North Cranford

[M.I.B]

The more I look at the older style of Hornby tension lock coupling ( as on the clerestory above) the more I am inclined to remove them from everything.  My set trains will have Smiths hooks and chains, and I have been fitting the smalled new Dapol/Bachmann style tension locks to carriages.

 

Robin's recent posting of a B Set with #19 Kadees has caught my eye on his AnotherNodToBrent pages.

 

We'll see - I don't get enough modelling time as it is and i think I have a few coaches to change.  Freight stock in nonspecific trains will remain tension lock - but 50%+ are from Dapol and Bachmann so they are the smaller less obtrusive size.

Edited May 7, 2016 by M.I.B

[Welchester]

The Bachmann small couplings (32-065) are an easy fit to the long clerestory and IMO look much better.

[eddyate6029]

Now I've been going through your posts on the H33's, as I'm putting brass sides on an old Hornby donor and the Comet sides came with an underframe diagram showing them carrying two gas cylinders set along the axis of the coach. Have I put them on wrong or put a spanner in all your good works

 

Derek

[gwrrob]

Now I've been going through your posts on the H33's, as I'm putting brass sides on an old Hornby donor and the Comet sides came with an underframe diagram showing them carrying two gas cylinders set along the axis of the coach. Have I put them on wrong or put a spanner in all your good works

Derek

Having checked in the Russell coach book I have I found you are correct on this.An easy mistake to make as quite a few restaurant builds have the cylinders between the queen posts as modelled by Tinker.

[M.I.B]

So I need to lever three sets per H33 off?

 

Corr - Anyone need some Gas cylinders?????????????  Were't cheap - fits Hornby H33s..........

 

Only 2 gas cylinders - wouldn't have supported a day trip for the "Brenters" and their sauage demands/requirements.

Edited May 22, 2016 by M.I.B

[The Fatadder]

I was just about to mention the cylinders....

 

Have you thought about adding some etched sides to your H33s? I think I'm right in saying that all the H33s had been rebuilt by the end of the war. I've done one conversion and it's a nice straight forward overlay job on the Hornby model.

 

Thanks for the tip on the wartime brown paint, will be buying a can in the week to spray up a few coaches, at least a pair of comet / railroad Hornby d95, a sunshine third and a Hornby b set.

 

Not sure how I haven't read this yet, nice to see more post war GWR

[M.I.B]

Thanks. My B sets are all still chocolate and cream.  But I may succumb to a pair in brown one day.......

 

No modelling for me - I'm busy doing the "earning funds" bit again.

 

I have 6 or so ethced sides projects still left to do beforre I go back and attack the H33s with etched sides.

 

The ones which  have completed have been immensely satisfying.  And I have been very pleased with the outcomes.

 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hope to do plenty of updates when I get back in July an August.

[eddyate6029]

Okay folks, this war time brown on the clerestories, does anyone know acompany that produces it, or is it a case of Swindon's laziness, one pot of cream, one pot of brown and mix thoroughly.

 

Thanks Derek

[M.I.B]

Holts Triumph Russett Brown.

 

It seems from most references that it was mixed as they went along.  So you will never be too wrong unless you go for Chocolate.

Edited July 11, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

10 days to push and then it's time for the big silver bird.

 

I maybe in the realms of a house move halfway through my next jaunt out here, so this trip home will involve packing up "the cabinet", packing the modelling tools and  paints etc, and generally preparing for someone else doing my house move.

 

Well the world has been busy since I have been out here again.  Flying Scotsman and BREXIT and some football somewhere, some jock won at Wimbledon again,  and Donald Trump and his half brother"Mad Hair Boris".............

 

I hope you are all well and happy.  I am.

Edited August 23, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

I have made it back to Blighty with a severe case of the Kandahar Quicksteps - Day 3 today and still feel bad.  I flew back the whole way in the small "personal" cabin in the Airbus.

 

But people have returned with worse and I will mend soon.  And then the chores and the modelling will start........

 

I hope you are all well and happy.

Edited July 24, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

Wow - time has flown and the weather in the UK was unseasonably sunny.  I took delivery of something I have wanted for over 30 years ( and never thought I would get to own because they stopped making them in the 50s....):

 

 

An Indian Scout.  But this is the 2016 version.

 

So I blame the lack of modelling on seeing family and friends, a lack of rain, and this delightful monster.

 

I have done some modelling.  Some I will cover in a a while because they will be sold on Ebay first, without any pushing/punting/promoting on here.

 

And then I got the airbrush out to do a little weathering.......

 

As well as the unexpected arrival of another 38XX and a BR liveried SR N1.............

 

All will be revealed soon - I am still doing late nights catching up on things I missed in the last few weeks.  But I promise some photo uploads soon.

 

I hope you are all healthy and happy.

Edited August 27, 2016 by M.I.B

[Andrew P]

Wow - time has flown and the weather in the UK was unseasonably sunny.  I took delivery of something I have wanted for over 30 years ( and never thought I would get to own because they stopped making them in the 50s....):

 

020.JPG

 

An Indian Scout.  But this is the 2016 version.

 

So I blame the lack of modelling on seeing family and friends, a lack of rain, and this delightful monster.

 

I have done some modelling.  Some I will cover in a a while because they will be sold on Ebay first, without any "######" on here.

 

And then I got the airbrush out to do a little weathering.......

 

As well as the unexpected arrival of another 38XX and a BR liveried SR N1.............

 

All will be revealed soon - I am still doing late nights catching up on things I missed in the last few weeks.  But I promise some photo uploads soon.

 

I hope you are all healthy and happy.

Very nice, very nice indeed.

[M.I.B]

 

I spy with my little eye.........

 

A gentle weathering session to stuff from the Cabinet,  The weathering was gentle (in the main) not the session.

 

I think I can also see where the cheap Rose stash is, and a certain motor-cycle now lives.....

 

and a K22, a K36

 

Some coal and coke traffic.....

 

Late GWR Moguls.....  Brent Nodders will be happy because there is one filthy one and one slightly grubby one -  filthy moguls are the Marmite over there on ANTB.

 

Some heavy freight haulers..

 

 

a strange Hall with no name and a Castle with a long name....

 

I will upload some more as the evenings go by- internet traffic can slow me down quite a bit here, and up/download speeds can make photo work a little testing.

 

And despite the new-ish camera taking much better pics than I did on Post #1, they are still not great - but I was rushing.

 

 

But we'll get there.

 

 

[The Fatadder]

I do like the finish you have got on your WD 280, mine is looking for too clean at the moment! Also good to see someone else has one on loan to GWR with the top feed cover (and presumably also with the fire iron tunnel). It's taken a lot of research so far, and I still haven't definitively found out if this was a GWR mod, or WR circa 1948....

[M.I.B]

Thank you.

 

Here are the best two WD ones in the smash and grab raid that was my photo session:

 

 

015 was attached to OOC.  It got a "medium to heavy" weather with three different colour passes - a very rusty browny one for the running gear, which had been factory weathered, then a grey grot for the body, followed by some sootier grot from above.

 

You can still read the cabside numbers, but only just.

 

The finish is much darker than the ohotos for some reason.

 

 

The tender is down on coal and pleases me for some reason.  I have a couple of 4000 gal tenders modified to look almost this empty too and it makes a change from the " fresh from the stage" appearance.

Edited August 26, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

And before someone pipes up - lots of the following engines and tenders have not had their brake rodding etc fitted. 

 

This is because I may move house soon and neither Shed 2 not the full NC are built - so these are destined to go back in their boxes, many of which won't accept models with the rodding fitted.

[M.I.B]

An ex N1 in BR colours??????? on Nth Cranford?????

 

No.

I do apply, and will continue to apply Rule 1, but not to this extent.

 

This was a chance low money purchase of the Bachmann model by MIB Snr.  He isn't overly sure why either.

But this may find itself on the EvilBay and the resulting funds used elsewhere.

 

It got some real coal, and a light three colour weathering as per the WD Austerity 015. - Heavy on the tender rear.

But for now it is back in it's box and in the loft already.

Edited August 27, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

So time for some weathered (lightly) NPCCS.  Just enough grot on the sides and roof to take away the "toy" sheen.  Ends got a little more application and grime.

 

Starting with a link to the N1:

 

First seen in Post 102, the long SR van. 

I didn't want to smother this in grime because of the two tone green (see post 102)

Then here is the TSO as per Post 137. 

 

A second sorting van for the mail train, made the same way to the first, and much the same way as the real thing - nets/catch and dispatch apparatus removed, and the resulting holes crudely filled with a simple infill panel.

 

and the ASMO, now lightly weathered. 

I may put smaller Dapol/Bachmann couplings on this as they look a little prominent.....

Edited August 27, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

More NPCCS - you can never have too much I feel.......

 

Here is the K36 which recently graced John Dew's excellent Granby post.

Same with this lot - just a light "dusting". 

K36 appeared first in paint in Posts 137 and 148.

 

And the K22, 

Which is based on a Mainline coach. 

The all brown K22 from the Mailcoach kit has been seen on here previously, and the Hornby based K22, is one of the ill fated ones where the brass sides parted company with the RTR shells.  They will return......

 

 

And to close tonight, the GIANT which was shown converted in Post 112. 

This had already been weathered, so this session blended in the modifications and damage to the first weathering.

Edited August 28, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

I really didn't mean to buy another 38XX, bit it was discounted and sort of jumped off the shelf at me when I was at John Dutfields in Chelmsford.

 

(And I succumbed and ordered a Bachmann SR CCT at the same time......)

 

 

This is now 3834, an Exeter engine,

 

 

with the usual MIB treatment: Modelmaster numbers, new beam number ( although the beam is heavily weathered), and real coal in the tender.

 

 

Crew will probably follow.  I can see an area where the air brush hasn't reached,but the "dirty turps" will take care of that.

 

This one received a medium to heavy weather, to the point where you can see that it is a green engine, but "GWR" is tough to see.

 

Enjoy your bank holiday in the UK.  For most Englishmen, the next three days off work will be in 4 months time, when Mr Claus comes to visit.

Mine is in October as I will be out here over Christmas.  For Scots, of course it's St Andrew's Day.

 

 

I hope you are all happy and well.

Edited August 28, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

Thanks Ben L

 

 

I am getting concerned about the positivity shown to the BR N1!  Perhaps it was done too well.

 

The photos of the N1 do it more justice than the other engines, which were just as well painted.

 

They were all taken in a hurry so that I would have something to upload and write about on the odd free evening out here.

 

Certainly not going to sell up and go Southern Region BR!

 

 

On the sad day when we lost the best Willy Wonka, I hope you are all happy and healthy.

Edited August 30, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

Forgive me modellers for it has been a month since my last post......

 

I have been considering whether to bring a couple of my easier kits out here to build.  Cambrian sleeper carriers perhaps.

 

Not easy as in to build, but easy in terms of not needing many supplies. I can buy liquid poly here and get Araldite.   White spirit fr brush cleaning should be simples too.

 

So I would need  some grey enamel, pre-selected HMRS letters and scripts, a couple of brushes, a length of track for display/checking running, a scalpel, an emery board....perhaps some matt black paint, and one or two "wood" colours.....some Smiths couplings, a bag of sleepers to glue into the wagons, some silver for the shafts of the buffers........

 

And of course a nice stout box to bring the finished items back in.

 

Modelling late 40s GWR in Aghanistan.      I bet I am not the first......

[M.I.B]

..........needle nose pliers,  tiny drill bits and a chopping board, and a small flatpoint screwdriver ..........

 

 

I have a Phillipino workshop technician who can mend anything from AC to big diesel engines and who solders and brazes.  I wonder if I could teach him how to build my brass plough TOAD????????

[M.I.B]

Testors Dullcote, a pin vice......

 

 

But I really do want to , so I think I will spend some time selecting some kits and clobber to bring back.