Blog- N-Gauge LMS Layout - Foster Street - I've nearly finished some projects - well nearly

RSS Fetcher · May 6, 2016

Well I must have been a very good boy lately as the Domestic Overlord allowed me to play with my trains, so I took advantage of the situation and did a little work on some of the on-going projects cluttering up to workbench.

Its been a mad few weeks, and modelling time has been in very short supply, so I decided to knuckle down and get some serious modelling done, and play of course play trains too, I mean the Domestic Overlord told me to play with my trains and as I'm such a good boy I did.

So I decided to see if I could improve some of the older conversions and builds lurking in the loco fleet, so I looked at some of the none LMS prototypes in the collection, When I first built these locomotives my aim was to use old farish chassis to make something useful, and if they looked a bit like the intended prototype the better (notice I said a bit ). My other thought was that if I made a complete hash of it then being LNER prototypes who would be able to tell?

This is my attempt to portray a J38, its on a chassis nearly as old as me, the problem was that I built the body while I was away working years ago, and then when I returned home and fitted it to the chassis is was a little over sized. I know the prototypes where larger than the J39's but by this much? Anyway I could have completely stripped it down and tried to reduce its size a bit, but just decided to repaint it instead, I then made it worst by adding lining, I think its in need of a lot more weathering to try and hide it and it might not be so bad (yes I know I need to paint the buffer beam).

When I decided a few years back to make a J39, at least this time I had the chassis to hand whilst I built the body, it was made over a couple of weeks in various hotel rooms, and when it was originally painted the only enamel paint I could get was stove paint, the nearest model shop was over 200 miles away. Anyway I decided to repaint the loco, and again applied a little weathering, and its looking better, I just need to figure out where I put the buffers for safe keeping.

Years ago, I was given what was left of I white metal casting that was supposed to be a B1, the previous owner had tried to convert it to a B17 for some reason or other, all I managed to save from the original was the smoke box and part of the boiler. Lots of filler later and various bits of brass and anything I could lay my hands on and it passed as a B1 (well to my LMS eyes anyway) to make it worst I finished it BR black. Then farish released their version and I lost interest, but being tight I thought I may be able to rework mine, a coat of mouldy apple green later, and more lining than was good to my sanity later and it looks ok? I know I need to finish the cab side lining, but it can wait, oh and I know where the buffers are they are the J39 ones

Now back to some decent LMS locomotives, the first of two attempts to create a Parallel Scot is just waiting nameplates being applied, and the moulded coal removing from the tender, she runs ok all I need to do is figure out what duty to attach here to. I use to like the LMS post-war black livery, and thought it would have been simple to apply but it nearly sent me mad, weathering has helped to cover up my wobbly lining, but I think I need more.

Finally these two are my attempts to create a couple of Semi Duchess's, again in my use to be favourite livery, crimson is far easier to apply trust me, they just need their names applying and a crew and they will enter the Foster Street roster, though its going to take some serious modelling licence to justify these on a secondary line.

So that's about it, I nearly have some space on now on the modelling bench, or I will do when I finally complete all the other projects filling it up, and anyway Im off to play trains now, I mean complete so serious running in as ever until the next time Happy Modelling

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