South Wales Valleys in the 50s

[jcm@gwr]

I've had a look, but I can't find the emoji for

'Where's the pictures then!'

[The Johnster]

On 17/06/2020 at 01:10, jcm@gwr said:

I've had a look, but I can't find the emoji for

'Where's the pictures then!'

Patience, Padawan, patience...  She's not yet ready for her portrait; a girl must look her best, you know.  This very last evening has seen two coats of Royal Blue, and cream for the cab interior.  Painting will be finished off later today or over the w/e with the handrails and door handles picked out in white, and the marker lamps picked out in white and red, followed possibly with some NCB lettering on the cab sides, then a spray coat of matt varnish (finish is a pleasing eggshell at the moment).  Next job then will be glazing, with one of the cab side windows modelled open, and then an attempt at a control panel.  The loco has an internal cab front piece which this can be mounted on to.

 

This will consist of double side controls for direction and power, and a straight air brake, and a few switches and buttons in the centre of the console,  We'll need dials presumably for oil pressure, rpm, brake air pressure and a horn button, and some sort of handbrake as well, perhaps on the cab rear bulkhead.  An industrial crew, or at least a driver and perhaps a shunter, must be sourced and I might have a crack at wire windscreen wipers, and some nice big industrial buffers, plus proper drawhooks.  The horn needs toning down a bit as well; I have an idea to paint it red.  The chrome headlamp surround got painted on, and my attempt to clean it off left a fairly effective faded slightly tarnished 'used' chrome look, happy accident.  Using a technique I've got away with previously, a headlamp glass lens will be provided by filling the hole with superglue.

 

Maybe a shunting pole or a brake stick propped up on the steps, and an oil can somewhere on the rear extending plate above the coupling, 

 

Then she'll be ready for her photo session...    

[The Johnster]

More work yesterday evening, and the cab sides now proclaim that the loco is owned by the NCB; letters cut out from a HMRS BR 1948-66 sheet using the catering vehicle section; I needed the B from the Buffet Car.  Cab handrails picked out in white, along with door handles, and marker lamps picked out in red (left) and white (right) as you look at them.  Glazing is done.  I'll probably take a progress photo and post it later today for Padawan and anyone else that might be interested, but the cab interior, driver, and replacement buffers are not fitted yet (the cab interior is not even built yet!), and the buffers and driver will have to wait until pension day before they can be ordered as I'm a few quid o/d and don't want to spend on the hobby until that's sorted and the bills paid!  I'll be obtaining 24" buffers from RT models, suitable apparently for Sentinel, Ruston, and Bagnall locos, and the driver will be a 'crewman holding on' posed leaning out of the open rh cab window from Modelu.  I am expecting the buffers to make a significant difference to the general look of the loco, and the Triang ones are far too small for an industrial. They are turned brass, though, and not bad for the time they were made.

 

Total cost so far is around £30 including the buffers and driver, and I have a characterful little industrial that looks the 1950s part.  Ultimately the colliery loco needs to be a Peckett or Barclay, maybe a steam Sentinel, but I can't afford that yet and the DA will 'do' for now; it can be a reserve when the steam loco eventually arrives, but I reckon that'll be at least a year.  It needs to be further up the shopping list than a large prairie, though...

 

I'm expecting two minerals any day now from Dapol; they have apparently been posted and should not be long.  These are a 6 planker XPO in BR grey and a late livery GW 20ton steel double door beast.  I still have the errant 56xx to bring back into line, maybe over this w/e, and some ballast repairs to make good before I can think of the next project.  Welsh shops are to open on Monday, so a trip down to Peter Lord's and Antics is probable after pension day, Wednesday. 

[The Johnster]

More work yesterday evening, and the cab sides now proclaim that the loco is owned by the NCB; letters cut out from a HMRS BR 1948-66 sheet using the catering vehicle section; I needed the B from the Buffet Car.  Cab handrails picked out in white, along with door handles, and marker lamps picked out in red (left) and white (right) as you look at them.  Glazing is done.  I'll probably take a progress photo and post it later today for Padawan, but the cab interior, driver, and buffers are not fitted yet and the buffers and driver will have to wait until pension day before they can be ordered

[The Johnster]

Sitrep for Dokafority, waiting for traffic on the colliery road, painted, lettered, glazed, needs new buffers, drawhooks, driver, maybe even nameplates; I fancy ‘Silurian’, suitable for South Wales and an LNER pacific: 2mm scale will do fine.  
 

I’ve deliberately left the body fixing screw off as I think a hole is less unrealistic than a slotted screwhead; the body is a good interference fit with the added ballast.  Which leads on to another matter, the exhaust.

As it’s possible that eventually the loco will be rebuilt as a jackshaft drive dm, with the gearbox and clutch under a lump in the cab, this suggests that the exhaust manifold probably feeds to the front of the loco, and I don’t reckon the arrangement of a cowled stack in front of the cab windows is stylistically suitable for a 1950s diesel.  But there is no reason the it cannot belch it’s filth from anywhere, and the hole may yet sport a pipe, which may or may not feed a silencer on the roof with the final length of pipe sticking up out of the end of it...

[The Johnster]

Been thinking about names. as I said Siluran would be good, but I've looked at the MMJE site and there are some potentials in their industrials/freelance range.  A lot of these are personal names, and some were sort of in the zone, Gwendolyn in particular, but perhaps a bit overpowering long for Dokaforitee.  Atlas, yes, we had a bloke called that in the post office, because he held everything up. But I'll probably order Cyclops; it goes with the single headlight.  Red backed, to go on bodyside at cantrail level or cabside below NCB.

 

Now I'm off to make a control desk...

[Northmoor]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

Now I'm off to make a control desk...

Do share pics/details of this please. My production line of Lima Plymouths will all need them at some point, so I need an idea of a quickie technique.  I have in mind a folded sheet of plasticard for most of the console, holes drilled to represent gauges (with white plastic behind the holes), only having to cut the sides to shape and minimising the number of awkward shapes to cut out and cock up the glueing together thereof....

[The Johnster]

Your wish is my command, O Great Northmoor.  Cruel close up of the results of the evenings work; never noticed the blue blob on the roof which needs touching out but give at least an impression of my console, which is a consolation...

 

Like your idea, the basis structure is folded plasticard sheet cut to fit across the cab between upright square sections each.  On docaforitee, there is vertical bulkhead that comes down about a ½" at the front of the cab, which stops short of the floor to allow room for the motor shaft and worm, and the insulated board above it that holds the carbon brush holder springs; it is not possible to include floor detail on this model, at least not without chassis replacement.  The card, approx an inch square, is scored so as to bend outward from the vertical at an angle of about 70 degrees from vertical.  The top ¼" is the part that glues to the bulkhead, and on my version contains the separate black painted  instrument panel, 3 dials printed on to it in white using the end of a single ended cocktail stick.  Your idea of drilling holes and backing it with white card is much better.  

 

A fillet of glue is put on the outside of this angle to strengthen it, and you go away and have a cup of tea while this is going off so that it's structural integrity is sufficient for handling.  Next job is to drill holes for the power handles and forward/neutral/ reverse levers, which are duplicated on each side so that the loco can be driven from either side; the inspiration is the 08.  The power handles are mirror image of each other but the direction handles are not.  The only other detail is the air brake which is mounted above the instrument panel; this is another cocktail stick with the brake levers superglued to the ends of it.  Wire of various gauges is used for the handles.  The desk handles are bent to shape and the 'tail' of wire fed through the drilled holes and superglued. the tails are then trimmed off so that the brush spring holder is not fouled when you glue the assembly in.  The console is painted Tamiya acrylic flesh, which is the sort of colour that sort of thing was painted in the 50s,  Handles are grey.  

 

And that's the glorious location of our defeated armies, for now.  Docaforitee needs a handbrake, which will be some sort of wheel glued to the cab rear on an enclosed standard (plastic sprue) and painted red.  She also needs sanders.

 

It's crude, as you can see from the close up, but effective and has lifted the model; well worth doing!  The folded plasticard method works well, but you have to apply glue to the reflex angle to support it on docarforitee, as the place you need to affix brackets to is fresh air.  Happy with my evening's work; she's coming along nicely!  Took me about 3 hours so I wouldn't call it a quickie technique, but you might be able to save time with the consoles for your Plymouths by production line mass production methods.

[tomparryharry]

How about the name of the mine managers wife-daughters-children-pets? If it's 1950's then something-somewhere that was a noteworthy public occurrence. 

 

Or, Jennie, the wife of Aneurin Bevan. Founder of the Open University.

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by tomparryharry

[The Johnster]

Been looking at Bagnall diesel shunting locos, and the company did go for the sad-eyed look to some extent, but in a 3-window format and a proportionally higher cab than Cyclops.  First photo is of an 0-6-0 with an almost identical bonnet and engine housing, but a proportionally wider running plate with inset shunters' steps.  This loco shows the difference big industrial buffers make!   This window arrangement is the nearest I can find to Triang's 2 window layout, and if this loco had a lower cab the windows would look even more similar.   

 

The second photo, of a New Zealand 0-4-0, has more or less the same cab arrangement but with a central window flanked by 2 'sad eye' side ones.  Cyclops' cab looks cut down in comparison.  I cannot find any photo evidence of a Bagnall industrial diesel with the 'Deltic' front cab windows, and my plan to reshape them may give the loco a more Hudswell Clark sort of look.  

 

My idea is to fill them in to give a sort of upside down L shaped window extending perhaps a scale foot over the engine compartment top, and to where it already is down the side, in the hope that this will diminish the Hudswell Clarke impression, at the risk of creating something a bit more Andrew Barclay.  

 

 

 

Possibly, Triang were influenced by the 4-coupled Bagnalls, but chose to use the power bogie already developed for the big Transcontinental F-unit.  This meant that the engine compartment had to be too high to preserve the proportion of the cab without going outside the loading gauge (mind, the loading gauge didn't seem to bother them with the semi-freelance saddle tank, based apparently on the SECR 'S' class but numbered 748), which is probably the reason for the Deltic style cab.  Now, who does etched Bagnall works plates...

[The Johnster]

Actually, I've sourced works plates on an old Bachmann pannier body from a loco bought as a chassis donor for the Limbach 94xx, but I'll probably buy etched if I can find them.

 

Had a couple of productive operating sessions of the sort that involve some light modelling in between trains, which has enabled me to clear some of the backlog of wagon and coach repairs.  The results are new NEM couplings on 3 old Hornby 21ton 8-plankers, better running with the E116 B set, the eradication of a previously unnoticed number duplication in the 16ton steel mineral fleet, and the building of a complete 16ton steel mineral from spare sprues and stuff in the junk box.  It doesn't have a proper floor, being mostly a Parkside body on a Bachmann 9' chassis with disc wheels, but this will be hidden by a load of coal!

 

This means my coal trains are 12 now wagon affairs, both loaded and empties with longer wheelbase 21ton types, and these trains, with loco and van, are the longest that can be handled in the run around loop.  I could at a push have 15 wagon coal trains, as the platform road and 2 of the fy roads can handle this, but will leave it as is for now.

 

I ordered a H & M analogue wireless control system to use the iPhone from Hornby, and this is scheduled for Summer, so no buying stuff for a few weeks as I have to make sure there is money in the bank for it when it appears, and then we'll be not too far off 94xx time, so this catching up with repairs has come at a good time.  Poverty can be a spur to doing actual modelling...

[The Johnster]

Sitrep minerals; the empties train now has 12 wagons, and the loaded is still for the moment a 10 wagon train.  The new scrapbox bits wagon has had couplings and a coal load fitted, but is awaiting buffers, and I today found a Baccy fitted 16t steel mineral in a s/h shop for £7.70 which I though was a fair deal (yes, I know, money in bank for HM6000, no more spending, yadda yadda, I am a feckless hypocrite).  

 

This new acquisition will need the 1960/70s style panel numbering overpainting, and the easiest way to do this is take the body off and spray bauxite, and renumber/letter with CCT xfers, which I have just emailed that nice Mr. Isherwood for.  It will have to remain as a fitted wagon as it has a vac. cylinder and tiebar, and in any case I am disappointed with the crude representation of the rh information panel, just white lines, not up to bluebox's normal standard at all.  I assume the model is a few years out of date, but it is branded 'Bachmann Made in China' undereath and has NEM couplers and is not an upgraded Mainline/Dapol.

 

The fitted 16t minerals were introduced in 1956, so the wagon is within my timeframe, but will be left only lightly weathered as it must be less than 2 years old working on Cwmdimbath.  It came complete with a reasonably realistic coal load.  It will tick another variety and livery box as well; it has no top doors.

 

So, once the xfers and buffers have arrived, the loaded train will be up to spec.  I have also reconditioned a Hornby long LNER CCT, but this vehicle has been troublesome previously in regard to buffer locking even on medium radius streamline turnouts, and stiff running axles, so a thorough road testing this evening will decide if it is to remain in service or ultimately replaced by a Parkside.  I am keen for it to be used occasionally as it is Cwmdimbath's only example of LNER passenger livery.  It is a 'design clever' period Hornby, as is my Southern BY, but the BY is a first class runner and very well behaved van.  I am also going to have a crack at a Fruit C from leftover bits of the Wrenn Fruit D replaced by a Parkside a few months back.

 

Seem to be experiencing a minor resurgence of modelling mojo which has manifested itself in a bout of kitbashing!

Edited July 8, 2020 by The Johnster

[The Johnster]

I've been installing working lights, courtesy of Trains for U.  Last year's experiment with Kyte' lights swan neck lamps for the platform was a failure as they are very delicate and got knocked about.  Interior lights in the station building have been cobbled up out of warm strings of battery powered led decorative lights, and are exactly the effect I'm after, low wattage filament bulbs, perhaps 40 watters for the station building office and the signal box.  

 

The new lights are 6 swan necks, which are so far in gloss black but will soon be in WR brown/cream, installed on the platform, one on the loading dock, one by the 'stub' siding which is serving as an additional mileage road.  They are a good bit brighter and whiter than the building leds; you have an option to remove the TfU resistors and power them from 3v, 2 AA batteries, which I have opted for, and having successfully dimmed the decoration leds to my satisfaction by using one fresh AA in series with one spent one, will be doing the same with these swan necks, perhaps a wash of yellow or cream paint to take the whiteness down a touch.

 

There are also 4 yard lamps, of which I am only using 2 for the present.  These are NCB lamps and are placed on the exchange road; I will leave these in black but will give them a coat of matt varnish, and retain the brighter white of these lamps.  

 

Only 4 of the swan necks have been wired up as I have run out of wire until I go up the shops later today.  The idea behind this is to replicate the look of a dull and rainy day when the lights are not turned off, rather than try to indulge in full night time operations, as for that I would require operating loco and brake van lights, which are not really possible.  But I will probably install some coach lights in one of the auto sets, and permanently couple a 4575 which can have working lamps fitted and auto-changed from white to red on the loco and leading trailer, to represent the last train up the valley from Bridgend.  At Abergwynfi this got in at 23.55, connecting with the last down London at Bridgend; try getting up there by public transport at that time of night nowadays!

 

Photos when I have tidied up and dulled the swan necks.

[The Johnster]

Ok, here's some night or evening or dull wet day shots of Cwmdimbath all lit up, in a sequence of posts because of upload limit.

[The Johnster]

Couple more tomoz; it won't let me put any more up tonight!

[The Johnster]

Goodies in the post this morning, the start of a 'redevelopment of the loading platform facilities of the old Remploy siding, now being used as the exchange road for the colliery.  A colliery stores and workshop will replace the old Airfix 'shop with flat over' concrete Remploy basement, the canopy is to go, and the building will be a Petite Properties 'Harper's Yard' low relief kit which is what turned up this morning through the letterbox.  I have read very good reports of Petite's stuff and am looking forward to building it; photos when it's installed.  There's nothing particularly South Walian or colliery about it, but I like the look and you could certainly find such buildings in the area, so I'm happy with the idea.  Photos when it's done!

Edited September 5, 2020 by The Johnster

[simontaylor484]

Looking good there Johnster really like the night shots 

[The Johnster]

Built the Harper’s Yard carcass this evening; shake the box stuff. I’m a bit disappointed with the roof; no slates and no ridge tiles, but I will make my own slates and flashing, and I reckon I can turn up some ridge tiles somewhere.  The buiding will need guttering and drains, and anything else I can rustle up in the way of phone wire terminals, outside bells, hoist for the upstairs stores, maybe a lamp over one of the doors. 
 

Finishing is up for debate at the moment.  Brick or stone paper are suggested but I will be aware of the lack of relief, unless it’s embossed.  I’m tempted just to paint it in a grey/brown render finish, weathered up a bit, lazy but effective.  Much like The Johnster, in fact...

Edited September 6, 2020 by The Johnster

[The Johnster]

An expedition to Lord and Butler’s and I’m in the pub on my home now just.  Haul is one pack of Wills’ clear corrugated sheeting, which I will paint over and use on the petite roofs, and a Streamline short radius lh turnout, which is to be cut in to the colliery branch just past the trap point to serve a short stub loco road; theis will give the colliery loco a chance to appear on stage.  It might develop into a proper loco shed; the site is currently occupied by a stone wall and a gate, and a Wills grotty hut.  
 

The postman brought 2 coach lighting kits off ‘bay, which they managed to deliver beforetheir tracking website said they were ‘out for delivery’; not complaining but it’s more evidence that RM’s tracking site has a somewhat ‘freestyle’ approach to reality...

 

And now it’s confession time.  If anyone’s following ‘Cyclops’ rebuild on ‘Modifying and Rebuilding RTR’, you’ll know that this project is on hold awaiting wheels from Markits.  But my impatience got the better of me; the Cyclops project is still on, but as Hornby have put their HM6000 system, which is on pre-order, back to next spring I have a little spare cash.  So I put a little more to it and have ordered a Hornby W4 Peckett for £79.95 free postage on the Bay of Es.  ‘Forest no.1’ livery, the prototype being a genuine South Wales loco though I may give her a new identity.  I feel happy but guilty...  
 

She should be able to handle a complete rake of 12 empties, but will probably have to bring the loaded up in two goes. 

Edited September 9, 2020 by The Johnster

[TrevorP1]

39 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

The postman brought 2 coach lighting kits, which they managed to deliver beforetheir tracking website said they were ‘out for delivery’; not complaining but it’s more evidence that RM’s tracking site has a somewhat ‘freestyle’ approach to reality...

 

 

I've had stuff notified as delivered by the dreaded Hermes something like 2 hours before it arrived. Not good for your blood pressure when you get an email saying it's been delivered to your address and there is no sign of it...

[The Johnster]

3 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

 

I've had stuff notified as delivered by the dreaded Hermes something like 2 hours before it arrived. Not good for your blood pressure when you get an email saying it's been delivered to your address and there is no sign of it...

They (RM not Hermes) have lost 2 items from eBay for me in the last 3 months, one of which they claim is delivered, (not here it isn't) and one of which has been in transit for 3 months now.  I am out of pocket over this and cannot claim from RM; only the sender can do this.  I've been buying models on 'Bay for several years now and only recently had a problem.  Blaming Covid seems a bit lame as I have had regular on time deliveries thoughout the lockdown.

 

Anyway, I've rigged up two auto trailers with the coach lights and taken a photo, a winter's evening and the last empty mineral train of the day is waiting in the loop for the 7.40 to Bridgend to depart so that it can shunt the empties on to the colliery exchange road and return to Tondu with the van, leaving the loco for the shedmen to dispose.  The box will close down after this and the branch will be worked one engine in steam for the last train, the return of the auto at 23.55, 23.20 off Bridgend, a few revellers from the fleshpots of Bridgend and the connecters off the last down London of the day (try getting anywhere in these valleys nowadays by public transport after about 9 o'clock, but in 1960 this train actually ran every weeknight and on Saturdays to Abergwynfi).  00.05, probably more like 23.55 and 20 seconds in reality, ecs Tondu.

[The Johnster]

Thought I could do better, so I played around with the brightness and contrast.  I sort of get the impression of a muggy, misty sort of evening, but am happy enough with how the coach lights look.  They were, as I expected, way too bright and have been toned down with a coat of matt white; they were claimed to be 'warm white' but were capable of improvement to represent 20w 24v fllament bulbs.

Edited September 8, 2020 by The Johnster

[The Johnster]

There’s been some progress.  The colliery workshop and stores (Petite Properties Harper’s Yard) is finished but I want to put a hoist on a beam over the upstairs opening, and some gutters and downpipes on it.  Finish is brownish render and corrugated iron roofs.  The colliery loco spur is laid, wired, and an isolating section put in; this is where the new Peckett will stand out of the way while a BR loco positions empties, and where it will go after bring the loadeds up from the offstage pit.  
 

It’s an obvious place for am NCB loco shed, and I was eyeing up the Wills single road building, but have decided that I want this loco in view, not hidden in a building, and that there will be no shed, inspection pit, water, or coal, though there may be a cabin for the crew.  In association with this the stone wall and gate cameo has been rearranged.  
 

No photos yet as this evening’s job has been to bury the area in Polyfilla in order to  partly bury the tracks, hide wiring, and scenically blend the ground levels, so it all looks a bit of a mess!  Tomoz when the ‘filla’s gone off hard I‘ll paint, scenic, and ballast everything, and either look around for a suitable cabin that must look different to the other buildings on the layout, or scratchbuild one; a little cameo with a bench outside and some loco tools about the place, maybe a shunting pole.  It has to be in telephone contact with the pit and the signalbox, so some outside repeater bells as well.  

[saxokid]

Nice modelling here

 

 

cheers neil..

[37Oban]

Hi, 

you could still have small shed with a minimal facilities.  I was thinking on the lines of a dilapidated wooden structure with the roof  and a lot of the side planks missing showing the wooden frame.

 

Roja