Train spotting at Finsbury Square

[31A]

9 hours ago, lezz01 said:

That's a great piece of work as usual Steve. Well done mate.

Regards Lez.

 

Many thanks Lez!

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Typical GN, stunning.

 

manna

[31A]

2 hours ago, manna said:

G'Day Folks

 

Typical GN, stunning.

 

manna

 

Thank you, I'm glad it's recognisable! 😀

[31A]

Happy Christmas one and all from Finsbury Square!

 

Thanks to everyone for all the encouraging and constructive comments, 'likes' etc. over the past year, and best wishes for the next one.

 

 

[mullie]

Thanks for posting.

 

Martyn 

[Neil]

That's very nice Steve. I see you have the time machine dialled in a few decades earlier than usual.

 

[31A]

20 minutes ago, Neil said:

That's very nice Steve. I see you have the time machine dialled in a few decades earlier than usual.

 

Indeed; to a time before  colour film was invented!

 

[31A]

By way of a bit of light relief from making signals (and contemplating how to make them work) I surveyed the stash of unmade Parkside wagon kits.

 

I lit upon PC84 GWR Mink or Mink A diagram. V12, v14 &V16.  I think this is quite a recent Parkside kit; the parts are all cleanly moulded, neatly detailed and fit together well with very little cleaning up needed.

 

I devised a plan to simplify painting, by completing the body and underframe as separate units and painting them before sticking them to each other.  This involved cutting a new false floor from 40 thou Plasticard, to fit within the sides and ends, above the actual floor which would be united with the body after painting.  I also had to shorten slightly the actual floor, so that it could slide up between the headstocks rather than resting on top of them.

 

So on Christmas Eve progress had been made thus far:

 

 

Looking at pictures of these (and other) vans in BR days, it looked as though roofs were sometimes covered with overlapping strips of some kind of material - canvas? - and I thought I'd have a go at portraying this.  I cut a strip of tissue paper 12mm wide and glued lengths of it to the roof with styrene solvent, overlapping at the joins.  I also added rain strips above the doors, from 10 x 20 thou Evergreen strip.

 

On the body, the self contained buffer housings are neatly moulded, but the buffer heads are less good.  I couldn't find and suitable separate buffer heads, so I cut the moulded buffers off altogether and replaced them with ABS w/m castings.  I've added a length of sprue between the sides to counteract any tendency to bow.

 

 

I then realised I didn't know as much about GW wagons as I thought I did, so in between doing other things a lot of Christmas Day was spent looking at pictures of them to try and figure out the brakes.  I had originally intended to make a Vac Fitted van, but couldn't square the numbers provided on the transfer sheet with the information in David Larkin's recent book about BR inherited vans, unless I'm not reading it properly.  However the numbers provided for Non Fitted vans did make sense, so I decided to go with that option.

 

Usually I prefer to drill through the brake mouldings and V hangers and make the cross shaft from wire (for strength) but in this case the mouldings were so fine that didn't seem to be a possibility, so I've just used the plastic rod provided.

 

 

Boxing Day was dry to start with if not very warm, and I managed to spray the separate units outdoors, using Humbrol 64 Light Grey for the body, Tank Grey 67 for the roof, and a car paint matt black aerosol for the underframe (having first sprung the wheels out again and masked over the bearings).  I wonder whether it was worth going to the trouble of sticking the strips of tissue paper onto the roof....

 

The wagon needed some weight.  Bearing in mind the sad demise of Eileen's Emporium and thus my supply of lead sheet (although I'm sure other sources are available) I found some suitable metal discs, four of which fitted neatly into the floor of the van:

 

 

In case anyone's worried by this, there is no defacing of Coins of the Realm involved here, they are merely encapsulated within the model!

 

So, by Boxing Day evening I had got this far:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Graham T]

That looks rather nice.  I'd say it was time well spent adding the canvas to the roof.

 

[Chas Levin]

28 minutes ago, Graham T said:

That looks rather nice.  I'd say it was time well spent adding the canvas to the roof.

 

Agreed - those overlapping strips look excellent: that's something I've noticed too but not seen modelled before - very nice detail!

[Clive Mortimore]

Talking to Steve last night two items of conversion are worth sharing, both concerning Steve's use of 2p coins as mass for his van.

 

Number one, is a question. Is the same weight of lead more expensive than 4p? Has Steve made a saving? 🥴

 

Number two, not a question. If Steve continues to weight his wagons with coins then he has the right to say his stock has a real monetary value. 😄

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, 31A said:

By way of a bit of light relief from making signals (and contemplating how to make them work) I surveyed the stash of unmade Parkside wagon kits.

 

I lit upon PC84 GWR Mink or Mink A diagram. V12, v14 &V16.  I think this is quite a recent Parkside kit; the parts are all cleanly moulded, neatly detailed and fit together well with very little cleaning up needed.

 

I devised a plan to simplify painting, by completing the body and underframe as separate units and painting them before sticking them to each other.  This involved cutting a new false floor from 40 thou Plasticard, to fit within the sides and ends, above the actual floor which would be united with the body after painting.  I also had to shorten slightly the actual floor, so that it could slide up between the headstocks rather than resting on top of them.

 

So on Christmas Eve progress had been made thus far:

 

 

Looking at pictures of these (and other) vans in BR days, it looked as though roofs were sometimes covered with overlapping strips of some kind of material - canvas? - and I thought I'd have a go at portraying this.  I cut a strip of tissue paper 12mm wide and glued lengths of it to the roof with styrene solvent, overlapping at the joins.  I also added rain strips above the doors, from 10 x 20 thou Evergreen strip.

 

On the body, the self contained buffer housings are neatly moulded, but the buffer heads are less good.  I couldn't find and suitable separate buffer heads, so I cut the moulded buffers off altogether and replaced them with ABS w/m castings.  I've added a length of sprue between the sides to counteract any tendency to bow.

 

 

I then realised I didn't know as much about GW wagons as I thought I did, so in between doing other things a lot of Christmas Day was spent looking at pictures of them to try and figure out the brakes.  I had originally intended to make a Vac Fitted van, but couldn't square the numbers provided on the transfer sheet with the information in David Larkin's recent book about BR inherited vans, unless I'm not reading it properly.  However the numbers provided for Non Fitted vans did make sense, so I decided to go with that option.

 

Usually I prefer to drill through the brake mouldings and V hangers and make the cross shaft from wire (for strength) but in this case the mouldings were so fine that didn't seem to be a possibility, so I've just used the plastic rod provided.

 

 

Boxing Day was dry to start with if not very warm, and I managed to spray the separate units outdoors, using Humbrol 64 Light Grey for the body, Tank Grey 67 for the roof, and a car paint matt black aerosol for the underframe (having first sprung the wheels out again and masked over the bearings).  I wonder whether it was worth going to the trouble of sticking the strips of tissue paper onto the roof....

 

The wagon needed some weight.  Bearing in mind the sad demise of Eileen's Emporium and thus my supply of lead sheet (although I'm sure other sources are available) I found some suitable metal discs, four of which fitted neatly into the floor of the van:

 

 

In case anyone's worried by this, there is no defacing of Coins of the Realm involved here, they are merely encapsulated within the model!

 

So, by Boxing Day evening I had got this far:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'll have a fourpenny one!"

 

Great use for bits of old sprue - thanks.

[Chas Levin]

Those wagons must be undercover police ones, what with all those hidden coppers!! 😁

[31A]

Parkside ex GW van just about done now; without weathering and with.  Funny how those strips of tissue paper on the roof show up much more in the photos than they do in reality!

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by 31A
Edit: typo

[mullie]

On 27/12/2022 at 14:57, 31A said:

Looking at pictures of these (and other) vans in BR days, it looked as though roofs were sometimes covered with overlapping strips of some kind of material - canvas? - and I thought I'd have a go at portraying this.  I cut a strip of tissue paper 12mm wide and glued lengths of it to the roof with styrene solvent, overlapping at the joins.  I also added rain strips above the doors, from 10 x 20 thou Evergreen strip.

I have been contemplating ideas to replicate this for some years though hadn't got round to trying anything, the ribs on the roof are apparent in many photos what a great idea.

 

There is always great modelling on this thread, thanks for posting.

 

Martyn

 

 

[31A]

In the last few days I have finally installed the signal gantry, and connected up its underground workings so now it is working and can be said to be complete, having started it in October!  I might try and get some videos on YouTube to show it working, but in the meantime here are a couple of pictures of the underground mechanism, set up on the bench.

 

 

There are five cranks, the short arms of which normally rest against the 6 BA bolt slightly to right of centre which forms the 'on' stop.  The 'off' stop of each crank is the angled piece at the top of the scrap rail arm which carries the counterweight.  Adjusting the angle of these, and / or filing them, determines the angle each crank moves through when pulled off.  In the picture above, the unpainted levers on the base of the signal post will be hidden beneath the station platform when the signal is installed.  Once installed, the cranks are connected to the lever frame with fishing line.

 

This system is quite simple for a signal with one or two arms, but gets more difficult for a gantry.  The 'plan view' (from below) shows how the crank arms are bent round each other to get the connections to the signal itself as close together as possible.

 

 

Having conquered that, a running session was called for.  The casual observer glancing down from the road bridge into the loco yard this afternoon would be rewarded with a plethora of Pacifics!  70010 is Stratford's substitute for the B12 61533 which has suffered another motor failure, and Hornby B12 motors seem to be unobtainable.  "Sun Castle" on the left is in the Peterborough link (which also includes K3s, B1s and V2s) and has arrived after working in on the mid day train, while "Thane of Fife" is waiting to go off shed for the afternoon departure.  Behind her, "The White Knight" is for the afternoon Express.  The two N2s are spare until tomorrow, and for once there's no Diesel in sight.

 

 

 

[Clive Mortimore]

4 minutes ago, 31A said:

In the last few days I have finally installed the signal gantry, and connected up its underground workings so now it is working and can be said to be complete, having started it in October!  I might try and get some videos on YouTube to show it working, but in the meantime here are a couple of pictures of the underground mechanism, set up on the bench.

 

 

There are five cranks, the short arms of which normally rest against the 6 BA bolt slightly to right of centre which forms the 'on' stop.  The 'off' stop of each crank is the angled piece at the top of the scrap rail arm which carries the counterweight.  Adjusting the angle of these, and / or filing them, determines the angle each crank moves through when pulled off.  In the picture above, the unpainted levers on the base of the signal post will be hidden beneath the station platform when the signal is installed.  Once installed, the cranks are connected to the lever frame with fishing line.

 

This system is quite simple for a signal with one or two arms, but gets more difficult for a gantry.  The 'plan view' (from below) shows how the crank arms are bent round each other to get the connections to the signal itself as close together as possible.

 

 

Having conquered that, a running session was called for.  The casual observer glancing down from the road bridge into the loco yard this afternoon would be rewarded with a plethora of Pacifics!  70010 is Stratford's substitute for the B12 61533 which has suffered another motor failure, and Hornby B12 motors seem to be unobtainable.  "Sun Castle" on the left is in the Peterborough link (which also includes K3s, B1s and V2s) and has arrived after working in on the mid day train, while "Thane of Fife" is waiting to go off shed for the afternoon departure.  Behind her, "The White Knight" is for the afternoon Express.  The two N2s are spare until tomorrow, and for once there's no Diesel in sight.

 

 

 

No Diesel in sight, I am horrified. I am going have to write a strong letter to the Railway Modeller or some other such esteemed publication. 

[jimwal]

You need an esdieseled publication Clive!😆

Edited January 11, 2023 by jimwal

[Flying Pig]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

No Diesel in sight, I am horrified. I am going have to write a strong letter to the Railway Modeller or some other such esteemed publication. 

 

Write quickly and hurry back, or it will all be EMUs next time you look.

[Clive Mortimore]

2 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

 

Write quickly and hurry back, or it will all be EMUs next time you look.

Oooo now that is an idea, next time I visit Finsbury Square, fill Steve's layout with my EMUs.

[great northern]

9 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Oooo now that is an idea, next time I visit Finsbury Square, fill Steve's layout with my EMUs.

You will not! No nasty droppings on Finsbury Square thank you. EMU's should stay in Oz, where they belong.

[Flying Pig]

10 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Oooo now that is an idea, next time I visit Finsbury Square, fill Steve's layout with my EMUs.

 

You'll only need one, but on the other hand wiring a single track and platform face shouldn't be too taxing.  And the diggings on the site of the loco yard to put the whole lot underground so the station can be sold off should make an interesting cameo.  Proper Modern Image - CJF would love it.

[31A]

19 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

 

You'll only need one, but on the other hand wiring a single track and platform face shouldn't be too taxing.  And the diggings on the site of the loco yard to put the whole lot underground so the station can be sold off should make an interesting cameo.  Proper Modern Image - CJF would love it.

 

Clive won't be invited back! 

[St Enodoc]

53 minutes ago, great northern said:

You will not! No nasty droppings on Finsbury Square thank you. EMU's should stay in Oz, where they belong.

You want nasty? We'll swap your emu for a cassowary.

[Oldddudders]

12 hours ago, 31A said:

In the last few days I have finally installed the signal gantry, and connected up its underground workings so now it is working

This is watchmaker's work - brilliant!