West Kirby Town: narrow gauge may be coming to town.

[railwayrod]

Just a quick comment on lighting for reading/model work.It has been shown that at the age of 60 you need twice the amount of light as you did at 40. It has been my experience that for every 10 years or so afterwards you probably need to double it again. Always remember that with lighting the inverse square law applies. If you double the distance between the light source and the work you one quarter the light level. This is where one of the low energy high output anglepoise type of light is invaluable to modellers as they do not get hot, hence avoiding the "burnt ear syndrome" Do not be afraid to position the light source as close to the task as you need it. My light is often as close as 6 to 8 inches away from the task I am undertaking.

 

Get the light right and you are more than halfway there.

 

Rod

 

[bazzoh]

23 hours ago, Marshall5 said:

Indeed they did - a Hudswell Clarke diesel mechanical D1012/1956.  Rail traffic had ceased by 1975 and, IIRC, the loco went to Llangollen.

Ray.

Hi ray

is this the one that was parked outside the Moreton site before being sent to go on display at bourneville? 

[Joner]

2 hours ago, bazzoh said:

Hi ray

is this the one that was parked outside the Moreton site before being sent to go on display at bourneville? 

This one

[bazzoh]

7 hours ago, Joner said:

This one

That’s the one! Thank you!

[Dmudriver]

Look what's turned up at the gate to the p-way area!!

 

 

A brand new tipper lorry - straight off a transporter - all the way from Spain!!   This last pic is the real give-away - you can see the left hand drive and the foreign number plate.

 

 

A pal of mine had one last week and he's changed it to rh drive and put BR arrows on it.  It looks the biz!  I'll do the same - eventually ..... but first of all, I have to get inside it.  The body and cab unscrew from the chassis, but unfortunately the screws are triangular and I've no screw driver suitable!!  I got it off the plastic base it came on by creating a slot in the screw heads with a slitting disc.  The screws underneath are not easy to get at to do that!!

 

So it will go on the list of jobs to do but, in the meantime I'll try and position it so that it's Spanish origin isn't too obvious.

 

It's a nice looking little vehicle, though and will look OK when reworked and weathered a bit.  It doesn't need respraying, that's a good thing.

 

More soon.

 

 

Rod

 

PS  I got it off eBay.

[Simond]

Triangle screwdriver bits - £5 or so for a set on Amazon, £3 on eBay.

 

atb

Simon

[Joner]

Also used to be available as security bit set at screwfix and toolstation. I bought one many years ago and has various bits for all manor of jobs.

 

Just looked and doesn't seem to have the triangle bit in them anymore, just tri-star Phillips. 

Edited September 1, 2020 by Joner
Web browsing

[Hal Nail]

39 minutes ago, Dmudriver said:

but first of all, I have to get inside it.  The body and cab unscrew from the chassis, but unfortunately the screws are triangular and I've no screw driver suitable!! 

 

I've never had any trouble just using a normal watchmakers screwdriver in these but you can buy the ixo ones on e bay as well.

[Barnaby]

Mine came with a multi bit kit from B&Q, I think I've used the triangle heads a few times in 20 years, but they're worth their weight in screw drivers, bolts heads, torx and many more to many to mention.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2020 by Barnaby

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Dmudriver said:

It's a nice looking little vehicle, though and will look OK when reworked and weathered a bit.  It doesn't need respraying, that's a good thing.

 

The red wasp stripes on the bumper aren't very BR, a quick dab of black paint should sort that out.

 

Looks good!

 

[Joner]

32 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

The red wasp stripes on the bumper aren't very BR, a quick dab of black paint should sort that out.

 

Looks good!

 

Black or chrome?

 

I could be wrong but I thought it would be chrome?  

[Dmudriver]

14 minutes ago, Joner said:

I could be wrong but I thought it would be chrome?  

 

Hi Joner

 

I did a quick search for pics of BMC FGs.  Bing came up with this:  https://www.bing.com/search?q=bmc+fg+lorry&qs=AS&pq=bmc+fg+lorry&sc=1-12&cvid=4FA0938ACD8D47F6830F7C7F78BDA95A&FORM=QBRE&sp=1

 

All the bumpers are black or body-coloured.  A quick once-over with the black paint will sort that!

 

 

[Joner]

I stand corrected. I told you I could be wrong 

[Hal Nail]

17 minutes ago, Joner said:

I stand corrected. I told you I could be wrong 

I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken.

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Joner said:

Black or chrome?

 

I could be wrong but I thought it would be chrome?  

 

I was in two minds about that, but thought black would be best. Anyhow, it wouldn't be chrome, just silver paint with lots of dents and rust showing through.

 

And if you could find a 7mm scale Michelin Man... 

[pwr]

Hi Rod

 

I have one of these - see my Black Notley thread. Once you get the screwdriver - yes I had to get one too - its easy to get in and the conversion to RHD was a simple job.

 

I painted the  bumpers black which I saw on a photo of the real thing. I also made some UK numberplates - you can download the font from the web. Search UK numberplate font. If you can't find it give me a PM and I can send it.

 

You can also get a Bedford TK and trailer from the same source - also on my thread

 

Paul R

 

 

[Dmudriver]

6 hours ago, pwr said:

Search UK numberplate font. If you can't find it give me a PM and I can send it.

 

 

Hi Paul.

 

I've found the website OK, thanks, but the question now is"how to print the numberplate"?  How did you do it?  And did you need special paper to print it on - such as photographic paper?

 

Another question - how did you alter the left hand wiper on the BMC FG?  I've painted mine black and they look OK: I'm tempted to leave them as they are but I see you've managed it.   Also, have you moved the mirror?  I'm tempted to leave it where it is and just fit another on the driver's side once I've changed it to RH drive (and that's after I've got some new screw bits!!)

 

 Edit:   I meant to add:  I like the Bedford TK, but the pin on the 5th wheel coupling seems a bit far forward - not that I ever drove Bedford artics!!   Bristols and AECs, yes, but not Bedfords.  One company I worked for had Bedford TK rigids - about 100 of them, all vans for parcels deliveries.   And going slightly off track, I remember one day in the winter between 1976 and 1978 it was so cold that they were all freezing up about 15 to 20 minutes after leaving the depot.  Even though I was office based I went out to one, took the ice out of the filter and was priming the pump with water pouring down my neck off the roof from the ice on the roof melting in the sun!!!  Tilt cabs were so useful!!   And it was so cold even the breakdown vehicle broke down!!  (frozen up as well!!)   Oh, happy days!! 

 

 

Rod

Edited September 2, 2020 by Dmudriver

[pwr]

Rod

 

I printed it on plain paper on a laser printer and glued it on - slightly wonky I have to say. The rear was the same but a square plate.

 

Yes I did alter the wipers - I think you only need to do one of them. Having got it out I cut the pin and fixed it the other way round. I used Bondic UV glue to do that.

 

No I didn't move the mirror yet. This will need a hole drilled in the other cab side and I will get round to it eventually.

 

Paul R

[Hal Nail]

47 minutes ago, Dmudriver said:

I like the Bedford TK, but the pin on the 5th wheel coupling seems a bit far forward - not that I ever drove Bedford artics!!   Bristols and AECs, yes, but not Bedfords.  One company I worked for had Bedford TK rigids - about 100 of them, all vans for parcels deliveries.

I'm probably being thick but what is a 5th wheel coupling?

 

By the way Ixo also do a tk rigid - it's about half the price of the artic as well!

[Simond]

The fifth wheel is the round greasy plate on the top of the chassis of an artic tractor into which the semi-trailer pin engages, and on which the trailer rests.

 

more than you’ll ever need here.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth-wheel_coupling

 

atb

Simon

[pwr]

18 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

I'm probably being thick but what is a 5th wheel coupling?

 

By the way Ixo also do a tk rigid - it's about half the price of the artic as well!

 

I did not know they did a TK rigid. I found one on a well know auction site which I have ordered. Its got a circus body which I will remove and replace I think with something scratch built from plastic. Its not a current model as its not in the current IXO web site collection

 

Paul R

[Hal Nail]

On 01/09/2020 at 18:38, Dmudriver said:

Look what's turned up at the gate to the p-way area!!

 

A brand new tipper lorry - straight off a transporter - all the way from Spain!!   This last pic is the real give-away - you can see the left hand drive and the foreign number plate.

 

Rod

 

Just noticed there are a few red ones on ebay now of some sort of fire fighting variety! I don't think its a particularly British looking design but I'd have preferred to start with a red cab to yellow if I'd known!

 

[Dmudriver]

I've done a bit of painting on the Spanish lorry, tho' not changed it over to RH drive - still waiting for some screw bits!!  It looks a bit better now with a black bumper, black windscreen wipers, mirror and wheel centres.  

 

 

I'll paint the chassis when I strip it down and I'll add an off-side wing mirror, leaving the original on the (new) near-side.  Number plate will also be changed.

 

However, most of my work has been on the scenery.  The last pics I put on were, I think, of the fire station, still on the sheets of lining paper.  I've taken that up and cut pieces of foam board to the same shape.  I've then painted those to the outline I'd put on the lining paper.  Here's a pic of where I'm up to so far, looking towards the fire station end of the layout.

 

 

The brown areas are where the grass/shrubs, etc is to go (I think of it as soil if there are thin patches in the covering!!).  Maybe not the best soil colour, but the closest I could find in my local B&Q!!  The black is the tarmac road surface, wider up to the fire station and narrowing down the lane to the back of the warehouse units.  The grey/off white area is the fire station hard standing.  Here's a view from the fire station end towards the warehouse units:

 

 

The gravel area beyond the car park is for a car park extension if it's needed in the future!    And finally a close-up near the end of the p-way area:

 

 

There's a lot of detail to do yet - the scrub area this side of the car park is meant to become allotments, but the Council haven't got round to doing the job yet!!  Obviously missing are fences and the whole thing is now going to be crying out for a backscene.  I've got ideas for that but it could be a while off yet.

 

I've got the fire engine back from my pal who was going to paint it - he's not been able to start it yet but I'm due to do the videoing for the Guild Virtual Exhibition on Monday so I wanted it on the forecourt for that.

 

More to do tomorrow and the weekend - problem is I'm running out of Woodland Scenics stuff and the model shop in Preston shut recently for good, so I don't know - at the moment - where to get more, other than online.  I've got plenty of static grass, though, so I'll use that but will have to think about how to blend it in.

 

This is really my first attempt at scenery and I'm not unhappy with it.  Fortunately it's all on sheets of foam board so if I'm not happy when it's finished, I can take them up and start again!!

 

And while all this is going on, I'm biting my nails waiting for Everton to announce they've signed 3 new midfielders!!!  I'm checking the news every hour!!  (sad, isn't it!!     )

 

More soon.

 

 

Rod

Edited September 3, 2020 by Dmudriver

[Hroth]

The lorry looks much better already!

 

17 hours ago, Dmudriver said:

There's a lot of detail to do yet - the scrub area this side of the car park is meant to become allotments, but the Council haven't got round to doing the job yet!! 

 

Hmmm...  About that time WBC were selling off their allotments for development, mainly housing.  I don't think allotments in "central" West Kirby would have stood a dogs chance of surviving.  In the real world, the Council sold off the allotments that skirted the Wirral Way (aka the Joint) from Church Road towards Sandy Lane for housing development by "Poco Homes" who crammed a lot of typical 70s tiny houses onto the plot.  You could have a housing development under construction, with miniscule foundation rafts....

 

17 hours ago, Dmudriver said:

This is really my first attempt at scenery and I'm not unhappy with it.  Fortunately it's all on sheets of foam board so if I'm not happy when it's finished, I can take them up and start again!!

 

I often mount scenic elements on sub-boards, it makes changing for different eras, completely different locales and for wholesale redevelopment so much easier!  For example, I have a simple BLT that, depending on the scenic elements used, does duty for HO, two different OO and O16.5 layouts!

 

 

[Andrew P]

Hi Rob, Your Scenic's are looking excellent, I'm really envious of all your space, superb.