Upbech St Mary, Upbech Drove and Pott Row a journey through 00 and then into EM and 009.

[mullie]

9 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Morning Martyn, 

 

Thank you. I hadn't realised there were that many differences, especially the handrails. 

 

I need to look again at some photos before doing anything. 

 

Rob. 

The work is straightforward for someone with your talented hooves. A number have been preserved and there are some good photos online and in books. 

 

I have a 10 and an 08. The class 10s were quite common on the M&GN freight services in the early 60s.

[mullie]

From this......

 

To this.

 

 

The wagon initially had a shiny finish that wasn't very helpful. The lettering was faded with a fibre glass pencil, followed by a wash with an AK interactive grey wash sealed with a  very thin brush coat of artists matt varnish. Then followed my usual mix of artists acrylics largely dry brushed, roof had charcoal added. The chassis was treated with chalks for additional texture. There is a little bit of highlighting to do on the axle boxes etc which I tend to do with a soft pencil.

 

It still has the original wheels simply pushed out to EM on their axles, rims blackened with a Sharpie, an easy job though they will be replaced eventually, being split spoke I didn't have any in stock.

 

I have seen a photo of what could be similar vans parked in a siding at Smeeth Road in Norfolk, taken around 1946-48 (can't remember) in pre war livery. A good enough reason for me.

 

 

[Suffolk Dave]

Nice weathering job! 

[mullie]

It is 1963 or thereabouts, freight wagons at Upbech St Mary. These have recently been through the weathering shop.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by mullie

[mullie]

To give you an idea how the different parts of the layout interconnect, here is a short video tracing a shunter returning with full beet wagons and running from Upbech St Mary, across the quay and through Upbech Drove to the fiddle yard. The layout can also be run as three separate modules.

 

 

There is a curious flickering effect, no doubt caused by the LED lighting, sorry I don't know how to get rid of it, any advice gratefully received.

[robert17649]

Was you holding your breath there. I often find myself doing that when I run  a session, My theory is that the length of a run is governed by the breath holding time of the operator. The puff of relief at the end means nothing stalled fell off or uncoupled save when it was meant to.

 

A lovely layout and a damned good ideas to build as modules. You journey has been an inspiration to me  and hopefully many others dealing with small space modelling.  Looking forward to more of this.

zRobert

[mullie]

My breathing is all over the place,  I've been asthmatic for most of my life though being a clarinet and sax player as well as singing helps enormously. 

 

The shunter is Bachmann fitted with Gibson wheels. 16 ton minerals are airfix on Masokits chassis with various underframe bits from MJT etc.

 

I always use digital sound when operating,  today's was a personal playlist of songs from the mid to late 80s made up on Spotify. 

 

Thanks for the kind comments. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by mullie

[5BarVT]

9 hours ago, mullie said:

My breathing is all over the place,  I've been asthmatic for most of my life though being a clarinet and sax player as well as singing helps enormously. 

Mrs 5BatVT knew someone asthmatic who played horn at the Scottish academy.  If her peak flow was ‘normal’ she was ill: try getting that across to medics.

Paul.

[mullie]

Who left that bike there?

 

[MrWolf]

That's a proper bike!

[mullie]

18 hours ago, MrWolf said:

That's a proper bike!

The bike came from the Wills bike shed kit, picked up cheaply. Once I saw this style of cycle in the pack it had to be modelled. My parents never passed a car test, we never had a car when we were growing up, cycling was our way of getting about. My Dad had a bike that very much looked like this and was green so I suppose the model is a sort of warm tribute to him. The family nickname for his bike was 'the bone shaker,' everything had a nickname, Mum still has a least five!

 

Dad drove a tractor for at least thirty years on a provisional licence whilst working on various farms. There were two stories about why he failed his tractor test, both involved failure to use a rear view mirror. One version was that there wasn't a rear view mirror on the tractor anyway and the other version is that it was covered in dung so was useless.

[MrWolf]

It's nice when you can include little things like that there's quite a few woven into the fabric of my layout too, including the location.

 

As for bikes, this is the memsahibs spare machine, it still needs some fettling, a 1939 BSA Streamlight with their own patent centre pull brakes. The components from these were fitted to a folding gent's frame and became the WWII Parabike.

 

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Had an Ex Para bike as a teenager, with the weight of it I'm surprised all the Paratroops didn't plummet immediately to Earth.

 

manna

[robert17649]

My father in law was a para, some of them did plummet

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, manna said:

G'Day Folks

 

Had an Ex Para bike as a teenager, with the weight of it I'm surprised all the Paratroops didn't plummet immediately to Earth.

 

manna

 

The folding frame with it's extra bits and pieces was heavy, which is why they used everything else from the Streamlight to compensate. 

[NHY 581]

14 hours ago, mullie said:

The bike came from the Wills bike shed kit, picked up cheaply. Once I saw this style of cycle in the pack it had to be modelled. My parents never passed a car test, we never had a car when we were growing up, cycling was our way of getting about. My Dad had a bike that very much looked like this and was green so I suppose the model is a sort of warm tribute to him. The family nickname for his bike was 'the bone shaker,' everything had a nickname, Mum still has a least five!

 

Dad drove a tractor for at least thirty years on a provisional licence whilst working on various farms. There were two stories about why he failed his tractor test, both involved failure to use a rear view mirror. One version was that there wasn't a rear view mirror on the tractor anyway and the other version is that it was covered in dung so was useless.

 

 

Morning Martyn, 

 

That has got me thinking about what to add in to some of my layouts. I don't do figures ( but do have the Works Forecat and George, the Mischievous Apprentice). However, objects are very doable. 

 

Rob. 

[mullie]

8 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

 

Morning Martyn, 

 

That has got me thinking about what to add in to some of my layouts. I don't do figures ( but do have the Works Forecat and George, the Mischievous Apprentice). However, objects are very doable. 

 

Rob. 

Modelling small micro  layouts although conjoined, means I have spent a lot of time looking at diorama modelling, especially in military modelling where the idea is to tell a story. People and items are placed to suggest activity, no one is running, no flashing lights.

 

What I try and do is suggest things. so the bike is suggesting someone has arrived or is inside the cottage. The figure at the gate and those outside the pub, though not super detailed suggest activity and hopefully blend into the scene rather than standing out. Less detailed figures are not at the front. The lorry suggests activity although little is actually going on. Looking at photos, this seems  how things looked much of the time and probably still do.

 

The two coal yard figures visible at Drove station are better mouldings with good relief so are placed further forward. I like the Model U figures but a lot of them, are easily spotted on layouts now so I have avoided them so far, a lot of mine are Airfix, some modified, some Langley figures are on the layout too.

 

Sometimes I surprise myself with the limited palette of colours I use but then I base it on what I see. Once stock is basically painted including locos and stock, all colouring is carried out with a similar palette.

 

The discussion about bikes is fascinating by the way, thanks for posting. I do have an interest in military history, in fact in history generally. When playing or teaching music you can't separate it from the historical context in which it was created and that includes everything from Bach to the music of Sam Fender.

[Adrian Stevenson]

I have a BSA Parabike in my militaria collection. Ridden mine from the DZ to Arnhem Bridge in full kit. I have restored two others. Currently have one coming up in my next sale at work. Estimate is £1000. 

[mullie]

It's all gone a bit arty!

 

 

[MrWolf]

I can just imagine living in that house, bits of the ceiling falling in your tea every time a train goes by....

[MrWolf]

On 04/02/2023 at 19:05, Adrian Stevenson said:

I have a BSA Parabike in my militaria collection. Ridden mine from the DZ to Arnhem Bridge in full kit. I have restored two others. Currently have one coming up in my next sale at work. Estimate is £1000. 

 

Impressive, closest I have managed is flat out on an Excelsior Welbike on a private road on a freezing cold day. I was wearing Bundeswehr lined tank overalls and a silly grin.

The Para bike is an odd thing, I quite fancy one, just because. £1000 seems quite sensible given that some dealers are asking over four and one has a non standard frame that is believed to be a prototype for £900. I'd want to have a good look at the the type and style of welding used to make it before even considering an offer.

I don't mind restored stuff and accept that sometimes repro parts are the only way, but as with my motorcycles (and possibly more so with historical artefacts given more credence than civilian items) I like them to be faithful and accurate.

There's a soldier's bike out there shh, from the other side... where some of the bracketry associated with the grenade box was made by me, copied from an original and I'm proud to say that someone who knows more than I ever will said it would take a metallurgist to tell the difference.

 

Sorry about the derailment @mullie, la resistance blew up the track again....

[1466]

8 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I can just imagine living in that house, bits of the ceiling falling in your tea every time a train goes by....

Years ago , I was in Cornwall on holiday and went to the cinema ( a large tin structure). Cleopatra was floating down the Nile when an express thundered by shaking the cinema and destroying the illusion . Great film , though .

[Nick C]

16 hours ago, mullie said:

It's all gone a bit arty!

 

 

Is that Miss Marple leaving? Who has been murdered?

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, 1466 said:

Years ago , I was in Cornwall on holiday and went to the cinema ( a large tin structure). Cleopatra was floating down the Nile when an express thundered by shaking the cinema and destroying the illusion . Great film , though .

 

That is the kind of thing that nobody (unless you perhaps live in India) will ever experience again. It might sound silly, but it's a unique slice of the twentieth century and you got to be there.

[1466]

24 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

That is the kind of thing that nobody (unless you perhaps live in India) will ever experience again. It might sound silly, but it's a unique slice of the twentieth century and you got to be there.

Yes I was lucky . More recently ( 40 years ago) I was a governor at our village school . The school was a large tin shack and looked like the Falkland Island Trading Store . “ The radiators are moving” . When I got there, the radiators were stationary but the building was moving in strong winds .

Back to the topic .