thegreenhowards

9 hours ago, meanach said:

One day , if we all live long enough , I’m sure all of our west highland modelling prayers will be answered ! I never thought we’d ever see China clay PRA wagons and now the even more niche Alcan PCA are on the horizon. There’s still plenty more though for all of us to dream of ! Interfargo vans for one and I’m totally amazed nobody has updated the Grainflow 4 axel PAA / PAV later used for aluminium traffic. 

For me, the Timber P would be very welcome, even in kit form. And a Class 29 (O gauge) - just need Dapol to scale up their OO version!

Andy

12 hours ago, 03060 said:

 

Apologies for the slight 'drift' Rob, but looking at the train behind 37037 in the two photos above I think that it's made up of (Mallaig end) the Lochaber saloon (Maroon), b/grey BCK, TSO, BSOT, TSO, Loch Eil saloon (Maroon at the FW end.)

So together with the buffer issue on 37037 .... plenty of variation to model !

 

Your BSOT in the above photos certainly looks the part, a great bit of modelling.

 

Regards,

Ian.

Are the saloons in maroon? I thought they were in faux teak livery in 1983, although it does look a bit dark in those photos.

Andy

I converted the exterior of my Darstead 0 Gauge Mk 1 BSO to a BSOT last year, but I never got round to doing anything with the interior - i.e. it was running around with normal seating inside. Well Rob has shamed me into action, so I packed the interior and a toolkit for my trip away this weekend and have hackled around at it during the evenings at my B&B.

I think I’ve got it looking the right shape but would welcome any comments - obviously I still need to paint it and will use paint to differentiate the trolley from the fixed counter.

One thing I wasn’t sure about is how the buffet steward entered the area behind the counter. Was there a lift up flap or a gap at the (former) toilet end of the coach?

I found it quite easy to get the old interior out. It’s a bit more modular with the Darstead coaches with each seating bay being glued onto a plasticard base rather than all moulded as one, so I could remove the seating bay just by inserting a knife under it. I think I’ll live without the removal of the one seat in the next bay.

Andy

I love the photo with the observation car. That’s on my list to build!

Andy

1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

Actually, if I do anything along these lines then it's more likely to be this:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/8662920646

 

But don't hold your breath. Really.

I would like to see that!

An update on my C2/ Portescap issue.

I tried running it on my rolling road yesterday and it run for 20 minutes with no problem. But I did notice that there was a slight binding at one point on the revolution, so I dremel led away some white metal from the inside of the wheel arches. I decided to strip out the decoder anyway and try it on the club layout like that. It did 10 circuits with no problems. So I tried putting the decoder back in. It ran fine with the decoder and no body, but when I put the body back on it died after one circuit and I now can’t get it to work with or without the decoder!

Hopefully it will recover after a rest, but my working assumption at the moment is that it is an internal friction problem combined with a slightly weak motor, possibly exacerbated by the chip - or the wiring to the chip (it’s quite tight inside).

I think my next job will be to replace the motor but that will have to wait until next week as I’m now away for Guildex in Stafford.

Andy

11 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Andy,

 

Quite a few of the prototype pictures I've taken (many of which have been published) were from an elevated position, often an overbridge. Such viewpoints gave an excellent view (less so now that rampant Amazonia restricts current photography!), with plenty of time to compose a shot (as opposed to an 'upshot', where a train might only be visible for a few seconds). 

 

With regard to photographing model trains on Little Bytham, I've tried to get as near a 'prototypical' view as possible, including balancing the camera (occasionally precariously!) from the overbridges. I hope the following shots of the afternoon 'Talisman' illustrate this (yes, I know the leading car should be a BSO, not a BSK). 

 

 

Taken from the footbridge.

 

 

 

And two views off Marsh Bridge (taken earlier, still with the original girder bridge in place). 

 

Do these 'work'? I hope so, even though the viewpoint is higher than a 4mm figure's eye (it's a big camera!). 

 

 

I still like 'eye-level' views.

 

P.S. I hope you sort your Portescap problems out. If it is the decoder, do tell!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Great shots Tony. I do love your high level shots on LB and certainly prefer them to the eye level ones - I just think one gets a better view of the train and the layout. I only mentioned PN because I’m a sucker for complicated pointwork and the throat heading north has points and a curve - perfect!

It was too sunny today to waste time on the Portescap. I concentrated on weathering with my airbrush and painting mini ‘Glenfinnan’ viaduct in the garden! I will report back tomorrow assuming the promised rain materialises.

Andy

On 28/08/2023 at 19:55, Tony Wright said:

Good evening Stephen,

 

'Does model photography have to recreate prototype photography?'

 

A very interesting question; to which my answer is a qualified 'yes'. It's very much what I try to do, and it's one of the reasons why I always advocate modelling an actual prototype (whether that be a whole scene or individual items in it). That way, at least to me, is the ultimate 'acid-test', especially when modelling a real location. The model can be compared with the real thing, checked whether it's accurate and, if so, judged accordingly. Made-up/fictitious locations never have the same 'accuracy' to me, no matter how good the standard of modelling might be.

 

The 'qualification' of my 'yes' is with regard to studio photography of models, where the background is entirely neutral, with no attempt to site a model in a depiction of an actual location.

 

Of course, in some ways taking 'realistic' model photographs is more difficult than taking prototype pictures, not least the specialised (and very expensive) camera/lighting equipment which I need to obtain the results I seek. Then there's the post-processing - the real things have natural backgrounds and skies, which, for most of the time have to be added in the digital darkroom - it used to be Frisk film, a scalpel, designer's gouache, an airbrush and extremely bad language! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

Personally, my favourite model railway photos are from a slightly elevated position showing trains in the landscape or, even better, snaking through some complicated point work. My favourite model railway viewpoint is probably from the bridge as trains leave Gilbert’s PN heading north which could be a prototype viewpoint, but I also like other more raised viewpoints which might only be possible with a drone. They just seem to give a better overall view of the layout.  
 

If that means it’s not recreating a prototype picture then so be it. 
 

Andy

On 26/08/2023 at 10:46, Tony Wright said:

 

Has anyone else come across this Portescap issue? Going slower and slower, then dying? 

 

Just catching upon the thread after a few days sailing along the south coast.

I have a similar problem with my DJH Klondike.

It has one of the smaller portescaps (also reclaimed from another loco) and will run well for one lap of my layout (70ft), but then starts to slow down and more or less dies by the end of the second lap. If I give it a couple of hours to recover it will do the same again. So far I’ve lived with it as locos rarely need to do more than one lap, but this conversation has made me think I ought to sort it out. 
 

While I hate to admit it, I do wonder if the chip is at fault as I think I have one of those cheap Chinese ones in it. I will try stripping the chip out first. If it works on DC, then I’ll try a Zimo chip - they never cause problems (famous last words).

I will report back in due course…hopefully without giving ‘sir’ another quote for his wall!

Andy

Great video Andy,

I particularly liked the photo of the Turbots loaded with (I think) concrete sleepers in the headshunt at Glenfinnan. I now have an excuse!

the detail on the ‘ugly’ concrete building on the platform at Glenfinnan is also very useful to me.

Andy

1 hour ago, young37215 said:

 

Interesting work so far on the seat bay removals, I feel more confident in starting to butcher my coach interior as a result. Having looked at my BSO again it is fairly clear that the central clip was glued in place which explains why I struggled to release the body. In summary for future reference there are 6 clips to release the bodyshell from the chassis.

 

Judging by the diagrams in Parkin, I reckon that an additional partition between the buffet area and the residual seating was standard on both sides of the coach. Whether pictures of other BSOT's from the 1980's can be found to verify this must be questionable but on the basis that I think adding in the partitions will strengthen the the coach, I am minded to add them to my first attempt. 

The Railtec transfer sheet looks an excellent starting point but because it covers Mk1 and Mk2 BSOT/TSOT's, it does not have the coach numbers that I want. I will contact Steve at Railtec and see if he wil create an an hoc Mk1 set of transfers.

 

 

 

I find Railtec’s website difficult to navigate, so in case you have the same problem, I think this is the transfer sheet you require. I had to ask Steve to find it the first time. He then sends you an email asking for the numbers.

https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=4188

Andy

13 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

 

The hardest to sell (I suppose inevitably, not at an EM show)? Those wagons, whatever their origins, fitted with EM axles. One bloke looked in awe at me as I took an axle out and re-gauged it to OO, doing the same to the other one. He then bought the wagon. Is re-gauging really beyond the majority?

 

 

At my club, I think I’m one of only two people who possess a back to back gauge. Others look on in awe when a quick re-gauging of Hornby wheels stops a derailment! So sadly, I think that for many, re-gauging is a step too far. What is needed is careful demonstration of how easy these things are. Then (some) people will gradually take it up.

Andy

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

How are you going to make the Monument lawnmower-proof?

Can you not see the monument masquerading as a large sunflower?😁

Some progress today with my mock up of ‘mini Glenfinnan’ viaduct.

I intend to paint the whole thing in magnolia paint which should be an approximation to concrete.

Andy

A great find. It’s a shame the picture quality is so poor that some of the details are difficult to make out. That said, the photo of the ground frame at Glenfinnan is excellent and I liked the close up of the concrete overbridge between Morar and Mallaig - that could make a useful scenic break!

The chronological consistency has been sacrificed for geographic continuity which makes it hard to draw too many lessons from the stock formations. But the green and cream mk1 on a service train was interesting as Rob said. I didn’t think there were any spares of these, so would it have been just pre or post the steam season?

In terms of time frame, there’s one photo of a split box 37 with valences and round buffers (leaving Fort William towards the beginning), so I would have thought slightly earlier than 1984? When did the last valence fitted loco get ‘chopped’?

Andy

My first choice would be a class 21/29 to complement the recent Heljan Class 27. 

I rather fear that it will be a J69 as I’ve recently finished a kit built one!

Andy

I think you’ll find both the alpha meter and the back to back gauge very useful. I use both of mine a lot.

The acceleration sounds pretty good to me now. However, I wasn’t convinced by the coasting into the platform. Do you have active braking on the Accurascale chips?  I always find that works better as I can shut off completely some way out of the station and coast in until braking in a couple of phases, one approaching the points and the other half way down the platform.

Andy

Saturday please.more interesting coaching stock and more V2s.

Interesting discussion over the Heljan Newton Chambers car transporters. Personally I think it's a brave but welcome attempt to model an unusual and quite specialised prototype. I think the pricing is quite reasonable given where other new products sit, but it is admittedly quite an expense for a full train. I would have bought them if they'd been available when I was forming up trains for Gresley Jn, but instead I went for the earlier version of the same train, The Car Sleeper Limited, shown here photographed by Tony on Little Bytham (Tony, I hope its OK to use the photo - I will remove if there's an issue).

Even in this case, I waited until Hornby were flogging off their long wheelbase CCTs for just over a tenner each!

With Bachmann producing the same Newton Chambers coaches imminently, I suspect there will be a lot of these in bargain bins in the not too distant future. If they get really cheap, I may yet be tempted! 

What I would really like is the car carrying vans introduced in 1957 to replace the CCTs. They were bogied vans rebuilt from redundant ex GE 54' eliptical roof coaching stock (p215 of Banks and Carter). It's a shame that neither Bachmann or Heljan produced these instead of copying each other.

Andy

We have now started gluing in the retaining wall sections along the bare plywood cutting sides. I think it’s a massive transformation.

31 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Modesty should forbid ... but I like the second one!

 

Thanks, Gilbert

I agree. The signal’s too mixed up with the loco in the first one. Second shows both loco and signal off perfectly.

57 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Andy,

 

I don't know about a 'reprimand'; if it works, then that's fine, but I know nothing about 'stay-alives', 'frog juicers' or any other items in the paraphernalia associated with DCC mentioned on here of late.

 

I firmly believe in the efficacy of live frogs, and not relying on the switch-rails to transfer electricity on any pointwork. The Code 100 Peco points I used in Bytham's fiddle yards were (ostensibly) 'live-frog', but the wiring suggested seemed, at best, a half-way-house to me. 

 

Thus, I modified them............

 

 

By removing some webbing and permanently bonding (with 30Amp fusewire) the switch rails to the stock rails.

 

 

Then gapping the switch rails, so as to completely isolate the frog.

 

 

Then changing the frog's polarity with micro-switches. 

 

The result is completely-free-from-stuttering-running through the pointwork, using a system I understand.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

Good morning Tony,

That is what I do on normal Peco points although with autofrogs rather than micro switches.  As Robert says the newer Peco points are easier. I just couldn’t figure it out for the 3 way.

Regards

Andy

7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Shades of Don Neale's Kirtley branch over 50 years ago...

That’s praise indeed! I have a long way to go before I get anywhere near, and I don’t think my wife will allow that degree of ‘embedding’ in the garden.

8 hours ago, Softvark said:

That 37 sounds the business! Whose sound file/decoder are you using?

 

Julian

Thanks - that’s why I said crank the volume up! It’s a Legomanbiffo sound file on a loksound XL. I think the sound comes over much better in O gauge because if the ease of using bigger speakers. This has two large (45x35x20) 3W speakers in the fuel tanks.