Coulsdon Works

[John Tomlinson]

On 07/07/2022 at 12:49, thegreenhowards said:

I’m on family holiday at the moment but that doesn’t mean all modelling has to stop…I’ve been doing an hour every day during siesta time. However, my workbench has got smaller and neater and with a better view!

 

 

I brought a small selection of tools with me - soldering iron, snips, files, small drills etc. - just enough to build a D&S etched kit for a 7mm GC milk van (DS73).

 

I’ve more or less finished the chassis. 

 

 

 

 

However, the instructions on the brake rigging and white metal bits range between less than clear and non existent, so if anyone can spot any errors please point them out.

 

In particular:

1. the springs shown below are the last thing it mentions to attach but I cant fit them behind the foot boards. Any suggestions on how to fit them?

2. The other bit of white metal with the springs is not mentioned. I imagine the spring mounts onto this and then the whole assembly fits behind the solebar. Any confirmation or alternative suggestions appreciated.

3. I’m not sure which way the axle box goes on. Have I got them upside down? (They’re only resting in place!)

 

 

Thanks 

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thing that strikes me is there's a brake lever on one side only. Is this right?

 

Once upon a time I built a 4mm Jidenco GC 15t fish van, took forever, that had levers both side but in a way that both were at the same end of the vehicle. This I gather became prohibited some years into the Grouping.

 

Have a great holiday!

 

John.

[thegreenhowards]

3 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

The thing that strikes me is there's a brake lever on one side only. Is this right?

 

Once upon a time I built a 4mm Jidenco GC 15t fish van, took forever, that had levers both side but in a way that both were at the same end of the vehicle. This I gather became prohibited some years into the Grouping.

 

Have a great holiday!

 

John.

That’s a good question John,

 

As far as I can see the kit only has one lever and D&S kits are normally pretty accurate. Also, I think Jonathan’s photos show no brake lever on one side, so that suggests to me that it’s OK.

 

I await higher authority to put me right!

 

Andy

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

It has rained this morning, so after a quick sail with my daughter I retreated inside and cracked on with the kit. It’s now just about complete except for the roof and a lot of cleaning up and painting. Quite a pretty vehicle, I hope you’ll agree.

 

 

 

 

Jonathan’s useful links allowed me to sort out the underframe and I got the spring hangers in by removing the compensated W iron and a bit of bending at the other end.

 

 

The problem I now have is the the compensation doesn’t work as the spring hanger is wedged against the buffers. I think I may have to cut off the end of the spring hangers but any other ideas would be welcome.

 

The sun’s back out now, so I’m off for some more sailing.

 

Andy

 

[John Tomlinson]

1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

It has rained this morning, so after a quick sail with my daughter I retreated inside and cracked on with the kit. It’s now just about complete except for the roof and a lot of cleaning up and painting. Quite a pretty vehicle, I hope you’ll agree.

 

 

 

 

Jonathan’s useful links allowed me to sort out the underframe and I got the spring hangers in by removing the compensated W iron and a bit of bending at the other end.

 

 

The problem I now have is the the compensation doesn’t work as the spring hanger is wedged against the buffers. I think I may have to cut off the end of the spring hangers but any other ideas would be welcome.

 

The sun’s back out now, so I’m off for some more sailing.

 

Andy

 

 

Looks very good, and amazingly quick progress.

 

I assume you'll add the door handles and grabs after painting?

 

Do you think you'll actually need the compensation feature?

 

John.

[thegreenhowards]

3 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

Looks very good, and amazingly quick progress.

 

I assume you'll add the door handles and grabs after painting?

 

Do you think you'll actually need the compensation feature?

 

John.

Hi John,

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

I’ll fit the door handles shortly - I forgot that bit until after I’d taken the photos! There are also some rails on the ends to fit.

 

I don’t normally bother with compensation, but as it was designed into the kit it was easier to fit than not. I’ll probably try it as is and try to rectify it if I have problems with derailments. 
 

Andy

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

I found it very hard drilling holes in the roof with my hand pin drill whilst on holiday. But I’m home now with access to a dremel and that has enabled me to finish the roof off and attach it. 
 

 

 

So I think it’s now just about finished apart from cleaning and painting. I seem to be missing door handles, so I’m going to have to make them from wire and attach after painting.

 

I have one part left which I can’t work out (below). It looks like a lid and is 12mm diameter but I have no idea where it should go. Any ideas?

 

 

Andy

 

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by thegreenhowards

[thegreenhowards]

Now I’m home I’m trying to finish off a few projects on the workbench. I’ve tweaked this GER 6 wheeler which will be finished in early LNER livery. I’m not very happy with the teaking this time as it seems a bit too uniform and I’m not as keen on the Railmatch LNER coach teak as the Precision version which I’ve used previously. I followed my normal process with painting each panel separately in different shades of brown before going over with a thin teak top coat. I’m considering stripping it off and starting again but I’d be interested to know what others think.

 

 

 

 

[jwealleans]

You can vary the shades with the top colour you apply, but I recall reading somewhere that Stratford used a different species of teak to Doncaster and as a result their carriages were yellower.

 

That said this is likely to be in the last few years of it's life in early LNER days, so an overall dark finish probably isn't a bad idea.

 

These were, of course, fully lined in early LNER days.....

[thegreenhowards]

6 hours ago, jwealleans said:

 

These were, of course, fully lined in early LNER days.....

Yes, I’m still plucking up the courage for that!

[thegreenhowards]

I did some priming yesterday. First up was the Q class which I don’t think I’ve shown on here before but most of you will have seen it on Wright Writes a couple of days ago. 
 

 

It seems to have come up OK but inevitably needed some rubbing down and a couple of gaps filling. Also, I realised that I’d forgotten the boiler bands so they had to be added hurriedly with insulating tape. I think it would have stuck better to the bare metal!

 

Thankfully the tender and GCR milk van needed very little work and have just had a very light sand.

 

 

These will all get a light top coat of etch primer today.

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

On 18/07/2022 at 16:37, jwealleans said:

These were, of course, fully lined in early LNER days.....

Well, after Jonathan threw down the gauntlet, I decided that I had to give it a go. So I dug out my bow pen and tried lining for the first time on a coach (previously just done one side of a loco). 
 

 

 

It’s not perfect but I’m quite pleased with how it’s come up. While the cruel close ups look a bit rough, it looks fIne from 3 foot and I plan to hide some ‘wobbly’ bits under weathering! I’m not sure I’ve lined the rights bits. I based this on the photos from Mangapps farm which @Bucoopskindly put on here a couple of months ago. If anyone thinks I’ve got it wrong, please don’t hold back.

 

I also had to guess the number as I’ve not managed to find any details of the numbering of these coaches. I’m confident it should start with a ‘6’ denoting a coach owned by the GE section in the post 1925 numbering scheme - the rest is fiction. If anyone wants to correct me, I’d be very grateful. Otherwise, I’ll work on the basis that if none of you know, it’s unlikely anyone else will! The ‘3’s on the doors are waiting for an order from Fox.

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bucoops]

2 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

Well, after Jonathan threw down the gauntlet, I decided that I had to give it a go. So I dug out my bow pen and tried lining for the first time on a coach (previously just done one side of a loco). 
 

 

 

It’s not perfect but I’m quite pleased with how it’s come up. While the cruel close ups look a bit rough, it looks fIne from 3 foot and I plan to hide some ‘wobbly’ bits under weathering! I’m not sure I’ve lined the rights bits. I based this on the photos from Mangapps farm which @Bucoopskindly put on here a couple of months ago. If anyone thinks I’ve got it wrong, please don’t hold back.

 

I also had to guess the number as I’ve not managed to find any details of the numbering of these coaches. I’m confident it should start with a ‘6’ denoting a coach owned by the GE section in the post 1925 numbering scheme - the rest is fiction. If anyone wants to correct me, I’d be very grateful. Otherwise, I’ll work on the basis that if none of you know, it’s unlikely anyone else will! The ‘3’s on the doors are waiting for an order from Fox.

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking good :)

 

Do you know the diagram number? Bit late but I may be able to find a number.

[thegreenhowards]

1 hour ago, Bucoops said:

Looking good :)

 

Do you know the diagram number? Bit late but I may be able to find a number.

Thanks,

 

it’s a D.407 lav third. A number would be great. I like to get these things right if I can and I deliberately only put this number on one side in case someone came up with a correct number!

 

Regards

 

Andy

[Bucoops]

Not the easiest to read as so many amendments but hopefully of use - certainly plenty to choose from!

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

Many thanks @Bucoops,

 

Duly acted on. And the ‘3’s arrived from Fox.

 

I think she’s now ready for weathering which means firing up the airbrush - at least for the roof. That is something I rather dread as it always goes wrong!

 

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

I’ve been making progress on multiple fronts today. First up is the SR Q which is nearer the finishing line.

 

 

 

She needs some paint scraping off the brass bits, or some brass paint and the cab needs fitting out, but otherwise she’s just about there. I have a problem with the transfers on the tender. The Halfords Matt lacquer I used to seal the transfers and tone the gloss down has reacted with the carrier film. Hence I have crinkling in between the letters of ‘SOUTHERN’ as below. It’s not too noticeable from normal viewing distances, so I may live with it, but does anyone have a solution?

 

 

She will run as first preserved to start with as I’m fond of the loco on the Bluebell. Then weathered a bit to represent the newly in service look for use on the club layout. I just hope nobody notices that my steam reverser is not correct for the new in service loco!

 

Andy

[micklner]

1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

I’ve been making progress on multiple fronts today. First up is the SR Q which is nearer the finishing line.

 

 

 

She needs some paint scraping off the brass bits, or some brass paint and the cab needs fitting out, but otherwise she’s just about there. I have a problem with the transfers on the tender. The Halfords Matt lacquer I used to seal the transfers and tone the gloss down has reacted with the carrier film. Hence I have crinkling in between the letters of ‘SOUTHERN’ as below. It’s not too noticeable from normal viewing distances, so I may live with it, but does anyone have a solution?

 

 

She will run as first preserved to start with as I’m fond of the loco on the Bluebell. Then weathered a bit to represent the newly in service look for use on the club layout. I just hope nobody notices that my steam reverser is not correct for the new in service loco!

 

Andy

Gentle rub over the wrinkles with very fine wet n dry and another coat to seal , or rub some Black paint into the wrinkles ?. I would try the first option.

[thegreenhowards]

As those of you who follow Wright Writes will have seen, I have now finished the GE 6 wheeler.

 

 Rather than duplicate the photos, I attach a link to my post over there.

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/64295-wright-writes/?do=findComment&comment=4899321

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

Another finished vehicle today - the GCR milk van. Again I put the finished article on Wright Writes. If you want to see it please follow this link.

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/64295-wright-writes/?do=findComment&comment=4900137

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

The Q is now just about finished. Thanks to Mick for the suggestion about sorting out the crinkles in my decals which worked well. They’re now very minor.

 

The only thing I’m aware of that I need to finish her off is the cab number plate which I’ve ordered from Narrow Planet, but they’re specially etched so take a few weeks to come. In the meantime, I thought I’d show her here in case anyone spots any other things I’ve forgotten.

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[micklner]

Very nice, what option did you use on the "wrinkles" ?

[thegreenhowards]

40 minutes ago, micklner said:

Very nice, what option did you use on the "wrinkles" ?

800 grit wet and dry very gently rubbed on, then another coat of Matt lacquer as per your first option. They’re still visible if you know they're there, but I don’t think you’d notice otherwise. 

[thegreenhowards]

This is my next O gauge project. 

 

 

It is a rake of four ex GER 50’ Holden corridor coaches built in 1907-1920. They were LNER diagrams 419E and 541E and are built from D&S kits. I acquired two which are beautifully made from a friend 3 weeks ago. And then I saw two more which were reasonably priced whilst at the Ellis Clark Summer Exhibition on Saturday. I knew they were similar but it turns out they are identical, so I think it makes quite a nice rake. The rake is lacking any First Class and needs a second brake. So I may add a standard Gresley BCK which I have spare to finish it off. 
 

Some shots of the individual coaches are below. The brake third is nicely finished.

 

…as is this TK which came in the original pair from my friend. I think this ones needs some more torpedo vents.

 

The two Ellis Clark coaches are less well painted. This one is OK but a slightly different shade to the first two and is lacking any decals. It also needs some vents.

 

The final ones has been weathered but I don’t like the washed out look it has given the coach brown. It also needs vents…there must have been a shortage!

 

I’m now trying to decide how to finish the rake off.  If any of the GER experts out there could help me with any of these questions, I’d be very grateful:

1. What sort of service would these have worked on in the 20’s and 30’s? In particular would they have strayed away from the ex GER patch at all?

2. If they stayed on the GER patch what would have hauled them - a D16 or B12, or maybe an N7 on outer suburban?

3. Would they have run mixed with Gresley coaches . I.e. can I use Gresley coaches to provide First Class?

4. I’m considering painting the weathered one in lined GER crimson gold to represent one yet to be re-liveried in early LNER days. Are there any good reference photos to show where the lining went?

5. Have I got too many TKs - should I sell one on to fund a composite or FK?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Andy

 

 

[Bucoops]

They look great, very well built and decorated.

 

Ref roof vents - are any compartments marked as smoking - they may have an extra vent. Although I would expext to see each compartment with at least one.

 

Some coaches definitely went off system - they would have been vacuum or dual fitted. There was a boat train that ended up in Harwich that was one example, although most of the coaches were specific diagrams for that service.

 

Yes some would have run with Gresley era stock - some of these had British Standard gangways to be able to connect to the GE coaches, otherwise a BS to Pullman adapter was needed. Again, braking systems need to be compatible.

 

They were mainline stock and still used as such well into BR days - although some had the toilets blocked off and designated as "conductor-guard" trains. Formation information is scarce unfortunately, 

[jwealleans]

Drawings for these are in a Model Railway Constructor from sometime in 1963.   As Rich has said they did wander on some interregional services and via the M & GN.   Certainly used interchangeably with Gresleys, those being the short GE Area ones in the main so there was little capacity difference.   You could get away with a Gresley BT and/or CK with that set. 

 

I do like that washed out colour as a vehicle needing repainting or at the end of its life, but that may not be appropriate for the era you're looking to run them in.  The colour is a very moveable feast - Adrian Marks once sent me two pictures of the same vehicle taken on the same day, one of each side, and they're completely different shades of brown.

 

Your best bet for painting information and photographs are the GE Society Journals (available on CD - look for John Watling's series of articles on these vehicles) and Dr Ian C Allen's photographic collections.   Some of these vehicles were either varnished teak or scumbled as well, I have a photograph.