RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted March 18, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 18, 2021 23 minutes ago, Tony Wright said: The LRM J3 is now weathered and in service. I don't own an airbrush and no even less how to use one, so my method is Humbrol enamels (matt grey/brown/black) sables and dry-brushing. I think the technique produces a naturally-grubby layout loco, and certainly at 'normal' viewing distances is acceptable to me. I tried to fit a 4mm crew in, but they were giants. The ones used are actually 3.5mm scale, and both members are sitting down. This veteran is just working out its last days in the early '50s. I'd be about six at the time, so, even if I saw one (at Retford) I have no recollection. Still, I like the antiquity of the dear old thing. And, I predict there'll never be one RTR in my lifetime.......................................... Lovely but wouldn't the windows have had at least a wipe over on a loco in traffic? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cctransuk Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 1 minute ago, MikeParkin65 said: Lovely but wouldn't the windows have had at least a wipe over on a loco in traffic? I've seen many photos of locos with similar or worse spectacle glazing in traffic; I suspect some of the older drivers always stuck their heads out of the cab cutaway as a matter of course. (Namby-pamby things, glazed spectacles)! John Isherwood. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northmoor Posted March 18, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 18, 2021 48 minutes ago, Tony Wright said: I predict there'll never be one RTR in my lifetime.......................................... What a shame our local bookies has shut. I feel the urge to put a tenner on an RTR J3 being announced in the next six months. Rob 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Wright Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 45 minutes ago, cctransuk said: Wright - take 100 lines !!! John Isherwood. Well done young Isherwood, You've spotted the deliberate error! See me............... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Wright Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 46 minutes ago, MikeParkin65 said: Lovely but wouldn't the windows have had at least a wipe over on a loco in traffic? I wasn't sure Mike, Some pictures show relatively clean spectacles (irrespective of the general condition of the loco) and some are really grubby. I think in my pictures the spectacles look dirtier than they are. Many prototype pictures are taken from low down, with light shining through the spectacles. Regards, Tony. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold zr2498 Posted March 18, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 18, 2021 34 minutes ago, Tony Wright said: I wasn't sure Mike, Some pictures show relatively clean spectacles (irrespective of the general condition of the loco) and some are really grubby. I think in my pictures the spectacles look dirtier than they are. Many prototype pictures are taken from low down, with light shining through the spectacles. Regards, Tony. Perhaps they are sunglasses 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post LNER4479 Posted March 18, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 18, 2021 4 hours ago, Tony Wright said: I don't own an airbrush and know even less how to use one ... Now there's a curious coincidence. After many years of not owning / using an airbrush, look what I was doing earlier in the week ... What's more, this is Dave Shakespeare's old airbrush that I am using. So I've achieved the first half of your statement ... Here's the result. More by chance than any great degree of skill. I've not found it the easiest of things to use ... and my hands were black by the time I'd finished. I'm tempted to say something to leave to the experts! Meanwhile ... The new Retford signal now has its arms painted. But some fiddly work likes ahead to get them all linked up and working ... 13 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tony Wright Posted March 18, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 18, 2021 (edited) Further to the J3 spectacles, a couple more images.................. Where a light ground can be seen behind them, I think they're about right with the level of dirt. Where there's no back light, they do look dirtier. Anyway, it's rather academic now because the loco's on the layout and I'll be doing nothing more to it. This splendid kit makes up into a worthy layout loco, or at least I think so. With the J3, this means that there are now 30 locos for use on the MR/M&GNR bit of LB; and there are only ten trains! I'm already rummaging through my kit boxes to see what's next to do, after I've completed the 'County' tank. Edited March 19, 2021 by Tony Wright to add something 18 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted March 18, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 18, 2021 5 minutes ago, Tony Wright said: Further to the J3 spectacles, a couple more images.................. Where a light ground can be seen behind them, I think they're about right with the level of dirt. Where there's no back light, they do look dirtier. Anyway, it's rather academic now because the loco's on the layout and I'll be doing nothing more to it. This splendid kit makes up into worthy layout loco, or at least I think so. With the J3, this means that there are now 30 locos for use on the MR/M&GNR bit of LB; and there are only ten trains! I'm already rummaging through my kit boxes to see what's next to do, after I've completed the 'County' tank. Looks spot on in the layout context 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 8 hours ago, LNER4479 said: I've not found it the easiest of things to use ... and my hands were black by the time I'd finished. I'm tempted to say something to leave to the experts! If at first you don't succeed... give up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerron Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 23 minutes ago, St Enodoc said: If at first you don't succeed... give up. Or as Frank Muir would say "If at first you don't suck seed try drier grain" 2 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Wright Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 A request, please................... Does anyone know of (or have spare) a 4mm 6' - 6' tender sub-frame, please? I'm building an EM set of Comet loco frames to go beneath my Crownline B17 CLUMBER, for service on the boat train on Retford. However, Comet doesn't do a 6' - 6' tender sub-frame. I presume PDK still does a B17, though I doubt if a sub-frame for the GE-style tender is available as a spare (it's the same for the B12 and the J17, and, no doubt, others). I could always scratch-build a set, but an etched one is much quicker. Thanks in anticipation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr.king Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) Tony and others won't like my suggestion, but the quickest and cheapest way to scratch build a perfectly effective tender sub frame is to cut the main parts out from 40thou plastic (two layers per side if you want them really strong), drill the axle holes with the side frames sandwiched, & push in some 2mm brass bearings or pieces of 2mm bore brass tube before adding the stretcher pieces. Build 'em square of course, and make sure the axles all end up in the same plane, by putting long 2mm rods through the bearings during final assembly so that you can check by sight. Then get on with rest of life. You can't solder the frames to the rest of the tender of course, but why would you want to fit them permanently anyway? Screws allow removal for tweaking and servicing. Edited March 19, 2021 by gr.king Clarification 8 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebbles Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 52 minutes ago, Compound2632 said: Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. The coastal area is generally fairly mild although I think the winter of 1963 was tough. So maybe mild in Eastbourne but just wait till you get to Heathfield and the Crowborough/Tunbridge Wells area. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Lamb Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Compound2632 said: Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. That area, the very south east corner in particular, does seem to catch some very bad weather. The worst avalanche recorded in the UK was I believe in Kent. Bernard 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northmoor Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Compound2632 said: Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. It's as much about the amount of people likely to be disrupted as the amount of snow and and others said, SE England regularly gets enough snow to be disruptive, almost every year. Even here in leafy Surrey we've had nearly a foot of snow in some years; however remember that winters are generally milder now (global warming) and yes, the winters of '48 and '63 will live long in the memory across the country. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Wright Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 2 hours ago, Compound2632 said: Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. Good afternoon Stephen, I recall seeing an image of a 'West Country' completely immobile and inundated with snow in a huge drift in the winter of 1963; in the West Country. Regards, Tony. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2021 3 minutes ago, Tony Wright said: Good afternoon Stephen, I recall seeing an image of a 'West Country' completely immobile and inundated with snow in a huge drift in the winter of 1963; in the West Country. Regards, Tony. I suppose an 'air smoothed' Bulleid is almost the opposite of a plough. A wedge in fact lol 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denbridge Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 2 hours ago, Compound2632 said: Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. Winters were a lot harsher than what we are now accustomed to in recent decades. Even in 1960's Sussex i well remember having several inches of snow fairly regularly. I well remember older neighbours talking about being cut off in outlying areas. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 2 hours ago, Compound2632 said: Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. Hi Stephen No idea except they had some Schools tenders going spare so made some ploughs out of them. About the same time Eastleigh was using V2 tender frames to make the BR independent snowplough which were allocated everywhere but the SR. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepy Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 2 hours ago, Northroader said: Happy days! That looks like Chatham, i think it was late 1980s or early 1990s i was a secondman/driver based at Gillingham then and i remember this! We were loco hauling everything from EPBs to CEPs and VEPs using 'Cromptons', 56s, EDs, anything we could lay our hands on really! There was even a rumour that one of our drivers had to be airlifted by helicopter from the Isle of Sheppey, although i never got to ask him about that at the time! I can't remember the precise year, the writing on the picture is too blurry to read, thanks for posting, Regards, Jim. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Compound2632 said: Can I just ask, what use did the Southern Region have for snowploughs, especially such a monster as the one we've been shown? The South Downs are hardly the mountains of Craven let alone Drumochtar. The prototype wasn't anything like as monstrous as the model. My guess is there was a demand that "something must be done" after the winter of 1962/3 and the availability of redundant steam loco tenders meant it wouldn't cost a fortune. In any event, bits of Kent and Sussex do (or at least did) catch proper winters even in years when we in the balmy south west merely got drenched.... John Edited March 19, 2021 by Dunsignalling 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Tony Wright said: Good afternoon Stephen, I recall seeing an image of a 'West Country' completely immobile and inundated with snow in a huge drift in the winter of 1963; in the West Country. Regards, Tony. Not to mention the N Class mogul that was frozen into one for a week out near Okehampton.... It was eventually released by lighting a bonfire under it and pulling hard using an (officially withdrawn the previous autumn) Black Motor. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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