West End Workbench

[Daddyman]

as instructions ambiguous. 

That's putting it mildly! I'm just finishing an NER horse box - despite the best efforts of the instructions.... 

[jwealleans]

Sometimes Dan's instructions can be too accurate. For his Cowans-Sheldon crane, he uses all the correct names for the parts, which is a bit baffling for the crane ignoramus. When I finished one I made for Dave Scott, I had two parts left over. I contacted Paul Gallon, knowing he'd made one and while one part was fairly easily identified the other had us wondering - until Paul looked in the box for his and found the same part, which he hadn't fitted either. I asked Dan about it later and he said that it was not visible on the finished article and he usually didn't bother.

 

Once you've built that one, though, have no fear about anything else.

[ArthurK]

I have a complete kit for the Cowans-Sheldon crane but it is unlikely that I will ever get around to building it. I did however build the tool and mess vans that ran with it.

 

ArthurK

[jwealleans]

I have a set stashed away as well. The mess and tool vans are nice and straightforward once you get through all the wire beading you have to put on.

 

Getting the crane to go round corners is not the easiest thing - I hate to think what people in the more realistic gauges do.

[St Enodoc]

I have a set stashed away as well. The mess and tool vans are nice and straightforward once you get through all the wire beading you have to put on.

 

Getting the crane to go round corners is not the easiest thing - I hate to think what people in the more realistic gauges do.

Wasn't always easy in full size either.

[Daddyman]

I have a D&S NER footbridge kit, but it has some of the castings missing. Am I right in thinking that the owner (Dan Pinnock is it?) is still contactable and sometimes has castings left over from the good old days? My father bought the kit 30-odd years ago; I've snaffled it out of the loft and would like to get it finished for his 81st. 

 

P.S you're my hero Mr Wealleans for getting that new Parkside Toad built up - mine went in the bin last night; I couldn't get the gap at the corners to close up. I think the trick may be to build the sides and ends off the base plate and then file that to fit inside once they've set. I feel an email to them coming on. Have you written to them at all? 

Edited May 3, 2017 by Daddyman

[jwealleans]

In my experience, Dan is one of the most helpful blokes you could wish for. Contact him by post (the address hasn't changed) and enclose an SAE and I'm sure he'll do what he can.

If you're really discarding that Toad, do it into an envelope and send it on, I'll have a go at it. As I recall, I assembled one end and side to the floor and then filed material away until it went together. Have you built any of the old Ian Kirk or early Cambrian minerals? Very similar technique.

I meant to speak to Parkside at York - I took mine with me - but became a bit engrossed in operating and forgot. I was going to pick up another kit, tbh, I'd like to do a BR one for Wickham Market.

[Daddyman]

In my experience, Dan is one of the most helpful blokes you could wish for. Contact him by post (the address hasn't changed) and enclose an SAE and I'm sure he'll do what he can.

 

If you're really discarding that Toad, do it into an envelope and send it on, I'll have a go at it. As I recall, I assembled one end and side to the floor and then filed material away until it went together. Have you built any of the old Ian Kirk or early Cambrian minerals? Very similar technique.

 

I meant to speak to Parkside at York - I took mine with me - but became a bit engrossed in operating and forgot. I was going to pick up another kit, tbh, I'd like to do a BR one for Wickham Market.

I'm the same. I bought two - one to do LNER for my dad, and one BR for me. 

 

I thought I'd seen all the nasty surprises that Parkside wagons had to offer. You're right that I should have done one side first, and then the ends, but I did both sides first, and then found that although I'd got the corners chamfered correctly to meet (at the risk of losing the vertical as the end moulds are so flexible), the base plate was both too long and too wide. I think on the next one I'll shave a bit off all sides of the base before starting. 

 

I'm afraid I jumped on it rather energetically before binning it! That was the only modelling pleasure I had last night after I'd earlier managed to de-solder down to its many component parts the scratchbuilt steam reverser for my Q5.

 

I'll keep the steps from the van and hopefully they can be used on the earlier (but equally ... "challenging") Parkside model of the earlier LNER brake van. 

 

Thanks for the tip re Dan. 

[JaymzHatstand]

Ive just got my first of a pair of Toad E's together and found that enhancing the angled ends of the side pieces was helpful before trying to glue anything. I kept filing and dry fitting until it was as good as possible. Once together, a bit of filler has pretty much done away with gaps.

 

For a modern PD kit, it's certainly a challenge, the rest of their more recent offerings being really straightforward!

 

 

Hopefully this has made some sense!

 

I've just spent an enjoyable couple of breaks at work reading through this thread and admiring (and hopefully learning from) the superb modelling on display. It's certainly inspiring!

 

Cheers

 

J

 

Edited to add photo

Edited May 4, 2017 by JaymzHatstand

[micked]

Ive just got my first of a pair of Toad E's together and found that enhancing the angled ends of the side pieces was helpful before trying to glue anything. I kept filing and dry fitting until it was as good as possible. Once together, a bit of filler has pretty much done away with gaps.

 

For a modern PD kit, it's certainly a challenge, the rest of their more recent offerings being really straightforward...

 

 

 

Thanks everyone for posting their Parkside brake experiences. I've got one of these on order, and your comments will help no end.

 

Mick

[nerron]

Thanks everyone for posting their Parkside brake experiences. I've got one of these on order, and your comments will help no end.

 

Mick

Ditto!

[jwealleans]

I hope you haven't been frothing excessively, two weeks seem to have slipped by and I barely noticed, let alone posted what I was doing. I haven't been entirely otherwise occupied, although I did have to give myself a firm talking to and make myself finish off some things yesterday. I don't like having too many not-quite-finished projects lying about so it was time to get a few over the line. I hope to deliver the first two at Middlesbrough show this weekend.

 

 

Comet E147 ex-GW BC. I didn't build this, I've only finished it.

 

 

ex-GW E157 BC. These are Worsley Works sides on a Comet basis. These Comet GW carriage kits are really nice to build, which is as well as I have a few more to do. The paint I was supplied with to use gave me a bit of grief, even though it was a Halfords rattle can; it reacted to something and all had to come off. There are still some blemishes even though they were fully stripped and washed. My own (below) were painted at the same time with a different Halfords colour over the same Red Oxide primer and I didn't have any problem at all. Strange.

 

The remainder are mainly for the projected non-corridor cross-country train I've been working up for Wickham Market. This is probably the time that a Carriage Working document appears and shows it all up as nonsense, but such a document would be welcome and all these are types which did work in the GE section and so hopefully aren't too far divorced from reality.

 

 

Luggage Composite, cascaded from the North Eastern as has been said before. ex-NE clerestory carriages are easy to spot on photographs from the time as the Great Eastern seem to have been especially parsimonious with roof vents.

 

 

This is the lavatory composite for which Dan Pinnock supplied the missing clerestory bits. It's not quite complete as the interior is having to be built up one piece at a time from underneath (a right fiddle) and there are two short sections of corridor either side of the lav. It's ready for running trials, though.

 

 

Gresley D.244. I'm pleased with this one, it was a nice build and has made up into a distinctive vehicle.

 

 

Gresley D65 BT(4). This is a Comet kit. I've built some of their GW carriages recently which went together really nicely. Their Gresleys I find less convincing. It needs some incorrect handrail holes filling in and one or two bits of paint patching in.

 

Finally, this is Steve Banks' fault. He added a section on his website about Howlden 45' luggage brakes and I read it, remembered what an attractive thing they are and also that I had one in the unbuilt carriages box. We don't have one on Grantham at the moment, so I may have to try to slip this one in somewhere.

 

 

This was from Dan Pinnock's list last year, as far as I remember. The roof was a bit of a fiddle, but in the end I made a subroof, secured it, then soldered an old rail along the centreline at the top of the ends. The roof was Araldited to the rail and plastic weld used to secure the sides to the plastic subroof, so it was secured all the way round. It's ended up fitting fairly well. I think nerron has done one of these, I spotted it in a picture of his layout he posted somewhere on the forum last week.

Edited June 15, 2018 by jwealleans

[LNER4479]

Ooh - Dia.296 45ft BV. Froth, froth, slaver, slaver, wibble, wibble....

[nerron]

I hope you haven't been frothing excessively, two weeks seem to have slipped by and I barely noticed, let alone posted what I was doing. I haven't been entirely otherwise occupied, although I did have to give myself a firm talking to and make myself finish off some things yesterday. I don't like having too many not-quite-finished projects lying about so it was time to get a few over the line. I hope to deliver the first two at Middlesbrough show this weekend.

 

 

Comet E147 ex-GW BC. I didn't build this, I've only finished it.

 

 

ex-GW E157 BC. These are Worsley Works sides on a Comet basis. These Comet GW carriage kits are really nice to build, which is as well as I have a few more to do. The paint I was supplied with to use gave me a bit of grief, even though it was a Halfords rattle can; it reacted to something and all had to come off. There are still some blemishes even though they were fully stripped and washed. My own (below) were painted at the same time with a different Halfords colour over the same Red Oxide primer and I didn't have any problem at all. Strange.

 

The remainder are mainly for the projected non-corridor cross-country train I've been working up for Wickham Market. This is probably the time that a Carriage Working document appears and shows it all up as nonsense, but such a document would be welcome and all these are types which did work in the GE section and so hopefully aren't too far divorced from reality.

 

 

Luggage Composite, cascaded from the North Eastern as has been said before. ex-NE clerestory carriages are easy to spot on photographs from the time as the Great Eastern seem to have been especially parsimonious with roof vents.

 

 

This is the lavatory composite for which Dan Pinnock supplied the missing clerestory bits. It's not quite complete as the interior is having to be built up one piece at a time from underneath (a right fiddle) and there are two short sections of corridor either side of the lav. It's ready for running trials, though.

 

 

Gresley D.244. I'm pleased with this one, it was a nice build and has made up into a distinctive vehicle.

 

 

Gresley D65 BT(4). This is a Comet kit. I've built some of their GW carriages recently which went together really nicely. Their Gresleys I find less convincing. It needs some incorrect handrail holes filling in and one or two bits of paint patching in.

 

Finally, this is Steve Banks' fault. He added a section on his website about Howlden 45' luggage brakes and I read it, remembered what an attractive thing they are and also that I had one in the unbuilt carriages box. We don't have one on Grantham at the moment, so I may have to try to slip this one in somewhere.

 

 

This was from Dan Pinnock's list last year, as far as I remember. The roof was a bit of a fiddle, but in the end I made a subroof, secured it, then soldered an old rail along the centreline at the top of the ends. The roof was Araldited to the rail and plastic weld used to secure the sides to the plastic subroof, so it was secured all the way round. It's ended up fitting fairly well. I think nerron has done one of these, I spotted it in a picture of his layout he posted somewhere on the forum last week.

Well spotted,but a little different.No guard's ducket and double windows. It is here:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64295-wright-writes/page-666

It is packed away with all my NER EM stock. If I can find it easily I will post a clearer photo.

[St Enodoc]

I hope you haven't been frothing excessively, two weeks seem to have slipped by and I barely noticed, let alone posted what I was doing. I haven't been entirely otherwise occupied, although I did have to give myself a firm talking to and make myself finish off some things yesterday. I don't like having too many not-quite-finished projects lying about so it was time to get a few over the line. I hope to deliver the first two at Middlesbrough show this weekend.

 

 

Comet E147 ex-GW BC. I didn't build this, I've only finished it.

 

 

ex-GW E157 BC. These are Worsley Works sides on a Comet basis. These Comet GW carriage kits are really nice to build, which is as well as I have a few more to do. The paint I was supplied with to use gave me a bit of grief, even though it was a Halfords rattle can; it reacted to something and all had to come off. There are still some blemishes even though they were fully stripped and washed. My own (below) were painted at the same time with a different Halfords colour over the same Red Oxide primer and I didn't have any problem at all. Strange.

 

The remainder are mainly for the projected non-corridor cross-country train I've been working up for Wickham Market. This is probably the time that a Carriage Working document appears and shows it all up as nonsense, but such a document would be welcome and all these are types which did work in the GE section and so hopefully aren't too far divorced from reality.

 

 

Luggage Composite, cascaded from the North Eastern as has been said before. ex-NE clerestory carriages are easy to spot on photographs from the time as the Great Eastern seem to have been especially parsimonious with roof vents.

 

 

This is the lavatory composite for which Dan Pinnock supplied the missing clerestory bits. It's not quite complete as the interior is having to be built up one piece at a time from underneath (a right fiddle) and there are two short sections of corridor either side of the lav. It's ready for running trials, though.

 

 

Gresley D.244. I'm pleased with this one, it was a nice build and has made up into a distinctive vehicle.

 

 

Gresley D65 BT(4). This is a Comet kit. I've built some of their GW carriages recently which went together really nicely. Their Gresleys I find less convincing. It needs some incorrect handrail holes filling in and one or two bits of paint patching in.

 

Finally, this is Steve Banks' fault. He added a section on his website about Howlden 45' luggage brakes and I read it, remembered what an attractive thing they are and also that I had one in the unbuilt carriages box. We don't have one on Grantham at the moment, so I may have to try to slip this one in somewhere.

 

 

This was from Dan Pinnock's list last year, as far as I remember. The roof was a bit of a fiddle, but in the end I made a subroof, secured it, then soldered an old rail along the centreline at the top of the ends. The roof was Araldited to the rail and plastic weld used to secure the sides to the plastic subroof, so it was secured all the way round. It's ended up fitting fairly well. I think nerron has done one of these, I spotted it in a picture of his layout he posted somewhere on the forum last week.

Nice to see all those 'E's being put to good use.

[jwealleans]

Yes indeed, these were the vehicles where I had to start using the antipodean 'E's. I even found some 'M's Baz had overlooked which will be on their way to him when our paths next cross.

[St Enodoc]

Yes indeed, these were the vehicles where I had to start using the antipodean 'E's. I even found some 'M's Baz had overlooked which will be on their way to him when our paths next cross.

Good job you didn't put them on upside down... 

[jwealleans]

Been a busy few months, but I have found time to tinker with a few things while work and other distractions have been getting in the way.

 

This is the next addition to the Grantham stud - 2744 Grand Parade as released into traffic after rebuilding, with a GN tender.

 

 

Loco is from a Hornby/NRM Flying Scotsman, the one with the white roof. Replacement dome courtesy Graeme King, washout plugs resited and extraneous OHL flashes, etc. removed. Plates are from 247. The tender was from Tom Foster, already lightly weathered, so the loco will be done to try to match.

 

 

I've painted the Howlden BG and I have to say I'm quite pleased with it. Very characterful vehicles, these.

 

I had a spate of acquiring wagons in May - I picked up a couple of D & S rarities in small job lots on Ebay and also had quite a few from a collection being sold at Middlesbrough show. Some of these have been refinished and will need loads and weathering before too long.

 

 

ex-GE Lowmac. I'm going to make a crated load for this rather than the more common vehicle.

 

 

More ex-GE; I have a couple of the unfitted 10T vans, but not a fitted one until now. Look for this appearing from time to time in the Scotch Goods on Grantham. The ex-GN coal wagon is a Mousa resin kit.

 

 

ex-GN refrigerated van - that in itself was worth more than I paid for the lot it came in - and an MAJ ex- L & Y van.

 

 

I think the next few are all K's - LMS vent and later GW Mink, then below ex-GE sand wagon and MR 3 plank.

 

 

I don't have a great many K's wagons but the castings on these are very crisp and well detailed. Once disassembled and the glue removed they all soldered together very well. On the vans I replaced the cast roof with a plastic one as they are very heavy. The sand wagon does still have the original roof.

 

 

The PO wagon - Slaters, I think - came to me painted and nicely weathered, but with black solebars and one or two details missing (door spring, for example). I've touched it up a bit and added a little to the weathering. The GW Mite (ABS) needs a bolster making.

 

 

I think I posted a picture of this scratchbuilt Flat DV when I acquired it. I'm led to believe it's the work of John Judson, although there's no marking on it. I've added the body to solebar brackets, not that you can see them and repainted it the correct colour for a fitted vehicle.

 

 

GN brake van with altered handrails and a ModelU occupant and the new Parkside Toad E kit.

 

A few long term projects almost completed now.

 

 

I think I built this German wagon around 2012, together with another without brakeman's hutch. When I had the lettering made I managed to omit two complete panels worth and it's taken until now to get enough together to make it worth having some more transfers made.

 

 

The lettering for this was part of the commission and I've also started to weather it. The green was hurting my eyes. For those who don't recall, this is the mess van which ran with the Chipman Weedkilling train before around 1955. It's converted from the Cambrian LSWR van kit.

 

 

When I was researching and building ferry vehicles, one of the tenets of the interwar period was that the UK provided the ferries for the service and the Europeans provided the rolling stock. I was surprised therefore to find a drawing showing lettering for a ferry fitted bogie bolster of the type Parkside offer. These vehicles were also fitted with European drawhooks and formed part of the ferry stock. I have no idea how they came to be in that situation unelss they were service stock for Great Eastern Train Ferries Ltd. and acquired with the other assets of that company by the LNER in (I think) 1932. Whatever the reason, it's a variation on a fairly common kit. The lettering was quite a fiddle to make up - it's based on scans of the HMRS goods lettering built up letter by letter. The closeup is merciless - I think I got the other side nearer level.

 

 

Finally a vehicle which isn't quite finished as I need to order up some axleboxes for it - ex-NER refrigerated wagon from a Hornby body. These are best known as the Thomas Circus Van, but as Mr. King showed some years ago they can be made into a very accurate model of these vans which were used for meat, fish and I think in ordinary goods service. You can find details on his thread on the LNER forum, a long way back.

 

Edited June 11, 2018 by jwealleans

[Nelson Jackson]

I know I've hit the "like" button annol but I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to write up these updates, I know how tedious they can be, but I actually really enjoy reading what you've done and comparing it with the photos.

[grob1234]

Fantastic output both in terms of quantity and quality.

[jwealleans]

Took advantage of some sunny weather - something sadly lacking again this summer - to photograph a few recently finished or almost complete workbench items outside.

 

 

Grand Parade just about ready for service. The photo accentuates the colour difference between loco and tender - I'll see it under the layout lights before I decide whether it needs anything doing. I really don't want to have to interfere with Tom's finish unless I have to.

 

 

Howlden PBV will be through the weathering shops soon. Teak vehicles are the hardest to bring yourself to weather, I find.

 

 

This is the D 171 milk van for Wickham market. It's had the S & Ws tested and so just needed final detailing (door handles, primarily) and now weathering.

 

 

Lastly a D & S Lowmac from Ebay, repainted and with a crated load made suitable for shunting in and out of a factory on Grantham.

Edited June 15, 2018 by jwealleans

[Barry O]

Looks like a quick wipe over the tender should balance it a bit.

 

Sometimes I have to pinch myself before weathering some of the items I get to do...all big and shiny...but not for long!

 

 

All looking good for the next Grantham trip out.

 

Baz

[grob1234]

I particularly like that Teak one

[jwealleans]

I've been tinkering on with a few more wagons over the last week or three.

 

 

The NER refrigerated van is now complete. Here's a before and after shot to give you an idea. These come in several liveries, the Circus van being probably the most expensive but the others can be found in rummage bins at shows for very little.

 

I've been doing some early steel minerals to mix in with the ex-POs on Wickham Market as well. I was asked to demonstrate wagon building at Thirsk Show a few weeks ago and they seemed the ideal thing to do.

 

 

Cambrian pair, ex-LNER and ex-LMS still in pre-1948 livery.

 

 

Parkside slope sided and a Bachmann one reliveried. The Parkside was a swine to build, if I'd seen the Bachman ones Hattons were selling off first, I wouldn't have bothered. To the naked eye the paint on the Bachmann one is a much better match - once it's dirty it won't show.

 

 

Parkside French cupboard door. In all cases these have been fitted with buffers from LMS and lettering from the sheet CCT do which covers many of these early diagrams.

 

 

This Jidenco LMS Special Cattle Van came from Middlesbrough show bring and buy, part built. It's been sitting on the end of the bench for a few weeks so to get it out of the way I finished putting it together. The Jidenco suspension arrangement (which always comes out too low) was replaced with a pair of Bill Bedford sprung W irons and I've added a few extra details on the body. Because of the way it's designed it will have to be lettered and varnished before the roof goes on.

 

 

Finally, thoughts are turning to Grantham and our next outing at Hartlepool at the end of October. In the cuts of shunting stock we make up, I've been short of a kadee-fitted cattle wagon to make up a set and needed to build another. I found this David Geen L & Y one in the box, without instructions but hopefully I've got everything in the right places. As an unfitted one I may be stretching things slightly having it still in traffic in the last 1930s but it will fill the gap for the moment.

Edited June 15, 2018 by jwealleans

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

Liked the look of the modified circus vans, so I had a look on E-Bay, they varied in price from 14 pounds to 38 pounds, I thought 38 quid for a RTR wagon, that I still have to paint etc, I'll keep looking.

 

manna