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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 Clerestory project continues apace, with the painting and finishing of one more coach, and a third into the carmine livery. I still have the roof to do on the third one, whilst the second has had its roof (with seven, not eight vents!) fitted, and I am awaiting the necessary transfers to finish the first two off before weathering.
     



     
    A little change I made to the second coach (but not the third), was the implementation of a light coloured undercoat - in this case, a standard Gamesworkshops cream paint, namely Bleached Bone, on the advice of a friend. He was absolutely spot on in his assessment of the first coach, the carmine paint came out much brighter on the cream undercoat of the second coach (the first had two undercoats of black followed by brown.
     



     
    The third coach was painted as per the first coach, however. Why? The fourth coach will be painted the same way as the second. I want to weather and rub them all down a little, and variation in shades is more prototypical from that I have observed of the books and photographs I have seen recently. The lighter colour is more correct, certainly, but the variation adds to the look, and hopefully makes these pseudo GCR coaches look a little more "real" as opposed nicely repainted old Triang Toys!
     
    Thanks to Coachman (Larry Goddard) for the tips on the painting. The undercoating stage tips have been a particular help - I had not realized just how much an undercoat affects the top layer of paint. I do now!
     
    Until next time, when I'll be tacking a set of Triang "Thompson" coaches (or Mk1s with coach sides, as I should have known previously...!!!)
  2. S.A.C Martin
    I've recently had a spate of budget-purchases in terms of coaching stock, and a few surprise gifts from the missus in the same vein!
     
    Charlie forgot Valentine's Day this year - not really a crime, she is starting her PGCE and is at the highest of stress levels. However, she found the time to shop around, and while attending Ally Pally on Sunday, bought me the three coaches seen below:
     



     
    They are a set of three Airfix LMS Suburban coaches, and they have a terrific finish on them - not sure whether it's factory printed or someone extremely good with an airbrush and transfers!
     



     
    Either way, they are the wrong livery so they will have to go into a suitable British Railways Livery.
     



     
    I am, however, a little torn on repainting them. Having fitted the correct Hornby metal disc wheels (14.1 sets) to all of the coaches, they run extremely smoothly, and look rather lovely.
     
    Though it must be said, the shade of maroon (crimson lake?) seems too dark.
     
    I am mulling it over as to whether to go for a full repaint, or see if someone has a set of BR liveried examples they'd be willing to swap.
     
    Then we have these sorry examples I found in a charity shop for £0.25 each (!)
     



     
    They are Triang Thompson coaches, in various states of disrepair. For £0.25 each, I was wondering if I could go the whole hog and restore these three coaches into carmine, in much the same way I've been fiddling around with the Hornby GWR clerestories these last two weeks.
     



     
    Some are missing buffers, but to be fair I'd have been replacing all of them anyway with the correct pattern buffers.
     
    Any suggestions and comments gratefully received for all of the above!
     
    Until next time - I leave you with this photograph of my Hornby L1 posed with two of the clerestories - hoping to have them all finished by this time next week.
     



  3. S.A.C Martin
    The first of the Hornby Clerestory conversions is nearing completion.
     



     
    The roof has had very little done to it, apart from removing the beading and other related pieces, and carefully reworking the clerestory ends to look squarer and more GCR looking.
     
    The torpedo vents were then added, and the roof finished off in Railmatch's Roof Grey. The result is as follows:
     



     
    The next job will be adding glazing - I may, for ease of build, just refit the older plastic panels, but I have seen an idea on a another forum that I may give a go with a scrap coach or two, as practise, before moving onto these if all goes well...!
     
    Until next time, when I hope to have the three coaches physically complete, save for transfers and final varnishing.
     



  4. S.A.C Martin
    After a little prompting from a few friends on the LNER Encyclopedia forum, I've started work on modifying some Hornby Clerestories I got on the cheap into some pseudo Great Central Stock, to eventually go into carmine livery.
     
    So here is one of the coaches before:




    And here it is after its been stripped back, tension lock couplings removed, and the roof filed down to the correct style:
     



    I'm currently scouring the net for a source of roof vents suitable to fit onto the roof, but as yet haven't found anything. The next photo shows the difference in the roofs: I filed down the plastic vents and edging to smooth it out, Great Central style.
     



     
    Have ordered some paint - these will be going carmine (the last were condemned in 1958, so a few most have had it), and will be painted, weathered and fitted with three link couplings, as an exercise and overall guinea pig in some techniques for future models.
     
    Until next time - hopefully with a matching set!
  5. S.A.C Martin
    The next stage to the GCR Clerestory story, has been removing the curved Great Western style grab handles, on the outside of the doors. That was done with a scalpel, and some wet'n'dry paper, followed by some light brush strokes of black primer to check the smoothness of each area before progressing.




     
    The roofs have also been filed down on each of the three coaches I am working on, and after a fairly abortive attempt at building it up to make the GCR curved profile, I'm back to square one and currently open to discussions on how best to do it.
     
    The bogies have been shorn of their tension lock couplings, and look much better. The Hornby buffers have been removed off both ends of each coach, and overall, while they are looking very drab at present, they are starting to look a little more GCR and a little less GWR!
     



     
    Final pic for the evening, my little production line of three coaches - the fourth is being held up as a "before and after" style piece, before being converted in the same manner as the current three.
     
    For four coaches I bought from the Loughborough Model Centre, three years ago now, for a ridiculous £15 the four, they are proving to be useful acquisitions, and certainly helping me build a little confidence towards modelling once more.
     
    Until next time!
  6. S.A.C Martin
    Sean's done a little more work on the front end - sadly we've both been busy with various other projects, but Sean is quietly confident we'll have a pre-production sample for tinkering with very soon. Note, the smokebox surround, reworked smokebox door, handrail and the running plate, all much improved from my original concept model.
     
    Until next time!
  7. S.A.C Martin
    Part three of this blog sees Sean's entry into the proceedings. He's taken the basic bodyshell, and is remaking it and including the full detailing of the model as he goes along. The model is based on a Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST, and Sean is working from drawings and photographs I've collated to get the final look "spot on".
     
    There's a lot to do here - the chimney will need reprofiling, the smokebox surround is missing, the wingplates are not quite the right shape, and of course there's the handrails and similar to take into account.
     
    The back sheet to the cab, by the way, is being made as a separate item - this allows us to make different variants, and it allows modellers to get at the cab for painting and detailing purposes.
     
    The basic bodyshell we hope, will be suitable for children to have a go, and make their own little saddletank from an older (or perhaps damaged) Hornby 0-4-0 model.
     
    Until next time.
  8. S.A.C Martin
    A little recap of the "Proof of Concept": I am embarking on a joint endeavor with a friend to produce a range of bodyshell and basic model kits to try and encourage younger modellers and beginners of all ages into the hobby. Something more basic than the old Airfix kits, and more durable than the current plastic Dapol kits of varying heritage.
     



     
    The above picture has had a great deal of care and attention to get it to this stage, though it looks simplistic in the extreme, and very plain. This is what I have termed the "template" on which Sean O'Connor and I are designing some preliminary bodyshell kits for beginners to modelling. This template has been designed to fit the standard Hornby 0-4-0 chassis (with cylinders). I am also developing a template for the 0-4-0 chassis sans cylinders, but that will have to wait for another day.
     
    Part of the development of our long-running project to produce bodyshell kits for beginners, is producing a pair of shunting engines: one steam, and one diesel, as our first attempts. In the last update, I showed how we had worked though a previous Sentinel mesh for some time, and learned a lot from developing it to the stage of a proving model, to fit on a specific 00 gauge chassis.
     
    The Sentinel appeals to me greatly as it looks very different, unusual and very unique - the light blue paintwork I picked (taken from my photographs of Musketeer, the locomotive we based the original mesh on) was striking and gave the mesh a certain appeal. In this respect, if we were trying to produce an all singing, all dancing, ready-to-run locomotive then I'd be looking over the plans for the little geared engine much more closely. I can fully understand why Model Rail picked a Sentinel themselves - the locomotives have a certain "Je ne sais quoi" about them.
     
    However, given that our intended market will have little knowledge of the prototype, but recognize various forms of tank engine, we decided to change our chosen prototype for our first steam model to something more conventional looking.
     
    Sean and I spent several months discussing the choice, and throwing ideas into the mixing pot and thinking it through. We looked at what was available, and what wasn't, and what sort of chassis would be most likely to suit a bodyshell kit for a beginner to the hobby. We ended up back at the standard Hornby 0-4-0s quite often, and finally made a decision to get some drawings of a particular type of locomotive, and take a few photographs in order to develop a first new mesh.
     



     
    The above is our new "Proof of Concept" for the proposed steam engine bodyshell kit. It is a simple industrial shunter, based on a Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST. It's not one hundred per cent accurate to prototype, as it has been designed to fit onto the Hornby 0-4-0 chassis (and therefore there is a little stretching in the proportions, although not as much as I had initially feared). It is based on a few scale drawings, and several hundred photographs I took of the Hawthorn Leslie locomotive in question!
     
    The way Sean and I are developing the meshes is as thus: I design and create a basic bodyshell, minus details, that will fit onto a specific chassis. Once satisfied with the overall dimensions and proportions, I send the mesh onto Sean who uses it as a further template for one with better detail (as we did with the Sentinel shunter before).
     
    The final mesh is checked carefully, and - hopefully in this case - will produce a physical first prototype in order to gauge the next step - a full reworking or minor modifications. I do not envisage not having problems of some form in the prototype: no one is infallible and certainly not me!
     
    Overall the project is giving me greater insight into the trials and tribulations of model railway manufacturers: though admittedly on a much smaller scale, and done in one's spare time rather than as a business...yet.
     
    This week Sean is working on the next stage of the mesh's development, so hopefully will have a little more to show and develop in the next update.
     
    Until next time.
  9. S.A.C Martin
    From this...
     
    ...to this:
     

     
    Yep, I finally stuck my finger out and started working on my backlog of projects. The Stirling single, seen just behind, has had its handrails removed so that a new set can be added that will be more accurate, and the J11 has had a new motor fitted onto its old (but very weighty and sturdy) Triang chassis.
     
    The model is indeed to be modelled as a J11 during the early cycling lion period, including the red coupling rods, and the ross pop valves and cab mounted whistle they gained in their later days.
     

     
    Great Central locomotives were a staple of Copley Hill for many years, so whilst a J11 isn't exactly the top choice (D11 is - and I have one of those I am working on and all!) it's nice to get a flavour of the motive power overall.
     

     
    The next job, as can be seen above, is to add the smokebox numberplate and replace the smokebox dart - the latter requiring a standard LNER group fitting.
     

     
    Of course, it's not all good news! I still have an ex-GNR tender to run behind, as it was the only usable tender out of the two kit ones I picked up, well over a year ago, that I had to hand and could adapt. I haven't had the money to invest in a proper Great Central tender kit, but if someone is looking for a Great Northern tender, and has a Great Central tender up for grabs...you know where the PM button is!
     
    It'll do for now at any rate.
     
    On another note, I was once accused of being an "RTR hoarder", and "someone who thinks modelling is plonking RTR stock down", which amused me as, at the time, I was building a Clan model kit, and had previously created a Peppercorn A2 from various bits and bobs. The J11, which I had stripped down, repainted, and am now finishing over the course of this week, is a small victory for me in that it has proved I'm not by any means an RTR hoarder.
     
    It does however, confirm to me that I have a long way to go before I'm up to the levels of modelling I aspire to. JSW and TBG levels of accuracy and atmosphere, frankly!
     
    The next step is finishing up the details and producing "Project Proof of Concept" and "Project Malta", two linked projects which are helping me learn more new skills along the way.
     
    Until next time!
  10. S.A.C Martin
    In what seems like forever, FINALLY a blog post which includes modelling trains in it!
     
    A friend of mine offered me this turned brass chimney - he'd found it in what he describes as the "spare parts bin", but to me, it's a mecca of unused and long forgot sundries which sometimes may turn up a gem. And this is one of them! The Emily chimney tapers too much, and is too tall, and had to go. After chopping it off, filing the base down, and fitting the new chimney with some adhesive, I used some Humbrol model filler to make it even around the base.
     
    And this is the result: it certainly makes it look more like a Stirling Single, even if the chimney isn't quite the right profile (looking at pictures of the preserved single, the one I am trying to model, the chimney doesn't seem to be an exact match for the original chimneys in any event).
     



     
    I'm nearly at the stage where I am happy enough to spray it in primer. The only obstacle - and one I've chickened out of doing for some time - is the splasher. I absolutely dread drilling into that.
     
    It did make me think mind - surely an etched brass overlay, designed to fit the Bachmann splasher, would aid scratch builders? Something to mull over anyway.
     
    Until next time - oh, and I might have sorted out the handrails by next time. For some utterly bizarre reason, I was convinced the handrails had kinks in them from the smokebox to the boiler. They don't, they are completely straight. Ergo the handrail at the front of the smokebox is extremely off...!!!
     
    Ta ta for now!
  11. S.A.C Martin

    "Project Malta"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    Here's something I'm working on currently.
     
    My planned RMweb Comp project - sadly due to lack of funds, could not be completed or even started in time!
     
    However I loved the idea of it so much, I'm going ahead with it - and part of it involves creating some locomotives, rolling stock, and buildings for my planned project - simply titled "Museum". It makes a change from my BR era, ex Eastern region rolling stock, and gives it a bit of a link to my missus and her family, who are from Malta.
     
    The rolling stock of the real Malta Railway was fairly eclectic - as shall be mine! My first loco, to be 3D printed, is intended to be an On30 scale model of Malta Railway no.1 - fairly appropriate, given its the first part of the project I am working on!
     
    Hopefully, if the 3D print comes out okay, I can examine the model, identify areas of improvement, and then modify the 3D model to make Malta Railway no.2 thereafter. Repeating the procedure will give me Malta Railway no.3, and hopefully a decent representation of the Manning, Wardle locomotive it is meant to be.
     
    Here's what it looks like as of this evening's edits session:
     



     
    The Smokebox door handle was modeled, followed by the roof and rear cab sheet. The bufferbeam and running plate have been widened after I checked my measurements - they were 0.2mm out on correct width.
     
    Overall the model is scale dimensions (ish) to On30 scale (not counting the track gauge, which I have discounted in favour of the use of off the shelf HO/00 gauge stock. Just like American On30 gauge, actually). The boiler is slightly too big, but that was enlarged to allow the chassis I am using to fit on top.
     
    The next job was making the chimney - you learn something new everyday! "Follow me" is the command used on Sketchup to create a rounded object through extrusion of several flat surfaces.
     
    It looks like a bottle cap here, currently!
     



     
    Next job is modelling the NEM coupling pocket, to NMRA standards, allowing Kadees to be used, adding rivet detail, and a few other bits and bobs. After that, I'll print this up as a test sample, and then go from there.
     
    Until next time - hopefully with some updates on both this, and the "Project P.O.C" too.
  12. S.A.C Martin
    Now for the physical business! This chassis is what I intend to use for the three Manning Wardle engines I have planned. The valve gear and cylinders are a placeholder - when the test bodyshell comes back, I will be using this as a template to add the cylinder block to the plastic bodyshell.
     
    I am going to design the valve gear separate to the bodyshell thereafter. I am undecided as to how exactly I am going to do it yet, but it's all in the fun of learning how to do all this.
     
    Until next time!
  13. S.A.C Martin
    "Proof of Concept"


     



     
    It's become a buzzword here in the Copley Hill Works. I am currently working on a venture with a friend, and our discussion which started over a beer whilst on a trip to York, is starting to come together with very serious discussion and much thought on the way in which we proceed from this point on.
     
    I have become increasingly fed up of plastic kits, designed for railway modeling, which look easy enough for the beginner to the hobby, but ultimately end up proving rather poor in practice. Therefore, our first thought turned to a simple bodyshell kit, which could simply replace that on a "ready to run" chassis, most likely the "Railroad" small tank engines, that could be simply plonked on, and painted, to the delight of its young owner.
     
    I firmly believe the future of this hobby, in modeling, lies in allowing the youngest members the ability to try their hand at things like painting, and putting together kits, and if they are introduced to plastic kits which break, warp, or are otherwise difficult for the average modeler to put together, they will be turned off the hobby altogether.
     
    Sean and I thrashed out a business plan of sorts (which is always being revised to reflect our observations on the various forums, and magazines we read), and we have reached the stage where we are - separately, for the time being - designing and producing a "proof of concept" bodyshell to see if our theory can bear some fruit. Sean is developing a traditional outline Saddletank, to fit on one particular chassis, and I am developing a more quirky model to fit onto another chassis.
     
    So, a change of medium in modeling this month. 3D modeling, using Google Sketchup, a surprisingly powerful program considering it's completely free (the full package does have a cost to it, but for the purposes of this proof of concept test, this will do for now). The idea is simple - a "Ready to Plonk" bodyshell to put onto a "ready to run" that will offer some customization for younger modelers, wanting to add something different to their growing collection of model trains.
     
    The chosen test subject was a Vertical Boiler Tank (VBT) engine, "Musketeer", a Sentinel steam locomotive. The bodyshell has been designed in this "proof of concept" to fit a ready to run chassis - the standard Hornby 0-4-0 (on which the Holden bodyshell usually resides). The reason for choosing this one is simple - it is readily available, and everyone and their mother has had one at some stage of their early modeling career.
     
    So, bearing the above in mind: a disclaimer. This is in no way 100% accurate. In order to fit the Hornby 0-4-0 chassis, the proportions of the prototype have been stretched in several areas - length of running plate and height of bonnet most noticeably. I have however tried to keep to the measurements in everything else, including the leaf springs/oil pots/bufferbeams/and so on.
     
    This is also my first 3D model - ever! So mistakes are likely and not unexpected. However, accuracy was not the point of this model - it is to see if the idea has merit, and can be taken beyond the 3D design stage.
     
    To start with, I modeled the running plate:
     



     
    It has been measured and designed to fit exactly onto the Hornby chassis. At this stage, I saved the running plate as a separate item - it could in theory be reused for other projects as a template for how it all fits together on that particular chassis.
     



     
    The leaf springs - extremely crude I might add, as this is my first venture - are at least, in overall size and proportions, close to the real thing. I am always learning, and Sean - my partner in crime - is significantly superior in his detailing that I am always learning how to improve on my modeling. Here's an example of Sean's work:
     



     
    So as you can see, I do have a lot of catching up to do! However, the best way to learn is to try, and with this attempt at the Sentinel, I feel I have experienced a great deal of problems along the way that I have, for the most part, overcome.
     



     
    The next job was to add the cab - whose proportions are correct in height and width, but not in length, due to the fitting of this bodyshell to the chosen chassis.
     



     
    After this, it was a case of creating the "bonnet" to fit on top of the running plate. This is where the model really suffers - to clear the motor, the bonnet had to be made taller, thus changing the proportions of the cab to bonnet quite significantly. In retrospect, by raising the cab roof a little more, the overall look would have been better (but significantly out of scale in height).
     
    Colouring the model (as below) shows up the proportions compared to the real thing even more.
     



     



     
    However, accuracy is not the fundamental point of this 3D model. It is to prove that a bodyshell can be designed and manufactured, at a reasonable cost, to offer younger modelers a way in which to customize their models, and learn how to paint, at a very basic level. The next stage would be to create a simple four piece kit, to be put together with plastic cement or similar, that would give a further success in building up the confidence of a young modeler.
     
    This as an exercise into how to 3D model for the first time, has opened my eyes to what can be done, and the limits of the exercise. The next stage is choosing the prototype to follow through with a prototype bodyshell, and following the same stages as outlined here in its development.
     
    Until next time.
  14. S.A.C Martin

    "Crane Crazy"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    I dare you to try and say that blog title out loud. It's harder than it looks!
     
    I've wanted to get a crane for the layout and film set for a while now. Adds some form of operational interest in the background for scenes, and if I ever film a crash or similar...good for shots showing the aftermath!
     
    However, at £35 a pop, the standard Hornby crane I favoured was looking too expensive - and I wanted two of them...
     
    So I decided to invest in the bright yellow "Railroad" crane (got for £12, an absolute steal) - and put it in a fictitious livery, that would better suit the overall look of The British Railway Series, and give me something to play around with.
     
    I removed the British Railway double arrows, and a few other bits of printed detail (as I have ordered some generic numbering from Fox Transfers and will give it a fictional identity), using nail varnish remover. Potent stuff, use it sparingly with a cotton bud. I then masked up the wasp stripes - something I wanted to keep - and sprayed the rest of the model "Chaos Black" (from the Gamesworkshops range of Citadel Paints - it's an acrylic paint, and an extremely useful base paint).
     



     
    I then added the BR cycling lion logo, then varnished it using Ardcoat (a varnish, again from the Citadel Paint range), before turning to my trusty mix of Tamiya weathering powders for a quick going over. The final stage was to add light sprays of "Purity Seal" - a sealant, again from the Citadel range - seal the powders and tone down the black paintwork. What has resulted is, I hope, a well work look that doesn't look destined for the scrapyard.
     



     
    Overall I am chuffed to bit with how cheap the project was. At £12, I am planning to get another and do the same method all over again. I know it's not accurate in any sense of the word, but when you're strapped for cash, and an alternative presents itself, you go for it. Plus, I happen to think it's a handsome modification that looks tonnes better than the yellow corporate blue alternative!
     



     
    Until next time.
  15. S.A.C Martin

    "Not Impress-Flo"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    I used to love Airfix kits. I used to build them all the time when I was younger. Stopped at around the age of twelve, because I was into my sport and training most of the time. Athletics is as athletics does. I'm not very athletic now!
     
    The last time I made an Airfix kit, I built a model of a Lancaster Bomber, specifically a 617 Squadron aircraft (though not with the bouncing bomb attachment). It was pretty good, neat in its paintwork, but crucially had been aided with a decent set of instructions, and what was a very well designed plastic kit. Patience normally helps too!
     
    On this occasion, my patience has just about run out. I've been building a rake of Dapol Presflos to run on the Copley Hill set. In theory, this would be cheaper than the Bachmann model by half, and run "almost as well".
     
    Cue canned laughter. I was wrong - hands in the air - it would have been more expensive to buy Bachmann, but it would have saved me some angst!
     
    First off, the instruction diagrams are terrible (not to mention wrong, for one thing, but we'll come onto that later). The diagrams are simply photocopies of an original drawing, and very coarse (see above picture - very rough pictures!)
     
    The instructions themselves aren't bad, everything is numbered on the sprue, but this presents a problem in that half the kit will be damaged when you go to open it.
     
    I'm not joking - I've built nine of these presflos this week. Every single kit has had a dozen or so bits broken off, badly bent, or in need of careful bending under temperature (the instructions recommend warm water). Here's an example:
     



     
    Which brings me onto my next point - the chassis construction. Two flimsy buffer beams and very warped side panels, expected to be glued together with the wheels fitted between the axleboxes. I tried this for the first Presflo, and it was infuriating. Even sticking one side down with blue tack, or using my traditional holding implement, clothes pegs, couldn't keep the whole chassis together while it was gluing. In the end, I changed tack - built the whole model, minus the wheels, and carefully popped the wheels in at the end. Eight out of nine models done this way, and unlike the first, no breakages, bending or similar to speak of when I did this.
     



     
    So my advice is to ignore the "add wheels" instruction - numbered 3 in the list of instructions - and fit the wheels at the end.
     
    Overall, the kit (whose origins are, I believe, in the Airfix range from eons ago) fits badly, requires great amounts of filing and preparation to put together, and once or twice nearly put me off continuing with the builds altogether. Perhaps the most frustrating thing is the price and look of the model - people will buy this, thinking its a suitable "starter" or "simple" kit for the kids - think again.
     
    If you've the patience, then it scrubs up well, but running is wholly dependent on whether or not the chassis - like at least five of mine are - is modified with better bearings in the axleboxes than the moulded plastic. For a few quid, and some vast amounts of patience, you can make the kit work, but overall I'm left wondering if we're missing something in the railway world, that the world of model aircraft clearly has managed - kits with durable, easy to fit together pieces, and decent instructions that won't put a younger generation off kit building.
     
    Strange thing is - I built a Dapol Battle of Britain plastic kit a few years back and it didn't seem to have the problems this had. Strange, very strange.
     



     
    So, two Presflos down from the paintshop, and due to be finished with all their decals, followed by weathering - and another seven to go into the paintshop, etcetera, etcetera...
     
    Until next time - and apologies for lack of updates. Job hunting tends to take away the time for modeling...
  16. S.A.C Martin

    "Nameplates"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    Two new sets of nameplates from Narrow Planet. I have been so impressed by this company I am making up another order as I speak. Quick to deliver, great communication, and more to the point - the nameplates are terrific.
     
    The first set is for the Permanent Way Model Forum Staff Competition - I'm building a "Gresley W2" (which is an entirely fictional locomotive based on certain not built designs), and Eastern Eagle is to be its name.
     
    The second set, is finally going on my K3, well over a year after I promised they would!
     

     
    The nameplates were painted all over red, and then carefully brushed down with wet'n'dry paper, to remove the red paint from the edges and raised letters, and to leave a red background (which I much prefer to the more usual black background of LNER style nameplates).
     

     
    In an alternate reality, K3 number 61823 was preserved by a young Englishman's family, and eventually given the name of his better half, Charlotte.
     

     
    In reality, 61823 was a birthday present to myself from my better half, and while I know it's not prototypical (at all), I felt this was one little change I could happily make to my K3. I did, after all, promise I would!
     
    Until next time!
  17. S.A.C Martin
    Last week I wrote a blog which showed how I modified an old Hornby B12 to look a little more like a B12. I wasn't satisfied with it over the weekend, so stripped it down today, and started again this morning:
     

     
    I totally stripped the front bufferbeam after discovering a set of brass LNER buffers in the spare parts drawer. Finally, the moulded (and inherently bad) Hornby ones could be dispensed with, along with my plasticard guard irons (which I was not overly happy with). I drilled an extra hole so that the B12 could be dual braked (as 61572 and its classmates were, in service in the late 50s).
     

     
    Using the following tools: scalpel, stanley knife, various files, wet'n'dry paper and a lot of elbow grease, I removed the moulded on outside steam pipes. The B12 I am depicting, 61572, doesn't have these (nor has had these since its rebuild into a B12/3), so these disappeared along with various moulded on pipes, which I duly replaced with wire versions:
     

     
    I added a new set of guard irons to the front bufferbeam. These were made using scrap metal (thin aluminium), and cut to shape and size. At the same time, I also fitted a more realistic hook, the brass LNER buffers, and both brake pipes:
     

     
    I had also made a modification that had been annoying me for some time on the Hornby B12s:
     

     
    At the front of every B12 chassis is a chassis extension which plugs itself into the front of the B12's smokebox, coming out just below the smokebox door, and sticking itself outside the bodyshell, normally. This was wholly unrealistic, and with that, I removed the chassis extension. What I replaced it with, is nothing more than a bent piece of metal - specifically, that which holds in place a super detail Hornby model in its packaging, nowadays. This allowed the bodyshell to sit at the preferred height without having a bit of the chassis poking out the front. I filled in the gaping hole using Gamesworkshop moulding putty.
     

     
    I then turned my attention to the underside of the bodyshell. The frames have never exactly looked great, so I added some plasticard extensions to try and close the gap between bodyshell and bogie wheels:
     

     
    I then white-tacked up the nameplate, and covered the rest of the loco body, to spray the front of the bodyshell in Gamesworkshop "Chaos Black":
     

     
    I left it to dry for four hours, and then set about painting the front, using my usual acrylics:
     

     
    Not bad for an afternoon's work!
     

     
    Until next time.
  18. S.A.C Martin
    Some news, finally! I'm doing some remedial work on Copley Hill for filming in due course, but in the meantime have fixed 61572 (better known to myself as Stephen) for work - spot the differences between this model, and a standard Hornby one:
     

     

     
    The mods are quite simple. Modifying the Hornby bogie, by removing the guard irons, and adding the guard irons (made from shaped plasticard) to the front bufferbeam. I took the opportunity to clean up some of the weathering that I felt I'd overdone the last time around. Next set of mods are the addition of a new chimney and the removal of the moulded outside steam pipes.
     
    Then of course, we have a new addition to the fleet - in the form of this Bachmann Spectrum On30 2-6-0:
     

     
    It is not staying American for very long - nor will it be staying a tender engine either. It is to form part of a small fleet of similar tank engines, to be used on my upcoming RMweb Challenge 2010 layout. But more on that as it develops...
     
    Until next time!
  19. S.A.C Martin

    "Published!"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    Check British Railway Modelling, the August Edition, in the reader's layouts. Copley Hill Mk2 - published for the first time!
     
    The grin hasn't left my face yet!
  20. S.A.C Martin
    The above is my railroad Black Five, numbered 45249. I've bought - second hand - another Stanier Black Five to restore. Pic below shows the extent of the damage it had when it arrived at the works:
     

     
     
    45455's smokebox was badly melted, with the chimney at an odd angle, and the smoke gen popping through. It also had (not clear in this photo) damage to the left hand side valve gear.
     
    After removal of the smoke generator, and the damaged chimney, and rebuilding the smokebox to some extent, I fitted a spare Stanier chimney to the smokebox I had in the parts bin.
     
    The result is something much better looking, but showing up a lot of inadequacies of the Railroad Black Five - however, with some twists:
     
     

     
    First off, length. Lining them up I expected them to be similar lengths - the Railroad Black Five is clearly about two scale foot and a half shorter (close to one centimetre) and it shows up very clearly. The firebox and cab seems to be the main culprit - it flabbergasted me as I was told by a fairly reliable source they were doing the same thing as the A1/A3/A4 chassis - same one for Railroad and super detail but with different valve gear. That's not actually the case here.
     
    Why is this? Its tender drive heritage perhaps, as its the same chassis that was utilized for the old Patriot model too.
     
    Looking at the cabs, the differences in length become slightly clearer:
     

     
    And yet - here's a question for you. Which tender goes to which engine?
     

     
    The correct answer is 45249 on the left, and 45455 on the right. But aside from a little detailing at the front of the tenders - the buffers are clear on 45455's front - the two tenders are identical in length and wheelbase, and share the same style top too.
     
    The two engines are meant to be of the same class of engine, in the same batch - and while one is definitely better looking than the other, at the engine end, that Hornby haven't produced a Stanier tender that's better than this one surprises me.
     
    Until next time!
  21. S.A.C Martin

    Railroad Black Five

    By S.A.C Martin,

    I bought this wonderful model for a small sum at the Loughborough Model Centre recently. It's the latest Hornby Railroad Black Five, in an LMS livery. The model itself is forty pounds cheaper than the super detailed model, but I don't think the detail is that much worse, in all honesty.
     
    I intend to modify this model into 45249 - one of the Black Fives seen in and around the Leeds area in the 60s. There's a photo on Flikr - found here. A fabulous photograph, and I hope to make the black five every bit as grimy as that!
     
    So, onto the repainting - I used my normal method of nail varnish remover, with a cocktail stick/cotton bud to remove the printing. It was surprisingly easy to remove the LMS livery, and I was left with a blank canvas on which to paint it.
     

     

     

     
    Then a simple, light coat of Gamesworkshop acrylic black (Chaos Black) was applied. This formed a nice base on which to place the Fox Transfers numbers. The smokebox numberplate was made up from individual numbers stuck onto a piece of clear plastic (number down onto plastic), then sealed from behind with varnish. Cut to size, it was then glued on using Revell plastic paint.
     

     

     
    With regards weathering - in that particular photograph I can't see a tender emblem - can I get away with just a huge amount of weathering, I wonder?
     
    More next time - including the Stirling Single repaint!
     

  22. S.A.C Martin
    With two weeks left of my degree, and a full list of modelling to finish after that, I may be a much happier bunny sooner rather than later. At the moment all my time has been taken up tying up the loose ends at Loughborough University, but soon I will have some updates, I promise!
     
    I have done one thing in the past few months - I have given the D11 a fresh coat of paint, while it's awaiting its new chassis - I'll post a pic later on if the laptop lets me!
     
    Until next time.
  23. S.A.C Martin
    So it dawned on me a few weeks ago that with the dissertation writing, any projects I have on the go at present are not going to be finished - or in a few cases started! - until the summer. Then I started to count up the number of projects I have on the go...oh dear.
     
    1. K1 Kitbash - Not Started
    2. Stirling Single Kitbash - Not Finished
    3. J11 Restoration - Awaiting Chassis
    4. D11 Restoration - Not Started
    5. 5MT repaint/renumber - Not Finished
    6. 2010 Layout Challenge - Not Started
     
    ...and to cap it all off, I have the pieces for a V3 that are going to form a seventh project in due course!
     
    Overambition is perhaps getting the best of me. However...the Stirling Single is nearing completion. I have drilled out one splasher (photos in due course) and have one more to do, followed by final painting. The J11 simply needs its chassis, boiler backhead, and transfers to arrive and it is finished. The 5MT just requires a tender crest and weathering. The K1...I have all the pieces and am confident this will be my summer project (and my apologies to everyone waiting for some updates there) to be started proper in due course.
     
    Then there is a project I have been working on since the old RMweb and have not finished as yet...that makes eight.
     
    So many projects, so little time...
     
    Until next time!
  24. S.A.C Martin
    Okay, so in essence I have planned a lot of updates (see last post) but very little has been done. In fact I am still making my way through fixing the posts in this blog which were damaged in the site move (typing has gone wacko in some posts). That said, I am hugely grateful the majority of it is still in one piece, so kudos to Andy and the Mods for a job well done - if the least I have to do is re-type a few words in each article, I am a happy bunny indeed!
     
    I have a dissertation due at the end of April, so updates of the pictorial kind may not be forthcoming until after then.
     
    I am planning on updating the box of contents to the right, mind, to make it all a little more readable and up to date - I still have the halloween episode as the main pic, for crying out loud!
     
    Until next time!
  25. S.A.C Martin

    "Forward!"

    By S.A.C Martin,

    Here's an update I had plum forgot to mention (but its on my external blog, along with another project, currently in the works queue). This is an ex-Great Central Railway (hence the title) J11 (colloquially known as a "Pom Pom"), and it is to have the "J17" treatment to it. In other words - I'm going to buy the DCC fitted standard Hornby 0-6-0 chassis (which I'm thrilled to say, fits) and then paint into BR early crest livery.
     

     
    So far the main job has been removing years upon years worth of excess paint, and generally removing any excess from the whitemetal castings. I've done this using paint stripper and soapy water with varying degrees of success. I've photographed it here in a simple black undercoat, showing what needs to be done.
     

     
    Now, this tender is starting to irk me. The other tender is so worn that I've concluded, short of making a sub assembly for the frames and wheels, it's not worth saving. This one runs okay ish, after fitting some conehead bearings, but I'm not one hundred per cent certain its the right tender for the J11 (though the coal rails imply it should be).
     
    Overall I am looking forward to getting this one done and off the workbench so I can concentrate on the other currently unfinished projects, including its great central shed mate, a very old D11 model...but that's another story! Until next time.
     

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