SRman's Current Layout - Newton Broadway

[SRman]

When I arbitrarily chose a running number for the private owner pannier tank, I selected 8, forgetting that I had the London Transport (ex-Metropolitan) Bo Bo #8, Sherlock Holmes. To prevent clashes with both locos being selected at the same time, I renumbered the pannier to #9, an unused number in my lists. That follows on from the Huntley & Palmers Peckett ('numbered' D, which I translated to 4 for DCC purposes), and precedes the Sentinel diesel shunter which is #10 now.

For the pannier, I used Southern Railway transfers (they must have been bought by the private owner company as surplus materials after nationalisation occurred!): Bulleid style for the cab side numbers and rear, and Maunsell style for the smokebox plate.


 

 

I have just received a second Peckett, in Peckett's own pale green. This one will be allocated number 5, and having checked my spreadsheet first, that does not clash with any other items in my stock lists.

[SRman]

Hi Jeff,

Looks good. Must be school holidays

 

Peter

 

Yep! School holidays - they give me a little extra modelling time.

[SRman]

Continuing with the private owner industrial theme, I have now fitted a TCS M1 decoder into Dodo, and given her a test run hauling the new Hornby Golden Arrow Pullman Guard cars.

I strung a short video together showing Dodo on her own, then in tandem with the Huntley & Palmers version.

The jerkiness in the video is due to the combination of the limited frame rate using a mobile phone to take the footage, and the compression from using YouTube. The locos themselves run very smoothly and sweetly. Note that Dodo had not even been run-in at the time of the video.

Edited April 5, 2017 by SRman

[class"66"]

Very nice video here

[DougN]

The question is should I drop over with the mac version so we can have all of them running

[SRman]

You're always welcome to drop over, Doug. I think the spell-checker kicked in on your post; it changed MSC to MAC! I wondered if Hornby are now doing Windows and Mac versions of all their locos!!     

It would be nice to pose and run all three liveries together. We'll definitely have to make sure we record it for posterity, in photos and videos.

[SRman]

A small improvement to the terraced houses on Hill Street in the village: I painted most of the doors different colours, rather than all of them being in the default blue Hornby chose. I also painted the back doors, but not necessarily in the same colours as the front doors. 

I may yet paint one of the house fronts in a different colour (all are the same brick colour at present), and all require floors and walls or curtains to stop the see-through effect from front to back.

[SRman]

I have been constructing four non-working Ratio ground signals for the crossovers. They aren't entirely accurate for London Transport, but they will do for now. There is a little more tidying up of paint to do on the signal faces.

Also, in a quite unrelated operation, I used some T-Cut on cotton buds to remove the printed Dodo nameplates on the pale green Peckett, in preparation for the eventual arrival of etched plates from Narrow Planet models. All of the Pecketts will be getting changes of identity using fictional names and numbers, but accurate Peckett works plates - just not necessarily correct for the names and numbers!

[St Enodoc]

I have been constructing four non-working Ratio ground signals for the crossovers. They aren't entirely accurate for London Transport, but they will do for now. There is a little more tidying up of paint to do on the signal faces.

LT disc signals were often floodlit, so if you modelled that it would increase the authenticity.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21611052@N02/8641113876

[SRman]

Thanks for the suggestion, John. When I fix the signals permanently in place, I'll look at experimentally running a couple of fibre-optics up through the baseboards to shine on them using LEDs under the boards.

Back to my industrial loco kick, the Hornby Sentinel diesel has had a rough repaint in a darker blue, with a second coat still to go on, and red buffer beams and coupling rods and cranks replacing pale blue and yellow stripes. Once I am happy with the blue, some black and white (LNER) lining will be added to blend in with the steam locos. I removed the printed logos and intend putting etched plates with a number 10 from Narrow Planet, again to blend in with the steamers. The bright yellow buffer faces were also painted black.

I am in two minds about the step recess areas; should they remain blue or should I paint them black?

The loco initially ran perfectly well when I got it, on DC and on DCC but it very soon developed dead spots in its motor. Very annoying, particularly as I have pretty well invalidated the warranty by rewiring it to fit the TCS M1 decoder. Anyway, I ordered a replacement motor from Peter's Spares, together with a heap of detailing parts for other projects. That arrived today, so I quickly tested the new motor then soldered the wires to it and fitted it all back together. The new motor runs very sweetly, so lets hope it keeps doing that.

Edited April 13, 2017 by SRman

[St Enodoc]

Thanks for the suggestion, John. When I fix the signals permanently in place, I'll look at experimentally running a couple of fibre-optics up through the baseboards to shine on them using LEDs under the boards.

 

Back to my industrial loco kick, the Hornby Sentinel diesel has had a rough repaint in a darker blue, with a second coat still to go on, and red buffer beams and coupling rods and cranks replacing pale blue and yellow stripes. Once I am happy with the blue, some black and white (LNER) lining will be added to blend in with the steam locos. I removed the printed logos and intend putting etched plates with a number 10 from Narrow Planet, again to blend in with the steamers. The bright yellow buffer faces were also painted black.

 

I am in two minds about the step recess areas; should they remain blue or should I paint them black?

 

The loco initially ran perfectly well when I got it, on DC and on DCC but it very soon developed dead spots in its motor. Very annoying, particularly as I have pretty well invalidated the warranty by rewiring it to fit the TCS M1 decoder. Anyway, I ordered a replacement motor from Peter's Spares, together with a heap of detailing parts for other projects. That arrived today, so I quickly tested the new motor then soldered the wires to it and fitted it all back together. The new motor runs very sweetly, so lets hope it keeps doing that.

 

 

Did you get some sort of special deal on blue paint?????

[SRman]

Did you get some sort of special deal on blue paint?????

 

I was going to try to match the Huntley & Palmers blue but it is easier to use standard paint colours available in any model shop, so both the pannier and the Sentinel have received a sort of French Blue - the gloss one I used on the pannier was a little too bright but toned down with black weathering powders. The diesel will get some weathering but nowhere near the amount the steam engines got, or will get.

 

Of course, with the second and third Pecketts being in greens (the third one in MSC dark green is due to be delivered today), that throws my standardised scheme out a bit, but then again, the appeal of these industrials is that they are rather more colourful than the cororate BR trains of various eras.

[SRman]

I decided to decorate a Bulleid locomotive to join the Golden Arrow Pullmans I bought from Rails of Sheffield. A bit of digging revealed that BoB 34083, 605 Squadron had at some time in its earlier career had the mountings for the large arrows along the sides. The photo I have shows it in malachite green with yellow stripes, but in BR days, whereas mine is in BR green but with early crest and tender in original high-sided condition. It may well be that 34083 lost the mounts later on, but that was close enough for me.

The decorations came from Precision Labels, but I chose to mount the front headboard on a piece of 20 thou plastic card, and also mounted the flags on a bit of brass wire soldered to a strip of scrap brass wrapped around a screwdriver to create a pocket to slip over the lamp iron on the loco. At the time of this photo (actually a merge of two photos to get better depth), I had not painted the brass wire or pocket, and the vee angle of the two wire flag poles was too acute an angle. This will all be fixed soon.

[SRman]

Toby - a Sad Farewell

My constant supervisor and occasional helper, Toby, had to be put to sleep last night (Good Friday). He always had to poke his nose into what I was doing on the layout or when modelling. He suffered several episodes in recent times, each getting worse. He was not in pain at all other times and was still a happy boy, but when he had another severe episode last night, we took him to the vets'  and had to take the hard decision.

 

He started off as a semi-feral kitten, and after a difficult period settled down to be a very faithful and loving companion. He was only a little over 8 years old at the end, but he did have a good life.

We buried him this morning under one of his favourite resting spots in the back garden.












He will be missed.  

Edited April 15, 2017 by SRman

[Gwiwer]

Paws, Sharon and myself would like to offer our deepest condolences on the passing of Toby.  

 

When a cat chooses to enter our lives we are honoured and considered trustworthy and special.  For however long, or short, their time with us the bond of affection grows and we become a part of their kitty-dom, and they become a part of our families.  

 

I met Toby on a number of occasions.  I must have smelled of Paws, or perhaps of Gwyn or Moren in earlier times, as Toby seemed comfortable around me.  He will indeed be missed.  Vale to Station Cat of this parish.  And an honorary member of the Blackburn Thread Hijack Group. 

[Jack P]

My sincerest condolences. Cats become a part of the family, our two cats had to be put down about 3 years apart and I still miss them. Sleep easy Toby. 

[P.C.M]

Hi Jeff,

Sorry to hear about Toby. 

 

Best Wishes to you and Agnes.

[DougN]

As I have said privately our thoughts are with you. Imaginary Cat as he became known in this household was always a constant source of conversation. Lyn nick named him imaginary cat due to dropping in a number of times only to have SRman or Agnes saying the cats around somewhere.. Lyn didn't think there was a cat at all. Knowing your household for as long as we have I can see another feline adopting you in the next 6 months. No need to rush let the grieving happen then drop down to the RSPCA!

[SRman]

As I have said privately our thoughts are with you. Imaginary Cat as he became known in this household was always a constant source of conversation. Lyn nick named him imaginary cat due to dropping in a number of times only to have SRman or Agnes saying the cats around somewhere.. Lyn didn't think there was a cat at all. Knowing your household for as long as we have I can see another feline adopting you in the next 6 months. No need to rush let the grieving happen then drop down to the RSPCA!

 

Thanks for the kid thoughts, Doug.

 

Yes, it was a running joke, that you and the kids had seen Toby but it took nearly two years before Lyn actually saw him. She just thought Agnes was delusional (I always said I was just humouring her!).

[SRman]

I have just taken a little video footage of the three industrial locomotives from Hornby at work through Newton Broadway, during a quiet moment at home. I really must improve the lighting before I try another such film, but this doesn't look too bad.

The Sentinel diesel hauling some milk tanks rocks and rolls a bit but I think the effect is actually quite good, if unintended. Following it is the Huntley & Palmers Peckett with a few open wagons, while on the other side a de-named Dodo passes with a few vans.

 

Edited April 17, 2017 by SRman

[DougN]

Looking good there SRman, didn't realise you had so many milk tankers.

[SRman]

Just for a little fun, I posed the industrial locomotives all together. There are the three Hornby Pecketts, numbered 4, 5, and 6 for DCC purposes, the Bachmann ex-GWR 57XX pannier tank numbered 9 (I originally chose 8, forgetting that my London Transport Bo-Bo electric was number 8, Sherlock Holmes), and the Hornby Sentinel diesel, numbered 10.
 

I removed the printed names and numbers on the Pecketts and Sentinel using some T-Cut. I have some etched name and number plates on order, which will confirm their identities and make it easier to select the right locomotive (I am using memory at the moment!).
 

 

On the workbench, I have made a little progress with the Golden Arrow Productions unrebuilt Merchant Navy. I decided that the tender's side profile was too flat, so attacked it with various coarse and fine files. The first photo shows the work in progress - the shape is still not quite right there. It is now much closer in profile to the cab side profile in the second photo.
 

 

In spite of the evidence in the second photo, the tender and loco bodies are both painted in the same green, from the same tin!

Edited April 25, 2017 by SRman

[St Enodoc]

Just for a little fun, I posed the industrial locomotives all together. There are the three Hornby Pecketts, numbered 4, 5, and 6 for DCC purposes, the Bachmann ex-GWR 57XX pannier tank numbered 9 (I originally chose 8, forgetting that my London Transport Bo-Bo electric was number 8, Sherlock Holmes), and the Hornby Sentinel diesel, numbered 10.

 

I removed the printed names and numbers on the Pecketts and Sentinel using some T-Cut. I have some etched name and number plates on order, which will confirm their identities and make it easier to select the right locomotive (I am using memory at the moment!).

 

 

On the workbench, I have made a little progress with the Golden Arrow Productions unrebuilt Merchant Navy. I decided that the tender's side profile was too flat, so attacked it with various coarse and fine files. The first photo shows the work in progress - the shape is still not quite right there. It is now much closer in profile to the cab side profile in the second photo.

 

 

In spite of the evidence in the second photo, the tender and loco bodies are both painted in the same green, from the same tin!

I assume that you chose no 8 to remind you of the excellent pub on Collins Street?

[SRman]

No, that hadn't occurred to me at all, John!

I just numbered them as if the mythical industrial user had acquired them in that order, with gaps for future additions that would fit chronologically. Since the H & P Peckett was my first purchase in this theme and is lettered 'D' (i.e. #4 in the alphabet), the others followed on, with Dodo being 5 and the recently arrived MSC one #6 (the '11' printed plates have gone!). There is currently no #7. 8 is taken, and the pannier is somewhat more recent in origin than the Pecketts so I followed on from that, and the Sentinel follows on again, although I might shift it to #11 or 12, yet.

Longer term, I intend to remove the Huntley & Palmers legend off the blue one, but at the moment I still can't bring myself to desecrate the model. It's sufficient I have weatehred it for now.

So yes, there was some logic to the seemingly arbitrary numbering, and no, I hadn't thought of the pub ... but now you've got me thinking that way, it may be time for a quick drink or two!!    

P.s. If I'm ever up your way I'll shout!

Edited April 25, 2017 by SRman

[St Enodoc]

P.s. If I'm ever up your way I'll shout!

You're on!