Wright writes.....

[Mike 84C]

The brakes on a class 40 were dreadful for working loose coupled trains. If light engine ok ,unless the rails were damp,then "flats" could soon appear.

  I do remember leaving Littleton Coll; sidings with a EE type 1 ( I was second man) one Christmas Eve and control instructed " please clear the sidings" which we did! I was rather surprised the type 1 pulled such a heavy train to Bushbury Jct; but on the downhill from Darlaston to Bescot no way could it stop that train! But we were very lucky and the signals just kept going clear all the way into Bescot up reception sidings. Lots of blue smoke and hot brake block smell when we stopped. And Harry Cooper had let me drive! I was chuffed!

[Tony Wright]

Steve Tooley of Bachmann popped over today to collect some kits he's bought, and went away buying more!

 

Thanks for that Steve, and your most-generous donation to CRUK.

 

We had great fun watching LB, and the railway worked perfectly. A pity I didn't!. When I set the wrong road, threw the wrong switch and had the controller wide open, was it any surprise that two (reversing trains) collided? My apologies for my operating incompetence, Steve, but wasn't it fun watching that A3 at 200 mph and the DELTIC not much slower?

 

Thanks again for your company today and the hospitality at lunchtime.

 

I look forward to running the forthcoming Bachmann V2s on Little Bytham. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[grahame]

To demonstrate I'm still undertaking a little modelling (in N/2mm), I've finally got some dirt and fuel spills on the two tanker wagons I recently bashed (converted from Farish wagons in to different types/diagrams) and posted a pic of earlier:

 

 

And, just for a bit of modelling fun, I have recently made two simple and cheap N Gauge Society plastic kits. A pack of two containers (type A and type BD):

 

 

and a Limpet spoil wagon. It's very straightforward and has a one-piece Peco chassis (so not entirely accurate) but it, and the containers kit, would make ideal beginners kits.

 

 

 

[Headstock]

My Gypsum hoppers are now complete. Unfortunately, my substandard photography has rendered the gypsum itself a bit blank! Fortunately, I still had the pack of imported fine white sand that was both dusty enough and crystalline enough to represent gypsum.  Lurkers and posters will have to use their imaginations I'm afraid, at least until I master the art of whiteout photography. 

This has been quite a nice little project, that has transformed my Gypsum train into a nice little replica of the prototype. The basic kit required a bit of extra detailing and upgrading on some parts. The only sour note, no fewer than seven of the sixteen axles provided had wonky wheels and had to be replaced!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Headstock
add space between images.

[Tony Wright]

9 hours ago, Headstock said:

My Gypsum hoppers are now complete. Unfortunately, my substandard photography has rendered the gypsum itself a bit blank! Fortunately, I still had the pack of imported fine white sand that was both dusty enough and crystalline enough to represent gypsum.  Lurkers and posters will have to use their imaginations I'm afraid, at least until I master the art of whiteout photography. 

This has been quite a nice little project, that has transformed my Gypsum train into a nice little replica of the prototype. The basic kit required a bit of extra detailing and upgrading on some parts. The only sour note, no fewer than seven of the sixteen axles provided had wonky wheels and had to be replaced!

 

 

 

 

 

Splendid work Andrew,

 

May I ask, which wheels are you using, please?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Headstock]

59 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Splendid work Andrew,

 

May I ask, which wheels are you using, please?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Good morning Tony,

 

the kits come with Gibson wheels. All Parkside kits come with them now, I think there was a terminal supply problem with the old Markits wheels. I've personally never had a problem with using Gibson or Markits wheels in the past. That has not been the case with these, or even Markits wheels in more recent times. To be fair to Gibson, all of the replacement wheels were fine and I did need to replace some with split spoke wheels, as was prototypical for some of the hoppers. The LNER loved to save up their split spoked wheels from scraped wagons and fit them to new builds. However, the removed Gibson wheels are very hard to correct and are effectively written off as spares. Very poor.

[Tony Wright]

22 minutes ago, Headstock said:

 

Good morning Tony,

 

the kits come with Gibson wheels. All Parkside kits come with them now, I think there was a terminal supply problem with the old Markits wheels. I've personally never had a problem with using Gibson or Markits wheels in the past. That has not been the case with these, or even Markits wheels in more recent times. To be fair to Gibson, all of the replacement wheels were fine and I did need to replace some with split spoke wheels, as was prototypical for some of the hoppers. The LNER loved to save up their split spoked wheels from scraped wagons and fit them to new builds. However, the removed Gibson wheels are very hard to correct and are effectively written off as spares. Very poor.

Thanks Andrew,

 

I have to say that I've standardised on Jackson/Romford/Markits wagon/carriage wheels for many years now. Yes, the tyres are slightly wider and the flanges slightly deeper but for all-round (please excuse the pun) performance they suit my needs perfectly. They're always concentric, the back to backs never shift and the tyres never come off.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Headstock]

5 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Andrew,

 

I have to say that I've standardised on Jackson/Romford/Markits wagon/carriage wheels for many years now. Yes, the tyres are slightly wider and the flanges slightly deeper but for all-round (please excuse the pun) performance they suit my needs perfectly. They're always concentric, the back to backs never shift and the tyres never come off.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Markits wagon wheels are good but supply problems have made them a pain in recent times, a lot of places will no longer stock them. The locomotive driving wheels were once ultra reliable, that is no longer the case. The last set I bought were a joke and that was after waiting six months for new supplies! Fortunately, I still have reasonable stock from when you would not give them a second thought in terms of reliability and quality. 'Wheelgate' will eventually turn all but the most advanced modellers into a bunch of collectors. 

[60526]

On 27/08/2021 at 15:20, Iain.d said:

A couple of weeks back I showed the progress on an old BSL/Phoenix LMS D1807 Third Open carriage. This week I finished it off. 

 

 

I purchased it on eBay, believing I was buying a complete kit but when it turned up it was the body only (it wasn’t mis-sold, I just misread the description), so I bought some Comet bogies and Hornby wheels. I scratch built the underframe trussing from brass angle and used Comet accessories to complete. I knocked up some working scissor gangways from brass leftovers. The left hand end one looks like its falling off; it’s not and looks fine when compressed and coupled up to another carriage. I lined it with a lining pen, its okay but there is certainly room for improvement. I did some more practicing after I lined this one and was able to get consistently good lines on my test piece down to about .2/.3mm – the law of you know who!! Never mind. The Stones Ventilators are from Rumney Models and I think they show up well.

 

It’ll be marshalled next to this Comet LMS D1810 Restaurant First Open, which I’ve already started preparing for construction.  This too will be finished in Crimson and Cream. If the lining on this turns out better I’ll likely strip and redo the Third Open.

 

 

 

Kind regards,

Iain

Crimson/cream, blood/custard? Who's paint did you use for this finish?

Charlie

[Iain.d]

20 minutes ago, 60526 said:

Crimson/cream, blood/custard? Who's paint did you use for this finish?

Charlie

Cream - Humbrol Acrylic RC 424

Crimson - Humbrol Acrylic RC 423

Varnish - Valejo Mecha Satin (which does brighten the colour slightly)

 

All sprayed.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

[Roger Sunderland]

Are these the pots of Humbrol acrylic? I ask because my experience of them is of a sludge with fine grit added and in no way suitable for an airbrush. On the other hand I’ve found the Humbrol rattle cans to be first class.

[Iain.d]

19 minutes ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Are these the pots of Humbrol acrylic? I ask because my experience of them is of a sludge with fine grit added and in no way suitable for an airbrush. On the other hand I’ve found the Humbrol rattle cans to be first class.

Hi Roger,

 

They are the pots and yes some can be a little gritty - the crimson more so than the cream. I've not known them to be sludgy. I've had a stock of pots for years (late 1990s) and still have 6 crimsons and 3 creams (all unopened). Because of the grittiness, which I've mentioned on here before, I will more often use Vallejo Carmine Red 70.908 - hence the mismatch in the number of Humbrol pots per colour. But this carriage will sit in rake of Humbrol painted ones, and I wanted them to all be the same colour - very shallow of me and often un-prototypical, I know!

 

For the Humbrol paints, they get stirred within an inch of their lives (often doing it two or three times in the evenings leading up to a spraying session) and then thinned with Vallejo airbrush thinner when I'm all set up to go. I couldn't really tell you the consistency - I do it by eye, knowing how much paint to pour in the airbrush cup and where it comes up to on the side and then adding the thinner and knowing where that level needs to come to, and then mixing it.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

Edited August 29, 2021 by Iain.d
missing word

[Tony Wright]

Courtesy of Fox, GAYTON HALL now has her 'plates.

 

 

I'd already renumbered her, glazed the cab and added a crew.

 

 

Now, with the correct 12-spoked bogie wheels, 'plates added and tools placed on the tender, she's complete.

 

 

Complete and in service on LB. On closer inspection, I'm convinced Ray Lightfoot scratch-built this loco.

 

She's definitely a 'layout loco' (a highly-unlikely on one LB) and she's not as fine as a Hornby RTR B17; but, does that matter?

 

I actually built GAYTON HALL some years ago, from a Crownline kit..................

 

 

 

Painted by Ian Rathbone, I built her for Gilbert Barnatt, and the loco is seen in action on his previous 'Peterborough' layout. 

 

As for the ghastly, over-scale lamps and the dubious Hornby Gresleys, well, things move on................

 

 

 

 

[Chuffer Davies]

On 26/08/2021 at 16:34, Dylan Sanderson said:

Tony... do you remember when I was at Little Bytham we were talking about fencing, and I point out that you didn't have any wire in your post and wire fencing?

 

Now I can see why! I've only done 8 inches and I'm fed up! 

Apologies for being a bit late in posting this but I've been waiting for a colleague to track down the following photo.

 

The wire fencing on Hungerford was a real labour of love and took several weeks, if not months, to install because there is over 40ft of it.  It was built using a combination of Peco fence posts, 5amp fuse wire for the staples and E Z Line elastic filament. 

 

The posts were first drilled and then staples were made by twisting fuse wire with a hook (made made from 0.4mm brass wire) to form a miniature screw eye.  The staples was then glued into the post and when the glue was dry the backs of the posts were filed flat before painting.  The posts were then planted, a board at a time, before 7 runs of E Z Line was threaded through the staples.  Good lighting and magnifying spec's were critical for successful threading of the E Z Line. 

 

Whilst we were very pleased with the look of the finished product, particularly the way the wire mimics the contours of the land.  Unfortunately it has proved problematic more recently because the E Z Line has started to perish and has had to be replaced in places.  

   

   

[Chas Levin]

On 27/08/2021 at 15:20, Iain.d said:

In the background I’ve also been doing an Airfix RAF Recovery Set, but the vehicles in this set are being ‘civilianised’. The tractor unit (shown here) has had the chassis extended and a flat bed built. The paint around the window frames is because I painted the dashboard and dials before I glued the roof on.

 

 

 

Very neat work Iain - this one's on my to-do list too for a civilianisation conversion.

Here's a pic of something similar I did a while back on the Austin A6 crash tender from the Airfix RAF Emergency set, with a scratchbuilt body based on drawings in the Gerald Scarborough Airfix book on RAF vehicles, seen here on my (continually unfinished) layout, next to a Coopercraft AEC Monarch Tanker - both use transfers from Mabex:

 

 

Part of the object of the exercise in this case was to conceal the fact that the rear area of this road tunnel is blocked by a box containting some Heathcote signalling circuit boards; without the lorries there was a very obvious black wall only a little further inside the tunnel!

Edited August 29, 2021 by Chas Levin

[Tony Wright]

Regarding lineside fencing, here are a few examples of various types on various layouts. 

 

Some are successful, some less-so (I'm making no judgements). In some, the wire is present, in some it's not. Some show how vulnerable model fencing can be...................

 

 

Abingdon in O.

 

 

Arnside in OO.

 

 

Buxton in OO.

 

 

Cadiford in OO.

 

 

Eaglesham in OO.

 

More to follow. 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

More fencing examples............

 

 

Falahill in N.

 

 

Grindley Brook in O.

 

 

Harlyn Pier in O.

 

 

Hope Under Dinmore in EM.

 

 

Kitedale in P4.

 

 

Ladybank in OO.

 

 

Loch Tat in N.

 

 

Manafon in OO.

 

 

Moretonhampstead in OO.

 

 

Merthyr Riverside in EM.

 

More to follow

Edited August 29, 2021 by Tony Wright

[Tony Wright]

And a few more fencing examples............

 

 

Portchullin in P4.

 

 

Sanford and Banwell in P4.

 

 

St. Merryn in P4.

 

 

Trowbridge in OO.

 

Finally, overall views of Little Bytham showing the extent of the fencing.

 

 

 

At this range, any wire fencing would be invisible. 

[45609]

19 hours ago, Headstock said:

My Gypsum hoppers are now complete. Unfortunately, my substandard photography has rendered the gypsum itself a bit blank! Fortunately, I still had the pack of imported fine white sand that was both dusty enough and crystalline enough to represent gypsum.  Lurkers and posters will have to use their imaginations I'm afraid, at least until I master the art of whiteout photography. 

This has been quite a nice little project, that has transformed my Gypsum train into a nice little replica of the prototype. The basic kit required a bit of extra detailing and upgrading on some parts. The only sour note, no fewer than seven of the sixteen axles provided had wonky wheels and had to be replaced!

 

 

 

 

 

These look great. I’ve been admiring them and watching progress over the last couple of weeks. Please could you give a bit more detail on the external weathering you’ve applied? It is very convincing.

 

TIA….Morgan

Edited August 29, 2021 by 45609

[Headstock]

3 hours ago, 45609 said:

These look great. I’ve been admiring them and watching progress over the last couple of weeks. Please could you give a bit more detail on the external weathering you’ve applied? It is very convincing.

 

TIA….Morgan

 

Good evening Morgan,

many thanks,

the weathering is much simpler than you may think. Observation is the most important thing and I wanted it to be fairly restrained. The prototypes  were not rolling scrap piles by any means but they were banged about quite a distinctive manner. There is till a little finishing off to do, for example the new wheel sets need toning down and a certain amount of Gypsum dusting is required on the tops of the buffers and platforms. I like to leave things about a week for these final little touches.

 

With the darker grey hoppers I sprayed a lighter grey into the individual panels to give a more 3 D effect before the weathering. Light grey hoppers are really simple because of the contrast, it's why railway modeller love them, even if they are often anachronistic. You can get away with light grey in earlier period on gypsum, or with China clay traffic. That's my excuse.

 

The initial weathering was just diluted washes of matt black mixed with a little light rust (orange). Once it as dried a little, it can be left for a darker effect or worked into the nooks and crannies' with a wet flat brush, noting the direction of gravity. Alternatively, it can be removed with a wet cotton bud, leaving thicker areas behind, it depends on the effect required.

 

Once the washes had dried, I either touched up with the airbrush using sleeper grime, or I painted on the rust/ scratch patterns with a small brush. The paint was a solid matt black light rust mix with the black dominant. A small pointed brush and a slightly larger one, allowed a bit of stippling that can be joined up or 'whipped' across the surface to replicate scratches. If the latter are too big, a wet cotton bud becomes a great editing tool and can provide new unexpected effects, just like Mother nature. 

 

The edges of the metal surfaces got particular attention, as this is often the area that is first to be damaged and the paint chips reveal older and darker areas of rust. I often start here and work in to the flatter expanses and also go lighter later with the paint mix. Orange was used very sparingly, just a dab here and there, often into darker areas. This is the colour that people think rust is and mostly isn't. The colour was mixed on the brush, so that it could be edited as required producing various shades of the matt black / light rust mix. A wet cotton bud was used to dab the paint in a few places to soften the edges, while other areas were left quite hard. larger rust parches were often shaped by manipulating the paint once in place with a wet cotton bud. 
A coat of varnish sealed it all in, after the transfers were applied and blended in.
 

I hope that is of help.
 

Edited August 29, 2021 by Headstock
clarify a point

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

Falahill in N.

The fencing looks good. The telegraph wires, not so much.

[Iain.d]

13 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

Very neat work Iain - this one's on my to-do list too for a civilianisation conversion.

Here's a pic of something similar I did a while back on the Austin A6 crash tender from the Airfix RAF Emergency set, with a scratchbuilt body based on drawings in the Gerald Scarborough Airfix book on RAF vehicles, seen here on my (continually unfinished) layout, next to a Coopercraft AEC Monarch Tanker - both use transfers from Mabex:

 

 

Part of the object of the exercise in this case was to conceal the fact that the rear area of this road tunnel is blocked by a box containting some Heathcote signalling circuit boards; without the lorries there was a very obvious black wall only a little further inside the tunnel!

Thanks Chas.

 

Your glazing looks good. For mine, I have cut the windscreens and side windows from clear plastic glazing material and will secure them with 'glue 'n' glaze (I think that's what its called) but I don't think it will be as neat as yours. Thinking I'll mess up the glass work is causing me not to want to progress it - the build I showed above has been pretty much like that for weeks.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

[uax6]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

The fencing looks good. The telegraph wires, not so much.

Yes totally agree... Sad to say that there aren't many open wire pole routes to see these days, but a look at photos do show that they are not strung with piano wires, but have a drop to the span that allows for expansion and contraction, just as electricity poles with open phase wires still do.  

 

As a matter of interest what is the smallest diameter of wire the eye can see at 200 feet (which is about the same a 3 feet from a model)?

 

Andy G

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, uax6 said:

Yes totally agree... Sad to say that there aren't many open wire pole routes to see these days, but a look at photos do show that they are not strung with piano wires, but have a drop to the span that allows for expansion and contraction, just as electricity poles with open phase wires still do.  

 

As a matter of interest what is the smallest diameter of wire the eye can see at 200 feet (which is about the same a 3 feet from a model)?

 

Andy G

Good morning Andy,

 

As a professional signalman (signaller?) your view is respected.

 

The 'issue' of telegraph poles/wires has arisen on here before. I personally don't think they should be included on a model (whatever the scale), because, as you intimate, other than at close-quarters, they're 'invisible', especially against the light. 

 

 

Just discernible to the left? With a pole leaning a bit as well.

 

Something not always modelled as well: guys and poles to support the telegraph posts and signals (a much heavier gauge wire). 

 

 

Wires almost invisible here, though the guy is visible. 

 

 

Wires just about visible here to the right, though we are quite close.

 

Another point; on a Class 1 main line, a lot of telegraph wires might be needed (and this is out in the country).

 

Please (all) observe copyright restrictions on these images.

 

Should guy-wires be included on a model, then?

 

 

Or signal pulley wires?

 

Midhurst in OO.

 

Do telegraph wires add something to a layout, if done quite well?

 

 

 

 

Feniton in OO. 

 

I illustrate these model images as a talking point, not as a criticism. 

 

On a personal note, I do insist on representing signal pulley wire posts (though not the wires) and (definitely) point rodding. These things can be clearly seen. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Tony Wright
to add something

[uax6]

The first model photo of Midhurst has a delightful pole, and the lack of line wires is not noticeable (the Bullards insulators are only 4" in height in 1:1, so would only be a smidge over 1mm in 4mm scale), sadly Fenton has those damn piano wires again....

 

While doing the gates I took a ruler out with me... Theres the cut off butt of our old pole in the grass by the gate, it carried the following arms: 

-1-1-1-II-1-1-1-

    -1-1-II-1-1-

    -1-1-II-1-1-

    -1-1-II-1-1-

 -1-1-1-II-1-1-1-

    -1-1-II-1-1-

    -1-1-II-1-1-

 

And its diameter at the ground is a full 12". I'm sure that LNE-GE has probably got the wire use card somewhere in his archive.

One thing that would never get modelled this way would be the transpositions that would be required on the wires to cut transmission noise on the speaking circuits.

 

Andy G

(Bobby I think, I hate the modern signaller)