ChrisS

So it is finally finished- though I'm undecided at the moment if I keep it pristine or weather it a little, or get a name or number for it - so possibly not quite finished....... but close enough! I've really enjoyed building this kit and I'm really happy with the finished model. Since receiving the kit and donor chassis for my birthday, it has taken me just under two months to complete it. I should have kept a clock running for the total build time but for most of the time it has been quite therapeutic. I've re-learnt a few things building this model. You don't need a lot of super glue for things to stick. Small defects look massive in photos, so preparation is key and my OCD did not help here! Be careful when using different paint formulations! It stopped raining earlier, so I took the opportunity to take some photos in natural light. During the photo shoot I had my friendly garden Robin inquire what was going on.................... As mentioned at the start of this thread, I wanted something different for my Hattons Warwell to carry and was inspired by seeing a photo of some RNAD stock being transported on Warwells. I stumbled across the Smallbrook studio kit whilst looking for an RNAD Baguley Drewry and thought it would look like a good model in its own right. Whether the MOD would have ever been able to accommodate a larger Baguley Drewry, let alone carry one on a Warwell is another matter, but in my fictitious world it looks believable to me. Circa early 1980s, fresh from the factory and awaiting collection at Swindelton for its MOD trials. Later captured on the move via a small trip working. I'm now thinking it is too good to leave on the back of a Warwell, so might have to do something about that in the future................. I hope it was of interest. Till next time.

I'm finally nearing the end, so more to follow shortly............... the three main components ready to be put together.

So the Motorail car flat has now been numbered and additional weathering carried out to the bogies and outer body work to tone it all down. I ordered a set of additional transfers from Railtec as the ones originally supplied with the model were for a FVV, whereas I wanted dual brakes and an FVX example. For some reason when I added Humbrol water based varnish over the larger "No loose shunting" transfer it caused it to crinkle, so I had to keep an eye on it whilst it dried. Looks a lot better now. Just noticed I need to add some lamp ions on the ends. The photo below also shows up a nasty blob of glue or solder on one of the side rail supports- so with my OCD I might have to attack this too!

I finally got round to fitting the cab roof. I must have measured it 100 odd times to try and make sure it was centered. I filed a little bit at a time to get it to fit around the exhaust pipe. To start with I tacked it on at the apex with a bit of superglue. I then flexed it another 100 times to make sure I was happy with how it would look from every conceivable angle! I then glued each side down- no turning back now. Luckily for me it looks pretty good. I've decided not to paint the plastic as it was in good condition and looks good as is. I'm undecided whether to add the white microstrip supplied in the kit for the rain strips, as on the real loco they are barely visible, and it just adds a complication. I was contemplating not tempting fate or making life difficult for myself, but then I thought I would have ago at creating some wasp stripes. I had some 6mm Tamiya masking tape but this was a little too thick so I cut it down in width. I used a photo of Harlech Castle off the web to arrange the stripe spacing. It was very tricky to get the tape to stick when covering the lifting eyes and I was afraid i would get some black bleeding underneath. Then I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, but I'm really pleased how they came out and think they look great. Adding the wasp stripes has delayed varnishing the running plate so this will be the next job. At this rate I'm hoping to have it finished or there about by the weekend! Till next time.

So, if I do say so myself, the body looks great on the running plate. It still has to be permanently fixed but I still need to varnish the running plate first. Window wipers do not photograph well- it seems even modern technology is defeated by trying to get the phone camera to focus on a model wiper. If the photo is not clear - the wipers have now been painted and fitted. Rather than just bending an L shaped piece of wire, I thought I would try to represent the arm and wiper. I did this by bending the wire and doubling back on itself to form the blade - I hope this makes sense. Another box ticked. On a massive high at the moment- things in general seem to be going right for a change. I'm just hoping there is no sting in the tail when I come to finalize the last few bits. I'm buzzing off to bed now. Till next time

Ta-da! Quick up-date. One gloss black running plate and no bleed on to the yellow. I will use satin varnish so it matches the radiator grille on the body. Another job also boxed off- glazing added to the cab and secured in pace with canopy glue. Had to resist putting the body onto the running plate - I'll let it dry a bit longer first. Getting closer to the finish line now (hopefully not tempting any fate!). Chris

So it's been a while - I finally managed to get the yellow ends on the running plate done again. I'm finally back to where it all went wrong last time when I use the Halfords Satin black aerosol. I won't be making that mistake again! So whilst I've been applying numerous coats of Railmatch yellow, I've also been doing bits to to the main body. This has had a few coats of satin varnish now. I've fitted the handrails and glued the air filter and horn in place. Nearly had a disaster as I had to drill out one of the hand rail knobs to accept the wire. I decided to paint the front grille silver to break up the black. All the control levers have been glued in place - nearly lost two of them as they pinged off on to the work bench when I was trying to plant them in the control desk. I even managed to paint a couple of needles on the control desk dials. I've started cutting some glazing and I'm working on the roof. It's taken a little longer after the last disaster, but I'm currently getting ready to paint the running plate black- wish me luck. Till next time.

Thanks Woody, I can't stand acrylics. I've always painted with enamels. I do struggle when it comes to varnishes as well. The recent Humbrol stuff though is really bad IMO. I'm using 30+ yer old Humbrol tins that produce a better finish than some of the more recent ones I've purchased. Their water based varnishes are terrible- I end up with a white residue on anything I appiy them too. More to follow in a minute...............

Only a small up-date. Most of my time has been recently spent on the mini narrow gauge project, so whilst waiting for the paint to dry, I've been weathering and detailing my Motorail car flat. I've used the same techniques that I've used on the Turbots and Warwell- the only difference is that the car flat has a real wood deck and the paint and thinners disperses quite nicely. I'm sure I might come back to it at a later date- I feel the deck could be a little more dirty/ weathered. I might have a go at making some yellow wheel chocks at some point. Some transfers are supplied by Darstaed/ Ellis and I'll be adding those soon.

So close, yet so far. What a day. So I was really quite motivated this weekend as I was feeling that the end could be in sight for the painting of my Cardea. Progress has slowed a bit as I've been allowing time for paint to dry and harden. Anyhow, after a few coats of yellow and green, things were looking good and the green has darkened with a few coats being applied. I could not help putting it together, at this moment hopeful that the remaining painting I had to do was some detailing of the body, and painting the remaining bits of the chassis black. So I started detailing the body. Not too sure I like the black radiator surround. Not too sure I like the finish of the Humbrol satin black either- what is wrong with their paint! I'm tempted to dry brush a silver on to the radiator grille to break up the black. It was a PITA to do, but I've also painted the internal of the cab white and attempted to indicate the black rubber window surrounds too. After this all dries I'll touch up and varnish it. I've still got to sort out the glazing and roof, and fit the handrails and wipers. Next I decided to mask off the yellow and paint the running plate black. At this point, not happy with the Humbrol Satin black I'd used on the radiator on the main body, in my wisdom I decided to use a Halfords satin black aerosol that I've previously used for other projects. What a mistake - something went wrong and the aerosol paint started to react with the primer! I've no idea why. So, I've spent the last part of the day removing all damaged paint work from the running plate. It will probably need more work before it's ready for primer again. At least I kept the body and chassis separate. So close, yet so far. Till next time.

The first colour coats of yellow and green have been applied with the airbrush today. I could not decide on what shade of green to use but came across this old tin of Humbrol authentic colour in my collection. I've no idea how old it is but the paint inside was in a better condition and more usable than some of my most recent Humbrol paints. Some of the recent offerings from Humbrol seem really thick, don't cover very well and don't give a consistent finish. I'm really glad I kept the body and running plate as separate items as this is making it a little easier to paint. The green and yellow almost look like the Cardea could be working for BP. I'm hoping a second coat of the green will darken it up a bit. I was really happy with the yellow from Railmatch, it went on well and for a first coat looks really good. I'm thinking I'll do the radiator housing in black. I also managed to reconnect the wires to the PCB and with a little effort have got the chassis running again. Till next time.

A bit more progress to report. As suspected when I finally applied a proper coat of primer it did show up where some more work was required. Particularly between the cab front and sides. Where evidence of the join is still evident. Taking photos can be really cruel and make small defects look very large! Whilst I did a bit more filling and sanding I made up the chassis. I've still got to solder the wires back but it looks 100% better than the sorry state I received it in. I still have to paint the bolts red but will do this after I finally get to test run the chassis and make sure everything moves freely. So after some further remedial works I've done a second pass with the primer and it looks a lot better. Unfortunately there were a couple of minor marks which explains the evidence of further sanding. I have to say that filling and sanding is the most tedious paint preparation job ever- hats off to those who do it regularly! I'm thinking I've got to the stage where I'll move onto the colour coat. It doesn't look too bad in a slightly shabby primer coat. Hopefully I'll be able to make some progress in the paint shop over the weekend and it will look even better. Till next time.

So the other presents I received for my birthday from my wife were a 7mm narrow gauge Baguley- Drewry diesel shunter kit from Smallbrook studio and a suitable donor chassis. A while back I mentioned I was going to try and source a suitable load for my Warwell wagon. Whilst doing some research on what loads they carried, other than military vehicles, I saw a photo (annoyingly I can't quite recall where!) of a consist carrying RNAD narrow gauge stock including a Baguley-Drewry shunter. Whilst I could not source an exact replica of the shunter I saw in the photo, I came across an alternative. So with a bit of modellers licence I thought this would make an interesting alternative load. Rather than filling up this thread with the build, I started a thread in the Narrow gauge section of RM Web .......... Long story short, progress has been made turning this ebay abused OO Bachmann Junior........ Into this............ Something else arrived in the post the other day - my excuse is it's a birthday present to me, from me. I was doing some research on other prototypical workings and have some other ideas. Till next time.

So I now have a separate chassis and body section. Using some sand paper on my work bench I lightly sanded the underside of the body to try and get it as level as possible. I also started to fill some of the gaps in the cab sides and running plate. I needed to find somewhere to relocate the PCB. Luckily there are some tabs on the side of the motor unit and with a bit of filing the PCB slotted in here and fits under the engine bonnet- bonus! I still have to reconnect the wires though. Another job was to fill the 'daylight' at either end of the donor chassis and new running plate ends. I cut some small squares of plasticard and glued these in place (as seen in the photo below to the left of the steps). They might help allow additional detail to be added such as sand boxes or support some form of brake rigging - we shall see. After getting rid of most of the white paint that had been applied by the previous owner, I’ve refurbished the chassis wheels and connecting rods, and they are looking quite smart now. I’ve made up all the hand rails, wipers, door handles and headlights. Part of the cab looks grey in the following photo as I lightly dusted it with primer to see where any additional filling and filing is required. It’s amazing what shows up with a bit of primer. I suspect some more filling will be required later when I apply the primer properly. Getting there.

So the rear section of the cab required some remedial works. I offered it up to the rear of the cab several times and it needed some subtle filing to try and make it square looking. I drilled out the cast defect where a fuel gauge/ filling point should be in the side of the tank. I then cut a thin section of evergreen plastic tube and glued this in place- it looks a lot better. I’ll probably file it back a bit. Another job for the cab rear was to build up the cab sides where the moulding was not too good. I used some evergreen plastic strip and glued several layers together and I'll then file them back. Hopefully this won’t be too noticeable as this will be partly obscured by the cab hand rails. The rear of the cab is not yet secured in the photo below. I've not yet secured the bonnet or front cab and sides to the running plate either. I’ve not been following the instructions too closely, so I decided to start drilling holes for hand rails and made up the control levers with the supplied pins. Another job was to drill out the end of the air horn as this was just a solid casting. I also drilled out the top of the exhaust as this was full of resin. I’ve made the decision to fit the windows after I have painted the model which might be a bit more fiddly. That's all for now.

I'm really enjoying this kit and the challenge. Whilst I decided how I was going to secure the motor unit to the chassis and secure the chassis to the front of the running plate, I decided to deviate from the instructions which recommended gluing the rear of the loco cab body onto the running frame first. Instead I decided to make up the engine housing/ bonnet and test fit these. One of the reasons for this was the engine housing components were relatively square and well formed. Unfortunately the rear cab section and fuel tank needs a bit of work, so I did not trust starting the cab build with this part. There's a bit of a defect in the side of the casting where a fuel gauge/ filler? should be but I have an idea how I can resolve this. I then had an idea how I could secure the front of the chassis to the running plate and secure the front of the motor unit on the chassis. Returning to the donor body I chopped off the smoke box section of the body. I had kept the original fixing point for mounting the original body at the front of the donor chassis, so the smoke box section is fixed to the same point on the chassis as originally intended. The front of the motor unit slots into the rear of the smoke box. I then glued a couple of small squares of plasticard to the front of the smoke box to create a simple clamp to secure the front of the chassis to the running plate. The chassis just slides out of the running plate. The rear of the chassis is screwed to the running plate moulding. After trying to loosely line up the engine bonnet, cab front, sides and rear to check alignments, I had to take the plunge and fix the cab front to the engine bonnet. At this point I had another brain wave and by packing the gap under the cab front with plasticard, this then helps secure the rear of the motor unit to the chassis when finally fixed in place. This then allowed me to see how accurately the side castings would fit. I had to do quite a bit of filing to allow the sides to fit square to the cab front. The sides also needed a bit of work as they were a little bowed. I'm definitely finding this kit quite therapeutic. Having to do some adjustments is part of the fun and challenge. Overall I think its looking quite good.

Hello Huw, I'm not too sure if it is the same kit/ running plate that does the Toby and Bachmann Junior. My wife ordered the kit and spoke with the owner of Smallbrook who she described as a lovely man - I think she told him what donor loco she had acquired on my behalf and he supplied the required kit/ correct running plate. Hope this helps. Yes, I'm thinking this is what I might aim for livery wise. Will just have to source a suitable green.

Thanks Colin, yes I'm also thinking of leaving the cab roof off until the end when its painted and I've added the glazing. Yours has come out well. I'm a bit jealous as your chassis has some brake gear- I might have to try and incorporate something as the Junior chassis is a bit basic looking.

So I’ve been quite keen to get on and start building the kit. But it took me a while to figure out how I was going to use the donor chassis from the Bachmann Junior loco. When I took the donor body off the chassis, the motor unit is actually secured to the inside of the loco body and not the chassis, therefore it becomes loose without the body. The small pcb was secured in the top of the enclosed cab of the loco. Another issue is that the chassis is integrated into the running frames. I ended up chopping off the running frames and buffer beams to leave part of the chassis to support the new replacement chassis/ running frame. I made sure I kept the rear lug which slots into the new running frame. I think there are different versions of the kit running frame that you can request depending on the donor chassis being used ie Toby tram or Bachmann Junior. My new running frame rests on top of the donor chassis wheel arches which I have kept. The lug at the rear keeps it in place. I just needed to find away of securing the new frame to the front of the donor chassis, and secure the motor unit to the chassis now that it was not secured to the original donor body- I hope that all makes sense! I then added the new ends to the chassis after drilling the lifting eyes, and with a small bit of filing the front and rear steps too. I ended up removing the pcb as it was getting int he way. I took a photo of it to make sure I reconnect it correctly later. As mentioned earlier, at this point the motor unit is loose and not secured to the chassis. So far so good. It’s all looking square!

Thanks Woody, I'm already starting to think how I could incorporate somewhere for it to run at a later date, which then also means I need it to have some rolling stock - oh dear.............

For the last 20+ years I’ve mainly been interested in 7mm/ O gauge modeling, and I have a current project/ experiment in progress with a link in my signature. I prefer BR diesels and operations around the 1980’s/ early 90s. So why have I decided to build a narrow gauge loco? Recently there have been quite a few really nice ready to run models in 7mm. One of which is the Hattons Warwell wagon. This ended up being the catalyst that lead me to stumble across the Smallbrook Studio Cardea kit. Whist researching what loads the Warwells carried, apart from the obvious military vehicles I came across a photo of a consist carrying RNAD rolling stock and what appeared to be a Baguley Drewry shunter, presumably being transported between MOD sites for use elsewhere, or worst case for scrap? A few years ago I used to visit RNAD Dean Hill and some of the ammunition bunkers now rented out to private businesses, so I was aware of the Narrow gauge railways that used to serve these sites. Unfortunately not much appears to be left at Dean Hill now. Interestingly several of the bunkers still have rail access, a small platform within, and some very heavy duty lifting gear! The photo of RNAD stock on the move on a Warwell got me motivated to see if there was a 7mm kit of an RNAD Baguley Drewry diesel so that I could recreate what I had seen in the photo. At first I got a bit confused with the various different narrow gauge scales and was not sure what I should be looking for – I’m still a bit confused with differing gauges now! A few enquiries later and although a possible 7mm RNAD Baguley Drewry kit was potentially in development, and a 5mm one was available, I could not find what I was specifically looking for. I then stumbled across the Smallbrook Studio Cardea kit. It’s a Baguley Drewry albeit an intended 0-6-0, but I thought it could pass as a fictitious MOD narrow gauge loco on loan for trials. Whether it would have been transported on a Warwell is another issue, but I liked the look of the kit and thought it would make an interesting model on its own. My plans were put on hold as one of the requirements for the Cardea kit is a donor OO gauge Toby the tram chassis or a Bachmann Junior chassis. Both of which, at a reasonable price were like rocking horse ………. especially on the well know auction site. I had an old OO gauge Bachmann BR 03 shunter which I was initially considering using for the chassis but after enquiring if this would be suitable, the wheel diameter is too small. Just before my birthday at the start of the month I saw a possible contender for a donor chassis that had obviously had a tough life. I’ve no idea what the previous owner was intending to do,but at least I would not feel bad disposing of the body! I mentioned my plan to my wife but then forgot about it and missed the auction ending. So it was a bit of surprise that I received the donor model/ chassis and the Cardea kit on my birthday- It's a good job I did not try bidding against my wife! The kit...... The donor - a very sorry looking Bachmann Junior! The catalyst...... Till next time.

So............ it's been a while since I've done anything on Swindelton, but one of the reasons for this was the location in the garage. I had Swindelton set up on the adjustable trestles in front of items stored along the garage wall. It was a right PITA to get to things stored under and behind Swindelton, and it was encroaching into the garage space. The trestles made it difficult to store items/ garage furniture - ie family junk under Swindelton, making it a stressful environment at times. I've previously used a industrial/ garage racking system to create a workbench and additional storage on one of the other garage walls and this has been very successful. So I thought I would use the racking system to store Swindelton and create additional storage. One of the advantages is that Swindelton is now better protected and I can install lights on the underside of the upper racking shelf. An added bonus is that I've also now got some additional space to play with. The main disadvantage will be doing any remedial works to wiring etc because of the solid shelf. I still have the trestles to allow this if necessary. Before.... After.... I'm a lot happier now. It was my birthday recently, and I was lucky to get a few items of interest from my wife. It's definately big for Swindelton, but she managed to get me a Motorail carflat. It's a really nice model - but I might need to use the extra space I have recently acquired! After doing some research it was good to see that these could be seen in use outside of Motorail traffic and I have a few ideas for the future. I'm enthusiastically working on the other presents my wife got me so at some point i'll probably up-date later. That's all for now.

Decorating the son's bedroom has recently meant not much time for Swindelton. Despite this, and also despite not wanting to age my Dapol Turbots with a gas soldering iron, it seems I'm quite happy to attack one of my most recent purchases, one of the twin Railfreight class 20s! For those of the current TikTok generation you'll have to look at the following image with the "Oh No!" song in the back ground. My children introduced me to this tune and it's not left my head. I'm sure it will buff out and look better in the end, but I started off removing the orange cantrail stripe with the intention of just replacing with a white stripe. I then thought I might as well have a go at the various mould lines. I then looked at the bogie side beams and these need a bit of attention to fill the holes, as the one I'm potentially looking to replicate had solid beams. I'm now wondering if I'm happy with the tone of the Railfreight grey used by Heljan, but that would also mean re-painting its twin............................................ This is potentially not going to be a quick job. Till next time.

It’s been a quiet month for modelling. Instead, a bit of retail therapy occurred. Appreciate I'm not the first but I finally succumbed to a Warwell. It’s a lovely model and I'm really happy with it, but due to its size I can't really justify many- one will have to do for the time being. The factory finished wooden planking looked a bit odd so I decided to age and treat it in a similar manner to the Turbots. I toned down the colours with a black wash and then attempted some representation of oil spills, but I was not overly happy with the look. So some additional dry brushing helped blend the spills and weathering - at least in my eyes. I also dry brushed some metalcote on to the metal plate and rivets to make them stand out a bit and give a slightly worn look. Like other projects I might come back to it at a later date. I'm going to try and source a suitable load and some securing chains for it in the long term. With a rush of blood to the head, another acquisition also occurred. Due to finances at the time, I missed out on a blue version. Instead, I now own some Railfreight twins. I was thinking I could do 20141 and 20023 but there are some subtle livery variations required to make 20023. Alternatively, if I get the time and confidence, I might repaint one in blue. The Railfreight twins pass Swindelton with a short MOD consist during the summer of 1986. Till next time.

Thanks both, it takes me a while to build up the courage to experiment, there is always the fear of making a dogs dinner of it, especially with the investment involved! Both your Turbots look good though, so I might still have a go at manipulating the sides- possibly a little bit- will have to see. I have a few old OO wagons that I might experiment on first. I was wondering if the careful use of a chisel or nail punch would work- might have to give this ago on an old wagon too!