thegreenhowards

I also visited Ally Pally yesterday. I thought it was a good show with several great layouts, but one particularly grabbed my attention - New Kensal Rise. They had come up with a really clever system for smoke generation in the locos with pulses in time with the motion. I’m told it was water vapour rather than oil based and a micro fan is situated inside the loco to pulse out puffs of steam. It also had convincing heavy weathering for the late steam era. Really atmospheric - great stuff. I even forgave it for being Western based!

It looked good to me and I had a long chat with the sound engineer about how they were going to produce a sound file. Apparently it’s a mash up of a MAN engined loco from Ireland and some UK sounds but they’re still struggling with the Paxman engine for the 29. I was told late Summer for release.

Here is a picture of my SE Finecast J6 which I've finally finished this week. It's pulling my ballast train to compare with Jesse's. This has a Cambrian Sturgeon, a brass etch built Dolphin and a string of Parkside Grampus wagons. The Dolphin came from a kit I acquired on eBay by a company called something like A1 models. It was quite basic, and I wouldn't really recommend it. Tony, I love the B1. I don't think Andrew does the bigger shows any more - he tends to do the more specialist shows. Regards Andy

Thanks for the tip off Jonathon. I’ve put my name down and seem to have taken the last one of the first batch, so sorry if anyone else wanted one! I suspect there will be another batch in due course. Andy

If they were being used to couple to tension locks then I understand. I always remove the tension lock on the adjoining carriage and replace with hook or goalpost, even though I’m happy to keep tension locks on the rest of the train. I thought 0.45mm wire would not be strong enough, but I’ll try it now. Andy

It’s a long time since my last post, but I haven’t been completely idle! There are several projects coming on including 7 coaches which will feature soon, but today, I’ve finished painting the J6 so it’s now finished apart from weathering/ coal etc.

Tony, I'm interested in your diagnosis of far-too-thick brass wire for the couplings. I generally use 0.9mm brass wire for 'hook and goalpost' couplings in my fixed rakes with no problem, and this is what I used on Gilbert's sleeping cars. I admit, we had some problems with derailments when I delivered them, but I thought we'd sorted it before I went by easing out the gap between coaches. What diameter wire do you use? Regards Andy

Tony, That ACE P2 article was at the 'more difficult' end of the spectrum. However, you also wrote the J6 article in December's RM. This kit is a good starter kit and I, for one, found the article useful in building mine. Have you had any reaction to that article? On the subject of brass sides on donor coaches, I found your two articles from 2006 and 2015 inspirational and they started a whole fleet of such conversions which I find very enjoyable. I attach a photo of my latest three conversions in progress. These are a Thompson RSO which will fit in my Talisman rake replacing a Comet RSP which currently (incorrectly) resides there, and the SK with Ladies Retiring Room and Buffet to complete my 1957 Elizabethan rake (it currently runs in 1958 formation with 8 Thompsons and two Mark 1s). These are all Southern Pride sides, which I consider the best, and I would definitely recommend them for a beginner. For a start Thompsons are easier than Gresleys because they have a wider strip above the window which aids attachment to the donor. The Southern pride sides come pre rolled to shape which is a great help, and with all the extra bits you need such as step boards, roof furniture and door furniture (although I often use MJT door handles as they are more robust). They are also excellent value for money at £8-£9 per coach (no connection etc...). One word of warning, the more observant amongst you might notice that the bottom side has some rippled paintwork around the transfers. I used Microscale Liquid Decal Film to fix the transfers, and this reacted to the gloss (car) varnish I used over the top. I tried sanding it back and re-varnishing, but I think this one will need to be stripped back and repainted. Luckily I tested this on one side before I varnished the others! Regards Andy

Gilbert, The cassettes are obviously working - it’s good to see the correct formation. Was it a standard Gresley RB or one of the special ones? Also, unless my eyes are deceiving me, you have a CK in your formation where there should be a BCK (ar the head of the York portion). regards Andy

Doesn’t Ian Allen at Waterloo count as a model shop in London? On the subject of childhood model shops,I spent mine at a mainly, if not exclusively, second hand shop in a back street near Penge East station. It had a very approachable proprietor and a fantastic range of (crude) models for my teenage eyes to feast on. Does anyone else remember it and what it was called? Andy

Thanks for the tip. Its not in my library, but I found one on Amazon for £2.80 with free postage, so I can look forward to catching up on those photos soon.

Thanks PM, Nice footage of the Class 31 + Presflos, but presumably well into the 1960s. My understanding was that there were at least three batches of Blue Circle Presflos. The yellow ones as per the Airfix kit in 1960, the grey ones with rectangular advertising as on the yellow ones in 1963 (see quote from HMRSPaul below) and a bauxite batch with smaller Blue Circle roundels in 1961 (as on https://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/grcw_cement-wagons/and recently produced by Bachmann). I had also assumed (based on photos) that there was a bauxite batch with the larger square advertising but I now suspect they must have been dirty yellow or grey wagons. Am I right in saying that there weren't any grey wagons before 1963? I hope to be wrong as it will save me repainting a couple of grey wagons in my possession! Regards Andy

Many thanks for that PM, Looks like 17 or 18 Presflos so quite a bit shorter than the Cemflo train. Those wagons all look to be in bauxite livery, rather than the Blue Circle yellow. Is that what you’d expect? Regards Andy

This is a fascinating thread. I am particularly interested in the equivalent train in the late 1950s or very early 1960s. I have seen pictures with Presflo wagons on the ECML in the late 1950s with a 9F but generally much shorter than this working. Did an equivalent service run in the ‘Presflo era’ and what was the traction? I’ve seen 9Fs, but I seem to remember reading a quote from P.N. Townsend that only a A2/3 could master the train, although I’m not sure if that was in the Cemflo or Presflo era. Can anyone guide me to some photos of ECML cement with Presflos? thanks Andy

I love seeing Persimmon’s formation. Especially good to see a Thompson RK - a coach which is nearing the top of my ‘todo’ list.

I recognise the problem, and IMHO life’s too short to be changing lamps every time a train turns round. OK the real railway did so, but they had an army of staff! Personally I think that no lamps looks ‘naked’, so lamps on both ends is the lesser of the two evils. Most of my trains run round and round so it’s not a problem, but on those that terminate I have a lamp on each end of the loco and the train. The ones on the back of the loco/ front of the train are largely hidden when not needed, so it’s not a great problem. The push pull is a bigger problem, but that just gets class 2 lamps on both ends - how often does one photograph the back of the train?! I’ll probably be put in the naughty corner now, but I will be there ‘defiantly’! Andy

Hi Arun, I’m afraid that I did just walk by and I’m kicking myself now because I would have been very interested in much of what you describe above, particularly the presflo wagons. I’m just starting working my way through about 20 in various states of repair that I’ve bought for a quid or two at swap meets in order to create the Cliffe-Uddingston block cement train on my layout, Gresley Junction. There was just so much to see - in my view much more than, say, Warley and only a day to do it in! It would have been good to say hello to you again as well. I will look more closely next time! Regards Andy

Tim, I agree wholeheartedly, I thought the exhibition was at an extremely high standard, with very few layouts of the sort that Tony was complaining about. I really went to see Grantham and Ackthorpe again, both of which were superb. But I found I could only spare them 30 minutes each because there was so much else to see. There were some very good O gauge layouts, Grindly Brook, a large two track circuit); Oldham King Street Parcels, effectively a shunting in and out layout with good scenery and excellent DCC sound; and The Tar Works which was a diminutive shunting puzzle layout of the sort which I would normally walk straight past, but the guy exhibiting it was very engaging and explained all about the Tar Works process - both my 12 year old daughter, Ellen, and I found this fascinating. I’m not usually a fan of the smaller gauges as I prefer the presence of 4mm and above, but I particularly enjoyed the N gauge Wickwar which was based on a prototype location, run with prototypical weathered trains carrying lamps (probably RTR but I don’t know enough about N gauge to be sure), working signals and with well executed scenery including a superb photo-based curved beckscene. It also had many if the gimmicks which Tony often complains about, but they were very well executed. Examples included a girl putting her arm out to stop a bus, working lit lamps on the front of the locos (probably too bright, but still a fantastic achievement in N gauge), a roadway system with junctions including a lorry serving the brewery and a night mode with lighting. A thunder storm with lightening is being prepared for their next outing at Ally Pally! This was Ellen’s favourite layout. And while I was chatting to Tony someone came up to shake his hand and congratulate him on the RM article! Well recommended. Enjoy it if you’re going today. Andy

I thought your (layout) world ended on 31st December 1947. Do I detect some ‘mission creep’?!

Tony, Looking good. With white metal boiler and traction tyres, I look forward to seeing it haul a long train up your hill when I come to visit! Andy

As a change from carriages, this week I have been finishing off my SE Finecast J6. The kit went together pretty well, and I’m generally pleased with the outcome. The main problems that I had were working out where to place the boiler, and I think I may have it slightly too far forward, as I had to fill in c.1mm around the front of the cab. But if I’d placed it further back the bottom of the firebox wouldn’t have met the splashes correctly. The cab roof also needed some filling. I could only find two buffers in the kit (I probably lost them!), so I’ve used some 3D printed ones from the spares box for now, but will look for something better at the Stevenage show this weekend. For the motor I used a small Mashima with a High Level gearbox which went together very nicely. I found the chassis stalled on my insulfrog diamond crossing even at full speed, so added a flywheel and I’ve now added tender pick ups using the excellent DCC concepts wipers as a belt and braces approach. I’ll now give it a good run in before DCC chipping and painting.

Thanks Robert, I realise that the ex-WR twin was not in the fire, so I’ve modelled that one. I believe that after the fire a different twin FO was used for a bit, and it wasn’t regularly A Thompson FO until after the train became Mark 1 at the back (although you’re missing the critical years in your carriage working database so I can’t be sure). In any event, I’ve seen photos of Thompson FOs standing in earlier than that, so I feel I can get away with it. Running with apple green 60117 as in the video is pre-fire anyway as she was painted blue and named in July 1950. I also run the train with blue 60118 and green 60156, but in the latter case I substitute out the teak liveried BSK at the end (and will substitute the teak Gresleys when I can build some). I have built a twin FO, but that’s in Maroon and runs in my 1958 Talisman. I can’t face another Mailcoach kit just yet! I stand corrected on end door. Vestibule will be wiped from my vocabulary! And

I agree that new code 100 points, even settrack, are much better than old ones. I certainly won’t be laying any more, but ripping them all up at this stage would be a lot of work. I’m close to eliminating them on one circuit, so at that stage, I might try again with some bogie wheels, and route restrict such locos to the ‘up’. But, the price of two sets of bogie wheels = one DCC chip...and I know which I’d prefer!!!

Tony, I've tried Markits bogie wheels on some of my RTR pacifics, but, as previously discussed on here I find the difference quite subtle and not really worth the cost, plus I have had some issues with the Markits wheels derailing over some of my less good quality pointwork (I use some older Peco points in the fiddle yard with the 'universal' frog). It does have the curly '6' and '9' (from the Ian Wilson smokebox door sheet). The boiler on 60119 has the dreaded DCC decoder, so not much room for weight - entirely my own fault you're no doubt thinking! I got 60119 from a trader at the Uckfield show in 2017. It was £100 reduced to £80 when I pointed out that it didn't work. As it was generally quite tidy, I thought that was a fair to good price, but I have had to buy a motor/ gearbox and two drivers (to replace the flangeless centre drivers) for it. The cylinder drain cocks are plastic RTR ones to avoid a short, while I haven't much idea about eccentric rods I'm afraid. I may bring it to Stevenage next weekend for you to point out what I need to do if that's OK? Regards Andy

Andrew, That looks superb. I have a pair of Mousa sides in the to do pile, and I think they’ve just moved up the priority list! Regards Andy