Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[chuffinghell]

Looking great but it’s still not tempted me to have a go myself, the kit is staying in the box 🤣

[MrWolf]

22 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

Looking great but it’s still not tempted me to have a go myself, the kit is staying in the box 🤣

 

Even if it becomes a matter of honour?

 

 

[MrWolf]

A little progress, the part I find most nerve wracking because I'm trying not to damage the original paint too much.

 

First job for me is to lose the GWR twin cities branding. Of course if I was SENSIBLE, I would have sought out a model with the shirtbutton livery....

 

Too easy.

 

I used T-Cut and very light passes with the fibreglass brush so I could take off the GWR letters between the gold bands. The coat of arms is a little easier.

 

 

The only advice I can give is work slowly, keep stopping and wiping the compound away, checking progress and start again, otherwise you'll be down to the primer before you realise.

 

 

Items pared off the driving end: Six handrails, two steps, two lamp irons

 

 

Items pared off the locomotive end: Eight handrails, two steps two lamp irons.

 

 

Luggage door handrail: 

 

 

The instructions say not to remove any door handles, but I have decided to go a step further as in this picture from World of Railways which I rather like.

 

 

So that also means the guard's door handles.

 

 

Ans the driving cab door handles. You do remove the double handrail each side though.

 

 

Right, that's it for now, back to sleep.. Unless the memsahib is still having a very animated dream about being the Indian goddess Durga, in which case I may have it complete painted and back together by daybreak....

 

Lots bits to fit!

 

World of Railways 

[MrWolf]

Having just posted the two pictures from. World of Railways, I decided to go back over the article which is the one I read as a means of finding an illustrated version of the kit instructions:

 

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/techniques/how-to-detail-an-autocoach/

 

It appears that I owe you the viewers, myself and Dart something of an apology.

Although the drawings in the kit are in places vague and unclear, the kit does build up correctly.

 

What threw me was the photo below from the World of Railways article because they had decided to radically simplify the installation of the components sited between the bogies, Viz:

 

 

Whilst this is fine if you want to cut some corners,

 

(Frankly I don't see the point having done so much and all the risk is with the body as far as I am concerned, see my previous post.)

 

However,

 

It is NOT as per the prototype or perhaps more importantly for their reputation, not how Dart tell you to build it.

 

So don't go thinking it's a duff kit. I got confused by some duff information.

 

In slightly more cheerful news:

 

Modelu do a driver figure...

 

https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/0911/

 

And passengers...

 

https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/1692/

 

Hopefully the Cheshire Cat is sound asleep now!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by MrWolf

[MrWolf]

Coach body now has so many holes in it that it's starting to look like Bonnie and Clyde's car...

 

This is the last of the destruction, now we're working our way back out. 

[John Besley]

After all that you've earned a good kip

[Winslow Boy]

That is certainly very holy Rob and before you say it I don't mean that in any religious way.

 

I suppose though that doing all this means that your not down the pub terrorizing the yokels with your leathers and James dean impersonations.

[Limpley Stoker]

That’s impressive chiselling with no collateral damage !

[MrWolf]

4 hours ago, John Besley said:

After all that you've earned a good kip

 

I drilled the holes about 7pm, but for some ridiculously complicated reason woke up about 2:30 and posted the picture.

[MrWolf]

On 04/04/2023 at 07:27, Winslow Boy said:

That is certainly very holy Rob and before you say it I don't mean that in any religious way.

 

I suppose though that doing all this means that your not down the pub terrorizing the yokels with your leathers and James dean impersonations.

 

Ah Winslow,

 

"You're tearing me apart...."

 

 

Edited April 5, 2023 by MrWolf

[MrWolf]

Not much done last night, but I did manage to unravel the mystery of the etched brass GWR lamp iron.

You can probably all do this with your eyes shut, but it was a first for me and I thought I would share how it's done.

 

As cut from fret.

 

Bend rivetted tab downward, which seems counter intuitive, but makes sense at the next bend.

 

Fold over at next etched dot like so:

 

Mash fold shut with pliers, taking care to avoid ping and subsequent profanity.

 

Turn lamp bracket itself upright at etched dot on right angle.

 

File off any burrs and the folded over section will be held fully closed when the bracket is fitted into the coach or loco body.

 

 

[Neal Ball]

Rob - does the Dart kit include a new "gong"?

 

Thanks

[MrWolf]

Morning tea break has all of the 'oles filled with 'andles on each end.

 

 

Dropped a slight boll... clanger with the loco end, I took off two tiny handles above the vertical ones that are not in the kit. 

I'll replace them with wire when I make the door handles.

 

[Neal Ball]

Never mind cutting off an extra handle Rob, its looking great.

[Graham T]

Do you use a handrail bending jig Rob?  If so, where's it from please?  I wanted to get a Bill Bedford one but they've been out of stock for ages.

 

[Neal Ball]

11 minutes ago, Graham T said:

Do you use a handrail bending jig Rob?  If so, where's it from please?  I wanted to get a Bill Bedford one but they've been out of stock for ages.

 

 

Wizard models sell them Graham

[Graham T]

I know, but unfortunately they haven’t had any for a long time now.

 

[MrWolf]

55 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

Rob - does the Dart kit include a new "gong"?

 

Thanks

 

Mine didn't, but new gongs are available from I think Peter's Spares if you need one?

 

Confusingly this one and the one from Peter's Spares is listed as an autocoach bell whereas the Dapol O gauge version is listed as a gong.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313784999734?

 

I'll certainly be painting the one on my coach cream - for there's something wrong about a brass bong gong....

 

 

[MrWolf]

59 minutes ago, Graham T said:

Do you use a handrail bending jig Rob?  If so, where's it from please?  I wanted to get a Bill Bedford one but they've been out of stock for ages.

 

 

I did use a handrail bending jig, two in fact that I bought from the erstwhile Eileen's Emporium, but since we moved house I'm bu66ered if I can find them, hence the slow down on several projects.

 

I'm waiting for the memsahib to say something bright and practical such as "Did you look in your pockets?" at which point they will turn up.

 

Clearly God never tires of that joke....

[MrWolf]

Received a prompt and friendly email from Brian at Shawplan with ordering and payment details for the autocoach glazing and also a set for the Lima railcar.

 

Whilst I have the period correct and much more snazzy Dapol streamlined railcar, I have a bit of a sentimental attachment to the 1940s style Lima offering, so that will be getting an upgrade before long as well.

 

If you are contacting Shawplan, please do so via email as their landline is no longer in service.

[MrWolf]

Something arrived in the post which is a bit of a potential diversion, so all I'm doing is posting it because I have it on the bench for dismantling. 

 

 

I've acquired a slightly neglected loco drive Hornby County of Bedford 4-4-0, which (allegedly) has done very little, I beg to differ, wheels are well scuffed and the traction tyres have gone, but it runs okay.

 

Note to self: You should know that people with eBay shops never really check anything and post slightly out of focus pics, either cropping a vital part or not picturing it at all....

 

That plan is to create another oddball loco in the shape of 3816 County of Leicester in her last days hitched to the tender which was the remnants of The Great Bear.

 

 

 

A Mainline Castle tender seemed like a good starting point. These were of course motorised, so I have tested the mechanism and it will be going back on eBay.

The body is grotty and a bit warped due to the solvent in whatever glue has been used to affix coal.imto the bunker.

 

 

 

Warpy. But I am going to be cutting the coal area out and hopefully it will spring back.

 

 

Some sort of fall plate?

I come across a lot of this kind of glue. Some kind of impact adhesive I presume, it looks like a snuff addict's handkerchief...

 

I'll tear it off and get back to the autocoach!

 

- Mother says that I got into modifying RTR at a very early age....

 

Pic: Ronald Searle - from Whizz for Atomms (1956)

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by MrWolf
The trouble with paws is...

[MrWolf]

No, I still haven't found my handrail smiting devices, both the autocoach and 530 need several such bent bits of wire...

[Neal Ball]

That tender is going to be a nice challenge Rob - have fun.

 

Good luck finding the handrail bending thing!

[Pete Haitch]

The trouble with following both this thread and @chuffinghell, is that I'm now staring at an iron mink whilst picking out a drill bit to attack the roof, sides and ends!

 

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Pete Haitch said:

The trouble with following both this thread and @chuffinghell, is that I'm now staring at an iron mink whilst picking out a drill bit to attack the roof, sides and ends!

 

 

That particular iron Mink is not what it seems....

For starters, it's got an eleven foot wheelbase.

 

Congratulations on being the first to spot it though.

These were departmental vans built from the standard iron Mink, but that one is a CC2 Mink, built as a mobile weighbridge maintenance shop for H.Pooley and sons. It's still under development at the moment.

 

A history of GWR goods wagons.