Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[St Enodoc]

I've mentioned before the rather unusual model of a 70ft 12-wheeled M15 Newspaper Van that I picked up on eBay a year or so ago. With the extra spare time I have now that my commute to the office is only from the kitchen to the dining room, I decided to get it ready for use on the layout.

 

I say it's unusual because in several respects it certainly is.

 

First, it appear to be scratchbuilt from styrene sheet. An enormous amount of work has gone into the panelling on the sides, the brass underframe details and so on, although I have to say that the quality is not the highest. The really unusual part of the body is that it appears to be sealed up solid. I've tried to find a way to take it apart, without success, and when Barry O was here last month he was stumped too. This means that repainting it completely would be rather challenging.

 

The real fun, though, would be painting the other side from scratch, as it is bare styrene, the same as the other coach I bought in the same lot (more of that one another time).

 

So, what I've decided to do is to make sure that it only ever runs on the main line with the painted side facing inwards. Unless you happen to be peering through the railway room door across the lifting flap, you'll never know (digressing, many years ago Ray and Cida Earl only painted one side of the stock on their various exhibition layouts. The other side was unfinished but carried large labels such as "Parcels Van", Branch Set" and the like).

 

So, to work. So far I've replaced the buffers, which were plain turned brass with a coupling bar soldered across the faces. I used some Comet ones that I found in my spares box. The only other repair work was on the underframe where a couple of soldered joints had come adrift between the truss rods and queen posts.

 

Now it's just a case of repainting and finishing. I'm going to leave it in GWR livery as Russell has photos of 1201 in that colour scheme in 1949 and 1950, so it just scrapes into the MCL era. When I got the van it had roundels on the sides. I've scraped those off and will add Great (Shields) Western transfers instead. After touching up the paintwork the body will get fairly heavily weathered, saving me from having to worry about the rather shabby cream paint on the upper panels.

 

The bogies are whitemetal, possibly BSL, with Romford wheels. They are slightly wonky but when I pushed them across various points on the layout they stayed on so we'll see how that goes. If they turn out to be no good I'll source some replacements. Apart from fitting couplings, a coat of paint is all they need now.

 

Why am I bothering? Two reasons. First, it will be nice to see the builder's handiwork (whoever he/she is/was - any ideas anybody?) in action and secondly because I don't think I've ever seen a model of an M15 before.

 

More here once the project has progressed.

Edited July 18, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[Bogie]

So, what I've decided to do is to make sure that it only ever runs on the main line with the painted side facing inwards. Unless you happen to be peering through the railway room door across the lifting flap, you'll never know . . .

 

As Dick Emery would have said "Ooh, you are awful . . .  but I like you!"

[Chamby]

49 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

 

So, what I've decided to do is to make sure that it only ever runs on the main line with the painted side facing inwards. 

 

I don’t think I could do that, personally.  I’d always know it was there, unfinished, even if it was out of view.

 

Funny how it is different things that we each can’t live with!

[St Enodoc]

2 minutes ago, Chamby said:

 

I don’t think I could do that, personally.  I’d always know it was there, unfinished, even if it was out of view.

 

Funny how it is different things that we each can’t live with!

Phil, on an earlier layout I had coaches that were different colours on each side and locos that had different numbers on each side. The layout included off-stage reversing loops so I could get two trains for the price of one.

 

I know what you mean though. It (and its mate) are definitely exceptions to the rule. The alternative is trying to paint the other side with the glazing already in place, which I don't think I really want to try.

[Clive Mortimore]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Phil, on an earlier layout I had coaches that were different colours on each side and locos that had different numbers on each side. The layout included off-stage reversing loops so I could get two trains for the price of one.

 

I know what you mean though. It (and its mate) are definitely exceptions to the rule. The alternative is trying to paint the other side with the glazing already in place, which I don't think I really want to try.

Go on, have a go.

I have a Gresley Tourist coach, one of the Mailcoach models to paint, so in many respects I am in the same boat. It is either that and leave it totally transparent and call it an observation coach.

[Mulgabill]

Go on John!

 

You could go old school and do it by hand.

 

After all if it doesn't go well, you'll only see it from the entrance, And

you never know you might be pleased enough to share with any

visitors, and put it on the display side.

 

Who dares = wins.

 

All the best

 

TONY

[lofty.ian]

Jotn,

Thanks for the memory of Ray and Cida Earl and their exhibition layouts.  I was on the next stand to them at an exhibition, and they pointed out some of their 'techniques'.  As well as the one sided coaches, they also 'points' on their through lines which were really plain track with dummy extra rails added, which reduced the risk of problems at exhibitions.  Lovely couple.

Lofty

[Tallpaul69]

I remember Ray and Cida and their slightly unusual layouts (apart from the the one sided trains and the "points"!

 

Is it me getting old, or does the exhibition circuit have less "characters" than there once were?

 

Have to put my thinking cap on and come up with some other examples!

 

Meanwhile, attached is a file detailing my three favourite Parcels Trains for "Lower Thames Yard", which I hope will be of interest?

 

Take care, keep safe!

Cheers

Paul 

Parcels Trains -3 favourite for Posting.docx

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Go on, have a go.

I have a Gresley Tourist coach, one of the Mailcoach models to paint, so in many respects I am in the same boat. It is either that and leave it totally transparent and call it an observation coach.

 

6 hours ago, Mulgabill said:

Go on John!

 

You could go old school and do it by hand.

 

After all if it doesn't go well, you'll only see it from the entrance, And

you never know you might be pleased enough to share with any

visitors, and put it on the display side.

 

Who dares = wins.

 

All the best

 

TONY

Hmm. The challenge with the M15 is the panelling. Even though there aren't many windows, I think I would make a complete Horlicks of painting the edges of the frames without getting paint all over the glazing. Perhaps the thing to do is to get the van into service with just the one side painted, then one fine day in the future when I have absolutely nothing else left to do on the layout paint the other side...

 

I know what you're talking about with the Mailcoach kits, Clive. I've got two K22 Toplight full brakes waiting to be built. They're flush sided so shouldn't be as hard as your Gresley. I've got an idea for that - I'll say more when I actually get a round tuit.

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, lofty.ian said:

'points' on their through lines which were really plain track with dummy extra rails added

Lofty, I saw a very nice N gauge Australian layout at a recent show that did exactly that. For an exhibition tail-chaser fine, but wouldn't satisfy my operating urges.

 

Hope all is well with you and that you're keeping up with news from Leeds.

[lofty.ian]

Thanks John, with the Leeds Whatsapp and Barry doing a weekly newsletter, doing well.  Inspired my your locked-in progress I need to get on otherwise people will think I've fallen asleep.

Lofty

[Sharky]

On 07/04/2020 at 20:30, St Enodoc said:

Why am I bothering? Two reasons. First, it will be nice to see the builder's handiwork (whoever he/she is/was - any ideas anybody?) in action and secondly because I don't think I've ever seen a model of an M15 before.

Any item of rolling stock that adds variety is worth it. Even if it's only painted on one side.

It adds flavour and a unique aspect to the train that you wouldn't get if it was just another "RTR Full Brake"

I'm discovering this with my passenger trains.

All the 'nice' coaches I own (bar a set of Ratio Midland cars I bought at a BMRA convention) are RTR Hornby Period III.

While they are lovely looking cars, it wasn't common to find a full rake of them.

I en-devour to get some period II and I (and some pre-grouping cars) to spice things up a bit.

But first I need to become more proficient with a soldering iron...

 

As for painting the car or not, I'd say leave it as is.

If you're not fussed with it running it so you can't see the unpainted side, then that should be good enough for everyone else.

If anyone makes comment of it, ask them if they'd care to paint it for you.

Plus as you've stated you've got numerous other task that require your attention.

[St Enodoc]

The M15 is coming along nicely. Last night I touched up the chocolate and cream paint and at lunchtime today I put a coat of black etching primer on all the parts of the body that should be black - some of these had been painted brown in an odd attempt at weathering and on some the paint had worn or flaked off. Before dinner I fitted DG couplings to the bogies and added styrene shims between the bogies and the body to get the correct ride height. I've now painted the bogies, so tomorrow after hot cross buns I'll be able to add the transfers and put it all together.

[St Enodoc]

I touched up the black paint on the bogies and the van ends this morning then fitted the bogies.

 

 

Then I took the van out to the railway to check that it would run, before applying the transfers. Some of you might be getting ahead of me here...

 

Well, this is a 70 ft van with 12-wheeled bogies. The bogie wheelbase is 48mm and the bogie pivot centres are 193mm. So...

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...on 30" radius curves, the outermost wheels foul the insides of the solebars.

 

Solution? Only run the van in trains that don't need to go round 30" radius curves. That means Up trains that are made up on, and depart from, Penzance loop 14 and arrive in Paddington loop 14, where the stock is removed from the layout. This route has a ruling radius of 36". At the moment the van is rostered in four trains, two of which meet those criteria and two of which don't. So, the answer is to delete it from the two that don't (which will still have 6 bogie vans in the formation, along with some milk tanks) and just run it in the two that do.

 

This of course an extra justification for restricting the van to the main line, as the branch will have a ruling radius of 30", and for not painting the "other" side...

 

Simples!

Edited July 18, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[St Enodoc]

Transfers applied, not without some excitement as my only sheet of GWR transfers (Pressfix sheet 7) is rather ancient, as witnessed by the label on the pack: "Puffers, Kenton Railway Station, 01-907 3251". As a consequence, the adhesive on the sheet has virtually disappeared so it was fun and games getting the transfers, especially the individual digits in the numbers, to sit in the right place for very long.

 

I would have bought this sheet when I lived in Polesworth, which was from 1990 to 1997. I used to try to escape from meetings in London early to take the DC to Kenton, shop at Puffers, then on to Watford Junction to pick up the connection for Tamworth (in those days there were only two expresses each way per day that stopped there).

 

 

The photos in Russell Appendix 2 don't show a vertical join in the long panels below the waist, so I put the Great Western transfer as near to the centre line as possible. In any case, on the photo of this side the van is so dirty you can't see it at all.

 

Anyway, they're all done now and once they've hardened up I'll spot-coat them with matt varnish to protect them. The van can then go into service pending weathering. "Pending", of course, is a highly subjective how-long-is-a-piece-of-string term.

Edited July 18, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[acg5324]

I take it smaller wheels will make it look a bit odd. Not enough material to grind enough space in the frame for the flanges?

Looks an impressive van.

 

I think my oldest transfers are some Mabex waterslide ones from when they were at Pevensey...and some Fox transfers before they were Fox..FMR?

[sandwich station]

5 minutes ago, acg5324 said:

I think my oldest transfers are some Mabex waterslide ones from when they were at Pevensey...and some Fox transfers before they were Fox..FMR?

 

I have several LMS Pressfix sheets from the 80's somewhere. Not sure if they would be any good now.  

[St Enodoc]

33 minutes ago, acg5324 said:

I take it smaller wheels will make it look a bit odd. Not enough material to grind enough space in the frame for the flanges?

Looks an impressive van.

 

I think my oldest transfers are some Mabex waterslide ones from when they were at Pevensey...and some Fox transfers before they were Fox..FMR?

Yes, small wheels would look wrong and anyway the bogies appear to have been soldered up round the wheels... The wheel rim faces fouling the inside of the solebars are the problem, not the flanges. Definitely not enough material to carve/grind out unfortunately (now I know why the old Dapol LMS diner had segments missing from the solebars). Never mind - it is what it is and will still look nice on the two trains in which it runs (one of which is the 1540 Penzance parcels, seen here a page or two ago). I think it will look all right from the mythical "normal viewing distances".

 

I've still got a couple of old Western National fleet name transfers from when Mabex were at Barden Road in Eastbourne - not sure whether that was before or after the Pevensey days. My oldest transfers of any type are some 1.5 inch waterslide alphabets and numbers. These were aeromodelling transfers, from Blunt's in  Mill Hill, which I bought so that we could name our Scout group's canoe "Eric the Red" (sic). That would have been in about 1970.

[Barry O]

I still have a few sheets of woodhead transfers. I can still use them but you need to varnish them to get them to stick.

 

Coach looks good.

12 wheelers do cause problems with bogie swing. I am checking my stock at the moment. 12 wheel sleepers will be banned from Barnbow East until I sort out the bogies. Some of the 12 wheel Restaurant cars need sorting too. 

 

Enjoy Easter. We are having a virtual Robin Hoods Bay meet up with the other Bogglers.

 

 

Best regards to your good lady.

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

1 minute ago, Barry O said:

I still have a few sheets of woodhead transfers. I can still use them but you need to varnish them to get them to stick.

 

Coach looks good.

12 wheelers do cause problems with bogie swing. I am checking my stock at the moment. 12 wheel sleepers will be banned from Barnbow East until I sort out the bogies. Some of the 12 wheel Restaurant cars need sorting too. 

 

Enjoy Easter. We are having a virtual Robin Hoods Bay meet up with the other Bogglers.

 

 

Best regards to your good lady.

 

Baz

Thanks Baz. I've still got some Woodhead wagon transfers. Before they came along I used to letter wagons by hand with a Rotring pen and white ink. Those were the days!

 

Enjoy your boggling and all the best both to H and yourself.

[St Enodoc]

I've started the next two coaches.

 

The first is the running mate to the M15, another sealed-up scratchbuilt styrene model. This one purports to be a C65 60ft flat-end corridor third. The standard of workmanship is far better than on the M15 and the whole job should be quite straightforward. The only real problem is that the model is fitted with 7ft plate bogies instead of 9ft pressed steel. Moving the bogie centres will be too much work so I'll leave them as they are. Nobody will ever know... will they? The underframe detail is a bit sparse - just two battery boxes and two brake cylinders. I'll probably add a dynamo but given the incorrect bogies I don't think I'll go the whole hog. I'll finish this coach in crimson and cream, preserving the cream round the windows as before. Just for a change, I'll put the number at the left end of each side without the W suffix, as shown in Russell Appendix 1. This will be a nice coach to have, as according to www.gwr.org.uk there has never been a kit or RTR model of one.

 

The second coach, and the last of my ready-built eBay purchases, is an ancient (wooden-roofed) BSL E147 57ft flat-end non-corridor brake 3rd. Many of these were built as close-coupled B Set pairs but mine will be one of the single versions with standard buffing and drawgear at both ends. This coach is in quite good condition apart from one corner, where the side has come away from both the end and the roof. That should be easy enough to fix. The coach can be dismantled, fortunately, so repairing and repainting the body in plain crimson will be quite straightforward.

 

I don't think I'll do much to these tomorrow, though, as another job I did tonight was to separate all the etched lever numbers for Porthmellyn Road signal box from their fret. I think I'll make up a jig and fix these to the levers using Kwik Grip (our equivalent of Evo-Stik). That's the last big job on the signal box, the rest being to make it look nice with a coat or two of varnish on the plywood casing.

[Tallpaul69]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Yes, small wheels would look wrong and anyway the bogies appear to have been soldered up round the wheels... The wheel rim faces fouling the inside of the solebars are the problem, not the flanges. Definitely not enough material to carve/grind out unfortunately (now I know why the old Dapol LMS diner had segments missing from the solebars). Never mind - it is what it is and will still look nice on the two trains in which it runs (one of which is the 1540 Penzance parcels, seen here a page or two ago). I think it will look all right from the mythical "normal viewing distances".

 

I've still got a couple of old Western National fleet name transfers from when Mabex were at Barden Road in Eastbourne - not sure whether that was before or after the Pevensey days. My oldest transfers of any type are some 1.5 inch waterslide alphabets and numbers. These were aeromodelling transfers, from Blunt's in  Mill Hill, which I bought so that we could name our Scout group's canoe "Eric the Red" (sic). That would have been in about 1970.

I remember Blunts in Mill Hill!

Like you I used to arrange my route home to Luton (but driving!) from London Area meetings to include a while there.

Don't think I have any transfers from there, but I certainly have a number of small bags of bits and bobs bought there, mainly goods vehicle brake gear!

I also remember Puffers in Kenton, and worked the same routine to call in there!

 

Happy days, we didn't realise how well off we were for model shops then!

 

Cheers

Paul

 

[St Enodoc]

In the end I didn't need a very complex jig for the lever frame numbers, just a strip of styrene to get them all the same height. Centring them was easy as the plates are only a tiny bit wider than the levers. Doing blocks of six at a time, to match the Modratec modules, I completed the whole frame in about three hours. It woudl have taken less time had not one of the plates disappeared while I was gluing it. A bit of stringy glue must have acted as a catapult.

 

I thought it had fallen into the lever frame, so I removed the casing and peered inside - no luck, so I got down on my hands and knees and,fortunately, found it on the carpet. By the time I'd put the casing back in place I'd wasted half an hour.

 

Anyway, here's the whole frame...

 

...and a close-up of a baker's dozen levers.

 

I'm glad to have got that job out of the way. It wasn't hard, but repetitive and therefore tedious.

Edited July 18, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[31A]

59 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

 

I thought it had fallen into the lever frame, so I removed the casing and peered inside - no luck, so I got down on my hands and knees and,fortunately, found it on the carpet. By the time I'd put the casing back in place I'd wasted half an hour.

 

 

You're lucky it was only half an hour!  I've got so used to wasting time doing that if I don't spot it straight away I now tend to ignore it and move onto the next thing, and look again in a week's time.  I've usually found it again before then, whilst on my hands and knees looking for the next dropped thing!

[St Enodoc]

Happy Easter everyone.

 

Having bemoaned the unavailability of Milky Bay Easter eggs recently, I was overjoyed to find some in Coles last weekend. Small they may be but any Milky Bar egg is better than none.

 

 

The ones in the middle were on special so I had to buy two to save a dollar. Anyone else think they look like Orville?

Edited July 18, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored