jwealleans

Me too, but until it's available this thread is about as good as it gets.

Well, Gilbert, I've just caught up with this and would like to add my best wishes to everyone elses. Can I suggest a lengthy period of rest on the end of a platform with a notebook and camera to hand?

Go on, go on, go on, you know you want to.... The CCTs were painted and lettered up over the weekend. The first one was finished with Halfords Triumph Russett brown as per Peter Tatlow's recommendation in the article I cited earlier. I like this colour and have used it on a few vehicles. The second was done using Humbrol 186 with a spot of black, which ended up very close to Precision Paints' teak colour. The smaller lettering under the number is from a set Mick commissioned from John Peck some time ago which I'm still using. There should be some route restriction lettering to the left of it but I haven't anything which looks appropriate so I've left that alone for the moment. It was a bit cold up in the attic this weekend so I looked out a job I could do downstairs in the warm. Now, in May this year I went through about a couple of weeks where every time I saw someone I knew at a show they gave me a part-completed model suggesting I might like to have it to finish off. One of those will feature on here shortly, but on Saturday I dug out another; a pair of GN 19' vans started by Peter Simmerson "at least 25 years ago" in plastikard. They were rolling bodies, planks scribed but no detail. I reckoned there shouldn't be a huge amount of work in them, so here they are after a couple of evenings with the Evergreen strip and a magnifying glass. The roof vents need to be replaced with the correct torpedo type. White on white isn't great for seeing, I know; hopefully you get the gist. The ventilated one I will do as a fitted version; the other I thought I'd do as the unfitted CLC version, just for some variety. They came with a drawing by 2512Silverfox of this parish, dated 1968 (he won't thank me for that, I'm sure) showing several different variants. I don't know where that was published, unfortunately, but it was very useful. Top work by Peter all those years ago as well; the bodies were still square and solid and corresponded to all the dimensions I checked. I imagine ABS is the only source of GN buffers these days?

Hi Phil, Yes, the turnbuckle is a foldup from the original etch. PT made new queenposts and some very fiddly components to attach the trussing, but I drew the line short of those. These are still available from Matt at five79 and the last time I looked he had a special offer on - £28 odd instead of the usual £40. You know it makes sense....

That article by Peter Tatlow can lead you into some lengthy detailing....and I had two of these CCTs, the other bought some years ago as part of a job lot from Ebay and left in its incomplete state as received. In all, apart from the brake gear amendments, the right hand step is removed from both sides, body brackets added (10 each side), lamp irons, door handles and the stirrup step each side. I started making the body brackets from brass but quickly lost interest in that and made them from Evergreen strip instead. The beading on the one I'd stripped was also incomplete so that was reinstated using 10 x 30 thou strip. Here they are in primer - one is now in brown. The additional brake gear can be seen below: I'm just waiting for some replacement bogie castings to come though from Matt Chivers and then these can be finished off. I don't think I posted a picture of this after I lettered it: Not perfect, but not bad for a quid from Hattons.

That coach is rather tasty, Gilbert, as you'd expect from those hands. Funny how Thompson's pacifics are criticised but you don't often hear people say how good his coaches looked, especially in that livery. I rather like them.

I shall pack them all in the box for Tolworth. perhaps we can have a parade? Steve - there are none of the bits on the Lilliput wagon which I can use. The stakes were the most likely candidates but the older ones are just plain flat steel section so I can use Evergreen strip for them. I carried on putting this CCT back together last night... and you know how a job just grows...I remembered Mick's similar build from a while ago... and an article he used in MRJ... and that I had a copy of said MRJ for just this purpose... So here it is with revised (corrected) braking arrangements, brake lever moved to the correct end and spaced out from the solebar (otherwise the bogie won't pivot), extra bits of brake rigging added and the stirrup steps under one door only on each side. I've also added a bit of spare fret along the top of each end to give a better key for the roof to glue onto.

I did that for him. Mission accomplished with the coaches; rolling shells ready for the couplings to be fitted and trialled and then they'll come back for finishing off. BT on bogies, buffers fitted to the outer end (I only had one packet so I'll have to pick up another from Andrew at Wakefield). This is the set in the formation they appear in most of the Ian C Allen photos, so this is how they will run. They will have to be capable of being propelled as well as pulled - the complexity of the set arriving into Wickham Market is quite something - so the centre coupling is one of Bill's. I extend the pin and make it a fairly snug fit into a hole so it can't wander sideways when pushing. The corridor connectors will keep the coaches apart enough to stop the appearance of any coupling slack. I gave myself a night off from the soldering iron during the week and finished off the final details on the French vans I want to have ready for Tolworth. I then painted them; one SNCF brown, one PLM red (I have photos of vans in PLM colours in England up to 1954, so I can argue that particular toss. The paint came from a supplier in France: I'm not impressed, frankly: the coverage was poor and the paint very hard to work into corners. The brown is very close to SR freight brown so most of the van had a coat of that then the SNCF colour on top. The red is very garish (and there really are wagons that colour) but matt varnish and weathering will tone that down. I'll know for the next two to use colours closer to the final one as an intermediate coat. Finally, having half an hour before dinner and the iron hot I started on this: It says a lot for the accuracy and sound design of Roger's kit that it stayed together when essentially just folded up with a bit of superglue run along the seams. There's some nasty black goo inside it which didn't want to come off and it's taking some cleaning up to get the solder to stick, but we're on the way. Steve - thought you'd be watching. What struck me when I started cutting out was how big these were. I remember you saying the Lilliput wagon looked too small on your layout. Here it is with the larger of my two opens. I had another source for the dimensions - just as well as some of the Edwards ones were out - and they really were impressive things. I'm saving them for trips away, though, so progress may well be intermittent.

The dark green box has gone to a new home where I have no doubt it will be well looked after. You'll have to ask him what it is. I had a morning and part of the afternoon at the bench today and got well on with the coaches. The compo is now pretty much where it needs to be; it can come back for completion after the Sprat and Winkles are fitted in case any detail needs to be omitted. I've started preparing the sides for the brake. I've posted a query about the retractable steps for this coach if anyone has any information.

Shame that didn't come up yesterday - there's a drawing in Hooper's NB wagon book I could have lent you. Good idea to make it from the Parkside kit, though; I'll file that one away....

It is... do you want me to tease everyone? I expect you're right about those bogies although I don't recall having problems with the other ones I've got.

He might not be happy about having number ten either - didn't it have a pretty poor reputation for steaming? (That's probably another echo of Top Shed coming through).

A long wait between updates - a few shows, the odd busy weekend and some trips away for work can really mess up your modelling time. I have some things I need to get on with now, though, so hopefully there will be a bit more activity. In anticipation here's a summary of what's cooking on the bench at the moment. This is one of the locos from Ormesby, which usually hauls the 'Coronation'. In about June of this year, while I was operating Corfe one Sunday afternoon, a small boy there with his family asked me whether we had 'Mallard'? 'Yes', said I, 'you can see it on the other layout at the far end of the corridor'. As they turned to walk out of the room, Colin came in from the other end of the corridor with it in his hands, it having failed. It has been in and out of shops several time since then over the summer. The problems have been pickups and electrical each time. It's got round to me; I've picked up a spare chassis on Ebay, stripped it down, replaced the motor and removed the DCC gubbins. The loco to tender coupling seemed to be part of the problem so that's been replaced with two wires and terminal blocks each end. I'll take it back on Sunday for running trials. I'm still working on extensions to the Thurston fish train; this is a GWR H6 conflat (David Geen) with two of the adapted Bachmann containers I was working on back up thread. These LSWR vans, also David Geen, were built by Peter Simmerson for Corfe I'll paint and weather these over the winter so we can put them into traffic for the new season next year. There are three (I think) different types here, all based on the same basic design. This is also for Corfe. I was in London a few weeks ago and finished up early at the client. Being fairly central, I went down to Bond Street and dropped into 'Wheels of Steel'. He usually has a few interesting things in and I picked up two of these. It's a K's SECR van for those who don't know. This one had been glued together so I've disassembled it and soldered it together. This will be painted along with the LSWR ones and I'll put better brake gear on - Wizard Models do the necessary. The other was unbuilt and I'm keeping that one for myself. I have managed to get the V4 brake van painted and it's now awaiting lettering. The Toad E I've just acquired from another member at Ormesby. This was a buy at Peterborough last weekend. I could see it hadn't been very well build, but it was only when I got it open that I found it was the first brass kit I've ever seen which had been assembled with superglue and sellotape. The builder had also packed it up on the bogies which made it look very odd. It is complete, though and has stripped down pretty well. I've put roofs on the French vans and have almost got all the rivets stuck on. There's some more detailing to do and then they'll be ready for painting. I'd like to have these ready for Tolworth. Joining the French wagon forum turned out to have been a good idea as when JonHall posted some pictures of the one in the NRM the members over there pointed out that it's painted completely the wrong colour. I have found a French supplier for the correct colour. This is for Steve Pearce; I found a drawing in the Edwards Collection and used my two trips to London to make a start. They're on the back burner for the moment but I have finally started! Finally the focus of activity at the moment; I have agreed to build the Framlingham branch train for the next Ely layout and have had the kits from Dan Pinnock since before Easter. At the time we're modelling it comprised a CK and BTK from the former Norfolk Coast Express 50' stock. I want to get these to a running shell state by Tolworth so our Sprat and Winkle Engineer can take them away, mount and test his couplings over Christmas. I've started with the Composite as you can no doubt spot. I have a question about this set; there were folding steps, operated by compressed air, which were used at the branch halt. I have one photo showing them reasonably well, but I wondered if anyone could suggest any more. I've also assumed they were only on the corridor side of the BTK - is this correct?

Didn't it get Peter Townend into trouble when it failed at 34A just before working a special for which it had been specifically requested? He sent out a 'ringer' but was rumbled by a trainspotter?

I picked one of those bogie bolsters up at Manchester. How was it to put together?

We chose 'The Suffolk Regiment' for the B17 for Thurston when we decided to build one. Apart from the valid reasons above, it isn't a 'castle' or 'footballer' and is also one of the few (5 spring to mind) with air/vac tanks high on the back of the tender. Mind you, I seem to recall that that tender has a few differences to the others. Worth investigating carefully.

Can I expand Mick's post above? The LNER Study Group have published information sheets on these coaches which are available as pdfs (view or download) on the LNER Encyclopedia site here.

Larry would be your man, Rob, but I'd have thought coaching stock livery, fully lined in the earlier days, certainly gold lettering.

I worked over there in the early 90s and I've kept it up ever since. Using it regularly is the key.

Love to... but I'm going all 7mm this weekend and then there isn't a club night because of the Bank Holiday. With a fair wind and a bit of luck I'll have the brakes fitted and painting complete then I can do a proper picture of it somewhere round Pilmoor.

You're not wrong, Paul and I had a few similar observations on the LNER forum. I renumbered my Sentinel at the same time and I must have gone onto auto-pilot. They came off easily enough - didn't even go through the paint - and are now correct.

We're painted, lettered, weighted and about finished and the first real running happened last night down at the club. It's not quite complete - crew and backhead are to paint and install, crankpins to cut off and file down, coaling and weathering and remove the blobs of Araldite I got on the side when adding the lead weight. Here it is as it stands, though, with the added attraction of a video to show it passed the haulage test. Not a duty you'd have seen one of these on.. shunting the drops at Brafferton. More care, less Araldite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w4Q1xAj8bY

Ca y est, je suis deja inscrit. Il n'y a pas de probleme pour la traduction, alors que je rames un peut dans les termes plus techniques.

Can't see much without joining, can you? I might sign up - I'm looking for a font for the markings for this wagon, save me cutting them all out of photos. Someone may know what was used, or what i can get away with.

Be very happy, Brian. What site is that? I'm always interested to read other forums, you can pick up all sorts.