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At last the Southern Pride Class 304 has been finished. The layout would have been incomplete without it, but building it has tried my patience and I'd think twice before having a go as such a large kit again. The instructions were clear and the kit itself is very well made, but you really need prior experience and I rather think I jumped into the deep end with this. The lead driving vehicle was the last car built and it has turned out much neater than the driving brake car (see below). I learnt an awful lot between each build! It's been a hard slog as these kits are not for the faint hearted. It arrived at the end of March, but progress has been interrupted by some house decorating - I was only supposed to paint one room, but ended up doing three plus the hallway! Then my boss had a bit of a windfall and some badly needed maintenance work was carried out at the holiday cottage complex where I work part time. All this took about 5 weeks so I couldn't devote the time I wanted to on the model. When the kit first arrived I was dumbfounded by the amount of stuff inside and was convinced that I wouldn't be able to complete it having never built a kit like this before. I decided to make the driving brake vehicle first - it was a near disaster and I ended up making rather a hash of it. However, I learnt a lot from those initial mistakes and the each car got a little easier thereafter. How not to do it! The first vehicle of the 4 car set was a right hash up and it was pulled back from absolute disaster several times. I really hate Humbrol warning yellow - it comes out lumpy even when spraying. The trouble is that I can't get quality paints over here and have to make do with what is available. On the other driving vehicle I used an acrylic car spray - it's not quite warning yellow, but it looks a hell of lot better than the Humbrol! The lead driving vehicle - much better work this time. Out of the box - the 4 car set at several stages of construction. The hinges being soldered onto the brass sides. There was a fret that contained the handles but I had no idea how you would go about soldering these on without making a real mess (seems like you need three pairs of hands or some sort of tool that I don't have). Therefore, I decided to make my own out of wire and solder these from the back. A finished side. It looks rather neat when first complete - that's when the real fun starts when you have to rebend it to shape afterward and glue it onto to base. You really have to go at the solder blobs at the back of the brass side with a sanding drum. This makes the brass flaten out and you have to really try and bring it back to the original shape afterwards. There was a load of fettling getting everything to fit correctly, but it has turned out fairly okay. The only modification I made was the full running board on each car. I distinctly remember these as a kid and they are a reminder of an earlier age regarding coaching stock. I also chose to use acetate for the windows which was glued on with some PVA to the inside face as, try as I might, I couldn't get the roof to fit using the clear resin window bars that came with the kit. The model isn't motorised yet. I might try and persuade Southern Pride to sell me the Driving Brake again - I'll make a better job of it next time around and also fit some Black Beetle units at the same time.

After a brief interlude (okay a month), due to GWR Loco's - I finally resumed work on the Bf 109... Before I masked up the underside, I painted the wheel wells and radiators. I masked up the underside and parts of the cockpit canopy - which had I pre-painted prior to fitting and masking up (next three photo's show that sequence) Once the topside of the fuselage had been given a few coats of BS Dark Earth and allowed to dry. I used the blu-tak & masking tape (or MORPH) method to layout the camouflage. Once painted the masking was removed and too my surprise it had worked very well, with only a small amount of touching up needed. Touching up done and the guns & exhausts added. Today I busied myself painting and assembling the undercarriage, along with a few more parts. However to my dismay I discovered a short on the sprue and a missing part, so I've got to scratch build a Pitot tube assembly. That's all for now TBG

Here's a first attempt to visualize "The depot", drawn with the Sketchup programme. As mentioned earlier, it will be constructed within an Ikea "Snackbox". The scenic part will be raised to allow ample room for electrics etc in the space underneath. I've used the same principle as on "The bay", where the viewing side is opposite of what you'd normally do. The idea is to increase the sense of being "inside" the scene, rather than viewing it from a distance. So we're standing inside the shed and looking at the last couple of platforms ("decks"), with an opening to the cartage platform and yard in the background. Hopefully the wagons moving back and forth on the reception siding in the yard will help add to the sense of depth. Sadly there won't be any horseboxes on the real thing - these are just to give an impression as I couldn't find any vans and wagons. Thanks to ngauge kid and wild goose for posting some GWR stock on the Sketchup site. It will be important to ensure that plenty of light enters the depot, or it may appear a bit dark and dull. These skylights are just an example, I'll want to look closer at prototype examples. If things work out I'm hoping for some interesting play of light, with light coming in from above but also from the opening to the yard. The windows in the side are wishful thinking at this point, but I might cut a hole in the side of the Snackbox to allow light to enter this way also. A view of the small section of the yard at the back, with reception siding and horse drawn carriages etc. This could become cramped if I don't take care - but a light ground cover and the "less is more" approach can hopefully help avoid that. A view from the yard side with the backscene removed. The backscene can easily be dismantled, so I'm considering making the layout viewable from this side also on occasion. That would require an alternative backscene which shows the rest of the depot behind the viewable platforms. Perhaps a photo of a depot scene, or even the old mirror trick (although how to do away with the duplication when shunting stock?).

Here's a little video showing scenes and train movements at Farthing station - including the arrival, shunting and departure of the Westbury stopping train. It's 2,5 minutes long. Be warned that it features music, although only a quiet piano.

After she made a cameo in my last build and with loco's out of the way it was time to make a start on the 1/48th Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3. Being a Collectors Club Model it gives two very different schemes to do one is the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Evaluation version (Bf 109E-7) and the other is a captured RAF version (Bf 109E-3) - I chose the latter. Compared to my last build, this one has gone together very quickly.. so far. Cockpit and aircraft interior painted and detailed. Fuselage button up. Wings assembled. Fuselage cleaned up & wings fitted. Flaps and tail planes added (some filling is required). Ailerons fitted, along with other bits. Rudder, elevator and cannon fairings fitted - plus a lot of filler and rubbing down! Underside painted and yes it is yellow! That's all for now TBG

31466 is now almost complete, I have had a few problems with the transfers, first with the orange cantrail lifting off on the cab roofs and then with the 3 in the bodyside number rolling up on itself. The cantrail stripe will be an easy fix, touching in with some orange paint. the numbers a lot more difficult... All windows have been refitted, as have the handrails to one end.

Moving swiftly towards completion.. Test fit of the wings.. For a bit of fun - a size comparison between the Wyvern & Sea Fury.. Decals being added.. Final assembly - Fuselage & center wing section complete.. Outer wing sections fitted.. A cameo.. Posing in the early evening air.. Till the next build TBG..

I am now on the home stretch with the 47xx, first up the Black has now been painted. I couldn’t believe how long it took to mask the green, some areas such as the splashers were particularly tricky. Once dry it was then time to brush paint the tricky areas, along with two small patches where the black seaped under the masking. The red has had another coat added (although still needs a third coat), and the transfers have been added to the tender. Finally the tender chassis and sub chassis are now connected. Still to do: The balance weights need a second coat of black Fit cab interior Attach con rods (still need washers) Redo pickups to touch wheel tread not wheel back, I think there is too much risk of a short with the latter It may need another rewire, as I am not at all happy with how difficult the model is to get the body on. Once red paint is dry, add bufferbeam numbers and varnish TEST!

About the age of 12 a piece of hard board became available to me on which a Hornby single platform station halt and crossing where mounted. Some simple scenery built up etc and for added interest the gates where operated with cotton thread, ever since I have wanted working crossing gates. One of the ideas bouncing around in the old grey cells for years was this simple system of mounting the gates on L shaped wires to be swung by the back and forth movement of a plate below the base board with grooves in it. One of the requirements on Dunster was to have the gates animated. When our DVD player broke the dreaded light bulb came on and I set about dismantling it. After about an hour the DVD drawer mechanism was up and running but much slower! The gates at Dunster are off set and move one at a time. To accomplish this, the groves in my plate would be “S” shaped with a straight and the other straight with an “S” shape. A drawing was then quickly made of angles, posts and swing from which I could work out the shape of these grooves ¼” MDF was used for the plate; the grooves being cut with a jig saw and sanded perfect (Five attempts before getting this just right). Two micro switches cut power which stops the DVD drawer. An on/off switch operates a relay which is wired as a DPDT current reverser to the drawer motor. For added realism another on/off switch is mounted in the Gaugemaster hand held unit used on the Layout. The relay is a plug in type and mounted under the signal box. Easy to replace if anything ever goes wrong with it. Dunster has attended the Rouge Valley Model Railroad Show on four occasions at which the crossing performed rather well.

Well its finally arrived... At the moment I have the model upside down, and assuming that Bachmann havent gone with some odd axle diameter, it looks like the conversion is going to be very straight forward. The break gear will all have to be removed (and will need to be replaced with brass to get it to fit) but other than that it all looks very easy. Not sure what to do with the cranks (I've never brought outside framed wheels for a kettle before, so I assume they come with cranks in the same way those for an 08 do?) Will reuse the Bachmann rods, and the Bachmann bogie. For the tender I'm not sure what I will do, I'd prefer to rebuild with some kind of springing, but I suspect that the masokits unit would be visible from the sides... The spare front bogie is going to be modified to remove the NEM pocket (I really do prefer manufacturers fitting them to be body so they can be removed without damaging detail!) The buffer beams are going to need to be repainted to the correct (bright) red, rather handy really as I was thing removing the buffer beam number without damaging the lining would be a pain. the post 98 OHLE flashes will be fitted to the sand boxes/cab roof. I havent decided if I will use Ultrascales or Gibsons for the wheels yet. A couple of years back I had no end of issues with the Gibson wheels in an 09, but the combination of improved standards on my part and on the new owners of Gibson do make me fancy trying again. A lot will depend on whether Gibson can supply the drivers for CoT on a 3mm axle (that I assume that Bachmann have used.) The Ultrascales are significantly more expensive, Nickel Silver (which I really dislike) and have a long wait, and thinking about it will still require the cranks fitting. On the other hand they are much better quality. I just wish that they had done the 20 whatever spoke patten wheel that CoT uses in steel rather than the 16 spokes they have done....... I suspect at the end of the day I will go with the Gibsons and if I have any problems then buy a set of Ultrascale's drivers. An area of concern is the tender wheels, both in that they are currently stub axles with a plastic centre (for the tender pickups) and secondly that they appear (at a glance) to have long axles) Looks like its going to need new pickups making here (a job I absolutely cant stand) but pickup on 2 axles just wont be enough so most annoyingly will have to do something about it. Also on the tender, the break gear is very very odd, appearing to be in line with the axleboxes rather than where the wheels should be. While this is an improvement on having them too narrow (like those on the driving wheels), it does seem a bit odd. I'm not at all happy with the etched number plate, given that its missing the very prominent orange lining and tbh dosnt look as good as the printed one. will either need a transfer for the lining or to find a better etch! The gap between body and chassis is much too big, so something will have to be done about that! Rather handy that slider to reduce the gap, now thinking that some sprung buffers between body and tender would be useful. Finally a question, Would the water scoop on the tender still be there in its current condition? Is there anything else that needs removing or adding to get to current condition on the mainline. EDIT: Have finally got round to doing the measurements on the axles. Drivers are 3mm diameter, tender wheels are a bit more tricky. 2mm axles, but on 27mm stub axles, could be interesting for the conversion.......

Finally got round to making a start on gluing the etches onto my models of the Great Western Trains HST barrier coaches 6336 and 6338 (actually my 2nd model of 6338 as I already have finished one in First Great Western condition.) Thankfully the GWT version is a little easier than the FGW one as it retains the corridor connections (so at least I dont have to scratch build any more blanking plates for those!) The first step was removing all the Inter-city logos along with the NEA Tops codes and numbers, Scalemodel Transfers produce a set designed for either 6336 and 6338 in Intercity which are perfect for the GWT coaches. The etches were glued on using the method Jon (Scheihallion) described for fitting window frame etches, a short length of masking tape is stuck to the etch which is then positioned on the model. once happy with the position a scalpel was slipped under the side of the etch pushing it up at an angle so it pivots on the tape. I then check to make sure it returns to the original position, then repeat the process this time applying a coat of superglue to the underside of the etch. I do one side at a time (leaving lots of time to dry between sides) Still a fair bit of work that needs doing to bring the rest of the model up to scratch given Bachmann's insistance of putting 50s details no matter what era the model is supposed to represent. As such the end steps and Vac break gear all needs to be removed, along with adding air break bits (and sorting out those roof ribs). Would be interested if anyone knows of any other improvements.... Finally the grey and white will need to be resprayed

Further to my post warley thread, I've finally got some photos taken of the new Shawplan class 47 roof grills fitted to the Vi Trains model Before After

This project has been on the go for a rather long time... It started off with the purchase of a Hornby Clan Line body off ebay a couple of years back, the intention to use it along with an etched chassis to model Clan Line in its preserved condition to add a loco to power my VSOE rake. Unfortunately as I found out in the days following buying the body, such a chassis kit didnt exist. A Tender was added about a year later (purchased by mistake for another long term steam project (Tangmere), only to find out that it wasnt the right design but did match Clan Line (still need to buy a new Tender for Tangmere...) And that was it for a couple of years until I saw a Hornby Merchant Navy chassis listed on the old version of RMWeb, having brought that I set about stripping it down to fit components intended for Tangmere (whos etched chassis is a long long way down the todo list these days), with the loco completely striped down I then realised that the wheels I had for Tangmere have imperial axles and were no use for Clan Line, so other than P4ing the tender and putting most of the chassis bits in a box, not a lot was done. Cue another years gap until Warley yesterday, Whenever I saw Gibson at a show I either didnt think of Clan Line, or didnt want to waste limited spending money on wheels for a loco I dont really need. However yesterday a combination of some left over spending money, and the desire to work on something a bit different to the usual P4 rewheel jobs saw me finally buy the bits that were required. Annoyingly I have left the box containing most of the parts for the front & rear 'bits' along with the body and the spring unit for the rear driving wheel back in Devon (thankfully I'm due down there at the weekend so can collect it!) But I was able to get on with the other two driving wheels, these have been fitted with the Hornby gear/bearings and quatered before dropping into the chassis for safe keeping. I have also added the rear driver into its slot for the time being. The rear non driving axle was removed earlier in the year, and I now have the correct sized wheel to replace it with, this bits going to need more work though as I want to try and get rid of the huge gap above it! half tempted to see if there is some way to spring it as well (maybe a bill bedford unit bodged to fit the available space) with the front bogie, I'd prefer to replace it with an etched one if I can find one. I am going to fit a plasticard layer to each side of the main frames to get them to the prototypical width (along with realigning breakgear and the suspension springs.) This does need a little more research to find the old thread that mentioned what size to use... The tender needs some minor work doing to the top to add the changes made to it in preservation, and will also get a new chassis with some form of compensation/springing Finally the con rods, again on the lookout for a supplier of something a bit finer to replace the Hornby stuff with, particularly as a few parts have got slightly bent. Will hopefully bring along a powered chassis to DRAG on monday to give it a bit of a test. I was thinking it would be a good idea to make sure it runs with just the drivers (and maybe the rear trailing axle) to make sure it runs properly before I start messing about trying to rebuild all of the con rods etc.