Stoke Courtenay

[checkrail]

Winslow Hall comes to a halt, just by the up end running-in board.

 

 

 

 

 

... and then, after passengers have boarded or disembarked, pulls away towards its next stop (Brent?) en route for Newton Abbot

 

 

 

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Final batch before I get back to what I should be doing.

 

5975 accelerates away from Stoke C., along the embankment .... 

 

 

 

.... then into the cutting, until it disappears into the portal of Stoke Courtenay tunnel.

 

 

 

Back in touch soon I hope, other duties permitting!

 

John C.

 

 

[checkrail]

Phase 2 of Stoke Courtenay, 'Tarting up the trains', has made slow progress of late due to other demands on my attention.  But I've recently been able to steal a bit of time in the loft to carry on with a few things, including the commissioning of 6019 King Henry V of Laira shed.  Here she (sorry! - he) is, heading west with a Penzance express, perhaps a relief portion of the down Limited.  Meanwhile a 28xx approaches with empty coal wagons returning to the South Wales coalfields.

 

 

 

 

Henry V started life as King Edward V.  Other than the usual embellishments of crew, lamps, screw coupling, coal, brass name & no. plates etc. the only other treatment has been the application of a few coats of Simoniz clear lacquer to the very flat green of the Hornby finish.

 

A few more to follow.

 

John C.

[The Fatadder]

What did you use for the windows on the centenary?

[Barry Ten]

What did you use for the windows on the centenary?

 

Good question. As a quick and easy fix, rather than use Comet sides, I've wondered about ruling in the window frames with a bow-pen.

 

The coach in the picture certainly looks convincing.

[checkrail]

Here are a couple of 2819.  I reckon the 28xx is one of the most delicate of Hornby's locos in terms of added details - every time I turn it upside down to do something or try to remove loco or tender body another bit falls off. Guess I'm a bull in a china shop.  But after numerous attempts and cannibalised bits of loco from various sources I've got one that works and still has all its bits, even if not all the original ones.  (I'm not going to touch it again!)

 

I first numbered her 2839 until I realised that the 3/4 view photos I'd seen disguised the fact that it had the curved front end over the frames.  But I've recently found online a 1960s pic of 2819 (which was at Laira in the late 30s) with square drop front end and still no outside steam pipes. Actually I guess that coal trains to and from S Wales were usually hauled by S Wales-based locos, but hey ho.  

 

 

 

In the third photo 2819 meets 6019.

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

What did you use for the windows on the centenary?

 

Hi Rich, Barry

 

I do remember Barry talking somewhere on this forum some time back about the difficulty of doing this with plastikard/microstrip, which I immediately understood when I thought of my own slapdash way with solvents.  (But I don't sniff much these days.)

 

The 'Airstream' type ventilators, which replaced the original 1935 'Beclawet' windows, are fabricated from strips of self-adhesive cream-coloured labels bought on a sheet from Online Labels.com and applied using photographs and drawings in the Russell books as a guide. The labels I used were EU30010CM, Standard Matt Cream.  (They match perfectly with the ex-Airfix van 3rd vehicle, but funnily enough not quite so exactly with my composites).  The labels themselves are 63.5mm x 72mm, but I cut long strips from the perimeter of the A4 sheet(s).

 

I made a template of a window aperture and marked the position of the vertical and horizontal elements of the ventilator frame on it (I also marked the level of the horizontal frames on the coach side with a pencil) and proceeded to cut the strips way over length, and remove the backing paper, before offering them up, sticking them in place, and trimming off (left & right or top & bottom) with a craft knife.  With the horizontal frame I ran one strip (c. 0.75mm wide) all along the carriage side before trimming away between windows. In the end I stopped using the template in favour of the mark 1 human eyeball, followed by checks with a small Perspex set-square and a bit of prodding with a cocktail stick.

 

It's far from perfect - if you don't get it right first time (I never do!) you end up with adhesive residue on the windows, which neither cocktail stick nor meths will completely remove.  So my centenaries have very dirty windows!  I have to say that I bought them as a job lot with windows already badly scratched, roof vents missing etc.  In due course it's my intention to acquire three rather more pristine vehicles and do it again - properly this time with the window insert taken out of the coach first. But this was, if you like, 'proof of concept'.

 

Some more pictures of the Paddington-Penzance rake behind 'King Henry V' will be forthcoming very soon.

 

John C.

[checkrail]

'King Henry V' continues its swift progress through Stoke Courtenay.  No-one's expecting this train to stop here. The fourth picture shows that although the leading two coaches are a centenary van 3rd and composite the third vehicle is a slightly later and more conventional Collett 60' third. 

 

 

 

 

 

John C.

[Clearwater]

Beautiful layout. I particularly like the details like the people talking by the fence and the person using the footbridge to cross the line

 

David

[County of Yorkshire]

Hi Rich, Barry

 

I do remember Barry talking somewhere on this forum some time back about the difficulty of doing this with plastikard/microstrip, which I immediately understood when I thought of my own slapdash way with solvents.  (But I don't sniff much these days.)

 

The 'Airstream' type ventilators, which replaced the original 1935 'Beclawet' windows, are fabricated from strips of self-adhesive cream-coloured labels bought on a sheet from Online Labels.com and applied using photographs and drawings in the Russell books as a guide. The labels I used were EU30010CM, Standard Matt Cream.  (They match perfectly with the ex-Airfix van 3rd vehicle, but funnily enough not quite so exactly with my composites).  The labels themselves are 63.5mm x 72mm, but I cut long strips from the perimeter of the A4 sheet(s).

 

I made a template of a window aperture and marked the position of the vertical and horizontal elements of the ventilator frame on it (I also marked the level of the horizontal frames on the coach side with a pencil) and proceeded to cut the strips way over length, and remove the backing paper, before offering them up, sticking them in place, and trimming off (left & right or top & bottom) with a craft knife.  With the horizontal frame I ran one strip (c. 0.75mm wide) all along the carriage side before trimming away between windows. In the end I stopped using the template in favour of the mark 1 human eyeball, followed by checks with a small Perspex set-square and a bit of prodding with a cocktail stick.

 

It's far from perfect - if you don't get it right first time (I never do!) you end up with adhesive residue on the windows, which neither cocktail stick nor meths will completely remove.  So my centenaries have very dirty windows!  I have to say that I bought them as a job lot with windows already badly scratched, roof vents missing etc.  In due course it's my intention to acquire three rather more pristine vehicles and do it again - properly this time with the window insert taken out of the coach first. But this was, if you like, 'proof of concept'.

 

Some more pictures of the Paddington-Penzance rake behind 'King Henry V' will be forthcoming very soon.

 

John C.

 

Hi John, 

 

Thanks for the insight into the Centenary windows - very useful, as I've got this modelling project on my to do list; but for a whole rake! Could I be so bold to ask whether you have any spare label sheets at all; and if so would you be interested in selling some? I have taken a look on Online Labels.com and it is only cost effective to buy in minimum quantities of 100 A4 sheets at 15.95, and I guesstimate that I would only need 20 or so A4 sheets!

 

Indeed, this is a call to interested RMwebbers whether they would be interested in splitting a batch of 100 sheets with me? PM me if interested. 

 

Cheers, 

 

CoY

[The Fatadder]

Its an interesting concept, one which could possibly be combined with a silhouette cutter to aid in mass producing the cutting.

 

At the moment I have one composite and one brake which are still as Airfix made them, with the thirds and left hand brake done with Comet sides.  My plan is to use Comet sides to convert another brake and composite into the restaurant pair, which leaves me with the final two Airfix coaches which need the windows added.  I was thinking about doing the composite and RH brake with more Comet sides, but now I am starting to think about trying the sticker option.

 

Re the colour, I would be thinking about spraying the sticker with the same colour that I spray the coach cream.

 

As an aside this has given me another thought (again made a lot easier with the silhouette cutter I keep thinking about buying).  On the Ian Rathbourn / Tony Wright painting DVD.  In the segment on lining locomotives, Ian describes a technique for producing boiler bands where you spray the base colour onto transfer film, then line on top of it (before cutting to size.)  Thinking about it this is exactly the same technique as with the sticky label, only without the sticky residue.  The downside is that it would be a lot thinner though potentially...  The solution to which would be commissioning a 3d transfer from Railtec....    Maybe for me at least, I will be better off just sticking with plan a and placing an order with Comet.  But I must say I am impressed with what you managed. 

[checkrail]

There's been a bit of interest in the centenary stock window conversions, so here are some ugly close-ups.  Given the exquisite models produced in brass by many of you on this forum I was a bit diffident about sharing a technique involving sticky labels as the main material.  It's what one might call the 'Blue Peter' school of modelling.

 

(And for my next project, a model of 'The Great Bear', made from a couple of toilet roll cores, some sticky-backed plastic, and a pair of Val's old knickers.)

 

Here's the van third ..... 

 

 

.... followed by a composite (compartment side) ...

 

 

.... and another composite (corridor side).

 

 

This was the second attempt at updating the windows.  The first time I had the horizontal framing a bit too wide - more like 1mm than 0.75mm.  I lived with it for a few weeks, but decided it looked all wrong and had to be done again.  Hence the dirty windows.

 

Prior to that I'd done some other bits of work on these battered old donor coaches.  Missing roof vents had been restored, moulded roof grab handles sliced off and replaced by handrail wire, roofs airbrushed with Lifecolor roof dirt, droplights painted venetian red, folding paper gangway connections fitted, and underframes/bogies dry-brushed with Lifecolor frame dirt. The corridor side of the compo was also fitted with an internal handrail from brass wire. 

 

Not exhibition models by any means, but they look the part from a distance, aided by my deteriorating eyesight.

 

(Rich's idea of using a silhouette cutter sounds interesting, though I confess I'm not quite sure what one of those is.)

 

A bit more soon about my new King-hauled train.

 

John C.

 

 

 

 

[checkrail]

A few more of 6019 'King Henry V' pulling through Stoke Courtenay, and passing 5557 coming in off the branch with the B-set from Earlsbridge.  I do like that new Hornby King.  Still have a DJM one on order if it ever materialises.  Will be interesting to compare.

 

 

 

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Hi John, 

 

Thanks for the insight into the Centenary windows - very useful, as I've got this modelling project on my to do list; but for a whole rake! Could I be so bold to ask whether you have any spare label sheets at all; and if so would you be interested in selling some? I have taken a look on Online Labels.com and it is only cost effective to buy in minimum quantities of 100 A4 sheets at 15.95, and I guesstimate that I would only need 20 or so A4 sheets!

 

Indeed, this is a call to interested RMwebbers whether they would be interested in splitting a batch of 100 sheets with me? PM me if interested. 

 

Cheers, 

 

CoY

 

Hi CoY

 

IIRC there's a facility on the website for ordering a smaller quantity - I got 10 - and though the cost per sheet was far more I think I spent 6 or 7 quid in total.  But I have 4 spare and would be happy to let you have them if you PM me your postal address and refund postage cost when you get them.  It might also be worth looking round places like Rymans, Office World, or what's left of Staples.

 

John C.

[bgman]

Hi John,

The Silhouette Cutter has been the subject of a very informative thread and can be found here if you wish to discover its possibilities

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79025-a-guide-to-using-the-silhouette-cameo-cutter/

 

I never regretted purchasing one.

 

Here are my first attempts at producing a coach albeit a GWR Dynamometer Car, not perfect but reasonable results can be had.

 

 

 

Still on the workbench and in need of tidying up currently.

 

Grahame

[81C]

Thats excellent work Grahame those bogie's look really good what are going to use for axle boxes?

[checkrail]

Hi John,

The Silhouette Cutter has been the subject of a very informative thread and can be found here if you wish to discover its possibilities

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79025-a-guide-to-using-the-silhouette-cameo-cutter/

 

I never regretted purchasing one.

 

Here are my first attempts at producing a coach albeit a GWR Dynamometer Car, not perfect but reasonable results can be had.

 

image.jpeg

 

image.jpeg

 

Still on the workbench and in need of tidying up currently.

 

Grahame

 

Awesome!  Loads of possibilities there.  And very nice dyno car.

[checkrail]

Here are some pics of the complete train behind 6019, the first, second and fifth coaches being centenary stock.

 

 

Once I turned my attention to detailing the locos and rolling stock I soon realised that a 7 coach centenary set formed from only two diagrams of vehicle wasn't going to cut it.  Even I couldn't suspend disbelief that much.  Then I remembered photos I'd seen in Lockwood et al of centenary stock mixed up in other formations at about my period.  So a new plan was formed, with only three of the original 7 centenaries being used, interspersed with some eBay purchases of Bachmann 60' Colletts in shirtbutton livery and a Hornby Collett van 3rd in the same livery for a bit of GWR-style variety.  So not an exact copy of any particular train, and without any 70 footers, but, I hope, giving some of the flavour of formations at the time. (And a bit more believable than a train containing more types of the same vehicle than were built!)

 

 

 

My own theory is that when the centenaries went back to Swindon for replacement of the original Beclawet windows they were released back into stock as they were completed, in dribs and drabs.  Hence their dispersal amongst other types.  I have however seen 1939 photos of complete, or near complete, centenary rakes, suggesting that once they'd all been converted there was a conscious effort to put the sets back together until wartime exigencies intervened.

 

The final vehicle in the train is a through coach for Newquay.  Full marks to Mainline/Bachmann all those years ago for giving us a very useful brake composite rather than the usual brake 3rd and compo duo.

 

 

John C.

[St Enodoc]

Good question. As a quick and easy fix, rather than use Comet sides, I've wondered about ruling in the window frames with a bow-pen.

 

The coach in the picture certainly looks convincing.

I did that with some BR maroon ones. As the colour is less conspicuous than cream would be it looks OK at normal viewing distances. No pics unfortunately.

[checkrail]

I did that with some BR maroon ones. As the colour is less conspicuous than cream would be it looks OK at normal viewing distances. No pics unfortunately.

 

I've just thought of another possible approach.  Use microstrip, to ensure uniformity of width, painting it to required shade of cream first, and apply it to the windows with double sided tape (sellotape/Scotch tape type).  I've been using such tape quite a bit recently, e.g. to attach home-made fall plates to locos, folded paper gangways to coach ends, destination boards to coach roofs etc. With the roof boards for instance, I stick a strip of tape down onto a cutting mat or a piece of glass, press the back of the roof board down onto the tape, then cut round the edges of the board with a craft knife.  Then I peel the board off the mat/glass together with its new self-adhesive backing, and apply it to the coach.  As it obviates the use of solvents it might lend itself to the fabrication of airstream ventilators?

 

John C.

[checkrail]

A final handful of the King with the Penzance express, including a couple of helicopter shots showing my perfunctory nod to the world beyond the railway fence - two and a half buildings representing the fringes of the village of Stoke Courtenay.  In the fourth shot you can see the beginning of the fiddleyard behind the tunnel.

 

 

Now back to work to sort out the last (for now) untreated train - the brown vehicles.  I have some old siphons whose ancient couplings keep the buffers of adjacent vehicles about 6 scale feet apart, and one with BR Mark 1 bogies fitted with Lima's pizza cutter wheels.  And they all still have horribly glaring white roofs.

 

John C.

[81C]

A final handful of the King with the Penzance express, including a couple of helicopter shots showing my perfunctory nod to the world beyond the railway fence - two and a half buildings representing the fringes of the village of Stoke Courtenay.  In the fourth shot you can see the beginning of the fiddleyard behind the tunnel.

 

King & 28xx 021-min.JPG

King & 28xx 022-min.JPG

King & 28xx 023-min.JPG

King & 28xx 024-min.JPG

King & 28xx 025-min.JPG

 

Now back to work to sort out the last (for now) untreated train - the brown vehicles.  I have some old siphons whose ancient couplings keep the buffers of adjacent vehicles about 6 scale feet apart, and one with BR Mark 1 bogies fitted with Lima's pizza cutter wheels.  And they all still have horribly glaring white roofs.

 

John C.

I recommend you replace the bogies under any Lima vehicle I've used Hornby (old) & Bachmann Collett bogies on some of them that in its self will also reduce the gap, van numbers are in Russell's pictorial Vol 2

Here is one of my CRE coaches having Comet Composite brake sides attached the one below is an old Hornby Collett getting the same treatment with Dia E127 Composite Brake sides.

 

 

Regards Bob

[checkrail]

I recommend you replace the bogies under any Lima vehicle I've used Hornby (old) & Bachmann Collett bogies on some of them that in its self will also reduce the gap, van numbers are in Russell's pictorial Vol 2

Here is one of my CRE coaches having Comet Composite brake sides attached the one below is an old Hornby Collett getting the same treatment with Dia E127 Composite Brake sides.

 

WP_20170712_13_45_24_Pro.jpg

 

Regards Bob

 

Thanks for this.  Nice work Bob.  Brass might be step forward for me when I get into phase 3. Am currently assembling some 247 9ft American bogies for the Lima siphon. I opened up the hole in the floor for the Lima bogie spigot a little and have glued 8 BA nuts therein, so should be easy to fit, once I get the Gibson axles to fit in the bogies. ( I shouldn't have glued the brass pin-point bearings into the axle boxes.  There's a little bit of reaming going on round here!

 

John C.

[M.I.B]

 

Now back to work to sort out the last (for now) untreated train - the brown vehicles.  I have some old siphons whose ancient couplings keep the buffers of adjacent vehicles about 6 scale feet apart, and one with BR Mark 1 bogies fitted with Lima's pizza cutter wheels.  And they all still have horribly glaring white roofs.

 

John C.

 

Inspired by a post on ANTB where Rob "corrected" a SIPHON G (inside frame) I did mine last year.  Six in one go using Bachmann Collett bogies, and correct buffers in whitemetal, renumbered (using Slinn as a reference) and finally got rid of the awful white roofs.  A dramatic difference for not a lot of skill or money.

Edited July 13, 2017 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

Sorry - I should have added that Bachmann bogies are available to buy in a pack of 2 bogies with wheels and couplings.  Saves buying the whole coach and scrapping it just to get bogies.

 

I have no aversion to white roofs on NPCCS, especially if you are modelling the "picture postcard pretty, Shirtbutton era" . (Late 40s urban for me)

 

I use the word "Awful" in the post above, because Lima SIPHON G roofs are badly painted with far too much over spray into the adjacent colour.