MikeOxon

Hi Heather. First of all, you are posting in the wrong place! Since you mention L&Y, I think you are thinking of older vehicles - "pre-grouping", which is pre 1923. Also, before anyone can give sensible answers, you need to say what scale of models you are looking for: 0-gaige (7mm), 00 (4mm), N (2mm), or whatever. You seem to have specific types in mind "brass and plastic", coarse (?) steel wheels and so on. Try posting in "Modelling Questions, Help and Tips" or, perhaps, the Pre-Grouping area of the Forums, and provide more detailed info. and someone may be able to help.

I agree about mock-ups. You can sort out sight-lines and all those interesting 'vignettes' that can make a model so much more interesting. I like to poke a small camera in, at track level, to check the various viewpoints.

Yes, she was a stylish lady, if a little staid in comparison with young Blanche. A pity she didn't add the date, though. Mike

While I am generally quite a fan of superglue, I avoid it for glazing since, in my experience, it always makes the 'window' go cloudy. I think we all have favourite details that we like to add and get great satisfaction from doing so Mike

It was a remarkable day, Mikkel, not least for the glorious sunshine in February. I was a little suspicious that things were not quite normal, when No.184 appeared with a train of 6-wheelers on the OW&W main line My mobile phone stopped working, too. Mike ps as a reality check, I had to remove some cars from the photo, to make the painting of Wilcote Manor!

Thanks dseagull - yes, it's especially good when something unexpected turns up. Mike

Thanks Snitzl. It's good to know that Mikkel's giant lamps didn't cook the pigeons after all! Mike

When I decided to base my layout around the never-built line to Witney through North Leigh, it was simply a whim, derived from a map shown on Martin Loader's website about the Fairford branch. As I have got 'drawn in' to the scenario, I have begun to learn more about the area and have found, to my surprise, that some of my 'fiction' is closer to the truth than I thought. My layout incorporates several 'features', including a quarry, saw-mill, and.lime kilns. From studying maps, I knew that all these items were present in the area so, as a break from too much time bent over a workbench, I decided to make a 'field trip' to carry out some prototype research. An initial web search revealed that the remains of a limekiln still exist at the village of Fawler, close to the OW&W main line. The kiln is now a grade II listed building, described at http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-252462-lime-kiln-at-sp-3688-1730-fawler-oxfords On my visit, I chose the wrong route to approach and, after fighting through dense brushwood, found myself on top of the kiln. I scrambled down the slope for a view of the face and also noticed that there seemed to be an old trackbed at the foot of the slope, running alongside the River Evenlode. Further on, I found much more evidence of old workings, including quarry faces and loading bays! When I got back home, I looked up some old OS maps of the area and found, to my complete surprise, that there had been a branch line to the quarries and kiln, off the OW&W main line! With the exception that my model is narrow gauge, it seemed as though my 'fiction' was turning into reality. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, I continued my exploration of the area and took a photo of the view across the valley below North Leigh, where the railway would have run towards Witney, before meeting the high ground around New Yatt, where my layout provides a tunnel. In North Leigh itself are the remains of a Windmill, which I shall try to include in my back-scene. There is also a preserved sawmill in the area that can be visited - see http://www.combemill.org/ Finally, I drove across the valley to Wilcote, where the Manor still stands. To avoid intruding on the privacy of the present owners, I shall show one of Amy's paintings. Nothing much seems to have changed since the 19th century! A very useful and inspiring day's research, which encourages me to spend more time on detailing of the layout itself. I still have my Andrew Stadden figures of the Wilcote family to paint, as well - perhaps Amy and Blanche will soon have their new dresses 🙂 Mike

You have excelled yourself, Mikkel. The story telling is brilliant and we should remember that you are writing in a foreign language! It all flows so naturally that it is easy to overlook the beautiful scene-setting in your modelling. I can imagine you had some 'fun' persuading those pigeons to sit in realistic attitudes around your model. Lots of delightful details. It was also interesting to see the depot in the 'round', though you should be be careful not to cook anything with those lights being so close. On the other hand, pigeon pie might be very welcome by the staff Mike ps perhaps I should send a case of local Oxon wine to Vladimir Putin. pps have you ever tasted Russian wine?

First bit of layout work will be to tackle the painting of the station building. After some reading on this website, I now know that white window frames and light/dark stone doors are wrong for my 19thC period. Brown is apparently the colour I should use. After that, I have one or two ideas for 'features' of the Victorian landscape - there's a 'teaser' for you

Thank you, Buffalo. I keep feeling that the green looks 'wrong', being used to Brunswick. I have some malachite ornaments and the shade is very similar to the darker veins in those. I believe 'Victorian Green' was a malachite shade, so it is plausible. I plan to build an early-style tender, when I've got my breath back. Mike

Thanks Mikkel. I think it was the thought of setting up a scene like that last one that kept me going at times. (It's a 'straight' shot by the way - the backscene is genuine) It's the first time I've 'blogged' a build like this in 'real time', so the thought that others were looking over my shoulder also drove me on. It was discovering part 3 (Absorbed Engines) of the RCTS books on GWR engines that opened my eyes to the early standard gauge engines - so different from the normal GWR image. So what's it to be for Farthing? A nice 'Sir Daniel' perhaps? Mike

Thank you James. Yes, I'm pleased, though I'm acutely aware that my modelling is very basic, compared with some of the real engineering to be seen on this site. I do like to try and capture the 'character' of the prototype and this model has plenty of that. There's still a tender though.....

Many thaks for the kind remarks. I'm pleased you appreciated this entry Snitzl. As I said, there's a lot of detailing still to be done but I was impatient to show the 'story so far'. To be honest, I find the detailing work rather tedious and don't feel in the right mood just at present, so I shall do some more relaxing scenery for while. I can only spend so long peering through a magnifier I forgot to mention that the spectacles on the cab front are from a 'Mainly Trains' etch and the handrail knobs came from a sprue that originally belonged, I think, to an old K's kit. Mike

I've read that some people like blog posts to be fairly substantial, so I'll include a resumé, in this post, of the story so far, before showing photos of my model of GWR No. 184. There are more details in the earlier posts in this series. Background I chose this prototype since it was one of the first standard-gauge engines to run on the GWR, following the absorption of the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway (otherwise known as the 'Old Worse and Worse'). No.184 was one of six engines built by E.B.Wilson in 1853 and this particular engine survived almost until the end of the 19th century, appearing in several photographs that document its re-builds at Wolverhampton Works in 1871 and 1893 It is also the subject of a sketch by C M Doncaster, which shows it at the head of a train of 6-wheelers approaching Reading Station. I decided that I would like to emulate this scene on my model railway. Method of Construction The first step was to create some drawings of the engine from a mixture of both photographs and drawings of similar engine types. I used these drawings to construct paper templates, so that I could check clearances, etc. for an 00-gauge model. I then cut out the major components from brass sheet and rolled the boiler by hand. The following photographs illustrate the major stages in the construction, together with dates at which each stage was achieved. Because I was working mainly from paper templates, I made very few dimensioned drawings and fitted together the various parts by 'trial and error'. I often cut out a part from paper, initially, and then, after trimming the paper to provide a close fit, I replicated the component in brass. The major components of the engine body fitted together as shown below. Although I was concerned, in the early stages, that the structure felt rather weak, it all became pretty rigid, once the various sheets were soldered together. I was pleased to find that very little filler was needed, since the boiler and firebox fitted closely around the wheel arches. I used some book-binders' glue (which appears to be a tough form of PVA), to fill any remaining gaps. This proved very effective in providing a resilient seal, rather like bath caulk. Chassis I built the chassis from a pair of brass strips, soldered together while drilling the holes for the axles and frame spacers. For more details,see part 6 of this series. Initially, the model will be powered by its tender but I have made sure that there is sufficient space for a motor to be fitted inside the boiler. To achieve this space, I cut away the lower half of the boiler, where it is hidden behind the splashers and the firebox. Top and underside views of the body are shown below: Detailing I made boiler bands from 5 thou brass sheet, cut into strips and stuck onto the boiler barrel using super glue. I also added rivet detail to the outside frames by using the brass detailing strips supplied by 'Mainly Trains'. These were also fixed with super glue. I made sandboxes from small wooden blocks, wrapped in 2 thou brass foil, with a separate brass 'lid'. The springs are white metal, mounted above the footplate on nickel-silver wire uprights. Handrails are, similarly, nickel-silver wire (0.5mm). Outside cranks and coupling rods are from 'Alan Gibson'. Since the main dimensions and appearance of the prototype changed very little throughout its re-builds, I keep in mind the possibility of back-dating my model to an earlier time period. I found that 'RT models' supply 4mm scale brass dome and safety valve cover in the E.B.Wilson style but, for the present, I have installed an 'Alan Gibson' '517-type' brass dome. Painting I decided to paint my model in a representation of GWR 'Wolverhampton 'livery, which I understand to have been based on the former OW&W livery. The Wolverhampton style of painting differed from Swindon, in that all items above the footplate, including splasher fronts and sand-boxes, were the same colour as the boiler, while the frames below the footplate and the wheels were brown. My first step in painting, after a thorough clean-up of all the brass-work, was to apply an overall spray of grey primer. Then, for the boiler colour, I chose to use 'Rustoleum Painter's Touch' dark green enamel, which looked a reasonable match to descriptions of the 'blue-green' colour used at Wolverhampton This is a water-soluble paint,with a rather 'plastic' feel that dries to a 'wet look' finish. I found that it brushed more smoothly when thinned with a little water I am fortunate to have inherited some 'Winsor & Newton' series 3A sable brushes, which have superb paint-holding capacity and super-fine tips. They really make hand painting a pleasure! I think the finish will need some matt varnish in due course, since even 19th-century cleaners would find it had to maintain such a gloss! For the brown frames and wheels, I used 'Winsor & Newton' Burnt Sienna artists' acrylic colour. Again, I thinned the paint from the tube, to produce a smooth brushing consistency with excellent covering power. If any of the 'painting gurus' on this site happen to read this, I should be interested to know why artists' acrylic is rarely mentioned for model painting, since I found it very pleasant to use. For the black areas (footplate, smokebox, etc.), I used Humbrol black acrylic, which I find dries to a good-looking 'oily' sheen. Lining and Lettering . I prepared artwork for the lining and number plate by the methods I have described previously in this blog. Wolverhampton lining was black and white, so I used white inkjet transfer paper. My copy of 'Great Western Way' (1st.ed.) gives few details, except to state that the white edges of the lining were broader than the equivalent orange edging used at Swindon. Another factor to take into account is that the printed black centre lines tend to spread slightly into the unpainted white edges. I made a few test prints to determine appropriate widths that seemed to match the visual impression seen in old photographs. I scanned one side of the model to provide 'actual size' templates of the cab sides and sand boxes, on which I 'drew' the lining on the computer screen, as shown below: For the brass fillet between the boiler and smokebox, I cut a sliver of 1 thou brass shim and attached it to the boiler with PVA glue. Cutting this very thin material produced a natural curl, which I exploited to help hold it firmly against the boiler. The 'Current' Model I cannot describe the model as 'finished', since there are still many additions and improvements that I wish to make, but it has reached the stage where photographs can give a reasonable impression of what I have been trying to achieve. My model of GWR No.184 attached to 2500 gal Dean tender (powered) As I mentioned above, the model is not yet 'self-powered' but can be 'driven' by means of the 2500 gal Dean tender that I described in a previous post. When seen in isolation, it's not easy to appreciate its small size and rather 'antique' feel, so I have taken a couple of photos to set it in context. One of my aims, at the outset of this project, was to represent the scene drawn by C M Doncaster. Here is my interpretation, built around some of the models I have built of GWR 6-wheel coaches: and here it is alongside Armstrong's 'Queen' class express 2-2-2, the first of which was designed 20 years after No.184 was built: GWR No.184 alongside 'Queen' class at North Leigh Conclusion This was the third model that I have completely 'scratch-built' from brass sheet; the others were the 'Queen'-class 2-2-2 and my interpretation of Dean's 4-2-4T, No.9. It proved a trickier build than the others, mainly because of the 4-coupled chassis but, also, the raised firebox and the need to leave space inside the structure to add a motor at a later date. My 'Queen' was only ever intended to be tender-powered, while the 4-2-4T is powered by a 'Tenshodo' SPUD in the rear bogie. Construction took longer than I expected because of many non modelling-related interruptions and I was beginning to get a little impatient towards the end. There are quite a few mistakes that could be corrected in a re-build, especially the shape of the top of the firebox. I've decided, however, to set engine building on one side, for a while, so that I can concentrate on some scenic work, which is badly needed on my layout, if it is ever to represent the sort of 19th-century scene that I have in mind. If anyone else feels moved to have a go at scratch-building a 19th-century type of locomotive, I would recommend starting with a 2-2-2, since these are very straightforward, with none of the alignment problems associated with coupled engines. I feel that, if you can build a wagon, then a 2-2-2 engine is not that different! Also, I have found that brass sheet is an easy material to use – in some ways easier than plastic card, because it can be folded and rolled into curved shapes. Once you've cut your teeth on a simple prototype, you can follow whatever course catches your imagination. I also realise how much I have learned, and absorbed, from various books, and should mention, in particular, Iain Rice's “Etched Loco Construction”, which helped me over many hurdles. Mike

The rather 'solid' sides of the Hawksworth underframe do a lot to conceal the 'works' of tender drive. I find motorised tenders are very useful, especially when fitted with computer-style plugs, as they can be swapped around between different (unpowered) locomotives. I think you have made a very neat installation. Mike

Forgot to say that I think your photography has improved out of all recognition since the 'early days'. Nice to see it doing justice to your creation!

Splendid views, with loads of 'atmosphere'. N-gauge really comes in to its own with these long rakes of wagons - may your addiction continue! On my tiny 00 layout, three coaches is a lot Mike ps I do hope that Billy isn't selling 'small packets' these days

I've found that the 'Brassmasters' Cleminson chassis works well under 6-wheel coaches (the chassis is suitable for 00, EM, or P4) Mike

I've just downloaded Studio v.3.3.451 (1/22/2015) and it appears to have resolved the problem with curved corners that I first reported in Post #727 of this thread Mike

It's good to see more pre-grouping activity in the Oxford area! I hope your engines will sport the blue-green livery of the OW&WR that was adopted by the GWR as 'Wolverhampton' green. You might also like to consider including the Witney branch through North Leigh, which was planned in 1849, as shown on the map at http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/History.htm The same map shows the OW&WR approaching Oxford by a slightly more southerly route, through Handborough and Cassington. Mike

The grassy bank looks wonderful! It does not need anything more to make a convincing scene except, perhaps, the boundary fence, as you mention. Mike

No need for apologies. I realised it was a preserved loco, so 'non-authentic', but I thought it was a nice pic, so took the excuse to post it Mike

I enjoy reading old books about 19th century railways. One that stands out is "Our Iron Roads" by F.S Williams, first published in 1852 and running to several editions, the 7th dating from 1888. It is quite rightly regarded as a classic and full of useful information for modellers. It can be downloaded free from the Internet Archive https://archive.org/ I've just been reading the chapter about gauge conversion around Gloucester and, in passing, it gives an insight into the sorts of goods being carried at that time - great stuff for modellers! I quote (from p.230 of the7th edition): At Gloucester it occupied about an hour to remove the contents of a wagon, full of miscellaneous merchandise, from one gauge to another. An ordinary train might contain " loose commodities, such as bricks, slates, lime or limestone, and chalk, flags, clay, manure, salt, coal or coke, timber and deals, dye-woods, iron, iron-ore, lead and metals, cast-iron pots, grates and ovens, grindstones, brimstone, bones and hoofs, bark, hides and sealskins, oil-cake, potatoes, onions, and other vegetables ; cheese, chairs, and furniture ; hardware, earthenware, dry salteries, groceries, provisions, cotton wool, oils, wines, spirits, and other liquids ; manufactured goods, fish and eggs, ripe fruit, etc." Hands up whoever has 'sealskins' represented on their model railway Mike

The Wikipedia article on the N7 includes the following photo of a preserved N7 at Dereham. The number is below centre, like the model.