jwealleans

Tony, let me take you back to your theme a few pages ago of saving wrecked wagons. I was at Shildon show over the weekend operating a 7mm layout. Having my usual grub through the rummage boxes on trade stands, I was reminded of your present interest in what can be done with cheap or basket case wagons. Here's one I found: Two quid from a box of loose wagons. Ratio, square and mainly complete (missing buffer and roof vent) and you can never have too many LMS vans. How could I resist? Just out of the paint stripper, no apparent damage and a fairly tidy build under the paint. Brass bearings and proper wheels, LMS (Dave Franks) buffers, whitemetal roof vents and the door handles replaced with wire. Plenty of change from an hour to do this. Primed and drying. I found the wheels fairly cheap at the same show, so the whole lot probably stands me less than twelve quid including the two pounds for the wagon to start with.

Overscale bolt heads and all, the first wagon has been lettered and I think it's come up quite tidy: I had some lettering made up for the conflats as well. They will look the part once the chains are fitted. Ths sheet was printed by John Peck, if anyone wants to order one; enough wagon lettering for 6 conflats (assuming you have the HMRS or another sheet for the star and Non-common user marking) and also for 4 or 6 of the Type A container. I lettered the Hydra while I was on as well. I can see I'm going to be wrangling a lot of chain this weekend. I was at Shildon show over the weekend operating a 7mm layout. Having my uusal grub through the rummage boxes on trade stands, I was reminded of Sir's present interest in what can be done with cheap or basket case wagons. Here's one I found: Two quid from a box of loose wagons. Ratio, square and mainly complete (missing buffer and roof vent) and you can never have too many LMS vans. How could I resist? Just out of the paint stripper, no apparent damage and a fairly tidy build under the paint. Brass bearings and proper wheels, LMS buffers, whitemetal roof vents and the door handles replaced with wire. Plenty of change from an hour's work. Primed and drying. I found the wheels fairly cheap at the same show, so the whole lot probably stands me less than twelve quid including the two pounds for the wagon to start with.

Eastern Times Volume 2 is now available. i picked up a copy at Shildon show. Contents and preview in the link: I've skimmed it thus far. The D20 article looks interesting, the B17 article casts doubt on a number of withdrawal dates and the article about the New Works scheme has some interesting photographs of the LNER in East London. The article about Henry Casserley and accompanying photographs is the highlight thus far for me.

Well that's encouraging. If that indicates progress with reviving the range, a lot of people will be happy.

City Of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie

Is it the wrong way round, Simon, or was the conversion in the end compartment?

Thank you, Simon. June 2013.... I've been to sleep since then.

I had to get back home to look at my D & S catalogue. The kit you want is DS225, but he only specifies "Auto Coach (Elliptical)". I think Mick B may have one, he might know what diagram is is. @micklner?

The third in your photographs is a Gresley, probably Diagram 57 (?). There is an MJT kit for that one if you fancy it. Even if the BT in the first picture is a driving one, it's the wrong way round so it can't be being used as one. You can get away with an MJT or Comet one there. It might be worth a letter to Danny Pinnock asking about the NER driving trailer; I know some people have had 4mm items he happened to have on the shelf from him quite recently.

Whites Of Their Eyes - Mattiel

Right as usual, I think, Darryl. OP said '20T wagon' so I just accepted that without question.

You have to wonder whether the two are connected - or perhaps they're not connected any more and that's why they've ended up on the lineside?

Last week, having some time between applications of paint and transfers on different models, I made a start on another 3D printed wagon. I'd been pointed in the direction of https://bygone-wagons.com/ before, but had only seen GWR prototypes on there and nothing which immediately grabbed my attention. I was then advised to look at the 'Upcoming Wagons' page as there was a planned LNER build refrigerated van. The website is behind, in fact, as this kit is available now. I have one of these on Grantham which was made up from some Jim McGeown etches shot down, but another couldn't hurt, so I made contact. Amanda was very easy to deal with; she's happy to supply wagons built up or in component form and she's not precious about her parts being replaced with those other suppliers. I ordered a couple of the refrigerated vans and also one of the Dyson wagons and tankers on page 2 for another project. The kit is designed quite differently from others I've put together; there's a basic carcass, top left, to which you then add roof, sides and ends. There's then an underframe piece , solebars, brake gear and ladders to add. Bearings are provided - nice touch, not everyone does that - but not wheels except by special request and EM only. Having test fitted a few of the components, I decided the best order of assembly would be roof - sides - ends. The roof had what amounted to locating holes where the ice hatches are, so it could be fitted in exactly the right place. The sides will then butt up to the roof and are exactly the same length as the carcass, so they can be placed exactly. The ends then overlap the sides and seal the box. I glued the roof with epoxy instead of superglue so I had a bit of time to adjust it and made sure it sat down properly onto the curve of the former. There are print striations on the roof, but my paint/talc roof mix will disguise those. You can make a new piece with 20 thou plasticard if it offends. The roof having set, I stuck a lump of lead inside while I could stil get in. We've jumped a couple of steps here so sides and ends are on. The sides were too wide and so the corner posts were proud of the sides. I've primed it so you can see where I had to file them back to make the whole side flush. You can also see that the bolt heads on the strapping are overscale and there are threads of resin between them which it's worth taking the time to remove. I think those overscale bolt heads are my major criticism of this design and they're not too obvious at normal viewing distances. At this point I had to assess how I was going to complete the van. Above are the underframe components, at least some of which I planned to replace with brass parts. 3D printed resin simply isn't robust enough for the rough and tumble of exhibition use. Looking at the design of what has been supplied here and given that I'm not doing any sort of formal review for the manufacturer, I decided to discard everything and make a new underframe. The main part of the underframe assembly which gave me pause were the solebars. In the end I decided not to use them for two reasons. One was that by omitting the main underframe piece, which fits behind and reinforces the buffer beam at each end, I would have a gap at each end. The other was the printed axleboxes which looked a bit vertically stretched to me. Here they are against the MJT parts I eventually used and you can judge for yourself. I made new solebars from Evergreen 1/8" channel. Wheelsets first; MJT axleguards. The fixed one was positioned and checked for squareness then left to set and the Brassmasters jig used to set the other in place. Solebars and brake gear now fitted. Brake gear is the usual Mainly Trains etch. The end ladders are Wizard Models signal ladders with their .45 square rodding added to beef them up and make them look more realistic. Note that I'm not fitting the (LMS) buffers until it's painted as it'll be easier to cut the black buffer beam in with the buffers off. This is more or less where we are now; side and ice hatch handles added and I've since painted the roof grey.

Sorry, mate, but I was upbraided for the same thing on mine when i thought I'd completed it; there is a brace from the inside bottom of the axleguard to the solebar at both ends. It looks like a bit of plain etch, which was why I missed it. You can see it on Jim's own model on the website.

I don't have a drawing - best I can do is measure the Hornby one I have.

At least I know where it is. I still haven't found the D178 open.

Your Greatest Shade Of Blue - The Adventures

I wouldn't place a great deal of faith in Fox's descriptions of the application of their transfers. I can't recall the exact sizes, but for Tank locos the letters were something like 9" and the numbers 15" or 18". I think I have a paint spec somewhere, or the HMRS transfers blurb which generally is accurate. If it's any consolation, we've all done it. Once you've had it pointed out, though, it's hard not to notice.

I think your numbers on the side tanks may be too small, Andy?

Didn't Pat Stirling have the vac pipes removed from the front of his singles to prevent double heading?

As mentioned above, I was down to Ely this weekend for a running and fettling session on Wickham Market. As it turned out there was a lot more running than fettling, although quite a bit of work was done on the branch set and sidings to get those into good order. I didn't have masses of time for photographs, but I did manage some later in the day when we were mainly running freight. It was good to bring a lot of this stock out which has largely only run twice since we retired Thurston in 2015. 64671 is from a Crownline kit. It's being hinted that I should provide a J20 as well. The Hymac by 247 Developments which appears above. I was quite taken with the details in the garden as well, having acquired a Suffolk Colt with the house I now live in. I think I've mentioned it before, but this lovely scratchbuilt gas tank was in a job lot of wagons I acquired from 53A Models a few years ago. 65388, from a Gibson kit, was the first loco I built for Thurston in about 2003. The Palvan behind is a detailed Ks kit. Parkside trestle wagon, Chivers LMS Tube, ABS twin bolster, Ks unfitted van, D & S GE van, then the warwell with bowser which featured on here recently. Towards the rear, Hornby brake van, Bachmann grano, then an Acorn grain hopper which has the distinction of being the worst brass kit I have ever built. Thurston used to feature a lengthy lie-by across the front in which we would park an Engineers' train or the weedkilling train so the public could get a good look at them. There's no such feature on WM, but there is a road at the back of the up platform which we thought might lend itself to parking a train up. 61562, the Coopercraft B12, was the usual motive power for this; here the driver has brought it to a halt at the starter, eased past until clear and then started to set back once the road was set. The train is now clear of both main lines and passing behind the signal box and into the back road proper. It accomplished this successfully. The other place the weedkiller might well be sent is up the Framlingham branch (both the Dr Ian Allan photographs I have of it were taken along that line). The loco objected to the qute sharp curve into the branch sidings, however, so it will probably require different haulage for that working. For anyone interested in seeing more, Andy Wilkinson kindly allowed me to post his videos from the day onto my YouTube channel.

Would empty casks be sheeted, being of less interest to the thirsty ruffian?

It's a Stove R, surely?

Time Flies By (When You're A Driver Of A Train) - Half Man Half Biscuit