Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[Siberian Snooper]

Brassmasters, ex Martin Finney lamp irons, scroll down to the bottom.

 

https://www.brassmasters.co.uk/etched_detaiing_components.htm

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

For GWR lamp irons I used to make my own

1. Visit a decent florist/flower arranging spop or garden centre and buy a packet of the finer gauge florist's wire.  I can't remember the drill size/number off hand but it is an exact match to one for a reasonably tight  interference fit.

2. Grab your modelling anvil,  or use the hard flat top piece on a vice, and gently beat the necessary length of wire flat (it takes a biy of practice to get an even width but if I can do it most other mortals should have no problem with a but of practice),

3. Bend the wire at the junction of the flat bit and original round section in order to get a nice clean curve then beat the next section flat.  Thisisi the ideal way to make a lamp bracket to fit on a smokebox door which has successive 90 degree bends in two different directions.

4 Drill a hole which is almost an interference fit for the round wire where you want the lamp bracket to be fixed to the loco or tender body etc.  If the body is plastic use a superglue to fix it on the inside having bent round a short length of wire to provide a bit of strength.  The plated florists wire will tin well if you wish to solder it to a metal or whitemetal body.

 

Take care when handling as the beating flat process work hardens the wire so you've got some things which can do your fingers a bit of no good.   The wire also takes paint well.  It is also ideal for making those fire iron hooks on the back of tank engine bunkers and for adding some nice fine  glazing protectionbars at the back of tank engine cabs,

 

And the cost per lamp iron or whatever is miniscule - one pack of wire can do plenty of locos with some left over for whatever other jobs take you fancy

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by The Stationmaster

[MrWolf]

Moving next door from the garage, a few veg have sprouted in the crossing house garden.

Potatoes from commercially available clumps, carrots from some ancient ground foam type foliage and the cabbages yet to be toned down are from cigarette papers, about a third of a sheet dampened and rolled into a ball is enough followed by thinned acrylic paint. These will get a lighter coat once the glue sets.

The missing cabbages may have been exchanged for something that flew out of a hedge and broke it's neck by flying straight into the front of number 23 - apparently this happens quite a lot ......

An old chair has appeared outside the shed, possibly to sit on whilst plucking said pheasant and I imagine that more tat will soon appear.

 

 

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

For GWR lamp irons I used to make my own

1. Visit a decent florist/flower arranging spop or garden centre and buy a packet of the finer gauge florist's wire.  I can't remember the drill size/number off hand but it is an exact match to one for a reasonably tight  interference fit.

2. Grab your modelling anvil,  or use the hard flat top piece on a vice, and gently beat the necessary length of wire flat (it takes a biy of practice to get an even width but if I can do it most other mortals should have no problem with a but of practice),

3. Bend the wire at the junction of the flat bit and original round section in order to get a nice clean curve then beat the next section flat.  Thisisi the ideal way to make a lamp bracket to fit on a smokebox door which has successive 90 degree bends in two different directions.

4 Drill a hole which is almost an interference fit for the round wire where you want the lamp bracket to be fixed to the loco or tender body etc.  If the body is plastic use a superglue to fix it on the inside having bent round a short length of wire to provide a bit of strength.  The plated florists wire will tin well if you wish to solder it to a metal or whitemetal body.

 

Take care when handling as the beating flat process work hardens the wire so you've got some things which can do your fingers a bit of no good.   The wire also takes paint well.  It is also ideal for making those fire iron hooks on the back of tank engine bunkers and for adding some nice fine  glazing protectionbars at the back of tank engine cabs,

 

And the cost per lamp iron or whatever is miniscule - one pack of wire can do plenty of locos with some left over for whatever other jobs take you fancy

 

I do much the same but starting with small staples, which are already flat.

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Very very nice, excellent progress and some lovely modelling.

[Stubby47]

Are these any use?

 

https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/ax409-oo-rusty-exhaust-pipes-x28pack-of-5x29---oo4mm176-13364-p.asp

 

Also here: 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Stubby47
Added RMweb link

[ScaleModelScenery]

14 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

Are these any use?

 

https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/ax409-oo-rusty-exhaust-pipes-x28pack-of-5x29---oo4mm176-13364-p.asp

 

Also here: 

 

Thanks Stu :)

[MrWolf]

38 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

Are these any use?

 

https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/ax409-oo-rusty-exhaust-pipes-x28pack-of-5x29---oo4mm176-13364-p.asp

 

Also here: 

 

 

Yes, they would be thanks, just for general clutter. The only one which I couldn't use is the short oval back-box with twin tailpipes. That sort of thing comes in with sixties sports cars and eighties hot hatches. But the rest? Top junk!

[Siberian Snooper]

When I was driving late 50's and early 60's cars, I don't recall ever being able to get them off, all in one bit, most had to be cut at least once and most twice, or severely bent and twisted, especially at the back, where it went over the back axle.

 

 

[MrWolf]

6 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

When I was driving late 50's and early 60's cars, I don't recall ever being able to get them off, all in one bit, most had to be cut at least once and most twice, or severely bent and twisted, especially at the back, where it went over the back axle.

 

 

 

Exactly. 

 

If you peruse the Oxford English Dictionary under the word "Rasting", to "Rast at" etc it defines as:

 

1. (Arch.) Process required to remove a life expired exhaust system or exhaust component from an Austin Somerset, Ford Classic or similar car of the 1945-65 period.

Usually performed at a drizzly dusk on a Sunday as the car needs to be able to get you to work for 06:00 Monday.

 

NB: More recent exhaust systems are designed to snap at the welds at inopportune moments either crippling the vehicle or components becoming entirely detached and creating a hazard for motorcyclists.

 

2. (onomat) The act of retrieving a drunken companion from a privet hedge whilst similarly inebriated.

 

I will be getting some of those exhausts and mangling them in a period correct manner...

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by MrWolf
Dickshunnery

[Graham T]

I look forward to seeing the new OED (Wolf Edn.)!

 

 

[MrWolf]

56 minutes ago, Graham T said:

I look forward to seeing the new OED (Wolf Edn.)!

 

 

 

As soon as I have finished editing "Mr Wolf & Miss Riding Hood's Big Book Of Dangerous Toys."

 

 

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

As soon as I have finished editing "Mr Wolf & Miss Riding Hood's Big Book Of Dangerous Toys."

 

 

TMI

[MrWolf]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

TMI

 

Whereas those three letters are Just Enough Information to know how your mind works!.😉

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

 

Whereas those three letters are Just Enough Information to know how your mind works!.😉

Takes one to know one...

[Stubby47]

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

As soon as I have finished editing "Mr Wolf & Miss Riding Hood's Big Book Of Dangerous Toys."

 

 

 

Will that be a Ladybird book ?

 

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

 

Will that be a Ladybird book ?

 

 

Brilliant!

 

"Can you say Maschinengewehr, children?

I knew you could!"

 

[MrWolf]

Back on the bench I have fitted the top hat bushes to the buffer stocks for the 517 and soldered up. I fitted a chisel bit to the Weller iron and flew through the job.

I'm still not convinced about the method of securing the buffers by bending over the free end. To me that is like using the wrong sized nails to fix (someone else's!) fence...

 

 

Elsewhere I have been digging into the the little boxes of bits that have survived since my teens and built this 30's road sign from an old Tiny Signs kit no.16. The sign is photo card, pole plastic and warning triangle is etched brass, set on a slot sawed into the post (the instructions almost challenge you to do this, which I found very encouraging)

 

 

Even though it's virtually impossible to see, I had to paint the back of the sign the right sort of greyish green, because that's how they were and as she who knows me better than anyone pointed out "It will bug you if you don't."

 

[Winslow Boy]

You have been busy haven't you and all done to your extremely high standard as well.

 

Couple of comments. When I looked at the buffers I did initially think why's he photoed some notice board pins. It wasn't until I looked at them a lot closer that I realised just how intricate they are.

 

And I'm happy to offer my services as the sensitivity reader for yours and Miss R's inaugural publication. You should note that I usually have to be hit with a sledge hammer before I notice things so your publication should get through with virtually no changes.

[MrWolf]

That's very nice of you to offer and don't put yourself down on the awareness front. I remember walking along four abreast (and stone cold sober!) with some friends and discussing all the usual stuff. To our right was a long row of cars parked at ninety degrees to the kerb and amongst them, sticking out a couple of feet was an old Land Rover Safari, painted white and fitted with the spare wheel(s), roof rack,  ladder and all the other bolt on goodies that suggest you holiday in Patagonia rather than Paignton.

The friend to my right was yapping away until the bang as he walked straight into the back corner of the refugee from Daktari and knocked himself silly.

 

Twas indeed one of those "I can't believe you've just done that" moments.

[MrWolf]

On the subject of level crossings, perhaps one of you can tell me for definite what the lighting arrangement was?

I seem to have read somewhere that there was a platform type oil lamp next to the crossing on the facing side of the road which had one red glass which faced the traffic.

Anyone such as @The Stationmaster know where I might find such information?

[chuffinghell]

looking quite spectacular there Rob! very impressive work sir

 

I will have to pull my finger out once everything returns to normal this end

[Nick C]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

On the subject of level crossings, perhaps one of you can tell me for definite what the lighting arrangement was?

I seem to have read somewhere that there was a platform type oil lamp next to the crossing on the facing side of the road which had one red glass which faced the traffic.

Anyone such as @The Stationmaster know where I might find such information?

My understanding was a red lamp fixed to the top of the gate(s) such that it faced the traffic when the gates were closed to the road, and along the line when they were closed to the railway.

 

Quite possible that the GWR did things differently though...

[Limpley Stoker]

I had pangs of nostalgia seeing the level crossing warning sign at a respectable distance from the crossing. Looks just right !

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Graham T]

Some lovely attention to detail in this whole area of Aston-on-C!