Black Country Blues

[Adam]

The short answer, Arthur, is paint and lots of Tamiya masking tape - with judicious retouching where required. The trick is working out the width of the stripe and cutting the tape as required. I think with the YEC it was 9" so 3mm. If you use another piece of 3mm tape as a spacer (then remove it) everything should end up parallel. This is slightly less frustrating than chasing bits of transfer around to my mind and you can tone down the black a bit rather than have to do it all with the weathering. It remains a faff however, but is worth it when it comes to annoying some club members - it isn't green or maroon with Walschert's valvegear you see. It also has the advantage for a slow moving loco' on a large roundy roundy layout that you can always spot where it's gone...

 

Does that help at all?

 

Adam

Edited January 14, 2013 by Adam

[wagonbasher]

love it.  next time you dash off to somewhere miles away to get English bond, ask your mate 5 miles away I probably had enough.

 

  It looks very robust and will work well with the canal tunnel bridge under the sidings

 

Andy

[Arthur]

Thanks Adam, some food for thought there. The edges are very clean, no sign of bleeding at all, a super bit of work.

[Mark Forrest]

love it.  next time you dash off to somewhere miles away to get English bond, ask your mate 5 miles away I probably had enough.

Cheers.  That's ok, we were visiting SWMBO's favourite antiques shop and there is a model shop over the road who stock Slaters.  I wasn't sure of a prototype to base it on, but a diversion (as our lane is still blocked by flooding) on the way there took us past this one, so that worked out nicely.

[wagonbasher]

Canals were also at the front of the modelling queue for me today.

 

This is a Joey, pretty well unique to Birmingham and the Black Country.  Built in there thosands, often no cabin,certainly no overnight accomodation and nowhere for a steerer to stand except in with the cargo.  most were double ended, you switch the rudder depending on direction. They could have been a single boat with a horse and one boat man ( Man stands on the towpath to encourage the horse and operate the lock gear - steering is via a long boat pole / hook) or pulled in trains by a short powerful tug boat.  A joey steerer may huddle in the coal with a small brazier to keep him warm This is in its ex works livery and needs distressing.  These boats were treated with the respect you would give to a skip.  I need a bit of colour either side of the bow to indicate ownership and maybe a fleet number.  Their principle cargo was coal or maybe waste / salvage.  Similar boats to a higher spec were built by the LMS and later became live aboard butties once ownership was transfered to Britsh Waterways in the 1950's 

[Mark Forrest]

Are these examples of Joeys?

(taken on a rainy August day at the Black Country Living Museum)

[2ManySpams]

Very nice Mr Banks.

 

How much of it would / will be below the waterline? (ie how big a hole do we need for it?)

 

Edit, Just seen Mark's photos. Looks like as modelled it it would sit on our poly prior to water being added. To add character we must have a lean on it though!

[wagonbasher]

I will check but as it sat at the black country museum only 6 - 9 inches were underwater - dry and empty.  If you want to sink it more:

 

1 it should be sunk 'listed' or sitting on the bottom which as you know slopes to the middle.

2 If sunk more than a few MM's we need to flood it or put some load in the hold - I would suggest dredgings and rotten timbers.

 

BW maintenance teams would think nothing of sinking these boats permenantly or temporarily to in fill , protect banks or as a work platform.

 

I think we should consider where first - It can't go in the junction it would be in the way, could sit opposite the cottages or in one of the pounds although, if in a pound I think it should be there for a purpose - maintenance boat ? otherwise it would be a nuisence in such a small pound

 

cheers

 

A

[wagonbasher]

Are these examples of Joeys?

DSCF2862web.jpg

DSCF2863web.jpg

(taken on a rainy August day at the Black Country Living Museum)

Yes

 

Ours is the one at the rear of the second picture with a white band either side of the bows.

 

They all have more rivit detail than mine on the bows but I admit I have rum out of time

 

A

[flyingsignalman]

The retaining wall looks a very good piece of modelling........

 

But I do wonder if its a bit of overkill for supporting a wooden signal box.

My post No9 on P1 of this thread shows a rear view of Latchford. The box was presumably built at the same time as the embankment upon which it stands as that stretch of line was built to allow the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal.

 

If it was thought that that amount of construction was necessary to support the box on an existing embankment I think the LNWR would have gone the whole hog and provided a brick base.

 

Ellesmere Port No 5 built Ca 1926 and Beeston Castle show what I'm trying to get at.

Ellesmere Port No5

 

Beston Castle

 

Both are, admittedly, LNWR type 5 design boxes and built on top of embankments that had been there for a while.

[wagonbasher]

Are these examples of Joeys?

DSCF2862web.jpg

DSCF2863web.jpg

(taken on a rainy August day at the Black Country Living Museum)

The one in the forground of the second photo is an ex great western Joey with a small 'day' cabin where you might have a stove to keep you warm and make a brew

 

Who said great western didn't provide shelter for their crews !!

 

A 

[iL Dottore]

Hi Guys,

 

Back in Basel and the etch for the fire escape has arrived. Thanks

 

Regarding resiting the cellar/datum line. Firstly, there is no loading dock door - just a blank wall. Secondly, I can make the fire escape end 5mm above the current cellar/datum line.

 

Thirdly, In regards to the doors, both the double-doors and the single door are a hefty scale 8ft tall (on the final model), so I can fill in the bottom of the doors so that the doors come in at a fraction under 7ft (28mm) high - approx 5mm above the datum line (so you may need to "shave" the ground in front of the doors a wee bit). It's doable and fortunately the in-fill will be below ground level, but I must confess I'm not too enthusiastic about the alteration, but it will be done. Hopefully, I'll be able to make an "invisible repair".

 

However, I'm surprised that the provided cellar (a scale 2.5ft) doesn't allow for more flexibility for siting.

 

iD

[Mark Forrest]

If it was thought that that amount of construction was necessary to support the box on an existing embankment I think the LNWR would have gone the whole hog and provided a brick base.

Yes, that thought had crossed my mind too and with the benefit of hindsight I might have gone with a brick base after all, particular on reading in Foster that the all timber box was more expensive to build than the composite.

Our box was added to an existing embankment when the sidings were added on the other side of the line, so the embankment has had to be widened to make room for the box. As you can see below, there isn't really room for an embankment slope between the box and the canal, so I think a retaining wall would be required.

[2ManySpams]

Mark, 

 

Is it too late to loose the triangular wingwalls on the sides? I doubt they would be needed and would actually result in more fill being needed on the embankment. Something simpler like my 'artists impression' below would be better.

 

 

The wingwalls in the prototype photo in Rugeley would be there as the wall cuts diagonally into a bank. 

 

 

 

[Black Sheep]

That Anglia looks great, I've got a saloon to do too. Think quite a few motors might only have a driver's side mirror in those days (or even no mirrors - but guess a van would have at least one).

 

 

if it's any help, my first car was a 1980 registered Ford Fiesta Ghia with one interior mirror and one, driver's side door mirror.

 

the Ghia was the top spec at the time with fake leather and walnut and corduroy trim, but only one (chrome) mirror as standard.

 

as such, I presume it was not a requirement / optional beyond the date of this layout.

[Mark Forrest]

Is it too late to loose the triangular wingwalls on the sides? I doubt they would be needed and would actually result in more fill being needed on the embankment. Something simpler like my 'artists impression' below would be better.

No problem, I'll have a look at removing them tomorrow.

[2ManySpams]

Cheers Mark, been a day of changes - realised halfway through the canal lock build that I'd made a major mistake. It's rectified now and can be seen in some of the earlier progress shots - nobody has spotted it yet... Extra BCB points for those that do!

[Mark Forrest]

I'm more concerned that the water will run out onto the feet of the operator at the pub end of the layout; I know NHC travels with a bucket (to catch coal spillages), but will BCB operators require wellies?

[Stubby47]

Feeling a bit left out as Chris hasn't told me to change anything....

 

Anyway, a general request for help :

 

Given that Millwards is a small tool maker / metal fabricator, what items would you expect to be seen in the yard ?

 

TIA

[2ManySpams]

I'm more concerned that the water will run out onto the feet of the operator at the pub end of the layout; I know NHC travels with a bucket (to catch coal spillages), but will BCB operators require wellies?

 

Three buckets. 

[2ManySpams]

Your WC needs a new bog roll - does that help?

 

I've also been chopping lumps off my own stuff and there's a big box of 'scenic adjustments' ready for the bin in Spam Towers. 

 

Saying that we're just over 7 months into this multi-national rush project and it's a good sign that the adjustments are very minor. 

 

Coming together nicely though. 

[Stubby47]

Your WC needs a new bog roll - does that help?

No, on so many levels...

[Coombe Barton]

In the yard: Packing crates, outwards, something to bring in the raw materials, swarf bins, dead machines, barrels for cutting fluid and oil. Paraffin for cleaning.

 

[EDIT] scrap bins, sawdust, cotton waste, gas bottles (welding?) piles of scrap.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Coombe Barton

[PhilJ W]

My 1977 Reliant Kitten van is fitted with N/S and O/S mirrors. It is described as a DL model in the log book so that it is not the basic model however.

[Stubby47]

Thanks John, plenty to do there !

 

What about fabricated things, given that the works is semi-urban, semi-rural and next to a canal, what would be made ?