thegreenhowards

I’ve tried the double layer of strip above the triangular section and I think it works better. On the left is the original attempt with one 3x2.5 strip. …and on the right, the double strip. Comments welcome. Andy

Thanks Rob, The signal box will clearly need a repaint. It seems to have a strange beige coloured timber on the left corner in your photo. Do you think that was a recent replacement? If so, I’ll have to work out when it happened! The station, as you say, is more or less OK. Although, I wonder if the green for the framing should be darker - like in the signal box. Andy

Do you think it would be better if I put two strips of the 3x2.5 above the triangular section so making a 5mm flat section at the top and pushing the triangle down by 2.5mm?

I agree Andy. Unfortunately I could only get 90/45/45 or equilateral triangular section whereas I’d really like 90/60/30 triangles to give a shallower angle. I could have gone for a bigger triangle (3 or 4mm sides rather than 2) but that would push the platform edge out a long way and I still don’t think it would be right.

With regard to the platform you were all too polite to say that my previous attempt was rubbish! But, I knew in my heart if hearts that it wouldn’t do, so I went for plan B. This involved using micro strip to make the shape under the platform edge. I used triangular 90 degree isosceles triangular section and some 3mmx2.5mm strip to make the edge. i started with the 3mmx2.5mm strip along the top and then inserted the triangular section below. It still needs th3 capping stones. I’m now much happier with it. Comments welcome. Andy

Ok. Here are the photos. The body is held on with an 8 BA bolt and a self tapping screw - perhaps from the Bachmann Pannier? It was a very tight fit and I had to file a fair bit of metal off the inside of the firebox and cut away some of the bottom of the boiler. Then I used black insulating tape to ensure no shorts. There was no space for a decoder, so I put that in the tender. I think the tender still uses the K’s wheels but I had to replace the securing method with a brass strip. Not the neatest job, but it runs very smoothly and was dead cheap when I did it. £25 for the Pannier off eBay and sold the body on for £10. Of course the purists will complain that the wheel diameter is 1mm too small. I can live with that! If you need any more photos, let me know. Andy

Hi Bill, Many thanks for your photos. I now realise I should have specified the earlier colour scheme for the signal box. Looks like it will need a repaint eventually. It won’t be a priority at this stage though. Did the Gaelic nameboard on the signal box come in with the repaint or was it always there? I haven’t tackled the waiting shelter yet, but I have an Alphagrafix kit which is close, so will probably use that initially. I have found a photo of the top of the water tank captured as a still from the BBC 1983 video suggested by @mallaig1983. It shows that it was open on the top. A clearer photo would be welcome if anyone has one. Thanks for the tips on the platform coping. I have made some progress - more later today hopefully. Andy

I’ve gone down the Bachmann pannier route. I’m away until tomorrow evening but could take mine apart for a photo if that would help when I get home.

Be careful when shopping for the second half as the two x four car sets aren’t the same. One was originally a composite with 1st, 2nd and 3rd class. This was declassified by the ‘50s but the compartment spacing was still different.

I have a full length quad art built from the Kirk kits. It was the first kit I built after coming back into the hobby c.10 years ago., so is a little ropey! I didn't realise that it needed handrails on the doors and other detailing stuff - I just followed the instructions. The underframe instructions were along the lines of 'this should really have truss rods which you can build from the wire included or we include angle iron for an easier option'. I did the truss rods. Here is a photo of my set on Gresley Jn. ...and a link to a video of it in action. The kit is no longer available, and I have been keeping an eye out on eBay for a reasonably priced second set, but they all seem to go quite serious money. As I'm now mainly modelling in O gauge, I've gone for an O gauge example instead. Six of the eight carriages are now built - here are the first four.

Surely once painted, the resin is well protected from UV light?

I’m making progress with the baseboards and track laying. I’ve now got the three main boards painted in primer/ undercoat/ top coat to protect them and I’m starting laying things out. This is the board for the west end of the platforms. The ESB is cut the the track plan and I’m laying self adhesive closed cell foam as underlay. I’m planning to glue the track down and ballast in one go, so I need the platforms in first. This shows the side bits in place glued with PVA and temporarily held by the offcuts of wood from when I cut the track bed. They are made from 5mm foam board. And now with a platform surface, also from the foam board. The land rises behind the platform and I will build that on top of the foam board which is a nice light but firm base. I’ve tried to cut an angle into the top surface of the foam board to make the cornice under the platform. It’s a bit rough but hopefully will create an impression. If anyone has a better idea of how to create it then please shout. My plan now is to put coping stones on made from 2mm plasticard. Then the sides and coping stones will be painted in a concrete paint and fine brown ballast used behind for the platform surface.. The important question is how big should the coping stones be? Based on the photos above, I’m thinking 4ftx2ftx4”. Does that sound reasonable? Andy

Evening Tony, It’s 64140. I changed it from my original version about 5 years ago. I think this was one of the last in service and I seem to remember there were constraints around the tender as well. Regards Andy

My own K’s J3 is one of the very few locomotives which I built as a teenager which are still in use today, 40 years on. I never did get the K’s mechanism to work satisfactorily, but I have more recently put her on a Bachmann Pannier chassis which is the correct wheelbase and has wheels which are only marginally too small. She now runs like a dream. Here she is on our club exhibition layout, Oakbourne, at the Beckenham show on Saturday (https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/148179-oakbourne/?do=findComment&comment=4958568). I’ve no idea whether she should be called a J3.5, but she looks the biz to me. Andy

We had an excellent day out at the Beckenham &West Wickham exhibition today. The day shot by and I didn’t have much time for photos, but I did manage a couple and took some video which I’ll edit later. Here are the photos I took. First the new lighting rig which definitely improved things - both from a lighting point of view and by making the layout look more professional (IMHO). Here are a couple from the running today. Firstly the J3 on the brick train. Then the L1 on a passenger (twice) BRCW type 2 shunting parcels and finally the J6 on the oil train.

I use Peco point packaging. It’s clear, quite stiff and freely available.

I’ll also be exhibiting at Beckenham on our club’s 00 layout, Oakbourne. If any of you are going, do pop over and say hello. Andy

That makes sense. Probably Highfield Models as in this post. I have a couple of their vehicles already. A NE milk van and an LNER bread van - both bought second hand. They are a little basic by today’s standards but IMHO make very respectable layout coaches.

Bill, I assume this is the vehicle coming my way? It looks rather good in the photos - certainly worth spending some time on. I agree with Jon’s verdict of a D.174 NER BCK. The Longworth book gives the running numbers which survived into BR days including numbers either side of 2388 (2341 and 2406), so is it possible that this is the correct number post the LNER renumbering? Now, the important question; given the identity, can anyone opine on what this would have been used on in LNER days? (Assuming this is the vehicle you promised me), I’d like to run it with my rake of ex GER Holden 50’ vestibuled stock (as below), two of which I also acquired from Bill as this rake needs another brake. Is this in any way credible? Andy

Despite all the gloom about shows, GETS announced on Sunday afternoon that it was their best attended show ever, so not all shows are in retreat.

Hi David, I’ve just found your thread and read it through from the beginning. Your photos are amongst the most realistic I have ever seen. Truly stunning. If I get half as good on Glenfinnan I will be very pleased. Andy

I went to GETS on Sunday. I thought there were some good layouts there. Allerby (modern image O gauge) was right up my street and Sydney Gardens and Bradford on Tome were great examples of roundy roundy watch the trains go by layouts which I really enjoyed. There were so many good layouts there that I ran out of time. I wasn't expecting to buy much - these magazine run shows never have many interesting traders and the one thing I wanted - some plastic putty - seemed to be unavailable. But I did buy (Tony avert your gaze) a DCC sound chip. Andy

Just a reminder to anyone following this thread that the layout will be at the Beckenham and West Wickham MRC show this coming Saturday (15th October). Do come and say hello if you're at the exhibition. I hope to post some photos of the show next week.

As mentioned above the other goodie from my postie was a pair of Interfrigo vans. The aim is to be able to recreate this service. This was a trial to restart the Mallaig fish traffic with a service to Grimsby which ran on the back of a passenger train to Fort William. It’s right at the end of my timeframe in 1987 but seems like too interesting a train to miss. The kits are from Skog who advertise on Facebook. They are 3D printed and come like this. As normal with 3D printed kits they have lots of printing lines on the flat sides. I’m slowly winning with filler and Halfords filler primer, but I think I need one more go. Other than that the kit goes together very nicely. I think it’s a bit too reliant on 3D printing and I’m not sure the fine detail will last, but I’ll see how it goes. I am struggling with the decals. Steadfast Models are producing a set for me and the mock up looks good. However, there is one part we’re stuck on which is the Red Cross on the right hand door as seen in the photos on this link (kindly restored for me by @Kylestrome). I can’t find any pictures on which I can read the text beneath the red cross. Does anyone know what it might read?

Sadly he also brings the bills!