meanach

A fine model although obviously the down side to all the fine detail is that it’s a lot more fragile . Mine had a buffer that had fallen out in the box. Holding it whilst weathering and fitting screw links was nerve wracking! I’ve weighted mine slightly over each axel using self adhesive wheel balancing weights. 
The young pretender and the original. 

Well , I knew I’d succumb and I did. It’s not really a west highland / highland stalwart but seeing as how I have seen a photo of one in use then that’s good enough for me! Also it replaces my aging / even older than me?! Hornby version . Of course I’m talking about the excellent looking Rapido Ferry van. 
 

Like all things super detailed , it’s a little fragile ! It lost a buffer as soon as I opened the box and weathering it was a little tricky as I it felt like something may snap off at any moment. 
 

Air brushed with life colour roof dirt, frame dirt, dirty black, a touch of brake dust and pin washed with MIG dark wash. The roof was finished off with weathering powders and all sealed with Tester dull coat lacquer. I based the weathering on an aerial shot of one at Derby in 87.
 

Finally internally weighted with 2 car wheel weights. I try to do this with most of my wagons. 
 

Here it is, sat dumped in the siding at Meanach. 

18 hours ago, Legend said:

Not seen this announced anywhere , but seen at Model Rail Scotland were some new products ideal for the West Highland . I would think these will be very popular 

I had to do a double take when I saw who the manufacturer was ! They are models of Glenfinnan station and box. 

You may well have also seen the other manufacturer of west highland infrastructure on the Glenfinnan station / friends of the west highland line stand? 

On 21/02/2023 at 12:28, PaulRhB said:

here it is

https://www.transporttreasury.com/p444133904/hE90D2A37

“GHT5258 - UK BR Class Departmental, ADB975537 at Eastfield - 24-09-1977 - BTU Tool Van .Ex-DE321132, ex-E70495E LNER BGPDia 245 Built York 1940. Originally LNER No.4272. ”

 

Thanks for all this valuable input chaps. (Assuming I’m still ok to use this term?!) Oddly RM web hasn’t sent me any notifications to say you’d inputted anything to my pages ! 
 

My BG was a show deal at Stafford pre pandemic so it was £35. It’s a pretty niche product really so I’m not surprised it’s being heavily discounted.  Another BG , 🤔 well I guess they do harmonise. 
 

Ian 

'Cause, baby, there ain't no mountain high enough Ain't no valley low enough’ … Ahem! 
it’s scary when doing a scale comparison. I was determined to build a scale Corbett until I got the tape measure out and realised it would be taller than me! 
Giving an impression is the key and I’m impressed by the jigsaw cut out idea. So impressed I’ll save that somewhere in the grey matter for a rainy day. I think that sounds by far the best compromise. The mirror idea is great too. That’s what is so good about RM web , people with helpful tips and ideas. 
 

P.S I also succumbed to a VIX ferry van! 

6 hours ago, young37215 said:

Nice work Ian. The MMRG BG is a nice model, interestingly I have only seen it in fairly pristine condition like the 1983 picture below which is a bit of an irritation given mine is also lightly weathered! Still a good Scottish winter will have no doubt added some filth and messed up the nice clean paintwork.

 

I would like a version of the breakdown train and keep looking at the yellow Bachmann BSK which would give me the two end coaches in the picture. How I go about the middle coach I don't know, perhaps I should settle for a 2 coach consist. 

 

 

I could only only find one photo of it and it wasn’t that one so this is interesting . Did it ever get used on its own do you know ? It also looks like it has no corridor connections in this phot? 

On the ‘to do’ list for the last 3 years I finally got around to weathering Mickleover model railway groups exclusive civil engineers BG.
 

On camera you can’t really tell but there are 3 shades of enamel washes on the body and an air brush weathered roof and under frame . 
 

After looking it over I decided I wasn’t happy with the roof. An irony is that I have spent many an afternoon shaving off Bachmann mk1 ribs and yet here I am trying to show them on this BG which has none ! More roof patching added and some representation of the ribbed sections of the roof. 

On 25/01/2023 at 14:53, 03060 said:

 

Well ..... I must eat my own words ! Having found the photo of the Class 26 at Crianlarich again I decided to look a little deeper into it's origins, ie the photographer's other works only to find pages and pages of genuine railway photographs, some do look slightly unnatural, particularly in the bright yellow colours so I wonder if they have been digitally enhanced .... I then found a second photo of the Class 26 taken from the other side which doesn't look to have been enhanced .... so my sincere apologies to Mr. Cutter.

For your enjoyment :-

 

 

 

Other photos found ...

 

 

....and from the other side

 

 

 

All photos by Robert Cutter.

No date, I'm afraid but judging by the starch wagon I would guess at between 1986 and 88. Possibly the photo that @meanach was thinking of ?

 

 

Regards,

Ian.

Hi . Yea indeed , that was the phot ! A driver I know at the Fort seemed to think it was 89. 

11 hours ago, BoD said:

 

The first two photos in the first link were enough for me.

Thanks for the links.

Wow there are some absolute corkers in there ! Thanks for sharing. 

It’s kind of frustrating as you know that there are people out there with a treasure chest of unseen images from the 80s of the WHL. You can tell this by the Facebook groups such as ‘All of our yesterdays’ or ‘Glory days of diesel and electrics’. I’ve seen some real gems on those pages. 

On 14/01/2023 at 17:18, Dicky L said:

37801 formerly  37430 repainted by Andi Walshaw. 

Superb work . I’m having a little problem getting the chains unhooked on mine . Any tips would be appreciated. Also I know someone who has fitted an EM1 but I’d love to know where!  I can’t see how as the tolerances are very tight between the motor and drive shaft and speaker / potential area for milling. There are also 2 screw mounting lugs (poles?) right in the way ! 

I came across a photo of a 26 parked at Crianlarich in late 88. I asked a Fortwilliam driver I know and he was baffled as to how it could have got there. His theory was it must have been in consist at the rear of an engineering train and used to shunt. Obviously 26s weren’t RETB fitted. It was a B.R blue one though if memory serves me correctly.

On 22/01/2023 at 14:41, PaulRhB said:

Well another little find which although a poor picture hopefully means a few more are lurking in the boxes I’ve found. I reckon this was 85 or 86. 
 

 

Now I reckon that’s a brake coach but I can’t tell which 37 it is apart from likely a 37/4 😆

Western region lamp irons on an ED tractor means it’s either 403, 405, 411 or maybe 412 but that only had one side with western region lamp irons. Going by the filth factor I’d say it’s likely 1986! 

On 21/01/2023 at 08:24, Matt said:

Which is more hazardous? Full wagons full of flammable liquid or “empty” wagons full of explosive gas (depending what has been carried).  Some great photos there - reminds me I need to get on and do my plain grey TTAs that I’ve been stocking up on into BP grey. Of course Hornby announce a new wagon just after I stockpile loads of Bachmann… at least not in the livery I want! (Yet)

Snap! I got as far as half finished TTA with etched top walk ways and ladders plus replacing the springs with white metal. Now Hornby have announced a superior TTA but not the 80s B.P ones. 

I think a lot of people don’t realise that for a large percentage of the year the wilds of the west highlands have quite muted colours. I think the colours look great and I wouldn’t be tempted to go for the bright greens that some folk employ on their highland layouts . I stumbled across your vid elsewhere and thought the layout was looking great! 

Wow ! Garelochhead has come on a long way since I last saw it ! That last photo really looks the part. 

Hallelujah! I’ve been banging on for at least 10 years to anyone who will listen how much this wagon needed a new release! I’ve finally got a legitimate reason not to finish my half completed A1 model / S kit modified wagons now ! 😂

On 31/10/2022 at 11:59, Waverley West said:

As promised, here are a few more piccies...

 

As evening falls, platforms 12-15 are full of services waiting to depart to destinations across Scotland.

 

 

Weather-beaten and faded 20048 waits for its next duty...

 

 

Earlier in the day, it was 37012's turn to wait for its next duty...

 

 

37/4s have recently been infringing on what had previously been traditional class 47 territory.

 

Here is 37417 waiting to depart for Inverness....

 

 

Meanwhile, Railfreight 20132 and faded BR Blue 20048 wheel a Speedlink service through Princes St Gardens...

 

 

Followed shortly after by Inverness-based 27029 on a rake of ballast wagons...

 

 

 

New stock looking top class as always . I have this type of 27. Have you found a solution for the speaker? I did install an ice cube face down in the fuel tank with the bottom of the tank cut away. This sounded fantastic until it had a derailment in the fiddle yard and shorted the chip! Thankfully it was a Zimo and not ESU so their excellent warranty covered my electrically dumb mistake ! 

On 05/01/2023 at 16:30, 6990WitherslackHall said:

What is that light on the nose?

Inverness depot began fitting car spot lights from the local Halfords , firstly to class 26s then to their 37 replacements. The head box lights on 37s were about the power of a dim candle! The ‘spots’ were fitted due to the large number of open crossings on the Kyle line. It helped in the dark , damp winter months for the train to be seen… although you’d think a 37 on full bore would be warning enough! 

Yes the Sutton SC 24s will be contender for model of the year no doubt. It would be great if they’d produce the ultimate class 26… preferably this decade !

So , the million dollar question is … have you gone for Bachmanns latest w/h 37 offerings or are you holding out for Accurascale ? (They did assure me 3 years ago the original West highland 37/4 locos would be done !)

This is always one of my favourite layouts on here. I don’t blame you for adding some playability. It’s great having fantastic scenery but you need some operational interest. If I hadn’t added my timber yard then my own layout would simply be passing trains. 

Exciting development on the Heljan 26 front for you with the imminent release of the car head light fitted 26s. They should use your layout for the promo shots! 
 

Ah yes , those boiler port looks fine. The etch is a perfect fit on the Bachmann mk2 37s. About the only difference is that it has a tiny raised lip around the port. I also may have a spare windscreen wiper lurking (although I’m not sure I didn’t raid it for a 37 I sold on ) . If you haven’t sorted that out by now ? 
 

You probably know this but don’t leave 104 in too long or the plastic goes brittle. An old tooth brush will remove most and a rinse with slightly warm , soapy liquid clears the chemical off. 
 

How many Accurascale 37s are coming your way ? 😂. I succumbed to Bachmann’s new 37423 as it’s a perfect match for Meanach and I’d sold my old version. I held off but then saw the all singing, all dancing version with £75 off ! Too good an offer to refuse. First inspection, it’s a very big improvement and I’m sure the Accurascale 37s will be a bit better again but I’m not sure I can wait another 3 years for the 1980s 37/4s! 

On 15/12/2022 at 06:37, young37215 said:

There is more going on than just viaducts at present, yesterday the bodyshell of 37104 in railfreight grey arrived from Bachmann Spares. My intention is to respray this in BR blue and renumber it as 37111 in the condition it ran during 1982 and 1983. This was post its brief appearance in psuedo large logo where it appears that the extended yellow ends were simply painted over back into corporate BR blue. My conclusion reflects the fact that the loco retained the bodyside mounted  numbers with pictures showing no signs of an overall repaint. 111 was still in largely as built condition during this period with nose end valances still intact (the headcode panels were plated in 1981) until it was sent to Crewe for overhaul in the summer of 1983. 

 

The loco nose ends need swapping, I have several candidates available and the railfreight paint will be stripped back to the plastic although I am not sure how best to achieve this as yet. The roof boiler port needs drilling out as 111's boiler remained operational until the mid 80's. Prior to repainting I hope to remove the glazing and nose ends to make the respray as simple as possible; again this is new territory and depends on how easy it is to remove the Bachmann fitted glue. 

 

All in all the research has been an interesting exercise and has highlighted the variety of liveries 37111 went through during the first half of the 1980's. Hopefully the outcome of the repraying will be just as enjoyable...

 

 

Researching from Flickr provides plenty of pictures to use as a template, this Eastfield 1982 shot will be mine

 

 

I was tempted by the psuedo large logo as worn in 1981 but having done 37112 in this livery, I decided that all over corporate blue was more appropriate

 

 

 

 

Hi Rob . I’ve enjoyed catching up with the layout, looks cracking!  As usual I’ve had a summer hiatus and you’ve been busy!

If you’re still after a boiler port then I may well have an old spare etched class 40 boiler port I used for one of my conversions . 

Has anybody found a way of installing a better , more bass responsive speaker yet?