Leaderboard

This engine was built in 1965 and worked at British Leyland, Swindon, before becoming surplus to requirements. It arrived at Strong's yard in 1979 in full working order and after a time working the yard was added to the hire fleet. It was easy to drive and powerful, with a Twin Disc torque convertor and Leyland O.680 engine.

A New Year opens up all sorts of new possibilities! I spent much of last year discovering what I could do by means of 3D printing. In fact, it now seems as though almost any prototype is within my reach – at least in terms of static display models. I have given one of my recent model photos, the ‘early photograph’ look, as shown below: ‘Argus’ and ‘Rob Roy’ at Bullo Pill The only additional model I have printed since my last post was a 4-wheel tender for ‘Argus’, which had previously ‘shared’ a tender with my model of the Gooch Goods ‘Tantalus’. It was designed in my usual way, in two parts – chassis and body. 4-wheel tender for ‘Argus’ At Christmas, I converted my Railway Modeller subscription to the digital version, following a prompt from @Annie that this now includes access to all back issues from 1949 onwards. Reading through some of those old articles has been a revelation; I realise that modellers were creating superb models of unusual prototypes at a time when my own idea of model railways did not extend beyond a circle of track on the dining-room table. Considering the obstacles those early modellers had to overcome, in the absence of all those components from the trade that we now take for granted, their achievements were truly remarkable. I was interested to read about some of the pioneering work in modelling the GWR Broad Gauge, especially the remarkable achievements of the late Mike Sharman, who did so much to establish 19th-century models in 4 mm scale. His article in the December 1970 issue was a revelation to me, with its eclectic range of locomotives, including Cramptons on the standard gauge and the early ‘Vulcan’ on the broad gauge, all set within ‘period’ scenery. An especially remarkable component of this layout was the ‘machine shop’, with lathe and milling machine driven from overhead shafting, while various loco parts were scattered around the shop floor. There is a splendid video of his work at : From a slightly more recent period, the broad gauge ‘Dorchester Junction’ layout, described by R.W.B.White in the September 1994 issue, included a beautiful selection of broad gauge locomotives and stock – many of which have been the subjects of my own model-making attempts. Several of these can be seen and admired on the Scalefour Society website at https://www.scalefour.org/shows/S4um2012/dorchester.html In fact, I was surprised to see how many splendid broad gauge models have been produced in both 4 mm and 7 mm scales. They seem to have been a little more popular in the years before the millennium than they are nowadays, despite the fact that, in large part through the efforts of the Broad Gauge Society, there is now a wealth of information readily available, together with a range of kits covering not only locomotives and rolling stock but many line-side accessories as well. It looks as though I have a lot to do in 2022, if I’m to approach the standards that those pioneers achieved over 50 years ago. Happy New Year! Mike

I know you have not heard from me from a long time. The Brexit was a breaking point for me. Ordering from British small suppliers became to complicate and expensive. Because I want to model, I searched for something new. I have always been interested in fantasy stories like the Lord of the Rings. But the Warhammer figures always show the most of them in a fighting position. My wife does not like that for my modelling. After some search on the internet, I found a Danish shop selling their own range of figures. My wife likes them also. I ordered some to try out and made my first fantasy diorama: a butcher shop. After painting some fantasy figures, I was not satisfied with the result. At some point I joined the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy. It helped my to improve my painting. He also has a monthly painting challenge. I decided to participate in this challenge. In the pictures an overview of my entries. I’m glad, I found something to keep modelling. I still enjoy creating dioramas and small scenes. I will thank everyone who has supported me in my period on the RM web. I wish everyone a good new railway modelling year. As always suggestions and comments are welcome. Kind Regards, Job

Fun Town - Ice Cream Wagon. Had this crazy idea about building a few animated wagon's that would run on DCC for Fun Town's market. The original thought's were to add movement to the 4mm scale humanoids that would occupy these stationary wagons, maybe a rotating head, guy serving ice cream, someone waving, rotating cog's / gears, steam cylinder's, and roof fan's. The animated wagon's would be similar in size to the market stall wagon's and form part of the same train. With very little pre planning, I jumped straight in and made three very similar chassis with a common mechanism for the steam cylinder's and then later decided to concentrate on one wagon to see what animations were achievable in such a small space. This blog covers the construction of the first wagon and although I'm quite pleased with the end result, I'm a little disappointed that no animated humanoids were made in this first attempt, however, I do now have a few idea's to try out on the next wagon. Thanks for Looking..

Projects over the summer have included trees. The original inspiration came from the tree-lined perimeters of Reading’s Vastern Road and King’s Meadow goods yards. Vastern Road yard, Reading, 1948. Source: Britain from above. The trees here were quite close to the track along some sections. Earlier photos from the 1900s show larger trees, so they must have been a feature from at least the 1880s. Vastern Road yard, Reading, 1948. Source: Britain from above. Apart from a bit of dabbling ages ago, this was my first real attempt at trees. It does show! But for what it's worth, here's a summary of how I did them. The basic armature was made from Treemendus 0.5 mm wire, cut to 150 mm lengths of which I used 45 per tree for my purposes. Similar wire can be obtained from florists. To form the trees, I used the method suggested by Treemendus, whereby one wire is twisted around others (rather than twisting all wires). This is certainly a quick method, but the outer wire does show. Treemendus recommend using masking tape in order to smooth out the trunk and main branches. This helps, but also adds to the thickness. Accordingly, I may use fewer wires per tree for the next batch. Once done, the armatures were coated in Treemendus bark powder. This can be sanded for a smoother look. For the crown and foliage I diverted from the Treemendus approach and instead used Heki sea foam, each piece glued to the armature with superglue. The pods can be removed, but I didn’t bother as the foliage I used conceals it. The crown was sprayed with a few quick coats of light brown/grey. I used Liquitex, these are low-toxic water based spraypaint for artists. Foliage was added using “coarse turf” from Woodlands scenic. This is the “burnt grass” shade. The foliage was attached using Hob-e-Tac- glue, non-toxic and very sticky. The foliage sticks to the outer reaches of the seafoam, leaving a nice natural branch structure behind it. A coat of Woodlands “scenic cement” was sprayed on to further stick things down. This darkens the foliage somewhat, so I only did one coat. As these are planted urban trees, they needed to be fairly uniform yet individually different. It helped to build them alongside each other. I found that it was possible to make up individual bits of sea-foam twigs and retro-fit them to the trees. That way, any areas that I was unhappy with could be improved. The species is nominally London Plane-ish, although I admittedly concentrated more on just learning the techniques. I did try to indicate the mottled/patchy look of the bark with a paintbrush, but it doesn't show up well and needs more work. The original plan was to have 3-4 trees at the front of the layout. I liked the views beneath the canopy. And the shadow effect when the sun came in through our windows. But from a distance the layout seemed too “front loaded” and forbidding. Trying out various configurations I was struck by how the different positioning of trees can give very different impressions. E.g., compare these two photos: In the end I opted for the arrangement seen below. This gives me street trees but also an open view. It requires an extension of the layout at the back, featuring another road and - you'll be relieved to hear - a backscene. This is currently being built. It's all been an interesting exercise. I will probably keep this first batch of trees for the time being, but have started experimenting with alternative methods, including natural plants. More on that later.

I’ve always been fascinated by this old photo, which is reproduced in Matthew Bagnet’s “The Railways of Farthing” (not sure about copyright, hope it’s OK). This enlargement (apologies for the poor quality) shows the presence of some interesting "foreign” wagons at Farthing, including an MSWJR 3-plank open and an LSWR one-plank stone wagon. I’ve already modelled the former, so I thought I’d do the LSWR wagon as well. So here it is in 4mm scale. I built it using the resin kit from Graham Baker of Gramodels. Below is a description of how it was done. The kit consists of the body only. The photo above shows a 3-planker that I had also ordered, and the one-planker (with flash cleaned off) below it. As you can see, both wagons sport a graceful curve. Fortunately the instructions deal with this: Take one bowl of hot water and add the body... …bend body back to shape on a straight surface, and apply weight until cool. ...serve with a pragmatic state of mind and a healthy dose of modeller’s joy. The kit gives you the body, and you have to source the other parts yourself. I first had a go at building my own Panther’s axleboxes (above right), using a modified GWR grease box (above left) as a basis. They were a little coarse though, and I’m not sure the LSWR would have approved of their GWR origin! Instead, I cannibalized the W-irons, axle boxes, brakegear and buffers from a spare ABS kit for an LSWR 5-plank open. The ends will be used for another project, so not too much was wasted. I used an old MJT unit to align the ABS W-irons. I really do need to get myself a decent jig for this sort of thing. I’m not 100% sure about the brake arrangements for the wagon. My best guess so far is double block single side brakes, right rod over left. This is a very light weight body so lots of liquid lead added. I’ve seen debates about what glue to use for liquid lead, as some glues seem to bring about an expanding reaction. Deluxe materials recommend their own card glue and I have to say it works a treat. Standard open spoked wheels and a few rivet transfers from Archer’s to complete the build. I used to spend a lot of time trying to get the interior of wagons right with multiple shades of paint. To save time I now use a less subtle but quicker method. First step is to paint the interior 1-2 coats of Vallejo pale sand. This looks wrong but provides the necessary light base. When fully dry, I add a liberal dose of Carr’s dark black weathering powder. Lighter shades won’t work so well at this point, it has to be that rich dark powder that really gives off colour. After brushing all around the interior with a soft brush, I remove the surplus weathering powder, giving this result. Ligther shades of grey weathering powder can be used to add shades as appropriate for the type of load. I plan to add a stone load in due course. Jonathan has kindly shared some photos of Ron Rising's LSWR wagons with stone loads. Looks great I think, see: http://s1307.photobu...s?sort=3&page=1 There goes the neighbourhood! Wagons from the SDJR, LSWR and MSWJR being shunted outside the goods depot at Farthing.

I think I've said before I have problems finishing anything. I have half built locos in O Gauge (x2), O-16.5, OO, 3mmFS, and 2mmFS. The 2mm one, a "scratchbuilders aid" for a LSWR Class 700 from Worsley Works has been sitting around for at least 15 years, still all on it's fret with 2mm Society wheels, a worm and three gears (if only I could remember which one was supposed to go where), bits of PCB and, somewhere I hope, a motor. I've also got a plan of the loco. I know this because I've found a photo copy I did at 2mm to the foot, but no sign of the original 4mm one despite looking in "all the usual places" (absolutely everywhere I can think of!). So, yesterday having waited only a decade and a half I rushed in and started with the tender. I've decided I just need to get something built, if it looks right, great! If it runs well, amazing! If it looks right and runs well... let's not get carried away. What a place to start! Bending 4 round corners, bending 3 flares, doing something clever with solder and files at the bit where round corners and flares combine. maybe I need another 5 years to think about it. Helped by the kit design I bent the corners round a brass rod and got something I'm happy with. There were no major issues with bending the flares, slow and steady seemed to work. I'm going to have to check the angle on the plans as currently they're just by eye. I've decided to solder the sides to the footplate before doing the magic bit with the corners as that seems to involve a lot of filing that will possibly benefit from a secure base and happily tacked them together, badly as I now see on the photo. But, I had fun doing it and if it doesn't turn out to be a masterpiece so what, at least I tried. Tune in for the next thrilling instalment... sometime around 2027 at my glacial pace.

It's a heavy goods loco in this episode of Sudrian Spotlight, 8F No.802 'Indomitable'. Thought it's a pretty basic customisation, I think it has a certain presence...

In my previous review of the Hornby Railroad Tornado, I was impressed with the overall quality of the mechanism, and the accuracy of the model. I made a mistake in my review, where I incorrectly stated that there was no detail pack included in the box. It was in fact, stuck into a recess on the back of the polysterene packing. The Special Edition model of Tornado has now been released, and with it comes the opportunity to compare it with the Bachmann model of Tornado. The Hornby model is an entirely new tooling which is based on the design of the new build A1, and the Bachmann model is a repaint with some slight modifications of its tooling, intended originally to portray the non-roller bearing locomotives of the Peppercorn A1 class. The outer sleeve for the Hornby box is supremely attractive, with side and top down illustrations of the Tornado model, and “special edition†branding, with the instantly recognisable RAF blue nameplates. On the back, there is a short description of Tornado and her building, along with a photograph of Tornado in her first year of operation (note the position of the chime whistle on the deflector). Removing the sleeve reveals the standard Railroad box, identical in all respects, bar the model inside, to the previous Railroad Tornado model. This is disappointing in some respects given the “special edition†status of the model. In stark contrast, Bachmann's Tornado has the now familiar, standard Bachmann packaging, which incorporates its own blue/red outer sleeve, but unlike the Hornby box, includes a clear plastic panel for viewing the model. Of the two, the Bachmann model is better packaged, with a well designed plastic insert, into a cardboard tray protecting the model better than the polysterene tray of the Hornby model. The first thing which strikes me when viewing the models together is their paint colour. The shade of green on the models is very different from each other, Bachmann's being too olive green in shade, and Hornby's too dark. Looking at my own footage of Tornado, where the shade changes dependent on light source in any event, it's up to the individual to feel if either model gets the shade of green spot on. My personal preference would be for the Hornby shade. In contrast, the red lining along the frames and running plate of engine and tender are similar shades, but differently applied. The Hornby model has much thinner lining, which makes the shade of red seem duller. The Bachmann model has this elaborate lining applied slightly wider, and the result is that the red appears much brighter. A quick glance at a photograph of the real thing, and it seems as if Hornby has the edge here with its much finer lining. The white/black/white lining out on the locomotives and their tenders follows a similar pattern. Bachmann's lining out is marginally wider than that on the Hornby model, and the white of the lining out appears brighter as a result. This is particularly noticeable on the cab and tender sides of the Bachmann model. The nameplates and commemorative plaques on the smoke deflectors and frames are neatly applied on both, but the darker shade of the “brass†colour used for the nameplates is better on the Hornby model, making the nameplate more legible as a result. Neither of the two models appear to have the correct shade of cream for the British Railways lettering or cabside numerals, and the size of the lettering and numbers on the Bachmann model appears overscale, the Hornby model being better for size and proportion, but being strangely more yellowish in its overall shade. The worksplates and RA9 numerals on both are well applied and legible, although it is something of a surprise that the plug on the lower part of the cab on the Hornby model is printed as opposed to moulded, as on the Bachmann model. On the tenders, the builders plaque and dials on the cabinets are excellently reproduced on both models, but Hornby's tender includes the extra warning flashes on the rear of the tender, which as far as I can see from my own prototype photographs, the real 60163 Tornado does not have. The smokebox door of both models are very convincing; the shade of silver for the smokebox door straps, handrail and door dart are in both cases, crisply applied. The upper lamp bracket is moulded on the Hornby model, and a separately fitted item on the Bachmann model. The Bachmann model has the upper hand with regards the distinctive chime whistle, which is a separate item, and painted in a gold shade: the Hornby Tornado's whistle is moulded into the deflector, and remains unpainted. In addition, only the top electric light on the Hornby model is painted, the rest (which are not factory fitted as the Bachmann model's are, and are in a detailing pack) are left as unpainted black plastic. The shape and size of the front bufferbeams are very different, the Hornby Tornado's bufferbeam being deeper than the Bachmann model. There's no doubt in my mind that the Bachmann Tornado falls down in this area, Hornby nailing the diagonals at the edge of the beams, and having its footsteps moulded neatly into them, avoiding the self-fitting nature of the Bachmann Tornado's steps. However, the Hornby model is let down by having plastic moulded buffers, instead of sprung metal ones, as on the Bachmann Tornado. This was the first modification I made to my Railroad Tornado model, as seen here in its new guise as 60163 when first completed at Darlington works. The model as delivered had damage to its right hand buffer, indicative of the extremely thin plastic heads that have been utilized by Hornby for this model. The piping around the smokebox area – which is different on Tornado to the original Peppercorn A1s – is correctly represented on the Hornby model, on both sides, Bachmann's portraying the original arrangement, and therefore is inaccurate in this respect to the real Tornado. The valve gear is finer on the Bachmann model although the connecting rods and coupling rods are chunkier. This overall is the better of the two representations of Tornado's motion, Hornby's setup using much thinner metals overall, and looking decidedly flimsy. This in stark contrast to the cylinders, where Bachmann's are better moulded, and slightly shorter in length to the Hornby cylinders, which appear rather larger overall. However, the positioning and incline of the cylinders is better on the Hornby Tornado than the Bachmann Tornado. However, curiously there are two holes for attaching, presumbly, the cylinder drain cocks underneath the Hornby Tornado's cylinders – but no cylinder drain cocks are provided in the detailing pack. The deflectors are, curiously, different lengths and heights from each other. The Bachmann Tornado has separately fitted handrails, whilst the Hornby Tornado has moulded plastic handrails. The Hornby deflectors are bigger overall. From delving into my photographs of the prototype, it seems the Hornby deflectors are a better match overall, whilst having a lower level of detail. It's a similar story with the cabs – the Bachmann model has more separately fitted detail, including glazing on the cab spectacles and side windows, and separately fitted handrails, but the cab roof (as to be expected) is a representation of the original Peppercorn A1s, and not reflective of Tornado's different roof profile. The roof profile of the Hornby Tornado – as stated in the Railroad Tornado review – captures the profile of the real locomotive's roof perfectly. Neither of the two models has opening roof vents or similar details compared to other Pacific models on the market (notably, the Hornby A4 and A3 Pacifics). The whistle on the Bachmann A1 is on the correct side of the cab (leaving a hole for placement of a whistle in the original design specification), but is mounted too high, and too close to the safety valves. The Hornby Tornado's whistle is not only better shaped, but it is in the correct place. Inside the cab, the Bachmann Tornado's boiler fittings are well painted, and stand out with a few separately fitted details such as the pull out regulator handle. The Hornby model is a one piece moulding which captures the overall look, but seems plainer in unpainted black plastic. Both models feature the cabinets under the bucket seats in the cab, as on the real Tornado. Bachmann's Tornado features a lovely etched metal fallplate, which is not modelled on the Hornby Tornado, and cab doors too, as part of its detailing pack. The stovepipe chimney on the Hornby model is crisply moulded, and is a separate plug in attachment, allowing for different variants. The Bachmann Tornado's chimney is in two parts, with the top half allowing a switch between stovepipe and rimmed chimneys, and to be frank, this arrangement doesn't look particularly convincing for either Tornado or the original locomotives this tooling has portrayed. The Hornby chimney is marginally shorter, reflecting the shorter stature of the real Tornado to its predecessors. On the boiler, the Bachmann Tornado's washout plugs are not particularly well moulded, although the overall quality of the moulding and its paint finish is excellent. The Hornby Tornado's boiler, including its washout plugs, seems much more convincing in over shape and detail, but the lower handrail is moulded on, as opposed to being separately fitted. The tender bodies are both well moulded, but the Bachmann model edges out the Hornby model with its separately fitted details on the tender footplate, and with its standard fitted handrails. The printing of the dials and other painted detail is superior on the Hornby tender as a whole, although the added overhead warning stickers is something of a puzzle. It is a shame that, like on the front bufferbeam, the tender buffers are moulded in plastic as part of the frames. The Hornby tender is a better representation of the real thing, incorporating some excellently moulded roller bearing axleboxes throughout, and there is a significant difference in “look†when the two tenders are stood side by side. Finally, both models are equipped with NEM pockets, allowing for changeover of couplings from tension lock to kadees if required (as demonstrated on the tenders). Overall, the two models are impressive in their own rights, for different reasons. The attention to detail of the Hornby Tornado by far outstrips the minor modifications Bachmann made to their tender bodyshell; in contrast, the separately fitted detail of the Bachmann model is vast. The decision to buy one over the other will come down to, I think, price - the recommended retail price for the Hornby Special Edition Tornado model is is £92.99, whereas Bachmann Tornado's recommended retail price is £141.95, with another batch of these models expected later in the year. If you want a model OF Tornado, buy the Hornby model. If you want the best "representation" of Tornado, then buy Bachmann's model with all the separately fitted detail that comes with it. Source: 'Railroad' Tornado