Clem

Looks like the wolf's had a few!

What is the Railway of the Month, Tony. If it's an S&D layout, the S&D had their own locomotive lamp code which lasted, I believe, to the end in 1966.

Hi Tony, It was great to see you and Mo at Warley on Saturday. It was great chatting to you both as well as finally meeting others whose work is often posted here providing great inspiration - particularly Tony G, Barry O, Jonathan W and Graeme K. And that's not to mention the great hope for railway modelling craftsmanship in the future in the forms of Jesse and Jamie. It was brilliant to meet both of you. I wish I'd have had half your skills at your age! I mentioned to a couple of people that I was working on a Bill Bedford (Mousa) O4/7 and I managed to make a little progress on it yesterday (shown below). It still needs a fair amount of work but it's taking shape and also the paint's finally arrived to allow me to carry on towards finishing the signal box I've been working on. Finally, it was a little remiss of me not to give you (Tony and Mo) a donation for Cancer research. I'll make it up next time I see you - it's a brilliant cause.

Hi Tony. I'm surprised to hear you say that, when there's a Nucast kit to be revived by SEF? :-) ... . No, I'm just joshing you. (I assume the verb 'to josh' is not intransitive). Of course, it would be perfect example for the RTR guys to choose and if fact I'm surprised they haven't done it already. BTW, I'm hoping to be at Warley tomorrow so I'll pop by and say 'hello'. However, there'll be little left in terms of traders that is of real interest to me. Just Alan Gibson, Branchlines, Dart Castings, Eileen's and perhaps a couple more, but it's a nice day out and a chance to chew the cud with a few people and see some interesting modelling.

Yep, I totally agree.Here are a couple of photos of Gordon Highlander in 1964 in steam on Perth shed I took one and a mate took the other with me standing in the cab ( I was just 13 at the time). She (he?) looked absolutely beautiful. This was the first time I came across 49 and I was totally in awe. I saw her a few times on a couple of further visits to Scotland in my spotting days and it was always a joy.

Hi Dave, although completely out of my modelling scope, I always had a soft spot for Caley and NB locomotives with the 812 and J36s my favourites. The one in lined Caledonian Blue looks an absolute treat! Another beauty, Tony!

Whilst I think this is true of passenger locomotives, certainly in my chosen location, photos of the early to mid 1950s show the goods locomotives (well a good proportion of them, anyway) to be pretty dirty. - Soot, ash and limescale all feature, though not so much for rust compared to later years. It must be nice to model pre-grouping locomotives where the amount of weathering is very limited and subtle. I always have a little pang of regret when weathering a newly built locomotive, especially if I've made a half decent job of the painting.

I beg to differ, John. For the line I'm modelling, most of the locos were based at Colwick and suffered from the whitish staining of the hard water and of course, ash. If anything, I find weathering on models is often too dark and too mono-tonal and too based on that brownish weathering mix that the RTR guys employ. (I must own up to also being very guilty of the mono-tonal effect usually rushing to try to finish a model off). However, I have been very impressed with the standard of weathering on LB. Some very well observed and subtle shades to the fore. My collection of colour photos may be more limited than yours John, but I do try to work from photos and they often appear to show this lighter misting of grey with just a touch of brown. Of course the very dark shades of grey/black are also present in places. Part of the issue may be simply the much greater area of surface exposed to daylight on the real thing, which in itself tends to show up lighter compared to the small area of a model but colour compensation by weathering lighter surely gives the desired effect? I know the whole colour issue is pretty contentious but for me it's just about trying to make it look right.

A bit more progress on my GN box. Just 2 big windows to do, one of which will be semi-open. I've then got to put in the two windows in the eaves and the two for the weights room at the bottom. Then it'll be down to building the steps and toilet, adding walking boards and handrails, fire buckets board and buckets. It really has been a case of trying to improve a sow's ear and whilst it's no silk purse, it's getting to the plastic purse standard. I must admit that before I assembled the warped and twisted sides, it was a toss up whether I chucked it away and started again but , on reflection, I thought that it's better to proceed and see what lessons need learning. On another topic, I'm closing in on deciding a name for my layout. When I was little, my brother took me to a place near home called Hempshill. (pronounced sh, not hemps hill). It was just east of Nuthall sidings (we lived at Nuthall) where we watched the trains go by - pretty well every day. Although the terrain on my layout doesn't quite correspond, (the cutting was less deep at Hempshill) and of course there wasn't a station there, it fits many of the other things on my list. I do regret now not doing an actual place but as I originally intended to do Kimberley (but I got beaten to it by Ilkeston MRS), I figured it was best to do a bit of an amalgam of two or three or stations on the line. So there are elements of West Hallam and Kimberley in the layout so far and the signal box is based on Breadsall. Finally, couple of people I know are struggling with their mental health. It's been making me realise more and more that we're all so lucky to have a hobby like this. Best wishes Clem

Hi Tony, Thanks. I tried Limonine but I actually found it more tricky to use. On this model, I used it on the first window but for the other two, I've used Butatone. I apply it very carefully and sparingly, not touching the 'glass', just letting it creep down the seam from the frame with capillary action. Sometimes the frame part will move during application and I've found that if you're quick you can get away with a slight adjustment with Butatone but I did find Limonene (or at least the stuff I've been using - Mr. Cement Limonene) seemed to be more prone to smearing if I needed to adjust. I know Geoff Kent uses Limonine a lot and gets wonderful results. It might be a brand thing. I have another brand of Limonine somewhere. I'll think I'll give that a try. Some very interesting and informative postings on lamination. I've learnt quite a bit today. The warping I've experienced using lamination has always been when on layer is embossed and the backing layer isn't. Clem

Thanks Paul, I really didn't think anyone did 0.25 x 0.25. That is really useful information for this model. The other ideas posted all look like good solutions too and deserve a try out on future projects. It's the vertical parts of the window frame that is most difficult to produce by cutting 0.5 x 0.25 lengthwise. This can give me better consistency. (and it's easier). Thanks Dave, that's a really useful tip. . I shall certainly use that method in future. I keep imagining the stresses and strains that now exist in the walls of my model :-). Thanks to all for the advice.

Hi Tim, Thanks for coming back. Great idea. It makes perfect sense. I've attempted to use plastic strip but they don't make it small enough to make it look correct. So I have resorted to chopping O.5 x 0.25 evergreen lengthwise to try to make it look right, placing on the glazing, carefully checking it's correctly positioned and drifting a very small amount of solvent, trying to avoid fogging the clear plastic. The problem is getting the lengthwise chops consistent but here (below) is progress so far. I've had terrific problems with embossed brick plastic warping when backed with plain styrene sheet and I've had to clamp warped walls etc. flat whilst trying to assemble it. Not sure what I'm doing wrong to get such warping. Anyhow, here (below) is progress so far. It's very rough round the edges but I'm hoping to turn it into a half decent model. If not, I'll simply start again and have another go.

Hi Tin, I'm not worried about boxes being too close together but what I am worried about is how Matthew has made his window frames so much finer and more convincing than those in the one I'm scratch building at the moment (not too well obviously!) ..... and that's in 2mm and I'm in 4mm!!! Could I please enquire how he made them?

Wow, Tony these photos are stunning. That's fantastic modelling. I really had to check to see if it was a period photo of the real thing! On first impressions it looks real and then you dig into the detail... and it still looks absolutely like the real thing. You and your team are setting very high standards.

I've heard it said via a number of sources that Colwick men always preferred a 'Tiny' (O4) on the coal and iron ore trains in Notts and Derbyshire because of, amongst other things, their sure-footed abilities. They must certainly be the most aesthetically pleasing design to connoisseurs like us.

Hi Brian, there doesn't seem to be a category for PO/LMS/LNER hopper wagons for iron ore - such as LMS diagrams D1669 or D1893/4 or the various PO types. Also the Dapol/Bachmann Charles Roberts/BR 24T iron ore hopper is very dimensionally challenged. This kind of leads on to a more general comment. There doesn't seem to be anywhere where you can add omissions to the list (or did I miss it?). The reason I mention specifically the hopper wagons is twofold. Firstly, there are a number of existing prototypes (particularly the LMS ones) at the Rutland Railway museum and secondly, if manufactured accurately, they would sell in numbers as part of a hopper rake so commonly seen in the 1950s. They are very time consuming to scratch build (although I'm prepared to go down that road if needs must (already have one completed))

No, although they were fitted, I don't know whether they bothered connecting them up for their journey into Colwick. They were picked up from Newthorpe and Greasley on the Pinxton Branch as required. Interestingly, it didn't change the class of train (Class J 'Mineral or Empty Wagon Train'). I think there was only one pick up goods on the branch and in the up direction, it followed the last passenger train down, the engine coming off the passenger at Pinxton and returning with the pick up. For whatever reason, it was obviously deemed more urgent for the containers to be picked up earlier in the day by a passing mineral train. I have a friend who worked in the goods yard at the next station down from Newthorpe in 1953/4 and he thinks the containers were unloaded and picked up from there, the containers reaching the factory then by road (about a mile). Whilst I'm sure that containers were loaded/unloaded at Eastwood, Newthorpe did have sidings into the factory and there's at least one photo of container wagons in the sidings adjacent to the factory. So, whilst I can't say I've definitely got to the bottom of it, it's this kind of local research that makes modelling the prototype so interesting.

Hi Tony, guilty as charged. Retirement is paradise. But it has one big drawback: the clock in your head changes somehow. I used to do 3 or 4 times as much modelling in a day that I do now. And it's not for want of trying. Maybe it's the lack of deadlines. Anyway, top marks for the application and quality that you and many people on this thread do exhibit. Must try harder! I think all the discussion with regard to observation a few days ago was spot on. Although I'm not building an actual location, for me, it's important to try to reflect the everyday sights that ran on the 'Friargate line', as it has come to be known, including those that seemed to be peculiar to the line. For instance, several times I remember seeing coal trains coming up the Pinxton Branch with a couple of container wagons at the front. I was with my brother and the family box camera on one occasion in February 1957 when we were lucky enough to capture an instance on film. Apologies for the picture quality - the camera really was bottom of the range I think. I'm still researching the details of the whys and wherefores, but the containers contained parts from the "Metal Box' factory at Newthorpe and Greasley including of all things, bed springs. So, one of these trains simply had to be modelled, reflecting this photo: and one showing some of the other stock recently built. Best wishes Clem.

Happy Birthday Tony. Many happy returns. Have a lovely evening!

I hate seeing Nottingham Victoria in this condition. Even in later days when I visited the station and the lack of traffic made it very quiet, I still had that feeling of awe at the sheer space and atmosphere. It was like being in a cathedral dedicated to all that was great in railway architecture. I avoided the demolition. How I still miss its presence in this city, over 50 years gone.

Tony, I've really enjoyed looking at your shots in your last couple of posts. I've said before but LB really is a masterpiece! Looking at your side on view of 'Cock O' The North', the exposed frames in front of the cylinders took me right back to being a nipper at Grantham. I remember standing at the end of the platform on many occasions and being fascinated by the rivets on the frames of the A2/1s, A2/2s and A2/3s although in my memory it was mainly A2/3s. This transportation back in time, is the big extra bonus of modelling if you're old enough to remember the real thing. I've even got (somewhere - probably in the loft) an old school book from when I was about 8 or 9 where, on the inside cover, I'd attempted a side on drawing of one. Probably done when I should have been listening to the teacher. Pretty sure I included the rivets, although I may not have been accurate with the counting of them.

Are you talking about the Billy Whizz trees?

Morning Andrew. Hmm... that's a lot to take in. The amount of work involved in getting the required variety the line demands is a bit scary as I'm a lone modeller and not the fastest of workers. However, on the positive side... what an opportunity to have such an interesting line to model. Of course, I'll have to compromise whilst working towards a better reflection of how the line should be. I have 2 BZ kits in to build (one will be started pretty soon) so far but it and a couple of BGs but it sounds like I'm going to need more and source a Gresley BY or two also if possible. Some scratch building will be required as well if that variety is to be met. It does reflect my memory of the line whereby many passenger trains seemed to be supplemented by vans of one sort or another. However, I do also need to get down to building buildings. I'm half way through a signal box which needs to be finished and all the buildings on 'West' end of the layout need doing along with station entrance and scenery..... Plenty to do this Winter, then.....

A thought that occurred to me regarding the van in the middle of the train: Milk was taken every morning from stations West of Derby to London Kings Cross from the 1880s and I'm not sure sure exactly when it stopped although once source has suggested through working stopped in the late 1940s. I know there was still continuing milk traffic into the 50s (see below). If the source has it wrong, I'm wondering if this van was a returning empty from King's Cross. So a couple of photos showing firstly the afternoon Derby-Uttoxeter milk pulling away from Derby with a single van as late as 1959 and a photo taken at Breadsall of the 9-10am Derby to Nottingham train on March 11th 1950 with a very interesting formation of stock. So here I'm wondering about the leading van (Diagram 120?). Note also a Diagram 312 Gresley steel panelled twin behind the van is interesting. The engine is a Grantham engine so the train may very well go on to form the next Grantham train. I may very well be barking up the wrong tree with all this but I'm looking forward to hearing what Andrew (Headstock) has managed to find out. (Both photos from Mark Higgingson's book on 'The Friargate Line').

Hi Andrew, that sounds intriguing. Looking forward to hearing more about the van. The location is 'The Hall' siding. It's where the horses for the racecourse were unloaded (on the far side where, behind the train, there is a platform. On this side, I assume it is a lay-by presumably used for race specials stock. The Racecourse station (for passengers) is about half-a-mile behind the photographer who was P. J. Lynch (just looked it up). The date of the photo was June 16th 1957.