerby is almost all packed away with just one section for me to work on.
Packed1.jpg
Packed2.jpg

More on the signal box soon.

Any help with references for the 'Finchely Road and St. John's Wood' midland station thread linked above would be appreciated. This is different from the 'Finchely Road and Frognall' station and the Underground one. Any other references for station buildings with first floow street access would also be welcomed.

Jamie

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We are going to rent near York for a while, then look to buy around there within a couple of years. My partner Sarah starts University there in September as a mature student, and it also puts us in a much better schools catchment area for my daughter.

Needless to say, I m starting to look into buying a good big, solid and secure shed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Still in Leeds, for the next 11 days anyway, and quite a productive day on the signal box, thanks to some inspiration and examples of one way to build a double pitched roof in 2ManySpams 'Signal Box for Diesels n the Duchy' thread:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/86339-a-gwr-signal-box-for-diesels-in-the-duchy/page-3

Firstly some steps have been added. They are cannibalised from a couple fo Superquick signal boxes. I don't begrudge Superquick, I loved making their kits as a boy, and it was making up a factory for a TV shoot using a couple of their kits bashed together that was party responsible for getting me back into model railways. Anyway, I had a couple of sets of steps from their signal boxes, and took one set, and the rails off another, plus some building in plasticard for the top.

When I soldered the rails on the walkways, I accidentally used a heavier gauge of wire for the short walkway to the left in the first picture, but I think I am happy to live with it. I have also stuck in the shelf for the gauges over the leavers, I have cut back the support inside, and have yet to add all the interior details, but will do that soon.
SignalBox31.jpg

Following 2many Spams method for the roof, here are the parts ready to start being assembled. I have also cut in a recess to mount a strip of DirectTrainSpares of Burnley LEDs to illuminate the interior. As I am making a flat ceiling for strength, I wanted to make sure the lights were cast from above that.
SignalBox32.jpg

Here it is partly assembled, with 'breathing holes' cut in case of any solvent traps. I don't think there will be any, but better to cut them anyway. The lines are marked out as a guide for the York lazer cut tile strips, which I have already used on the goods building before, but it was nice to see 2ManySpams using them too.
SignalBox33.jpg

Here is the strip sitting in the recess for testing, wires soldered on. I just need to find a 12volt supply. I tried a 6volt battery, but I don't think that LEDs work like bulbs, dimmer with less power, I think they need the right current to work at all. I want to check before sticking them in place (they have an adhesive back). They can be removed, or replaced, but for the first time I would like to get them working before assembling the rest of the box.
SignalBox34.jpg

A bit of work on the chimney, and another of the Freestone Model Accessories cast chimneys added. I am a big fan of their chimneys.
SignalBox35.jpg

Hope to get a bit more done tomorrow, and check the lighting strip.

Jamie

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2ManySpams, your comment is greatly appreciated, especially as I have admired and learned from your models and threads. Of course all the feedback, tips and encouragement from everyone is appreciated.

Work continued this evening on the signal box before I was distracted by the football, well for a little while, then we watched the University Challenge programme 'on tape' from yesterday.

As with all my other buildings so far, I realised I had made a mistake and had to do some reworking. The roof of the signal box's design had not taken into account the perspective of the photos, being taken from the ground and so foreshortening the roof. I took off the flat tops and added another 10mm or so to the height, by glueing new angled supports to the side of the existing ones, new corner supports and a bar across the top.
SignalBox36.jpg

When I put the higher roof in position it dwarfed the chimey, so that had to be extended a 12mm or so. I hack-sawed off the top, the built up the chimney, glued the top back, and overlapped some detail to cover and strengthen the join. I think it looks better now so it was worth it.

New flats were cut for the top, and guides marked out every 5mm for the lines of York Modelmaking Laser cut tiles. I can't resist cutting the occasional tile and lifting or dropping it to make the roof look a little aged, although I held back compared to the very rickety roof on the goods building. I also nicked off the odd corner of the tiles to add to the worn look.

SignalBox37.jpg

I have since completed the titling, but not the ridges, and it got a bit dark to photograph. More soon I hope, but packing for next week's move may overtake the work on the box.

Jamie

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Thanks Freebs.

Just a little update. Some gutter supports made the same way as the ones before, see page 6.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/53110-ellerby/page-6

SignalBox38.jpg

Parts ready to go together, with the first of the extensions for the base of the roof.
SignalBox39.jpg

And the tiling done apart from the ridges.
SignalBox40.jpg

The packing is taking up a lot of time now so the box might not get much more done other than it and the parts being packed away and sent to storage for a couple of weeks.There is a 10 days gap between us selling and moving into the new place, to be spent with my uncle who is also into trains.

Jamie

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

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