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S.A.C Martin

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Blog Entries posted by S.A.C Martin

  1. S.A.C Martin
    The above model was my first airbrushing attempt, way back in the November of 2008, on the old RMweb. A few comments were made from an Equine member regarding the thickness and I made no attempt to disguise the fact it was a little...thick.
     
    Okay, a LOT thick. However that being said, I had done a lot of modifications to the model, and mixed the paint colour myself. Transfers were applied, and I even detailed the cab interior and the tender. It was my first real conversion, first air brushing attempt, first bash in many ways...therefore it was never going to be perfect.
     
    I will defend my right to - ah - "ruin" my models as I see fit - and will post up the results for the collective amusement at every given opportunity Suffice to say the people who matter are those who encourage the interest to grow, and the skills to develop regardless of how poor the initial attempts are. I therefore do my modelling, not just for myself, but for people like Max Stafford, The Penguin of Doom, and many others who have helped with their kind and thoughtful comments over the last few years. To those who deride - pah!
     
    That said, I have decided that the time has come to strip this model and repaint it entirely. I have a "proper" one after all, and this A1 can of course be restored to another named example. I have not decided on the name/number combination yet, but it will be Brunswick green, and it will also be a Darlington variant (as I removed the rivets to make Tornado!), complete with a late BR crest.
     
    Any suggestions suitable for 56C welcome!
     
    Until next time - J11 on the finishing straight is the next post - good night!
  2. S.A.C Martin

    Storm Warning!

    By S.A.C Martin,

    A big shout out to the Loughborough Model Centre for holding onto my Tornado order - I picked it up today, and, well...
     
    Fabulous! Every little detail I can think of has been done on this model (bar the roller bearings, but that's an accepted compromise). The livery is perfectly applied, right down to the maker's plate on the tender frame, picked out in silver. Under a magnifying glass you can read the legible printing on the dedictation plaque too...!
     

     
    This is by far the best A1 model Bachmann have produced. The time taken to retool the tender body, for instance, to ake it better reflect Tornado tells me that they expect to shift quite a few of these...
     

     
    I haven't had a chance to run it in yet, but rest assured I'll edit this post with my findings within the week.
     
    Until next time!
     

  3. S.A.C Martin
    It all started here, in January 2008. The original post in what was intended to be my very first modelling project, building a Thompson Pacific, specifically no.60508, Duke of Rothesay.
     
    That project ended somewhat abruptly, with metal fatigue present throughout the kit. Happily, bits of that original project live on in several different locomotives. The chimney and smokebox door were donated to two different Pacifics, the Romford wheels have been put to good use on a friend's P2, and the tender is still in use, albeit now as a fully and lined dark green painted spare.
     
    It seems appropriate therefore, that what is intended to be my final update of this blog, will include the locomotive no.60508 Duke of Rothesay, thus righting the wrong, and finishing what could be considered a five year project.
     
    If you'd like a recap on no.60508's build, here are the appropriate blog entries:
     
     
    Thompson A2/1 from a V2?
     
    Murdering a Bachmann V2...Thompson A2/1
     
    Thompson A2/1 from a Bachmann V2 and Graeme King Parts
     
    Thompson A2/1 from a Bachmann V2 and Graeme King Parts, Part 2
     
    Thompson A2/1 from a Bachmann V2 and Graeme King Parts, Part 3
     
    Thompson A2/1 from a Bachmann V2 and Graeme King Parts, Part 4
     
     
    After building the model, I took no.60508 to High Wycombe Model Railway Club, of which I have recently joined. I intend to move to North London later this year, and with such a superb club with very accommodating and helpful individuals on the future doorstep, so to speak, I signed up after a few visits. I intend to make it a once a month, regular visit.
     
     

     
    The idea behind taking it to this particular evening, was for use of the test track, but I was in for a surprise, as Hinton Parva, a layout which I have admired from afar for a good number of years, was being used to run member's trains. I therefore put both 60508 and 60136 onto my two test trains for some running in. I was somewhat nervous as no.60508 had never been run on a train before. I needn't have worried. She performed flawlessly the whole evening.
     
     
     
     

     
    The Pullman coaches are the Railroad standard Pullman coaches, which I intend to modify, albeit on a budget, into an appropriate rake suitable for running as The Yorkshire Pullman. 60508 will not be the train engine for this intended rake, but it was good to check that all was well with the model and that it could handle what is likely to be the normal train length on my future layout. Not the correct number of coaches, by any means, but long enough for that intended.
     
     
     
     

     
    It was a somewhat surreal few hours, watching these Pacifics I had worked on running round an actual layout, sometimes at speed and sometimes at a perfect snail's pace approaching a symbol. I have had to make do without an actual layout for a good number of years, using only my little roundy round film set for most of the time. Now I don't have a layout of any kind, and make do with the Hornby rolling road I bought some years back. With the HYMRC, I am able to use their test circuit for running in to my heart's content.
     
    The club is full of very friendly, very knowledgeable individuals, and I felt at my happiest actually talking to people, person to person. You can tell so much better the manner in which anything is said face to face, and I always felt very much in awe of the modellers about the place. But they always had time to discuss something with me, and they were very kind and courteous throughout.
     
    Over Christmas I finally set up my airbrushing booth and had a few goes with the airbrush on some scrap wagons and plastic Dapol kits. The first bit of actual locomotive weathering I did was on my Thompson O1, pictured below:
     
     
     
     

     
    It's not as good as a few posted on RMweb, but it is a good start in my view, and is so far one of around ten locomotives I have had a crack at, including no.60508, which I can finally declare as "finished!"
     
     
     
     

     
    Weathering powders were used as a "base" for the enamel weathering paints. All of the powders I use are from the Tamiya range, and there's a lot of the oil stain, orange rust and gunmetal powders used to get the colours I want.
     
     
     
     

     
    The photograph I was working from showed no.60508 as being moderately clean on the locomotive in terms of the boiler and cabsides, but with a filthy apple green tender. This placed it between the time of its accident in 1948, and the time it was changed to an eight wheel tender in 1949, perfect for my chosen era, and the form I've since modelled it in.
     
     
     
     

     
    Metalcote was used with some Matt Leather, and Johnson's Klear to get a shiny but dusty finish on the boiler and tender sides, whereas just metalcote on the smokebox, rubbed down with a cotton bud and then given a wash of Gamesworkshops Abbadon Black acrylic, followed by a few quick puffs of Purity Seal spray, was applied to the smokebox and cab roof. Thinners were used to remove the enamels before sealing with Johnson's Klear or Purity Seal.
     
    The finish on the model hides a lot of the mismatches to the paintwork caused when removing warning flash stickers and similar, though the differing shades of green on locomotive and tender are more or less hidden by the weathering.
     
    The final thing was to use my rolling road, together with a Trix wheel cleaner and some more thinners, to clean the wheel rims and get everything running nicely again. The valve gear was unintentionally left a little cleaner than intended and will be dealt with when I am home for an extended period and able to get the paints and powders out again.
     
    So that, as they say, is that. I don't intend to update this blog for some time, if ever, due to a change in priorities. With the impending publication in paperback of my first book, a change in home, and a change in job on the horizon, I have felt it prudent to start to prioritize my own external blog, www.britishrailwaystories.com, choosing not to update the four different forums I peruse regularly in favour of rationalizing my blogging. For anyone so interested, you can find my modelling there from now on.
     
    I intend to keep my account on RMweb and will pop in from time to time. It has, after all, been a very large part of my life for nearly five years, and came at a particularly dark point from which I am convinced railway modelling saved me ultimately from making some supremely stupid choices. I therefore don't feel I can give it up so easily.
     
    I've built, renumbered, and weathered lots of models to varying degrees of success or failure over the last five years, and it has been on the whole, very fun. RMweb has proved to be a great resource with great people on it. Lots of people here have given me large amounts of help and advice, for which I am supremely grateful. It goes without saying that people such as Jim Smith-Wright, Max Stafford, Mick B, Graeme King, Matthew Cousins, toboldlygo, Mikkel, Sean (of the DP2 fame), iandudders, Larry Goddard and a good number more have all been brilliant to me. To them I pay tribute for my time here blogging. Thank you all for your help and patience over the years!
     
    I have felt, however, that my enjoyment of the hobby on RMweb was not as much as it should have been lately. For the sake of my own enjoyment of the hobby I love, I have elected to keep my modelling more private and personal, with blog updates on www.britishrailwaystories.com on a regular basis instead.
     
    All that remains to say is a sincere thank you to Andy Y for providing this great resource and continuing to provide said great resource, and to everyone who has read and commented on this incarnation of the Copley Hill Works over the years.
     
    Thanks for reading.
     
    Simon
     
     
     
     

  4. S.A.C Martin
    I was all set to start a new project, completely unrelated to Thompson's Pacifics, when a timely email from an old friend reminded me I had yet to finish the most controversial one of all...
     
    This is a project I first had a go at in 2007, on the old RMweb. The project's premise was clear: to build a model of the Thompson A1/1, Great Northern, from a Gresley A1. Much as Thompson did, in a way, by adapting the standard components of the A1 and converting them into the larger Thompson 6ft 8in Pacific.
     
    In my original build, I used a Hornby Railroad A1. This was the monstrous result back then...
     



     
    Not pretty now I look back on it, but this was Genesis. My very first kitbashing exercise. I never did get the valve gear to work, and I broke up 60113 for spares two years ago, knowing that it was, sadly, not brilliant and also not going to fit into the vision I had for my next layout.
     
    Now however, Graeme King has come to the rescue in the shape of some more excellent resin components - and it's surprising how similar, in some ways, the resin kit adapts a Hornby A1 (or in this case, A3) to create an A1/1 to the ideas and methods I was using all the way back in 2007.
     



     
    You will need a Hornby "Sandwich" A3 for this conversion, for the correct washout plug and mudhole doors arrangement on the firebox. In my case, I bought a second hand bodyshell of this locomotive on eBay.
     



     
    So far, I've only tackled the fitting of the largest resin parts to the carefully cut up bodyshell. The way to fit the three major parts (the smokebox, the front running plate, and the set of two running plates) is not wholly different to that I covered in my A2/1.
     
    You need to remove the front smokebox (and keep the snifting valve safe - this sticks onto the top of the resin smokebox), and carefully remove the running plates on both sides, and cut a notch into the firebox to allow the the replacement resin parts to fit. In my case, I deliberately cut the notches a little larger to fit the S curve snugly, with Humbrol modelling filler applied to fill the cab and leave it smooth when sanded.
     
    To my annoyance, the bodyshell had been mutilated by its previous owner so badly, that the splashers were beyond repair. Graeme's build on the LNER forum (found here) used the rear of the splashers to support the resin running plates. I will have to improvise a set of splashers behind the running plates on either side of the boiler to further strengthen them, unfortunately. The bodyshell did only cost a tenner though, well worth the price!
     



     
    The resin front running plate extension needs to be cut so that the top of the A2/3's angular step is removed, leaving the bottom section of running plate intact. After sanding this down, a notch needs to be cut in the centre of the running plate at the rear, in order for it to fit around the diecast block of the Hornby A1 chassis.
     
    Once that is done, the front running plate, and the resin running plates need to be mated together (and to be completely level so as to fit onto the firebox sides perfectly. Fitting the resin smokebox component (which simply slots in thanks to Graeme's inventive and simple "sleeve" at its rear edge) will help in locating the resin components, as the bottom of the smokebox has a notch which forms one half of the smokebox saddle (the front running plate has the other half).
     
    One that is done, you can fit the Hornby A1 smokebox into the front - it simply slots in and can be glued with a little superglue at the rear.
     



     
    The face of the model is more or less completed by test fitting the resin deflectors. It certainly looks like 60113, albeit the number will need to be changed soon!
     
    I know there's a debate going on elsewhere about the pros and or cons of these resin components plus the ready to run chassis used with them, against full kits for these models; but I must post some defense of Graeme's brilliance with thoughtful kit design and resin casting.
     
    If it were not for Graeme's hard work and willingness to supply these well designed parts in his spare time, there would be an awful lot less models of the various Thompson Pacific classes running about on layouts up and down the country, including many examples of A2/2 and A2/3 (and recently, my own conversion to make a reasonable A2/1).
     
    It should also be remembered that the interchangeability of the standard components between the real Thompson Pacifics has made building any one of these classes using Graeme's components, affordable.
     
    Some of us do have the spare cash to order X kitbuilt model made by Y kitbuilder, and that's absolutely fine and I would never wish to decry anyone being a "cheque book modeller" (because quite frankly, if I had the cash, I'd be one of these cheque book modellers too). However, not all of us do have the money to spend on a full DJH or PDK kit, and on wheels, gearbox and motor, and then pay someone to build said kit professionally. That's where Graeme's components fill a massive gap in the market for those modellers who do want to portray a section of the East Coast mainline; and let's face it, without one or two examples of these classes running about, it's not a wholly accurate representative of the period 1944-1964 of the ex-LNER main lines.
     
    Rightly or wrongly, there's now entirely different two ways of building models of these Thompson Pacific classes, and the results on both sides speak for themselves. Let's not try and turn it into a "them and us" scenario of kitbash versus kitbuilt. It's more a question of economics and the personal comforts of modelling. Neither right or wrong; different, and it suits some of us better than others.
     



     
    This final photograph for the day perhaps sums the whole situation up for me. I now have four wholly reasonable portrayals of each of Thompson's Pacifics. I could not have envisaged that without major expenditure into the thousands of pounds, three years ago.
     
    I'm not too far away from my dream of lining up one of each ex-LNER Pacific class, in apple green livery, alongside each other on shed. Once the A1/1 is finished, it'll be a reality.
     
    Until next time, when I tackle the other resin components supplied with the kit, and produce a "unique" solution to the splashers problem.
     
    Good night, thanks for reading.
  5. S.A.C Martin
    A bit of finishing off prior to weathering. Firstly, the front steps on the running plate have been removed. 60508 didn't have these steps, and it was a timely post from one Tony Wright on another thread which spurred me into removing them (particularly as 60508 is photographed in this livery quite clearly without them). Lining out was also added to the bufferbeam, along with gluing down the buffers, hook and coupling and vacuum pipe.
     
    EDIT: I should point out that 60508 is the only A2/1 which didn't have these steps. This clarification by Tony Wright, c/o Andy Y can be read in the comments section of this blog. Thanks Mr Wright, much appreciated!
     
    The dome was painted using Railmatch's apple green, from the same can as the A2/2 I am building. I am flabbergasted as to the difference in shade when compared to my A2/2, seen here:
     



     
    Both painted in exactly the same manner and with the same white undercoat. What gives? The A2/2 is darker! I am in two minds still. Having talked it out with Mick at length via PM, I'm reluctant to remove such a smooth finish, but the colour is just wrong. It's far, far too dark. The A2/1's dome came out okay so I am scratching my head as to why.
     



     
    The tender has had some further changes. Here we can see that I've chopped off the moulded coal, keeping the rear wall in the tender, filling it instead with real coal. This will look much less shiny when weathered I suspect! I've gone off two photographs of 60508 at King's Cross, and filled the tender to the brim.
     
    The smaller B1 tenders were not well liked on these class of engine, and I suspect that was down to both the lack of a tarpaulin at the cab, and the lack of water or coal capacity, for what was an economical machine but only on the heaviest of passenger and freight trains. There's interesting lb per mile statistics for this particular engine in a set of trials, which can be read in British Pacific Locomotives by Cecil J. Allen, or East Coast Pacifics at Work by Peter Townend. Whatever your take on the A2/1s, it's clear that the "orphans of the storm" were moderately successful when employed on the heaviest of trains but lacking in the refined qualities the A3s, A4s and A1s possessed.
     



     
    A further modification was to the buffers; the Bachmann ones were poor in comparison to these Hornby B1 buffers, which are available from Peter's Spares on eBay, and were duly replaced. The bufferbeam will have a bit of filler, wet'n'dry paper, and some red paint added before too long to complete the job.
     



     
    The cabside numbers have been added, with a coat of Johnson's Klear used to seal them. I am debating whether to just say "sod it" and go commission a set of transfers for the curly 6 - from the look of things, I will need approximately 30 of these numerals to renumber my fleet, which includes many of the apple green Pacifics which had them. This curly 6 was created by cutting and shutting a number 5 from a Fox Transfers sheet, a method tried and tested with much success elsewhere on RMweb. It is a very good tip.
     



     
    So that, bar weathering, is more or less that. The one thing standing out is the cartazzi wheels; they haven't been added yet as I have not had enough time to devote to examining my chassis and working out the best way of attaching them. I suspect Graeme King's excellent A-frame idea he applied to one of his A2/3s may come in handy in due course.
     
    So for the moment, that's yer lot with Thompson A2/1s. I'll weather it once I have time to get the airbrush and spray booth out, but from today until next week I'll be away from home mostly, so no chance to finish it off completely for a while yet.
     
    Until next time, thanks for reading.
  6. S.A.C Martin
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1aMWoAW8KU
     
    It's not often I post videos on my RMweb blog, but I had a request from a reader to make a video of the A2/1 running, so here it is running on my rolling road. If I can get up to the High Wycombe club soon at some point I will film it on the test track.
     
    The bufferbeam's been painted red, the dome painted green, I am working on cabside transfers and the model will get a coat of Johnson's Klear tomorrow too in preparation for weathering at some stage.
     
    I have thoroughly enjoyed this build and am planning to do another, so I can have a matching 60509 albeit with the eight wheeled tender instead.
     
    Until next time - and the next Thompson related project.
     
    I do need to find another locomotive project to do I think. Has there been one which wasn't Thompson related in the last two years?!
     
    Goodnight folks!
  7. S.A.C Martin
    A bit of black paint, some nameplates and the smokebox numberplate, and the change from V2 to A2/1 is all but complete. There's lot of areas where I need to apply filler to smooth the bodyshell out in the various cuts made, so this isn't quite the final entry to cover on my cut and shut project.
     
    Further things which need to be done include adding a smokebox upper lamp bracket, the front coupling, front steps, cabside numbers, apple green paint to be applied to the dome and some sections of the boiler. But the majority of the model is more or less complete.
     
    If you're wondering how it is attached to the chassis, I moved the screw threads under the cab 2mm to the left and right in order to use the existing connecting points on the A2 chassis.
     



     
    I've also taken the opportunity to run in the A2/1, and check the valve gear, prior to taking the model to the High Wycombe model railway club next week for some play time on passenger trains. The valve gear is running rather sweetly, and I'm delighted that it's working more or less perfectly.
     



     
    So there we go: how to build an A2/1 from a Bachmann A2 and the latest edition Bachmann V2, using Graeme King's excellent resin castings, and a lot of planning involving scale drawings, and testing the theory on a test bodyshell.
     
    Until next time, when I hope to have finished the model, complete with weathering.
  8. S.A.C Martin
    If you'd like a recap on this particular project, click here for part 508 of the madness!
     
    Why 508? The locomotive number 508 was A2/1 Duke of Rothsey, which is my intended locomotive when completed.
     
    Having received the cheap donor Bachmann V2 (Green Arrow in apple green), I proceeded to dismantle the other donor Bachmann A2 as well. The bodyshell and tender of the A2 have been put to one side, as I have a new chassis incoming from a friend who bought an A2 to convert to P4 and didn't want the original Bachmann chassis. I began by removing the cylinders and valve gear.
     



     
    The cylinders were modified by gluing Graeme King's cylinder conversion part on top. I glue this bit first before cutting away the unwanted parts of the A2 cylinders (the frame between them and the bit behind) as this allows for cylinders which are straight and level with one another.
     



     
    The V2 valve gear can be removed as all one piece from the new Bachmann chassis. Happily, the original cylinder block of the older split chassis models can be reused (complete with the original valve gear!) so this chassis will not go to waste, instead being put under an older beloved V2 bodyshell, which will be modified in line with my previous 60903 conversion.
     
    Note that whilst the valve gear retains much of the basic properties of the original V2 models, one significant change has been done to the eccentric and slide bar; these two items are actually designed more or less to fit into the A2 model's cylinders. They will fit without further modification, and with careful pressure from behind.
     



     
    Now for the frames of the A2 chassis. Some modifications are required at the rear to get the correct length for the chassis. Filing down the rear steps, and the extrusions from the diecast cartazzi, will give you the correct length, as demonstrated by the photograph below, comparing the original A2 frames with the intended A2/1 frames:
     



     
    The advantage of filing the chassis in this way is that the attachment point for the tender connector can be retained. However, take note, the whole fixing point for the cartazzi wheels must be removed so that the rear of the bodyshell can fit onto the top of the frames snugly.
     



     
    The next stage was removing the unwanted material on the front of the locomotive's frames, in order to fit the new Graeme King resin components, the cylinders and the bogie in the correct locations. This is done much as it was at the rear - take a file to the detail, and file away until smooth and flat, as below:
     



     
    You will notice at this point that the diameter of the Bachmann V2 boiler is slightly larger than that on the Graeme King A1/1 resin smokebox I have used. After some careful filing and filling, this will be barely perceptible, rest assured, as we will see later on. The reason it can be seen here is that the boiler and smokebox had not be glued together yet. Which brings us on neatly onto how I fitted them together.
     



     



     
    As you can see from the photographs above, cutting the smokebox off the V2 bodyshell gives a U shaped moulding for which the A1/1 smokebox has to be modified to fit. I did this simply by cutting the sides off the moulding's "plug in" section at the rear. With further filing and sanding down, the fit can be made to be very snug, and is bonded simply with super glue.
     



     
    This was the current state of affairs by Friday last week. You may notice that you will also need a little bit of extra running plate to fit the V2 bodyshell to the Graeme King A2/3 resin running plate. I kept back a spare slice of resin running plate from my ongoing Thompson A1/1 Great Northern build for precisely that purpose (but more on that build another time).
     



     
    Now for the valve gear! With the cylinders modified and fitted into their slot, I simply slotted in the V2 valve gear, and screwed the centre driving wheel pin back on. You will need a washer between the driving wheel pin and the connecting rod (my two washers came from a Triang Britannia, which bizarrely had the exact size and depth of washer needed!) for the V2 valve gear to sit correctly.
     
    Some testing, and I discovered that the piston rod was actually hitting the front of the inside of the cylinders on both sides. This requires the slide bar and the piston rod to be shortened a tad, no more than a few millimeters, in order to run smoothly.
     
    Aside from that, the valve gear works out of the box without fuss. A win in my books for standardization of components!
     



     
    With the chassis more or less sorted, it was time to turn to the aesthetics again. The original V2 dome was removed through filing and cutting, and one of Grame King's resin A3 type domes added. This really helps to disguise the problems with the V2 boiler (particularly its shape) and is a fundamental factor in my decision to have a go at building an A2/1 from a Bachmann V2 bodyshell.
     
    For those who are much more bothered about the V2 boiler (and to be fair to all, I am still bothered about the boiler shape, but less bothered when the correct length and shaped dome is fitted), Graeme is in fact working on more resin parts to produce more accurate A2/2, A2/1 and V2 bodyshells. Watch this space!
     



     
    The spare smokebox door (from a Bachmann A1, which is more or less irrelevant as it is identical to the A2 moulding, so it's probably fair to say it's a shared tooling) was given a new handrail and handrail knobs, the step on the lower half removed by scalpel, and the smokebox numberplate (moulded onto the top strap) removed by scalpel and careful sanding down with wet'n'dry paper.
     



     
    You may have noticed in the last photograph that the tender has mysteriously changed! The reason behind this is simple. 60508 was paired with a B1 tender, not a V2 tender, when built, and thus the V2 tender would need to be either heavily modified, or outright replaced. I opted for the latter. I had bought a Replica Railways B1 tender on the off chance that Bachmann wouldn't heavily retool their B1 or V2 tenders. Guess what? I was right, but for the wrong reasons...
     
    Bachmann's latest B1 model has a new chassis, yet retains the older tender arrangement with the ludicrously large plastic peg. The V2 however had the A1 & A2 style of metal bar with pin on tender designed into it. What is particularly interesting is that whilst on the V2, new frames were tooled up to allow this standard coupling to be used, Bachmann did not take advantage of this new tooling with the B1's tender.
     
    However...the plot thickens, as by unscrewing the V2 tender top, you will discover that the B1 tender simply slots on and has identical mounting points for the tender top and chassis to be screwed together. So my tender is a mix of the newer Bachmann V2 tooling's frames, and the older Replica Railways tender top. So in - what, twenty to thirty years? The original Replica Railways B1 tender hasn't changed much - it can still be swapped about with its V2 counterpart's tender components!
     
    I should point out now that the new frames and the old ones are identical in every respect except for the new coupling peg and the rear tension lock coupling (which now uses Bachmann's standard NEM pocket).
     



     
    I decided to take advantage of the peg by making a small adjustment of my own. I have grown increasingly frustrated with the "tender on, tender off" nature of the metal bar and peg arrangement. The tender can uncouple very easily when the model is being placed on the track. The solution for me was simple. I drilled into the centre of the peg, put the coupling bar on, and then put a screw into the peg, with a washer between its head and the coupling bar. Result: no more faffing about trying to get the tender on.
     
    This may set a precedent for all of my other models so afflicted with this coupling arrangement; they may be permanently coupled as per this in the future!
     



     
    Returning to the chassis briefly, you will remember that I filed down the steps on the rear of the A2 chassis in order to get the correct overall length. The next stage is to add some steps. These plastic ones, currently blue tacked on to check size and shape, are cut from a spare Hornby A3 cartazzi moulding, and should be perfect for this job. I am working on how I attach them, but the general feeling I have right now is that they will be filed down at their rear and glued down to create an almost seamless fit onto the cartazzi's rear.
     



     
    So there we have it: my work thus far on building a Thompson A2/1 Pacific from an RTR V2 and an RTR A2, combined with some of Graeme King's superb resin components. The total cost for building so far has to take into account the £70 and £75 spent on the A2 and V2 (bearing in mind I will recoup some of that money from the sale of the V2 tender top to a P4 modeller I know) along with the various spares I had lying around (smokebox door, A3 cartazzi moulding and similar).
     
    The V2 bodyshell has its flaws, there's no doubt, but the superior paint finish (and particularly the apple green, which will need some touching up due to my ham fistedness, but thankfully not much!) and relative ease of mixing and matching Bachmann components more or less made up my mind on this one.
     
    Next time I hope to have completely finished the A2/1, including modifications to the steam pipe, the handrails, addition of deflectors and their handrails, and many more bits and pieces besides.
     
    Until next time, thanks for reading.
  10. S.A.C Martin
    An alternative title for this blog suggested was "Simon is mental Part 508".
     
    So, what do we have here?
     
    I have a boatload of older Bachmann V2 bodyshells. I bought up a job lot some years back to nab spare parts from. This particular one has sat on one of my shelves for about six years now. I decided to have a go at cutting the smokebox off, with the original intention of adding a Hornby A3 smokebox and boiler later on. However, curiosity got the better of me.
     
    The resin components you can see are from Graeme King's range (you can find them for sale on the LNER Forum). The smokebox is part of his A1/1 kit, and the running plate and smoke deflectors are from the A2/3 kit.
     
    These kits were designed to work with the Hornby A3 and the Bachmann A2 RTR models. Graeme is in fact working on a very accurate A2/2 and A2/1 set of resin kits at the minute, but I'm not as bothered as I thought I'd be about the misshapen Bachmann V2 boiler as I have been previously. My previous modelling exercise with the latest Bachmann V2, 60903 (seen in a photograph later in this blog entry) was much improved in terms of the overall look by replacing the dome cover.
     
    This was the turning point for what is probably going to turn out to be a moment of madness!
     



     
    So, in the next stage of investigation, here's my 4mm Isinglass drawing of an A2/1, one Bachmann A2, the cut up Bachmann V2 bodyshell, complete with Graeme's resin castings.
     



     
    Now for the so-called tricky bit. Which turns out to not be quite so tricky!
     
    The steps below the cab are too far forward. However simply removing the box between the cartazzi and the steps, and then filing down the steps - and the rear extrusions on the chassis - gives the correct length chassis for the A2/1. Further modifications that will be required are removing the inside bracket for the Cartazzi wheels, allowing the bodyshell to sit firmly on the chassis.
     
    Adding a set of Hornby's cab steps from their A3 cartazzi (available as a spare easily) gives you the correct steps in the right position. So the rear of the locomotive can be dealt with fairly easily, and without removing the attachment point for the tender coupling. This is important, because using the latest Bachmann V2 model as a source of parts, you can simply attach the tender (now with the standard attachment points as per A1 and A2) without any modifications.
     



     
    On the face of it, there's very little which needs to be done to make an A2/1 from a Bachmann V2 bodyshell. The A1/1 kit's smokebox - which is standard to A2/1, A2/2, A2/3 and A1/1, incidentally - combined with the A2/3 kit's running plate give the correct length, shape and details for a full length A2/1 bodyshell when combined with the Bachmann V2 bodyshell, sans smokebox and front running plate.
     
    You an also see above the V2 bodyshell, one of Graeme's excellent dome castings, intended for the A3 but suitable for V2, A2/1, A2/2 and any other locomotive so fitted with specific boilers carrying them. The smokebox door is a spare from a Bachmann A1 and is the right type (being the same casting as the A2 model).
     



     
    Now for the valve gear. Bachmann have used some parts standard to their A2 and A1 models, which will make swapping over the valve gear from the longer A2 connecting rod type to the V2 much easier.
     



     
    Now in theory, the valve gear should fit the A2 cylinder without modification and run perfectly. I have tested this with an older style of V2 valve gear when fitted to my A2/2 model (coincidentally, made in a very similar way to how I anticipate the A2/1 will be built.
     



     
    Side by side comparison. You can see where certain parts of the two model's valve gear are standard between them. The great thing about the new V2 valve gear is that only needs unscrewing from the centre driver and the bracket, and lifts out as all one piece with the slide bar too (unlike the older split chassis which had a plastic slide bar prone to warping).
     
    So that's the investigation more or less done; I await the new Bachmann V2 donor to see if there's much more that would need doing. I suspect not actually: so I may well get started on building the A2/1, jumping it ahead of the A1/1 build I have started (look carefully in the first photo of this blog!)
     
    Until next time, when the madness will continue...
  11. S.A.C Martin
    We will start with the latter. I am planning a new layout, on which I can start to actually run my collection of locomotives and rolling stock, so Copley Hill's demise was assured really. I needed the space for a workbench on which to build my models, paint and weather them, and whilst the Copley Hill set was a poor trainset, it works very well as storage and a workbench (see above).
     
    I've retained the shed for the purposes of photographing my collection and modelling, but all of the points, curves and similar have gone. All running in will be done on my trusty rolling road from now on.
     
    So is this the end of my association with Copley Hill? No, merely a slumber until I can build the next incarnation of the shed...!
     



     
    Here's a model which has proved camera-shy. I originally finished this model last July, but never got around to blogging it, in no small part due to job worries and concentrating on selling my eBook. 60011 Empire of India is also my joint entry with Peter Harvey, which uses his superb etches to create a model which Hornby have never offered; a garter blue A4 in British Railways branding.
     



     
    The modelling of this A4 is described in further detail here.
     
    And finally...after a year being built, my A2/2 (which has had an identity change!) is nearing completion:
     
     
     



     
    There is another A2/2 on these boards which by far out strips the modelling of my own; in my defense, I'm neither as experienced or talented and thus this result is the best I can muster for the moment. Lessons to learn most certainly.
     
    60506 has had a white primer applied, and then Railmatch apple green on top; but the colour is much darker than I had anticipated and I am currently um'ing and ah'ing over whether to strip it all away and start again with the painting. It is particularly aggravating as it is probably the smoothest finish I have ever achieved on any locomotive I have painted myself.
     



     
    One point of detail - none of the A2/2s had the half round beading on the chimney in 1949, therefore I removed the beading on mine with a wet'n'dry sanding pad.
     



     
    The tender has also been painted, coming out in the same dark shade as the locomotive. White undercoat I thought made top coats lighter. I am wondering if a few coats of Johnson's Klear will change the shade for the better. It will need a coat of Klear anyway to allow the waterslide transfers to sit properly.
     
    That's it for the moment until my latest short term contract for work is completed. See you in November...!
  12. S.A.C Martin
    Two birds and a Boat.


     
    It's a stunning lineup. Now that I have my Heljan Kestrel home for the holidays, the fun of comparing it to the two diesels before it come to pass...but a disclaimer first:
     
     
    From right to left, we have Falcon (2007), Deltic (2008) and Kestrel (2009). The two birds are from the Heljan stable of model locomotives, while Bachmann is a National Railway Museum commissioned piece from Bachmann.
     
     
     

    The Reviews


     
     

    Falcon - Heljan


     

     
    Based on Brush Tractions surprisingly long lived class 53 prototype, Heljan's model first appeared in late 2007, early 2008 and was met with mixed reviews due to the propensity for the bufferbeams to break off.
     
    My father and I now have five of these models between us - and the bufferbeams have only broken off on one of them.
     
    Looks wise, the separately fitted bufferbeam doesn't fit snugly on any of our samples (the very first one, the chestnut coloured model, shown here). This doesn't detract from the overall look of the model, for it is scale length to prototype as seen in the photograph below.
     

     
    Overall the paint finish and look of this model is exquisite. At the time, criticisms in the model press pointed to the lack of relief on the grills, and the lack of etched components. I stand by my feelings on the matter - for what cost £90 at the time of purchase, this model of a unique prototype was the first of its kind, and really tested the water for what was to follow. Its detail was not quite up to the mark of the Hornby 60, but in all the important areas shape, colour and overall accuracy of presentation, it was spot on.
     
    Further, due in no small part to the mechanism being based on the firm's Class 47 chassis, the Falcon model is a smooth operator, quiet and powerful, and suprisingly fast. On the test circuit (which is on the flat), Falcon pulled 25 Bachmann Mk1s in 2008. Today she's pulled the same number - Heljan's Falcon was a superb model and a must buy.
     
     

    Deltic - Bachmann


     

     
    Bachmann laser scanned the real thing at Shildon to make this model - and it shows. The best of the three models for overall finish. Accuracy is immense here - etched roof grills, sublime paintwork and some etched builders plates (unbelieveably small typing legible under a magnifying glass!) make Deltic the best looking of the three models. It really is a stunner from every angle.
     
    I bought this for my father as a birthday present - it spends more time on Copley Hill than it does at its real home, Sidcup Green.
     

     
    Deltic took the same train as Falcon (25 Bachmann Mk1s) with ease, showing little, if any signs of strain on the flat. We would have added more but the test track only just fits 25 plus an engine (making it a very real tail chaser!!!)
     
    Of the three diesels, Deltic has the best looks, mechanism and finish. In fairness to the other two diesels (both made from drawings, with no available prototype to measure up), Deltic is more expensive and also harder to get hold of - you have to order direct from the NRM, and at the present time there is only another batch planned for this model.
     
     

    Kestrel - Heljan


     

     
    This was something of a surprise when Heljan announced it back in 2008. Now, receiving it from Trains4U of this parish, my sample has been something incredible! Beautifully replicating Kestrel, Heljan have, in a similar vein to Falcon, left off a few things like etched roof grills, but in all honesty this doesn't detract from the overall appearance of the model at all.
     

     
    This model also handled with ease the same 25 coach train that both Deltic and Falcon did - however (and I am unsure of why here) this model seemed much more sure footed and quick to accelerate from a standstill than the other two while taking the same train. Moreover, it is the slowest of the three diesels, light engine, but seems to scream "POWER!" in a very Jeremy Clarkson kind of a way.
     
     

    Conclusions


     
    It has to be said, Deltic is the best looking of the three diesels, being the most accurate portrayal of its prototype, and finished supremely well. Falcon and Kestrel are both excellent models, but Kestrel edges out my personal favourite of the three - Falcon - on sheer power alone. If I can lengthen the track test to take more coaches, we'll see how many Kestrel can take more than Deltic or Falcon!
  13. S.A.C Martin
    One of the things I realized about this particular build of mine, is the potential the model has to be either very, very good, or very, very poor. For instance, I have been poring over the drawings to compare the P2s and the A4s as best I can, and one of the things which screamed out to me last week were the differences in the streamlined casing.
     
    The exciting thing, however, was finding that there's not enough of a difference to make the use of an A4 front end, suitably cut and shut, unwarranted or unnecessary. In fact, carefully cutting into the whitemetal body and fusing plastic components could produce a more accurate P2 model, by virtue of the layout of the front end's opening doors being identical to the A4s. This also solves the previous problem of the buffers: the Hornby A4 buffers are a perfect match.
     
    I've since ordered a few things I know I will need for this build, not least a Romford screw driver for the strange split axle heads that the Romford driving wheels have. The idea is to replace the centre driving wheels with a set of flanged driving wheels I already have, left over from my defunct A2/1 kit of yonks ago.
     
    The cab has been cut and shut this weekend gone, but aggravatingly my camera is on the fritz. This I will try and sort this weekend! I will then test fit the cab to the running plate.
     
    Flangeless cartazzi wheels left over from one of my many A4 Pacifics has been sourced from the spares box in order to build the new cartazzi frames below the Nu-Cast running plate.
     
    It's going to be a long build but I am already much happier about it than I was when starting it. Less of the "what am I getting myself into" and more "I can do this".
     
    The next task is to examine if my spare Hornby-made 5 pole motor and gearbox can fit in the body and above the frames, to replace the absolutely tiny Nu-Cast originals!
     
    Until next time.
  14. S.A.C Martin
    What's this?! A first look at a new Hornby product?!
     

     

     
    A brand new, DCC fitted, Gresley W1 4-6-4. Simply stunning.
     
    Okay, hands in the air - it's not technically a new product, direct from Hornby.
     
    What it is, is a commission build by Graeme King for me, to produce a W1 by extending the Hornby Railroad Mallard as a base.
     
    The great advantage of using 60022 was its DCC fitted chassis - which, straight out of the box, runs perfectly.
     
    Taking this model out of the box and placing it on the Copley Hill set for the first time was a great moment - it looks and feels like a proper ready to run model, testament to Graeme's workmanship.
     

     
    It also goes some way to show how bizarre Hornby's Railroad Mallard is, in some ways!
     
    The bodyshell, as shown above with the comparison to my own super detail Sir Ralph Wedgwood is actually the same item, minus the fittings such as glazing, lamp irons and a coupling. Apart from that, the two items are one and the same. Looking at the chassis - the DCC chassis, in the same vein as the Railroad Flying Scotsman, is also the same. The only difference is the fitting of the clunky, old style valve gear (which in fairness is very rugged for continuous use).
     

     
    At the cab end, Graeme's careful cutting of the Hornby bodyshell and fitting of the South East Finecast W1 cab, and cab roof, looks phenomenal. You simply could not tell that the bodyshell had been cut in any way, shape or form. I'm very lucky in that Graeme decided as an exercise - in other words, to see if he could - make for me a non-corridor tender from the over-width Railroad tender (whose origin was from the old tender drive A4 models).
     
    The result is a stunningly slimmed down body which is scale width and correct for the period depicted by this W1 model.
     
    The chassis modifications involved the fitting of the South East Finecast cartazzi and pony truck sides - and a two axle truck between the frames. The irony that this model is actually a 4-6-4, when railway historians argue over whether the W1 was a 4-6-4 or 4-6-2-2, is not lost on me!
     
    Comparing the W1 to the A4 betrays something else:
     

     
    The sheer length of the W1 is startling. It has to be said - I'm suddenly finding that the A4 doesn't look long enough compared to the W1! There is a certain majesty in the 4-6-4 that I wasn't quite expecting, but the Gresley racehorse line certainly breaks through in this model.
     
    One final picture - and a round of thanks and kudos to Graeme for a job well done.
     

  15. S.A.C Martin

    "Pathfinder - Ganwick"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    Inbetween work on my veritable and varied fleet of steam locomotives, I have begun clearing out my railway room in anticipation of the first section of my Pathfinder layout.
     
    Remembering the priorities I covered in one of my previous blog entries:
     
     
    My idea is a simple scenic layout; a double track main line with no turnouts or complicated track formations, and the ability to bring together all three priorities in one first test section.
     
    Having studied and poured over photographs and books for a veritable age, I have come up with a section of track that I think is perfect for a first attempt at building a "proper" home layout.
     



     
    This section near Potter's Bar - Ganwick - is perfect. Two tunnels, one at either end, offer natural scenic breaks. The curvature of the track gives me a perfect excuse to have a rectangular baseboard, with the track deliberately not parallel to the baseboard. There is scope for shaping and creating hills, woods, and (from an initial Google Maps observation of the area), potential for careful use of resin buildings, modified, to represent the minimal housing in the area.
     
    Thus, here is a rough edit of the satellite view above:
     



     
    There is scope for making this section of the layout long, but thin, and portable in two sections too.
     
    Now, I am aware that this section in reality is a four track mainline today. It was not always a four track main line, from that I gather, but I am having great difficulty pinning a date down on the addition of the extra two lines.
     
    If it is was prior to 1950, then I will have to model four main lines, but if not, then two main lines becomes a much better proposition for this test build. If anyone could confirm when the extra two running lines were added, it would be much appreciated.
     
    See what you think of the initial idea, any and all thoughts are welcome.
  16. S.A.C Martin

    'No.1' in the Works

    By S.A.C Martin,

    It seems rather fitting that my first actual modelling update on the new forum should involve a locomotive very, very close to my heart. It's numbered one, but its not Thomas!!!
     
    In 1994 I saw Flying Scotsman for the first time, at Llangollen in Wales. I was awe-struck by this machine: I remember with incredible clarity looking up at the black & gold nameplate and just studying its polished finish for several minutes.
     
    It very quickly became my favourite locomotive (and in my heart of hearts, it still is, despite the lustre of Tornado, an engine I support monetarily). My dad then bet me that he could show me a locomotive that would change my mind about Flying Scotsman. I didn't believe him, being seven.
     
    A few weeks later my father took me to the National Railway Museum to see one of his favourite engines. She was sitting on the turntable, and had been recently polished.
     
    I remember my first glance up at those incredible driving wheels with such clarity. That memory has stayed with me all my days. Apple green, polished, with a black nose and incredibly intricate white, black, and red lining.
     
    Patrick Stirling's 8ft Single. No.1, Great Northern Railway.
     
    That locomotive has held an fascination for me. Whenever I see a photograph of it, I pause to remember briefly that strange sensation - the open mouth, the "wow" factor of the real thing on the turntable, surrounded by other highly polished steam locomotives and rolling stock. I'm only sorry I've never seen it in steam. If the NRM ever wanted to steam it (and I won the lottery), a cheque would be making its way to York instantly...
     
    That being said, I have always wanted a model of this engine. I've missed out on a few kitmaster models, but after seeing "Emily" in the Bachmann Thomas range (hows that for a subtle irony) well, how could I resist the chance to carve one up to make no.1?
     
    Here's a recap of where we left no.1 on the old forum:
     

     
    To begin with, we have the Bachmann Emily Model, minus face, and with a Kitmaster stirling single tender attached. The tender came as part of a strange lot of engine plus trucks (and the Triang 3F which was paired with the tender became my J17). The Bachmann Emily needed some carving, and I am most grateful to the LNER Encyclopedia forum for some tips as to where and how to carve the body up.
     

     

     

     
    So, a few weeks later, the engine's body had a few changes made. I had drilled out the cab spectacles, cut down the running plate on both sides, removed the moulded handrails and added a suitable smokebox door. The tender at this point was still in its form from when it had been built by its previous owner. There was an obvious problem with the heights between the cab and tender (see above).
     
    Then I had an idea, mainly caused by a suggestion on the old RMweb of carving the Bachmann Emily tender up to make the GNR pattern one I wanted so much...brace yourselves...
     
    I decided to carve up the Kitmaster tender and mix 'n' match the components from the Emily tender to make one tender which was distinctly more GNR like. This also meant I'd have a better ride height, and it also meant that I could attach the tender in the original (more efficient) arrangement. However, I came across this:
     

     
    Could someone please explain to me what the white stuff is??? It's not white tack, and its not chewing gum, but it was used to hold the tender together (!!!)
     
    In fact, I discovered that the only thing which had held any of the tender pieces together, was my previous attempt at replacing the cracked bufferbeam, using a defunct bufferbeam from the spares box and supergluing it in place. If I dropped the tender it would have come apart really, really easily...!!!
     
    I then started bashing the Emily tender frames about. The idea is to graft the kitmaster side frames on top of these to present the illusion of the kitmaster sides actually carrying the wheels (and I hope no one ever looks at the model from behind the tender, as the frames look very fat when finished!)
     
    Carving up the frames:
     

     

     
    At which point I used some real white tack to attach the kitmaster tender sides and top to the frames in order to see how it all looks. It doesn't look too bad, the biggest downer being the width of the tender in all honesty. This gives a very over wide running plate either side of the tender tank, and gives it a look of strange proportions. Still, see what you make of it (and any and all suggestions are welcome!)
     

     
    At this point I decided to humour myself a little. I've been debating whether or not I can do justice to the real locomotive with this kitbash. I decided to paint out the white running plate and paint the smokebox hinges, just for tonight to see if the model is looking any more like the real thing and less like a toy:
     

     

     
    I think I might just about be able to do this. Next job is to finish the tender, then turn my attention to the driving wheel splashers, cab and handrails. I am also considering trying to source a suitable chimney as I hate the look of the Emily one.
     
    Until next time!
     

  17. S.A.C Martin
    Photograph is copyright of Simon Gott and replicated here for educational purposes only.


     

    Lone Wolf


     
    Oh dear. What have I done. I've taken on yet another project! (I have in fact taken on about five projects, one of which was the Ivatt Atlantic, but more on that later).
     
    The above model will soon be in my possession and will be the subject of an excercise to see if I can produce a more reasonable P2 model for my personal collection and use in my future stocklist for my KX-Leeds trainset/layout/roundy round that I am planning.
     
    It's completely out of period, it's unnecessary, it would have been at KX only a few times, and...etc etc.
     
    Who cares! I've always wanted one, and in purchasing this particular model, I can do some modelling in terms of bringing it up to scratch, and also fulfill that small personal promise to myself that I'd develop a layout which a decent model of a P2 could get around.
     
    The intention is to model number 2006 Wolf of Badenoch in its wartime all over black livery, perhaps with an interesting variation (white warning panels behind the buffers and white outline buffers) which can be seen in figure 150 of RCTS LNER Locomotives, Part 6B. The model will be carefully brought up to a decent standard through careful selection of appropriate components and modifications which will allow both a more accurate model and a better running model to be created.
     
    I started collating a plan of action on the LNER Encyclopedia forum (which can be found here with the full discussion), and will continue the overall build here, and on my external blog.
     

    The Modifications Required


     
    1. The Tender
     
    The tender from the Nu-Cast model is mishapen, too long in the frames, too short in the tank and rather crude. It was good for its time, but I want the model to look reasonable against the latest Pacifics from Hornby and Bachmann. I have therefore made it my intention to scrap the Nu-Cast one altogether.
     
    I already have a spare Hornby non-corridor tender, bought for a pittance off eBay, which is suitable for this build. It's one of the latest ones, and I believe it came from a super detail Mallard model. This tender is more or less the same as the P2 tender, however my intention is to model 2006 Wolf of Badenoch, and this means the streamlined tender fairings at the front and rear over the water filler cap need to be added.
     
    Comparing the Isinglass drawings of class P2/3 against A4, the fairings look like they can be added relatively easily, either by carving up the old Nu-cast tender for its fairings, or using plasticard. The latter looks much more likely.
     
    2. The Cab
     
    The Nu-Cast cab is horrendous. The roof and its details are wrong for most of the P2s (streamlined or not) and it's certainly not right for no.2006. Happily, after the latest round of Isinglass drawings came in, I was able to confirm a long held suspicion that the A4 cab from a Hornby super detail A4, with the side sheets built up, would not only be the correct length, but 100% accurate for no.2006's cab, which conformed to the A4 specification, including the two extra roof vents.
     
    Other than the side sheets, there are no discernible differences: the A4 and later P2 cabs were the same, even down to the non-beaded side sheets. I am therefore going to removing a Hornby A4 from a spare bodyshell I got off eBay: namely the battered remains of a Sir Charles Newton model.
     
    3. The Cartazzi
     
    The current model has a swing link cartazzi that just looks wrong. The intention is to remove this altogether and fit a fixed cartazzi, with flangeless wheelset. The cartazzi from the super detail Hornby A3/A4 can be happily used and then cut/shut to the correct length without further modification, as they are (again) very similar to that on the P2s.
     
    4. The Streamlined Front
     
    The front end will not be changed much. The curve and length, and the difference in width of the flat of the smokebox across the curve, is completely different to the A4. The A4 has a much sharper front and the P2's curves back more gracefully to its first boiler band. This whole section is also longer on the P2, according to the Isinglass drawings for the P2/3 and A4 Pacific. I am therefore not going to change the front end substantially, other than to try and match the more subtle details of the Hornby A4 through use of Archer's resin rivets and similar.
     
    5. Wheelsets
     
    Luckily for me, I don't need to change the Hornby A4 tender wheelsets: no.2006 had disc wheelsets for its whole life as a P2/3.
     
    However I will be changing the driving wheels. It is perhaps not obvious from here, but the centre wheelsets have been turned down to be flangeless. I will be fitting flanged driving wheels throughout, though I am undecided on the brand. If anyone could assist with suitable suggestions, further to that on the LNER forum, I would be grateful. Obviously the replacement driving wheels must be able to utilise the existing valve gear and coupling rods.
     
    The front pony truck wheelset will also need replacing. I think (though I may be wrong) that a set of V2 wheels may be suitable, now? Those I have several spare, for use on my Bachmann V2 fleet, and one can be fitted here as a matter of course.
     
    6. Buffers
     
    Put simply, the Nu-Cast P2 buffers are bad. They have a rounded base which is completely wrong for the P2s. At the advice of the members of the LNER Forum, I'm going to give Branchlines a ring for some Spencer double cased buffers in the streamlined pattern, which will help to improve the front end greatly.
     
    7. Chimney & Whistle
     
    The A4 type chimney is not a direct match to the P2s, but I have plenty of resin and plastic A4 chimneys spare from my recent A4 builds. I am therefore going to examine whether it is worth creating a new P2 chimney to more closely match the Isinglass drawings in this way, or whether the existing Nu-Cast chimney can be modified to be more accurate.
     
    There is some method in my recent madness of buying up cheap spare Hornby A4 bodyshells and components - I now have a suitable wartime whistle for the chimney, taken from the same battered bodyshell of Sir Charles Newton I got second hand, and will be raiding for its cab as mentioned previously.
     
    8. Washout Plugs
     
    The washout plugs on this model are not correct for no.2006, but are correct for nos.2001/2002. The intention is to remove them by sanding them down, and then replacing them with resin cast washout plugs which may be provided by my usual and much appreciated source of components for my builds.
     
    Figure 134 in RCTS LNER 6B shows I need five washout plugs to the A4 spec, placed in specific locations across the upper half of the boiler.
     
    9. Miscellaneous
     
    Lastly - the RCTS books suggests that 2006 lost its streamlined casing ahead of the cylinders, but the Isinglass drawings refute that by pointing out the dates do not match up, and therefore it's likely 2006 whilst in NE Black still had its streamlined casing ahead of the cylinders. I am therefore going to leave that as it is too.
     
    Half the fun of this particular build is sourcing all of the different components and bringing them together to fit to my model. Given I have so little time to model during the working week in any event, I am planning each portion of the rebuilding on a month by month basis. The idea is to have no.2006 rebuilt, reliveried and running in by Christmas, in conjunction with a few other rebuild/relivery projects I will relate on this blog in the next few weeks.
     
    However, I think the above gives me more than enough to do for the meantime!
     
    Your thoughts and ideas, as ever, greatly appreciated for debate.
     
    Simon
  18. S.A.C Martin
    Well, Wednesday evening came, and Harry Fielding and Graham Muz of this parish were very kind in letting me come up to the club to use the club's test track after work. I had a very warm welcome from the club members, and enjoyed in particular talking to Graham and Harry about Hinton Parva, which is a fantastic layout to watch. They are terrific people and I will be going back for sure, during the time I have left on my work contract.
     
    The main reason for coming up to the club was to test 62822. I was supremely nervous: it would be the first time that my Atlantic has turned a wheel in anger since I dismantled it in its enteriety, changed its motor and gearbox and rebuilt it to the standard seen above.
     
    I am delighted to report that, apart from a bit of authentic "wiggling", it behaved itself impeccably, even getting into a race with another member's newly purchased Class 92 in Stobart Rail livery. 62822 won!
     
    She ran very smoothly and really looked the part. I was quite surprised - it's the first model I can remember for years that has actually worked first time!
     
    There's still a lot of things to add - lamp irons, whistle, tender steps, new oil lamps, a decent coat of weathering and the mixed traffic lining, but for a first time out she behaved herself impeccably.
     
    More of the same please, 62822!
     
    Until next time.
  19. S.A.C Martin
    It's getting more and more difficult these days to write blogs. Not because I don't want to, but because modelling time is at an all time premium, and there are many projects still outstanding.
     
    One which I have finally got around to finishing off is my model of 62822, the last London & North Eastern Railway Atlantic working by 1950. I have found dozens of photographs of this engine in Grantham, King's Cross, Doncaster, even York, but for a long time any shots of the engine in the Leeds area eluded me. It had definitely worked there, and particularly in its last few months before withdrawal, with one such account related in the LNER RCTS Part 3A, page 43 of my edition.
     
    Happily a member of this forum, knowing of my frustration at not being able to find such a photograph, has provided one, and even more happily has more or less confirmed my suspicion that the lining out of the tender on 62822 was applied much earlier than November 1950 (a feature much trumpeted for its final run). That being the case, my model will have the fully lined out tender as per the photograph I am modelling from. The member in question has opted to remain anonymous but he has my sincere gratitude and admiration for his modesty.
     
    Of course, the C1s were synomous with the West Riding, and indeed, Copley Hill throughout their lives, and to not have at least one (or perhaps two - watch this space) working in the stocklist was something of an oversight on my part when I decided on the 1948-50 era theme three years ago.
     
    That being the case, a good six months ago I purchased a much loved, but well worn DJH C1 Atlantic from a collection being broken up. It was finished in LNER unlined black and needed a full overhaul. This I decided to do myself, although I have been reluctant to fit a decoder and will in all likelihood leave this to someone better qualified than I.
     



     
    The model was taken apart for a full stripping down. The metal body was left in brake fluid overnight (left over from my latest round of maintenance on the old 740GL), and was carefully rebuilt, taking care to suit any and all distortions that had been present. It is not just glued together but I have - finally! - done a few bits of soldering, albeit under the boiler and strictly to keep the major components together. Running plate, dome, cab and similar are all glued on. It was more than the strength of my confidence to do any more!
     
    The chassis has had a good clean and checking of contacts and motor. It is sublimely smooth and powerful and I suspect only needs a stay alive decoder to improve its running more.
     



     
    The body was coated in a grey undercoat (Halfords Primer) a good month or so ago after rebuilding, followed by two careful coats of acrylic, Gamesworkshop Chaos black last week. The boiler, cab and tender were given a single coat of Klear to give some sheen, and today the numerals on the cabside and the "British Railways" branding (all waterslide transfers from Fox Transfers) were applied, and then sealed with Johnson's Klear.
     



     
    One thing which may be noticeable is the works plate over the splasher. This is one of several spare worksplates obtained from Fox Transfers over the years, and they really look the part. The front numberplate is a piece of plasticard on which waterslide transfers (again, from the Fox Transfers range) were cut apart, and put together to form the correct number, before being stuck down with a Humbrol varnish above the handrail, and then sealed with Johnson's Klear.
     
    The next job to do is adding the tender lining and some careful weathering around the wheels, frames and tender. You may notice that behind my C1 is the lone Thompson D Class, which is being lined out and numbered at the same time, and my recent V2 build which is going to be weathered when both of the former locomotives are finished in their lining out and put through the weathering bench!
     
    So it's been something of a mixed traffic afternoon at the Copley Hill Works, and a welcome change from the Pacifics.
     
    Next time I hope to have finished all three of the locomotives described above, lined out and weathered accordingly.
     
    For now, good night, sleep tight!
     
    Simon
  20. S.A.C Martin
    Final bits and bobs. Chaos Black acrylic paint was used to patch up any areas of black paintwork damaged through the modifications. Fox Transfers numerals were applied individually onto the numberplate to form "60903".
     
    One thing I should note. I have been examining a whole range of photographs of the V2s. My chosen example, 60903 appears to have had only two smokebox door types throughout its life, and strictly speaking my use of an A3 type door is only accurate for a time between 1950-54.
     
    60903 had the more standard type, with flush riveted smokebox straps and door dart for most of its life. 1950 is not out of my selected time period technically, but it shouldn't in theory be run alongside any models from 1948/49 as it wouldn't have had this smokebox door type then!
     



     
    The cylinder ends were modified slightly to be straighter, and were refitted. The overall improvement to the front end is clear and it's a modification I think is well worth doing. I shall certainly be doing so to all of the planned V2 fleet.




     
    Cabside numerals are from the Fox Transfers range and were applied as per the usual methods, but Johnson's Klear was used to seal the numerals and also give the boiler and tender the glossy finish I was after for a King's Cross based V2. This was also brush applied to the driving wheels and pony truck set.




     
    If you're wondering why this blog was so quick after the other, my work (due to start yesterday evening) was cancelled until Wednesday this week, so I'm sunning myself in the garden whilst the weather holds up in Sidcup!
     
    Next time I'll work on the weathering, intended to show a clean example of a Top Shed V2.
  21. S.A.C Martin
    The above is where we were yesterday, test fitting certain components prior to gluing down.
     



     
    I filed down the smokebox on the V2 bodyshell, and removed the outer ring on the Hornby A3 smokebox door, as per that on Tom's V2 (see Bachmann V2 thread).
     



     
    This next picture shows the front end of the cylinder after the torpedo ends have been removed. The torpedo ends are the pair on the left, on the right are a spare set from a Hornby A4 set of cylinders (and correct for my chosen V2, 60903).
     



     
    I filed down the original Torpedo ends enough so that the Hornby set could be stuck on top. This has two benefits - firstly, it allows the torpedo ends to simply be slotted back into the cylinders without fuss (and they fit very well, a snug fit into a square hole), and secondly it gives the Hornby ends the correct length from the cylinders.
     



     
    Here they are as fully modified...
     



     
    ...and as fitted to the cylinders. In my view, a modification well worth doing and improves the overall look no end.
     



     
    I simply removed the dome from my spare St. Gatien bodyshell and glued it into position on my bodyshell. It required filing down of the dome enough so that the dome literally fits over the top. Using the small notches Hornby provide for placing over their boiler bands, it was easy enough to line up the dome perfectly.
     



     
    With A3 buffers, front coupling and smokebox door fitted, and brass lamp irons left over from my recent A4 projects, and the handrail wire clipped to the right length, along with the Margate A3 chimney fitted, the front end looks much better in my view and confirms what we already know from Tom's excellent model.
     



     
    I cut the plastic moulded coal so I could add real coal later. My excuse is that King's Cross locomotives nearly always went back for more coal anyway...!
     



     
    The finished model, with the cylinder draincocks as supplied attached. Personally I think they are acceptable enough to use, and the overall model is definitely much improved from the original. Also note the cab doors - taken from an older Bachmann V2 model (for which I have no idea where these excellent plastic doors came from).
     
    Next time I'll renumber, repaint, weather and finish this model, but I've run out of time this weekend prior to departing on my next business trip.
     
    Hope this blog has been of some interest and help - until next time!
  22. S.A.C Martin
    I thought my post might be better served here.
     



     
    The latest Bachmann V2 after Hornby A3 buffers, chimney and coupling are trial-fitted, using blue tack. Bachmann buffers, chimney and coupling hook removed.
     
    The next stage is to remove the smokebox door and door, to replace with Hornby components, taken from a donor A3 bought for spares.
     
    This model will become top shed's 60903 and will have "British Railways" on the tender in place of the cycling lion. I will attempt to portray a clean, but work a day V2 appearance depicting one of King's Cross' finest.
     
    Until next time.
  23. S.A.C Martin

    "Pathfinder"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    So it's been a good few weeks since my last update. I've not had any time to devote to modelling, mainly due to the job. Just one of those things, though it has given me some time to reflect on the ultimate aims of my hobby.
     
    One of the things I know to be true, is that I do not have the space currently, and am unlikely to have the space to, model Copley Hill as I want to. I could not do the area justice. My stocklist is based on that which could be seen at Copley Hill - and that is still the ultimate aim - but perhaps I need a "pathfinder" layout of some form to see what I can do, and what can be done.
     
    I know from the layouts I have observed and enjoyed reading on, that the Peco and Hornby trackwork of old is no longer suitable for me. I cannot get around the nagging feeling of disappointment with my poor skills in tracklaying, and the results it has produced thus far.
     
    Therefore, number one on my list of changes to my hobby is to the Track. I want to make it a principle of my modelling from this point on to change the way it looks. The caveat is to not change the gauge (remaining OO). Observing Gilbert's excellent Peterborough North, you can have your cake and eat it if the sleeper spacing and rail type are correct for your chosen period.
     
    (I am also a sucker for excellent ready to run models, and like to run them straight out of the box. No shame in that - the change of identity and weathering comes later!)
     
    My second priority has to be running trains. I enjoy running them! The question thereafter is, in what form? I have been experimenting with a few of my friends' control systems, and automated control has appealed to me most thus far. The ability to program in trains to run, in a set timetable, so to speak, through the use of DCC and appropriate software, is one I am fascinated with. This would give me an opportunity to admire the models I have worked on, in motion!
     
    My final priority is better utilization of space. I currently have a 12 x 16 foot floor space to play with. The current Copley Hill occupies a mere 4 x 8 foot, on a single baseboard. By changing this altogether, and creating a "roundy round", with the control desk in the center, the change of emphasis from shed layout to perhaps something more scenic - a three track mainline with diverging branchlines, perhaps, with a fiddle yard on the opposite side - would present my modelling better (perhaps!)
     
    So the brain is on, and the thought processes ongoing - perhaps a section of the mainline into Leeds, from London, would suffice, as well as still being applicable to the stocklist of steam locomotives I am building for the "ultimate aim" of Copley Hill.
     
    This would act as a test subject for which to practise necessary improvements in skill for my personal enjoyment of the hobby, and also act as a fun train set of sorts, when you just want to run the trains, sit, and relax with a pint of fine ale.
     
    Oh, and did I mention - the new layout has to be build without a set timeframe. Not weeks, months - year or two possibly, given the time constraints. That makes it more of a hobby, and more fun, I suspect.
     
    I do enjoy modelling so much more when I've spent time away from it, during the week.
     
    Until next time - lots more to ponder.
  24. S.A.C Martin
    You may remember my Graeme King 60700 model from an earlier blog post - apparently from as far back as 2010! This model was based on a modification of the Railroad Mallard 60022 model. The model originally sported the clunky Railroad valve gear - but no more, in preparation for a complete repaint to its 1949 era livery.
     



     
    The model has had a change of valve gear, and cylinders. Both sets of valve gear are available on eBay from Peter's Spares from time to time. In this case, the super detail valve gear came from 60073 St Gatien, a badly damaged model I bought to break up for spares. The valve gear was in surprisingly good nick, and along with a brand new set of matching A4 cylinders (for the current super detail A3 and A4 models use the same valve gear with different cylinders), 60700's overall look has been markedly improved, and very cheaply!
     
    This would more or less prove how interchangeable the components between the Railroad Hornby Pacifics and the super detail Pacifics are.
     
    In fact...you'd be surprised how far back the parts are interchangeable!
     



     
    60103 Flying Scotsman was bought off eBay a few years back with damaged valve gear. I thought nothing of it at the time, but I used the older tender drive valve gear as a direct replacement. The only change you need to make to this valve gear to fit is to bend it carefully so the bracket fits under the running plate. I don't think it looks different enough from the top version of the valve gear to warrant changing it again, so it will stay like this, albeit weathered at some point in the near future.
     



     
    And to compare further, the "optimum" combination using Sandwich as an example.
     
    Hornby's "future proofing" and reuse of standard components between models of the tender drive, and locomotive drive era is rather impressive in my view, and shows what can be done if you are working to a budget.
     
    The main chassis block is shared between Super detail A1s, A3s and A4s, and the older Railroad A1 and current Railroad A4 models, and everything else including the flanged or flangeless cartazzi wheels are more or less bolt ons for the overall detail for the model. I am looking to buy the latest Railroad A1 for a more full comparison, but I suspect that shares more in common with the Railroad Tornado model.
     
    Until next time!
  25. S.A.C Martin
    You will recall that recently, I had been indulging in some conversions of Hornby garter blue A4 Pacifics in order to gain 1949 condition A4s. I identified a few problems with this approach, went away, had a think, and came up with a solution; a set of etches that makes the removal of the valances easier, and also caters for missing components and/or damage.
     
    Peter Harvey of PH Designs recently finished a set of test etches for a conversion kit I had specified. Unfortunately, it's taken me a few weeks to find the time to now get around to using them. One of those things - but the wait was well worth it, in my opinion...
     
    So in this first instance, we have the donor A4 Pacific; a Hornby Kingfisher which has been split from a Flying Scotsman trainset.
     



     
    Now we bring in the etches for the conversion. The first one includes the shaping tool, which you attach to the valances, along with a few components such as the reverser and AWS plate which Hornby's fully valanced models do not have.
     



     
    The second set of etches have replacement lamp irons, doors, numberplate brackets and the crucial missing access hatch (which goes directly below the nameplates on the front end of the streamlined casing).
     



     
    All in all, it looks terrific. Will it work as well?
     
    In short, yes. I attached the valancing shaping tool to the valances through a few careful drops of superglue - since the valances are coming off, it matters not that it ruins the plastic it's attached to! And then ran a sharp scalpel over the length of the shape. Once this was done, I removed the shaping tool carefully, and have soaked it in some meths to clean it off for reuse. The wonders of brass, and the ingenuity of Peter's solution to my problem.
     



     



     
    Using a set of pliers, I carefully bent the valances at the scalpel cuts, until they came clean away. It was so easy that it surprised me when it was all over within five minutes! It took me a good hour to remove Mallard's valances previously.
     
    So here we have the current state of play - missing all of the accoutrements for now, as it's late and I need my sleep! Valances now fully "defrocked" and awaiting some filing down and rubbing with a wet'n'dry pad to finish the job off. I don't think that's come out too badly at all. Spare Kingfisher shown for comparison.
     



     



     
    So there we have it - one set of valances removed in a half hour on a Saturday night. My first bit of modelling for weeks, and I loved it!
     
    Until next time - when I'll be tackling the rest of the test etches for this conversion. Night all!
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