Chuffnell Regis

[longchap]

I wish you positive vibes, good karma and an ace CV to help bring what lies just beyond the 24 mile line into sharp focus.

 

Are you on LinkedIn? They're forever sending me French job vacancies and I'm retired!

 

Very best,

 

Bill

[Graham T]

1 hour ago, longchap said:

Are you on LinkedIn? They're forever sending me French job vacancies and I'm retired!

 

 

I am, and it is sending me lots of job postings.  Unfortunately there's not much overlap between the ones I like the look of and the ones that I have the skills for.

 

[Graham T]

The mojo is at a bit of a low ebb again, but I did manage to get some Hornby close-couplings fitted to the toplight coach today (after a lot of fiddling about and head scratching).

 

 

Here you can see the teflon-like properties of the whitemetal castings and the aluminium section that the solebar is made of - they don't like paint.

 

I've decided to abandon my idea of using magnets hidden in the corridor connectors.  It worked reasonably well, but wasn't quite right.  So I will try retro-fitting these couplings to my other coaches as well.  Hopefully I haven't removed the NEM pockets from all of them.

 

[Neal Ball]

1 hour ago, Graham T said:

The mojo is at a bit of a low ebb again, but I did manage to get some Hornby close-couplings fitted to the toplight coach today (after a lot of fiddling about and head scratching).

 

 

Here you can see the teflon-like properties of the whitemetal castings and the aluminium section that the solebar is made of - they don't like paint.

 

I've decided to abandon my idea of using magnets hidden in the corridor connectors.  It worked reasonably well, but wasn't quite right.  So I will try retro-fitting these couplings to my other coaches as well.  Hopefully I haven't removed the NEM pockets from all of them.

 

Good luck with the job front and the model railway mojo Graham.

[RobAllen]

4 hours ago, Graham T said:

It was a good week of work, and might hopefully lead to some more next year, but there's still nothing definite on the horizon...

I can identify. I’m self-employed & looking for a new project at the moment. Hoping that the market will pick up in mid-Jan. 
 

Good luck. Hopefully something suitable will come your way soon. 

[Graham T]

10 hours ago, RobAllen said:

I can identify. I’m self-employed & looking for a new project at the moment. Hoping that the market will pick up in mid-Jan. 
 

Good luck. Hopefully something suitable will come your way soon. 

Best of luck Rob.  I’ve been self-employed since leaving the RN in May 2020.  First two years went well, this year has been tough, and next year looks pretty grim at the moment!

 

[Graham T]

A tiny bit of progress this morning.  Lamp irons were fitted to the ends of the coach; one of course pinged off into another dimension, and there are no spares on the fret, so I had to bodge one from some scrap brass.  Still need to bend up the handrails, which I'm not looking forward to.

 

 

I've also touched up the parts of the underframe where the paint was either missed from the first coat, or has worn off.  I think I'll give it a spray of matt varnish to see if that will protect it - must remember to mask off the interior first.

 

 

And finally I made a start on the coach sides.  I've added the ventilators above the doors, using Glue and Glaze to fix them.  I've also got some etched grab handles for the doors; not sure whether to use Glue and Glaze or a tiny dab of CA to fit them.  They're almost the same size as the printed ones, but I think I will go over them with a black permanent pen anyway, in the hope that it might pass for a shadow?  You can see that I've blackened the left-most one here.

 

 

Bearing in mind the age of the kit, I don't plan to use the included transfers (plus they need meths to fix them, which I don't have).  So I've ordered a set from HMRS.

 

[Andy Keane]

Graham, I always keep one of these in stock to repair / replace my ham fisted events:

https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/shop/locomotive/mt187/

 

[Graham T]

20 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Graham, I always keep one of these in stock to repair / replace my ham fisted events:

https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/shop/locomotive/mt187/

 

 

I've actually got one of those etches Andy, but didn't think to use it.  None of them are quite the right shape anyway (not that the one I made is either, to be fair).

 

[Andy Keane]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

 

I've actually got one of those etches Andy, but didn't think to use it.  None of them are quite the right shape anyway (not that the one I made is either, to be fair).

 

On the tender I repaired most recently, I took all the originals off and added fresh ones - I drill I 0.5mm hole through the etch while it is still on the big bit, solder in a 5mm length of 0.5mm wire, file one side back flush then fold up the iron. I then drill a matching hole to insert into and have found them much more tolerant of my clumsiness thereafter.

[Graham T]

The first side is now on.  Some lessons learned here, so hopefully the compartment side will come out looking a bit better.  I used UHU Max Repair Express to fix the top edge and the upper half of each end to the body shell, and then worked along the lower edge using thin CA.  I started at the right hand end of the bottom end, applying the glue to a short section at a time, and then holding it in place with tweezers (the side had to held down while the glue grabbed, as of course the sides curve inwards towards the solebar).  As I got further along I had a brainwave, and used an inch-long length of coffee stirrer to hold the bottom edge down while it glued; this worked better as it spread the pressure along the edge.

 

 

You can see here that the bottom right corner of the side isn't properly fixed, so I will have to revisit that with a drop more CA; but I think I'll let everything else set first.  There will also be yet more touching up with black paint needed around the end to hide the join (!) and also where I've managed to dislodge paint from the solebar with the cocktail stick I was using to apply the glue.  This pic also cruelly shows what a botch I made of the corridor connection, and that I haven't managed to get the buffers straight either.  And that coupling...

 

 

Doesn't look too bad from the side though?  Etched brass grab handles have all been fitted, but I still have to fix the door handles.  

 

 

And finally the other end.  That's enough for today I think.

 

[Andy Keane]

Graham

I have a bunch of whitemetal milk churns and wondered what you would do about painting them (if at all). An artist's view would be much appreciated.

Happy Christmas

Andy

[Neal Ball]

On 16/12/2023 at 21:01, Graham T said:

The first side is now on.  Some lessons learned here, so hopefully the compartment side will come out looking a bit better.  I used UHU Max Repair Express to fix the top edge and the upper half of each end to the body shell, and then worked along the lower edge using thin CA.  I started at the right hand end of the bottom end, applying the glue to a short section at a time, and then holding it in place with tweezers (the side had to held down while the glue grabbed, as of course the sides curve inwards towards the solebar).  As I got further along I had a brainwave, and used an inch-long length of coffee stirrer to hold the bottom edge down while it glued; this worked better as it spread the pressure along the edge.

 

 

You can see here that the bottom right corner of the side isn't properly fixed, so I will have to revisit that with a drop more CA; but I think I'll let everything else set first.  There will also be yet more touching up with black paint needed around the end to hide the join (!) and also where I've managed to dislodge paint from the solebar with the cocktail stick I was using to apply the glue.  This pic also cruelly shows what a botch I made of the corridor connection, and that I haven't managed to get the buffers straight either.  And that coupling...

 

 

Doesn't look too bad from the side though?  Etched brass grab handles have all been fitted, but I still have to fix the door handles.  

 

 

And finally the other end.  That's enough for today I think.

 

 

Thats looking very good Graham.

 

I have a PC kits Toplight hidden in a box somewhere - maybe I will have to dig it out and see if it can be salvaged. 

[Graham T]

On 21/12/2023 at 11:32, Andy Keane said:

Graham

I have a bunch of whitemetal milk churns and wondered what you would do about painting them (if at all). An artist's view would be much appreciated.

Happy Christmas

Andy

 

I think they would probably look best unpainted Andy.

 

Bah humbug!  ;-)

[checkrail]

12 hours ago, Graham T said:

On 21/12/2023 at 10:32, Andy Keane said:

I have a bunch of whitemetal milk churns and wondered what you would do about painting them (if at all). An artist's view would be much appreciated.

Happy Christmas

Andy

 

I think they would probably look best unpainted Andy.

Agreed. They were made with galvanIsed iron or steel, later of aluminium.  I find that buffing them up with a fibreglass pencil enhances the finish. 

[Graham T]

There's not much happening at Chuffnell Regis at the moment, as I'm in the UK with my daughters visiting family.  I might have to try to visit the Hereford Model Centre while I'm here though 🙂

 

And a huge thank you to Phil @Harlequin for the superb plan he has produced for CR Mk III.  You can see it in all its glory here.  Now I just have to (a) get a job, and (b) build the new layout!

 

 Wishing you all a peaceful and happy Christmas.

[Neal Ball]

1 hour ago, Graham T said:

There's not much happening at Chuffnell Regis at the moment, as I'm in the UK with my daughters visiting family.  I might have to try to visit the Hereford Model Centre while I'm here though 🙂

 

And a huge thank you to Phil @Harlequin for the superb plan he has produced for CR Mk III.  You can see it in all its glory here.  Now I just have to (a) get a job, and (b) build the new layout!

 

 Wishing you all a peaceful and happy Christmas.

 

Merry Christmas Graham. The design for the next CR looks great, Phil @Harlequin has done a great job for you.

[John Besley]

I use to produce a kit for a milk churn in 16mm in whitemetal, this once soldered up meant that after a clean up they finished of better with a wash over of thined matt black enamel to give that used galvanised look

[Gopher]

On 24/12/2023 at 13:12, Graham T said:

There's not much happening at Chuffnell Regis at the moment, as I'm in the UK with my daughters visiting family.  I might have to try to visit the Hereford Model Centre while I'm here though 🙂

 

And a huge thank you to Phil @Harlequin for the superb plan he has produced for CR Mk III.  You can see it in all its glory here.  Now I just have to (a) get a job, and (b) build the new layout!

 

 Wishing you all a peaceful and happy Christmas.

Graham

 

I hope you make it to the Hereford Model Centre during your visit. - I popped in last Saturday, so many things to tempt me. 

 

 I also hope you manage to get a job in 2024.  CR Mk III looks amazing and @Harlequin's plan is a true work of art.  I'm looking forward to you building it.

 

Best Wishes

 

Clive

[Graham T]

Thanks Clive.  I was in town today spending a small fortune in Waterstones with my girls.  Managed to sneak across the road to HMC but they were closed.  Probably just as well!

[longchap]

I suppose you could call that a lucky escape, jut not so much fun!

 

 

[Schooner]

On 24/12/2023 at 13:12, Graham T said:

...superb plan he has produced for CR Mk III. 

 

Effective and beautifully presented as ever. However, I would look pretty hard at the goods shed - being so close to the station building and with both in the middle of the layout depth and in front of the running lines I fear it'll have an outsize impact, risk hiding too much train and dominating too much scene.

 

Sounds bizarre, and obvs shooting from the hip, but I'd try moving the goods shed to one of the 'long back sidings' so the operator can literally overlook it...or loosing such a large structure and going for a lock-up instead perhaps. Might end up being a non-issue, but maybe worth a think just in case.

 

Anyway, Merry Christmas to you and yours!

[longchap]

13 minutes ago, Schooner said:

Sounds bizarre, and obvs shooting from the hip, but I'd try moving the goods shed to one of the 'long back sidings' so the operator can literally overlook it...or loosing such a large structure and going for a lock-up instead perhaps. Might end up being a non-issue, but maybe worth a think just in case.

 

Just a thought, but as Graham uses 3 link couplings, moving the goods shed to the rear back sidings in a cutting, might make shunting  operations with manual coupling and uncoupling just too frustrating / difficult. Hopefully a non-issue, as the joint road vehicle access to the station and goods handling facilities works really well.

 

[Schooner]

I quite agree - my suggestion was for those sidings right up against the operator's-side edge of the layout, with practicality in mind as well as aesthetics :)

 

 

[longchap]

Ah, I see what yo mean now, as I was confused with the tern "long back sidings", as these are in the cutting. Yep, that couold work too.