Bluemonkey presents....

As it is for many this time of year, it has been rather hectic. Tree pruning, roof window installations, roof insulation and boarding, rewiring interior ceiling lights, new combined TV aerials and chimney pointing checks. Oh yes and some modelling, of sorts. Whilst waiting for the Royal Mail to make a delivery of extra wire the WD open was repainted with the interior now being painted as well. the barbed wire load carefully removed to do this. The load need further coils so this will form the base. I kinda like these. I also set about the long awaited bastardisation of a Dapol CWS tanker and a Hornby MMB tanker with GWR chassis. Combining the best of both appeals to me rather than bodging the Ks chassis to the tank, as previously planned. Only 'alien' addition are 3-link couplings and new weights as unfortunately neither could be used. I also have a UD tanker to familiarise myself with. Another delayed delivery, seems the Royal Mail are flat out at the moment (well in this case, flat on their backs, napping). It appears I have been a very good boy this year and Mr St Nicholls (yes you read correctly) AKA @chuffinghell left me a present a few days in advance of the big one. The is his latest offering in super fine detail wagon design and build. A real beauty if you ask me and I'm not just saying that because Chuffinghell was good enough to make me one. It really is packed full of excellent and fine details. The design along has taken some serious thought as due to the complexities of the semi open frame and wooden planked deck. There is a risk of the wagon chassis and/or deck warping due to the opposing tension from varying depth of materials in construction. This has been overcome using some clever design work and breaking the wagon into separate components. As you can see there are a number of parts to build this wagon the added bonus (apart from not have the chassis bow as I have seen others do) painting the deck, chassis and trestles separately can easily be achieved making life somewhat easier. As you can see the trestles have even been designed with locating pins for the small holes in the deck and the crates have a hidden hole to allow a cocktail stick to support it and to hold whilst painting/drying. More to follow once primed to highlight those details. I have decided that once the layout and boards are being attacked I will start a new 'layout build' thread with a linked ref to the previous attempts, rather than continuing with the false starts on the old thread.

After reading and viewing @Mikkel's fantastic start to Newbury Station I really to pull my finger out, organise my rolling stock builds and to make a start on Chippenham and resurrect my layout build thread; Keeping the stock and layout threads separate. Not sure if this is a good idea but I guess we'll see.

Found some nice looking barbed wire in 4mm for military modelling, thought ideal for an open wagon load. On reducing the length to smaller coils and gluing them into the wagon I thought it best to see if I could find a War Dept picture example of an open wagon. Well that confirmed that I had indeed finished it in the wrong colour (black) and it should be a grey. Load carefully removed and repainted. Wagon now prepped for repaint but this did give me the opportunity to upgrade the brake gear as this originally had been modelled for an earlier wagon with single side brake. Scrap box challenge complete the wagon now has full set of double sided brakes. Paint tomorrow and then hopefully more wire will available to complete the load.

Wow wow wow! Mikkel this is fantastic and a real inspiration, not to mention very useful pointers. Fantastic modelling as always, some real discipline and excellent use of the Silhouette Cutter. Looking forward to the next stages as well as finding out about your new method for brick painting.

Hi @The Fatadder Rich, I have a couple of BSL Ocean Mail vans and Hayes slips as well as a parcels van and Hayes Newspaper van. A Bettabitz mail van and finally a couple of TPOS from Chris Whitehead. The last three I think are for clerestory cut'n shut. This should make up a decent formation, which I am looking forward to creating but that will be in a couple if years time, no doubt.

Thanks @Mikkel I really think I am at peace with the dissolving my my collection. Weird really it only took a couple of evenings looking at the amassed collection of boxes. My modelling keeps coming back to include military items and as daft as it sounds I enjoy making up the Airfix and equivalent kits but of course they need railway wagons. It took some time to get the components together for the Mail/Ocean Mail train so that is definitely something to stay and challenge. I also have a strong interest in milk traffic, especially tankers, so those kits are also of high importance to me. So my main focus will be one those kits I have to finish the permanent way trains, the mail and any milk traffic. I have a few 'specialist' complete loco kits like the De Glehn. These are the ones that will prove most difficult as there is not an RTR equivalent but realistically do I need them? How are they to improve my layout? So I must have a major sort through. I will of course keep a few especially things such as a Gibson Buffalo and my recent Armstrong purchase. I have to also complete the diesel twin set I started years ago! Releasing the kits to others will, I am sure, release a lot of build pressure and burden from me. I do like collecting railway kits though but that is a habit that needs stopping! New mantra will have to be "If time will not allow you, then neither should your wallet". Although that does not apply to everyone else especially if you are a likely customer of said kits🤣

Cheers, my friend. I am currently enjoying a drop of Jura 10 years. I think the cheapest of the range but nonetheless I am enjoying it and not educated in such things it will do me. Also enjoy a drop of the Irish Tullamore Dew, again a cheap one but I like it. 🍻 Unfortunately my stock ranges from late 1800s to 1940s, I have my red range all the way to my WWII tank train special for the Calne branch. Luckily I don't have plans for time tabled trains I just see a train and think yes I can have a go at that. As I have had a long time in waiting for this layout I have seen a lot of things and had a lot of thoughts but finally I have come to realise I must be rational. My original idea was to slowly replace RTR locos with the equivalent kit built ones but this is now not realistic. I think I must have about 30 loco kits alone waiting to be bodged. I have come to really enjoy simply building kits. This I think has led to the military element. I am completely ignorant on pretty much everything military so I have a little freedom when building them for loads. I may have to create a 'pop up' railway model shop for a while 🤣

With the loft works slowly coming to an end and there being a very distant green light at the end of Box tunnel for my Chippenham layout it appears my modelling mind and direction is somewhat meandering towards a military influence. This will not change the proposed station track plan (I spent too long agonising over which decade as the station had a few changes over the years) but more of what I build. Due to the ongoing loft upgrade I have been 'forced' to visualise stock levels (both R-T-R and kits) as everything has been located together for the first time. I think it could be time to make some tough decisions! I have the breakdown train to complete with an inspection coach and a few ballast wagons to finish the permanent way stock (I think). I certainly have a full mail train to build as this went through Bristol and on to London via Chippenham (from memory). I am a slow modeller and I have enough PO wagons to be able to make one a week for a couple of years not to mention all the other 'none standard' freight kits along with a layout which will need complete scratch builds for all buildings. I find myself looking at all the kit boxes and packets (daily) wondering, when and how? I feel a cull is desperately due especially of the loco kits, as these will take me even longer than the brass freight. I need to sit down and have a very long rational thinking session, if I am to be able to realistically engage in this long awaited layout build. Firstly I feel I need to decide; What is hoped for? What is achievable? What is obviously excess and what is probably excess? More importantly; What can I manage? What can I realistically complete in order to enjoy a layout? Is it too early for a whisky?!!!!

Fab modelling with that wall and the tracks in the ground, love it. The best trees I have seen if you are wanting a number on a large scale, without smashing the bank or Father Time were made from Sea moss. To me, they appeared very realistic, especially when clumped together to form a large thicket/small wood. With the additional few 'character' trees which was modelled separately with more detail, in the foreground. It all seem very convincing.

Well my friends it appears the Black Dog has been very busy or at least the pack have. I am a stalker of many familiar threads of this parish and there seems to be a little bit of a pandemic, is it the weather? I too have had some serious battles recently. What with a change of job and professional redirection that seems to have not paid off to numerous $%£%$ ups with building projects and having to chase morons and imbeciles constantly, I can honestly say, hand on heart, modelling (albeit very little) has kept me a float. That and a crate or two of scrumpy 😏 A few of my favoured Cambrian, Powsides and Slaters pre-printed wagon kits have been bodged out from stash to completed storage. I won't post pics as they are basically a generic plastic wagon kit with pre-print sides. The only skill involved is that not to destroy the printing whilst gluing everything together and to get the blasted bearings to sit nicely. I also had this little number in the stash for a transfer project, creating local PO wagon liveries, I dont have the knowledge or skills for this so will have to do the odd one using HMRS PO letters and numbers. My initial thoughts were to clean up and glue together possibly soldering the bearings to the W-irons. That went out the window and I ended up soldering the entire lot as it kept saying "Give me heat and molten metal!" A real nice kit to put together. Needed an hour to clean the parts and then a decent afternoon soldering. Finishing off a couple of details parts in plastic this afternoon. I swapped the whitemetal brake lever of a plastic one in the bits box as this seemed more robust. The brakes and associated brake gear needs a lot of manipulation with a file and knife but turn out ok. After priming it was clear that the corner strapping required a filer to give the appearance of a solid unit and not one of separate parts. That is the benefit of priming a model with a critical eye and the expectation of extra work. Here's the filler picture, re-primed and the strapping is passable.

Last lot of pictures for the K15, I promise! It is finished or at least as far as I will be going. Having bent up and soldered some scrap to for the guard steps these were painted and located by drilling the chassis frame and gluing in place. The GWR coach transfers arrived in double quick time from @railtec-models and are just the ticket. Ready for the storage box. Managed to sneak a couple of PO wagon builds in whilst completing the little jobs as well, always a bous.

Bogies shortened and re-shortened to fit. Paint touched up. All done, coach numbers and GWR lettering on order from railtech, so should be finished by the weekend. Oooops no it isn't I have forgotten the additional guards step each side. Something to do before the trannies arrive! That little detail could be left out as it seem many didn't have it but number 933 does have the step and it will make it that bit different from the original kit.

Bogies have been butchered appropriately. Just need to shorten one of the lengths to marry the spikey bits on the side. I will be adding the small step in the middle of the coach each side as it does add a little extra and the overall finished coach may need it 😏

Hope you get better soon Rob. Agreed Aston will benefit from your problems. I used a Tens machine when I had elbow problems (pain and unable to lift anything) it worked a treat but not for everyone but if you can get access to one, worth a blast if nothing more than for the 'buzz'. On modelling note I have taken your advice from page 212 or somewhere like that and going to try out the axle drill.

Splash of black and you wouldn't know it was just scrap plastic, probably. Now for the bogies! Might be tempted to add the off centre step under the guard's door as pictured on coach #933. We'll see, I'm lazy after all.

Sadly I didn't but I have a presentation to deliver next week as part of my training, on a topic of my choice. Possibly a quick demo

Thank you appreciate it, I seem to have a mental block on anything merely mechanical.

Scrap box challenge, well not really just using some left overs from the build and crapped out glazing. waste not want not. Rough simulation of the brake gear type things to stash under the chassis and only to give an indication of, rather than highly detailed. Brake linages will be added to the swivel thingy once it is all painted in and in place. Probably the roughest looking and built under parts ever certainly in my stock.

New coat of brown has enriched the first layer. Roof painted with Vallejo Dark Grey Blue 71.054. Kind of a clean weathered look. Re-glazed and floor reinstated. A couple of very basic brake gear details. Will complete the brake rodding later today but not adding much as this really will not be visible and as before the coach is stock item. Almost forgot the handrails for the step end of the coach so quickly bent a couple during an online meeting 😏

Thank you. I often have *&%&* moments but really worth documenting but this time I was aware that there would be a suitable amount of mess and (hopefully) recovery to make an article. Also I feel it is important to show that making mistakes is part of modelling and in itself can produce so nice results, even from seemingly a total disaster.

Absolutely fabulous! I am sure the intended recipient will be over the moon.

Decided to remove the floor and re-glaze. Couldn't live with the white mess created by the super glue vapor. After handling the coach more whilst removing the floor and glazing I decided to revisit the everything. Another full coat of GWR coach brown has been applied whilst the glazing is out. The area where the sides and end meet have been filled This was then sanded back Still looking a mess but decided to repaint the ends completely to see how it looked and hoped now further filling, sanding and painting would be required. Think I can get away with this especially at normal viewing distance and not super close camera eye. This will be put aside for a hour or two to dry before starting on re-glazing replacing the floor. I was not going to post these pictures as these really were for my reference but I though it would highlight how a simple little filler, sanding and repaint can make a real difference. Incidentally the filler I used this time is Deluxe Perfect plastic. It is a lot 'wetter' than the Revell product I previously used but first thoughts on the product is that it works better. Dry time is longer, giving you more time to work with it and the kit and as it is more liquid it can be worked into spaces easier.

Thank you and I agree, I am very lucky. It has been a long time coming and then a lot of stress as everything went wrong even the paint hates me! But it will do just need some suitable window blinds or curtains. The roof space is gradually coming along as well but my God that too has been a real struggle, if only I could do the work myself and not rely on others more proficient and/or skillful. One day, one day.

After completely gutting the room, here's the new space, messy already but at least I know where things are 😏 Construction workbench (dirty side) and 'work desk' Painting and transfer bench (clean side)

Friday was F*$" up day. Everything went wrong. Nothing new really but significant for me this day. Anyway K15 continues; Grab handles, opening handles/latches now located, bogies painted and ready. Fitting the floor and roof at the same time was not a very good idea and has messed up the glazing. So the floor will need adapting to enable me to remove the glazing and reapply, (hopefully).