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North Cranford


M.I.B
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So where is North Cranford?

 

North Cranford was a large sub-shed of Old Oak Common, on the Paddington to Bristol line.   North of what is now Junction 3 of the M4 motorway, NE of Heathrow Airport, West of Yiewsley.

 

Dig deep under what is now the Western International Market and trading estate, built in 1974, and you will find cinders and rail, and smoky brick rubble......

 

North Cranford had a thriving goods yard to support the local communites at Cranford, Yiewsley, West Drayton, Uxbridge (Uxbridge Branch closed in 1962)  and into Southall.    Meat trains for Faringdon and Smithfield were marshalled here whilst fast parcels and passenger traffic headed into and out of Town.

 

Milk traffic either went straight into Nestles in Hayes, or further into Town for bottling and cooking.

 

Tea traffic for Greenford packing plants of Lyons and Hornimans were often marshaled here and formed into small local trains to fill the tea houses up and take their packed goods off for UK and international consumption.

 

Close by was the Grand Union Canal.

 

All along what is now the M4 and M40 inside the M25, were hundreds of furniture depositories, taking and issuing furniture removals and exchanging from road to rail, or vice versa: packing or unpacking containers as they went. 

 

The local brewery produced a well known and popular IPA which found its way all over the globe, as some IPAs did, as well as a good porter and a fine Director's Best. 

 

So what's not to like:  fast NPCCS, fast passenger, SIPHONS, Castles and condensing 97XXs.  MICAs, ALEs, GRANOs, urban, CONFLATs and lots of milk traffic.    No fields, no BLTs and no 14XX autotrains.

 

 

My connection to the area:  My Great-great uncle was born in Cranford, lived there until he joined 16th Bn the Tank Corps in 1918 at the age of 19.  He was killed when his tank was struck by German Artillery fire.  On 1 Oct 1918, the day he died, his unit was withdrawn from the Front and went into reserve, and never fought for the remainder of WW1.  His tank unit was reinforcing US and Australian infantry between Peronne and Cambrai.

 

 

His headstone in France reads:  "Never shall his memory fade".

 

(See 1 Oct 2018 post)

Edited by M.I.B
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Talking of 97XXs and MICAs.

 

 

Currently in the cabinet is MIB Snr's 97XX, which is believed to be a K's kit. It is a hesitant runner and has done much better since a servicing so a little more running may improve it further still.  It also wiggles and waddles like Marlyn Monroe when it runs.

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It is not weathered and still remains in quite a glossy state.  It was built before most RM web-ers were born and a zillion years before anyone thought of weathering, so that way it shall remain. 

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9707, one of the few converted condensing engines of this class is used for the Smithfield meat trains from North Cranford, which trafficked the London Underground tunnels, hence the odd black piping for those of you unaware. 

 

The meat train is formed mainly of Wrenn MICA Bs which are slightly weathered, as well as a converted Hornby van to be a  non-refrigerated "MEATVAN" .     The Wrenn MICA Bs have aged a very off-white, so they don't need much weathering at all.

 

They are followed by a tunnel TOAD with the fully enclosed veranda.  There are 2 of these converted using plasticard - one is Hornby and the other is a Ratio kit.

Edited by M.I.B
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Onto the mail train,

 

I upped the Leather and olive green in the paint mix on the mail train running gear.post-10306-0-77429600-1435058490_thumb.jpg

(excuse the perspective- this shot somehow makes the lettering look squint and the TSO is about to topple over!)

 

The mail train consists of modified RTR.  The Hornby TPO body has been put onto a standard carriage chassis without the internal operating gear, which always rattled and clanked as it went round.  The catcher has been remade using Evergreen rod and box section, and a net made out of a cut of lpiece of ladies hosiery.  post-10306-0-80521600-1435058449_thumb.jpg

 

The TPO is followed by a TSO of similar construction, and as in reality, the TPO has a blanked off panel where the catching mechanism once was.

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The chassis for the TPO and TSO retain their LMS style oval buffers and bogies for now.  One day they will get replaced.  TPO also needs truss rod repairs by the looks of it!

 

The corridor connectors have been moved over to one side as per the prototype, and to match , the adjoining full brakes have each had a corridor connection moved to one side. 

 

But I am not using K40s and K42s, and instead have used a spoonful of license and backdated some of the excellent Hornby Hawksworth full brakes.  As well as company branding, the Chocolate and cream elements of the mail train also wear the "Royal Mail" scripting courtesy of both HMRS and Modelmaster Jackson Evans.

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Elsewhere in the mail train is a dedicated exterior framed SIPHON G from Dapol, with the usual renumbering and re lettering courtesy of the HMRS sheets.

 

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Edited by M.I.B
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Final posting for the day:

 

Some more NPCCS - I have 2 MONSTERs, both of which came in job lots from Ebay.

 

One is manufactured from a complete kit, whilst the other relies on what seems to be a shortened Hornby chassis with matching bogies.

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Not a particularly common wagon at all, but with the West End being the starting point for shows going on tour or returning to London, it's not too much to expect to see two this close to Town.

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Both were repaired to various degrees, as you have to with Ebay "job lot" purchases, as well as being repainted and re-lettered.    They too have been whacked wit the weathering stick this last week.

 

I run three restaurant cars amongst the 5 express passenger rakes. 

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"Improved RTR" is the best way to describe, with their repainted roofs, headboards, detailed interiors and weathering.  But as no-one else makes a restaurant/buffet/dining car, these will have to do with all of their inbuilt faults.

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Right - I'm off to finish this little lot off - roofs and ends were done the other day, running gear today.

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If you are enjoying my ramblings and slowly improving photos, you are welcome to stick around.  If you don't like modified RTR and the occasional kit, there are plenty of posts from the more skilled elsewhere on this site.

 

I don't have anything against GWR BLTs and West country layouts.  I just wanted to do something different.  Please do not be offended.

 

Hope you are happy and well.

Edited by M.I.B
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Anyway the B sets got done, along with the Hawksworths and the Centenary stock and  so we move on.

 

Prompted by a comment on a thread on the GWR specialist sub forum, I decided that as this is the late 1940s, the running boards needed to come off the clerestories.  I also had a rethink about the garter logo Hornby clerestories, for which I only have two suitable engines in garter logo to match.  So all traces of garter logo have been swept away - more on the loco fleet changes to follow, but now onto clerestory updates and detailing.

 

Here is a brief "how to" for the removal of foot-boards on late use clerestories:

 

Tools used - 3 mini files - thin, square and triangular.  Xuron rail cutters.

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The stock Hornby long clerestory bogie.  The board runs through axle boxes and spring parts.

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So make tiny cuts into the board either perpendicular or at angles to get as much of the profile of axle boxes and springs saved.

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Then with the snips cut along the boards in both directions to remove about 90% of the board.

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Leaving you to file the profile into the remainder. Here's one half done but before filing to show the difference. 

 

It is a worthwhile mod.  I will show the completed units on the three clerestories I am repainting from Garter logo to late GW dull brown, and another in Austerity Brown............

 

 

Hope you are well and happy.  If you aren't rocking it with Motorhead at Glasto, or Lord March at Goodwood, I wish you a pleasant weekend's modelling.

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Edited by M.I.B
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Elsewhere in the the 'shop.........

 

I decided that I would drop the aspiration to run a rake of 4 garter logo clerestories ( long recent Hornby ones-not the Triang ones).  A number of reasons for this included the fact that the panelling on these items is printed on, not moulded, so they are more suited to being very late clerestories, having been through the Works a number of times.

 

I only had two garter logo engines anyway, one of which, "County of Bedford" wasn't a particular favorite anyway.

 

So the actions:

 

1.  Re-date St David to late 1940s - larger tender,and G**W logo as researched elsewhere on RMWeb.   This project will happen soon.

2.  Sell C of Bedford via Evilbay.

3.  Weather one garter long compo clerestory, and use as a strengthener in my rake of Triang clerestories to break up the monotony.  This will need gangway doors adding as the Triang stock is non-gangway.  ( Already done)

4.  Paint the remaining 2 compos and one brake in liveries more suitable for late 40s GWR:   dull brown for one brake and one compo, and Austerity brown for one compo.

 

The old 1980s RAF Kinloss MRC aerosol paint list throws up Triumph Russett Brown as being a suitable alternative for GW coach chocolate.      However, it doesn't come close!  One version of Russett Brown, made by Holts is however what I believe is a very good "Austerity Brown". 

 

post-10306-0-72345700-1436185315_thumb.jpg

 

So a quick buzz over the coach with a Scotchbrite to remove logos, followed by a thin coat of aerosol "red oxide" to cover the cream, and then finally a couple of coats of the Holts...

post-10306-0-87292300-1436186267_thumb.jpg

the photos make it look patchy, but it has come out beautifully.  I will apply the correct orange waist band, and them dull it down a little before weathering.  

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 I popped the component parts back together to see how it looked.  The windows come from a coach previously weathered.

To dull down car aerosol, but before weathering, I now use this great product from Halfords:

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I have had adverse reactions from the Humbrol aerosols when applied to car paint, but as this is specially formulated for use on car paint, I will keep using this now.

 

 

 

To change the brake and the last compo to dull brown livery, I used a the airbrush for a complete respray.  This was the first time that I have used it to do a complete item as opposed to weathering.  I used the same techniques I was taught for spraying cars many years ago, and it all worked out well - rattle can red oxide on first, then some Phoenix Precision "GWR Dull Brown" thinned with white spirits.  A meager tack coat on first, let flash off fo a minute, and then a couple of heavier coats through the airbrush.

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I am quite pleased.

 

Roofs on all three are done using a mis-match of grubby coloured rattle cans from the Railmatch range.

 

Here is a colour comparison:

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Dull brown and the brighter "orangy" Austerity Brown:

 

 

 

Lettering, lining then weathering to go.....

 

And the reworked foot board -less bogies as well.....

 

I hope that you are happy and well.

Edited by M.I.B
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As I was already doing the bogies for the 2 dull brown clerestories, the Austerity, and the late Lake, I thought I may as well dig out the 5 late logo clerestories and do their bogies as well.

 

After hacking about 9 pairs of bogies with Xuron cutters and files and scalpels, they were refitted to their respective bodies, and then a mix of black, dull coach brown, beige and matt olive green was dropped into the airbrush, and whizzed over the bogies once more, which were then blended into the under frames, already weathered with a similar but not identical mix:

 

Dull Brown:

 

post-10306-0-12089200-1436387464_thumb.jpg

 

Austerity:

 

post-10306-0-39555000-1436387449_thumb.jpg

 

Late logo choc and Cream circa late 1940s...:

 

post-10306-0-58921800-1436387478_thumb.jpg

 

and Lake circa 1940s summer traffic only emergency stock:

 

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Once more:

 

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And carefully wrapped in acid free tissue paper and re-boxed, they head off to the loft to await the laying of some boards and track........

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I hope that you are all happy and well on this day of the 2015 Budget.

Edited by M.I.B
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As I was already doing the bogies for the 2 dull brown clerestories, the Austerity, and the late Lake, I thought I may as well dig out the 5 late logo clerestories and do their bogies as well.

 

After hacking about 9 pairs of bogies with Xuron cutters and files and scalpels, they were refitted to their respective bodies, and then a mix of black, dull coach brown, beige and matt olive green was dropped into the airgun, and whizzed over the bogies once more, which were then blended into the under frames, already weathered with a similar but not identical mix:

 

Dull Brown:

 

attachicon.gif007.JPG

 

Austerity:

 

attachicon.gif002.JPG

 

Late logo choc and Cream circa late 1940s...:

 

attachicon.gif009.JPG

 

and Lake circa 1940s summer traffic only emergency stock:

 

attachicon.gif021.JPG

 

Once more:

 

attachicon.gif008.JPG

attachicon.gif004.JPG

attachicon.gif011.JPG

attachicon.gif022.JPG

And carefully wrapped in acid free tissue paper and re-boxed, they head off to the loft to await the laying of some boards and track........

attachicon.gif027.JPG

 

I hope that you are all happy and well on this day of the 2015 Budget.

 

I've been meaning to re-livery some 2nd hand kitbuilt clerestories (seen here) into these two variants of the brown livery, but I'm currently lacking the modelling mojo to get the job done! I think you might have inspired me to get cracking...

 

Cheers, 

 

CoY

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I've been meaning to re-livery some 2nd hand kitbuilt clerestories (seen here) into these two variants of the brown livery, but I'm currently lacking the modelling mojo to get the job done! I think you might have inspired me to get cracking...

 

Cheers, 

 

CoY

 

I am pleased to hear that.

 

I have plenty of GW Lake in Pheonix brush-on, and once my Mainline 57' chassied K42 is painted I will have 3/4 of a rattle can can of Holts Austerity Brown up for grabs.

 

I think I will need extra GW Dull Brown though because I have another 3 items to paint once they are built: (K15, K38 and the Hornby 57' based K42)

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Tricks and tips and tools of the trade:  "Airbrushing the MIB way".

 

There are dozens of different takes on this - here's mine developed from spraying cars and vans in 1:1 scale, Tim Shackleton's "Weathering Locos" book, and experience. 

 

This is the compressor purchased from a tools supplier suggested in a post about airbrush buying on this forum (RDG Tools?).  It is light, very quiet, has never run out of air, and came with long air line and two simple but very effective "double action" airbrushes. (Gravity fed and suction fed).  If I remember correctly this lot delivered was about £100.

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This is the gravity cup brush -the suction brush came with a spare glass bottle and looks similar.   They have both given good service.  Parts are quite interchangeable.  

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I learnt a lot from stripping and re assembling these before I did any painting.  My first big mistake was to take it all apart at once.  Concentrate first on a front end strip and clean, followed by a rear end strip and clean.  This should save you from the fiddle process of rebuilding the trigger components when they all fall out because the front and rear components are stripped simultaneously.

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The one "accessory" I bought after I got started was a brush stand.  I opted for a clamp on type one and it has been worth its weight in gold - handling a full brush whilst trying to adjust your mask or change your gloves is not a great idea.  When it is not used it sits in the plastic crate along with the compressor and toolbox containing the brushes and jars and syringes etc.

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Buy a decent mask - the silly little paper things you get from B&Q are not suitable, especially for VOCs ( thinners and paint).  A cartridge one like this seems expensive to begin with, but replacement cartridges can be source from Ebay cheaply.  Make sure you buy the cartridges for organic compounds and paints.    When not in use, store it in a clean plastic bag - it saves you inhaling grit and grot which has fallen into the inside of the mask.  And just like the airbrush, take it apart and clean it out from time to time.

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Latex gloves will help to keep everything clean - when they get too painty, put a new one on.  That saves transferring paint onto and off work when it is not needed.  I buy these in bulk because packs of 5 pairs is false economy.  Because I also work on cars, I buy these boxes of 100 gloves in cases of 10 boxes.  That makes them very cheap.  I use the same supplier for "blue roll" wipe up paper cloth as well, for the same cost saving reason.

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Bits of white card are great for testing out the airbrush and helping to make adjustments to either the settings or to the paint mix (colour and thickness)  They are also great for instant masking to stop over spray ie when painting underframes and bogies.

Edited by M.I.B
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I started using the 4 colours as suggested in Tim Shackleton's books ( matt black, leather, matt white and metalcoat black) but then  added to the standard palette:  olive green added for bogies and underframe grot, one or two of the Pheonix "rusts".

When I bought (by accident) "sleeper grime" from Phoenix, I did not realise that this was not for dirtying wooden sleepers, but was the colour of grimy concrete sleepers, so I have been using it instead of matt white for a more pleasing effect.  I have recently found out that modern whites all contain titanium, and this gives a much brighter white.  So I will stick to using off whites and beiges instead of matt white when the matt white runs out.

 

The standard 4 paints were bought in bulk long before the current issues with Leather losing its colour.  I don't use the airbrushing paints for brushing and vice versa because the airbrush ones tend to get a little cross contaminated with other colours on the ends of syringes and stirrers.  This adds something to the colours weathered, but spoils "pure colour".  Hence why these are kept separate in their own little tin tray.

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I thin with white spirit, either new pristine, or I have been experimenting with used old white spirit from the brush cleaner jar.   This seems to work well for weathering of roofs and ends, where grubbiness is required aplenty.

post-10306-0-68812800-1436428138_thumb.jpg

Stirring, adding small amounts of paint etc is all done courtesy of the coffee stirrers available from your local high street coffee emporium.......

To transfer paint and thinners into the mix pots, I use medical syringes without their needles.  They get a thorough cleaning after each session, but the seals on the plungers tend only to last for  three sessions before they disintegrate.  I have bought a dozen all plastic bulb pipettes to try out - I will report back.......

post-10306-0-12611100-1436428180_thumb.jpg

I mix the paint in these little screw top pots and often have a couple on the go at any time.  I don't like to throw away paint, so like the rice pan at you local Chinese, I leave last night's contents in there, and then throw the next paint in on top the next day.   I have left thinned paint in these for up to 10 days and it has only needed a shake to bring it back to spec.

I also have one with clean white spirit in it.  I don't like to leave the big spirit bottle open in case it gets knocked over - 4 litres of white spirit can go a very long way.

 

I paint in the garage in front of the walk through door.  This is best for light  and also because the fumes are naturally extracted off down the garden.  I have overhead strip lighting, over bench bulb lighting, and a spot lamp over the bench when needed for detail work.

 

I never airbrush with less than an hour to spare :  it takes 10 minutes to prepare the tools and paints, and put the mask and gloves on.  Then about 20 minutes of weathering of multiple items, followed by at least 30 minutes of clean up and pack away.  That way I am not tempted, then run out of time and leave the brush dirty only to find it doesn't work properly the next time.

 

As for gravity fed versus suction fed - I have only done 2 coaches as complete paints, the rest of the airbrush work has all been weathering.    So far neither has the edge as far as I am concerned.  Both are "double action", which is much easier to use than "single action" - you can bring the air full on immediately, and then drift the paint in and out of the work as you need. 

post-10306-0-84185300-1436428155_thumb.jpg

Finally, I always keep a rubbish bag on the go - blue-roll wipers, paint stirrers and gloves all go in here and as soon as the session is finished the whole lot goes int the outside bin.  Reduces the fire risk, and the amounts of paint and thinner vapours in the shop.

Edited by M.I.B
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So here is the  Before:

 

post-10306-0-01393400-1436430348_thumb.jpg

 

and after in respect of the running board removal on the clerestory bogies.

 

post-10306-0-67261900-1436430462_thumb.jpg

 

A very pleasing difference and worth all of the effort. And more realistic for the late 1940s as well.

 

Another tip I picked up from the knowledgeable users of RM Web.  Thanks all for your advice and inspirations.

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I know I haven't finished describing the contents of the cabinet as it currently is filled,

 

and I haven't even finished the NPCCS,

 

but I started on something easy after some enforced time off.  More of that in a moment.

 

 

But first the second of two engines that could only be based this close to The Lawn and Brunel's statue.......

post-10306-0-82053900-1437498762_thumb.jpg

The 94XXs like the 97XX condensers were local to the GWR's "far east" and that is where they remained.  The handful of original GWR 94XXs were used for the propulsion of empty carriage stock at and around Paddington and never really strayed far.  Only in BR days did they increase in numbers and be stationed elsewhere.

post-10306-0-92192900-1437498778_thumb.jpg

Bachmann have promised to make a 94XX in OO, but until then MIB Snr's Wills kit from the days of black and white TV will suffice.  It, like his 97XX, is based on the venerable Triang chassis and it too wiggles like Marilyn Monroe when it runs.

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By today's standards the paint is too glossy, the Company branding/logos are incorrect for an engine that only served in Hawksworth's time, but with wire rails and handles, real coal, and when Super 4 Triang was what most modellers had - this was the mutt's nuts. 

 

I could slip this on Ebay before Bachmann finally make a 94XX in the hope of a quick buck, but I could not bring myself to do such a thing.  So It will be run occasionally and I hope Bachmann release any other number other than "9400" to save me renumbering theirs when it comes out.

 

So, after some enforced time off, I restarted with an easy job to boost morale:  Hornby St David is being time-warped into the late 1940s and detailed before being weathered.   Currently unfinished but weather permitting I may finish it this week. 

post-10306-0-00522100-1437499757_thumb.jpg

So far I have:

 

Painted out all lining below the footplate ( late 40s style).

Trimmed Hornby's standard left hand drive crew to fit in GWR standard right hand drive positions,

post-10306-0-87135200-1437499738_thumb.jpg

Painted the dials, pipes gauges and cocks in the cab,  (Not super accurate but they get hidden by the crew)

post-10306-0-56420900-1437499777_thumb.jpg

Painted the hand rails green and/or black accordingly.

and

added and painted the front vac pipe.

 

Left to sort is a TCut of the logo, re-logo (G**W), rust up the bunker sides and then add coal, before Testors is applied and then a light weathering.  Coal will have to be heaped as this is one of the 1980s tender driven engines, so the plastic coal is already high to cope with the height of the motor inside,

post-10306-0-10795500-1437499789_thumb.jpg

The original Hornby box was extremely poor, so I found a suitable replacement, applied a scalpel to trim the polystyrene insert to fit, before trimming the interior of the insert to cope with heaped real coal and the vac pipe on the front.

post-10306-0-03762900-1437499799_thumb.jpg

 

 

Hope you are all well and happy. 

 

If you still have a Mummy or a Daddy, don't forget to tell them that you love them.  One day they may suddenly not be there..........like mine.

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It was nice and quiet today so I got St David finished ready to weather.  I like the effect that Testors Dullcote has had on the engine - one quick spray has knocked the "toy-ness" of the 1980s Hornby paint right back to something quite appealing.

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Driver needed another trim before he and the foreman got the correct colour caps.  This crew are a pair of old sweats judging by the colour of their overalls........

post-10306-0-39195300-1437596906_thumb.jpg

So it's off to the cabinet upstairs in the study for St David.

 

St David will be very very lightly weathered as befits something just out of Swindon and "borrowed" for a Paddington turn before heading back to be the "pet" in Hereford.

 

Most of my engines have an Old Oak Common history for the period, but of course there are one or two visitors.......

post-10306-0-56929500-1437596891_thumb.jpg

Edited by M.I.B
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So back to the cabinet as promised.

 

Lots of work in progress:

post-10306-0-29584600-1437597539_thumb.jpg

Peatling Hall is a renamed and renumbered Replica Railways model which came with the Hawksworth tender.  Somehow I only got halfway through the detailing process with this one:  renumbering and coal are done, but crew are sat painted in a box ready to fit before a light weather.

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Peatling Hall is one of two Halls - Haberfield was shown a while back - it is in it's oil-burning phase.  Peatling is drawing a SIPHON C - a plastic kit of unknown origin which came with the plastic K22 to be shown in a mo.  After a ponder through Slinn's SIPHON bible, I decided to make this one an ENPARTs dedicated van, again something not too frequently modelled.

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The SIPHON C was in an Evilbay job lot along with this:

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this was also badly built but well painted (!!!) so I repaired and weathered it.  It is a Mailcoach K42 (a 100% plastic kit)  in all over dull brown, with a heavy sooty weathering.  It rolls beautifully now that I have weighted it with tyre balancing weights.   (John Dew - "tire" to you......)

 

Here is a Mainline SIPHON H (no corridors and external framing) which was an early victim of my airbrush weathering.

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Like the Mailcoach K42 it has a heavy sooty finish over the renumbering.

 

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Edited by M.I.B
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Another Castle.  One cannot have too many Castles.........(St Mawes, IKB and Tintagel)

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IKB is a renumbered Dapol offering.  It, like Peatling Hall, is only partially through the process, but also needs it's below footplate lining removing (external cylinder covers) and a re-logo to G**W.

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 More work in progress is behind IKB:  an ASMO.  Credit goes to Castle of this parish who made one for his stunning "Little Didcot " collection, and I shamelessly attempted to copy, but in GW colours.  Same method - an LNER kit CCT van with plasticard planked sides inserted instead.   This will probably run with a handful of RTR MOGOs and  PARTOs in a van train behind the Heljan 47XX when it arrives.

 

Above the ASMO and IKB is my Dukedog. 

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An ounce of modeller's licience allows me to rename and number the recent Bachmann offering to "TrePol&Pen" - in tribute to my Cornish friends. (Google the poem about TrePol&Pen and you will understand).

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The cab windows are probably the wrong shape and there aren't enough rivets on the boiler or something, but sometimes life is too short. 

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It has lamps added as well as coal and crew, so only weathering awaits.  The number plate on this cab close up looks like its squint and loose - but it really is square and flush........

 

TP&P is pulling 4 Triang clerestories and a recent Dapol FRUIT D.  not much to say about the Dapol van other than the shirt-buttons are off, and it has had a compensating weather to hide the T Cut marks.

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MIB Snr painted the first brake and the compo in pre-decimalisation days and they are stunning.  Like the 97XX and 94XX mentioned a page ago, these would have been mind-blowing in the days of Hendrix and hippies, but they are scoffed at today.  We are where we are thanks not only to the likes of the Rev Denny, but also to stalwarts prepared run MRCs and to make the most out of what was available back then, regardless of the rivets.  Behind his 2 are my own 2 done a few years ago.    These took an excruciatingly long time to paint...............I respect anyone else who has done such a task.

Edited by M.I.B
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Back when Archie Gemmell scored the best goal in any World Cup ever...............(that's my one and only football snippet!) 

 

At the time, Hornby were doing an offer where you got one free "Pugh" coal wagon if you bought any loco. 

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The Pugh wagons were a rarity among my pals because money was not so free flowing...I went to the Ayr model show and on one layout my pal and I saw a whole rake of Pughs going around.  About a dozen of them.     "One day when I'm rich I will buy a whole load of Pughs too " I said.   So I did. 

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Not that I am rich, but the year after Hornby's offer, these items became available to buy singly and hence they are now as common as muck.  But I have filled them with coal, and may blacken their wheels.  But in memory of that day, unweathered and pristine they will remain.

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They are currently sat behind Hornby's recent 72XX thumper, which is due a re-logo to "GWR" and a heavy weather.  I do have a respectably sized 40+ wagon coal train for her to pull as she befits.

 

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I spy another black Great Western engine.

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You have seen the castle, Grange, 28XX, 2251 and   ROD, so this is the final one:  Anthony Manor.  (Halfords rattle can matt black, Modelmaster numbers, and Fox "GWR" logos.  Only Fox do the correct red and yellow for black GW engines) A low mileage engine from Mainline.  A great runner.  (until the axles "go" as they do on these).  Crew, coal and a weather await..........

 

And on the top shelf, to close the current "contents of the cabinet" we have 2844. 

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Not a great photo but I will do a better one when she is finished: 

This is the second 28XX.  2822 arrived in GW green and was painted black, where as this one arrived in BR black, daubed with lots of tan paint after some 3 year old attempted to weather it with a very "wet" dry brush and Humbrol 62 "Matt Leather".  The body is completed (Phoenix rattle can GWR Loco Green and HMRS logos, Modelmaster numbers as usual)) but the running gear needs some attention to get rid of the paint and make look respectable.

 

The top shelf currently contains some unweathered Bachmann CROCODILEs carrying ( left to right) a sheeted boiler,

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a sheeted loco boiler (Airfix City of Truro) and a set of rusty Castle driving wheels.  (No idea where these came from....).

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And top right, the mighty POLLEN E:

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This is the same kit as reviewed and built by Castle on his "Little Didcot" thread.  Not cheap, but well worth it for something so impressive. 

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Bridge siding/girders were from the scenery box and chain was from Cambrian models.  Highly recommended if you need scale heavy chain.

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There - cabinet's current contents shown as promised.  St David is also in there.

 

The NPCCS re-sidings  will get some attention now, followed by a re-logoing of 7 unlined engines from the 1930s " GREAT WESTERN" to the late 40s "GWR".

 

Then it's a trip back down to the "Withered Arm" to help MIB Snr.   

 

Hope you are all happy and well.

Edited by M.I.B
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An ounce of modeller's licience allows me to rename and number the recent Bachmann offering to "TrePol&Pen" - in tribute to my Cornish friends. (Google the poem about TrePol&Pen and you will understand).

The cab windows are probably the wrong shape and there aren't enough rivets on the boiler or something, but sometimes life is too short.

 

& the cab handrails are too high, & the bogie wheels are (possibly) the wrong size &c. &c.

 

But I won't tell, if you dont.

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That's Better:

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Testors has gone a little cloudy in places.  It was damp outside when I sprayed this off this morning in the garage.

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Looks like it has hard water marks on it:   (scale scale anyone?    :)  )

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But this is due a heavy weather so these will disappear.

 

Stock checked the HMRS decals the other day when I brought the engines down for logo change.  Short a few for non lined engines, so Mr Fox has provided today.

 

With a wet saturday forecast tomorrow, and a shoulder recovering from some painful corrective treatment, it's a quiet day at the workbench for me - TCut, decals, cocktail sticks at the ready.  Add Radio 4, coffee and we'll see everything suitably re-logo'd to suit North Cranford's late 1940s time-frame.

 

Have a great weekend everyone everywhere.

 

Hope you are well and happy.

Edited by M.I.B
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As I was doing the T-cutting the logos off the  "GREAT WESTERN" and "garter" branded engines, I realized how many of the fleet still lacked crew, and coal, and had outstanding jobs such as footplate detailing ( copper pipes and gauges and red levers etc) ......

 

When will I ever get down to the "brass sides onto  RTR" NPCCS work?

 

So Anthony Manor has crew and a detailed footplate of sorts

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as does 2844, which also had a dry brush session of Phoenix "Oily Steel" and Humbrol matt black on the wheels, con rods and other running gear.  I left some of the daubed tan paint applied by the previous owner, and it looks far better int he flesh than in a cruel photo.....

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The copper safety dome has been corrected back to green as befits an unlined workhorse. When Mr Airbrush comes into play, 2844 will be perfect.

 

So whilst I am in the middle of crewing and coaling, I may as well carry on and finish the rest.  30 crew figures painted this week (Dapol and Hornby).  Nearly made a schoolboy error with Haberfield Hall and added a fireman with a shovel in his hand.........

 

Photos to follow..........

 

Hope you are happy and well.

Edited by M.I.B
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So the workshop looks like this at the moment

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Lurking completed but tenderless in the crate are Peatling Hall and King James II ( I was born and bred in Scotland so it wasn't going to be re-named after any of the others was it ????????)  Cab to cab reminds me of the way they all once sat in Woodham's Yard in Barry..........

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I spy Haberfield Hall's tender awaiting rear axle repairs,  and County of Worcestershire's awaiting packing inside to make it sit level on it's chassis.  It has a nice empty bunker which will get a dusting of steam coal instead of the usual bulging tenders hiding motors below them.

3803 is in there awaiting Modelmaster Jackson Evans cabside numbers, and a pair each of moguls and 2251s awaiting crew.

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7202 is down from the cabinet for crew fitting.

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whilst on the other "pile" are those awaiting coal and new paint before new logos.....a pair of 61XXs , IKB, Peatling's tender, King J2's tender and even a humble 57XX  (8700)....  coal is of course real steam coal.   Getting to the end of some "found" at Kingswear before I start on some from Didcot.

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My "odd" Dapol double chimney-ed County - It came in the correct box marked up as a BR(W) County of Stafford, but with an unmolested "G**W" marked tender.   The leaflet in County of Worcester's box correctly states that the Dapol double chimney is "County of Stafford" because only "Middlesex" got a double chimney in GWR service.   But there is no BR number on Stafford's smokebox and no GWR number on the buffer-beam.  Nor any signs that there ever were any numbers.   An odd miss-match.  Anyway - A double chimney-ed County in GW service can only be "Middlesex", which is where North Cranford sits, so once again Jackson Evans provide a new number and name.

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Not only is North Cranford located in Middlesex, but 1000 was an OOC engine during this time period.

 

Result!   Tough to justify a County of Brecknockshire...............

 

Tonight the unlined engines lost their copper safety valve bonnets, the 2251s had lots of matt black applied to their chassis and motor chrome.  

 

I also rectified 1000's droopy tender top with some coffee stirrers and UHU.  Photo tomorrow.......

 

Just popping back out to the garage to finish 4 engines getting cab piping, gauges and levers.

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Here is the method of correcting droopy Dapol tenders:

 

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And some finished crewed engines:

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each seperate jacket, waistcoat, trousers, shirt was individually painted with a slightly different hue:  painful, slow, but well worth it.

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spot the oil burner - not a spade in sight.

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particularly like this one

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The coaling continues tomorrow maybe....

Edited by M.I.B
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