James Harrison Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 Structurally, and basically, this is now Cremorne for Pittance complete! There are, however, many little details still to look at so I'll just give a quick run down. 1) Fencing to the footpath. Peco flexi-fencing kit, now painted and drying and will probably be assembled and fitted tonight/ tomorrow. 2) Barrow crossing. Ratio kit currently fitted but not really ideal for code 75 bullhead- so will be replaced with a scratchbuilt example. 3) Signalling. Starter signal at the end of the own platform- Ratio kit but will need a backing board fitted. 4) Station nameboards/ lamps. Langley whitemetal castings with Slaters plastic alphabet. 5) Figures. A C Stadden type yet to be sourced. 6) Posters. 7) Lots more as I see bits I guess. And the Rufford- York through carriage, completed, varnished and basking in the sunshine. 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 The fence went up and the signal was built... at the moment it won't be plumbed in as such but once Cremorne for Pittance is subsumed into Red Lion Square (and who knows when that might happen) I do want working signalling. So it's been built to work... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 Building a signal last night got me wondering this morning about what signals I'm going to need for Red Lion Square station itself. My current stock of signals runs to two home signals (one of which is built and shortly to be fitted to Cremorne for Pittance, so make that, err, one in stock for RLS) and a Pratt truss gantry currently with no signals to populate it. So... if my trackplan remains as drawn below, and considering I have in mind using the gantry across the station throat (probably just ahead of the double slip), how would it be signalled? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 Today's main task is to make a concerted start on the mess and tools van. My initial idea for this was to use a pair of Hornby 4-wheel carriages and build two vehicles, but looking through Volume 1 of Tatlow's LNER wagons books showed pretty quickly that the GC had nothing, absolutely nothing, even remotely resembling one of those on its engineering rolling stock roster. So far as mess vans went, what it did have was a motley assortment of superannuated four wheeled, six wheeled and bogie stock. So far as tool vens werre concerned it seems they were either old- very old- ex MSLR vehicles or the guard compartments of ex-passenger brakes, which is the route I have opted for. Having ruled out hacking up a Hornby 4-wheeler I needed to find an alternative and here I found, in my spares box, a spare Hornby 4-wheel chassis, sides for a Ratio GWR brake third, some spare ends for the same carriage type and a length of plastic I-section. This was when I showed the photograph last week with my inital thoughts. So when I came to look at it yesterday I inspected the chassis and came to the conclusion that to cut it in two and piece in a length of I-section would be too finicky and lead to a very weak chassis. I then considered taking out the whole solebar and replacing it with I-section, but that had the same drawback. Either I'd need to find a longer chassis, or.... Well, actually, the carriage sides would cut down quite neatly to suit the chassis, either cutting off around half of the guard's compartment or keeping it and losing one of the passenger compartments. I chose to keep both passenger compartments. This gave me something that looks like this... Next stage. I fabricated a floor and a bulkhead. Then I found some 8mm square plastic section and glued this in to form some seating. I cut off the door handles and hinges with a scalpel, to one compartment only, to suggest the door having been secured closed, and took the seating in a U- shape around the two compartments and across the backof the guard's compartment. Then- time for paint. At the moment it looks a bit like Clarabelle's crystal meth habit has caught up with her, but this is how all of my teak looks at the beginning. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard i Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 The pre clarabel paint job was quite well done. I wish I could do the panel lines that well. Must have taken some bravery to commit to hacking it up. Richard 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard i Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 (edited) Duplicate posts. Why does it do that. Edited April 7, 2019 by richard i Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 Yes, I did feel quite guilty about covering it up. But it just plain wouldn't fit in my post-1908 era. So it has to be teak I'm afraid... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 There we go, teak happened. I wanted a much darker tone to this one, closer to mahogany. So the satin top coat hasn't been drybrushed so much, just well spread and then worked over and merged into the undercoat. Now I'm going to let that dry and next weekend see how it looks and whether it needs more work. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard i Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 I think the footboard would be black as it was stepped on. Solebars teak effect if I remember correctly. richard 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 I think you're right you know. It looks a bit awkward at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, richard i said: I think the footboard would be black as it was stepped on. Solebars teak effect if I remember correctly. richard I would suggest a grey/brown 'weathered wood' colour. I tend to use grey with a little 'natural wood' mixed in. I can't imagine that engineering department vehicles would look particularly well cared for! Jim Edited April 7, 2019 by Caley Jim Edited to correct predictive text! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 Plans for this weekend: 1. Continue with the tool van. 2. Fit the signal. 3. Start the running in boards and lamps. 4. Build a new barrow crossing?- we shall see... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 As you might notice from my queries about signalling in the permanent way and signalling area, the track plan has changed a little, and I think for the better. So far this weekend then I have managed to drill out a hole large enough to fit the signal in place, which now that it is securely fixed down needs bedding in with ballast. The tool and mess van, I have painted the solebars and footboards, fitted the glazing and built the roof. Tomorrow's task, or one of them, will be to paint the roof. I have taken up the barrow crossing; I have identified the main issue as being that sometimes a wheelflange will strike it. Not sure how I can fix that as the rolling stock back to backs are fixed and I've already removed quite a bit of the crossing to give a generous flangeway. Short of scale 3" flangeways I don't think there is a solution- and then, what would be the point of the barrow crossing? Whilst I ponder on that, I've started building and painting the station lamps and running-in boards. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 First use of Cremorne for Pittance in its initial role. That signal will be 'on' for the foreseeable future I'm afraid. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 (edited) Yesterday's work.... Mess van- glazing fitted and a roof built. The roof was then painted and now- basking in the sunshine on Cremorne for Pittance. Detailing works on Cremorne for Pittance. Station lamps under construction. Running-in boards under construction. Signal erected. Barrow crossing re-fitted but the wheels still catch on it, so... it might get replaced. Edited April 14, 2019 by James Harrison 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted April 14, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 14, 2019 Honey, I shrunk the rolling stock... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 And so, with the mess and tools van finished, attention turns to the last vehicle in the rake, the ballast brake. It might be last on my to-do list but I think it's going to be the most labour intensive as it needs to be, largely, scratchbuilt. First point of call, looking in Tatlow for any appropriate drawings or photographs to follow. No drawings but a nice photograph at least, and reference to the details table shows it to have been a 13' wheelbase 4-wheeler. Hmm, Hornby 4-wheel chassis are 14' wheelbase... close enough... out with the scalpel and away comes the extraneous brakegear and footboards. After the photogrpah was taken the tension locks bit the dust too. Now for the bodywork. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 And, if that weren't enough to keep me occupied, I bought another cut of 3 Gloucester open wagons today- 15' bodies this time- to add to my stash of GCR hired-in coal wagons. I'm up to 8 to build now and ultimately I want a few respectable rakes- at 4 wagons to the foot I reckon on somewhere between 12 and 16 wagons being a respectable coal train. And it occurs to me too that I have a lot of locomotives and rolling stock waiting their turn through the works, and it has been a year or so since the last loco project. Hmm. I might start looking at a repaint of one of my Pom Poms soon. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 Coaching stock update, of sorts. I've been on that darn auction site again and this time I came away with three GCR mainline carriages in need of restoration. So, another project or three on the to-do list. Otherwise, I've decided I'm going to rework my existing pair of Robinson mainline rakes and then look at the third rake (which hasn't yet been started) and then these three new carriages, which themselves form a fourth rake. The two completed ones I have are formed from some Bachmann/ Mainline LMS carriages and a set of Graham Farish OO carriages- in fact the third mainline rake is also Graham Farish. The work I'm planning to do is to scratch the matchboarding into the surface of the carriage bodies- I don't know how I'll do this yet- will a bradawl work?- and re-do the teak, which I'm convinced I can improve. And then there's at least one suburban set I'll need to do this to, too. This is at least 25 carriages to attend to- three mainline rakes, one suburban rake, three new carriages and two individual carriages- and then when those are done there are still a few odd coaching stock projects waiting the turn- Barnum brakes and a few clerestories. So, once Cremorne for Pittance is completely finished- this will be my overall aim. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 First victim of the new edict is an open third, hackbashed from a Mainline corridor composite about three or four years ago. As it turns out, a clay sculpting tool with a sharp point works pretty well for scratching in the matchboarding. Then a rough coat of matt orange straight on top of the existing finish. This is a natural finish and natural finishes are chaotic, so although it sounds a half-bothered way of doing things it contributes to the final teak effect. Drying now, next weekend one of my jobs will be to start working in the mid brown. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 And some cars as well! After Martin's find of a bunch of Harbutt's Replicars, I went hunting myself and bagged three. A 1904 Mercedes, a 1913 Bullnose Oxford and a 1915 Ford Model T. Now I think they should look quite the thing on RLS. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 And the first mainline carriage to go into my new 'standard' GC teak. Satin brown 133 over Matt orange. It has a lovely sheen and a mahogany finish. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 Three plastic D&S GCR carriages have arrived. Currently pondering how to remove the bending in the bodies in the middle; somehow they've developed a hump. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 Some investigative dismemberment suggests they aren't D&S after all but scratch built with some kit components. The hump in the middle has disappeared from the victim, replaced by a long sweeping distortion along the length of the sides. I think they're going to need some serious bracing up, my first thought is some long lengths of 0.5mm plastic along each side and an interior intended to be as much structural as cosmetic. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 Meanwhile my own open third nears completion. A fairly simple repaint job, this. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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