M.I.B

Third and final task - prepare carriage stock for weathering. One or two items will never be weathered ( will explain why when I get back to the current cabinet descriptions). But the majority will. The internally framed SIPHON Gs were done last year, and the 7 new NPCCS are in the build phase. I have 3 of the new Hornby Colletts on order to drop into rakes to mix it up a little in true GW style. That explains some of the absences. I loaded up 3 storage crates from the loft, and shifted them down to the garage.This is about 1/2 of the North Cranford carriage stock, which is about the max amount I can handle at one time for weathering. I am very conscious when bulk weathering that all could turn out out the same, so I make a conscious effort to mix it up a little so that they don't all come out the same level of dirtiness. As well as un-boxing, which took longer than I thought, there were a few minor repairs and updates to be done. All of the items are at the same readiness stage: paint complete, wheels blacked if required, transfers/re-logo-ing done, gangways fitted, and for those carriages in fixed rakes: lamps added, close couplers added. So what do we have in this little lot? (detailed photos to follow when they are complete): B sets 2 MONSTERs a couple of different externally framed SIPHONs TPO and TSO Hawksworths - these have had some "license" applied in the form of backdating the BR(W) livery and adding late GW logos. at least 3 Collett restaurants More B sets Mainline Collets most of the LNER pigeon train (discussed a while back) LMS NPCCS garter logo clerestories - for a bit of time travel behind St David More B Sets (an urban railway can never have enough commuter stock) And some Hornby late logo long clerestories. So the vast majority is late logo GW, with a tiny bit of license in one or two cases, and one rake of Garter logo clerestories. But not one single shirt-button logo to be seen anywhere. Not on North Cranford. The stock is now awaiting some time next weekend......... Hope you are well and happy.

Catch Up Task 2 - bring the ballast hoppers on.... Firstly some paint. Autoshop rattle can red oxide primer in the hopper, and a bit over sprayed on the sides. I never mask the sides of hopper stock when I spray the inside with red oxide. I do the same with tenders too. By the time you add top coat on the outsides, you get a good rusted effect to the inside of the hopper, and a bit of rust bloom on the outside. After the red oxide rattle can - Hornby H67 tank grey from a rattle can. As stated earlier these will be loaded so no cross braces were fitted internally. The wheel sets run as good as the best RTR, but 10g of wheel weights (cadged from the tyre fitter's shop earlier) were UHU'd in place Then for the load. I didn't want this load sagging so I made a base out of very thin plasti-card sheet. Slightly too long, but the correct width. I then bent the plasti-card to help give the ballast load some "heaped-ness". Next comes the "buttering" of the card with UHU and sprinkling of ballast. I am using "Green Scene" new ballast as opposed to some of the browner offerings available. Makes sense to put pristine ballast in a hopper going to the job in hand. Then once this stage was dry ( didn't take long in the late afternoon sun) I then went back to track ballasting techniques.........The "heaped-ness" needed some help, so spray bottle of water and Fairy, syringe of PVA and water were used on a carefully coiffured heap of fresh ballast on each wagon. I think I have the size and shape of heaps sorted now. Lettering next and then, they go onto the weathering pile...These are still a bit wet from the water sprayer. Nice effect tho. (other glues, washing up liquids and ballast suppliers are available....etc etc etc )

I had planned a mammoth carriage weathering session this weekend but events conspired against me. I weather by airbrush in the garage, but with the walk in door open and the table pulled up to the door, so the fumes all exit nicely. Dry sunny weather, nothing else to do...... After sorting blown tyre on the car, and horse with a severe bleed which wouldn't stop, it was 3pm before I realized. Plan B. Catch up on stuff instead. Firstly I finished chopping out the RTR carriage side for the final K series NPCCS - the K36. This is the toughest one to do, and the remaining RTR side is very flimsy because this K van has more windows than any other cousin. It has top lights at the top ( not all "top lights" have toplights.....) and it also has a large amount of larger windows. As I was working my way through all of the K series vans I forgot to add the following tip: as well as marking the underside of the carriage roof with the type of van ( K42, K40, K19 etc), also mark the brass sides and carriage sides with an "A" and a "B" respectively. Not all of these types of carriage are symmetrical side for side. Same goes for corridor coaching stock I suppose. So Catch-up task 1 completed. All "RTR with brass sides" projects are at a stage where the sides a can be glued on.

John, You have an inspiring layout and great stock. This sort of modelling is even easier than it looks. I am always super impressed by anyone who can make up a brass kit. I will never be able to do that I feel. Then there's those who make things with live steam: everything knocked up from strip and bar and plate..........WOW! To me that's mind-blowing. But I have skills and training which is niche, and mind-blowing to other people. I'm glad we aren't all the same.

In case the "brass sides onto RTR" gets confusing, Here is a list of my current full brake projects using this method: K15 Worsely Works kit starting with a Hornby short clerestory, shortened.... . Dull brown finish. K19 Dart Castings sides. Modified Hornby 57' chassis. Finished Choc & Cream K22 Worsely Works sides on to Mainline 57' body ( modified) Chocolate & Cream K36 Dart Castings sides onto Hornby 57' body Choc & cream K38 Comet bodysides onto Hornby modified body All brown finish. K40 Comet sides onto Airfix B Set body/chassis Choc & Cream K42 Comet sides onto Hornby 57' body/chassis. Finished dull brown K42 Comet sides onto Mainline Body/chassis. Austerity Brown The replacement body for the K36 turned up today so the last of the body chopping will be done by sunday evening. The bullion van and O13 milk brake are full brass kits - I may have to save to pay someone to solder and fold these up for me.

Still undecided about the colour of the 3 hoppers, I set about chopping about some RTR carriages to make a start on the NPCCS projects. I would dearly love to be able to solder, and trust me I have tried and tried and tried, but to no avail, so I will continue to butcher RTR and drop on brass sides. My Bettabitz clerestory NPCSS conversion went well a few years ago, so I have decided to do a few more. Firstly take them apart. Then realize that you have both a. Purchased the correct base model ( by luck) and also b. Purchased something which seems suitable, but in fact isn't: My base models were a B Set, 2 x Mainline 57' LMS stock, and a brake third GW 57' (Hornby) as well as a Hornby 57' LMS compo. This was the trouble maker. The final item is the perennial Triang/Hornby clerestory, which I am doing more than slapping sides on - this will become a K15 so it has had a chunk sliced out of the middle to start.... The LMS Compo had so much detail on the roof, that removal, filling and smoothing would have taken an age. I decided this after I had chopped out the window level section, (which is the first job when fitting brass sides), so I couldn't pop it back on Ebay and get something back out of the deal. Lesson learnt. I noted that I had bought (by fluke) the Hornby GW 57' as a brake third, which only has one roof tank to remove, and the remainder is perfect for a couple of different NPCCS. Pure luck! So the replacement for the binned LMS 57' is another Hornby GW brake third 57'. So Step 1 (revised). Buy the right base model. The roof is key for GW models. Make sure it has a s little to alter as possible. Step 2 take them all apart. Step 3 - Mark the chassis and the body ( inside under the roof) with permanent pen - denote which van is being built on which body and chassis. This is important for Step 4. Step 4 - Lay the brass side gently on the RTR side. With a fine perma pen, mark the extent of the window to be cut out. You could waste hours and cut individual windows out, but I just cut one long slot. Not all Slots are the same size depending on which model of NPCCS , hence why the bodies and roofs are marked in Step 4. Step 5 - Get the Dremmel out!!!!!!!!!! (Other tools are available in many outlets....) I popped a slitting disk onto the Dremmel and whizzed out the marked up window slots' Step 6. De-burr. I used a sanding drum on the Dremmel to remove not only the burr made by the cutting disk ( it melts more than cuts). But also I had to knock down all of the surface detail such as hinges, handles and other protrusions. On the clerestory body, there was a ducket to remove as well as all of the raised panel moulding. It took hours to do this by hand when I built the L10s, but with a Dremmel - seconds. While I was At it, I buzzed off the water tank on the roof of the GW 57' - I think this is slated to become the K40 or the K42 - the roof is perfect when you take this tank off. Well done Hornby. The sides are left in a rough state, but the gouges on the roof will either get filled with milliput or car body filler and rubbed smooth by hand. This is as far as i have got, as I await the replacement Hornby 57' and bring that up as far as the rest of the pack.

So here is the Cambrian ballast hopper kit. I have decided to make 3 of these, all loaded, as part of a PW train. The rest of this PW train consists of 3 Cambrian sleeper carriers, a Cambrian (6ton?) crane and match truck, 2 GANES carrying rail, a 4 wheeler crew coach, and of course a ballast plough brake. As the whole rake will be permanently coupled, I have made my first foray into the world of non RTR couplings...... using some 3 link kits. Cambrian do not supply any couplings or wheels with the kits, but they will provide wheels for relevant gauge conversions at an extra price. The kit is extremely detailed, to the point where I think it is too detailed. The buffers are two piece moldings, and mine all have dimples in their heads where the mold has sunk unto the recess designed as the joint between head and the main mounting box. The underframe is incredibly detailed and there are a myriad of tiny parts which all took 2 hours of filing and sanding to remove flash from. This is not a Parkside kit to be made in 30 minutes............ I am not sure about the vacuum cylinder moldings either - They come out a bit like a mushroom where the top section is bigger than the base. If I were to re-tool this kit, I would make the buffers and the vacuum cylinders as a single piece moldings. I began by fitting the bearings into the chassis, and trial fitting the wheels. Where this kit scores very highly, is the use of a pre formed chassis, which is extremely rigid. As a result the wheels fit perfectly and the wagons are incredible free rolling. Not the usual tight or "axles fall out" when you have to glue your own W irons on etc. I am modelling these filled with ballast, but be careful if you are modelling them empty - you have to leave some flash on the insides of the hoppers for the hopper bracing straps to be fitted to. The top 80% of the hopper is a one piece casting and fits onto the chassis very well. The lower 20% of the hopper is cast into the chassis, leaving the hopper doors to be fitted at the end. Instructions are very detailed, and with so many small parts, tweezers are a must. The under frame detailing is incredible. This was very simple, and well explained in the instructions, but just so may tiny parts to fit, and wires to cut....... I have a new camera, bought after a recommendation from GWRob "Mr ANTB" on here who I think takes great photos of his OO set up. Still getting to grips with it, but the G16 is way better than my tired old Ixus. Here are a couple of test shots: So that is where I leave the hoppers for now. The instructions say that the GW painted them black. BUT does this stem from the Russell statement in the GWR wagons book, which has come under lots of recent scrutiny, and after all these were probably painted dark dark grey? I do have a couple of black painted departmental wagons. so I am not averse to the Russell theory. I will ponder this and perhaps get back to filing roofs flat and removing casting detail from the sides of RTR stock once more........

Hope that you are all well. The NPCCS work is proceeding slowly partly due to work. I have chopped the sides out of the RTR stock, and the Hornby/Triang clerstory which is forming the backbone of the K15 has had its "cut-and-shut". This is tedious work, even when using slicing disks on a Dremel. If you do go down the route of putting sides onto RTR 57' stock, be careful which units you select! I never paid much attention in the past and luckily got stock with minimal roof detail. In some cases, I have even struck lucky as can be seen in the K38 body, which when the vents are removed needs only a minor fettle to get correct. However I have used a Hornby 57' as a basis ( for the K40 I think) and there is just so much roof detail that I may throw the body and go in search of a base unit such as the K38 project uses...... So whilst I pondered the removal or replacement issue, I changed tack and decided to spend the Bank Holiday making up three of the new Cambrian ballast hopper kits.......

...........and a pair of Comet K38 sides just fell into the online basket as I was buying roof vents and T handles this week. There really will have to some modeller's license on that one - there are no RTR 57' bow enders to chop about and plop these sides onto IIRC. Quick edit - the Hornby 57 footers have a curved end so that'll do nicely for a starting point for the K38.

A 4-6-0, some grubby milk tankers and NPCCS - perfection....... Thanks for the inspiration as ever. Loving the repaired coal wagons in the background of the tractor shot. A technique which I am yet to try.

Dilemma time yesterday. I had either the time to write on here and do some photos, or do some modelling. So I chose the latter. Back in the days when I raced stupidly fast cars I was either working too much to pay for cars that I couldn't race, or didn't have enough money to race. Same goes now - I am flat out at work which is paying off the mortgage nicely, and putting me in the position to buy the place I really want ( instead of this place which will make money despite being not what I like). But I haven't done any model work for 5 or 6 weeks. So The K's Dean Goods is nearing it's re-motoring work. and I have made a start on 5 NPCCS projects: K15 (dull brown) K42 (Austerity brown) K40 (choc & cream) K36 (choc&cream) the second K22 (choc & cream) Time to do some shopping..............buffers, gangway kits, handles........ I hope you are all well and happy.

Me too - all tender engines have couplings removed, as well as my 72XX , my parcels railcar and my 97XX.

No-one can accuse you of being idle just because you haven't worked on the 4mm version for a while. My Dad loved your book ( and so did I before he got given it......)

Love the 12 wheel restaurant car. Stunning. I now have "want" face.............

I did 20+ years in the Army and despite everything being painted the same colour of green for the first 18 years of my work, no two trucks or tanks ever had the same shade unless a refurb program had taken place - it faded on some and not on others. Some were painted more frequently than others. By the time you put even a thin wash of dirt on models to take away that "plasticcy-ness" the differences in colour add to the realism rather than detract.

Are you trying to track down all of the stock obviously stolen from your yard as per the lower photo............?

So, I'm back Home and ready to do some modelling to finish off the POLLEN which has a space left for it on the top shelf ( OOOOOOOh err!) Here's a taster to whet some appetites..... and...

Sorry John a delay caused by my new employer - sent me off on a course to learn some leadership and management techniques.......... they have forgotten the contents of my CV already. Never mind. I shall keep my head down and muddle my way through. Mr Castle - making me laugh once again. Please will someone 3Dprint the bogie sets for the "Big One" - I would at least try to make the top hung girder set for it then.

Cabinet has been re-stocked and there's just enough room for something rather long , which is just awaiting a wee bit of work........... and then it's camera time again. Not quite as long as the largest CROCODILE, but no-one makes that in any shape or form EDIT See Nov 19..............

Thanks John. Working on a location to put it in and then we will get the "baseboard" photos......... Have found somewhere with a double garage with an en suite "office" above ( same floor size). Fingers crossed.....

Fantastic buildings John. And tons of atmosphere as well. Thank you.

I realized today that the following doesn't read the way it was meant: There are 2 dozen in the collection, but a few of the wagons will never run - they were purchased for their containers. Apologies - The containers will be seen on North Cranford, but their CONFLATs won't. I have a number of spare GW CONFLATS without containers which will carry these containers from "other regions".

And to close this session this evening, a shot of some of the CONFLATs. There are 2 dozen in the collection, but a few of the wagons will never run - they were purchased for their containers. The LMS "Whitelys" one for example, or the NE ones with the "Pimm" or "Timson" and even the SE&CR one with the "Harris" container. There is a Furniture Vault and Depository on the layout, on one of the short sides. That will handle lots of container traffic, and it also acts as a scenic break into the fiddle Yard. At the far end of the furniture yard is the brewery, which I will cover some other time (Offload pits, GRANOs, and a selection of logo'd beer wagons). Tomorrow night's activities includes a trip up into the loft and a re-stock of the display case, so that will be more photos. Have a good week.

Time for some more track photos - this time not "dry wipe marker on laminate floor" but old fashioned "set track on carpet". This exercise took place 3 houses and 5 years ago, on a winter's afternoon I think when I started to ponder fiddle yards. This house was excellent for laying track out on because the sitting room floor was 26' x 13', so I could concurrently build 2 or 3 versions simultaneously. The end result was a set of photos which helped me guage how many points to buy etc, what size trains I could accommodate, and how many fiddle yard roads I could have and still reach the furthest one back. The result is a 10 road FY - 5 Up and 5 Down. The FY contains the venerable Hornby turn table in the lower left section. This is an early version of the plan by the looks of things. This is some of the lower right section. The Main and Relief are the top two tracks in this photo, so there is a mirror image above this, and one again on the top left. The roads that go off to the right will not be much longer than these, and will probably hold engines, TOADs and PBVs, or perhaps the odd singleton items of coaching stock used to break up rakes as described earlier ( including a Bullion van). The complete fiddle yard allows me to store trains in either the Up or the Down Yard, but crossing the yard from Up to Down or vice versa is achieved by a two crossovers at either end. My plan is to have a "scenic-ed" fiddle yard, much like Rob's on "A Nod To Brent". I may even spruce up the Hornby TT, but there is only so much you can do with it - it is a "functional" piece. The main shed features the gorgeous Heljan TT - more of that later. And before any spotters ask - it's a Gretsch 6129 in black, with another in "Tobacco" and a Marshall JTM30 - the weird one with the greeny black case.

The tankers make up 2 milk trains and the brake vans are currently in the projects box. Passenger brake vans and NPCCS feature heavily. I am using various brass sides on RTR stock to make up the "K" fleet. 3 toplights are amongst them. Base vehicles are B Sets, Mainline 57's and also some Hornby 57' stock too. Sides come from Comet, Dart Castings and Worsley Works. I also have one 013 milk brake kit to make up. Soldering is not my strong point, so it may be a while before this gets made........