Castle

Hi All, I felt that it had been far too long since my little Didcot thread got updated so here we go. I have been a very good boy and have been trying to finish off a few long term pending items. TOAD No. 56400 is now done and when I go on shed at the weekend I will get the required prototype portrait picture so I can post it up. The Dia. A38 Hawksworth Auto trailer No. 231 is also nearly there apart from some figures and the odd detail here and there so I will post this up fairly soon too. My camera related problems have stopped thread progress until know but that is sorted and as soon as the decorating of the room with the PC in it is done (!), I will post a few pictures. I now have a bit of a need to do a few wagons I think... All the best, Castle

Hi All RJS1977: My collection will include a working trolley too (or at least it will when if finish the darn thing!). Mine is an NBrass body with a heavily modified Bachmann Gandy Dancer chassis. How did you do yours? I didn't think for a moment that I would be the only one using this type of approach! Our crossover machines are 1466 and 231 then... Is yours set in the preservation or historic era? Steve: My reason for picking the crossover era is that I can almost model two periods in one. The extremes being blue Kings alongside GWR liveried freight locos... Nice! All the best, Castle

Hi All, Having just had an enjoyable read through this reincarnated thread for the first time, I have my own take on this. What I do is model a preserved fleet as it would have been during a specific time period. The plan is to model all of the GWS' collection at Didcot at the time of the GWR / BR (WR) cross over between 1948 and about 1955. This will enable me to model what I am familiar with and can see first hand as well as put it into a fictional yet historic layout context. Is this making the best of both worlds? I hope so... All the best, Castle

Hi All, How about something along the lines of 'use of the injector' given the space there? It reads a bit better too. I could be wrong of course... All the best, Castle

Just make sure you are there in a couple of years (ish!) time when we wake her up again Paul... All the best, Castle

Come on now 69843 - We all have our bad hair days, especially in the desert sun... That is a great picture by the way! Going slightly off topic, is it one of yours? All the best, Castle

Hi All, Steam - see avatar... I know I am biased here as I work on the real thing but I think the balance of the traditional GWR Edwardian elegant look with the power and engineering perfection (for its time at least) of the early Castles mark them out as the best to my mind. Kings are a little bit too 'butch' and heavy (visually not just axle load!) for my taste. Going off my home region, the streamlining of the A4s and the Duchesses make them look like they are going fast while standing still as do some of the big American and (as yet unmentioned) Australian jobs too. Quite a feat with something as massive and heavy as a steam engine! Diesel - Again, it has been much mentioned here before but the Westerns just ooze style to my eye. They exude the style of their age and have a 'face' that I think few other diesels can match. Deltics are up there too as are the (aslo as yet unmentioned) GWR railcars. No.4 at Swindon has vast quantities 1930s art deco beauty inside and out while Nos. 22 & 20 have a utillitarian elegance that is very much of their era too. HSTs have their place too. I am surprised we haven't had any votes for a Gronk though - definitely utillitarian and characterful but I suppose not beautiful! In many was the Class 08s are very much the VW Beetle of the diesel world... The gronk and the HST was the only diesel models I had as a young boy so they must have something about them. The other stuff - I love the 'retro future' looks of Gas Turbine 18000 - straight out of the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon! The electrics are an area that I have little knowledge of but I do like the almost 'Brunellian' solidity of the Woodhead route locos and the 60s 'white heat of technology 'style of the west coast electrics. The above has pleased some and left others cold but it is this wide range of interests and enthusiasm displyed here that gives this country it's wonderfully wide ranging railway preservation and modelling scene. I love the power and glamour of the Castle but others like the brute power of heavy freight engines and others still the little shunters. Some have a thing for diesels while sparks do it for others. Thank goodness for that and vive la difference! All the best, Castle

Hi All, Here is another one from the archive: Prairie Procrastination (part 2 of 3) Good things come in small (prairie) packages. 4575 Class 'Small Prairie' No. 5572 is a derivative of the earlier 45XX Class of tank locomotives. From number 4575 onwards, the engines were fitted with range extending 1,300 gallon slope top side tanks. They proved to be very useful machines, capable of short burst into the 60mph range, with the light yellow class axle loadings and a not unreasonable tractive effort for their size. They could be a little light footed but on the whole, these were capable bits of kit. No. 5572 herself was very nearly the last of her kind built at Swindon in 1929. She worked throughout the south west of England and in south Wales in her career and very unusually for a 4575 Class loco, she was actually auto fitted. She is the only one of her type in preservation to be so equipped in service. Some others have been retro fitted since 1968. Withdrawal of the 45XX class began as early as 1950 but No. 5572 hung on against the onslaught of branch line closures and dieselisation until April 1962 and from there went to a certain South Wales scrapyard. It was saved from oblivion by the Great Western Society in August 1971, and had the first phase of its restoration done at the now defunct GWS Taunton Depot. The restoration was completed at Didcot after she was transferred there in 1977. It has seen service both at the railway centre and on preserved railways away from Didcot in the past but is now on the static exhibit list. Yet again, Bachmann come to the rescue here and their excellent 4575 model is gainfully employed. The usual detailing with extra lamp irons, etc and new couplings are done in standard Castle fashion and a general spruce up all round completed the first stage of the rebuild. The big difference of course is that this engine is auto fitted. Thankfully, this gear is available as part of the Mainly Trains 14XX detail kit that I had already fitted to my model of No. 1466. Another detail kit was duly ordered (I know the bits are available separately but my friends and I have found use for the vast majority of the bits so I didn't feel that this was too much of an issue) and made its way to chez Castle The brass and white metal bits slowly found their way onto the engine. The buffer beam detail requires slight bending to get it to fit. The white metal battery box was put under the driver's steps and the various cable trunking and pipes were represented using brass wire. The weathering, real coal and other odds and ends were finished up and an auto fitted 4575 Class engine in 4mm scale was born! T.T.F.N.! All the best, Castle

Hi All, Thanks for the kind words 7013 (or do I just call you Bristol Castle?!), It is great to hear about the 81E connection and maybe we will meet up there sometime? I will be the one with the black hat on who is looking in a very frustrated way at chunks of 4079! It is, at times, the default state for a Didcot loco fitter... I may or may not have done a bit of teaching... It usually takes one to know one though, you too? I hope you give the weathering a go and post your results. As I say, it's not the right way to do it, it's just my way. Keep tuning in and I will do my best to keep everyone entertained (even if it is just through having the wrong colour tank tops and not knowing what my runner is for)! All the best, Castle P.S. I would have a go at the SilverFox 18K as it is a really good entry level sort of a conversion project and it is good fun too! As I have said elsewhere on this forum, I got a PDK 72XX kit bought for me by the other half for Christmas so I could do 7202... Trust Mr Kholer to bring out that very loco! Oh well, never mind, I like building kits!

I just had to remember to compare you to the correct end of the horse to avoid upset...

Hi Mike, I guess I will trust to your first hand experience on this one - you are the horses mouth. Having typed that, it seems to read as potentially more offensive than it should - none implied! It is always good as I have said above to challenge preconceptions. I think many of us assume runner truck + diesel shunter = track circuit issues. Is it just at Paddington that this was the case? Could some chariots have trundled out of region for this purpose? I am sure that I have seen more than one photo of chariots and little shunters labeled in this fashion. Is it another case of the collective 'knowledge' being wrong? I don't know if you are a GWS man but if not, you should be - the signalling guys would love a chat with you! I like being right but I also like to learn new stuff too - cheers! My specialist subject is GWR steam loco overhaul and maintenance...* All the best, Castle *But not paint or liveries (see above!).

Hi All, Just to prove that I am still alive and kicking (been busy you know), here is another one from the archive: Shunter’s trucks were another ubiquitous GWR type that were allocated the diagrams M1 to M5. They had full length footboards and handrails and a toolbox mounted on the flat bed of the wagon. The idea was that the shunters rode on them during movements around stations and depots and therefore did not have to run the sometimes fairly significant distances between jobs alongside the yard pilot or shunting engine or to stop them hanging off the foot plating of the engine and risk becoming entangled in a rod or two. The wheels of the wagon were also guarded to prevent shunter mangling as far as possible. The asymmetric toolbox usually had the name of the depot or yard that it was allocated to painted on it. They served firstly for their intended purpose and then as runners to allow the early, short wheelbase diesel shunters to show up on the more modern signalling system. These little locos were so short that the track occupancy gear couldn't register them as being there so the venerable shunters trucks served long past their sell by date and it probably allowed a number of them to survive into captivity. Shunters truck No. 100377 is a bit of an odd ball as it was converted in 1953, from a set of under frames that formally belonged to a 'Mink A' van, built in 1923 within Lot 882 to Diagram V14. It therefore really isn't entitled to the GWR paint scheme it currently carries. Neither should it be carrying the name Moreton Cutting (a small yard formerly just outside Didcot) but we are all friends here. It has been rather beautifully restored by the Carriage & Wagon Department recently too and really looks the part so I'm not complaining! The Model is based on the Cambrian one and is pretty much straight out the box. The only changes that I made was to use some brass wire and off cuts of etch to do the handrails as I felt that the plastic and soft metal (aluminium?) wire offering in the kit didn't look like they would last very long. A set of scale instanter couplings finished things off The transfers came from Cambridge Custom Transfer's comprehensive Cambrian Kit sheet. The only change I made was to rearrange the Park Royal yard name for the toolbox to read Royal Park as I felt that this had a suitably vague ring about it for any future layout. I can hear the gasps from the purists as I write this! That will do for now... All the best, Castle

Hi All, Mr Isherwood at CCT does indeed do transfers for the O13 on both his complete Parkside Dundas kit collection sheet S1 and Sheet BL102 for BR ex-GWR Diagram O13 which has enough transfers for 40 wagons. All the best, Castle

Hi Yan, The GWS collection at 81E includes one of these wagons. There are some pictures here if it helps: http://www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/wagons/92943/92943.html All the best, Castle

Hi All, How about this for a future rail tour announcement then? Adelante Back to Paddington. The Class 180 Adelante Preservation Society will be rerunning the original  inaugural public revenue earning service of the type to celebrate 50 years since the type entered service on the Great Western Main Line. The Class 180 Group succeeded in preserving a complete unit after much negotiation with First Land & Space Travel Group. It has taken much work to restore the unit to its original condition over the last ten years. They have also fitted unit 180101 with the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven signalling system and at a cost of £2,000,000. When asked about the money spent, Class 180 society chairman, Ian M. Batty, said: "At least we didn't have to pay the £4,000,000 and their first born child it is costing the steam guys out there these days! I think we have proved that Diesel Multiple Unit preservation is the way of the future." When asked about the groups motives and aims for the future, Mr Batty said that they "were keen that the sights, sounds and smells (particularly that noxious niff that came from the toilets on a hot day) of a class 180 should not be denied to future generations. It's ok looking at a full size hologram of one in your virtual reality room at home but this can't beat the real thing. We believe that being in touch with the real thing give us a connection to a time when things were made with traditional tools like CNC lathes and milling machines and not spat out on a 3D printer. It keeps these and other vital heritage skills, such as ordering parts by hand out of a catalogue over the Internet, alive." When asked if 180101 would be changing liveries any time soon, Mr Batty said: let us get the 50th anniversary out of the way first. I know that there are a lot of people out here that would love to see and photograph her in Grand Central black. This will not be for at least a couple of years though. We feel it only right that we recognise the contribution made to this project by First. In the future however, who knows?" When asked about it's role in the event, the AI computer now on board 180101 said "I've got a brain the size of a planet and I end up doing this. It's not funny being stored at the museum depot for weeks on end when all you want to do is get out and smell the roses. At least you flesh bags can get off at the stations. That it would come to this. I used to be in charge of a space airliner you know! I've been to Mars! God help me... Go away and leave me alone." I'll get my coat... All the best, Castle PS : the last paragraph is of course posted with an nod to and due reverence for the late, great, Douglas Adams. PPS: I would have loved a go on the GWS Vintage Train. Imagine that with 4079 out front singing away at 75 mph...

Hi All, A good friend of mine has sent me the following and he is pretty knowledgeable about such things so here we go: I have been following your thread on the RMweb forum (I sometimes go on it, mainly to check out the prototype sections). Regarding red numberplates, this was standard for all black engines between November '49 and April '52, which is why I suggested it to the 5322 gang. Â Caerphilly works had a tradition of painting the reverser rod red, not sure when that started though. Â Top of the tanks on 41xx's ect should be black, according to colour photographic evidence and the 1947 specification I have. Â There's a truly excellent colour photo, of what is commonly credited as being 6106, at Ayelsbury in 1938... however I'm not 100% sure whether it is actually 6106 - I think it might be 6105. Unfortunately I don't have a copy with me, but if you go on the Colour Rail site they have it listed for sale, although there isn't a preview. Â For some reason they have it down as 6149! Â Hope this clears some things up. Thanks go to the 'Kerosene Castle' and yes, that is his actual 81E nickname! I will leave it to the imagination as to how that came about. Black on the tank tops it is then - possibly on the full size one too! I don't mind being wrong if it sets everyone else right! A daub round with the black paint and we are sorted. It is on the list for this weekend. At least the red number plates can stay... All the best, Castle

Hi All, I wish I was that fast Cormamuse! I did little 5322 a while back, it has been gracing my display cabinet since. I don't think that doing the NRM is next on the list, I live in Berkshire and York is a fair way to travel for pictures and prototype inspiration. Like many, I model what I see around me. It just so happens that I inhabit a place that has been trapped in a time warp! When (if!) I ever run out of Didcot prototypes, I think that I could do the GWR bits of the NRM collection though. No. 3440 City of Truro is a natural fit (and easy to do thanks to Bachmann!) as it was sheded at Didcot in the 1950's. I can also do Nos. 4003, 4073, 6000, 9400, 2516, 4248 (technically 'preserved' at Steam), W4W and if I ever do that broad gauge shed diorama, North Star. Shannon and Iron Duke are the cross over here as they are on a sort of permanent loan to 81E but are National Collection locos. I must admit to a sneaking interest in some of the odd ball and bizarre prototype & experimental locos having built No. 18000. Perhaps a non time specific collection based on these weirdos (steam, diesel, etc) could be good? I find stuff like the Leader, GT3, APT - E and Turbomotive fascinating. Another thing I would like to see, and something that is almost never modelled are the engines from the dawn of railways. The likes of Rocket, Locomotion, Puffing Billy, etc. The valve gear on one or two of these might cause a headache in 4mm scale though. There is a long way to go until I get there though. There are roughly 150 items of rolling stock at Didcot and my display case isn't that full... Thanks for the input David B.C.P. Is this the same image of No. 6106 that appears in the book 'The Didcot Story' or another one entirely? It would be quite remarkable if there were several colour images of that period that survived of what was, after all, a fairly humble suburban tank engine. I don't know who painted No. 4144 last time (although I have my suspicions) so I will ask them about the tank tops to at least get the definitive answer for the engine as preserved which is what I personally am happy to follow. I am quite happy to wield a spanner and hammer around Didcot Locomotive Works but painting and paintbrushes are an anathema to me I am afraid! Funnily enough, I can paint in miniature but not full size - I have been banned from painting No. 4079 (!) and even the other half puts the paint on the walls at home after I have filled and sanded... Traditional coach painting (no spray paint at Swindon so none at Didcot either) with a brush is very much a different skill set than spray model painting though. Any thoughts on the red number plates on little 5322 anyone? Am I going to have to get the big tin of black paint out? All the best, Castle

Hi Bulldog, Thanks for that list link - very interesting. It has to be said though that, as we find time and time again when working on the real thing, a lot of what is written and taken as the 'official line' and 'perceived wisdom' has to be taken with a pinch of salt. The railway world in general and the thorny livery issue in particular isn't just black and white - just shades of grey. I don't intend any disrespect to anyone involved with the list either - in fact I know some of them personally. The list says that the horizontal surfaces should be black and that is fine. But what about the angled tops to the tank fronts? It is interesting to speculate whether a painter would have bothered doing two colours there or just carried on up and over the tops of the tank with the bucket of green and the brush in his hand. It is probably why the real No. 4144s are green right now! It was all down to the interpretation of the 'rules' by the guy doing the work. Not that any of this is here or in the list is right or wrong,  just different... All the best, Castle

Hi Nick, It is one of those questions - I looked it up in 'The Great Western Way' by John Lewis and it said black to 1947 but this is probably based on the official documentation rather than what happened on the factory floor at Swindon / at running sheds. There is often a wide gulf between the two. A great example of this was relayed to me by my Fairford friend who was once talking to an ex - Swindon painter and he said that the order came down from the office that top of the lining on the hanging bar, under the running plate on the 10XXs should be 4" from the top. The thing about this is that the hanging bar is only about 4" deep! So they ignored it and did it right... There was a great deal of day to day experience and knowledge that was once in the works that is now sitting up in that great loco factory in the sky, looking down on us and laughing as we find all this out for ourselves! All the best, Castle

Hi All, Yet again, Castle has been delving around in his display case an found something for you to have a look at! Old soldiers never die - they just get to live at 81E. In some ways No. 5322 is one of the most thought provoking locomotives in the GWS collection. It is special in many ways being the last of the Churchward Moguls (No. 7325 is part of the Severn Valley Collection but it is the later Collett version), a member of what was once the most numerous tender engine class on the Great Western and a survivor of Barry Scrapyard. What makes her more important though is the fact that she is a veteran of the First World War. Built in 1917, she was shipped out immediately to the Western Front where she served behind the lines delivering all manner of goods and personnel to the front line and no doubt taking her fair share of those poor brave souls who had survived their injuries long enough to be shipped to a larger hospital or indeed back to Blighty. The loco always had a weird cut out section to the rearmost rib and two clips on the inside join between the cab roof and the cab sides. It was only when restoration to ROD (Railway Operating Division - the army unit that ran the rail movements) condition was undertaken that their true use was discovered. It turns out that a deactivated standard British WWI rifle clips in a treat - this loco's crews were armed! It is quite sensible as it keeps the rifles up and out of the inevitable dirt and grime of the footplate. The DRC web page below has a lot of information on her WWI service and is worth reading: www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/locos/5322/5322. She was repatriated after the war and after a brief flirtation with a heavyweight buffer beam and the number 8322, she worked until 1964. She then luckily found her way to a certain South Wales metal recycling firm from where she was rescued in 1969. She has the distinction of being the first ex GWR machine to be released from Barry into captivity. The photos show her in the locomotive shed post being repainted after her starring role in the film Anna Karenina that she was involved in over the winter months at Didcot. She has also starred in the recent Sherlock Holmes 2 (also filmed partly at Didcot) and many years ago she was in the Disney movie One of our Dinosaurs is Missing. She also toured various heritage lines a few years ago where she made many friends with her excellent performance and economy. For reasons associated with the lurching motions she made immediately post her last restoration due to some 'interesting' valve timing, this superb machine has gained the affectionate nickname on site of 'The Donkey' but she has a much more solemn duty on site as our reminder of 'the war to end all wars' and the huge sacrifice made by so many for the freedoms we now enjoy. And then a really weird thing happened... Long after I finished this model, No.5322 was painted black as part of the above mentioned film contract for Anna Karenina. I piped up "I did my model of the Donkey in BR unlined black - we should give it a go". After the initial deriding (it is the Great Western Society after all!), people got to thinking about it and with the assistance of Fox Transfers, it turned into a reality especially for our charity gala! How many models can be said to have inspired the real thing? The model, as you might expect, begins with the Bachmann item. There, again, isn't a vast amount to do unless you have odd requirements such as I do! The model was originally the 43XX variant that was in the fully lined out early BR livery. The cab on 5322 is slightly different to the 43XX in as much as the roof is a tad shorter. The cab unit on The Donkey is in fact the same one as was fitted to the 4-4-0 Counties. In order to retain as much detail as possible, I carefully trimmed the rear edge off, took out the required amount and then stuck the rear edge back on. The cab was detailed and various bits picked out in the appropriate colours. Etched lamp irons were fitted in all the places where they were missing (why are the spare lamp irons on the running plate more often than not missing off RTR models?) A coat of plain black from a Halfords spray can and plates / transfers from Modelmaster completed the re-imagining of Bachmann's offering. I also tried something new with this one and as the Churchward cab is so short, I provided my future little crews with a rolled up tarpaulin under the rear of the cab roof where it lives on the real thing. This was made from a Ferrero Rocher chocolate wrapper - look at the texture in the foil the next time the ambassador spoils you and tell me you don't think scale tarpaulin (or is that just an affliction I suffer from?!). The tender had some tools added to it and a smattering of real coal to finish things off nicely and then the filth was applied to tone it all down. There has been a bit of debate at 81E as to the accuracy of the red number plates on little 5322. In the book 'The Churchward 2-6-0s' by David Andrews, there is a picture of a 53XX in the above livery with red plates on Reading shed so it did happen. It is felt however that it was more usual to have red plates only on lined out locomotives. According to one of our membership who was a fireman on the Fairford branch, recalled that red paint was something of a Welsh shed trademark but the debate goes on. I would be interested to hear what others think. Next weekend, we are offering the opportunity to drive this beast or pannier tank No. 3738 for our charity event so if you have ever wanted to know what it is like at the sharp end, now is your chance! http://www.rmweb.co....-12th-may-2012/ Well, there we are, another Castle mash up of a previously perfectly serviceable RTR model completed for the layout that exists purely in my head! All the best, Castle

Hi All, So, the answer to the use to the question on everyone's (anyones?) lips is: Tank tops - black or green? If you look hard through the grub, the chips, the bits where the heavy engineering work has been undertaken and more dirt (!) the answer is... GREEN! Sorry about the bad picture but I only remembered late in the day and the light wasn't on my side... As she is in a late GWR scheme, the very early BR would not be any different - just a change of owner on the side! It is always good to challenge one's preconceptions so thanks to Nick for bringing it up. How many times have we made assumptions only to have a look at a photo later on? In those situations we can only quote the greatest of modern philosophers and say D'oh! All the best, Castle

Hi Nick, The short answer is I don't definitely know - now! I thought that I knew they are green on the real thing and that little 4144 could reflect her big sister in this respect. It is always the way when you think you know what you are doing and some asks a question and that vague hint of doubt creeps in...  I will take a photo at the weekend to prove if I have got it right or if I just made an idiot of myself! Amazingly, I didn't take any reference pictures from the tank tops either so I need to take a look up there anyhow. If they are black, I shall fetch a plate, find a spoon, take a slice of humble pie from the fridge, get out the black paint and sort it out. Either that or I will make it look like a Severn Tunnel banker and get it so filthy you can't tell! My other prairies (Nos. 6106 & 5572) are both in plain BR black. All the best, Castle

Hi All, Prairie Procrastination (part 1 of 3) Chapter 1: A submission in triplicate. Well, there you go, I said that I wasn't going to touch ANYTHING else until I had done that TOAD. How well do you think that little spring resolution went? Hmmmmmmm... In my defence, two friends of mine from Didcot have wanted a model of their project locomotive (the both work on the overhaul of the real No. 4144) for a while and asked if I would do a session with them to help them re livery and detail their models at some point. Some point became this past weekend so we went for it! To the prototype first. The 2-6-2 or Prairie Tank loco is another of those ubiquitous GWR designs. Despite not being quite as recognisable today as the Autotanks or the Panniers (probably because the good Reverend never made one a friend of Thomas the Tank Engine!) the design was an absolutely pivotal part of the Western fleet for a large part of the 20th century. From the prototype, No. 99 (later No. 3100) - built in 1903, the breed evolved in a fairly convoluted fashion into a variety of different types. The fitting of the Standard No. 2 boiler and 5' 8" driving wheels set the standard for what became the 51XX Class. These machines had a truly mixed portfolio of tasks set before them but many ended up running suburban services where they excelled. Due to their high power to size output and blue route allowance they could be seen throughout the network too. No. 4144 was built in 1946 as part of the final batch of large Prairies that were built around the nationalisation era. 51XXs often became employed to bank heavy trains uphill in Somerset, Devon and through the Severn Tunnel. This final job is where our subject spent the end of its service life - the steam locomotive equivalent of a mole! As a result it was always extra filthy and never got the enthusiast attention of its classier suburban sisters. She was withdrawn in March 1965 and was sent to Woodham Bros where the final (gas) axe never fell. She was bought jointly by the Society and one of its members in 1974 and was initially restored in time to take part in the 1997 Didcot steam season and went on to fame when she was used on the “Steam on the Met†in 1998. Her first preservation era boiler ticket expired in 2007. The locomotive's current overhaul began in August 2010 and it was hoped to bring her back to service quickly as she is a very useful machine to run 81E with but as is the way with such things, the boiler had other ideas! The initial inspection and non - destructive testing of the unit revealed that the bottom firebox corners was grooved and was badly wasted as was the bottom of the front tube plate. The frames and mechanicals are in far better condition thankfully and is well on the way to completion. The really great thing about this overhaul however is that if you take out of the equation the project manager, the pressure vessel manager and the chief engineer / boiler smith, the volunteers working on this machine have an average age of around 20 years old! No. 4144 really has become both a Cinderella machine and a shining beacon for the future of our hobby. Meanwhile, back in 4mm land... The base models for these engines is the new(ish!) Hornby version of that perennial favourite - the Airfix 51XX/61XX. The new chassis has made the model a lot more of an attractive proposition but there is still the issue of the castings, mouldings and so on still having a slightly clunky Seventies feel to them. The plan of operation for the 'triple prairie' day is as follows: 1) Renumber the locos to No. 4144 with brass cab side plates. I already had mine from Modelmaster but the guys got theirs as part of their order from Fox Transfers below for no other reason than you can't get the transfers below anywhere else and it was one less chunk of postage to pay! 2) An unusual livery that isn't often seen in model form was requested so the very early BR in the GWRs Egyptian Serif font with GWR buffer beam numbers and the little 'W' under the cab side plates was chosen. These were all done courtesy of a number of Fox Transfers products. We have no direct evidence of our engine in this livery as No. 4144 was severely camera shy in service but it is a recognised livery for the class so that is our excuse... 3) The body shells should look better than the standard offering - to this end we would fit the following bits: Alan Gibson lost wax whistles, Mainly Trains etched lamp irons fore and aft & Mainly Trains turned smokebox door handles 4) Font cab windows to be fitted. 5) the various bits were to be blended in with paint where required and then the two visiting engines would receive a dose of gloss varnish for that engine in preservation look. 6) Real coal is to be added to the bunkers. My loco will not be finished within the day as I intend to take my engine a bit further but I will complete all of the tasks apart from the the windows and the coal load as I want to weather my engine and I don't want rusty coal or windows so I will leave those off until later! The first task is one of dismantling the models so that the body comes free. This is just one screw on these models that is under the front pony truck. A work in progress picture is below. A short while later with some Joe's Model Trains Detail and Decal Remover and cotton buds, the shirt button logo, the buffer beam numbers and the printed cab side number plates were history. A top Castle tip for this is to make sure you leave part of the top edge and a side of the cab side plates if possible to align your new etched plates on! A swift carving session with a scalpel and a dose of pin vice and drill resulted in the loss of the moulded Smokebox handle at the front and the moulded lamp brackets at the back. The etched brass lamp irons were folded up and the smokebox door handle assembled, primed and painted black and then put to one side to dry. We then tackled the transfers. The buffer beam numbers were fore and aft first... ...and the tank side logos after that. The top of the safety valve bonnet, the chimney internals and the holes where the feed pipes disappear into the tank tops were filled in with black Games Workshop paint and the moulded shovel on the tank top was picked out in silver and brown to improve its appearance. The whistles were mounted in holes drilled in the spectacle plate and the etched and turned brass accoutrements were stuck on using superglue. The bunker lamp irons were then carefully hand painted in the correct shade. Phoenix paint tends to be quite thin and if handled correctly, can be patch painted in small areas with a brush without detriment to the overall finish of the model. This is also helped when a coat of varnish is applied - be it matt, satin or gloss. Here is the (nearly finished) results of our efforts. The two gents have put a layer of gloss varnish on their machines to unify the colour and provide a nice finish. Mine is the one bottom right without the shiny finish and missing its coupling hooks and hoses. Mine also lost its tank mushrooms for some unknown reason - replacements and answers will be sought... Another top tip was to paint the back edges of two chassis lugs that stick through the bunker and locate the rear of the body. A dose of real coal and PVA and a bit of acetate for the window later results in what you now see below you with mine lurking unfinished in the background. This No. 4144 belongs to apprentice No. 1. And this No. 4144, with the lamps and Bachmann crew, suitably amputated and fitted, belongs to apprentice No. 2. Mine however still has a long way to go. Next time I will do the buffer beam detail, trial fit the couplings, make and fit some new mushrooms, finish the whistles and get the body shell into matt varnish. Then I will turn my attentions to the chassis and ponder what to do about things such as the sanding gear and the cylinder drain cocks. I have put the transfers and handrails on the TOAD too... All the best, Castle

Hi Simon, I hadn't seen that film before - it is very interesting to see the real thing in action! Thank you very much for bringing it to my attention. It does show how 18K must have really stood out against the post war drab in that black and silver livery. Many thanks for the information on the continental models but there may be some issues in the size difference between OO and HO scale. Having got little 18K to run pretty smoothly with a well engineered chassis by Bachmann, I would hate to strip it down and start fiddling about any more than I already have. Even if it was just exchanging the wheelsets for more prototypical spoked ones, I doubt if it is a straight swap. If someone else out there wants to have a go you have given them a great start. Thanks again. All the best, Castle

Hi All, Thanks to all for the kind comments again! I really feel that this is what RM WEB is all about, sharing knowledge and experience so that we can all benefit. I couldn't tell you how much I have learnt from the forums here. I am glad it is back and long may it continue. Kev, it does say use in a well ventilated area so you and I use the world's biggest spray booth. It's just a pain that it can rain or snow in ours! It is free however... Not including the various locos and coaches that I have just renumbered and stuck in the display case or the not yet started projects, I have been a good boy over Easter and reduced my UFO (UnFinished Object) collection to 2 autocoaches, a Toad and something with a boiler and a Comet chassis kit that I have done some initial yet non committal diddling with. It feels good to clear the decks a bit! I keep drifting over to my list of things I want to do but having made such a good start on the UFOs, I feel I must finish at least one more of these before getting my teeth into something new. I did spray the Toad in GWR grey whilst painting No.117993 so I guess it's back to the lilly pad for me next! All the best, Castle