Grampus

Evening All, Crompton '002 duly arrived on shed in Lincolnshire, light-engine from Liverpool, yesterday morning, so I thought a couple of pictures might not go amiss ( - with apologies for the quality of the photos: taken with the 'phone.) A head-on shot first, with a similar view of the real thing taken a while back at the GCR. For my money at least, it captures the essential 'Crompton-ness' (-not sure if that is a legitimate word?!) of the original: it certainly has the Crompton 'smile'. I also thought a side view might be appreciated: to my eye the number font looks a little squirrely, the mesh on the grille rather heavy (albeit the cruel close-up accentuates it somewhat) and the two little panels below the grille are printed on. However, overall I am rather pleased with it and looking forward to adding some etched brass and/or styrene bits and bobs in due course - a little light modelling is always a welcome relief from the real world! Hope the snaps are of some use. Best wishes, Paul

Dear Jim, thanks for the warning! I have ordered 4 wagons over the weekend, so looking forward to making a start. Best wishes, Paul

Dear Jonathan, interesting looking vehicles, though the thought of moving explosives in them gives me the collywobbles! Probably a little early for the period I am interested in, but I use 'probably' advisedly! - What I know about the subject to date could be written on a fairly small postage stamp: however, learning about it will be fun. Many thanks, Paul

Dear Michael, thanks for the steer on the wagon kits. I feel a couple of small purchases coming on. I also note that the range includes a RNAD Hunslett diesel. This could become addictive..... Best wishes, Paul

Evening all, unfortunately I have to report that work on my Type 16 box is currently at a full-stop due to the day job and other commitments various, though I hope to resume work fairly soon. However, in the meantime I thought I would share the attached picture with you. Whilst looking for inspiration, I noticed that Honiton box has (or had) a prefab of some description very close to it. At that point I remembered the subject of the photo, built some time back as an early scratch-building exercise: it was loosely based on a drawing in an early DEMU edition and observations of a number of similar cabins in my current locale. Duly rescued from a shoe box in the magic cupboard, it does look rather nice parked in close proximity to the signal box. My assumption is that, like Honiton, it was put there at some point in the recent past as part of a resignalling scheme, but prior to the construction of the brick-built relay room I posted recently which will replace the signal box altogether in the near future. Meanwhile, earthworks ( - sundeala works?) continue to enable the signal box to be situated just off the end of the up end of the platform as per Crewkerne. More soon, I hope. Best wishes, Paul

Thanks Mike, this gets ever more interesting. It looks as though a couple of those would be a relatively easy scratch-build, albeit representative rather than 100% accurate. I am assuming ( - never assume, check!) that they are rebuilds - ie new hopper bodies on older chassis? Best wishes, Paul

Dear Mike (Creweboy), thank you for the information re specific wagon types at Dean Hill: I have seen pictures now of the flats, the fork-lift carriers and (possibly) the vans, but not the ballast hoppers. I do take your point about the SG spur from the mainline to access the facility. I have been past the spur into Dean Hill many times, but had not appreciated the full extent of the system. A quick recce via Google Earth quickly shed further light. I am sure I can do something, albeit not yet sure what - whether I need to wait to incorporate my plans into my eventual dream 'roundy-roundy', rather than my current end-to-end project remains to be seen; or perhaps a micro-layout of some sort is the way ahead for the moment. However, I am certainly enjoying the change from my more usual SG modelling interests and the eventual modelling will be fun. Dear Michael (MJcampbell), Thank you also for the steers towards the Nine Lines kits: they certainly appear worth investigating. Think I will indeed start with 'proper' OO9 chassis vice N gauge ones - I suspect the small wheels would spoil the visual impact. As a general point, thank you to everybody who has provided me with information via this thread. I have been really amazed by both just how much information is out there and perhaps more importantly, peoples' willingness to give of their knowledge and expertise. Much appreciated - I hope to have some pictures to share with you in due course. Kind Regards, Paul

Dear all, thanks for the additional info. Some useful details. Best wishes, Paul

Dear Bernard TPM and Backwaterscotland, thank you both for the info: that sounds quite encouraging. Having done some further digging on the web this afternoon, the whole system looks quite fascinating. There is considerable scope for mission creep if I am not careful, I suspect I am certainly looking forward to the shunter build. Thanks again, Paul

Good afternoon all. Please can I ask for your help with the following project? I have just purchased the delightful Narrow Planet kit for a Baguley-Drewry shunter with a view to adding a short siding to my OO layout to suggest an MoD facility (such as Dean Hill) just off-scene. Please can anybody advise me of any suitable wagon kits to accompany the loco? NB I am modelling early 1980s. The photos I have seen on various web-sites all suggest that the wagons were predominantly flats of a fairly simple design: I don't mind having a go at scratch-building, but if there is something suitable already then that would be preferable. Alternatively, if scratch-building is the way forward, can anybody suggest a suitable source of underframe parts, axleboxes, etc? Would any of the Parkside Dundas narrow gauge items be suitable? As you can probably guess, narrow gauge is not my normal fare ( - I was distracted by the look of the little loco and the modelling possibilities it offers) so any and all advice would be welcome, please. many thanks. Kind Regards, Paul

Dear Stationmaster, Dunsignalling and Griff, thank you all for your kind responses to my earlier post and for filling in another bit of the jigsaw for me. The details you provided suit both my timeline and my scenario perfectly - thankfully! Phew. My current intent is to finish the Type 16 box as it would have been towards the end of its working life as a 'box (or even perhaps just after, when used for another purpose.) The presence of the new-build relay room would indicate that the resignalling has either been finished recently, or is at least well underway and almost there. I can almost hear the 'dub' of an approaching '50 in the background....oh well, back to the modelling bench before I get all misty eyed! Thanks again. Best wishes, Paul

Evening all. Thought I would share with you a couple of pictures of another structure I have been working on. Whilst not strictly a signal box as such, I have always assumed ( - admittedly, an approach fraught with pitfalls!) that such buildings are signalling-related on the basis of their locations, usually in close proximity to the running lines and lots of concrete cable troughs. NB. Mods, if this is inappropriate in this thread please feel free to move it as required and my apologies. This one was based on pictures of similar buildings in the vicinity of Exeter Central and another one close to Exeter Riverside. It was scaled from still photographs and videos by counting bricks, which is a much better cure for insomnia than counting sheep! It normally sits on a concrete plinth, surrounded by concrete slabs and cable troughs: the plinth itself is already stuck down and surrounded by ballast - given that the board in question is currently leaning up against the wall in the back bedroom, photographing it in situ was not an option. Reason for building it? It just happened to be a credible way to hide two rather obtrusive surface-mounted point motors. The camera has unkindly revealed a couple of raged seams that will need sorting before I attack it with the paint brush. Oh well, it has only taken 7 years to get it to this stage! If anybody can tell me what the real building is/was actually used for, please, I would be grateful, particularly if it is not signalling-related: I would rather find out now than later on. I cannot move it to a different location (the point motors will still be there!), but I can be suitably vague about what it is used for if required! Best wishes, Paul

Evening everyone, Further to Griff's post, thought I would post another quick picture just to try and maintain the momentum ( - at this end!) Unfortunately the day job keeps getting in the way at the moment, so progress has been rather slower than I would like. However, here is a snap of 'tother end of the box: a louvred vent and an external electrical access panel(?) have been added; the roof has also come up quite nicely. Having had further thoughts about the asphalt roof, I scribed some additional lines to replicate more prototypical rolls of the stuff and went at it with a new tin of panzer grey and some talcum powder. The talc ensures the paint dries (very quickly) to a nice matt finish, but it also give it (to my eyes, at least) some pleasing shadows and contrasts, which makes it look as though it has been there a while and bleached in the sun. I am still minded to give it a thin overall black wash and then dry-brush it to bring out some of the highlights, but I don't want to lose the aged look so will proceed carefully. Thanks to whoever out there is doing the raindance - the weekend looks to be far too wet to worry about cutting the front lawn, though I am sure I saw a giraffe out there earlier, so I might have to have a go! Otherwise, some modelling looks to be on the cards. Happy modelling to one and all. Paul

Evening all, thought I would post a quick update on my Type 16 box. As, hopefully, the attached photo will show I have been busy on the roof, adding a gutter and some asphalt. Having got the shape and the profile right I covered it in a layer of fine emery paper which, whilst it didn't look bad, was a bit flat and featureless. After a quick study of a number of buildings with felt covered roofs where I work, I decided to have another go. This time I have used a number of sheets, trimmed and scored, to give it a little more depth and definition ( I suspect the builders would have been hard-pressed to find a sheet of felt big enough to cover such a roof in a oner in any event?) The photo is a bit cruel in that it shows where some of the seams have not been sealed yet, but a careful application of white glue followed by a couple of coats of panzer grey and then a thin black wash will work wonders (fingers crossed!) Progress is a little slower than I would like - the real world keeps encroaching - but I think I'm moving in the right direction. I have now located all sorts of interesting white metal castings with which to fill the interior, and with CinC Home Command away for the weekend I hope to make some progress on the ladder. I should also start to do something about the doors (the white areas in the photo are merely structural blanks). More anon. Best wishes, Paul

Brilliant - thank you. That is really useful. I am just tidying up the roof at the moment and hoping to start the clever stuff over the weekend. Best I dig my paintbrushes out of the vault.... :-) Regards, Paul

Hi Lee, thank you for the kind words. The windows are much reworked PECO items from their LK-83 modern signal box kit, inverted and chopped about to within an inch of their lives. An article in Railway Modeller a while back by David Malton on re-working the kit to an Eastern Region 1950s prototype alerted me to the possibilities. I built the windows first on the basis that if I could not get them right then there would be little point in continuing with the build. Whilst they are still a little bit narrow I am quite pleased with the overall effect. Basically the individual bays were cut up and re-arranged to achieve the desired configuration. I then blanked off the upper windows, but only after doing so did I realise that they were still a little bit too tall, so I ended up sawing the upper sections off to remove the excess and then re - joining them. How I laughed.... Finally I added lots of thin styrene strips to give a little bit more relief to the detail. Thankfully the plastic was extremely forgiving of my ham-fistedness and poor planning. If I were to build another I suspect I would still go down the same route but I would try to plan it better - "measure twice, cut once!", etc. Now I just need to build up enough courage to glaze them.... :-) Best wishes, Paul

Dear all, First, a big 'thank you' for all the 'likes' of my previous picture. They encouraged me to actually get on with some modelling for a change, instead of planning big ideas from the safety of the armchair. I have been busy today, decorating the interior of the 'box: it is now 'wall-papered' and there is a floor covering down: still need to add a couple of doors and some skirting board before I can get on with the fun stuff! I have a whole collection of detail 'bits' lurking in the magic cupboard upstairs: I just need to work out where they all go, though I am enjoying searching for pictures. I have also managed to make some progress with the roof this evening. Hopefully tomorrow I can cover it in some fine emery paper to simulate asphalt and then add some guttering. I have added another couple of pictures to show my progress to date. Best wishes,Paul

Evening all, Well, here goes: hope I am posting in this in an appropriate thread. Having been an avid admirer of other peoples' work on here, I thought I would (attempt to) share with you all a picture of the Type 16 box I am currently scratch-building for my 'West of Salisbury/East of Yeovil' layout. Working from photographs, my inspiration is 75% Tisbury, 20% Crewkerne and the remaining 5% is Gillingham (which should cover the access stairs). However, I hope it captures the look of the thing. Construction is still at a very early stage (the roof and the windows are not fixed yet): all feedback gratefully received, good or bad. Best wishes, Paul

Ah, cunning: that should work. I think I will have a go at the body-mounted Kaydees, but if that does not pan out quite the way I hope, your solution sounds like the way ahead. I am certainly not short of suitable vehicles to act as converters. Just need the bogies to arrive now. Over the weekend I intend to root through the kit collection to try to find the white metal (BW Models, I think?) BV206 snow cat I salted away a few years back as a reminder of a couple of trips up and down a mountain side in the Falklands some years ago: as I recall it was rather like a DMU - much more fun to model than to ride in, and better through the rose-tinted goggles of hindsight! The combination of military and railway modelling is certainly quite addictive! I really do need to get on and start dealing with the modelling backlog instead of just talking about it. Thanks again for your advice. Kind regards, Paul

Gareth, can I ask what you are planning to do regarding couplings for the warflat, please? In a rush of enthusiasm I have made a start on (what I think is) the same resin/whitemetal kit that you built, purchased some time ago and stored deep in the magic wardrobe. I spent an entertaining couple of hours yesterday evening fettling the headstocks and jacks. Only then did it occur to me that bogie-fitted couplings might be a non-starter due to the limited arcs of movement caused by the presence of the jack assemblies. After some head-scratching I am leaning towards body-fitted couplings (I prefer Kaydees for convenience and reliability: I am not a big fan of scale couplings ) - it is not a particularly long vehicle, after all - but wondered if you had already come up with a viable solution? Happy modelling. Regards, Paul

Gareth, Many thanks for the steer on the GRA Models '432: a couple of those are about to appear on my Christmas list. The Ferret sounds exciting, too. I can commend the ex-MB (now Airfix) Saracen to you, having converted one to a late ambulance version and with another on the bench to do (- the kit represents an eary vehicle, but the conversion is a straightforward exercise with plastic sheet). It went together very well and looks the part. I also have a Kingfisher Models resin Saxon to build at some point - currently part of the small mountain of kits we all seem to keep in the wardrobe. I cannot comment on the build quality or the accuracy, but it looks extremely nice in the box, albeit that is not necessarily an indicator. Will comment on here in due course as and when it reaches the top of the pile. Thanks again. Regards, Paul

Trains4U, Nice job on the warflat. There is something quite compelling about military vehicles on trains from a modelling point of view (particularly when there is a Crompton on the front of the train). Can I ask about the origins of your FV432s, please? I have been on the lookout for a couple of Cromwell Models versions for a while to do something similar, so far unsuccessfully, so I was wondering about alternative kits. Yours certainly look the part:I would be grateful for any steers, please. Many thanks. Regards, Paul