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paulprice

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  1. paulprice

    1 Shade of Grey

    By paulprice,

    Well since my last update, I have not made a lot of progress on any of the projects clogging up the workbench.
     
    This has been partly due too a nightmare couple of weeks at work, and one of the side effects of my condition meaning my hands shake and spasm which makes N gauge challenging to say the least.
     
    Anyway my frustration at not actually doing any serious modelling grew to a level greater than the obstacles in the way, so I have managed to make a little progress.
     
    As a result my attempt to produce an N gauge Stanier Mogul saw me fabricate the dome and top feed, which is not as fine as I would like it but it will do for now.
     
    I've managed to add the handrails reverser and other details (or at least impression of the details) a lot of sanding and filing hast taken place. As a result she has received her final coat of primer, and soon she will get her final black coat (soon for me will probably mean Christmas).

    The major job outstanding before she may enter the paint lining shop is working on a method of attaching the body to the chassis, so who knows when this will happen.
     
    The other locomotive that has seen some progress is on the Black 5 with the self weighing tender, I think the majority of work has been completed on the tender, and its received its final undercoat.

    There is still a little work to be done on the actual locomotive, but again its not far off being able to join the fleet so I reckon by 2019 there may be a little variety to my Class 5 fleet.
     
    So I guess that's about it, until the next time as ever Happy Modelling
  2. paulprice
    Well I'm not sure what the active service levels of the Southern Railways Terriers was like, but I bet its better than the activity of our two Terriers. Having suffered the indignity of being woken up from 10 hours overnight sleep to be given a nice breakfast including a cup of milky tea (which is more than I get), the terrible physical demands of eating made them plonk themselves on my knee for a nap.

    I think this is the result of training from the Domestics Overlord in an attempt to put a stop to my modelling ambitions, but even with 3 of them plotting against me now, but I will prevail.
     
    To prove the point I managed to spend a little time getting some of the locomotives on the workbench closer to completion. First to get some attention was my second Jubilee in post-war black.

    I have to say it, but this is becoming my favourite livery applied to Jubilee's but its deceptively simple and can be a real pain to apply. Thankfully I don't have to worry about my shaking hands messing up the lining on this one too much now as I have got her fully lined. I even managed to decide upon a number and name for her, New Zealand, obviously chosen because of my love of Rugger, and nothing to me referring to the Domestic Overlord, as a Hobbit
     
    Anyway this will be the last time she will be seen in such a clean state, as she will soon receive a coat of weathering, in an attempt to hide some of the worst of the lining. I also need to order her plates, from Modelmasters, I get the feeling this will not be cheap, as I have 9 other locomotives still waiting for plates.
     
    In an attempt to take my mind of the pending pains to my wallet, I decided to start the first stages of detailing an Evilbay bargain purchase of a Farish Crab. So far all I have managed to do is give the chassis an quick overhaul, re-number her, remove her moulded coal in the tender and add glazing.

    I really must stop adding bargains like this to the fleet, as it just eats up valuable modelling time, but as my Sister has been known to remark "its rude not to buy a bargain", or "rude to pass a shop with a sale on", the dotty old moo :0
     
    The most progress I have made is on my attempt to produce a Stanier Mogul, the original tender I knocked together for her, just did not satisfy me and the lining was not the best. So I knocked together another tender and made a bit of a better job of the lining.

    I still have a few little (when I say few I mean lots) jobs to complete on her, and then a spot of weathering and she maybe able to join the fleet in time for the Wigan exhibition.
     
    Rather worrying is that this means I will a model of all the principle LMS moguls, this is not good I could soon run out of loco's to model, this could lead to none LMS types joining my fleet.........NOT GOOD
     
    Until next time as ever Happy Modelling
  3. paulprice
    Well as hard LMS fan, I think I may have suffered a major head injury, as I have recently added two Terriers to the fleet. The injury must have been really bad, as you will see from the results below, it's worst than actually owning the Southern loco's.

    The new additions have certainly added a bit of life to the household, and at 11 weeks they have already established themselves in the running order.
     
    As a result modelling time has been in very very short supply, what I have managed to do is get the Post-War black Jubilee fully lined, and ready for the finishing details to be added. The problem is I cannot decide on a number or name for her.

     
    After all that lining, and shaking hands I swore I would not do any more for a while, but then I remembered that I still had to my Stanier Mogul to line. The lining is nearly complete but I swear once this loco has been completed, I will definitely take a break from more lining.

    You can see the effects of my shaky hands, but one I have numbered and branded her, I will apply a good coat of grime and hide the worst of it.
     
    Now all I need to do is concentrate on unlined black locomotives, I mean what could possibly go wrong.
     
    Until next time as ever Happy Modelling
  4. paulprice
    Well I have had a few projects clogging up the workbench now for weeks, the problem being that time to spend on them has been extremely limited.
     
    Amongst the other projects desperately trying to get my attention, and finally succeeding was a pair of 4F's. One was the latest Farish offering from the "Landship" pack and the other was an older Farish model that I have been trying a few things out on over a long period of time.
     
    Anyway I had a little time today so, 30 minutes modelling time was spent on adding a little weathering to the unusually clean 4F No 3854, and blending in the better number transfers on No4543.
     
    The best thing is that I found my "missing" camera so that I could take a couple of pictures of the work completed, if only to act as a cautionary tale on how not to modify a locomotive.
     
    First up No 4543 - Tender cab

    Caught having a rest in Foster Streets good yard, before running off to be turned ready for her next duty. The tender cab will be appreciated by her crew in a couple of weeks, as the Summers can be a bit grim up here in the North

    Turned and with her new crew on duty, waiting to replace another 4F with a hot box.
     
    Followed by No 3854

    Supposedly suffering from a "hot box" No 3854 has been detached from her train and dumped in the goods yard at Foster Street. Later inspection revealed no such problem so she was turned and returned to Foster Street to await adding to another freight

     
    So there you have it a couple of projects finished, well nearly I have to add some real coal to the tender of No 3854, but that's a job for another day, I still think she looks a little clean for one of my 4Fs.
     
    I was a bit hesitant about adding the newer Farish 4F's to the fleet, as I thought it would make the older ones look toy like in comparison, but with a little work, if you close one eye and then look the other way, they don't look too bad.

     
    I don't think I will be adding any more 4F's to the fleet, and before any one thiks it its not because the Domestic Overlord might notice, its because there are 2F's and 3F's to add to the fleet.........
     
    Until next time as ever Happy Modelling
  5. paulprice
    Well despite being a positive little Angel last year, the Fat Fella in the Red suit brought me a lump of Coal for my Christmas box.
     
    I was sure he got me mixed up with some other for want of a better term "naughty" person so the present just sat there on a shelf gathering dust, waiting for the day, it would be collected and my real present delivered.
     
    Every day since Christmas, as soon as I got home, the first thing I asked the Domestic Overlord, was if Santa had come and replaced the present. But no each day I rushed home only to be heartbroken, and disappointed as I am literally the little boy that Santa forgot..........boo hoo boo hoo
     
    Well I guess you are now reading the rest of this entry though tear soaked eyes, you fools the above is not true, the Fat man did not get my presents mixed up, HE DID NOT LEAVE ME ANY PRESENTS, trust me this the wont be an Angel stuck on the top of the tree.
     
    Anyway the lump of coal was kindly donated by the WSR, and has waited to be crushed so it could be added to the tenders of the fleet. Last night I finally got round to crushing the coal (after practising on several grapes) so to day the first loco's in the fleet had their tender replenished so at least that's the 4F's completed??

    So there you go, I have actually finished a project, well I will do when I finally add the missing lamps, and maybe some fire irons, and then the missing cab handrails.
     
    Until next time as ever Happy Modelling...... now what about some 3Fs
  6. paulprice
    Well I may have missed the Wigan Show this weekend, and all the bargains but I have managed to find some modelling time. The Domestic Overlord has been a little poorly, so because I am such a good Boy I have been looking after him, and providing many, many hot toddies.
    The problem with this is it made the DO very sleepy and he could barley keep his little eyes open (insert Evil Laugh here > > ) and this is where my plan fell into place. While the DO snored away in the land of nod, and the neighbours hid from what they must have thought was a massive thunder storm I worked away.
    The first of my little projects that got some attention was my attempt to produce a Princess, the body has had quite a lot of filler, and a few added details, but she has now got a coat of grey paint. I also did a little work on her chassis, and front bogie. I will have to remove a "wedge" from the back of each cylinder so her bogie will have more sway to get round tighter curves, and then work on the trailing wheels but I think she is looking promising?
     
    What I have noticed thought, just after I have built and primed the tender, is that the old Gem kits are a bit wide, maybe I should dissemble the tender and then try to thin the sides, oh decisions, decisions Oh and yes I know the wheels don't quite line up with the splashers, but this is because I just plonked the body on the chassis, to does fit moved forwards a little.
    Away from Passenger locomotives, work on the "water heater" 7F has seen as much of the gubbins I could research attached and a coat of primer applied. When I have given her a nice coat of black I will darken the worm gear to try and hide it. I still have to add her handrails and steps and do a little more work on her chassis, but soon, I hope she will be ready to get a goat coat of grime, and then she can join her two sisters in the fleet.
     
    After a bit of filler, I managed to get a coat of primer on my Prince of Whales tank, and she has been plopped on her intended chassis just so I can get a feel for how she will look when finished, she is still a little high, so that will take priority. Then I need to attach her front bogie (which means I have to work on the pivot a little) and then her trailing wheels and quite a few other bits and bobs but she is getting there.

     
    While I had the primer out, I thought I would give something else a coat of grey, yes my left hand got a coat but so did the black Duchess (the one with the original terrible lining), this has led to a bit of a decision. Should I finish her off in works grey livery OR should I turn her into a member of the class that ended up attached to a streamliner tender? Now the fact that you cant see her tender, maybe a hint but it could also be because I put the tender somewhere safe, so safe in fact I forgot where it is.

     
    So that's the end of the progress for who knows how long, the problem is with progress it tends to show you how much still needs t be done, and I have a hell of a lot still to do. So there you are the Price Paint shop is beginning to fill up, which means some of the locomotives will need lining, and that maybe a problem as after the last locomotives left the paint shop I swore I would never line a locomotive again :(


    So until the next time when ever that may be, as ever Happy Modelling
  7. paulprice
    I don't know how I managed to do it, but from out of the blue I found some modelling time today, so I decided to see if I could make a little more progress on the locomotives clogging up the WORKBENCH of DOOM.
     
    Previously I had got the Princess to the stage, were I thought a coat of primer was needed to give her a little dignity at least. Today I got a little further, in the process of getting her ready to enter the fleet.
     
    I managed to spray a nice coat of crimson onto her today and she is now at the stage where I can consider painting all her black bits, and she has a lot of them and that's before I even look t her tender. One I have done this I will mix up some of my favourite dirty black and apply it to her smokebox and cab roof, then I will be at the stage where I will consider starting to line her.

    I also spent a little time on her chassis, I am happy with the front bogie, all I have to do is finish its mounting, and the mounting for the chassis to the body, and then the trailing truck, and then the tender, this list is endless.
     
    Flushed with my success of applying a coat of crimson and not getting any on me, my next two victims where lined up to get a coat of black, the first was the Duchess I have been working on. I was considering finishing her off in works grey, attached to a streamlined tender, but being more practical I thought I would paint her in wartime unlined black, this has nothing to do with avoiding lining her honest

    The problem is I'm now thinking that maybe I really need another crimson locomotive so she may be re-sprayed but maybe I will change my mind again. The other loco to get a black coat was the 7F water heater variant I have been working on (I know she has a wonky handrail I will fix that).

    When I finally get time to finish her, that will make three Fowler 7F's in the collection, which I think is more than enough, plus there are other LMS 7F's to build so at least it will take my attention away from top link locomotives (if you consider a Princess to be one?).
     
    So there you have it, three locomotives at the painting stage, there is still a lot of work to complete on them, but they are getting there, if it is a very slow process. Not quite at the stage of applying a top coat, a little more time was spent on my Prince of Wales tank, I have done a little work on the chassis, and lowered the body to a suitable level, and sort of finalised a method I'm happy with for her leading wheels, the trailing wheels are still to be worked on.

    This is where the problems start, this loco will be finished in red lined black livery, but the more I work on her the more I like the locomotive, which has got me thinking, what if I build another, but finish her in LNWR condition, what if I start a little pre-grouping collection, I know I said in the past I did not want to line another loco, but LNWR and MR locomotives I mean there cant be much lining on them can there?
     
    So there you have the current state of play, if I ever get any more modelling time I may even make some more progress but for the moment this is how the WORKBENCH of DOOM looks.

    What could possibly go wrong, as ever until the next time Happy Modelling
  8. paulprice
    Well despite the reputation of the Work Bench of DOOM, I ignored the many, many warnings issued especially by the Domestic Overlord and ploughed into a production shift.
     
    The Princess I'm trying to build is getting to the stage I should start to maybe consider giving her a coat of primer, that is if you ignore all the filler I will have to apply to various places to try and improve some of the more ropey areas (quite a lot of them). Anyway I thought it was a good idea to see if she would fit onto her intended chassis, and how much alteration work I had ahead of me.

    I'm still not too sure how I feel about the Princess locomotives, but while I decide if I actually like them or not, which could take a while when she is completed (whenever that may be) she will fill a gap in my collection.
     
    Now I have to admit, as much as I like LMS express passenger locomotives, so may say I have an obsession with them (Jubilee's) I kind of have a thing for havy freight locomotives, I thought I would do a little bit more on my water heater 7F (does this mean its a kettle with a kettle?). I needs a lot of filler applying to fix a few issues, well a lot of issues, but the major adaptions have been fitted.

     
    So the Beast and the Beast saw a fair bit of progress, but the real modelling will have to start on the two of them soon, at least with the 7F I can hide the bad modelling under a lot of weathering, but for the Princess........

     
    The fact that I seemed to make a little progress, rather than acting as a warning spurred me onto to look at the other locomotives in the production queue and the Work Bench of DOOM waited for the ideal moment to strike. While I did a little work on the Prince of Wales tank the Work Bench sat there watching and waiting.

     
    Sensing the ideal moment the Work Bench pounced, one of the little effect from my condition is that I often get cramps/spasms/tremors in various parts of my body but more annoyingly in my hands, and today it happened as I was moving a craft knife.

    It could have been a lot worst, but after applying intentionally this time a large amount of superglue to my fingers to stem the jets of blood, and having picked up my 12 severed fingers, I noticed two things. One is my blood is remarkably similar to LMS crimson, which is handy being an LMS modeller and two it has better coverage than some of the paints I have in stock

    Still the Flatiron has seen its construction advance a little, pity I already have a fully lined crimson in the collection, and this one is supposed to be in black. So before I reattached my fingers I thought I would tidy up the Work Bench of DOOM, and clean the blood splatters up from the carpet before the DO found out, and because I was a little bored.

    So before I lose any more body parts I think I will put off any modelling for a while, at least until my fingers grow back, they will grow back won't they? As ever Happy Modelling
  9. paulprice
    I don't know how I managed to do it this weekend but I seemed to have found some modelling time, and managed to make a little progress on some of my list of projects.
    I have a few GEM Fowler tender kits in stock which I have had for more years than I care to remember, originally I thought that I would use them on my 4F fleet but I have never got round to it. One by one I have been using them on various other projects so now I have more 4Fs than I have tenders in stock.
    Anyway today I have nearly completed one, which will be towed around by a PRINCESS. Despite them not really being one of my favourite LMS loco's (a little to GWR looking to my eyes) I thought at some point I better add one to my fleet. Being the crafty little ###### that I am, I have been managing to get the odd construction period in without the Domestic Overlord and this is the result so far.

    Yes I know there is still a hell of a lot of work still to do, but my initial test fit over one of the Std 4 chassis I have in stock is promising. I know the wheelbase and wheels are not exactly right, but I am not trying to build a scale model, more a model than can take up some of the passenger duties on Foster Street if I ever take it to another exhibition, or for use on my next proper layout. Unlike my Duchess collection, she will remain the only member of the class in my collection.
    As the Domestic Overlord, had no idea of my secret modelling sessions, I thought I would become a true master of secrets and try to make a little more progress on a second project. I have a liking for dirty freight engines, and in the past I have constructed a pair of 7F's which I kind of like to see plodding around the layout pulling various freight trains.
    A few months ago I managed to source an eight coupled chassis to initially go under a kit for a round firebox G2, but to cut a long story short its no good, so what to do with it? Taking my favourite easy route out I decided to construct another 7F, but to try and add some interest I thought a "water heater" variant would be a good idea.

    So as with the Princess there is a long way to go but its progress in trying to reduce the number of projects on the workbench of DOOM.
    So with progress like this its a bit like a fairy tale, with me of course like the poor downtrodden "Buttons" type character, but with locomotives like these, its more like Beauty buggered of and left me with two beasts

    Anyway until the next time, as ever Happy Modelling
  10. paulprice
    Before the Domestic Overlord and I went off to spend a few days deep in SR/GWR teritory, I had a little look on Evilbay. Lately I have noticed in model shops that Farish Stanier coaches have been selling for over £30 each, which as excellent as the coaches are is getting a bit dear (especially if you are as tight as me).
     
    By luck though I managed to find two auctions on the old Evilbay for packs of two coaches each with a starting price of £30 dabs, I thought they would go for a lot more but I made a bid on each and to my surprise I won both auctions and so had four more coaches in my grubbby hands.

    So the question was how long would the two 1st/3rd Composites and the two 3rd brakes stay factory fresh and untouched by my dirty paint brushes, the answer was not very long.
     
    When weathering my stock I dont use an airbrush for my carnage, just simple old paint brushes, with me the simpler the process the better. The first area I like to work on is the roofs as from usual viewing positions this is the first area you tend to notice. What I like to do is to try and get away from the uniformed look of out of box stock, plus if you look at prototype photograps they only appear like this when first built.
     
    The first stage of the process I use, I think is called pre-shading by our Aeroplane modelling chums, its probably not how they would do it but it works for me. Taking a black or very dark grey paint I roughly paint the panel lines on the roof of each coach and paint a few of the ventilators. It helps that you paint the lines rough and ready as for me it works better than if you try a uniformed look.

    Once you have created the Zebra look its time to let the paint dry and worry if you have ruined the coaches, but it is not too late if your nerves fail to just repaint the roofs with a unformed grey colour, as for me as I always say what could possibly go wrong so I continued.
     
    The next stage was to mix some suitable grey paints and after they have been thined down a little so they are nice and thin I start to paint over the Zebra stripes so that they very subtly show through (anyone who knows me knows I struggle with anything subtle :)).
     
    After a little work the 1st/3rd Composites looked like this.

    The Brake 3rd's looked like this hopefully all with a slightly different shade to their roofs?

    If you do it right, or I should say if you do it like me the Zebra stripes should just be visible on the roofs along the panel lines giving the effect of a rood stained by a life in revenue earning service.

    Once the four coaches had been completed they were put side by side to see if the variations in the roofs had been different enough between each coach (I have some on the fleet that are almost black). As I had set out to portray some stock that is relatively clean and not long out of the works the more lightly coloured roofs are okay for this project.
     
    What I need to do now is apply some weathering to their underframes, sides and roof's but that can wait for another installment, now there is a threat ANOTHER installment
     
    Appolgies if I am just showing old techniques that maybe shold have been left in the past (people say that about me) and if I have offended any Aeroplane modellers with my rip off of their techniques I am truly sorry.
     
    As ever until the next time as ever Happy Modelling
     
     
     
     

  11. paulprice
    Well it was bound to happen, with my life full of mayhem at the moment with a new job, two crazy Jack Russels and numerous other demands on time, a normal sane person would think to put any idea of modelling on a back burner.
     
    A with me being a sensible, logical person that's exactly what I did, until the alignment dowels I ordered turned up not that I had anything planned but I just thought it would be handy to have a couple in stock.
     
    I believe some modellers plan the builds down to the last track pin, and I commented on this to the Domestic Overlord as we had a brief period of respite from the two puppies (they were asleep).
     
    As we mused on various topics, being the crafty little ###### that I am, the problem of cutting plans popped up, and how the efficient thing to do was to get as much usable parts from baseboards from the least number of for example ply sheets.
     
    Before long our conversation led to the solution of many problems, the downturn in the pound, Brexit talks, the North Korean problem, a justification for Tofu, and theoretical cutting plans for a new layouts baseboards (only joking nobody even us, can justify the existence of Tofu )
     
    It was soon time to get back to the domestic duties, and like a good little chap I got onto them and a little detour on the way to the supermarket let to the surprise find of some ply-wood that just happens to have been cut in the dimensions I would need, if I was planning a new layout which I'm not..and I did not lose any fingers in the progress

    I suppose, it would be worth a little time seeing if something useful could be made from them, I mean it does not necessarily mean it will lead to a new layout does it?
     
    If it did though, does it mean I would have to start a layout thread?
  12. paulprice
    What is it with time?
     
    Lately I am convinced that the only reason it exists is to wind me up. I have noticed for a while now that its been trying to get to me, but it's not going to beast me despite its latest crafty trick, but I have spotted its latest ploy and I'm putting it down in text so others can be forewarned.
     
    Have you noticed that they little sod Time, seems to make sure you have plenty available to do all those crappy jobs you just don't want to do (or even the jobs the Domestic Overlord insists you do ), but for the jobs you really want to do, this "Time" geezer just leaves you with either no time at all.
    OR
    even more evilly leaves you with realisation that you have a some time to spend on what you want to do, but NEVER quite enough to complete what you wanted to do.
     
    Well time I'm onto your plans matey and you can beat me, despite your best attempts including the recruitment of the Domestic Overlord to use up even more of MY time I have still managed to get some modelling done
     
    The last few weeks since my last update, has seen a little progress on the Trams for Lugsdale Road, well at least one of them at least, which has had its original paint stripped, and after some severe thinning of the inside of its body, has been test fitted to a severely cut down Kato chassis. The scary thing is it seems to have worked, but needs a little more for want of a better term refinement before I post any details on here.
     
    What it did mean however is that I could test the curve in the tram line, that sees it curve past the Pub at the bottom of Lugsdale Road and under the railway station and it WORKS.

    This then led to another problem, which was what type of building to have opposite the Pub to fill in the space on that side of the road, I had a few ideas but could just not decide on a particular one. Now its been a very, very, very long time since I set foot in a Pub, so my memory might be a bit hazy on this but I think when you do you need Beer tokens.
     
    I seem to remember that on the last occasion I visited a Pub, I got some Beer tokens from a thing called a Bank, which you visited, gave the people inside a think called an account number, and then they gave you this folding paper stuff with pictures on it, called money. You then skipped to the Pub, handed over this money stuff and they gave you Beer, and a few Beer tokens back so you could get more Beer. I know its very hard to believe, but in the "good old days" that's how's things worked.
     
    So the inspiration was there, and I set about trying to create a model Bank.

    Again using what is becoming one of my favourite materials card, I soon had the basics of what I thought would be a typical "mutual" type bank that seemed to be popular in the time leading up to the 40's before the major banks as we know them were formed.
     
    To make things easier I thought I would attempt to finish the building with sandstone type render, so before the Domestic Overlord found out I was using paints (apparently if I have time to paint a model I can find time to paint a real room, well that's what the Domestic Overlord says), I got two base coats on the model to build up the finish I'm looking for.

    Once I have finally finished applying a couple more coats to produce the weather beaten faded look I want, it will be time to apply a lot of weathering, but to avoid the suspicions of the D.O I will avoid further painting for now, and see if I actually like the building in its planned location, of if I should try something different.
     
    As you can see there is still a lot to do on the street scene, and this is only part of what is becoming a seems to be huge baseboards, and they are only 8 feet long in total.

    So there you have it, I have managed to get one over on this Time fella, and managed to make some progress on the layout, the problem is its becoming very apparent that I will need a lot more time to complete it. I guess my battle with the Evil TIME Villain with me drawn out one.
     
    Anyway I have to go now, as I'm busy hunting down another threat to humanity, the GREY HAIR FAIRY, as the little ###### keeps visiting my room every night as I sleep and paints one of my hairs grey, well not for much longer, be warned my evil little nemesis I will get you.
     
    As ever until the next time....Happy Modelling
  13. paulprice
    The problem is with making locomotives is that sooner or later you have to paint them, now even though I have a thing for great lumbering freight engines life should be easy, but when do I ever make things easy for myself?
     
    So over the last couple of weeks, there has been a little progress down and the Price paint shops, initially I thought thanks to almost constant hand spasms that I would just concentrate on simple black engines, but when do I ever make things easy for myself?
     
    Originally I thought I would add another big passenger loco to the fleet, and had thoughts about an ex LNWR Prince of Wales tank, so one slowly made its way along the production lines on the workbench of DOOM. Once I got to the stage where I could apply undercoat, I thought I would give her final coat a little thought, I had thought a nice simple smart unlined black....definitely no lining as I had seen too much of that in the past.

    So it would be simple a few passes of black, a little more detailing to add to the locomotive, bang a few numbers of and LMS branding and the locomotive could be added to the fleet. So I had a thought, even though my hand spasms were a bit of a pain (literally and figuratively) I thought if I tried, if it looked a little wonky I could always repaint it into black again? So armed with some severely adapted paintbrushes, I set to work, a centimetre or so at a time.

    So far I have managed to get one side and the back of the bunker lined, and the results of my shaky hands is more than obvious, but in real life and from a bit of a distance away its not so obvious and a good coat of muck will hide a lot of it. To try and restore a little sanity I set to work numbering the 7F (water heater) that had been hanging around getting in the way, all I need to do is add a few more details under the running plate and then I can get my weathering equipment from the train prison (that is if the Domestic Overlord will let me have the key )

    This will definitely be the last Fowler 7F to join the fleet, as there are lots more LMS type I can make a mess off, plus I have to finish off a couple of G2's to add some balance to the fleet. Getting back to messing up other locomotive types, time for a little update on my attempt to produce a Princess, I had got her to the stage of receiving a decent coat of crimson, just like all proper loco's should have.

    Again working very very slowly and with a nearly bald paintbrush, I have managed to get the majority of the lining done on her, she still needs one cab finishing off, and one side of her tender but she is nearly there, though paining yellow-black-yellow lines on the tender has nearly seen the end of me, and from normal viewing distances I am not sure its worth it but she is slowly getting there (wherever that is?) and I think I am beginning to like the Princess class, but she will be the sole example in the fleet.

    Well all that leaves is the progress on the poor Jubilee I has to rescue, from Evil Bay, thankfully she is out of her terrible BR livery and I have started to paint her new black bits, but as for lining I'm afraid the poor girl will just have to wait.....

    So that's pretty much it, I have re-numbered what was supposed to have been my last Jubilee into Agamemnon, I just have to decide if she needs so serious weathering?

    Hopefully if I get a little more modelling time over the next few days and I use it wisely I may see projects actually leaving the workbench of DOOM, but for the moment it looks a little tidier, and definitely NO MORE JUBILEES

    As ever Happy Modelling
  14. paulprice
    Well despite being feeling decidedly off form and weak due to the effects of my condition (the Domestic Overlord reckons I'm a condition all of my own) I have managed to get the second board completed. All I have to do is finish, or rather start the storage yard board and the layout legs, but these can wait for a while, as even a Woodworking GOD like me needs some rest


    Anyway the boards just need a little sanding and finishing, but on the whole I think I am happy with them, so I think the first stage on building Lugsdale Road is complete. Now I must admit I envy the modellers out there who meticulously plan their layouts, and produce detailed plans using witchcraft and templot, but not me.
     
    I have plans for the layout, I mean I'm not one of those modellers who just makes it up as I go along, I actually enjoy the planning stages, with a pen/pencil and some graph paper, but I always find that sometimes there is nothing better than planning on the actual boards. To do this for certain parts of the layout I cover the area I'm working on with graph paper so I can transfer onto it my plans and see how they feel "life size".

    So I get to effectively double plan, and hopefully the end result is a balanced look (I admit it went wrong with Foster Street), if the plan looks okay I can then look at building mock-ups, and this layout will need lots of them

    Part if the planning stage now is to decide if I revert back to producing buildings using plasti-card or card like on my previous layout?
     
    Decisions, decisions, decisions and I thought railway modelling was supposed to be easy, I mean what could possibly go wrong
  15. paulprice
    Well I have managed a little more work on my attempt to rescue a poor Jubilee that an evil manufacturer had painted in a horrible mouldy green livery, apparently it was some strange BR livery. Anyway everyone knows these locomotives looked much better before they were defiled by repainting by a band of criminals, working for a major crime organisation called BR (well that's what happened in my mind at least).
     
    Anyway I managed to fit the nameplates, though these are that small, they are almost invisible from normal viewing distances, but at least I know they are there. All I have to do now is paint the buffer beams, apply a coat of varnish to the model and maybe a little weathering. Oh I nearly forgot, I need to add a crew, and re-fit the glazing to the cab, though I'm not happy removing the body from the chassis again, its a bit of a ###### to refit, so I may have to just use my old method of glazing cabs and start cutting the clear plastic.
     
    I even managed to do a little work on producing a couple additions to the freight roster, but the least said about these the better........ As ever until the next time Happy Modelling
  16. paulprice
    Well I have had a couple of days off , because the people at work claimed it was Christmas, but I had my doubts as if it was Christmas that would mean the Fat Man in the Red Suit would bring me some presents.
     
    So I laid in wait to see if this Christmas rumour was true, and hoped if it was I would actually get a present this year, or I would spend another year as the "little boy that Santa Claus forgot". Whilst I was waiting to see if I got even the smallest of presents, or if I would be left heart broken for another year I got some modelling in.
     
    As previous posts have shown I have ben working on the buildings that will form the street scene that runs along the front of the layout, and my last post saw me considering the production of windows for the buildings. Even though I set out with every intention of doing this, I was scuppered by forgetting where I had put my clear plasti-card.
     
    Not being bothered to actually look for the plasti-card I decided to work another task, the roofs for the buildings, so I started with the most difficult roof first, the one for the corner pub. I'm not sure if I'm the only one to do this, but depending upon the building I like to make the roofs as sub structures. As the roof will actually sit inside the buildings outer walls, I first cut the relevant former.

    To aid with the process I marked out the relevant lines for the various roof panels, then cut formers that would be set at the correct height for the final roof, glued these in place along the centre of the roof.

    Once this was done, I then cut out the various geometric shapes from card to form the roof, (my old maths Teacher would be proud) and pretty soon, had the basic structure, ready to have some slates adding. This is where the hard part of the process came into play, deciding how to go about this. I like roofs to have some texture as I think it adds a little interest to models, especially as we view them mostly from above.
     
    I have seen some pretty good models where the builder has used commercial brick cards but have added a little relief by scoring the tile/slate lines on the roof panels, but never wanting to take the easier option or try anything new, I went back to one of my old, painstaking methods, guaranteed to make you go crazy.
     
    Step one is to cover the surface of the roof with graph paper so you can have a reference points for the next stage, of applying slate strips.

    Then I cut strips of graph paper the correct length for the roof but two squares wide, then the fun bit begins, working lengthways I then cut slits "one square" deep, once each strip is completed, it is then glued to the roof following the guide lines on the graph paper I had applied earlier.

    Its not a quick process, but as I was lying in wait for the infamous Santa, I thought it would fill in some time, so I plodded on with the task. If you use this approach it does not matter if a couple of the strips are not applied perfectly straight, as is you look at pictures of old buildings you will see that some slate courses have slipped. I know maybe I should have applied a few more courses, but as I work in N gauge, sometimes I think a few corners need to be cut, and its the impression that counts.

    I even got to work on the roof, for one of the other layout buildings, all I need to do now is sort out the chimney stacks, and apply some paint to the roofs, with the nice new pants Santa brought me for Christmas as I have been a very good boy
     
    THAT IS I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO APPLY SOME PAINT, IF THE FAT FELLA IN THE RED SUIT HAD ACTUALLY BOTHERED TO LEAVE ME ANY. BE WARNED SANTA YOU HAVE MADE AN NEMY HERE, IF I EVER MEET YOU I WILL KICK YOU IN YOUR JINGLE BELLS..
     
    Until next time as ever happy modelling
  17. paulprice
    The Goods yard area of Foster Street, seems to have taken up a large amount of the time I have spent so far on the layout, which surprised me a little as it only comprises of three sidings.
     
    Still there are a few tasks yet to finish, including the main one of adding some weathering to the area and a few more little people to populate the area, the Goods Warehouse has been built so that it can be easily removed, to allow me to get to any stock lost in its depths. I still have a few additions to be attached to the building namely gutters, loading bay doors and water to the water tower. I have all the bits I need to finish this, but it's just getting the time to do it.
     
    One of the things I really need to do is to improve the "slot" the building sits in, when in place to avoid the gap showing at the bottom of the building, so I think I may work on this next. Then I have to decide if the little loading platform and shed at the side of the main siding should be turned into a cattle pen, to help with the off loading of supplies to "Morgan's Meat's" or set it up as a hazardous product area?
     
    I must admit. even though you have limited vision of the inside of the Goods warehouse the extremely low relief contents I added certainly look the part when the building is in place. I have finally put the sign up for "I Deal Coke and Coal" and hand lettered the scratch built delivery wagon, but I'm struggling for a name for the nearby "Monumental" Stone Mason business.
     
    The good news, is I have passed another day without gluing my fingers together , anyway enough waffle time for some pictures of the progress (with a before picture so you can see how far its progressed), as usual if you have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them.
     
    Until next time Happy Modelling
  18. paulprice
    Well today I was another year older, so in an anti-celebration mood the Domestic Overlord and I walked (yes actually walked), into our local town to partake of a meagre spot of breakfast, spot the healthy tomato

    Once we managed to get on the outside of a weeks worth of calories, and still having the use of our legs we managed to walk home, this healthy living is easy. Anyway I set off to the railway room to work on a few of the outstanding jobs that never seem to get finished, and actually managed to get one of them finished, well sort of That's when it all went wrong before I knew it I had fired up the controller and just played trains.
     
    Before I knew it one of may favourite 8F's was plodding around with a typical train


    Only broken up by the passing of an even more typical local service



    Soon another old timer was seen plodding round with another rickerty old local



    Well I suppose it was not a total waste of time, as it provided a good run in for my recently overhauled 8F, but what I need to do now is get all those little jobs completed and out of the way, maybe I can start on them tomorrow, after another one of those breakfasts, after all they say its the most important meal of the day.......... until next time Happy Modelling
  19. paulprice
    Well another weekend closer to Foster Streets appearance and the Warrington Exhibition, and I amongst all the things I need to finish the storage yard is the most important. So if I was a sensible chap I would have made this the priority and cracked on with finishing off the storage yard, but I can only manage being sensible in very small doses.
     
    The good news is that the work on the storage yard means I get another opportunity to display my soldering God skills, and be warned pictures will follow, just as soon as I regain the use of my fingers after a totally unrelated soldering incident earlier on to day (Phil I know you will laugh when you read this, but I know it's just your way of hiding your jealousy and awe at my truly monumental abilities ).
     
    Anyway I have managed to finish off an on-going project and even started and completed a new one, I have managed to weather my Ivatt Class 2 fleet. The only problem is I have to think if a way of representing or getting a crew in the non-existent minitrix cabs, I need to give this some thought.....
     
    While I was at it I thought I would try and improve the coach fleet the class 2's would be pulling around the layout and decided to repaint a couple of the more battered examples into LNER teak, so they could look like an interregional working, the first coat looks okay the telling bit will be when I try to represent the grain..
     
    Oh well until the next time as ever Happy Modelling
  20. paulprice
    Well its been a while since my last update, and you think I would have completed a lot of the jobs outstanding on the layout, well that's what I thought and I was wrong.
     
    I had forgot to factor in the "inconsiderate idiot" factor, yes unfortunately I have to work with clots who think it's perfectively acceptable to call me almost constantly from 4am until 12midnight, every single day to bang on about nothing, and then when you don't reply to the phone instantly they then decide to send texts.......
     
    The record this week is after getting my fist call at 5am, and working in the office until 7pm despite telling certain individuals I was going home to have dinner with the Domestic Overlord, decided very kindly to actually allow me 20 minutes freedom before, you guessed it calling, if you think those cold calls are annoying try my receiving calls from my little cherubs..Bless.
     
    Well today is Saturday and I had hoped actually get some sleep and a little time on the layout, but no, 4:30 am, the phone rings and...I contemplate murder. Still not to be phased I decided to get some jobs completed so I set about the layout.
     
    First job was to make a "rickety" fence around one of the Factory on the layout, you know the type that needs a little attention, so out came the card and the superglue and pretty soon, I had enough built to install.

    I even managed to knock together a gate as well, there is still a bit more to do on the gate, but that's when it happened, a I was painting the fence I dropped my paintbrush. As I bent down to retrieve it, I smashed my noggin on the underside of the layout OUCH (insert industrial language here )
    Still being a hard northerner I pressed on, as after all I had plenty of jobs to do, the next on the list was to improve the back of another factory on the layout...it was then I first noticed it....I was sure I saw an elephant.

    Moving on to the next job, I soon had the back of the factory looking a little better than it originally was.

    Right I thought all I had to do now was measure up so I could fit some water to the tank, I turned to get my ruler, and when I looked back...

    Now I was beginning to worry a little, but I pressed on, I still had to fit the water in the tank at the side of the Goods warehouse, a little measuring up and the job was completed.

    Again when I reviewed my work, again I noticed something that was just not right but I could not put my finger on it?

    It could worst, every time I looked at the layout there was something there that just did not seem right, something eating away at me but I could not for the life of me figure it out..

    THEN RELISATION HIT ME LIKE A BOLT FROM THE BLUE, HARDER THAN THE SHOCK OF HAVING TO OPEN MY WALLET, IT WAS OBVIOUS, IT WAS STARING ME IN THE FACE ALL THE TIME.......I WAS GOING MAD.........THERE WAS THE PROOF INFRONT OF ME........I HAD PAINTED THE FACA GWR GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I'm going for a lie down, as ever until the next time Happy Modelling
  21. paulprice
    Well its been a while since I made a posting on here, but I have managed to escape the constant toils wracked upon me by the Domestic Overlord and I have managed to spend some time working on Foster Street.
     
    With a couple of exhibition dates looming there are many jobs I should be spending my time on (the major one being improving the storage yard and track alignment) but you know me that would be too easy.
     
    Of the many ways the Domestic Overlord never ceases to amaze me, is the ability to be able to find me a list of jobs' from absolutely nowhere, usually accompanied by remarks like "if you had nothing to do you would be bored", but I have discovered that my talent to make endless jobs for myself even surpasses the DO
     
    Anyway my intention was to finally re-number a couple of the locomotives in the Foster Street fleet, and I managed to get two black fives completed. The problem is whilst waiting for varnish to dry, it like hardcore paint drying watching, I thought I would complete or start a couple of those little jobs we all must have.
     
    The problem is do we ever realise how many of these jobs we actually have?

    Yes what might look like a loco spotters dream, is actually turning into my nightmare, there are 12 locomotives, clogging up the branch storage yard that all need some work. The good news is that some of them just need crew adding, some a little weathering, some a little more.............WHAT HAVE I STARTED
     
    Until the next time, as ever Happy Modelling
  22. paulprice
    Before I go any further, what happened was not my fault, it was the fault of the Domestic Overlord
     
    A few days ago the other half was going to spend the evening with friends, catching up, and I was lucky enough to have the shackles loosened, and was granted freedom for the evening to do what ever I wanted
     
    So once I had gone through the almost endless list of things I was not allowed to do and looked at the three things I was allowed to do, I dutifully signed "good behaviour contract" and the Domestic Overlord, left me to my own devices. Now contenting myself with the fact that the contract was void, because I have signed the wrong name, I decided that as master or everything I could survey I would relish every last minute of freedom, I decided to lead a rebellion of one.
     
    In a scene William Wallace would have been proud of I headed for the blue wode and the skirt, sorry I mean kilt, actually better than that I headed to the box all the things that I am not allowed to use without "adult supervision" and liberated all the cruelly imprisoned Super glue, I mean what was the worst that could happen
     
    Then I had second thoughts and put the superglue back in its box and headed to the railway room, the storage yard on Foster Street just needed the cross board joints soldering up, and a few other little jobs completing, but I was not quite happy with it. So out with the tools and a while later, the storage yard was no more.
     
    So all I need to do now it re-lay the storage yard, easy or what? Has anyone got any ideas please help?
     
    Oh and for the three things I was allowed to do, hovering up and doing the dishes took care of two of them, as for the third who cares what it was I did not do it, to use a famous quote
     

    FREEDOM


     
    Until next time as always happy modelling
  23. paulprice
    Well I don't know how its happened but I have managed to find a little time to actually do some modelling, and as a bonus the Domestics Overlord, very kindly allowed me a little time out from my manacles .
     
    Just in case the Domestic Overlord reads this, I'm sorry, I'm portraying the DO in a bad light, of course I was not released from my manacles................
     
    Anyway before anyone notices I'm taking a break from "black leading the stove" I better let you know what I have been up to. Foster Street is based loosely in the NorthWest of the country, deep in LMS territory, but those sneaky so and so's in the LNER have a habit of sticking their noses in. So with CLC influences in mind I slowly set about collecting a rake of LNER teaks.
     
    The initial idea, was to create an interregional train, and slowly I started to collect a few Dapol teaks to form this train, I even started to work on producing an example of a, wait for it GREEN locomotive, that I could attach to the front of this train, at the very least to save a poor LMS loco from the indignity of pulling this rake (even worst that this I actually have a second green LNER loco passing through the works).
     
    As the layout is set in the period leading up to Nationalisation, if you at prototype pictures from the time, most the passenger stock, had what you could describe as coating of grot, even on some of the major expresses. So I would be able to get out the old weathering brushes and apply some grot to the rake, or as some have said ruin them??







    All of the rake where attacked, sorry treated in my usual manner, with a limited (3 colours) of enamel and some good brushes, if you can tell from the photos the 3rd class coaches have got the worst of the grot, the Buffet and the 1st coach have only got a light layer, as most of the photo's I looked at from the period seemed to suggest they were cleaned a little more often?




    I think I still have a little to do on the rake, I think I need to work on the roofs a little more, and the under frame and buffer areas, and maybe apply a little more general grot? One thing is for certain I need to finish the locomotives for this rake then I can concentrate on stock from a proper company LMS LMS LMS LMS LMS LMS
     
    I can hear the DO approaching so as ever until the next time Happy Modelling
  24. paulprice
    Well despite being absolutely brilliant since last Christmas, in fact despite being positively angelic, and only wanting a few Railway related things the Fat, Fella in the Red suit brought me nothing.
     
    So I have now decided that whoever said its "nice to be nice" was a Tree Hugging Hippy, and if I ever meet so called Santa, I'm going to kick him right in the Christmas puddings.
     
    Anyway something has turned up for the layout, the other day I was trying to work on the plans for the new layout, I went to get a new pencil and when I got back I found these two lurking about.

    I hope they don't start breeding with the Elephants that already infest the layout, as its bad enough, cleaning up after that lot, right I'm off to get my bucket,
     
    Until next time Happy Modelling
  25. paulprice
    Well it seems like ages since I have posted an entry on this site, AND NO its not because the DOMESTIC OERLORD has banned me, or anything like that, honest
     
    I have just been really, really busy and it gets worst, Foster Street is out at its first exhibition of 2016, at Fleetwood next weekend, and then its due at WIGAN, and I have loads to do.........and no time.
     
    I'm not in a state of panic yet, but I'm getting there....OH MY GOD WHAY HAVE I DONE......
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