SteveyDee68 Posted December 19, 2022 Author Share Posted December 19, 2022 3 hours ago, JustinDean said: That’s a lot of locos! Sounds like you need a layout to run them on. Dead right! 😆 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted May 14, 2023 Author Share Posted May 14, 2023 (edited) Oh, crikey… So, Rails email me and tell me they are having a sale of EFE ‘austerity’ locos and I only go and purchase one! Having, of course, completely forgotten that I recently purchased an as-new version off eBay! What does this mean? Well, I now have a second hand Dapol J94 (BR black) and a new Hornby J94 (red, “Harry”), together with two (count them) EFE/Bachmann J94s both in BR black… Meanwhile, I’ve grumbled elsewhere about being unable to find an Electrotren 0-6-0 loco at a reasonable price to use as a chassis for the CDC Models body of the NLR BR class 45 loco, as also used on the C&HPR. Well, keeping an eye on eBay has finally paid off! A sudden flurry of auctions saw me almost purchase a loco at a BIN price of £47 but at the last minute a bid on another auction landed me the loco for a bargain £40 (plus £3.50 p&p). What is crazy is that the rash of available models range from £47 all the way up to £115… Which just goes to show that patience can eventually pay off! Now, I just need to get myself the body from CDC and find an appropriate loco number. Happy days! HOURS OF FUN! Edited May 16, 2023 by SteveyDee68 Removal of surplus exclamation marks 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted June 1, 2023 Author Share Posted June 1, 2023 That moment when you move a box and discover locos that you had forgotten about buying… Remember the two EFE/Bachmann J94s? They are both the same running number! 🙄 So not just duplicated, but cloned!! And, even worse, have discovered that I now have two (2) Rapido “Primrose” Hunslets, because I somehow forgot that I changed my reserved order with Rapido to that livery in order to avoid duplicating “Alex”! 😳 Which means I (unintentionally) have five (5) RAPIDO Hunslet 0-6-0s, with my four (4) PLANET INDUSTRIALS “Victory” 0-6-0s and a mixed bag of four (4) J94s, two of which are identical… I don’t have more money than sense (some would argue otherwise) but I do think perhaps I should do myself a stock list… HOURS OF FUN! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted June 1, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2023 I do have two identical Terriers, but that's because I managed to get a weathered one at a good price - the first one will be renumbered, although with terriers that's never quite as easy as it sounds as it also means changing various details to suit the new number... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 3 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said: That moment when you move a box and discover locos that you had forgotten about buying… Remember the two EFE/Bachmann J94s? They are both the same running number! 🙄 So not just duplicated, but cloned!! And, even worse, have discovered that I now have two (2) Rapido “Primrose” Hunslets, because I somehow forgot that I changed my reserved order with Rapido to that livery in order to avoid duplicating “Alex”! 😳 Which means I (unintentionally) have five (5) RAPIDO Hunslet 0-6-0s, with my four (4) PLANET INDUSTRIALS “Victory” 0-6-0s and a mixed bag of four (4) J94s, two of which are identical… I don’t have more money than sense (some would argue otherwise) but I do think perhaps I should do myself a stock list… HOURS OF FUN! Not sure about a stock list but I think a new micro layout is definitely needed! 😉 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted June 2, 2023 Author Share Posted June 2, 2023 On 01/06/2023 at 19:08, sb67 said: Not sure about a stock list but I think a new micro layout is definitely needed! 😉 Behave!! 🤣 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 The summer holiday is almost over. I am home, having house- and dog-sat for a fortnight+ and have also not managed to create a temporary running in loop (see my related thread for that disaster in foam board and hot glue!) Returning home, I therefore turned my attention to the central “workbench” in the loft, which I had said elsewhere might be able to have a “drop leaf” flap attached to one side to enable the loop to be assembled there for running in albeit not on a permanent basis. To do so meant unearthing Blackford Wharf, and I immediately got sidetracked and stared at length at the track formation once again, but this time looking at it afresh having thoroughly absorbed the book shown below, and in particular the scheme “Canal without Water” that James based upon High Peak Junction (as it is called today). I had used the same as my inspiration but now realised that the layout might be better for some tweaking… Needless to say the “new” version loses a couple of points (and therefore a loop) and provides a double track engine shed (to make use of an L-Cut Creative two road small engine shed I purchased). Now that happens to be laser cut in a brick finish, but I am wondering about assembling it inside out to allow me to add a Scalescenes stone texture finish to it instead. A new track plan has been arrived at which has the two exit lines separated by the loco shed. Currently pondering about an extra siding to serve the pumping house at the opposite end, which will provide some structural balance (I hope). Tweaking of cork underlay in progress, but considering some ply has been stuck/glued where tracks weren’t originally running it makes things “interesting”… Determined to finalise this over the bank holiday weekend and to finally show some proper progress! Honest. HOURS OF FUN! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 (edited) Done some reading on the cardboard structures forum and relieved to see that others have also chosen to cover their L-Cut models with Scalescenes papers, and to very good effect too. Progress today has seen (a) track cut to length (b) track pinned down and (c) DCC Concepts paxolin sleepers cut ready for gluing/soldering at the edge of the baseboard! This is further than I’ve ever got before with this particular micro layout! Will be breaking out the soldering iron tomorrow in order to solder power feed wires to the track as appropriate. My last attempt at soldering was equal parts success (x1) failure (x1) and injury (x1) so fingers crossed tomorrow will see more of the first, less of the second and none of the last! HOURS OF FUN! PS I don’t want to jinx myself by promising photos just yet. At least pinning the track down means no more indecision/revisions! Edited August 25, 2023 by SteveyDee68 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunalastair Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 16 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said: My last attempt at soldering was equal parts success (x1) failure (x1) and injury (x1) so fingers crossed tomorrow will see more of the first, less of the second and none of the last! Stay safe and preserve those fingers for crossing. Wooden clothes pegs can make useful clamps for soldering. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 (edited) 18 hours ago, Dunalastair said: Stay safe and preserve those fingers for crossing. Wooden clothes pegs can make useful clamps for soldering. Some great advice … except there’s not a wooden clothes peg to be had in the house! Metal ones and plastic ones galore, but I have a feeling (to misquote the Black Eyed Peas) that those may not be exactly helpful! Cue superglue gel, wooden coffee stirrer cut up into suitable lengths and four of the largest (and grottiest) plastic pegs for a spot of Heath Robinson adaptation. Have been watching many videos and reading many pieces of advice about how to solder. The game, my dear Watson, is afoot! HOURS OF FUN! Edited August 27, 2023 by SteveyDee68 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 27, 2023 Author Share Posted August 27, 2023 (edited) Pumping House - c/o Fair Price Models - turns out to be too small to fit the 3D printed beam engine previously acquired inside. Mind you, it (the beam engine) is scaled 7mm/foot as I felt the 4mm/foot version felt a little underwhelming. Having purchased a second kit, have been sidetracked* into extending one part by half it’s own length again. When placed side by side, I shall have an L shaped pumping house, one half for the boiler and the other for the beam engine. Currently awaiting glue to dry on the newly extended sections. And wondering how to go about covering them with Scalescenes paper and avoid visible paper edges. HOURS OF FUN! * What a surprise! Edited August 27, 2023 by SteveyDee68 Poor Engerlish 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 27, 2023 Author Share Posted August 27, 2023 Here’s the kit “as is” Making up into (photo of instructions) Shows the chimney here, which I also plan on using … 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 27, 2023 Author Share Posted August 27, 2023 And here’s the brutal butchery required to extend the second “wing” … Floor extension will be added using some waste fret material. Both the window sections are “notched” to allow jointing to the other sections, as per … Note the second original base plate used to ensure that the spacing is correct. I’ve been busy doing a lot of cutting, trimming, fettling etc. Some sections have been glued, and part of the boiler section has been also, but the majority is still in “dry run” state as parts continue to be trimmed to fit. It’s taken a lot longer than expected but it’s all good fun and I haven’t lost any fingers (yet!) 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 27, 2023 Author Share Posted August 27, 2023 Multiple posts due to file size of photos! 🙄 Showing the replacement wall adjoining the second wing made up from scrap material from the laser fret. As nothing was large enough to make a complete side, have cut doors into the blank side of the second wing to allow movement between the two parts of the building. A cross piece is needed at the top of the gap to square things up before fixing. To the right is the ‘O’ scale beam pump which is too big for the building as designed by Fair Price Models. This shows the “boiler wing” abutting onto the “pump wing”, with the doors cut through. The ground floor needs revising to get rid of the step/threshold - I don’t need to, but it is bugging me! The middle floor section of the pump wing needs fettling to fit, too. The planned effect, showing the (tall) chimney in place next to the boiler wing, with the end of a siding finishing just before the chimney stack for coal deliveries (there will be a nice pile by the doorway!) and the canal running past hard against the wall of the pump wing. The pump will be visible through the many windows, the boiler less so (perhaps an open door?) I’m reverting back to my original idea of having a canal bridge acting as an end of scene blocker, with the lane rising up over the rear track on another overbridge. The other end of the layout has the “main line” entering at the front of the board under an arched overbridge carrying a lane which runs along behind the engine shed and then over a girder bridge, which has the “industrial line” exiting at the back of the board behind the engine shed. I really, really wanted to have this line rising on a gradient as per the C&HPR, but common sense prevailed - let others tackle the difficulties of modelling rope inclines! However, the girder bridge is a nod towards the foot of Sheep Pasture Incline and a water tower will also feature to suggest a flavour off the line. What I am wondering about though is including a gradient post showing something sufficiently steep to justify wagons being taken off stage a couple at a time. Hopton Incline was 1:14 at its steepest and sometimes required trains to be split to ascend - that could make for some extra wagon-wrangling to make Blackford Wharf more interesting to operate. HOURS OF FUN! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 To think … I was just going to shift the board out of the way in order to set up a running in loop! 🤭🙄🤣 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 Looking through some photos I took of the workshops and the pump house at “High Peak Junction” last year, have just seen that the “red” I remembered is much more of a maroon. I’d tried several pens out on scrap wood fret to find a suitable colour and decided all were too dark and therefore went with a “red” marker pen … seems like I need to revisit with the darker shades after all. Meanwhile … soldering? 🤔 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JustinDean Posted August 28, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 28, 2023 1 hour ago, SteveyDee68 said: Looking through some photos I took of the workshops and the pump house at “High Peak Junction” last year, have just seen that the “red” I remembered is much more of a maroon. I’d tried several pens out on scrap wood fret to find a suitable colour and decided all were too dark and therefore went with a “red” marker pen … seems like I need to revisit with the darker shades after all. Meanwhile … soldering? 🤔 The colour the woodwork has been painted in these days isn’t the same as they would have been. It was much closer to a buffer beam red that has been well weathered as can be seen here in a picture of the engine shed. Jay 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 40 minutes ago, JustinDean said: The colour the woodwork has been painted in these days isn’t the same as they would have been. It was much closer to a buffer beam red that has been well weathered as can be seen here in a picture of the engine shed. Jay Ah! Good call! I have been looking through my C&HPR books for colour photos to double check, but nothing as clear as the above. Considering I am not actually modelling the C&HPR, I do seem to get fixated upon getting the right “flavours”! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 Well, I’ve wasted a lot of time trying to create a boiler for inside the pump house using the end of a cocktail stick dispenser, plasticard and lashings and lashing of ginger beer extremely smelly liquid cement … 🙄 Looking at how dark that area is going to be, I think a Smarties tube suitably doctored will probably be sufficient! 🤣 Plus, why not stick to card/paper and avoid the nasty fumes?! I have also made some further progress with the pump house, including strengthening the lengthened floor with cardboard (just the right thickness underneath the floor), and sorting out the “new” internal wall. I also now have a plan for “wrapping” it all in Scalescenes “random ashlar” paper (which looks an okay representation of the stonework in the area - again, “representation”) Meanwhile, my soldering iron is sitting there with a smug look on its face… HOURS OF FUN! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 Progress? Not much! Tidying and prepping for school at the end of the week, plus an impromptu visit by my sister, BiL and wee dog this afternoon have stopped most activity except that planned “walkways” for the pump house (to help strengthen the structure) have been measured and cut from card, and layered up to match the mdf thickness (I thought a solid piece with a hole would be stronger than assembling various pieces). Tomorrow’s plan is coat the card in shellac to make it as hard as the mdf - another new thing to try! That soldering iron … gonna have to get to grips with it tomorrow, as there will be no modelling time from Thursday until Sunday! HOURS OF FUN! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold john new Posted September 12, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 27/08/2023 at 10:19, SteveyDee68 said: Pumping House - c/o Fair Price Models - turns out to be too small to fit the 3D printed beam engine previously acquired inside. Mind you, it (the beam engine) is scaled 7mm/foot as I felt the 4mm/foot version felt a little underwhelming. Having purchased a second kit, have been sidetracked* into extending one part by half it’s own length again. When placed side by side, I shall have an L shaped pumping house, one half for the boiler and the other for the beam engine. Currently awaiting glue to dry on the newly extended sections. And wondering how to go about covering them with Scalescenes paper and avoid visible paper edges. HOURS OF FUN! * What a surprise! Who is the supplier for the beam engine pumps please? Liking the look of those. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 (edited) On 12/09/2023 at 21:01, john new said: Who is the supplier for the beam engine pumps please? Liking the look of those. I had to go searching through my eBay account to get the details hence the slight delay in responding @john new I bought the walking beam engine pump from Cornwall Custom Designs, who sells various resin designs via eBay. The 1:76 OO scale pump is priced at £11, or the 7mm:foot version is £24. I think I may have been the first to ask for the larger version of the 4mm model - and when I opened up the parcel I found he had included the 4mm version too, free*! If you search for user “Cornwall Custom Designs” on eBay, you will find a plethora of useful resin models! Steve S * I mentioned in an earlier post that I paid for both the four and seven millimetre versions; it’s only later I remembered that the 4mm one was cancelled but then turned up free gratis! Edited September 14, 2023 by SteveyDee68 Random line breaks! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted September 14, 2023 Author Share Posted September 14, 2023 (edited) Called in at The Locoshed in Prestwich today, mainly because a big accident on the M62 impacted severely upon my journey home (2+ hours from just north of Altrincham to just south of Bury) but also to pick up a couple of nice Bachmann vans I had noticed on the shelves a couple of weeks ago. What’s the chances that Jim happens to have a very nice pre-owned Bachmann 1F Johnson (?) 0-6-0 tank loco (the fully cabbed version) for sale, when I’ve had my eye out for one for some time to go along with my 3F “Jinty”? (Very good, as it happens!) It’s another small loco to add to the collection, as I couldn’t resist. At this rate, the only region’s locos I can’t present on Blackford Wharf is the Scottish region (Highland, GNR etc). Currently I can muster suitable ex-LNER/GER locos, ex-GWR locos, ex-SR locos and ex-MR/LMS locos! Let’s not even mention industrial type locomotives! Better keep an eye out for the next time Lidl has their display cabinets in stock! HOURS OF FUN! PS In case you are wondering, return to school has put a temporary halt on modelling activities, although I am determined to continue progressing with my pump house! PPS And I also bought the two vans I went in for! 🤣 Edited September 14, 2023 by SteveyDee68 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted October 23, 2023 Author Share Posted October 23, 2023 Must … resist … must not … buy … Hornby Peckett W4 … Huntley & Palmer … cannot … justify … too many … W4s … resist … resist … But it is such a nice livery! Aaaaaaarghh!!! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 Peckett W4 Well… I watched. I dithered. I almost succumbed… Then an email headed “Car Insurance Renewal” arrived in my in box, and whilst still reeling from the shock of the new yearly figure* somebody else purchased the gorgeously liveried loco and I had missed my opportunity. For it was not an auction - it was a BUY IT NOW sale with an extremely reasonable asking price! Ah well, probably for the best in the circumstances! Steve S * Previously, my annual premium has been demanded just after doing extra hours at work, and the overtime has paid it in one go. This year, however, no residential trip so my plan was to use my credit card. However, the renewal price has almost doubled my annual premium (despite a year of not having to make a claim) and so no longer fits my credit card! Doing some research/quotes using comparison websites means I have limited the increase to just over £200 instead of the £380 proposed by my current insurers. It appears that all insurers premiums have sky rocketed, blamed (by them) upon increased costs for repairs due to (a) wage inflation (b) higher energy costs (of repairers) (c) higher parts costs (production and transportation). Anyway, long and short of it is that I shall probably have to pay monthly instead by direct debit, paying the equivalent of another month for the privilege to do so, which means, ultimately, less disposable income for trains… 😔 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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