M.I.B

So, we left you in suspense regarding a few items........ The "hybrid" scenic (but might run) tender has had the bunker completed to the best of my ability / to the best that the mouldings would allow. I used thin pasticard and "liquid poly" to bond/melt them all together. I worked my way from the back to the front, making templates out of Post-It notes before chopping the plasticard. So the sloped part, the floor, then the flat side sections, and the hardest to do were the vertical sides. They did take 2 or three Post-Its per side to get right. Finally I put some bunker doors back on, made from plasticard and Evergreen strip. Humbrol matt black and that's where we are so far. Still to do is add lots of rust to the bunker (coal is very acidic and pouring it in every day, then adding rain would soon see the insides of tender bunkers rusting away merrily. Once the rust is added I will add some coal and coal dust remnants to hide some of the joins. Transfers are from Fox. Green is late GWR Green from Pheonix.

They would be suitable for petroleum products, and water and quite a lot of chemical traffic.................up until the 70s when these sorts of tanks would be only good for water and static use on farms and yards. I sometimes see old 70s tanks on repurposed artic trailers on farms, but I haven't seen this style of tank anywhere for 20 years. I guess they all got to a point where they leaked and got cut up.

That is very kind of you Amanda - those tanks are just great for so many uses - a road tanker or trailer, or on a pile of sleepers behind a building in a yard for filling up the trucks, or on a farm yard, or as a raised up static fuel tank in a "rickety" premises like a scrap yard - either to fill the truck and the plant, or to store all that drained out oil for recovery.... If only I understood (or knew someone who did) 3d printing. There's lots of us who make a bit of pocket money to fund the hobby - and you are right, you can't put your time on top or else it wouldn't be worth doing. I look forward to the ROTANKs going on sale in some shape or form. I can add them to my MOREL order.

Or to avoid the horrendous tax added by UK Customs, is it easier to send the "drawing file" to a UK based "printer" and have them turn them out? (excuse the terminology). You then tell us which wheels to buy. I'm not sure how the 3d printing community works, but we often get CADs done on one country and turned into something in another.

I did mention some crew for King Ted 3. I remembered a set of whitemetal crew purchased at the end of last year, following a post on here to ask who else made crews. Mine were all looking a little "samey". I bought some plastic ones and these kit form crew from AC Stadden: With interchangable arms, which each have an amount of adjustment, these were great VFM. Each arm has a "ball" which locates into a suitable "socket" on the torso making positioning perfect. And they don't slide whilst setting either. I have kept the spare arms in case I want to modify some of the Hornby and Dapol crew which I still have left to do. I am very pleased with the outcome so far - a little filing is needed to re-shape shoulders, in order to get arm position where I wanted. The 6 finished crew don't photograph well "in the flesh" so I will get on and do some painting.......

A productive spell - there is no construction going on this week so no evening tidy-ups to do, no blocks and bricks to shift, so modelling time...... Three coal wagons. RTR. Two Red box and one Dapol. Not sure why Hornby and Dapol often bring out a slightly different version of the same model, but this can be a bonus: by using a fibre glass pen, or a scalpel, perhaps some Scotchbrite pad, fleet numbers can be changed to give two different wagons. Hornby's version is the lighter of the two. Dapol version came with the moulded coal, which can be reduced in height, by trimming the "legs" underneath. This then gives a contoured base for some UHU and coal..... As for the distressing - after the number change it is a rub all over with a Scotchbrite pad, followed by some plank replacements. My particular favourite is Pheonix "Natural Wood", but like my overall painting, I do make up a colour pallette and change it up a bit on different planks. I also used some grey to simulate a primered plank or two, and to prime some of the metalwork on the replacement wagon door. In reality I would paint the wood first and then do any touching up of the ironwork - trying to be accurate in this area is a little testing. The Hornby wagons got coal using the "sculptured sponge" method which I am now very taken with. I think I may have now completed 10 this way. With about 130 coal wagons left to do, I won't be looking for jobs in winter evenings..... Then just the usual blacking of the wheels, and the Hornby "Gregory" had a coupling swap down to the thinner smaller type. After a squirt with the airbrush, I think these will pass muster. Canada Day yesterday, and the anniversary of Mallard's run tomorrow. I hope that you are all happy and healthy.

Is selling on Amazon any cheaper? Or do you need a considerable volume to do that?

That lower photo is great - the shortlived initial BRITISH RAILWAYS on the tender. I too would be interested in a purchase when these come to be manufactured.

I had no inclination to do more on the Collett tender or the 8 wheel tender, so I did a few vans.... I liked the Wrenn "Standard Fireworks" Iron Mink but would not put up with the chassis, couplings and running. So I bought a Dapol Mink which has a body from the same mould! A quick repaint of the roof, a chassis swap and I get a good running Standard Fireworks Iron Mink. The second part of this work was to mount the Dapol "GW" Mink body onto the Wrenn chassis - simple job, and then remove the couplings and coupling mounts. This van will become a scenic item, so it got a grubby roof, some patch painted panels and panel bottoms, alongside some rust emerging. The next pair are Bachmann SHOCVANs. Not a tough modellng task - a roof paint to simulate a build up of grot, and adjustments to the van numbers. All done in a jiffy. The third SHOCVAN is the Bachmann BR(W) version. Changes to the decals included new "Common User" decals, some "GW" s and the writing on the doors - all care of HMRS Pressfix. This had a bit more patch painting than the two GW ones, especially because of the large white stripes on the doors and ends. The end result is a slightly different SHOCVAN, with different running number and different "return to" details. The final van is a Bachmann 20t TOAD. Not a tough set of changes, but necessary: a dark grey roof, removal of the "Shrewsbury" branding, and removal of one set of couplings and coupling mounts. Add a red lensed white lamp and we are in business.....

Well done John - not only for finding it and sorting it, but also explaining it all in an understandable way! Happy Canada Day for tomorrow.

I managed a session with the Dremel last night. I'm fairly proficient with grinders, drills etc on large steel projects, but I'm still getting used to the Dremel. One tiny slip on a plastic model and it is easily ruined. I found it easier and safer to lean the Dremel against the bench vice and move the work to meet the tool. I do have the flexi shaft for this which would alleviate the problem of the unit's weight accidentally "pushing" into the work. (Fireman's side tool-bin lid took a nick early on before I switched to this tactic......) I used a thin-disk to remove most of the top and make 90% of the work to cut out the bunker doors and coal on the footplate. Then I swapped to a thick grinder disk and got a fair bit more done. The final stage was to use a flat file. emery board and a scalpel to trim. I'm still not happy with the results. There is a tiny amount of coal left at the top of the inside edges. Removing it is difficult as the material is already thin, and this is also the area where the tender flares out at the tops of the sides - I think I could easily file through in some points. I will have a fresh look tonight. I will need to add some strength across the width: when I cut away the bunker doors and the coal on the footplate, the front became extremely flimsy. In the meantime, I hope that you are all happy and healthy.

"Shirtbutton" logos are only in yellow on brown stock. If the van had been grey it would have had "GW" letters like ordinary freight vans.

I will take a photo of 6022 when it has crew. It's 20.30 now and I still haven't finished laying out bricks for tomorrow - old front door to be bricked up. So the tender work may not happen......

Good morning all - two months since the last update. House build is going well, despite Lockdown. And I have even got a small amount of modelling done. I have a recent Hornby King James II which was converted to 6022 with a full repaint, and then a series of patch paints on top followed by Dullcote. Even without an airbrush weather, Edward3 now looks suitably weary which is correct for the time period - it had done a number of years in unlined livery and was just about to head to Swindon. Nothing special on the modelling front, and the same "ingredients" as usual from Precision, HMRS, Fox and Modelmaster. It does need crew, and a batch were selected for painting last night. And in the tradition of Monty Python, here is something completely different: In the process of making up 6951 having its turn with the 8 wheel tender, Olton Hall threw up a 4000 Gallon tender chassis. Elsewhere, a slightly older Hornby 4000 gallon tender top was homeless. This also seems to have been in the Harry Potter range due to its coloration inside. The plan is to make a scenic item for the Shed, with half an eye on it becoming used with a runner at a later date. The molded handrails were carefully shaved off so as not to carve off the bottom molding on the tank. Markits brass knobs and wire were used, and Stage One is complete. Livery will be green with "GWR". Stage Two, which may occur tonight, is the removal of the molded coal load. I will be building an almost empty bunker. If this does go into service I can always add a little more to show an engine needing coaling. I think I have a coupling somewhere (Screw link) and that's all that this will need other than transfers and a tyre weight or two inside. In the meantime I hope that you are all happy and healthy, and surviving Lockdown.

Thanks Tony - I was planning on using similar or Evostick on the next batch. Whenever I get round to them........ I have promised to resurrect and rescue the failed coaches before I do more new ones. Regards

Be wary of using Araldite to fix brass sides to RTR. I have found out the expensive way. Next time I will use Evostick which I am told is successful.

You were The Fonz?

Just thinking of memorials the other day in the light of some heinous crimes, and I thought back to this item. Would it not be a deep bronze colour over most of it, with a little verdigris in the dark nooks. Perhaps a little dod of pigeon poop somewhere? Roofs were made of copper sheet which goes green very quickly, bronze just gets a darker brown/bronze colour. And anything that the public can touch (like the nose on the Wall Street Bull) is a bright shiney colour. Just a thought. And if Granby ever timewarps to the 1980s, don't forget a traffic cone for his head during Granby Polytechnic Rag Week. We Will Remember Them

If it's carrying sheep it's probably "U" lamp coded. Or is that lamb code?

Someone was making a nice resin kit (OO) of these "road vans" - not sure if they are still in production - I made one up - looks great and went together very easily. They may have been advertised in the back of the Toddler..........

When did the practice of marking Shockvans' doors with vertical white stripes? Is it a BR thing or did the GWR do it as well? Thanks.

Nice mixed livery rake with the Castle. An 8F doesn't have to be a Swindon built one. Most of the 8Fs in GW service were built elsewhere. A copy of Lyon's shed book will tell you which 8Fs were where in our timescale, and then from the numbers you can work out whether and RTR 8F will do or whether you need to modify to make it a Swindon built version. If you don't have the Lyons shed book, drop me a PM and I will let you know what was where in Devon.

Why not- it wouldn't need it's own WARWELL or WARFLAT for a load that light. Nice modelling.

Steve, Apologies for the lack of photos but it's a little dark and shadowy with only a desk lamp for light. Hornby Olton Hall comes with a flat steel drawbar. I decided to use this as it is a good length - not too close so that I get lock between loco and tender, but close enough to look realistic and cope with 1st radius curves at slow speed (in the yard). You have made the chassis to cope with both the Hornby articulated conductive coupling (open ended dog bone shape) and also the flat steel bar - by using a longer screw up through the front hole in the tender chassis, there is enough "meat" in the cast boss to receive a tiny long self tapper. BUT the draw bar is at a different height above the rails to the bottom of the boss in the tender. I could either have bent a dog leg into the draw bar, but that would shorten it. So instead I made up the gap with a small BA nut to act as a fat washer. This is sandwiched between the top of the draw bar and the boss under the front centre of the tender chassis. It works well.

Were the 8Fs turned out in black with "GWR" on the tenders?