Rich Papper

I've never been brave enough to go in a war gaming shop. They always seem to be full of people who spend ages making scenes and dioramas and talking about really niche specialist things that most of the general public wouldn't understand and then all meeting up at clubs and exhibitions to show each other what they made.... Oh.

Just had a catch up of the last few pages here. Looking really good - love the location for a variety of stock. Apologies if I've missed it, but what are you planning for the tube stock - 1992? Thanks Rich

Looking really good. I'm impressed at the range of paints you have to hand. I just had a look in one of my trays and the pots were mostly variations on brown! Rich

Couldn't agree more, was just curious why a second one was needed. Quite happy to wait - for price I would much rather it was right.

Good Evening All A very enjoyable Sunday at the Weston Super Mare show. Quite frenetic though - been a while since I've been to one so busy. I didn't get a chance to get near something for lunch until about 2:45. Didn't really get a chance to look at other layouts much either - although the 7 year old did manage to hold his own a few times. DMUs popular. Really need to weather the Bachmann 117 to join them, but really don't need to bring as many as I do. Bachmann 121 managed a trailer with no issues. 33s the main loco type on display. Didn't manage to squeeze in a 50 until mid afternoon. Thing 1's track maintenance / personnel carrier performed well despite not fitting through through the platform line. Bass repaint needs more for the load. Took ages making those pallets, but they took up annoyingly little space! Monmouth next. Rich

Thanks for the video Callum - I didn't see most of them! Rich

Just noticed on another update email via Gaugemaster that this is still 'awaiting improved samples'. Thinking on it - can anyone remember any other recent release that has been sent back for a second engineering sample? I had a good look at the first one at the DEMU show last summer. It looked very good, but I assume there must have been something found quite wrong if they've gone back to get a second one before starting production? Purely speculation, I just can't remember anything else needing a second sample.

Good Evening All Just getting ready for our outing to Weston Super Mare for the Burnham and District's show tomorrow. Show website here. My 7 year old has been loading some of the stock boxes so we could be running anything. I'll try to keep it prototypical, but no promises. Please do say hello if you're passing. Rich

I'm quite impressed with it too. Just need to work on the patience between stages now. And you're getting a lot more done that we are - your wagon a day progress has already lasted a week longer than most of my new years resolutions! Rich

I thought that too. Something between one of them and a Permaquip personnel carrier (like this). It did come with buffers, but they were at the wrong height once we had mounted it on a spud bogie anyway so we left them off.

OK, not really my update this one. Thing 1 has finished his track maintenance thing. Was a very cheap 3D printed kit from Budget Model Railways (here - although I think they're in the process of moving to eBay and rebranding as Enterprise Models). One of a range designed to fit on the old Hornby 0-4-0 chassis. We had an old Tenshodo bogie kicking around the spares box though, so hit upon the idea that it could have an interior if we used that (and I wanted to try to DCC one as practice for next tube train anyway). The kit is a bit rough and ready, but went together quickly. Has taught him a bit about how to stick, file, prime, paint etc. Only bit he really struggled with was the glazing for the front windows, so I did these based on many a laserglaze experience. At a late stage he then decided it was having a coupling hook. Surprisingly, for it's weight and size it can pull quite a bit and seems smoother with a bit of weight behind it. Has front and interior lights (soldering practice). Cruel close up, but he even got a drivers desk in. Some of the seats he found in my DMU bits box. I think I used them as the first class seats in the 119. Probably not realistic, but not sure if it is based on any particular prototype, I know plenty of engineers who would have, and most importantly - he's 7. So I trust his judgement. It's coming to the Weston show with us apparently. No idea if it will fit down the platform line on Oxford Road - it looks a bit wide. Only one way to find out. Rich

A little more fettling this evening ahead of the Weston show on Sunday. Picked out the silver buffer shanks on the 33s. One of those jobs that makes them look a lot better - a 'why haven't I done that before' moment. Only thing is, I'm now not sure whether the Heljan ones stick out too far? Or the corridor rubbing plate on the 33/1 doesn't stick out far enough? Some (belated!) research needed. Rich

Thank you. The sleepers are from an old length of Peco concrete sleeper track. I just cut the webbing off and stuck them side by side on a thin piece of plasticard. Rich

Just had to edit the above for spelling twice. Usually you get the gist, but that 'b' in Hornby is really important. More tea. Rich

Good Evening and Happy New Year More wagon detailing of late. Have tried to do this with acrylic paints as have been assisted by Thing 1 and some techniques need learning with paint that easily washes out of one's eyebrows. Two Rudd are now done. One of these was picked up second hand with a bit of damage to the paintwork, but some touch ups with Tamiya grey and a weathering has hidden it. Have tried to make these less grubby than the Bass on the logic that they were more recent conversions. By the same token, the Grampus and Turbot will be more heavily weathered when I get to them. Added ballast loads to these. Styrofoam cut and filed to mound shape: Paint with some grey acrylic. Splodge of glue when dry, then sprinkle over ballast. Trying Mod Podge for this for first time as it dries matt. Doing coal for the HAAs last year I realised that PVA stayed shiny underneath the coal I sprinkled over. Add to wagons. They have also had some chassis weathering and replaced the Hornby couplings with some spare Bachmann ones just because they are a bit shorter. Then the wooden bodied Bass. This has slightly more subtle weathering on the underframe, but I may yet tone the body down a bit more - looks a bit too freshly painted. Stenson Models brake disks added. Pike has gained a concrete sleeper load and some of the same brake disks. This is Thing 1's first attempt at 'paint on-wipe off' weathering. Not bad for his first go and using acrylics. Just did two panels at a time to account for the faster drying time. This and the Bass need buffer shanks picked out in silver yet, but want to make sure varnish has properly dried first. At the moment all of these have tension locks as the intention is to be using them on Oxford Road (due out in Weston Super Mare next Sunday if anyone is passing), and it's good to be able to shunt / attach / detach. Hopefully more soon, although really need to do some scenery. Rich

Looking good. I'm experimenting with acrylics on wagons at the moment too as Thing 1 has decided to try his hand at weathering and having a more limited range of chemicals within reach is preferable! Rich

I know it doesn’t seem possible in the middle of the night, but all the challenges like not sleeping do pass in time. When you’re on the other side of this one you’ll be surprised how functional you were on so little! Rich

Hi Lucy. Congratulations - and well done for finding a bit of time for modelling. I got very little done when mine arrived, and now they’re at the stage of ‘helping’ I sometimes manage even less! Good luck with the wagons, I’ve got a Pike on the go at the moment too. Rich

We replaced a glass conservatory roof about 6 years ago with a fake solid one. Conservatory was there when we bought the house but several of the double glazed panels of the roof had lost their seal and were fogged up. Was Baltic in winter and there was no door to the lounge so effectively made half of downstairs unusable. Heat of summer wasn’t much good either. Noticed one winter that one of the panels had slipped and was letting rain in so had to do something with it sharpish. Like JjGraphics’ image above it appears tiled on the outside - I think they’re actually aluminium, and the company were able to match the coating colour to the roof tiles on the house. Wooden frame and insulation beneath, then plastered on the inside. About 8k from memory, but we had two velux windows and LED lighting put in as the previous lighting was woeful, so could have been done cheaper. One of the best things we’ve done to the house though- effectively gained a usable room we didn’t have before. Much more consistent temp too. Didn’t have any problems with planning or permissions, only stipulation was a check the foundations were deep enough - planning chap and bloke from company dug a hole in lawn next to the wall to check depth. Apparently the solid one is only about 10% heavier than the original glass. Rich

Merry Christmas Peter. Thanks for another year's worth of top inspiration. Rich

Anther great one. Have a good Christmas. Rich

Good Evening All Some progress of late, but not as much as I'd like. Hopefully some more time over the next week or so between sessions with the cheese board. Some engineers wagons on the pile at the moment. A ZAA Pike has gained a load of concrete sleepers, and I've been repainting a Bachmann OBA to a ZDA Bass. Neither finished, some more detailing to load - am making pallets of cable trunking for the Bass at the moment. These will join the two ex-OCA Bass on Oxford Road. Meanwhile Thing 1 has been working on his first kit. He says it's a track inspection vehicle. Early days, but seems to go well so far. Black Beetle motor bogie under it, DCC'd and some lighting. Currently in gloss varnish as I try to convince him to put red BR arrows on it instead of NR logos. Only other thing to say is Happy Christmas to all. Wishing you all a healthy, happy time. Until next time. Rich

A call for more NSE layouts? Couldn't agree more Rob. Can't say I've suffered any ill-effects from being in this cult - apart from a strong desire to paint all lamp posts red. I shall definitely be after some NSE variants, although annoyingly 50017 is one I have already repainted / renamed / detailed from the Hornby example, so will have to wait for the next announcement. There is something special about a 50 in LL though... Rich

I think you've got the brightness spot on, and they do look better further forward. I do really need another bubble. I've never managed to get a good photo of the ones I made lit up. Poor camera / shaky hands / lack of patience (probably all three!). Have a good Christmas. Rich

A fantastic use of the space available, well done. Rich