kingfisher24

DSCF1006-2.jpgI'm fairly certain that the origins of a secondhand (when I bought it) high running plate Caprotti Black 5 were a Crownline conversion and an early Hornby base model. Here's one of the photos I used when I sold it on eBay at the end of last year - I wish I had an used conversion kit to do it myself...no worries, as soon as I find one then someone will release it as a RTR model no doubt...Mark

Mark

 

It is indeed a shame that the conversion kits are no longer available(and when they do come up they go for silly money) at my club tonight i managed to find a decent book with plenty of close up shots of both sides of the caprotti fitted standards. Also a railway modeller from september 1989 which has a good drawn and described article on the loco's.

 

With all this and what i have already i think i have figured out most of it. Now to actually do it. I will try and post a new thread on how i do the conversion to possibly be of help to others who may be interested.

 

Next in line after this (or perhaps before as it will be easier) is a Hornby gresley buffet in br maroon. After having some advice from tony on sunday i will alter this to try and create a more accurate coach. Having said that i am not going to alter the tumblehome. I know the shape is wrong but if i alter one coach it will mean having to eventually alter all of them, so i will live with the tumblehome shape and just alter the sides.

 

Gary

Thanks for that, Gary. And for posting the pics. Nice job. So the tender coupled to the real 61994 is originally from a K3 too? Interesting. At least part of a K3 made it to preservation!

 

Mark

Mark

 

Sadly that isnt the case, when the loco was preserved a tender from a j38 was substituted - i cannot remember which j38 it came off but i do know that it originally came off a k4 when the k4's got the ex k3 tenders. There is a yeadon book which gives the exact details.

 

Gary

I think Crownline did a conversion for the Brit to Duke.

Aii that is true they did, they also did a conversion kit to make a high running plate stanier 5mt which is basically similar but, as crownline har gone the way of the dodo theyre no longer available. I did think about pdk who do a lot of the former crownline kits but no joy.

 

Gary

On another subject, i am looking at doing a caprotti standard 5mt next and have the donor loco in plain black with the br1c tender. Now i have some of the fittings already, for the linkage on the r/h side infront of the rear driver i plan on using a modified Hornby a4 lubricator drive with Hornby or golden arrow caprotti motion. The parts i don't have are the cam boxes which sit atop the cylinders and also the steam pipes. I have tried every manufacturer i can think of and no joy so far. I know this should possibly be on another thread but i thought someone on here may have an idea.

 

Gary

Here are some shots of my k4, the loco is fitted with the tender it came with and is correct as when the k4's were transferred from the west highland section, they recieved tenders from withdrawn k3's and kept these until withdrawal. This therefore saved me from hacking the tender up.

 

 

I hope these are helpful to people.

Gary

That sounds interesting, Gary. What's actually involved in the K3 to K4 conversion?

 

Mark

I purchased a s/h Bachmann k3 on friday afternoon at model rail scotland and the conversion is now almost finished. Just needing number and a light weathering job. For the conversion all i did was change the boiler, others have gone further with changing the driving wheels etc but as the undersize Bachmann k3 wheels are not exactly the right size, they are near enough. Besides if i changed the wheels it means a lot more work on the chassis. I may do this at a later date but, for now the loco looks not too bad. Having said this ine thing i have not yet done is fit larger balance weights to the centre set or drivers. The boiler is a shortened Bachmann b1 boiler and Bachmann v1/v3 smokebox. I did most of the conversion on sunday afternoon at the show whilst on breaks. I am planning to do another conversion and when i do i will take snaps of the conversion process.

That was an interesting conversation today between yourself and brian t regarding the Hornby gresley buffet. I am not so knowledgeable on coaching stock as i should be, although i hope to improve over time. Mainly i stick to mk1's as with these you know what you are getting. You mentioned modifying the sides of the coach in order to create a more accurate buffet. Have you a photograph of a modified coach so that i know what the finished result should look like.

 

 

This blog will show you all you need to build a a converted Gresley buffet

 

http://highlandmiscellany.com/tag/buffet/

Thank you that is really helpful, im currently working on a gresley k4 conversion having purchased a s/h Bachmann k3 on friday at model rail and hope to hae it finished by the end of the day. The gresley buffet re-work will be next in line.

 

Thanks again

Gary

An NB models J88 od 68352 built to a reasonable standard has just gone for £454.44p on Ebay.

Scratchbuilt chassis with a Porterscap;

Astounding.

I must build mine.

The link is:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131730321380?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

I know i was watching it and it weant for crazy money. The total for my j88 was less than £60 with an electrotren chassis at £45 with the j72 body at 50p and chimney and dome from a spares box and the same for handrails etc, then two smp sleepers and brass wire to make up the footboards. Angled brass strip for the cab roof coming in at £5. That's about it. Save for a new motor via a certain internet auction site. Altogether pretty inexpensive by comparison - and nae burned fingers either!

 

Gary

This morning at model rail before the show opened i to my j88 over to alloa to compare with 60159's kit built example and as usual i spent a good while looking at the superb layout. I was chatting away and was lucky enough to see my j88 run up and down the yard and took a few shots. I know the loco has appeared before but it was nice to see it run in a more built up environment when compared to its usual haunts on glendevon.

 

Tony

 

That was an interesting conversation today between yourself and brian t regarding the Hornby gresley buffet. I am not so knowledgeable on coaching stock as i should be, although i hope to improve over time. Mainly i stick to mk1's as with these you know what you are getting. You mentioned modifying the sides of the coach in order to create a more accurate buffet. Have you a photograph of a modified coach so that i know what the finished result should look like.

 

Gary

Question, i was at thd glasgow show and got hold of a k3 with the correct tender to do a thornton allocated k4. However i couldn't find a Hornby b17 boiler, without looking at drawings i think the b17 and b1 boilers were similar, would a b1 boiler do the job.

 

Gary

I wonder just how long we will have to wait for the a4 nosed versions - i fancy a wolf in what might have been br green.

 

Gary

Another update on progress with work being concentrated on the area around the road bridge at the centre of the layout.

 

Gary

Careful, other than BR Standards, I don't think there were any X0000 numbers. How about 60035 (OK it was an A3, but if there had been more A4s they would have had a continuious series)?

Google indicates (via RMWeb - ha ha) that 60010 might have been Buzzard in the swapping of names that occurred at the time of building.

But then again, your railway...

Yes i did think about using another number but being 60000, the number was never used so there can be no overlap of numbers, just something different and nobody can say its wrong (well having said that nearly everybody will say it's wrong) but i do like the name and think its a shame that the name was never used. Much better a bird name than a director or manager name (with one exception of course)60007).

 

The loco should make an appearance after the glasgow show.

 

Gary

I am currently working on a what may have been, using a name which should hae weant on an a4 but never did and also an un-used number. This being 60000 BUZZARD. And it is in br green with late crest and double blast pipe and bow ended tender, allocated to 64b. A nice what might have been.

Another update on the glendevon extension, i have been working on additional mock-up bridges for both the main running lines an also a bridge for the industrial line. The thing about the bridge just infront of the backscene is that no matter what you do you can never disguise the fact that the trains will disappear and that you will always be able to see through the backscene. I have been building up the scenery on this board but have deliberately left the last section to last as the type of bridge is yet to be decided upon, inam leaning toward two separate brides with girders as these seem the best way to minimise how much you can see through but im bot totally convinced. Hopefully the next instalment will have the solution. The scenery is also a little further forward around the main station buildings. For this area i have just used a card latticework with plaster bandage directly on top without the kitchen towel painted with wood glue, to see how it compares. The twin track bridge in the centre is a modified metcalfe kit. There will be a country road on an embankment crossing the main lines and the industrial line via a blue brick girder bridge.

Lovely job - a loco thats on my 'to do' list but quite a long way down! You just need to add the electrification warning flashes now and if I were being pedantic the tyres should be polished rather than red. But it looks great as it is

Since the post the flashes have been added and i am trying to figure oit how to make the tyres polished as i want a shine but not toy like either.

 

Gary

Shouldn't the numbers and letters be the raised chrome cut outs for her as first preserved?

She or in this case he, got the raised letters after the end of steam. I have modelled the loco in this condition.

Im cannot remember if this has appeared on rmweb but here it is anyway. A few years ago i got hold of the Hornby dublo commemoration ltd edition sir nigel gresley complete with single chimney and skirts. To be honest this was a bit of an impulse buy as i do like the look of the garter blue pacifics. Now i am of the view that models should be run and not spend their life in their box, the problem with this loco is that i model the br period. I thought for a while as was in two minds, but in the end i made up my mind and so it was out with a scalpel and spare parts boxes. I decided that i would change the loco to its as first preserved condition, or as near as possible which bascically involves removing the skirts and substituting the single chimney for a double, also removal of the lner speedo on the firemans side. And then add a br speedo on the opposite side. Finlly to add the reversing rod and other small bits and pieces and, here is the near finished loco.

this may of interest. At my club i am working on an extension to one of out existing layouts. The model is of a typical north british country station with a crossing loop and industrial private owner sidings. Or it will be when finished. We are hoping to have the extension ready for 2017.

 

Anyway here is the link.http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/103243-glendevon-extension/?p=2121623

 

Gary

Another progress report on the glendevon extension. On the front of the layout the first layers of plaster bandage have been applied and set (it takes for ever in this weather) although more layers will need to be applied in order to make sure it is a solid as possible.

 

I have spent the last few days making mock ups of the station buildings and signal box etc. The main station buildings are based on a drawing which a former club member used to make the originals on glendevon proper. The signal box is based loosely on the one at largo which was platform mounted, i have made te box slightly too short length wise as not enough room for the correct lever frame but other than this it isnt far off.

 

The station master's house is again loosely based on the one which still exists at chirnside. So a bit of a mix and match but i dont think the buildings look to bad together. The next thing to be done will be building up the area around the station buildings on the front of the layout as at the moment they are mounted on some polystyrene. This will be covered using a combination of neat wood resin and plaster bandage topped with plaster.

 

Anyway here are some shots of the progress so far.

 

 

 

Yes its a loco drive chassis. I must confess for some reason I have always struggled to get a modern Hornby chassis back together after dropping out the bottom and releasing the wheels. No doubt there is a simple trick and I'm just being a hamfisted dork....

John

 

John

 

One more quick question on your A2 conversion, have you a shot of just the chassis to show how the cylinders are mounted ( im doing a touch of copycat modelling) i managed to get hold of a loco drive Hornby brit chassis without motor (just chassis and wheels) i was going to go down a kit chassis road but for the moment this is the cheaper option and just as interesting as kit building. The finished loco will be one of the A2's which kept the electric lights to the end so probably 60527 as i have seen shots of the loco in 1965 still with them in place.

 

Gary

A progress report on the glendevon which earlier tonight had the suggested name of mockup junction but we will see on that one.

 

I spend tonight at the club continuing with the cereal packet strip weaving, building up the lattice to form the base for the scenics. Concentrating as before on the front of the layout (the rear section will be done later as this will be using a different method. Also whilst at the falkirk show on sunday i got hold of a metcalfe bridge kit and having built this took it down the club to replace the mock up bridge ( a mock up for a mock up!).

 

Although it is just at the woven card board stage it doesn't look too bad so far.

 

The plan is to have gently rolling countryside which flows down the centre of the layout looking as natural as is possible.

I also realised that I hadn't found a picture of what te station forecourt would look like so a look through the web later and i found this photo of the approach to chirnside station which conveys the idea of what i hope the model will look like.

The station will be approached by a road sloping down from a main road at the hill where the station masters house is a right angles to the main station building.

 

More to follow.

 

Gary

The light wasn't bad yesterday so I got the camera out and started snapping. Found that I wasn't really happy with the colours so here is a selection of black and white shots.

 

 

A couple of shots looking from the granary towards the end of the sidings. Just a shame that the shed was off it's moorings.

 

 

 

 

Class 26 037 hauls a load of scrap past the pipe load waiting in the old siding.

 

 

 

 

Here are a few of shot I'm particularly happy with as they capture the atmosphere I'm going for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, a general wide shot of the sidings.

 

 

 

Mike

Mike

 

Just had a thought (dangeroos im told by wife) an idea for another building could be a loading dock and warehouse for farne trout and salmon that would perhaps give a reason to run refrigerated vans.

 

Gary

60536 Trimbush ready to take it's first assignment.

Was the chassis the loco drive version, i cant remember if i suggested this already but Hornby p2 or b1 drivers would give you the correct wheels.

 

Gary