Tony Teague

I spent a most enjoyable day yesterday with weathering expert Mick Bonwick, whilst he attempted to coach some weathering and airbrush skills into me! Here are the results of some of my efforts; first Hattons recent, excellent and diminutive P class, No.1555: Secondly, a pair of Hornby Bulleid spam-cans, No.21C163 '229 Squadron': and No.21C148 'Crediton' and finally, a pair of Hornby "Schools" - the lightly weathered No.900 'Eton': and then a slightly grubbier No.932 'Blundells': A most enjoyable and very productive day - thanks Mick! Now all I have to do is to work through the rest of the fleet................... Tony

Noting the comments as to the likely prototypical accuracy of Allan Downes cottages here, my reaction on seeing the picture was that the cottages were built from a pretty good representation of Northamptonshire ironstone - and so they would be highly appropriate to an ironstone based layout - prototypical or not. Tony

Have just worked through your blog from the beginning, and having spent time with you at Missenden Abbey last year and subsequently I am becoming familiar with your techniques and approaches, nevertheless, they certainly bear repetition! Even though I am not a great fan of diseasels, the results are impressive as illustrated above. Keep up the good work! Tony

A long way back in this thread you talked about the Faller car system and how one vehicle sets off as another arrives in the off-scene "car park". I am aware of the standard Faller device that stops vehicles using an electromagnet vs. the reed switch within the vehicles, however, could you explain what you use to detect the arriving vehicle and to make the next vehicle move up? I have a primitive Faller system and this is something that I'd like to add as an enhancement. Tony

Have been working with Mike Gascoigne to make some scenic progress, prior to making a start on the chassis for the E6-X print; Mike has used DAS modelling clay to make this great dry stone wall around a card former, and I feel that it sets off the barns on the opposite side of the main road extremely well: Unfortunately I have got a couple of the back-scene panels out at the moment, plus the area just to the right has yet to be tackled, but these shots give a good idea as to how this area leads into the centre of Churminster itself: Ballasting of the Churminster Junction area in front of the signal box is also in hand, of which more in a later post! Tony

Just caught up with this thread - I'm amazed that you have managed to produce something looking really quite reasonable out of so many bits! Perhaps you should really challenge yourself by chopping things into even smaller chunks!! But seriously, a good looking model that encourages me to be braver! Tony

Might it be better to paint the ground brown before applying the bracken to it? You might still need some scatter material on top but your "white bits" wouldn't show through. Tony

Just to report that the loco has now arrived: It will get weathered in due course! Thanks to everyone for their contributions. Further info and pics on my main thread as below. Tony

Thanks Alex I agree, a lot of good stuff on Chris Phillips' website - and rather a lot of his SR stuff seems to have ended up on my layout! I'll post new of progress with the E6-X as it comes along; it is an unusual prototype - there weren't too many of them. Tony

A good day today! Two parcels arrived and both of them will help to shorten the "missing" SR locos list. First to arrive was the completed model of DS74, put together by Chris Phillips from a Judith Edge kit and shown correctly here on a 3rd rail electrified section of the layout: Having discussed on a separate thread what colour the loco should be and whether it carried any markings, this is about the closest we could get to what was discovered - aside that is from any weathering which will follow in due course. Here she is again, having been shunted onto the shed yard (and away from the 3rd rail!) by the other tiny loco in the fleet, DS1169, the Ruston Hornsby 48DS, which just so happens to be in matching livery!: The second delivery was a parcel from Shapeways, containing a new 3D print of the body for the ex-LBSCR E6-X loco which has been developed by Javier L.: I am pretty pleased with this, having worked with Javier to get the dimensions as accurate as possible, and putting the body next to and E6, you can already see how much more massive are the boiler and tanks: I have already acquired a SE Finecast E6 chassis and will show progress on the build as things develop - this feels especially bold of me as I have never built a loco from a 3D print before, so what can possibly go wrong??? You can find the E6-X body on Shapeways at: https://www.shapeways.com/product/THJXGGPGS/lbscr-e6-x-oo-cabless-v-1?optionId=65967414 Javier also has the two dome version available (no connection). I had mentioned Javier's efforts on the E5-X previously but during our dialogue we uncovered a couple of issues with that model and so I am working with him to get that body right before we move on to something else from my list! Of which, more later. Tony

You make it look so simple......and yet..... Tony

Nice shot but " a little bit" is a slight overstatement! We need more! Tony

Just got hold of Ron's excellent book - a very impressive volume and a great tribute to his insight and knowledge. RIP Ron. Tony

That's a tough one Mick! I suppose you mean as in "how many locos do I really need?".....

Thanks for these further suggestions Phil. I do have a couple of inter-regional parcels trains that include 'foreign' vans and full brakes, and in addition I have a "Sunny South Express" rake made up of LMS coaches - this ran pre-war from Liverpool Lime Street to Hastings with locos usually changed at Rugby. I think what I am seeing here is that 'foreign' locos specifically, as opposed to 'foreign' stock would certainly be a rarity, with most inter-regional services changes locos just before or just after the regional boundaries, so the need for 'foreign' locos looks very thin, or non-existent! Tony

Well my experience with Brimal is now over and to give them some credit, they refunded my original payment promptly once I asked for it. The whole thing was, however, completely unsatisfactory, but I will stick to the facts rather than give vent to my feelings: 1. I placed my order on 26th June, paid for it and received an invoice and separate acknowledgement from Brimal Components Ltd by return 2. Having heard nothing further I sent an e-mail on 9th July asking when I should expect to receive the order 3. I telephoned the following day (10th) and was told that the stock had just arrived and so the order would be re-sent that day - but should it not arrive on 11th I should phone and a refund would be given (this seemed odd and almost to imply that it was not going to arrive). 4. Nothing arrived and so on the 11th I e-mailed and asked for it to be re-sent as I did not really want a refund 5. In the absence of any reply I e-mailed again on 13th July and asked for confirmation that the order would be re-sent; at this point I made my first posting on RMWeb as above. 6. On 17th July I telephoned and asked about my order and was told that stock was awaited and expected in one week when the order would be sent - I decided to be more patient & give them the benefit of the doubt 7. On 3rd August after more than 2 further weeks of radio silence I phoned again and was told that supplies had arrived the previous day and that my order was being posted via Royal Mail that very day! (amazing coincidence!) It being Friday, I should expect the order on Monday or Tuesday at latest 8. On Wednesday 8th August I telephoned, explained that nothing had arrived, and after asking me to spell my name and go through my address (not requested during 4 previous calls) whereupon I was told that the order had twice been sent to a postcode that was one digit different according to their records - which was most odd because their invoice and acknowledgement both showed them accurately. At this point it became clear that my order was never going to arrive - I have no idea why, and so I just asked for a refund which arrived the following day. At no point was any apology ever given; the stock ordered has remained advertised as if available on the Brimal website throughout. If anyone thinks this is acceptable, then good luck! I don't, and will not use them again. To the legal point raised by Crosland above, I can confirm that the invoice I hold shows Brimal Components Ltd, and although the "Ltd" has since been dropped from the website logo it is still shown in magazine advertisements that have appeared more recently. I believe that the Terms & Conditions mentioned by Crantock above were changed at the same time as the logo. In addition my invoice quoted VAT but did not show any VAT number, which I understand to be illegal; Brimal Consultants Ltd appears to be VAT registered, Brimal Components is not. Tony

Isn't it amazing that re-dating a model layout by 20 years can attract so much interest and become an "event" in its own right? I doubt that doing this to many layouts would cause so much interest, and it surely speaks volumes about the strength of the underlying layout, and of the team that Tony has pulled together around it. Most impressive; I wish you all a great weekend at LB! Tony

Many thanks - several helpful suggestions overnight! The place names were fairly deliberately manufactured; as posted a long way back, Churminster Station was built for me by Geoff Taylor based upon scale plans for Honiton station, whilst Axminster station (& many others) was to a very similar pattern, both designed by Sir John Tite. Conversely, I didn't want anyone saying the track plan, or whatever, didn't look right & "Honxminster" sounded awful - so it had to be fictitious. Whilst I have not modelled a specific prototype, I do want the trains, the operations etc, to be prototypical and, having started from a position of relative ignorance, as time passes by I am learning more and more about what prototypical means and looks like. In terms of visiting trains and / or locos, it seems relatively easy (and prototypical) to mix some foreign wagons & vans into freight trains, but far less likely that this would happen with carriages, excepting where specific inter-regional trains, or local services that crossed boundaries, were concerned. In the same way, it seems more likely that foreign locos would arrive with specific trains to certain locations, and although they were occasionally retained for a few days, for the most part they would then work back with the balancing service. I'd welcome further thoughts, but it looks like the number of 'foreign' locos I could justify will be tiny! - and it's not as if I don't have enough SR ones..... Tony

Thanks; these are helpful suggestions. I guess I need to decide what movements (if any) I want to model. I have looked this evening at "Southern Way" which I regard as a bit of a bible when it comes to matters Southern, and aside from the interchanges that have been mentioned in posts so far, there are a couple of quite interesting movements such as a GWR 'Hall' loco from Banbury or Reading on the York - Bournemouth West fish train - why would fish be brought to a seaside location from an inland one, I wonder! Another was an LMS ex-LNWR coal tank on the Kensington Olympia to East Croydon section of the Ffairfach (GWR) to East Croydon milk train - again, an odd combination on a convoluted route. Tony

Dave Yes that's helpful, I had not thought of the Didcot, Newbury line and will go in search of pictures. Obviously I am not trying to model everything but the occasional 'foreign' visitor woudl add interest. Tony

Andy Thanks, that's a bit more specific so what I need to do is consider whether it would be plausible for any of these to have reached Stowe Magna and / or Churminster - which rather depends on where I think they were situated! Jack Yes, I have an immediate post-war picture of a WD hauling a continental freight train between Dover and Hither Green, and I do have a Bachmann WD available to replicate this one. Thanks both! Tony

Thanks Denbridge, and in many ways that is why I think I'd need some specific routes and locos to be at all prototypical. Tony

Thanks Bryan & Zomboid. The V2 incident is a bit late for me but I am sure that if one looked at specific wartime events such as Dunkirk or the Normandy landings then there would be plenty of examples. I am wondering about more regular, "normal" stuff - the 43xx and Hall examples certainly might fit the bill. Tony

Before we leave the subject of locomotives,can anyone help me with suggestions as to what "foreign" locos (GWR, LMS, LNER) might realistically have been seen visiting SR locations within the 1938 - 1948 period modelled? Some time ago I acquired a couple of "foreign" RTR model locos, in ignorance, and simply because they were on special offer, but I now suspect that these are just plain wrong! I have certainly seen pictures of LMS Black 5's on pigeon trains, and LNER tanks fitted with condensing apparatus for the East London Thames tunnel but the latter did not appear to venture very far within the SR. I'd like to understand the type of loco, what sort of train it might appear on, and the degree to which it would actually have penetrated SR territory. All help appreciated! Tony

Chris Thanks - that is a very interesting quote. Luckily I have told Chris Phillips who is building this, that I'd like it in a dirty sage green - rather like my model of DS1169 - and I will then weather it, so in the end it may be quite a reasonable representation. Tony