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Signaller69

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Everything posted by Signaller69

  1. Hi James, I trust you are well, thanks for your comments. It is actually a lot glossier than the photos might appear to show......and the 1971 photos I have of it at Oban show it to be rather less than pristine unfortunately! I don't have an acrylic satin varnish auto spray either..... It may just get a light dusting of road dirt, but there is no hurry!
  2. The track weathering looks great Ian. I also have an unfounded abject fear of using my airbrush for the first time - like you, it must be 3 or 4 years since I received it (as a Christmas from my good lady). With the weather (hopefully) improving I really must give it a go. Mind you I received a new phone for Christmas present last year and that is also still unused in it's box! I'm not the best at rushing to use unfamiliar new stuff.... Martyn.
  3. Painted and transferred, the loco in all it's glossy glory, pending a coat of Matt varnish. There are still jobs to be done such as the roof fan grille, handrails etc. I worked from a photo on the Derby Sulzers website page for 5176 (later 25 026) here: https://www.derbysulzers.com/25026.html Which shows the loco ex-Derby works in 1968, the grey (translucent?) roof panels showing up particularly well.
  4. Usually I would go with that, but with the cab shape of the 24/25 it Just makes for easier masking to be honest. Once masked I spray a coat of light grey or white acrylic car primer, then yellow which usually does the job.
  5. 5176 in primer. And has just had a coat of BR blue applied, which will be allowed to dry fully before applying the yellow ends.
  6. Oh heck. Hopefully symptoms remain mild and it won't affect you for long and you feel better quickly. Annoying all the same. I was only talking with someone the other day, it seems I know more people who have had Covid in the past couple of months than in the previous 2 years, so it's clearly still around though hopefully milder now than it was. All the best mate, Martyn.
  7. Hi James, Sorry to hear of your woes, I have had similar issues in the past, usually with acrylic auto spray varnishes over enamels (as with your example, mostly when using Railmatch colours, hit & miss with Humbrol (but fatal with Humbrol gloss colours). Since then I generally use rattle can colours for most projects and avoid enamels altogether when possible, other than for small touch ups or weathering after spraying has been completed. Hope you manage to strip the paint ok and get a better finish second time round. Martyn.
  8. Great idea. Whether I will remember to take one next time is another question!
  9. Caveat Emptor indeed, as you say! It would be nice if sellers were always honest. I know most are but it is the odd one or two who make it harder for everyone else, as with most avenues of life. I prefer to see before I buy so don't use Ebay, but if there is no test facility at a Toyfair (not usually a problem at shows!) it can be hard to test if something works anyway - and if tested and it doesn't work, is it simply fitted with DCC not compatible with an analogue controller? Or something more serious? Physically the loco LOOKED as good as new, no fingerprints, paint marks etc, with a very good box. In this instance an easy fix, but to someone new into the hobby it could be very offputting. Equally if the factory wiring was just a little more resilient it wouldn't happen.
  10. Hi Ian, Istr the brick sheets are colour fast, I've not had any issues with washes so airbrushing should be fine? A coat of sprayed Matt varnish (I use acrylic car sprays) wouldn't harm though to be extra safe. Martyn.
  11. 5176 is almost ready for paint, once the etch primer has dried on the boiler vent covers and they have been fitted. Most of the detail changes can be seen here. Testing of the Railroad class 40 I purchased the other week was undertaken and nothing happened when power was applied, other than a stutter - odd as this loco has 4 pickups per side and should, in theory, be a nice smooth runner; it was sold as having come from a "display collection"**. I wondered if it had been DCC fitted, so whipped the body off......no DCC chip, just a blanking plate. Further investigation showed 2 pickup wires had detached from the soldered connections on opposite bogies (which looked quite poorly done at the manufacturing stage, with not much play available in the wires during rotation of the bogies on sharp curves, despite them being looped and secured to the chassis frame with black-tac type goo), so these had to be soldered back in place. It does now run nicely I'm happy to say, and the Hornby finish is actually rather good in their defence. So just a record shot before it also starts to receive some backdating work. **the usual advice of taking "sales talk" with a pinch of salt - rather like the used car salesman old line of "it's only had one careful lady owner, never raced or rallied, honest guv"!
  12. The shed has had its new base (from hardboard with wood strip edging) and support pillars made up. Needing 24 supports, I wanted a simple method of production, so I used 5mm wooden square strip cut to 15mm lengths, with ID Backscenes self adhesive brickwork applied. The staff access doors at both ends need steps making yet.
  13. Thanks Ian, Management are thinking of land filling the harbour to give extra space! Martyn.
  14. Always nice to see folk upgrading the older models, coaches particularly. Done several Traing Mk.1 cut & shuts but not tackled any Mk.2s yet so following with interest. Martyn.
  15. Always nice to see folk upgrading the older models, coaches particularly. Done several Mk.1s but not tackled any Mk.2s yet so following with interest.
  16. Couple of pics of what is going on...... The temporarily placed new track next to the supporting wall will be the lengthened and realigned carriage siding (the cause of the changes) with the nearer, second lengthened siding serving the repositioned NCL goods shed which will probably go beyond the Macbraynes (red roof) building; as can be seen this will require the old goods shed siding removing, along with the associated point, to leave 2 shorter sidings at the front of the layout (possibly with one extended along the quay embedded in the roadway, but disused - as it's a long drop to the floor if the layout gets knocked!). But I've not reached a final decision on this yet, nor the final exact building positions, but it will come to me! The NCL shed is coming on too, the new base for it is currently under construction.
  17. Nice to see a 175 finally, ironic as the real things are coming out of service soon due to corrosion issues.....
  18. Don't forget to remove the steps from each coach end too.
  19. Well I have decided to go ahead with the sidings revamp. The coal yard / NCL shed area have been cleared and sidings are in the process of being prepared for realignment. As part of this, the NCL warehouse will sit on a new base of plinths rather than a solid platform, as the one at Kyle did as per this Facebook photo extract (complete with MacBraynes lorry who had the NCL transport contract) (Note also the first radius set-track curve of around 100' radius which went to a wagon turntable at the end of the loading dock on the other side of the shed; another line went across parallel to the end of the dock from this turntable behind the lorry!) However my revamped shed was a little tall and had a brick base thus: Which was fine on a solid base, but not on pillars! So to solve the problem, the brick base has been cut away leaving a lower shed (the doors were removed exposing the former colour): The door depth (now a scale 7ft) will be increased a little and new doors made, along with a new base and plinth/pillar supports. Hopefully some pics of what is going on soon.....
  20. 5098 is nearing the finish line! Still the glazing, cab handrails, lamp irons and windscreen wipers to fit. Thanks to Steve (Railtec) for sorting the marvellous one piece numbering transfers again - along with some for the 40 and my SLW 24. Work has also started on the final 2 of this batch. First up the easy one, as it's staying as a 25, No. 5176 which will be blue: This has been lowered on the chassis and had resin class 25 tanks fitted as with the others. The other will become late class 24 no. 5147; this was one of the late 24s which had winged headcode boxes fitted following accident repair (without air horn enclosures) and retained green livery until 1974. Otherwise it needs most of the same jobs doing as 5098 above: This has also been lowered and had class 24 tanks fitted, and the wings either side of the headcode box have had the horns removed and filler applied to give a better profile. Onto the various bodywork jobs next......
  21. Work has, however, been going on with various locos including some more extensive Hornby 25 conversions (and 24's, still ongoing), some of which are seen on the layout. All will fit nicely with the 1970-1973 timeframe.
  22. So no new progress to report, but this nice slide show of photos popped up showing Scottish Type 1 &2 locos in the late 60s, some very atmospheric shots too.
  23. They don't seem to sit "flat" whichever rail is used due to the way they are made. I trim away the lower ends of the vertical parts and the bottom edge of the rails which sit outside the running rail. I suspect running a needle file through the vertical parts which curve over either side of the running rail might help them sit a little lower? My efforts on "Crinan": Martyn.
  24. I wouldn't overthink it, planked plasticard either side of a single sheet of 40 thou will be sufficiently rigid, just be sure to make that wall separately and weight it on a flat surface while it cures, before attaching it to the ends of the shed. I would say that the 3 windows on the sea facing side are all different, with the right and middle both having the top at the same height, but the middle window does look shallower. The left window is definitely lower, but it could I suppose be the same size as the middle window, it is hard to be certain?
  25. Finally able to get to a Toyfair after 2 years! Llangollen seemed well attended, prices much as they were before lockdown much to my relief. I came away with a Railroad 40, Mainline Restaurant Car and another Hornby 25 body. The Restaurant Car is earmarked for a ScR Griddle Car. Happy days!
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