Bilton Junction

[jessy1692]

Cheers Jon! It's looking rather smart is Barber now, also good to see its going together pretty smoothly.

Cheers

James

[Jon4470]

Well......where was I?

 

I had a spell in the modelling doldrums from mid Feb. All the modelling things on the go were just getting a bit awkward/ fiddly/ boring....plus there were plenty of real world projects that I needed to do. I also got distracted by naval history shows on You Tube.....and am now plotting how to build a G3 Battlecruiser! That’s another story though.

 

Then, just as I thought I would start up the railway modelling again......the site dis-appeared!

 

To re-cap - this was the last photo that I published of Barber ( I think)

 

 

 

One of the things that was exercising my grey matter was how to attach all the main bits to the footplate and ensure it was all level and square. In the photo everything is just resting in place. I've decided to start by soldering the cab to the footplate. I will ensure that this is square and then work on the boiler and smokebox - which are still separate components.

 

To facilitate soldering to the footplate the cab has now been tinned at the base of the front and on the inside face of the rear

 

 

When the cab is attached it will be virtually impossible to get to the interior. That includes getting a paint brush in! 

So I have now primed it ready for a coat of paint. I’ll probably glaze the rear spectacles .....but may have leave the front ones and do them from the outside later on. I’m not sure that there is enough access, even with the cab off the footplate.

Other than that, I think I need to plan out the cab handrails and drill holes in the footplate for them. Then, at last, I can solder on the cab.

 

Jon

 

 

 

[Jon4470]

The cab is now soldered to the footplate

 

 

 

I painted the inside in a cream colour. I also managed to glaze front and rear spectacles. The cab doesn’t have yellow curtains though😃........I’ve masked off the cab door to protect the interior paint from any over spray when I paint the exterior. I figured it would be easier to fit the masking tape before attaching the cab to the footplate🙂

 

I’ve also attached the handrails. I drilled holes in the footplate before attaching the cab. Then passed the wire up through the hole and then soldered it onto the cab beading extensions. These extensions will be cut back when i’m Happy with everything.

 

The cab is tack soldered in place on each corner. To me it looks like the cab is leaning forward a bit.....the set square says not though😕

 

It’s time for a beer and a rest. I’ll take another look at the cab tomorrow.

 

Jon

[Chas Levin]

Lookin' good Jon! I can't see in that photo that the cab's leaning, but it's not a direct side view. However, if the set square says it's right, then it'll be right - set squares only have one thing to do... 📐

[Jon4470]

I’ve been working on the “little and often” method of modelling recently..... and making steady progress with all the sub sections of the build. I find this approach helps sometimes - especially when concentrated time is just not available. It always surprises me how a few 30 minute modelling sessions can really help to make progress.

 

The end result is:

 

 

Construction is complete!

 

A couple of prototype notes...... yes - the front spectacle really were partly covered by the saddle tank. The cab was cut down because of the restricted clearance in the tunnel on the line and, as a consequence, the spectacles were slightly covered. I believe that the restored Barber is now having a taller cab fitted...so the crew can actually get inside properly rather than hanging out the doorway to see ahead.

The other prototype note is that the smokebox dart was set at “ 2 o’clock”... which is upside down compared to other Locomotives as far as I know!

 

I mentioned that the cab was low. Perhaps this photo will emphasise how small this loco actually is:

 

 

That’s the D20 tender in the background -  both models are the same scale.

 

On a construction note (for those that plan to build one of these) I added a filler piece between the boiler and the cab:

 

 

This was to prevent a gap that would be caused by the strip across the front of the cab:

 

I then glued the boiler and smokebox in place ..... followed by all the pipework  (which had already been cut to size and soldered up into sub assemblies) under the saddletank.

 

 

So now it’s time to clean the model up and then add the paint.

 

Jon

 

[Jon4470]

Now cleaned up and primed

 

 

As ever the priming highlights any gaps and “blegs”.

 

I think that the grey pulls everything together nicely and makes the model start to look like a locomotive. 

 

Once the final clean up is completed then it will be painting time - green body, brown frames and red motion.

 

Jon

[jessy1692]

14 hours ago, Jon4470 said:

Now cleaned up and primed

 

 

As ever the priming highlights any gaps and “blegs”.

 

I think that the grey pulls everything together nicely and makes the model start to look like a locomotive. 

 

Once the final clean up is completed then it will be painting time - green body, brown frames and red motion.

 

Jon

Excellent Jon! Love it, can't wait to get onto mine whenever I get chance, life is just getting in the way. I'm tempted to do mine in the later life state with the external regulator levers that was cobbled together and I think it was a darker green by then.

 

Let me know what green you pick for the bright 'greens' green, itl really stand out.

All the best

James

[Chas Levin]

Lovely model Jon! 😀

 

Glad you mentioned that the obscured spectacles were prototypical - I'm sure I'm not the only one who might have wondered about that otherwise...

 

And low as an adjective doesn't quite cover it, does it - it's tiny!

[Jon4470]

7 hours ago, jessy1692 said:

Excellent Jon! Love it, can't wait to get onto mine whenever I get chance, life is just getting in the way. I'm tempted to do mine in the later life state with the external regulator levers that was cobbled together and I think it was a darker green by then.

 

Let me know what green you pick for the bright 'greens' green, itl really stand out.

All the best

James

 

Thank you!

 

I haven’t decided on the exact shade of green yet. It may end up LNER green (for simplicity). Likewise I’ve not decided whether to line it or leave it plain.

 

As for the external regulator......(tongue firmly in cheek) I look forward to the 4mm equivalent of angle iron and gaffer tape😀

 

 

[Jon4470]

4 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

Lovely model Jon! 😀

 

Glad you mentioned that the obscured spectacles were prototypical - I'm sure I'm not the only one who might have wondered about that otherwise...

 

And low as an adjective doesn't quite cover it, does it - it's tiny!

Thank you!

 

I should also have said that no buffers is correct. There should be a central connector (same principle as a buckeye) but I’ve left that off because I will need to fit working couplings.

 

By the way, what make of brown paint did you use for the frames on your current project?

[Chas Levin]

Ha - I hadn't even spotted the absence of buffers and had I done so, I'd have assumed they were left off for painting!

 

The brown on the C2 chassis is Phoenix Precision GNR Loco Frames Chocolate, P753, satin. It brushed very smoothly and easily, highly recommended!

Edited April 20, 2022 by Chas Levin

[Jon4470]

On 20/04/2022 at 12:04, jessy1692 said:

 

 

Let me know what green you pick for the bright 'greens' green, itl really stand out.

All the best

James

 

I may have worked out a suitable green!

 

while ordering the brown as recommended by @Chas Levin I browsed around the other pre-grouping colours that are available. The bright “Drummond” green used by the LSWR seems like a good candidate - so it is also on order. (Just to confuse the people at Phoenix I also ordered some NER green.....NER, LSWR And GNR all in one order!)

 

While Googling Thomas Green’s green I happened on this book.....and it is also on order! @jessy1692 have you seen this before/ already got it?

 

 

 

The joys of the internet🙂

 

Jon

[jessy1692]

17 minutes ago, Jon4470 said:

 

I may have worked out a suitable green!

 

while ordering the brown as recommended by @Chas Levin I browsed around the other pre-grouping colours that are available. The bright “Drummond” green used by the LSWR seems like a good candidate - so it is also on order. (Just to confuse the people at Phoenix I also ordered some NER green.....NER, LSWR And GNR all in one order!)

 

While Googling Thomas Green’s green I happened on this book.....and it is also on order! @jessy1692 have you seen this before/ already got it?

 

 

 

The joys of the internet🙂

 

Jon

I think I have seen it on a stall and flicked through for any pics, may be wrong though but I font think it had much new info on Barber..... pretty sure it's not in my Dads library I may be wrong though on all accounts!

 

Could be a very informative read, I love the fact they go from lawn mowers to trams and locos and a few things in between, almost as if Greens were never sure what they should be building!

 

 

[DutyDruid]

On 09/04/2022 at 20:42, Jon4470 said:

The cab is tack soldered in place on each corner. To me it looks like the cab is leaning forward a bit.....the set square says not though😕

 

Been off grid for a while so only just getting the chance to catch up.  My take on all the photos I have seen of Barber (and with my connections with the area I have seen a few more than the published ones) is that it always looks like it is not quite "on the square", rather it always looks like it is set at some "jaunty" angle.  It must be some sort of optical illusion.

 

Elliott

[Jon4470]

On 21/04/2022 at 21:48, DutyDruid said:

 

Been off grid for a while so only just getting the chance to catch up.  My take on all the photos I have seen of Barber (and with my connections with the area I have seen a few more than the published ones) is that it always looks like it is not quite "on the square", rather it always looks like it is set at some "jaunty" angle.  It must be some sort of optical illusion.

 

Elliott

 

Hi Elliott

 

I think that one side of my model is square....the other side is out by a tiny bit I think. I’ll post some pictures soon.

 

I’ve been considering how I could have built the model differently to make the construction easier to get completely square. I think that there are two options. The first is to build the cab as a sub assembly (per the instructions) and then add a bracing piece at the bottom...bit like an additional floor. This would stop the cab “pinching in” at the base. The top is supported by the roof but the bottom has no support because of the open door ways. The other option would be to solder the cab front only to the footplate and then add the roof and cab rear to the front piece. That would result in soldering the cab roof from the outside.....very carefully!

 

All in all though, the model is so small that these little imperfections will not be visible when it is in use (bodgers   logic🙂). Also, the side that has the slight out of square will be facing away from me when in operation..phew.

 

Jon

Edited April 24, 2022 by Jon4470
Correction to spellchecker

[Jon4470]

Yesterday some goodies arrived

 

Paints

 

 

And a couple of long bristled brushes to try out

 

 

 

Now, I have to admit that the LSWR green is not the light one that I had hoped for. Never mind....I had previously read a paint recipe for LSWR green and it mentions chrome yellow. I have these two options in stock......

 

 

 

A quick play in a mixing dish with the green and the yellow (on the right) gave this swirl of colours

 

 

I think there are a couple of options in there that will work. I think it is a warmer colour than the spraycan of Applejack that I had tried earlier (also I do not fancy blasting the model with an aerosol and potentially flooding it with paint).

So, I will now carry out a more scientific approach to determine the correct proportions of green and yellow.

 

Jon

 

 

[Chas Levin]

Will you be able to do the whole job from one mix Jon? If not, how do you plan to deal with making the mix accurately repeatable? I'm asking because that's what I'm thinking about currently and I'm leaning towards small pipettes with a scale marked on them, so I can then note that a particular mix was so many ml of one thing and so many of another etc. 

I've mixed small amounts of paint before and no matter how I've tired, I've not been able to keep the mix usable for even 24 hours, so mixing up another batch has been inevitable and that's where the colour consistency issue comes in - wondered if you have a plan for this?

[Jon4470]

7 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

Will you be able to do the whole job from one mix Jon? If not, how do you plan to deal with making the mix accurately repeatable? I'm asking because that's what I'm thinking about currently and I'm leaning towards small pipettes with a scale marked on them, so I can then note that a particular mix was so many ml of one thing and so many of another etc. 

I've mixed small amounts of paint before and no matter how I've tired, I've not been able to keep the mix usable for even 24 hours, so mixing up another batch has been inevitable and that's where the colour consistency issue comes in - wondered if you have a plan for this?

 

My paint mix implement of choice is this

 

 

Bought from a catering supplies shop in York. A pinch is equal to 0.5ml. I use a pipette for adding white spirit (if required)........using the pipette is how I discovered that a pinch is 0.5ml!

 

The advantage of the pinch is that it fits in a small paint tin and (very important) it can be cleaned easily with a cloth. The disadvantage (I guess) is that it uses too much paint at one go. However it is generally better to have too much rather than too little.

 

Like you, I have never been able to preserve mixed paint for more than a few hours. This loco is so small that I doubt I’ll need a second mix to cover it🙂

 

Jon

[Chas Levin]

Aha, yes, I looked at some similar scoops and if you're finding them useful I shall try one as well. I've initially opted for small cheap pipettes that have a scale marked on the side, in 0.25ml steps. I think they should work fine for the oil, not too sure whether the paint will be too viscous in which case a scoop will be... the scoop! 😁😆🤣 Sorry Jon 🙄

[Jon4470]

Making progress🙂

 

 

Thats the first coat on. 2 parts yellow to one part green. The green is the sort of shade that I was looking for.  The photo looks a bit darker than the reality...but you get a better idea if you concentrate on the top of the saddle tank - where you can see the more yellow hue.

And @Chas Levin...... yes the precision paints dry really quickly! I hadn’t really used much precision paint prior to this. Basically.....I just had to work quickly!

 

Once the second coat is on the question will be whether I try to line it?

 

Jon

[Chas Levin]

15 minutes ago, Jon4470 said:

And @Chas Levin...... yes the precision paints dry really quickly! I hadn’t really used much precision paint prior to this. Basically.....I just had to work quickly!

And I bet you're using a new tin too!

 

Looks lovely though - you clearly worked quickly and well 🙂

Edited April 28, 2022 by Chas Levin

[Jon4470]

9 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

And I bet you're using a new tin too!

Absolutely brand new!

Trying to keep a wet edge to the paint was difficult- especially on the saddle tank as it is a more awkward shape to paint than some of the flat panels.

[Chas Levin]

Welcome to my world! I'm planning to start testing (hopefully over the weekend) with adding linseed oil, so although it'll be too late for Barber, it might be useful for your next PPP outing...

Awkward shapes - anything not flat, really, in this context - make it doubly difficult to maintain the wet edge, fully agree.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Chas Levin

[Jon4470]

More paint applied.

 

First photo uses a flash to see the details.....but makes everything seem a bit garish

 

 

with no flash the colours are more natural.....but it has highlighted an area on the tank side where the brush has dragged through some paint😠 I hadn’t spotted that until I took the photo......

 

 

 

On a happier note. I spotted something in a photo that I’ll have to add....

 

 

A photo in the book about the Thomas Green Company (that built Barber) shows a kettle sitting on the footplate next to the smokebox😀 I can’t resist it....it will have to be added!

 

Jon

[Chas Levin]

The dragged paint bit Jon, you should hopefully be able to do a bit of careful rubbing down and re-coating - it looks like the dragged parts are standing slightly proud, so that rubbing down would in effect remove them...

 

It's all looking very good - and I can quite see the appeal of the kettle!