Inspired by Brent June 1947

[St Enodoc]

Are almost certainly years away,

 

In all honestly the plan for 2018 is rather ambitious, especially given that I am changing jobs in March and will no longer have remotely as much time through August when the Spanish were all on holiday!

 

The overwhelming priority for 2018 is to get the track working perfectly, followed by paint and ballast plus getting the platforms installed.  Next to that getting the core of the scenery in place along with the bridges will be the next priority.  at which point with attention shifting to buildings, grass, trees, signals etc over the next couple of years.

Fair enough. Does this mean you might not be heading south in April now?

[81C]

Hi Rich those parts should be with you tomorrow gratis, I hope they are what you need let me know if not.

[The Fatadder]

Fair enough. Does this mean you might not be heading south in April now?

Very unlikely at the moment, my wife was made redundant just before going on maternity leave and is finding getting a new job post maternity very difficult. That said we will definitely be making it eventually and I look forward to getting a chance to see the mid cornwall lines when I finally do.

 

Hi Rich those parts should be with you tomorrow gratis, I hope they are what you need let me know if not.

Brilliant thanks, I look forward to (hopefully) finding them on the door mat when I get home today.

Then time to finish off 5108.

Edited January 3, 2018 by The Fatadder

[St Enodoc]

Very unlikely at the moment, my wife was made redundant just before going on maternity leave and is finding getting a new job post maternity very difficult. That said we will definitely be making it eventually and I look forward to getting a chance to see the mid cornwall lines when I finally do.

Understood Rich. The invitation remains open. Good luck.

[The Fatadder]

It’s been a while since I last worked directly on Brent, at the moment it’s just too cold to go outside and I need to do a major reorganisation of the garage to access the heater!

 

However tonight I did manage two key tasks, measuring the span of the vicarage road bridge and the first step to finishing off the Avon bridge.

 

It means over he eeekend I can draw up the road bridge ready for cutting, at the same time I plan to design the coal office (although it will be fairly freelance given the poor quality of photos I have available.). I actually plan to build this structure twice, as it’s perfect to fill a gap on Wheal Imogen.

 

The 2 remaining tasks on the Avon bridge are to add the footpath / ground under the small spans and add the arches to the same spans. The former needs a rough idea of the ground terrain (and may be fitted once the bridge is glued into position)

The arch has caused me problems for a while as my usual method of just fixing on either side didn’t work (too tight radius for the plastic). Tonight while wrapping my daughters birthday presents I had the idea to use an old cardboard tube from the wrapping paper as a former. So after cutting in half and then cutting to length, I used double sided tape to stick the plastic into place. This will be sprayed grey tomorrow before adding different shades to the blocks along with the mortar.

[The Fatadder]

Lots of talk on the other Brent thread about the coal office / merchants shed next to the water tower. Having now pretty much sussed out the design, I have drawn it up in cad. Both the merchants shed, water tower and vicarage road bridge beams are now nested onto A4 sheets and ready to be ran through my cutter tomorrow night (although the ten thou layers for the water tower and bridge will likely be stuck awaiting more plastic.

As with the station these will be initially finished to an intermediate state as place holders before eventually being painted and installed

Edited January 23, 2018 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

While I can’t start work assembling the water tower until I’ve bought more 10thou plasticard, I could start the other shed.

 

The only issue is that it should be corrugated iron (I think) andnis bigger than the wills sheets. My soloution is to make my own outnof some Evergreen sheet layered as per the prototype. I cut strips of the ribbed sheet, cut them to length with the chopper and then glued in place with d lemonine

 

Hopefully it will look the part

 

I also did a spot of weathering on my County build

[OnTheBranchline]

Very unlikely at the moment, my wife was made redundant just before going on maternity leave and is finding getting a new job post maternity very difficult. That said we will definitely be making it eventually and I look forward to getting a chance to see the mid cornwall lines when I finally do.

 

Brilliant thanks, I look forward to (hopefully) finding them on the door mat when I get home today.

Then time to finish off 5108.

 

Not to pry but that sounds very suspicious.

[The Fatadder]

Not to pry but that sounds very suspicious.

very much so, fortunately was able to use it to our advantage and at least get a very good package out of them. Though she is rather struggling to get something new.

[checkrail]

I also did a spot of weathering on my County buildB75C1A5F-9FFA-4049-AEAE-88F3FE42FD10.jpeg

 

Now that​ looks like an authentic GWR loco green.  Why can't the RTR boys manage to replicate that shade and tone?

John C.

[The Fatadder]

Now that​ looks like an authentic GWR loco green. Why can't the RTR boys manage to replicate that shade and tone?

John C.

Bachmann manage to do a pretty good job I think, but it’s let down by their lining.

 

This was sprayed in Halfords Rover Brooklands green onto white primer. It has been weathered with a mix of Vallejo black grey with dark brown, over the black areas and a mix of weathering powders on he top of the boiler.

 

My first tin of green is now running out, over the summer I plan to buy more and repaint all of my non lines Hornby locos. Eventually I will get round to painting the kings and Castles as well

[Stephen Freeman]

Bachmann manage to do a pretty good job I think, but it’s let down by their lining.

 

This was sprayed in Halfords Rover Brooklands green onto white primer. It has been weathered with a mix of Vallejo black grey with dark brown, over the black areas and a mix of weathering powders on he top of the boiler.

 

My first tin of green is now running out, over the summer I plan to buy more and repaint all of my non lines Hornby locos. Eventually I will get round to painting the kings and Castles as well

You have to be careful with GWR Loco Green. Post 1928 green is different to GWR Post 1945 Green which was more like WRs version. If you want the Post 1928 version and don't want to use Precision, then the larger Halfords will make up a spray can of Land Rover Bronze Green for you.

 

How many locos received the Post 1945 green is debatable but presumably the Countys would have done being built between 1945 and 1947.

[The Fatadder]

It’s an interesting question as to which shade should be used on a loco in 1946/7, not helped by the poor rendition of colour in contemporary photos (where it’s hard enough to tell if it’s black or green in a B&W photo and colour photos of green locos are often ridiculously dark.

 

However the logic I have taken is that the GW used up all of their existing stock of pre war green before they started painting locos black, hence all repainted post 45 would be in the new shade.

 

I’ve also assumed that given the austerity conditions at the time, it would be unlikely for a loco not getting a repaint to have its logo changed. Hence that anything which has G W R or G crest W on the side should be in the post 45 green (unless of course it’s bladk), whereas anything remaining with shirtbutton or great western logos should be the earlier colour. Of course this logic means my Saint tender is the wrong colour, (being branded great western) however it will be somdirty you won’t be able to tell!

[kandc_au]

While I can’t start work assembling the water tower until I’ve bought more 10thou plasticard, I could start the other shed.

 

The only issue is that it should be corrugated iron (I think) andnis bigger than the wills sheets. My soloution is to make my own outnof some Evergreen sheet layered as per the prototype. I cut strips of the ribbed sheet, cut them to length with the chopper and then glued in place with d lemonine

 

Hopefully it will look the part 91F7AA4E-088E-4E5F-AFC3-8F29FBC99DE7.jpeg

 

I also did a spot of weathering on my County buildB75C1A5F-9FFA-4049-AEAE-88F3FE42FD10.jpeg

How do you manage NOT to put bends in the whitemetal pipe on the side of the loco.

Mine on the Hall kept getting squashed in from my handling so I cut it off  and used a piece of 1mm brass tube.

Problem solved!

 

Khris

[The Fatadder]

How do you manage NOT to put bends in the whitemetal pipe on the side of the loco.

Mine on the Hall kept getting squashed in from my handling so I cut it off  and used a piece of 1mm brass tube.

Problem solved!

Khris

My problem in this case is keeping it stuck to the boiler, the pipe is a plastic moulding from the Dapol County which forms the cab sides, front boiler, footplate and smokebox of the model.

 

I like the brass tube idea, will keep that in mind for the future

[The Fatadder]

The coal office / shed is nearly finished, it just needs a pair of doors, a joint between the two halves of the corrugated roof, and a lifting hoist on the upper door (plus a coat of black paint)

I’ve had a play scribing planked doors from 20thou plastic which has worked well, which bodes well for the panelling on the down station building

I’ve now found some 10 thou so I can do the water tower cutting tomorrow or at the weekend.

 

 

Thanks to help from David M on a nod to Brent, there is a pretty good idea as to the owner of the store. 

 

 

The scale track plan of Brent towards the end (p232) of the OPC KIngsbridge Branch reveals the legend "Hawke's Store" under a magnifying class. i don't know if this is already on your radar or how long the name is good for.

 

Edit

 

There seems to have been a family of Hawkes residing in Dartmouth, at least three of whom appear to have been coal merchants in a "well known business" in the first half of the 20th century. 1939 Dartmouth Directory - W.A.Hawke & Son, Coal Merchant, Mayor's Avenue. Is 17 miles too far away from South Brent?

Edited January 28, 2018 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

Lots of modelling over the weekend, just not a lot to show for it...

 

 

First up the coal merchants / store, I have applied a layer of filler across the joint between the two roof sections, followed up with a round file to tidy up the joint. This was followed up by fitting gutters (ratio), down pipes (modified wills), company signs (ratio) and barge boards from Evergreen strip). Doors were added from some Evergreen sheet. The building is now ready for painting (and for attention to turn to the water tower.)

 

For the next job attention turned to my County build to finish off one of the main remaining tasks fitting the main handrail, it was trick forming the curved front section out of the nickle silver wire but got there in the end. It now just needs the lining adding on the tender and the cab rear handrails (the latter should be glued in place tomorrow). I have bought in the rolling road to set up for final DC testing before I get a decoder installed into the tender. It will be good to get this one finished and off the workbench as I have another loco coming soon.

 

I have just bought a PDK 47xx from eBay, it is part built (with the chassis, cab and part of the foot plate finished to what looks like a good standard). I will likely need to remove the cylinder wrapper as my planned loco 4703 had the snifting valve on the steam chest and I think the model has been built with it on the saddle. Of course I could change plans and model an Old Oak sheded loco rather than the Laira one, but would that be so useful...

 

Moving on to some coaches, a few more jobs have been completed on the Centenary rake. First of all another packet of Hornby coach wheels arrived today (£6.60 for 10 axles from Amazon), so the whole rake are now on metal wheels at last. Attention turned back to the roofs for the LH brake third and the pair of thirds. The thirds both needed an additional panel above the second toilet, while the brake needed it to be transferred to the other side of the coach. The replacement was formed from plasticard profiled to shape and glued into position. The roof vents were then all removed ready for refitting into the correct location.

 

The final job was to take the completed building along with the Avon bridge out to the garage and place on the layout. There is still a lot of work in the river area to get the ground level in the right place for the bridge, but at least this gives the river plenty of depth.

Edited January 28, 2018 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

The latest distraction from working on the layout, I have started building a 47xx kit

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/853/entry-20426-pdk-47xx-part-1/

[Castle]

Hi Rich,

 

The latest distraction from working on the layout, I have started building a 47xx kit

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/853/entry-20426-pdk-47xx-part-1/

You are a bit like me - 14 projects on the go at once! I guess it’s the default state for the species known as the wild* British railway modeller...

 

All the best,

 

Castle

 

* “Wild? I was furious!” - Gerald the Gorilla

Edited February 1, 2018 by Castle

[The Fatadder]

I’ve got to work on several things, else I get bored and stop.

 

Espically given that the garage is not pleasant at this time of year. It’s been quite an interesting week of modelling, with plasticard buildings for both 1998 and 1947, painting a Class 58s bodyside grills, finishing off my County and now starting on the 47xx kit

 

 

The one thing I am really avoiding is building the double slip, at some point I need to get on with it

[St Enodoc]

I’ve got to work on several things, else I get bored and stop.

 

Espically given that the garage is not pleasant at this time of year. It’s been quite an interesting week of modelling, with plasticard buildings for both 1998 and 1947, painting a Class 58s bodyside grills, finishing off my County and now starting on the 47xx kit

 

 

The one thing I am really avoiding is building the double slip, at some point I need to get on with it

Rich, for the avoidance of doubt I "Agree" with your final sentence. I like the pun too.

[Clearwater]

The latest distraction from working on the layout, I have started building a 47xx kit

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/853/entry-20426-pdk-47xx-part-1/

I’ve made a similar investment in a pdk 47xx albeit it’s somewhere in the “to build” list. Though I’ve no great hope for the Heljan one, i’ll Probably buy one but the former will provide more entertainment! I’ll look froward to reading your blog. I think there’s a thread someone else made on building a pdk kit

 

David

[The Fatadder]

I’ve made a similar investment in a pdk 47xx albeit it’s somewhere in the “to build” list. Though I’ve no great hope for the Heljan one, i’ll Probably buy one but the former will provide more entertainment! I’ll look froward to reading your blog. I think there’s a thread someone else made on building a pdk kit

 

David

Good luck with it, from what I have seen so far it is a really good kit (so long as you want to build 4705 onwards). As far as I can make out parts are not supplied to model the cylinders on the earlier locos with the snifters on the cylinders. (please correct me if its just a case that my model was missing the parts).

 

Certainly so far comparing with the Heljan pictures I think the kit looks like it has the edge. Certainly it will have more meaning!

 

Now I just need to get off the laptop and get back upstairs and get on with it!

 

Edit: the kit does cover the early locos, I just found the casting then confirmed it on another 47xx thread. However my kit didn’t come with the alternate etched cover so looks like I am doing 4707 still....

Edited February 2, 2018 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

Last night I performed some initial DC testing of 4707 and County of Somerset on the clubs test track, after some initial stuttering the 4700 performed well in the forward direction but didn’t like going backwards. Not really an issue given that it should never need to reverse. Eventually it lost one of the spacers on the second gear, causing it to come out of mesh with the worm, so now needs attention to rectify.

 

The County was a bigger problem, when it worked it moved far too slowly (I have a suspicion that the gearbox I have used is too low ratio). It also stalled repeatidly on dead frog points (thankfully not an issue on my layout) which indicates there is probably a pick up issue somewhere. Eventually the motor retaining pin sheared off the chassis (due to me prodding the motor too hard) so that also needs fixing.

 

All in all not successful (particularly when coulpled with me forgetting to bring the copper strip I wanted to chop up for Wheal Imogen.)

[The Fatadder]

A couple of quick wins...

 

First up I have finally sourced a set of correct bogie wheels for my Hornby Star 4025, these have now been fitted (removing the original wheel with a spoon and then pressing the new ones into place). So that finishes the Star for now (at least until I feel up to trying to weather it according to the photo in The Art of Weathering.

 

The other project is my 5100 tank, having repaired the motion a few weeks back it just needed new pony truck wheels. Given the standard of the model (and the forthcoming Dapol release which hopefully will be improved from the current drawings), 5108 is not intended to be a core loco for Brent. Instead it has a future first as a weathering guinea pig, before being isolated as a suitable loco for my girls and their friends to drive with minimal risk to decent stock.

 

Finally I have been doing a little more ebaying, and have now managed to sell a redundant chassis kit to fund the purchase of a comet kit for what I believe is a sunshine stock first (needed for my CRE formation). I cant decide if I will build it as a full Comet Kit or use the sides / ends / floor to build something else and then use the sides on a shortened Mainline / Bachmann coach (given that this gets the rivet detail on the roof).

Edited February 22, 2018 by The Fatadder