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Cowes, Isle Of Wight


Nick C
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Great to see the progress. The Birdcage stock looks quite appropriate with the O2. I believe some of the shorter versions did run on the Island.

 

Only after removal of the 'Birdcage'! (it exceeded the rather restricted island loading guage, or more specifically the availeble headroom in Ryde tunnel)

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It's been rather a while since I updated this topic...

 

During the autumn I finished the baseboards, including the curve round towards the tunnel, crossing over St Mary's Road:

 

post-10042-0-12582200-1515679621_thumb.jpg

 

Then over Christmas, I finished laying the track:

 

post-10042-0-79612100-1515679771_thumb.jpg

 

and started making cassettes for the fiddle yard:

 

post-10042-0-00783100-1515679808_thumb.jpg

 

It's not quite all wired yet - most of the main line is getting power through the fishplates rather than separate droppers to each length of rail, and I need to add switches for the isolating sections in the two main platform roads (the sidings use switches on the Cobalt point motors to self-isolate). I've also got to find a way to transmit power between cassettes.

 

Next job on the layout will be to start on the structure for the scenics - and fit a backscene, but before that I'll probably do some more on the stock, to get something more appropriate for the O2s to pull...

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I've not been doing too well at updating this... I've had hardly any modelling time over the summer, so the only progress on the layout itself is that the wiring is finished, and the track has been sprayed with sleeper grime ready for ballasting.

 

Yesterday, however, I went back to the stock box, and started on an interesting new kit - one of @Skinnylinny's new laser-cut mdf/card Stroudley 8T box vans.

 

I started following the instructions, gluing the overlays to the solebars (both two-shoe, as AFAIK all the island vans had 'freighter' brakes)

post-10042-0-97675000-1536662603_thumb.jpg

 

Then, as I had to let those dry, I deviated from the instructions by gluing the bearings into the w-irons

post-10042-0-70339600-1536662612_thumb.jpg

 

and couldn't resist a dry-run of the body...

post-10042-0-09863300-1536662622_thumb.jpg

 

Very impressed so far - the body slotted together using the tabs, and actually held itself quite happily - there's nothing holding it in that photo. I need to work out which van this will be, as in true Island fashion, there's plenty of variation!

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Tonight's session saw the solebars attached to the floor

post-10042-0-62922800-1536699167_thumb.jpg

 

Followed by the w-irons

post-10042-0-47861300-1536699199_thumb.jpg

 

At which point I couldn't resist popping the wheels in to see how it ran...

post-10042-0-62132900-1536699221_thumb.jpg

 

Very smoothly, though without any weight on it so it bounced over the points! At this point I figured I ought to let the glue dry, so switched back to another vehicle that's been on the workbench for months, and fitted the remaining handrails to a SECR brake third

 

post-10042-0-76530300-1536699250_thumb.jpg

 

This is using the Mousa models sides, and will be built up on one of Chris's laser cut rowmark shells. I must say I'm finding the MDF much easier to work with than the rowmark.

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What thickness is your MDF?  I could get the coach shells laser cut from that rather than Rowmark.   I like the look of your wagon...you kept that quiet!

 

Good to see you modelling again. Has the infrastructure progressed yet?  I'm now onto Medina Wharf, getting the baseboards sorted out prior to starting tracklaying. 

 

Here's my latest Rowmark-based coach. 

 

 

Chris

 

post-18118-0-67377000-1536706356_thumb.jpg

 

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Thanks for the kind words. Most of the wagon kit is 1mm (nominal, actually about 1.1mm) MDF, with the floor being 2mm and the ends/bufferbeams being 1.5mm to allow for a prototypical thickness of bufferbeam.

It's certainly a lot cheaper than Rowmark - I took one look at the price York Modelmaking were quoting per sheet and went straight back to wood and card!

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What thickness is your MDF?  I could get the coach shells laser cut from that rather than Rowmark.   I like the look of your wagon...you kept that quiet!

 

Good to see you modelling again. Has the infrastructure progressed yet?  I'm now onto Medina Wharf, getting the baseboards sorted out prior to starting tracklaying. 

 

See Linny's post about the MDF - I discovered their thread in the pre-grouping section a couple of months ago and was following the development of the Stroudley coaches. The vans were only released a week or so back, I think I bought the first batch! I was intrigued to see how the material combinations worked so the first one got bumped up to the top of the queue...

 

It'd be worth trying the coach shells in MDF, I think 1mm would be strong enough, it seems more rigid than the Rowmark and there's no curling of the narrower parts like you've seen with the solebars/footboards of the coaches

 

No progress on the layout though, can't do any scenery until I've done the backscene, and can't do that until I've got hold of some flexible MDF...

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Hi Nick, Chris, if it helps at all, I've created a GCR Barnum using the same method and the same supplies. in 4mm scale, the base was 1.5mm MDF, inner sides and ends was in 1mm MDF and the sides finished in oiled board (about 0.5mm). Hopefully Linny will agree, but I definitely think it's the way to go.

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So the 8T van has been progressing - again I've deviated from the instructions a bit to make the best use of gue-drying time. The sequence I went for was, for each side:

 

Axleboxes, brake gear, wait. Axlebox covers, springs, wait. Handbrake levers, wait.

 

I also started adding the overlays to the sides and ends while waiting for the other bits to dry.

 

post-10042-0-88050800-1537349021_thumb.jpg

 

The sides for the two SECR coaches have also been primed:

 

post-10042-0-60354700-1537349410_thumb.jpg

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Van body assembled:

 

post-10042-0-27661800-1537434413_thumb.jpg

 

Does anyone know of a good photo of one of these still in revenue traffic in BR days? Most of the ones I can find are either earlier or departmental (or withdrawn), or are of the later version with the metal end stanchions and the curved horizontal beam at the top of the ends (which I can't work out from photos if it's solid or not?)

post-10042-0-27661800-1537434413_thumb.jpg

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Argh, started spraying the coach sides tonight, then realized I'd bought the 'dull' version of the precision BR crimson instead of the 'faded' one...

 

BR crimson - one of the most difficult colours to get right! And I bet we all see it differently and those of us who can remember it probably have our memories warped by colour photography which can be all over the place when it comes to red. I find the colour of the primer is vital to getting a shade of red I like, and so far pretty much every one of my crimson coaches has come out a different shade. 

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Van body assembled:

 

attachicon.gifIMG_20180919_210100436.jpg

 

Does anyone know of a good photo of one of these still in revenue traffic in BR days? Most of the ones I can find are either earlier or departmental (or withdrawn), or are of the later version with the metal end stanchions and the curved horizontal beam at the top of the ends (which I can't work out from photos if it's solid or not?)

 

I've drawn a similar blank from the usual sources I use. And I haven't gone through all of my IOW railway books, which would be a massive task.  The only pictures in BR days I have are the ones with the horizontal beam, as modelled by Smallbrook Studio (with the horizontal hoop modelled solid, although to me in one picture it looks like a thin metal band, but I cannot be sure).  Are you sure that the version you are modelling was actually on the Island?

 

Chris

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I've just had a look in Peter Paye's Isle of Wight Railways Remembered and plate 263 shows two LBSCR 8 ton vans on the Island (one of them upgraded to 10 ton and used for fish traffic). The caption says  the two vans lasted into BR days, one as plumbers' tool van No.393S, and the other as departmental 388S. Both were withdrawn in 1955. In the SR era picture they don't have the horizontal band.   There's also a well-known picture of 10 ton van 46939 in 1950 (it lived in the siding at Godshill for many years). It describes the hoop as a "strengthening bar". It doesn't look like it was ever re-painted out of SR brown, though it had pretty much faded to unpainted wood!

 

 

Chris

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BR crimson - one of the most difficult colours to get right! And I bet we all see it differently and those of us who can remember it probably have our memories warped by colour photography which can be all over the place when it comes to red. I find the colour of the primer is vital to getting a shade of red I like, and so far pretty much every one of my crimson coaches has come out a different shade.

 

BR crimson faded very quickly with the wonderful Island sunshine so anybody choosing this colour may be better served dulling the carmine red down, or weather it to look a little jaded.

 

It wasn't popular with BR which is why they reverted back to green.

 

I have one coach painted red but as I am modelling 1950/51 I can probably get away with it looking 'fresh'.

 

Pete

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Plate 272 in the Paye book shows an unidentified non-hooped 10 ton van at Sandown taken in 1950.

 

Many of the goods traffic photos are taken at angles which doesn't show close up detail. I have purchased a few kits from various suppliers but am afraid to build in case the information isn't quite right-just one of the fun things about us choosing IOW based layouts.

 

Most of the better photos are of wagons that didn't appear to ever move from rural sidings!

 

Pete

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None of the Island LBSC vans were Stroudleys, they were all later builds.

However the visual differences are minimal.

Diagram 1433 is the relevant one, most IOW examples being uprated to 10 Tons.

Diagram 1436 is virtually identical, these also ran on the Island,

The ones with the end bar are to Diagram 1434, these have steel underframes.

 

Most were withdrawn or transferred to departmental use between WW2  and 1955.

Some traffic vehicles did last to the end of steam but these were very rarely used.

 

Pete

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