MikeOxon

I've now built my second GWR 3-planker from a David Geen kit. This time, I made a floor from 10 thou brass sheet, which acted as a template to keep the body panels square. It certainly solved the problem of trying to align several lumps of white metal in my far-from-steady hands! My method, when working with brass sheet, is to print a scale drawing of the part onto paper and then stick the paper to the brass using a glue-stick. For the wagon floor, I simply used a guillotine to cut out the rectangular shape but this method comes into its own for complex shapes, such as curved frames, when one simply has to follow the lines on the paper template with appropriate cutting tools. Afterwards, the paper is easily removed by soaking in hot water. Now, I could assemble the sides and ends, using the floor as set-square and template. The sides have steps at the top of the solebars, on the inside, which provide secure mountings. At the ends, I provided a folded tab, which similarly provided a secure fixing. It was now very simple to align one side and one end - unlike when these parts were 'floating' freely. The additional sides were then added and fixed to the floor-plate. In fact, the castings all fitted very well and simply needed the floor as a jig to assist their assembly. This time, I ignored the advice in the instruction sheet and waited to attach the axle guards until after the main structure was complete. This showed up an asymmetry in the castings since, when the guards were centred over the bump stops on one side, those on the opposite side were noticeably displaced, when the axles were lined up correctly. I fitted the guards on one side first and then trued up the axles before gluing those on the opposite side. The detail on the castings is very good indeed and once I had found a way of truing up the assembly, I think this makes a very attractive early wagon. I am very grateful for all the suggestions that were made on my previous posts and would like to ask one more question. Am I correct to assume that the V-hanger should be removed from the side opposite the brake gear? I guess that there was no shaft across the wagon but that the one-side brake was supported by a single V-hanger and the vertical rod inside the brake rods. Now for another pause. I read, on another thread, about air brushes and, as a result, have bought an AS186 kit to have a go! It may take some time for me to get the hang of it and, definitely, some time before I have anything fit to post! Mike

I do like those early coaches and the way you've used mahogany veneer for the running boards. I'm even more impressed by the lining on the coaches you show on the link above. I know how difficult it is to get an even line with a bow pen! Mike

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think my own clumsiness was the main reason for mis-alignment, as the cast w-irons are actually separate from the side castings. The instructions suggested fitting them first, which I did, but it would be better to leave them until later, so that they can be aligned correctly. I'm going to try my brass floor idea first and may also try the MJT etchings. I enjoy problem-solving Mike

Thanks for those thoughts, Poggy1165. Iain Rice's book on building etched brass kits has been a constant source of inspiration and I do like his definition of a 'kit' including "the kit designer must describe how the kit is to be built, and he should have addressed and solved all the problems encountered in building the model at the design stage". Fortunately, I quite enjoy 'problem-solving' I agree that superglue sometimes gets a bad press but is great, when used correctly. I'm also testing Bostik 'Serious Glue', which seems quite promising.

Photographs can be very cruel! Looking at the photo of the handbrake ratchet in my previous entry, all I see is the huge tab, which I have not filed smoothly. It's invisible in practice but not on the photo! It's a real test, to subject modelling to this type of scrutiny. My favourite weapons for removing those pips, as well as flash on white metal, are emery nail boards from the pharmacy. They're cheap and disposable, and don't get ruined by white metal, so saving my precious needle files. It was very pleasant to read the favourable comments on my N6 horsebox. Yes, it was a bit challenging at times but the sort of challenge that results in a real sense of achievement and of having learned something. Since building that kit, I have been thinking about other additions to my vehicle fleet, to replace several RCH wagons with something more characterful. I saw some three-plankers with rounded ends on Mikkel's blog. I rather liked the look of these and thought that, after the N6, they should be pretty simple ..... shouldn't they? Well, most entries on this site seem to show how wonderfully people have overcome difficulties and produced beautiful models but that is not the case here. I've been making rather a mess of things but hope that it will all prove to be part of a learning curve. The David Geen kit for the GWR three-planker contains some very nicely moulded and detailed (on both sides) castings for the sides and ends of the wagon, plus a few other small castings and a piece of planked plasticard, which I assume is intended as the floor (though not cut to size). Kit components The kit includes plenty of information about the prototypes but very little by way of building instructions, apart from a recommendation to use low-melt solder or epoxy but, preferably, not superglue. I soon found that there are no location pips or raised edges, to assist with location of the parts, either horizontally or vertically, The ends of the sides are simply mitred at about 45 degrees. Also, because of the curved tops to the ends, and the V-hangers below the solebars, I couldn't set up the parts upon a flat surface! I could not think of an easy way to jig it up for soldering, or to hold it firmly while epoxy hardened, so I decided to try superglue (against recommendations). Actually, I quite like superglue and find it effective, with the proviso that parts must be close-fitting and free of surface contamination (including any residual mould-release agent.) These parts weren't like that and there was a distinct taper at the ends (which I think I can see on Mikkel's model also). So, a bit of gentle work with the nail boards provided bright, matching surfaces that seemed to fit together pretty well. I decided to hand-hold one side and one end at right-angles (by eye) and then tack them together with superglue, then count to fifty as it hardened. Good! Next the other pair and now to put the two bits together, to make the rectangular plan of the wagon. I held the pieces in a pair of ratchet clamps but then realised that the side pressure from the clamps forced the mitred joints to push the ends apart! As the photo below shows, the thing looked far out of square and, in trying to sort this out, my tacked joints failed ... 'bother' ( actually, I used a word with different letters after the 'b') Oh well, clean up and try again with the delicate balancing act. Use of ratchet clamps By now, I had decided to use this wagon as an experiment, to discover better ways of building the next one. I cut the plasticard to size for the floor, fitted the rather horrible mis-shapen buffers, which didn't fit the holes in the buffer beams, and carried on with the rest of the assembly. When I slotted some wheels into their bearings, it was clear that things were very out of true - the axles were far from perpendicular to the axis of the wagon. Mis-aligned axles Right, I've now paused for reflection. I find that problems like this find some recess in the back of my mind and churn away there. A potential solution then pops out at an inopportune moment - for example, at 3am, when I am trying to sleep. In this case, the idea was to cut out a rectangle of brass sheet, to form a rigid floor / chassis, with fold-down tabs to support the ends. I could mount the sides onto this chassis and run a fillet of epoxy under the floor, to make everything secure. Then I could prepare the sides to receive the two ends, making sure that everything was square against my brass template. I'll stop at this cliff-hanger, in case better ideas pop out in the next day or two, but I think (hope) I'm on the way to a successful model. I must find some nice buffers, too!

Well, there's probably something in that I'd built loads of plastic and white metal stuff and actually found the precision of the brass etches a welcome change. And I certainly learned a lot about undergear! Now that I'm retired,I enjoy a bit of a challenge.

Thanks for the comment, I enjoy scratch building / modding, so it's nice to move away from the RTR coverage and make something different! I've just moved a second post from its original place in the Pre-Grouping forum, so you've not had long to wait! Mike

NB There is a newer version of this post at : In my OP in this Blog, I referred to the need for plenty of horses and the facilities to support them. As part of "Turning Back the Clock", I decided that an essential railway vehicle would be the Horse Box, so I chose to build the Wizard Models/51L etched brass kit of the GWR diagram N6 box. I felt that the N6 was a suitable design for a beginner in etched-brass construction, as the prototypes, dating from 1890, were of a particularly simple, straight-sided construction, albeit with quite a lot of panelling on the sides and ends. The panelling is, of course, taken care of by the etching process but this model did not need any 'tumble home' to be formed, so everything looked pretty straightforward. I decided to start with the chassis and puzzled for some time over which was the ‘groom’s end’, when looking at the chassis parts. I eventually realised that the fold-out steps on the solebars are the key to this, though not mentioned in the instructions. Next, I realised how little I knew about brake gear, so had to give myself a crash course on 'safety loops' and the like. safety loops in place! I struggled for some time to understand how to bend the handbrake lever stirrup and realised (too late) that it is necessary to fit this before fitting the pivoted axleguard assembly, as it is then impossible to solder the tab on the inside of the chassis, without removing the axleguard assembly again! Once the chassis was complete, I built the body as a separate item. this proved straightforward and the detailed overlays fitted easily over the inner body shell. I had some difficulty in persuading the roof to sit flush to the ends, near the centreline of the body, so I soldered a pair of small right-angle brackets inside the body, to hold the centre of the roof in place – easy to do with the body and chassis assembled separately. I added the various white metal fittings and found that the spring and axle box assemblies tended to foul the rocking compensation of one axle. A fair bit of filing down was needed to keep everything working! Eventually, however, I had an attractive model to play its part in generating the 'feel' of the of the earlier period I am trying to represent. still awaiting lettering and grab rails That's one more small step on the road back to the 19th century. Mike

This blog aims to follow the conversion of my existing layout to an earlier time-frame. I hope that others will find it of interest and helpful, if they are also considering the Pre-Grouping era. By way of background: I built a small layout about 30 years ago for my then-young son. It was based on old Hornby-Dublo (2-rail) track and I added an 009 narrow-gauge section for additional interest. More recently, I had another look at this old layout and thought it would be suitable for running the small locomotives and vehicles that were characteristic of the late 19th-century. So, I began to think about what was necessary to "turn back the clock". I already had a few potentially suitable coaches, in the form of a rake of Ratio GWR 4-wheelers and a few locomotives that could be modified or used as they were. One of these was an old K's kit of the TVR 'S'-class Dock Tank, which I had never got to run smoothly. After stripping down the chassis and paying careful attention to the alignment of the wheels and coupling rods, I managed to transform it into a very sweet-running little engine. It seems that advancing age does bring advantages of care and patience when building models! The prototype of this locomotive was built by Hudswell Clark, around 1876, as one of their standard contractors' locomotives. I intend to use it for shunting on the exchange sidings with the 009 narrow gauge railway. I also had a Hornby 57XX pannier tank - an early rather crude model - onto which I fitted a Wills 1854 saddle tank body. Repainted with Indian red frames, this is a very purposeful-looking engine, with excellent hauling powers, in view of its substantial weight. Next, I had a K's 14XX autotank, originally intended to operate with an auto-traiIer. Like the Dock Tank it had never run well but it too responded to careful re-alignment of the chassis. I decided to try a simple conversion to a '517'-class, bearing in mind the variability of this class. I wanted one with inside bearings on the trailing wheels but keeping the Belpaire firebox of the original K's kit. Eventually, I found a photo of no.835, in Russell's 'Locomotives of the GWR', that seemed to fit the bill, so I based my model around that engine. The most difficult part of the conversion was cutting away the front toolboxes, which were cast integrally with the front splashers. After that, I cut away the cab and built a replacement out of plasticard, while retaining part of the original sides. I removed the (dummy) outside bearings and painted the wheels and underframe Indian red. I decided I would like to try to convert a Mainline Dean Goods into a 'Stella'-class 2-4-0, to head a train of the Ratio 4-wheelers. This proved fairly simple, provided one can accept the incorrect driving-wheel spacing (I'm not a hi-fi modeller .... yet!) I described the conversion in an article in the Railway Modeller, April 2013. That has provided me with a useful range of 19th-century locomotives, so I next have to consider all the other changes that are needed to revert to an earlier time-frame. I have thought of a few subjects, which I will tackle in future posts. 1. Liveries - often much more elaborate than later styles. Even on the GWR, which had more continuity than other railways, there were many differences between pre- and post-Grouping styles. The shade of green on the engines changes, coach ends were brown, rather than black, different lining and crests on engines and tenders, and so on. (not to mention the crimson lake period, up to the Grouping.). Also, there is the issue of red wagons, discussed elsewhere in these forums. 2. Road transport - all those buses and lorries have to go! Plenty of horses are needed and suitable carts at the station. Then the facilities to support them - farriers, stables, etc. 3. Lighting - no electricity! Oil lamps or gas in the more sophisticated places. No yellow arms or lights for distant signals and, before 1895, no green lights either - white for 'all clear'. 4. Details - differently-shaped milk churns, different dress-styles for passengers. There must be loads of details that I've not thought of yet - I can see a lifetime's work ahead! Mike

Circus Belli is in town. There is a (translated) catalogue of events in Plattling at http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dplattling%2Bgermany%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D441&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=de&u=http://www.plattling.de/iframe.asp%3Fnaviid%3D%257B9B900E76-ECA5-4DF6-BFC2-F3F2A0D25A4C%257D&usg=ALkJrhhiHmUig7J0ZDc6BXte7lK_NU4Rdw

Very hot in Plattling today - 37C. The shunters seem to have been laid up all weekend.

From the catalogue description, it seems that AHM simply used standard N-gauge track. Why not measure the rail depth? The 'code' is just the height of the rail section in thou.

see http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/2453980431_d5120b57b4_o.jpg for a photo from AHM Mini Trains catalogue. The crossing was part no. 2111 There's more background info. at http://tycotrain.tripod.com/ahmhoscaletrainscollectorsresource/id22.html Mike

Splendid model and accompanying story! I think your fly is what we call the Marmalade Fly in England (Episyrphus balteatus). You probably know the photo of cattle wagons at Leamington in 1904 livery : http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrls237c.htm They are not the outside-framed type but the layout of the end lettering looks the same as in the Bath photo. The lime is a lot more prominent than on your model; remember, they did things differently from in the 21st century!

I look forward to reading more! I intend to build some 19th-century stock myself, so will be interested to read any details of how you approached the scratch-built carriages - outside framing, etc. (just noticed you have a link to another article- must read) Photographs can be very cruel (though also usefully revealing!) I have a GWR Dean tender with coal rails, which looks fine in reality but photos show up the bends in the rails! Careful work with tweezers can straighten them up. I'm fairly new to this site and have been considering whether to start a blog myself. It does seem to have the advantage that you can maintain a continuous thread on a single subject. Mike

Drysllwyn Castle at Didcot c.1990

In my original comment, I didn't intend to imply a direct logical connection but just to indicate that applying colour to underframes should not be ruled out. 19th century railways often used colours in ways that seem surprising to us (e.g. Stroudley's improved engine green) I do like your idea of Churchward asserting his new aesthetic and he did get rid of a lot of previous 'fussy' colour schemes - including even the 'hallowed' chocolate and cream! Mike

See http://www.getreadin...cleaner-5168672 for a description of the official opening. They will support the electrification of the Western main line. I f you don't know it, there is a real travellers guide from 1839, available as a free download from http://archive.org/details/greatwesternchel00wyld

A couple of thoughts - if locos and their wheels were (Indian) red, it seems reasonable to expect wagons to have red undergear as well. - the red oxide may well have degraded in service and prompted a change to grey, since older wagons probably were heading that way, anyway.