Leaderboard

There is still no modelling to report from Kernow Towers, and Callow Lane remains in the same state that it got to, almost exactly two years ago. However, I find that I'm having to start work on the wooden covers for each of the two main baseboards, to ensure that they are protected over the coming months, as they may get moved around the house in connection with decorating work etc. At the moment, they've got no protection over the embryonic scenic sections, other than a lightweight dust cover. I found out to my cost many years ago, that removable covers need to be built 'in situ' on each baseboard. 'Callow Lane' has (or will have) quite a deep backscene, which would mean that to bolt both boards 'back-to-back' would make the resulting unit virtually unmanageable by one person, so each board will have backscene boards semi-permanently attached at the rear and at each fiddle yard end, with the rest being removable. Apart from the end pieces to protect each 'board joint' end, the rest of the cover will consist of 1" x 1" timber, with a clear polythene covering (as per 'Engine Wood', for those who may have seen it). The backscene boards are being built of good quality birch ply. There is the scene earlier last week, with one of the boards in the garden. I was gluing some 2" x 1" blocks to the inside of the frames, to give the screws that will hold the backscene board in place, something to grip: Today, I glued up the end pieces that will protect the board joints on each board. Rather than bolt each piece directly to the flat face of the board end, I glued some 4mm ply to each piece, to enable them to be slightly 'off-set' and thus hopefully protect the scenery a bit: I then put one of the main boards back up on the trestles, to measure where the recently-glued in wooden blocks were, as a prelude to drilling the screw holes in the birch ply that will form the main backscene boards along the rear of each board: It may be best not to look too closely at my wiring and I would certainly not hold my methods up as a paragon of virtue: It was at this point in the proceedings this morning, that I realised that I had blundered big time in measuring the birch ply for the rear of each main board. You may note the different coloured timber of the baseboard extensions. When originally constructed, each main board was only 3' 6" in length, but I realised that the layout needed to be longer, so one of my earlier blogs did feature the 1' extensions that I fitted. That is what you can see in the photo above. However, I made the serious error of assuming that each board was 4' 6" exactly when I went to get the birch ply cut to size. I should have measured it, and then measured it again, as each board is slightly longer than 4' 6". There's nothing for it, if I am to avoid having an unsightly gap at the back, other than to get new sections of birch ply cut to size, and to find a new use for the original pieces. Anyway, back to other model railway developments at Kernow Towers. I went to RailWells yesterday, and a very good show it was too. Upstairs, in the main hall, I once again encountered the Ixion/Minerva stand, selling their delightful 7mm R-T-R industrials, amongst other things. I had been very impressed with these when I saw them for the first time at RailEx in Aylesbury this year, and a plan to re-start the modelling mojo has been bubbling away ever since. Yesterday, after valiantly holding out for most of the show, I gave up the unequal struggle of resisting these 7mm delights, so I now appear to own a 7mm locomotive!: This was advised to me as the last of the red ones to be available. I've always liked red engines, so now I've got to build something in 7mm to run it on. I'm really rather enthused about the prospect! In the meantime, here it is again, next to another loco that also isn't P4: I would add that the purple hue of the buffer beams and side rods is a trick of the light/exposure.

I managed to get my second 'kit of parts' assembled into a baseboard this weekend. I'll be honest and admit that I'd made a few errors in the drawing on this one, some of which resulted in a bit of 'fettling' being required. I'd missed out one set of slots and got a tab 6mm out of place. When you try to cut rectangular holes in 6mm ply the traditional way, with a drill and a piecing saw and file, you realise how much you get spoiled by a laser cutter. I've still got to fit base-board dowels, captive 'T' nuts etc As I suggested in my previous entry I added some diagonal bracing to the first board. It is amazing the impact this has had changing the board for 'a little bit to flexible' to 'damn rigid'. Now if you put the board on a flat surface and lift one corner the whole side immediately lifts up. Fortunately I was able to locate the diagonals without hitting any of the fixed locations under the board where turnout operating mechanisms or uncoupling magnets need to go. I've now drawn out bracing for the second board and will hopefully get back on the cutter to make these during the week. I'm planning to order some 6mm cork this week in flat sheets so I can get the next step underway. David

Apologies, I realise this is quite a long post! And it doesn't finish here, either: there's a second part that I will post in a week or so. But I thought I would try and give as much info as I could about my attempts to use the Bachmann Prussia coach to produce a more representative British carriage of the early 1840s. 1) What are we working with? The Prussia coach is a nice model moulded in green plastic with yellow window frames and brown door panels printed (I think) onto the body. If you dislike the sheen to the plastic, it can easily be toned down with a coat of matt varnish (or a weathering wash, I suppose, although early carriages seem to have been kept pretty clean from all accounts). If you decide to paint the body another colour, I include a few tips on painting later in the post. The length of the body is 58 mm. In 1/87 scale this represents 16 feet 7 inches, a typical length for coaches of the early 1840s. (The length over the buffers is 66 mm.) The width of the body at the widest point (over the windows) is 28 mm. This scales out at 8 feet in HO, which makes it rather wider than an average coach of the time. Loading gauges varied considerably at this time, but most British railways used carriages between 6 feet 6 inches and 8 feet wide. In addition there is quite a significant curve to the sides of the coach, with the sides tapering inwards below the windows. Edited 13/2/22: In fact they look rather like the Grand Junction Railway's First and Mail carriages in Francis Whishaw's 1840 The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland (available as a free downlaod on Google Books): It would be possible to narrow down the model by removing a vertical strip of plastic from each end of the body (which would mean you would also need to trim the seating unit inside). Achieving flat sides would involve a degree of scratch building: not impossible, but you might as well scratch-build an entire new coach to suit your own requirements. Personally I’m happy to leave the width and the tapering sides as they are, since the south-eastern railways of the early 1840s tended to have generous loading gauges and rather characterful little coaches. In addition I like the slightly broad-gauge appearance of these low, wide coaches and I think it adds to their charm. However, if I was modelling the London and Birmingham or the Liverpool and Manchester in the 1830s I think I might decide it was too much effort to turn them into the narrow flat-edged coaches common in these very early years, and I might decide to use a different model as a base. (Of course, if you are modelling in 4mm scale the width is a bit of a bonus: unlike most HO rolling stock, the Prussia coach won’t seem too thin! At just 38 mm high from rail tops to the lamps on the roof it might seem a bit low for 4mm, but some early railways did have some coaches that seem incredibly low by modern standards (and there are several visual tricks to increase apparent height such as placing baggage on the roof.) The ideas below are simply my own suggestions. You don’t need to follow any of them unless they appeal to you. The coaches are very nice, attractive models as they are and they will give a delightful period flavour to a layout. But they do provide such a convenient base for adaptations and tweaks that they almost call out to be bashed to meet modellers’ individual tastes and requirements. 2) Dismantling the coach body Most of my suggestions, such as fitting new running boards, do not require any dismantling of the model. In fact it is really only necessary to take the model apart if you want to repaint the window frames (because dismantling the coach lets you remove the glazing inside) or you want to change the roof. It is easy to dismantle the coaches. There are two small crosshead screws on the underside of the model, visible near the wheel sets on the left-hand coach in the photograph below. Removing them separates the body (including the steps) from the chassis. The roof is a separate moulding from the rest of the coach body. It is glued fairly lightly onto the top of the body, and in every model I have seen it is easy to find a gap between roof and coach side large enough to insert a small jeweller’s screwdriver. Then gently start loosening the roof and the coach body, working around the roof much as one would gradually prise up a floorboard with a crowbar. I hope the photo above gives some indication of the approach I use. If you do encounter a point where the glue is so strong that it resists a screwdriver, a modelling knife with a sturdy blade will quickly free it. Prising off the roof allows you to remove the seating unit and the two strips of stiff transparent plastic that slot into the coach sides to provide the glazing. At this point you might consider whether to paint the seats to tone down their glossy shine (bear in mind that second class seats would probably have been bare wood, not upholstery) and possibly paint the inside of the carriage. And that’s all there is to dismantling the coach body! 3) Tweak 1: adding flat ends to the coach body The most noticeable thing about the coach sides are the curved gaps (the tumblehomes, I suppose) at the bottom of the coach’s ends. It is visually interesting and it adds character, but almost all British coaches of the period had flat ends rather than tapered or curved ones. To be honest at most normal viewing angles (i.e. from above) this feature is not especially noticeable. But if you like to run models nearer to eye level or you want to reproduce a specific railway rather than freelance, you might decide to fill in the gaps at the ends of the coach to make the model more representative. I used Humbrol filler, pressing it into the gaps between the coach body and the top of the chassis until both gaps were completely filled. Of course other fillers would work just as well: Milliput, plaster of Paris, probably DAS or fine PolyFilla as well. All that really matters is that the filler is relatively easy to sand down when it has dried. If you have decided not to dismantle the coach, I suggest putting a bit of tape over the top of the chassis that is visible below the end of the coach before you start adding the filler. This means you don’t end up with the body and chassis permanently fixed together. Sellotape, masking tape, a bit of printer label: all work fine, and probably so would a small piece of cling film, kitchen foil or similar wrapped over the top of the chassis. Afterwards, when you have sanded down the filler, you can trim off any exposed tape. When the filler has set hard (probably 2-4 hours in most cases, but I waited 24 hours to be on the safe side), sand it down to get the correct profile. I wrapped a strip of very fine 400 grade wet-and-dry paper around a thin block of wood and found I could easily sand each end and the adjacent sides down to a reasonable profile in less than 5 minutes. I definitely recommend a dust mask (and if you have sensitive eyes, some eye protection as well), ideally some good ventilation and a work area that is easy to vacuum or brush afterwards. Sanding Humbrol filler is very quick and easy, but it does produce a fine dust that is light enough to hang around in the air for some time and IMO tastes pretty nasty! I found it was worth taking the filler to the top of the coach ends (rather than halfway up the side, as I did in the photo above) to prevent the visible joint that I managed to achieve on my first attempt, and which I only noticed after painting: 4) Tweak 2: painting the body If you have filled in the ends, you will definitely want to paint the body because of the harlequin patchwork of colours that you now have on your model. Even if you are happy with the original shape, you may still want to repaint it in a different livery or tone down the plastic sheen of the model with a coat of matt varnish. Personally I prefer hand-brushing with Humbrol enamels, and most of these paints only come in matt and/or gloss finishes. When I was painting the coach I found that the matt enamels were too flat and boring and they didn’t seem to reflect any light, while gloss paints looked too brash and toy like. However, a coat of gloss paint covered by a thin coat of Humbrol’s matt varnish did seem to provide the right sort of finish – at least to my mind. The photo below shows the general effect: In this period railways often still painted the top section of the carriage sides black in imitation of the road coaches that they were putting out of business. This can add to the period charm, although anyone modelling an actual railway will probably want to carry out a bit of research to check whether there is any record of the chosen railway’s actual colour scheme. The Birmingham and Gloucester coaches were buff with black at the top, but I chose to paint my model in the blue of the London and Croydon railway. I am afraid I can’t offer any useful advice on using acrylic paints on the coaches, although I am practicing with them on scenery and buildings. But I will end this section with one comforting thought for other coarse modellers: remember that no one really knows the exact shade or finish on most early carriages! 5) Tweak 3: fitting running boards below the coach The coaches have steps moulded beneath each compartment to allow passengers to climb down to the low platforms of the period. Steps like this were used by some early British railways in the 1830s, but the style was already going out of fashion by 1840 with most new coaches (and having just opened, most railways had nothing but new coaches) having running boards stretching along the full length of the coach. I made the running boards out of a piece of T-section plastic strip 2.4 x 2.4 mm, trimming off one of the arms of the “T” so that I was left with a “L” section 1.2 x 2.4 mm across. The 2.4 mm part of the L becomes the flat running board for the passenger to step on, while the 1.2 mm side is glued vertically to the axle boxes to fix the board in place. The axle boxes have a bit of detail on them, so I filled this off with a needle file and carried on filing back the axle boxes below the coach springs for about half a millimetre before super-gluing the narrower side of the L strip onto these flat surfaces. Fixing the L strip to the axle boxes provides all the structural support that is needed. But I also wanted to model the hangers that drop from the underside of the chassis to the running boards. Small pieces of plastic rod or stiff wire would be fine, but I used the very small (Size 25) staples sold for pocket staplers such as the Rexel “Bambi” stapler. I straightened out one of the arms of a strip of staples using a pair of pliers, separated them into individual staples and then superglued the long arms of the resulting L shapes to the underside of the coach chassis and the ends of the short arm to the back of the running board. (The advantage of staples over bent wire is that staples have flat sides, making it easier to fix them in place.) I found a map pin extremely useful in tweaking the staples while the glue was setting. It is important to allow plenty of time for the glue holding the four staples on one side to set firm before starting on the other running board. The photo below shows the staples in place on one side of the coach before painting. I hope some of these ideas will be useful, or even better that they will inspire readers to find other ways of converting the model. If anyone has stuck with me this far, I will certainly be very interested in any questions, ideas or comments you have! In the next post I’ll look at ways to alter the roof (and the lamp covers on the roof), change to finer scale wheels (plus some ideas on how to camouflage the deep flanges on the existing wheels), add weight (the model only weighs 20 grams) and also discuss some ideas on suitable couplers.

After spending a long time reading and thinking about Brunel's broad gauge railway, I knew I had to make a start somewhere. The thought of plunging straight into a layout was proving too daunting so, I decided to buy a display case of the type sold by Antics models This case has a plain wooden base, measuring about 330mm x 80mm, onto which I could build a short length of broad-gauge (BG) track. I wanted to build my track base using materials and techniques that mirror the original construction devised by Brunel. In searching for materials, I found that Cornwall Model Boats supply a wide range of materials and fittings, many of which are potentially useful to railway modellers. For the 'baulks' of my planned track, I bought lengths of 5mm x 2mm mahogany strip, while the transoms are made from 1.5mm x 2mm strips. One feature of the BG trackbed is the use of pinewood packing underneath the running rails themselves. After some thought, I decided to simulate the appearance of this packing, by sticking narrow strips of 2mm squared graph paper on the top faces of the baulks. The rails themselves would then be glued over these strips. The appearance of one of my baulks, built up in this way is shown below: I drew out a scale template, with the baulks in their correct relative positions and with the locations for the transoms marked at 8' (32mm in 4mm scale) intervals. Because the wooden strips were slightly warped, I used a straight-edge to hold them in position, exactly over the template lines, while I glued them down with PVA adhesive. At this stage, the actual running rails were not fitted. The 'bridge section' rails, to scale dimensions, were obtained from the Broad Gauge Society (BGS). I glued down one length of running rail, again using a straight-edge to ensure it ran down the centre-line of the baulk. I then used a roller gauge from the BGS to fit the other rail in position on the opposite baulk, at the correct gauge (28.08mm) for 4mm-scale track. To complete the 'wood-work', I finally added the transoms, gluing each into position over the reference lines marked on my template. The next task was to add ballast, which I first spread dry into the rectangular openings between the transoms, smoothing down the dry material by hand (finger tips). On the basis of photos from the Bullo Pill accident site (shown in a previous post), I chose a 'medium' ballast in dark brown, to match the ironstone colour typical of the Dean Forest area. After laying the dry ballast, I fixed it down by adding a dilute solution of PVA glue from a dropper. I use about 3-parts water to one of PVA and add one drop of washing-up liquid to the mixture, in order to make it flow freely. This last step is important as, without it, the solution tends to stand in beads on top of the ballast. Once the ballast is in place, one really gets a good impression of the 'different' appearance of broad-gauge trackwork, Finally, I printed a simple back-scene. I set my printer to 'draft' mode, which produces a low-saturation image that naturally recedes into the background, when photographed. I placed my old 'Gooch single', originally built from a 'K's Milestones' kit, many years ago, and, for the first time in her life, she stood on some track, in a pose reminiscent of 'official' Swindon photos of the period. My methods were fiddly to carry out and probably not suitable for a more extensive working layout - and then there is the issue of points! One thought I had, to simplify the process, is that a laser cutter could be used to make wooden frames in the equivalent of 30' sections, onto which the rails could be mounted. Frames for pointwork could be made in a similar manner. Perhaps an idea for someone to take up? Mike

Far too little to report as I have not achieved mu goal. As the loft is a little cooler I managed to retrieve the plain sleepers and some rail, I also bought down some loco kits and went through my chassis box, the latter failing to realise what I need for a G6. On the plus side I have a Southeastern Finecast M7 kit which can be rebuilt to EM standards. I really need to get my kits out of the boxes and find some GWR locos Packets of plain sleepers, mostly 8'6" but I also have some 9'. I have seen many remark how painful it is to stain individual sleepers, I will get a sheet of cardboard put some double sided tape on it and just put a line either side of the tape and it will take seconds to do, none of this messy soaking the timbers etc. I have a box of PSM code 75 bullhead nickle-silver which I got off eBay ages ago as were the sleepers, following BGJohn in using up items I had for some time. Went to B&Q last week and looked at their ply, all I could see was thin stuff which was warping and was called exterior !!. At the moment I have no room to buy an 8 x 4 sheet and cut it into 4 x 2 sheets, will look at Wicks and see what they have, I need a couple of 4 x 1 sheets for storage purposes and put a simple frame work under it This Thursdays goal is a couple of common crossings (fitted)

I have started my new vignette. A vignette is smaller than a diorama, with the focus on the main subject. I my case this will be a mechanical horse for my story telling and a Morris Oxford III for the finished vignette. I’m going to try out some a new weathering approach for my diecast models. But more about that in a later blog entry. For my vignette a used one of the buildings from the High Street shop fronts from Scalescenes. As usual I started with the road and the footway. This vignette is a try out to get the proper size using the golden rule. One thing I didn’t realize is that for situating the road vehicle the size of the road and the footway is defining the size. The building can be placed outside the vignette as the edge of the micro layout. In the picture an overview of the vignette. The vignette measures 21,5 x 10 cm for the road and the footway. The road surface is from Scalescenes, the footway from Model Railway Scenery. The colour of the footway of Scalescenes didn’t fit in my colour scheme. The colours of the inside of the building won’t be visible when the building is finished. The frame of the building is not yet finished completely. On the left side of the building I have to create a part of a yard or garden wall, maybe with a gate. Any suggestion or comments are welcome. Regards, Job

Well it's only been two months since the last wittering! But, I've actually done stuff!! Shock horror! My coaches have been disassembled, painted, and reassembled. The colour? BR Maroon... Which I don't think look too bad behind a black 4-6-0, especially in the sun Surprised no one has had that livery idea before! The line has been named though, it is now the Melbreck Valley Railroad. Just need to decide on the lettering for the livery. That's all for now folks!

Time to finish this - it has to be with the client by Friday! In the interest of speed I have cheated slightly - I WAS going to scratch-build the steps but a trip to 'Alton Models' for something else provided a couple of lengths of 'Plastruct' steps... Add some handrails and job done. The same trip yielded a 'Ratio' signal-box detailing kit - and with some modifications (this is a VERY small box!) it fits in (just). However - The block bells etc have had to be suspended from the internal ceiling - there wasn't space to place them behind the frame - but at least they're in there! 'Just' a paint-job now, and some downpipes. Probably some midnight oil burning tomorrow! Regards Ian

Thinking a long way ahead towards making a small LMS layout project, I thought it might make a change if I ignored having a stationary goods yard hand crane. It might be more interesting if I had a mobile hand crane , so I searched the web for ideas and information and came up with this photo. Strictly speaking I think this is an ex LNWR version but there are similar Midland examples and I took a chance on a Meteor Models hand crane truck kit in 7mm , which is based on Midland Railway practice. Rather than bore you all with blow by blow construction I will start by saying that the kit is very much a mixed bag of both reasonable and poor white metal castings. The buffers are supposedly sprung but you have to drill the solid cast buffer housings first. The etched truck had fold up W irons which were badly drawn before being etched. These were replaced with Slaters compensated MR W irons that also had better axlebox castings. The kit had an atrocious piece of tatty wood for the jib, so this was replaced by a suitable size of square plastic, which I sanded to shape. The crane castings, however, were reasonably good. After cleaning up the crank wheel castings and painting all the parts prior to construction, the hand crane actually works!!! The crane truck finally turned out quite well. It has been difficult to establish what colour these cranes and trucks were painted. The preserved example at the Chasewater railway centre is red-brown with a black truck..... It took four evenings to complete and paint so not a huge project and I`m pleased with the model. Still needs more painting to be done and a suitable match truck to be added..........

Not really in the mood to write much tonight but I have been busy this afternoon making something. The question to visitors of my blog is a very simple one. What is it? Cheers....Morgan

After doing the roof of the engine shed I thought I'd reward myself with something I really enjoy, so I started weathering my 'Mucky Duck.' I do enjoy modelling buildings its just after putting roof tiles on I thought a reward for myself was needed, so I pulled out the Ivatt 4 and made a start, this is what I did on Saturday, there is still some painting to be done but I was doing overtime for the boss today so got nothing important done, I thought I'd include a couple of pictures so far.

Okay, on with the signal-cabin - assembling the main structure. This is a real 'multimedia' model - acrylic, card, plasticard etc.... The 'upperworks' consist mainly of the four sections seen in 'part 1' - here they have been assembled with 'PVA' The next job was to assemble the 'locking-room' base - this was a simple(-ish) task, using 0.030" plasticard.. Here we are just waiting the crane to lift the 'glass-house' into position! The observant will note that the 'floor' is already in place in the lever-room Okay - the crane's been and gone. The next job is to clad the structure - with 0.20" 'Evergreen' plank cladding, framed around the corners with simple strip..(and yes, I've taken care of the wayward door lintel..!) Just a case now of going round the building and continuing. However, I do need to get a 'signal-box detailing kit'! That 'glasshouse will be pretty unforgiving if it's not there... TTFN! Ian

Not so long ago Hornby released their new Q6 models. Having been brought up in Middlesbrough there was no question about it, there would have to be a Q6 or even two on my layout. First a picture from the past, the location is just to the south of Thornaby Station which provided visibility of all the lines from Middlesbrough and Thornaby before they diverged to Stockton (for the north), Redmashall (west) and Eaglescliffe (to the south). Q6 63445 – Thornaby 1960 or 61 63443 was the first Q6 to arrive on the layout. It had an Early Emblem and shed code 51G for Haverton Hill. It is pictured below on a train of ICI tank wagons, the sort that originated from Cassell Works, ICI Billingham. Haverton Hill shed along with a number of other small Teesside sheds closed around 1960 with locomotives concentrated at the newly constructed Thornaby depot. 63443 appears not to have gone to Thornaby and instead was reallocated to West Auckland for coal and coke traffic. Hornby Q6 Early Emblem – 63443 – a Haverton Hill engine The second Q6 to arrive on the layout was numbered 63429. It had a Late Crest and the shed code 52F for North / South Blyth. Presumably it was used on the local coal traffic. I am thinking that an engine based north of the Tyne would have been a rare visitor to south of the Tees. Hornby Q6 Late Crest – 63429 – a Blyth based engine Hornby are to be congratulated on their Q6 locomotives. I am most impressed and cannot fault my two Q6 models. They run smoothly and quietly – and slowly, as shown in the video below. (Apologies for the ex GWR bogie bolsters and brake van). http://youtu.be/mbSmxIoafVs The arrival of the Q6s has prompted me to have a ‘North East Season’ and I have unpacked some related rolling stock. I have been encouraged by the recent availability of Hornby’s Gresley and Thompson suburban coaches which were purchased in the Christmas Sales. Northeast Medley The view above shows a Hornby L1 on a rake of Hornby Thompson coaches and a Bachmann V3 on rake of Hornby Gresley coaches. Hornby L1 – 67777 – a Darlington engine 67777 was a Darlington engine and I can remember seeing it at Middlesbrough Station in the early 60s. By this time passenger traffic had been taken over by Diesel Multiple Units so my guess is that the L1 was being used for parcel traffic. Bachmann V3 – 67628 – a split chassis model To complement the L1 I have included a Bachmann V3 a ‘bargain’ purchase from back in 2011. There were a number of V3s allocated to north east sheds, although I don’t recall many around Middlesbrough. 67628 was a Helensburgh engine which would probably have been displaced with the introduction of the ‘Blue Electrics’, so might have found its way south. This Bachmann model still has a split chassis. Whist it runs very smoothly there seemed to be something wrong with the geometry of the pony trucks such that the couplings pointed upwards and would not engage with other rolling stock. One explanation might be that Bachmann increased the size of the carrying wheels after completing the design for the bottom plate and pony trucks. Bachmann V3 – packing to lower the height of the coupling My cheap and cheerful solution was to cut some packing from thin plastic sheet to place between the coupling the pony truck, with the aim of lowering the height of the coupling. I also swapped the original Bachmann Mini Long type couplings for the Mini Short variety to close the gap between the engine and its train. Hornby Thompson coaches close coupled with Hornby R8220 couplers Whilst on the subject of couplings I have used Hornby’s R8220 couplers within the rake of HornbyThompson coaches. Hornby Gresley coaches close coupled with one Hornby R8220 and one Roco 40270 types For reasons best known to Hornby the geometry of the Gresley suburban coaches is different to the Thompsons' and the R8220 couplers used on their own do not bring the coaches close together enough for my liking. For the Gresleys' I have fitted alternate coaches with Hornby R8220 and Roco 40270 type couplers. Roco Couplers top, Hornby R8220 bottom It was only whilst putting this Post together that I realised that Bachmann had introduced a DCC ready V3, running number 67646, a Heaton engine. Bachmann V3 -67646- DCC ready – a Heaton engine I have included a couple of comparison pictures highlighting the updated chassis/running gear. One of the biggest improvements are the reprofiled carrying wheels. Bachmann V3s – split chassis left, DCC ready right I would say that the bodyshells are identical, but that the lining and numbers on the new model are less yellow than on the older model. Bachmann V3s – split chassis left, DCC ready right My new model runs really very well. I have not looked inside but I have compared the weights of the old and new versions. The split chassis model weighs 310g whilst the new DCC ready model is only 278gm. I doubt that this difference in weight will be an issue on my layout with three of four coach trains. Time will tell! Addenda 15/08/16 After some interest on the RMweb Forum I have added a picture comparing the old and new V3 chassis. Bachmann V3 chassis, upper old, lower new. The new one has a shelf / cutout to fit a 'sugar cube' speaker in the smokebox. The old model had strong springing for the two pony trucks. The new model has a very lightly sprung front truck and a 'swingy axle' arrangement for the rear truck as used by Bachmann in their ex GWR 56xx range. It is my guess that with the less springing the newer lighter chassis will outperform the older chassis.

About a year ago I drew up the plans for the 'signal box' - a 'Saxby & Farmer type !' - based on various sources :- and now, finally, I'm getting round to building it. As usual I start with the windows. Regular readers will know I have my own method involving adhesive paper, acrylic, card and lots of cutting out. Well, the first three components are still there but the methodology has changed... I'm not going to take up bandwidth, but the story is here:- .rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108310-darkly-labs-emblaser-affordable-laser-cutter-review/page-23#entry2376233 and yes, These were laser-cut... All that's needed now is walls to put 'em in - From (l) to ® - outer wall, sash slider unit, outer sash windows, middle sash frame, inner sash windows, sash slider, inner wall.... Now to assemble it... Are attached to the middle sash frame. I then realised a little 'thicknessing was required before adding the 'sash slider unit' Then The outer wall. Turn the unit over and repeat the steps for the inner wall... Then repeat the process for the other three walls! And so to bed....

The timbering has been finished, but my thoughts turned to an eBay purchase of a Southeastern Finecast 02. Bought it as a part built 00 gauge loco, badly painted and in 00 gauge with a M7 box and a few parts from said M7 not the 02. Still did not pay too much and missing parts plus a new chassis etch and box ordered from SEF( The M7 box can hold one of my Wills M7's) Anyway back to the 02, the Body was badly painted in grey and had a few traces of black paint. Chassis removed and the body was soaked in a caustic soda solution. All the paint softened and washed off and the glue in most places degraded, so the parts can be cleaned up, the footplate had to be repaired and I decided not to remove the sides as they are a good fit. I also removed the old foot step pegs which had broken off into the footplate. At the same time as I ordered the new chassis I won a lot on eBay which had a set of Gibson milled frames along with other parts, so in theory I have 3 chassis I now need to look at some photos as I need to know which version to build. I will use Markit wheels with a Highlevel gearbox, I would like a small can motor 1015 ? It came with a 1024 open frame motor and Gibson wheels, might be worth moving these on. Will start on the common crossings for the track over the weekend

I brought a Dapol wagon the other day because it had Camp Hill on it which is about a mile away from where I currently live and I used to live there. Just appeals. Anyway, as RTR wagons go it lacks fidelity but is cheap and in my case made a Peasy Easy conversion. It ran well considering it has no compo or springo. For my wagon conversions, if they run without a faff then that is good enough. I do like springing and if building wagon kits I go straight for it if I can but if an RTR one is happy as a fixed axle it stays. So far I have found some are ok with simply popping in P4 wheels and some are not. Always a lottery it seems. The video explains a few things, and shows it bombing about on my mini test layout happy. No extra weight either.

Looking back through the previous Foundry Lane entries in this blog I realise it comes to quite an abrupt halt. This is partly because I've been spending my time on other projects (BCB and WLL) but also due to me considering the blog Vs layout thread and RMweb blog or external blog questions. Anyway, here are a few photos by way of an update on what has been going on with the layout since I last wrote in this blog. The building which was under construction in the previous blog entry was finished and installed at the left hand end of the layout. This must be the third different building/structure I've tried in this position and it will be the last - I promise. In terms of exhibition outings last year (2012) was the busiest so far for the layout, with appearances at Sutton Coldfield, ExpoEM North, Loughborough and Burton upon Trent (a (belated) thanks to all who helped to operate or said hello). During the summer the layout was set up in the garden to get a few photos in daylight, an old door and a couple of trestles taking the place of the usual legs: Here are a few of the photos I took The layout also gained some new legs, which make it quicker to assemble (and more importantly disassemble) at exhibitions and which take up less space in the car. These are seen here on trial (out in the garden again - see we did have some sunny days in 2012). The trestles seen here have been changed since as I found them a little unstable. So what next? This year is really the year of BCB, however I'm very pleased to be taking Foundry Lane to Expo EM in Bracknell in May (had been due to attend last year, but had to postpone due to a diary clash).