Dallam Sidings (Warrington) - N Gauge WCML 2001 Macclesfield Show 20th&21st April 2024

[PaulCheffus]

5 minutes ago, Scott B said:

 

Chassis & roof required as the NGS kit is only the sides & ends, same goes for the VDA kit.

So in other words, you need the Farish VAA/VBA van as a doner if you are going down that route. Chuck the van, keep the chassis & roof.

I believe the tool for the roof became damaged or something like, hence there being no roof in the kit.

 

 

 

Hi

 

As far as I am aware the roof was supplied direct from Farish in the beginning.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[87023Velocity]

30 minutes ago, Scott B said:

 

Chassis & roof required as the NGS kit is only the sides & ends, same goes for the VDA kit.

So in other words, you need the Farish VAA/VBA van as a doner if you are going down that route. Chuck the van, keep the chassis & roof.

I believe the tool for the roof became damaged or something like, hence there being no roof in the kit.

 

 

 

That does make a difference then! Fortunately can just stick with this one (for now!).

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[87023Velocity]

92009 Elgar has joined the Dallam fleet. This is the unnumbered version I won in the Kain Harkins raffle on the UK N gauge modelling FB page. This version comes with a sheet of transfers with various numbers, names and logos. I decided on 92009 Elgar which is not on the sheet so got the 3D plates and numbers from Railtec and used the Railfreight Distribution transfers from the sheet supplied. This will be left now and varnished at a later date, etched arrows and Crewe Electric depot plaques will be added then along with the 3 rings on the side. 
I may also renumber 92003 using the spare decals on the sheet.

[87023Velocity]

Been playing around with some low angle shots of the layout over the past week or so whilst operating the layout. Here are a few of the pics. 

 

[Davexoc]

Last shot is great. It captures that look of a warm sunny day, with the HST disappearing into the shimmering heat-haze...

[87023Velocity]

Bit of messing about tonight. Back to 1992 and 31421 takes some wagons north to Carlisle Currock, a GM liveried 142 heads to Bank Quay from Lime Street whilst a BR blue 08 shunts the yard.

[87023Velocity]

At somepoint I really do need to look at the backscene on Dallam and do something other than plain white. Had a play around on a photo edit app adding some different overcast sky for some fun and to get ideas. Although Dallam is based around the summer months, grey skies are quite a regular thing!

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[jonas]

The moody sky looks great - go for it!

[RBE]

I feel at the low areas some distant low saturated landscape/buildings would look good.

[bridgiesimon]

defo another vote for the overcast skies much more prototypical for the UK than sunshine ad blue skies lol!!

 

Best wishes

Simon

[DavidMcKenzie]

Looks good Simon, the overcast sky is very fitting and white/light grey tones always helps to makes the layout in the foreground stand out.

 

I agree with RBE that small low level distant buildings/rooftops without much detail would give more depth to the layout and help transition the gap between the amazing detailing in the foreground and the sky in the background. 

 

All the best,

Dave 

[GWRPhil]

I agree with the atmospheric nature of clouds but given most exhibitions are in winter when plenty of clouds outside a lovely blue sky with the odd light wispy cloud is much more happy thing to be looking at whilst appreciating a great layout like this. 

[87023Velocity]

Finally got some modelling done over the past few weeks. Decided to model the Mentor test train as seen during 2001. Mentor 975091 was in Serco Red/Grey and the runners that went with it occasionally were 2 Mk1s in Intercity ex charter vehicles and 2 Mk1s in Waterman Railways livery. The 2 Intercity Mk1s are the Farish Executive Intercity liveried versions but the Executive dark grey has been oversprayed with Falcon Grey. The Waterman liveried Mk1 FK and SO have been stripped and sprayed LNWR plum along with the lining which was sprayed on. 

Just got to get Mentor itself progressed.

[87023Velocity]

A few pictures from operating the layout over the past few weeks. One train which has not seen much use is the Freightliner rake. This is because the 5.1mm wheelsets for the FGA/FFAs had been pinched from my Cawoods rake for testing. So wheels ordered and now able go run the 18 wagon rake consisting of FGA/FFA, KFA, Megafrets, Pocket wagons. This runs pretty well with the odd coupling playing up. 

Edited April 7, 2022 by 87023Velocity

[87023Velocity]

Bit more done on the mk1 runners to go with Mentor. Had a first attempt at creating the flaking/patches quite often seen on mk1s which had not seen works/the painters attention for sometime. Still a bit more to do I feel. Finding direct overhead shots of the actual vehicles is basically impossible. So attempted a representation.

[87023Velocity]

Finally made a start on Mentor. I did think about using the Electra vinyls but decided to have a challenge and butcher 2 perfectly good mk1 BSKs.
Usually I would strip all paint before doing any mods but there is a method to the madness. Using the Intercity livery with all its lines certainly helps with lining up all the spliced in sections. 3 sets of doors required removing and standard saloon windows fitting in their place.
Holes have also been cut in the ends for the windows. 
Will leave the filler to dry fully for a few days before removing the paint.

[Steven B]

Nice work!

 

Are you planning on stripping of the paint before it heads to the paint shop? It might be worth testing the filler before giving it a dunk. I didn't and had to re-do the filling....

 

Might I suggest a Courier or Bullion van from the remains of the other BSK?

 

Steven B

[PaulCheffus]

On 19/04/2022 at 13:10, Steven B said:

Nice work!

 

Are you planning on stripping of the paint before it heads to the paint shop? It might be worth testing the filler before giving it a dunk. I didn't and had to re-do the filling....

 

Might I suggest a Courier or Bullion van from the remains of the other BSK?

 

Steven B

Hi

 

Indeed Phoenix Precision stripper and Humbrol filler certainly don’t mix as the filler goes soft. I always strip the vehicles before filling after that happened.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[87023Velocity]

On 19/04/2022 at 13:10, Steven B said:

Nice work!

 

Are you planning on stripping of the paint before it heads to the paint shop? It might be worth testing the filler before giving it a dunk. I didn't and had to re-do the filling....

 

Might I suggest a Courier or Bullion van from the remains of the other BSK?

 

Steven B

 

Great idea about the Courier vehicle, I was just planning to keep the remains of the body for any future departmental conversions but think I will make a courier vehicle for a railtour rake.

22 hours ago, PaulCheffus said:

Hi

 

Indeed Phoenix Precision stripper and Humbrol filler certainly don’t mix as the filler goes soft. I always strip the vehicles before filling after that happened.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

Good shout about the filler Steven and Paul 👍. As mentioned usually I would strip the paint but thought the Intercity lines would assist alignment. From the filling and rubbing down so far, I think whatever is left of the original livery could be removed using some very fine wet/dry to make the body suitable for spraying.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[87023Velocity]

Had the Intermodal and Freightliner rakes running yesterday. Here is 90029 on the Intermodal to Mossend and 86621/628 on the Freightliner to Crewe Basford Hall.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

 

 

[87023Velocity]

Bit more work done on 975091 Mentor. Central roof section cut to size and glued in position. Flat roof areas formed from 10thou plasticard and strip. Cab ends formed from 10thou plasticard with the windows cut out.
With regards the pantograph, ideally would use a Dapol version but going to use a Farish one from the spares box.
Could not resist a test run so formed the rake up with 47761 and 47785.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[87023Velocity]

One end of Mentor is nearing completion detail wise. Toilet water tank filler pipes added and the access ladder fitted but not glued - going to redo this as twisted it slightly and will need the anti climb plate adding. Decided also to ditch using the Farish pantograph and use one of my Dapol spares, looks alot better. Insulators are Sommerfelt. The ETH moulding is a Dapol version from the loco detail packs.

[87023Velocity]

Another Mk1 test vehicle has been started. Whilst looking for pictures of Mentor, I found pictures of the previous Lab 6 which became Test Car 5 with Serco. Previously used for high speed pantograph testing, this vehicle had been fitted with Mk3 BT10 bogies to allow 125mph running. During its use with Serco, the pantograph had been removed and it was just used as a brake force runner for test trains.
I cut the coupling from a Farish BT10 and also modified the bogie pivot hole to match the underframe moulding on the mk1 allowing the close coupling mechanism to be retained.
With that done, several laps of Dallam through the reverse pointwork in the fiddleyard were successfully carried out with a 47 either end. 
Next step will be to put the body in IPA and cut the roof to form the well area were the pantograph was located.

[87023Velocity]

Revolution trains class 320 running on Dallam, out of region and era by someway.

 

 

 

[87023Velocity]

With the arrival of the Revolution 320s, thought it would be good to set up a Scottish them with a push pull rake and the blue 08 (just need a few Scotrail 47/7s now!)