Stoke Courtenay

[Coach bogie]

I agree, the Lima and Airfix siphons need only minmal additional work to improve their appearance.

 

I found there was an issue with 14mm wheels and the tyres rubbed on the floor. I cut this way as below, along with moving battery boxes etc.

 

I added the older lever brake handle, American bogies from 247 (back in the Gary wells era) and home made flexible corridor connections.

 

I bought of quantity of the Palethorpes livery at a knock down price. They did not sell well towards the end, I assume because the livery never existed. I had built the two six wheeler Palethorpes from the W&T kit. My son kept running the Lima's with them, so I compromised and converted one with Americans etc to keep him happy. Never happened but it looks the part. Junior painted the axle boxes -  not me!

 

If you fancy a challenge, it is not much more work to convert the lima to a Siphon J, replacing the sides with planked plasticard.

 

The Airfix G and H also look much better, in my opinion, with American and 7ft bogies.

 

Love the shots of trains on your layout. I may have to work up the courage to ballast my track on seeing yours.

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

 

 

[checkrail]

Thanks Mike.  Useful info and nice pics of some of your brown vehicles. 

 

Nice timing too.  About 4 years ago I acquired an old Lima inside-framed siphon G on BR Mark 1 bogies, and soon after got hold of a pair of 247 American bogies for them, having assured myself that this was the type I needed. Yesterday I finally got round to fitting them, after which I checked Russell (Vol 2 and Appendix 2), and blow me down, all I could find were pics of them on standard 9' bogies and a note on a drawing suggesting that one lot received 7' bogies.  Puzzled now as to where I got my original notion from  -  lost in the mists of time. 

 

So I spent this morning replacing them again with Bachmann 9' versions, and fitting the Americans to a Mainline siphon H, which I know did have them.  Then I saw your post, with American-fitted inside-framed siphon G, so perhaps I was right first time!  You might be able to remind me where I might have got my original evidence.

 

Yes, I too had to cut away bits of the Lima floor with the Dremel to accommodate 14mm wheels.  Unfortunately, to enable the Bachmann bogies to move freely I also had to cut away the small handbrakes on each side.  But if I'm reading Russell rightly it seems these were only on the first lot, subsequent ones having the longer brake handle like yours.  Was that from 247 as well?

 

I agree that bogie siphons look good with American bogies.  I've 3 outside-framed siphon Gs to do, so think I'll get at least one more set of Americans if I can.

 

John C.

[Coach bogie]

I'll have to check back. I would have produced it from a photo, usually from David Geen's extensive archive. I recall the O22 all had Americans but they were horizontal planked.

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

Page 84 of GW Siphons has an O59 with Americans. I am assured that switching American bogies at various times was not uncommon as the siphons were shopped, with even BR builds acquiring them.

 

I have also fitted one with ex articulated 8'6" bogies (from 247) as per the 1936 build which used bogies from the artic sets.

 

Mike Wiltshire

Edited July 16, 2017 by Coach bogie

[Miss Prism]

I was resigned to having this wrong on 4574, but wasn't sure whether I'd ever get round to doing something about it.  But I'm off the hook.  I've recently found two 1930s photos of 4591, of the later 4575 version, with portholes!  So I'm sure that 4555-74 would have had them too.

 

I agree. Here's 4589, with original portholes, and without cab shutter. The shape visible through the rear cab window looks like the bunker lamp fender. Cab shutters and fenders were added on works visits, probably early 1930s, but they were not always added together. It's probably rare to find, as in this case, the portholes unplated after fender/shutter additions.

 

The loco is uniformly grubby, with insignia barely discernible. Typical of the era for workaday tanks.

 

Edited August 29, 2017 by Miss Prism

[81C]

Hi John

I purchased Hornby's Drysllwyn Castle 5076 at the week end Jim at Modelmasters is doing a small special run of 10 sets with it's pre 1942 name, it was changed to the WW 2 plane Gladiator .

Phone him quick if you want a set

 

Bob

 

https://modelmaster.uk/

Edited September 15, 2017 by 81C

[Garethp8873]

Hi John

I purchased Hornby's Drysllwyn Castle 5076 at the week end Jim at Modelmasters is doing a small special run of 10 sets with it's pre 1942 name, it was changed to the WW 2 plane Gladiator .

Phone him quick if you want a set

 

Bob

 

https://modelmaster.uk/

Thank you for your information. Just placed on order on myself for the GWR version...

[6892 Oakhill Grange]

I agree. Here's 4589, with original portholes, and without cab shutter. The shape visible through the rear cab window looks like the bunker lamp fender. Cab shutters and fenders were added on works visits, probably early 1930s, but they were not always added together. It's probably rare to find, as in this case, the portholes unplated after fender/shutter additions.

 

The loco is uniformly grubby, with insignia barely discernible. Typical of the era for workaday tanks.

 

4589-detail-small.jpg

With a bunker fender and no oil lubricator box on the tanks. Fender back on and oil box off my Southall 5500?

[OnTheBranchline]

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

 

Has anything happened with this model?

[checkrail]

In recent discussion of Powsides kits over on ANTB I mentioned that I'd recently made a few, and was asked for pictures, so here goes, along with other photos with a goods train theme.

 

The first three pics shew 8709 approaching Stoke Courtenay with a pick up goods, including four PO coal wagons, and setting back into the yard loop after halting at the down advance starting signal.

 

.

 

Of these PO wagons only the last one (Bowden Bros. of Exeter) is from a Powsides pre-lettered kit - the others are Bachmann.  I wanted several Renwick Wilton wagons, and had built a couple of Powsides kits before I realised that Bachmann had done them, and that they occasionally appeared on eBay.  As is usual with Mr Shortcut here, laziness took over, so I now have a mixture.  Subsequent posts will shew the Powsides ones.

 

John C.

 

 

[checkrail]

Until today I hadn't put any pics on here for a long time.  Partly it was due to a busy few months on other duties, so progress on the layout has been slow, but another reason was that I was increasingly aware of the shortcomings of my photography, compared with some of the wonderful stuff on this forum.  Something had to be done. So I'm pleased to say that to mark my 70th birthday last autumn family and friends 'crowdfunded' me a wonderful digital SLR, along with tripod.  I was going to hold off posting any more images until I'd got my head round it, but that's going to be a steep learning curve for a technophobe.  I'll get there eventually.

 

Anyway, in the meantime here are some more wagons. 

 

8709 has parked the Toad in the headshunt, run round its train, and is now propelling it slowly into the goods yard, initially to pick up outward bound cattle wagons which it will place in the siding behind the signal box.

 

The next shot shews one of those outgoing cattle wagons (the recent Hornby Maunsell model, toned down a bit with Vallejo brown wash), and beyond in the coal road four empty PO coal wagons ready to be picked up. The one on the right is from Bachmann, the others all being from Powsides pre-lettered kits - Plymouth Coal Company, W. Aitken & Co of Torquay & Dartmouth, and good ol' Renwick Wilton..

 

In the third photo 8709 has dumped the incoming loaded coal wagons behind the signal box for now and gone to remove the coal empties.

 

John C.

Edited January 27, 2018 by checkrail

[checkrail]

And while I enjoy a beer and wait to be called for supper here are some more.

 

Having retrieved the empty coal wagons (nearest the loco) the pannier now propels the incoming loaded ones towards the end of the coal siding, where the coal merchant's employees wait to unload them.  Of the 8 coal wagons in view 4 are Bachmann, 4 from Powsides kits.

 

Renwick Wilton no. 57 is Bachmann, 58 Powsides.  They're slightly different of course, which might not be prototypical but which I quite like.

 

In the final shot in this post the 57xx picks up outward bound general merchandise wagons from the goods shed siding.  (I really must look at loads and tarpaulins for these open wagons.  Bought some Smith's tarps at the MMRS show in December, if I can remember where I put them.)

 

A few more PO wagons to come.

 

John C.

 

 

 

 

[gwrrob]

Very nice too John and that Aitken wagon livery is a new one to me.

Edited January 27, 2018 by gwrrob

[sn]

I love the way the backscene complements but does NOT dominate. Gorgeous layout.

[81C]

Very nice too John and that Aitken wagon livery is a new one to me.

They look very nice John something a bit different.

 

I've a Robbie's Rolling Stock Aitkens the only problem with it is the 16'6" length & 10' W/B, the Bachmann Renwick wagons are rare as hens teeth

 but have managed to pick up 3 of them, I'm not sure what to do with them maybe light weathering with water colours some others which go with

 the territory are the Buffers L/E wagons by Bachmann.  

                                                                                         

[checkrail]

I love the way the backscene complements but does NOT dominate. 

 

Thanks sn.  Those Gaugemaster backscenes have a very soft focus - the finished print is almost fuzzy.  Together with cutting off and binning the bottom 75% of the landscape (to avoid the giant vertical green wall in the sky directly behind the track look) it gives a pleasing illusion of distance and, I think, makes the layout look a bit bigger and more spacious.

 

John C.

[vulcanbomber]

intrigued by your use of gaugemaster backscenes. If you cut off the bottom 75%,  how are your backscenes?

Edited January 28, 2018 by vulcanbomber

[checkrail]

 

I've a Robbie's Rolling Stock Aitkens the only problem with it is the 16'6" length & 10' W/B, the Bachmann Renwick wagons are rare as hens teeth

 but have managed to pick up 3 of them, I'm not sure what to do with them maybe light weathering with water colours some others which go with

 the territory are the Buffers L/E wagons by Bachmann.  

                                                                                         

 

Yes, I've still got 3 PO wagons on 10' steel underframes, lurking at the back of my 28xx hauled coal train. 

 

I intend to replace them with more authentic items from Powsides (eventually!).  The Evans & Bevan wagons are ancient Lima bodies.  The Diamond wagon is an older Mainline/Bachmann model.  The printing of the elaborate livery is so damned good that it'll be a shame to bin it.

 

My PO wagons are weathered, or at least toned down, with Vallejo washes.

 

(Forgive my ignorance, but what's the "Buffers L/E wagon by Bachmann" you mention?)

 

Cheers,

John C.

[checkrail]

intrigued by your use of gaugemaster backscenes. If you cut off the bottom 75%, how how are your backscenes?

 

Behind the station they're about 80cm above track level at the highest point, and about 60cm above the top of the low cutting.  Of course, it meant that the 'sky' element of the backscene then wasn't high enough, so it had to go.  Hence the very plain sky ('Atlantic Mist' from B & Q IIRC.)  The sky's blue right thru' in my parallel model universe, even though it's Britain!

 

Another advantage of trimming off the sky bits along the profile of the horizon is that you can customise said horizon a bit - a bit snipped off here, an overlap there.

 

John C.

[The Fatadder]

 

 

The Diamond wagon is an older Mainline/Bachmann model. The printing of the elaborate livery is so damned good that it'll be a shame to bin it.

 

Cheers,

John C.

My approach for similar old Bachmann / Mainline wagons is to put them on a new chassis. Parkside and Cambrian both sell spare chassis parts (and the latter often have two different solvers in one spur so you get an extra with a kit.).

Add a bufferbeam from plastic strip, buffers from LMS and etched 3 irons and you have a very good wagon.

 

I have an old Bachmann brewery P.O. on the bench at the moment getting that treatment

[vulcanbomber]

You have managed to blend the back scene into the sky very well. I've just reverted my back scene back to blue paint, hence my interest.

[checkrail]

Final pics of 8709 and its train.

 

1. Propelling outward vans & open wagons to couple up to outward cattle wagons.

 

 

2. Then positioning inward traffic in goods shed or by the crane as appropriate.  The ex-LSWR van was bought on eBay from a chap trading as Unique Wagons. He'd made a very neat job of construction and painting.  All it needed was new, shorter Brian Kirby-style couplings, Alan Gibson wheels on Proto87 brass axles, and a toning down with a brown wash.  Saved me the tedious task of building it.  (Only kidding - I quite enjoy making wagon kits, but with 16 or more unmade kits to get on with I'm not averse to the occasional short cut, especially when I see something this nice!  Life's only so long.)

 

 

3.  The pannier is now coupling up to the outgoing coal empties prior to attaching them to the onward train, which it will then pull into the yard loop, run round, and back into the short headshunt to re-attach the brake van. (For the first time I tried a filter with this shot while editing.  Think it's called 'tropical'.  Quite like it and will try some more, having seen others on this forum get some interesting results.)

 

John C.

[Garethp8873]

Final pics of 8709 and its train.

 

1. Propelling outward vans & open wagons to couple up to outward cattle wagons.

Goods traffic 010-min.JPG

 

 

2. Then positioning inward traffic in goods shed or by the crane as appropriate. The ex-LSWR van was bought on eBay from a chap trading as Unique Wagons. He'd made a very neat job of construction and painting. All it needed was new, shorter Brian Kirby-style couplings, Alan Gibson wheels on Proto87 brass axles, and a toning down with a brown wash. Saved me the tedious task of building it. (Only kidding - I quite enjoy making wagon kits, but with 16 or more unmade kits to get on with I'm not averse to the occasional short cut, especially when I see something this nice! Life's only so long.)

Goods traffic 011-min.JPG

 

 

3. The pannier is now coupling up to the outgoing coal empties prior to attaching them to the onward train, which it will then pull into the yard loop, run round, and back into the short headshunt to re-attach the brake van. (For the first time I tried a filter with this shot while editing. Think it's called 'tropical'. Quite like it and will try some more, having seen others on this forum get some interesting results.)

Goods traffic 012-min.JPG

 

John C.

Besides being a good friend, the owner of Unique Wagons does all my wagon refurbishment work. Pleasing to see the LSWR Van has gone to a very good layout

[81C]

Yes, I've still got 3 PO wagons on 10' steel underframes, lurking at the back of my 28xx hauled coal train. 

goods_traffic_034.jpg

 

I intend to replace them with more authentic items from Powsides (eventually!).  The Evans & Bevan wagons are ancient Lima bodies.  The Diamond wagon is an older Mainline/Bachmann model.  The printing of the elaborate livery is so damned good that it'll be a shame to bin it.

 

My PO wagons are weathered, or at least toned down, with Vallejo washes.

 

(Forgive my ignorance, but what's the "Buffers L/E wagon by Bachmann" you mention?)

 

Cheers,

John C.

Some years ago Buffers Models of Axminster commisioned Bachmann to make about 10 genuine private owner coal wagons all based in and around Somerset, Devon and Dorset

 they are all 9' W/B with a 16' wooden chassis unfortunately Buffers went over to badly printed Dapol one's with a 16' 6" steel chassis the Bachmann one's come up on ebay at about

£25 a throw again I want to weather them with something that will wash off.

One other limited editon run I have bought some of are Burnham & district MC L/E wagons I pick up a couple of GWR conflats with local furniture traders/removers liveried containers

loads I not sure how real they are after spending some hours trying to find photo's, perhap "Removers Weekly" of 1939 might throw up something.   

(I will at some stage put a photo of them in a train in a thread of my layout once the weather warms up.) 

[checkrail]

Correction!.  These are these are the final pics of 8709 and its train as it heads out back onto the main line.  In the 3rd pic the newly arrived coal wagons can be seen in the background awaiting unloading.  (The pick up goods shunt isn't usually such a complete full sweep, but having added quite a few new wagons recently I've been doing intensive testing of wheel and coupling/uncoupling arrangements.  I'm pleased to say that things are now working very well - touch wood! - with enjoyable hands-free shunting.  The only thing I have to touch - besides aforementioned wood - is my wireless handheld controller.)

 

 

John C.

[The Fatadder]

This is the aforementioned improved old Bachmann PO, still needing to be fitted with springs/axle boxes, buffers, brake leavers and couplings.

 

It will then be heavily weathered, I love the post war pooling of PO wagons for the mixture of random liveries in

Various grades of heathy weathering...