Elsbridge Tramway Company: Elsbridge Town - NeilHB's layout

[NeilHB]

First couple of coats of NWR freight stock brown* duly applied:

 

(*otherwise known as Humbrol No.186)

 

Must admit I quite like this colour as it makes a change from my W&SR/TKELR stock which are painted in various shades of grey. Plus it looks rather nice alongside some of my finished Sudrian PO wagons:

 

 

For early period (1915-approx 1930ish) North Western stock I’m considering some Gloucester 4- and 5-plank opens, which will be suitably different (I hope) from the ex-Midland based stock of the W&S, and the hotchpotch of TKELR stock. I’m considering painting the ironwork black, and coupled with white lettering (NW of course) I think it’ll be a pleasing livery.

 

I could do with a couple of suitable goods vans for the early NW period, and have been considering using Slaters Midland 10T van kit (7024), which I see comes with the door separately moulded. I think if I changed the door supplied (sliding) to a pair of cupboard-style doors, plus alterations to the axleboxes to make it look less Midland, I think it should work as a suitably generic goods van.

 

Thoughts? 

[NeilHB]

I don’t think we’re on Sodor anymore Toto! This weekend the workbench (well the dining table anyway) has gone pre-group mainland...London and North Western to be precise. 
 

At the end of July our local modelling group lost a very dear friend to cancer. Over the last couple of weeks a few of us have been sorting out his extensive model collection, and I was honoured to have been left his standard gauge models. 
 

Tim’s collection of standard gauge was a mixture of light railway and industrial stock, and stuff that was Cromford and High Peak related.

 

I’ve been working my way through the boxes to try and sort it all out, and dug out some of the kits with a view to finishing off the part-built ones, and building some of the unbuilt ones. 
 

First up is a part-built Mercian Chopper tank kit, of which Tim had done the majority of the hard work and built the chassis and footplate:

 

 

I just now need to summon up the courage to tackle the bodywork. Like most of Tim’s stuff it’s very well put together. 
 

This afternoon I started to put together a couple of unbuilt ABS/43to1 LNWR white metal wagon kits.

 

Dia.84 4-plank open:

Just the brakegear, buffers and drawgear to go. 
 

Dia.103 1-plank open:

W-irons attached the bodysides as a starting point. 
 

There was also a very nice resin kit for a Dia.16 brake van:

 

These three wagons, together with my already built Dia.3 2-plank open should make the start of a nice LNWR train for the Chopper tank to haul:

 

 

Oh and back to Sodor as no doubt these will appear on Elsbridge from time to time:

With ‘Thorkell’ of the Wellsworth & Suddery.

 

Can anyone suggest a reasonable colour match for LNWR wagon grey please? The Dia.3 open has been painted with Precision Paints LNWR wagon grey, but it’s pretty much black which I think is far too dark.  

[MarcD]

I've used Halfords grey primer on my LNWR wagons noone has ever commented on the colour as yet and they have been on the stand for 2 years.

Also find a witness!

Marc

[wessy]

If you want an acrylic paint for ease of application, Tamiya 'German Grey' produces a nice darkish colour but not so dark that it sucks all the light into it. 

[NeilHB]

Some Wellsworth and Suddery Railway rolling stock progress to report on tonight. 
 

A new addition to the WSR locomotive fleet:

”Thorfinn” - a nice little bargain courtesy of the GRS stand at Warley. It started out as a Midland 1377, but with a few modifications it’ll do nicely as a suitably generic pre-grouping tank engine. 
 

Next up is a WSR Brake Third. This came from my late friend Tim’s collection, and is a Slaters GW T34 brake third body, mounted on a Midland 6-wheel chassis (also from Slaters). I think it makes the start of a nice WSR train of 6- and 4-wheel coaches to run with “Thorfinn”.
 

I’ve got the remnants of another Slaters 6-wheel Midland underframe to use. Current thinking is to purchase some more GW coach body parts to add either a full third, or a composite coach to the set. It just depends on the length of the body parts as to what will fit on the chassis. 
 

 

[NeilHB]

Construction work begins on a North Western Railway 43’ brake third:

 

In reality a Slaters Plastikard kit for a Midland Railway Clayton 43’ Brake Third. I’ve switched the bogies to a pair of Kirk 8’ Fox bogies (for £6 a pair I’m not complaining), and they’re a darn sight easier (and quicker!) to assemble than the etched brass ones supplied with the kit. It’s a rather nice kit to assemble, being supplied as a series of compartment sides that are assembled to the required length. 
 

Next up will be the interior, though before I finished earlier this evening I couldn’t resist popping the roof sections on to get a feel for what it will look like when finished:

 

 

Livery wise it’ll be in standard NWR coaching stock brown (once I find a suitable shade I like), and the two 6-wheelers in the cupboard that are next in the queue will also be finished in the same. I’d also like to get a couple more of the Clayton bogie coach kits to form a short train from the early days of the NWR (1915 onwards).
 

I’m also mulling over some ideas for a suitable North Western Railway loco to haul the above coaches, well actually I have two ideas, but we’ll just have to see which one makes it to the front of the queue first...

[NeilHB]

A little bit of progress to report on the NWR brake third this morning.
 

The seating will have to wait as those supplied with the kit need quite a bit removing from their edges (approx 2mm) in order to fit between the sides and I’m sure there must be an easier way to sort it out.
 

Instead thoughts turned to the luggage/guards compartment and adding some detail to it:

 

 

Set of shelves added for the storage and sorting of smaller items of luggage and parcels. I’m not sure whether to add a compartment divider between the luggage and guards compartments - with perhaps a connecting interior door? Thoughts please? I still need to add some seating for the guard, and the brake standard. 
 

You’ll also note that I’ve filled in one of the windows on either side of the guards compartment:

 

 

And then removed the raised beading from around the now-filled window:

 

 

Just need to add a bit of filler into the corners where there are some gaps. 
 

I’m going to try and set myself the goal of doing a little bit of modelling every day, even if it’s just half an hour. Shall see how that goes once I go back to work on Thursday! 

[NeilHB]

Ventilators added, and a start made on the underframe details (gas cylinders and vacuum brake gear), plus the truss rods have been added:

 

 

[hartleymartin]

Are those king-posts/queen-posts available as a separate part from Slaters? They look like something I'm going to need for a scratch-building project?

[NeilHB]

2 hours ago, hartleymartin said:

Are those king-posts/queen-posts available as a separate part from Slaters? They look like something I'm going to need for a scratch-building project?

I would imagine so Martin, they are listed as parts C16 (queen post) and C17 (turnbuckle). They come on a cast spruce with part C15 (vacuum cylinder piston).

[NeilHB]

Not much progress to report as the last couple of weeks have been taken up with preparing for our open day tomorrow:

 

The Trent Valley Area Group of the 7mmNGA would like to invite you all to our annual January open day, taking place on Saturday 18th January 2020 from 10am to 4pm.
 

This will be our first open day since we lost our good friend Tim to cancer at the end of July, and there will be a sale of Tim’s models and books to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Care. 
 
We are back once again at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, details on the poster above.
 
CONFIRMED ATTENDEES: 

Layouts: 
Shropshire Minerals Light Railway - 0-16.5  - West Midlands Area Group of the 7mmNGA
The Pipeyard - 0-16.5 - David Lenton
Caanan Valley - On30 - John Aldridge
New Sharon - On2 - Bob Harper
0-14 Taster Layout - 0-14 - Simon Jones
Coxheath Sidings - 7mmSG - David Rae
Black Drake Wharf - 7mmSG - Phil Traxson
Gn15 - Jim English

Traders: 
EDM Models
Port Wynnstay Models
Trent Valley Area Group Secondhand sales
Association Modelling Goods
Association Secondhand Sales
Association Publications

Demo: 
DC Loco Clinic - David Tillett
 
There'll be the usual food option of bacon butties, plus tea, coffee and a selection of cakes.

 

Hope to see some of you there tomorrow  

[NeilHB]

That’s the Trent Valley open day over and done with for another year. Thanks to all who came, saw and spent money with us. It was lovely to see everyone and we raised a good amount for Macmillan Cancer Care in memory of Tim. 

Look forward to seeing you all again next January!

[NeilHB]

I’ll just leave this here...

 

 

North Western Railway No.6 is in the final stages on the workbench. 
 

That’s two thirds of the original motive power for the branch post-1925 sorted:

 

NWR No’s. 6 and 7 at rest.

 

A cunning plan has also been put into place for the coffee pots, and a trackplan sorted out for the layout:

 

 

I think 2020 is going to be the year for finally just getting on with the layout! 
 

 

[BritishGypsum4]

Certainly wet my appetite to get on with some modelling. Looking forward to see how your layout progresses and I like the look of that track plan.

 

What ideas do you have for the coffeepots? I take it they will be scratch built? I've just bought a book Vertical Boiler Locomotives and Railmotors by Philip J. Ashworth and Vic Bradley. Some excellent photos and the odd drawing with rule on it to show size. I look forward to sitting down and reading it through

[NeilHB]

11 minutes ago, BritishGypsum4 said:

Certainly wet my appetite to get on with some modelling. Looking forward to see how your layout progresses and I like the look of that track plan.

 

What ideas do you have for the coffeepots? I take it they will be scratch built? I've just bought a book Vertical Boiler Locomotives and Railmotors by Philip J. Ashworth and Vic Bradley. Some excellent photos and the odd drawing with rule on it to show size. I look forward to sitting down and reading it through

Thanks BG4. 
 

The coffeepots will be scratchbuilt - below is the current idea for them:

 

 

Its based on a Markham product from the 1880s built for a 3’6” logging tramway in New Zealand which is now preserved after spending several years in the bush (shades of Duke The Lost Engine anyone?!). They also built some standard gauge products so I assumed that Topham Hatt may have seen one and decided that it would do nicely for the tramway...

 

The cunning plan involves the use of  a resin kit to provide some of the components - just waiting for that to arrive so I can do some more planning. 
 

Yes the vertical boiler locos book is rather good and a key tome in my reference library. 

[sir douglas]

is that a chopped up Minerva Peckett?

[NeilHB]

6 hours ago, sir douglas said:

is that a chopped up Minerva Peckett?

It is - poor unfortunate thing never saw it coming! 
 

 

[DoctorLard7]

On 27/01/2020 at 08:22, NeilHB said:

Thanks BG4. 
 

The coffeepots will be scratchbuilt - below is the current idea for them:

 

 

Its based on a Markham product from the 1880s built for a 3’6” logging tramway in New Zealand which is now preserved after spending several years in the bush (shades of Duke The Lost Engine anyone?!). They also built some standard gauge products so I assumed that Topham Hatt may have seen one and decided that it would do nicely for the tramway...

 

The cunning plan involves the use of  a resin kit to provide some of the components - just waiting for that to arrive so I can do some more planning. 
 

Yes the vertical boiler locos book is rather good and a key tome in my reference library. 

http://www.australiansteam.com/Vertical Boiler.htm

This one?

[NeilHB]

23 minutes ago, DoctorLard7 said:

http://www.australiansteam.com/Vertical Boiler.htm

This one?

Yep that’s the one. 

[DoctorLard7]

Cant say i was expecting stuff local to me was gonna show up on here!

[NeilHB]

A young Topham Hatt poses with his very first locomotive - Knapford and Elsbridge Railway No.1:

 

 

 

[hartleymartin]

On 29/01/2020 at 06:55, NeilHB said:

It is - poor unfortunate thing never saw it coming! 
 

 

 

We want details. I've been wondering if it is possible for a long time.

[hartleymartin]

Whilst not close prototypically, I think you can do a fairly passable No. 1 "Thomas" based on the Dapol Jinty. I cite two precedents: 1. The Rev. W.V. Awdry himself used a Triang Jinty for one iteration of Thomas for his own layout and; 2. At least one Jinty has done a stint dressed up thus in preservation.

[Corbs]

5 hours ago, hartleymartin said:

Whilst not close prototypically, I think you can do a fairly passable No. 1 "Thomas" based on the Dapol Jinty. I cite two precedents: 1. The Rev. W.V. Awdry himself used a Triang Jinty for one iteration of Thomas for his own layout and; 2. At least one Jinty has done a stint dressed up thus in preservation.

 

Knuckles sells a 3D printed E2 body which could fit the Jinty chassis....

https://www.shapeways.com/product/TZK4J4Q88/7mm-lb-scr-e2-extended-tanks-body-wsf?optionId=63393169&li=shops

 

Love the coffee pot!

[NeilHB]

8 hours ago, hartleymartin said:

 

We want details. I've been wondering if it is possible for a long time.

It’s a bit brutal! You need to remove the last 13.5mm from the saddletank where it abuts the cab - basically the length of the rear tank supports/firebox sides. These can then be removed from the section that you’ve just cut off, and added back to the remaining portion of the tank: 

 

Underneath the tank.

 

 

I used two of the safety valves supplied with the loco - one was cut down severely to form the rear safety valves, and the taller Peckett type dome had the top filed down and then smoothed over with milliput to create the dome. Then then needed the base below the flange removing so that it sat flush on top of the saddletank. 
 

You can then fill in the hole where the chimney goes at the front of the tank. 
 

I then filed down the front of the tank to remove the recess where the smokebox wingplate was located. 
 

A new smokebox was then added from plastic tube and sheet. The door is the original, but filed down a lot at the rear to remove excess material where it should have located into the front of the tank piece. 
 

Cab wise there is also a lot of work. 

 

The firebox part needs to have material removed from the lower sides at the front so that it sits further forward, thus allowing more room for the bunker to be added. I also raised the height of the cab by approx 2mm by adding mircostrip at the bottom. The cab windows were opened out as well. 
 

The bunker is from sheet and strip:

 

As you can see I also modified the cab openings to make it more like the illustrations from Tramway Engines:

 

 

Its not perfect, and there is a fair amount of work still required including a lot more filler to smooth things over, particularly around the cab sides.