airnimal

I have finished the paintwork in the first bedroom so I hopefully have earned enough brownie points to get the afternoon in the workshop. I can't start the other rooms just yet because our eldest daughter and husband / grandchildren are coming tomorrow. So I have started to add the brakegear before I fit the footboards. I have cleaned up the castings and soldered a length of angle to the bottom so they can be screwed to the floor. This makes painting so easier.

Moving on with these brake vans I now have glued the doors in the one which has them slightly open. One side is open quite a way and the other side just a small amount. There is still plenty to do but I am not in any hurry to finish them. I still have plenty of dec............ to do. Afraid not. I am proud of her for she has led a fascinating life leaving home at 16 to follow a passion for horses and show jumping which she did for about 12 years. Then she took up gliding and then sail boarding and wind surfing before scuba diving. She became an instructor in scuba diving and opened her own diving school in Fiji where she lived for a few years before doing the same in the Seychelles. There she met a archaeologist who was finding exhibits for a private museum in Houston in Texas. She then lived in Houston for many years from where she crewed ocean going yachts around the world. In her late 40's she returned home and went to university to study computer engineering. She obtained a first class degree and then met Mike her partner through sailing. They then spent several years sailing all over Europe in Mike's boat before Mike got cancer. They now live on a farm in Cornwall where Mike restores classic cars, vans and lorries and she does photography. They both take part in car rallies in there 1930's MG.

Compound 2632, the lady with the hair grip is my sister and she is sitting in the best seats because she paid for the whole trip for everyone, bless her. The other lady is my better half and neither are on RM web. Rather than start a new build I am revisiting some of the half finished projects from the past. First will be a couple of brake vans from my own kits. These are left over bits at the end of the run because I had a couple of sub standard parts that needed using up. I have run out of certain etch parts so I am trying to find alternatives to use instead . One body has the doors cut out so that they can be glued in the open position. I have several photographs of these vans with the doors open so it will make a change from the others. This one is going to be a proper mongrel made up from lots of bits from the spares box including wheels with different axles and the wrong W-irons but they hopefully won't be noticed behind the axleboxes and footboards. I need to find some brake wheels for the veranda. I think they are 2' OD with 6 spokes.

Before you spend any money on training I would ask as many HGV drivers as you can what is the job is like and the problems involved. I did it for a short period of time in the 1980's and the hassle was unbelievable. Perhaps I was unlucky but I got out of it as soon as I could. I did try again in 2004 but there was new issues to contend with with more problems so I went back to engineering.

Lidl's had a beer collection from last Thursday, so i bought a few different cans. This one is from Love Lane brewery in Liverpool and comes in at 10%. A very pleasant imperial stout. Also good news is one of my locals for 30 years which closed just before Christmas last is being refurbish complete with new paint. The worrying part about this is the sign outside showing Sky sports. Now when I wish to have a drink out I dont want Sky television in every room. The pub has 5 rooms which are all open and my fear is any television will dominate the old atmosphere of talking and live music. If this is going to be the case, I will not be returning.

Sadly the Joel Carrington wagon has gone to the breakers yard. I was not happy with the build or the progress and with the mojo being absent I decided that this one wasn't going to make it. But I have had a very good weekend away with my better half travelling on the Welsh Highland Railway. My sister and her partner who treated us to a trip recently on the Great Central Railway, treated us again to join them in the Pullman coach for a round trip from Caernarfon to Porthmadog. We were pulled by one of the Beyer Garratts which failed a couple of miles before Porthmadog. After about a hour we were rescued by one of the small diesels which dragged into Porthmadog. So the return trip was made by one of the double Fairlie's and the another diesel to Rhyd Ddu where we changed again to another of the Beyer Garratt's for the run into Caernarfon. So the round trip was by 3 steam engines and 2 diesels which was brilliant. The Welsh HIghland did a very good job what could have been a disaster under the circumstances. When the mojo returns I hope to get back in the workshop again as well as finishing the dec.............

Progress is very slow on this wagon but have done a small amount this morning with the end stanchions and the coupling plates. And lady luck has shined on me because on the photograph I am working from show a large oval builders plate unde the centre of the doors. Looking through my bits box I found a pair of W.H. Davies works plates from 1880. They are the same size as my photograph so with a bit of modellers license i am going to use them. No 1 rules ! I have also done a very small amount of dec.............. to keep in the good books if that's possible.

My good lady has gone out for coffee and cake with one of her friends, so I took advantage of the situation and decided that the workbench was more attractive than the dec.................... So I have started to put the ironwork on including the interior diagonals which come out the bottom on the solebars. I will put square nuts mostly on this wagon rather than hexagonal ones because I believe it was probably built by a local builder and not one of the big wagon makers. It was also probably built in the 1880's when most private owners used square nuts.

After a good night sleep I woke up feeling better and without any pain which is a blessing. We have the grandsons on a Wednesday and with the weather being bright and sunny we went to the park picking conkers. So when the little one was having his afternoon sleep, I had an hour in the workshop and replaced the broken side. The spacing on the door looks a lot better after I drew with a pencil how the letters would sit on the sides. With a renewed pair of sides I think I will continue with the build unless I find anything else wrong with it.

There is not a lot of progress on this Joel Carrington lime wagon and what there is, is more disappointment. My mind has not really been in the right place over the past week or so. I had another biopsy last week and the procedure was slightly different than last time. I had it in another part of the Hospital because where I had it done last time had been flooded since then. They also changed the anaesthetic from tablet form to injections which was quite painful considering where they were. I have been very tender for the past week which doesn't leave one in a great mood for modelling. Never mind it's done now so just waiting to find out what they have found. We also had the grandsons for the weekend which was fun but hard work. When I looked at the wagon I was not happy that I had got the door opening the right size. I dont have a proper drawing to scale of this wagon so I am using the ones of similar wagons with a bit of guess work thrown in. I decided to sketch the letters on the side to see about the spacing when I realised that the door opening was to wide. I had used the drawing with a 4' 2" door instead of one that was 3' 6" so that the letters were never going to fit the space. So I removed the side by cutting the old ones away and making new one of the correct size. This was the day after Hospital which may have accounted for my not being in the right frame of mind because I glued one side of the new parts on upside down. Trying to remove the faulty side was met with a broken side. As yet I haven't found the will to make a replacement. I did think I might go to the Scaleseven event in Somerset this weekend but with the fuel situation as is I have decided that this could be problematic. So I will stay at home and finish the dreaded dec..............

The Getty photograph of Bradwell Wood wagon was featured in a book on the NLR published jointly by the National Railway and Science Museums in 1979. It doesn't mention who took the photograph only that they were official NLR ones. Close up of the wagon brings many features including both square nuts as well as hexagonal ones on the solebars together. The corner plates and other ironwork have a variety of coach bolts some with washers behind but the majority without. I know this would be difficult to achieve in 4mm scale but I model in 7mm and try to include them when ever possible.

I have marked out the body from 60 thou plasticard and scribed all the planks with my usual Olfa cutter. I had to modify the ends because I got the height wrong being to tall. The Exactoscale W-irons I am using are for 12" solebars but this wagon has only 11" ones. I am going to ignore this fault and invoke rule 1. I don't think you will see the small amount of extra W-irons behind the springs.

Many years ago I was told that Ken Werrett,s father had a wagon repair yard where Ken would measure up wagons and jot down the dimensions in a note book. He then did his drawings years later. I was told that he lived in a caravan that was crammed full of drawings piled high. I tell this without any evidence or proof and if I have blackened his name then I can only apologise to his memory. Without his drawings in MRN / RM / MRC I would not have made as many models that I did in the 60s and 70s.

I agree that when folded over the W-irons I usually reinforce with solder but the gap must be clear for the carrier to slide. I did reinforce the ones on the GWR van but then spent time cleaning out the slot for the carrier to slide. So my solution to the folded tags was a lot easier to achieve with less cleaning up. So I have started on another dumb buffer lime wagon. This one is a 8 ton one for Joel Carrington lettered for Buxton Lime Works. But he was a resident of Oldham where he had a depot but I am not sure if he owned a quarry in Buxton or just obtained his lime there. This might not get very much further because of the dreaded dec................. and another social event and then hospital for my biopsy on Wednesday. I have made the basic frame and and screwed the wheels sets in place.

After all the social events and birthday parties I will try and get back to doing some modelling. I keep looking at the Exactoscale etched parts that came my way. After the disaster of the GWR van I opened a packet of RCH 12" W-irons and started to make them up. Using the experience of the GWR ones I liked the soft suspension and the ability to remove the wheels with ease but not the fact that the W-irons are not soldered with much solder. There is a small amount to in the centre where the fold up bracket is but that is all. The fold up wheel carrier slides behind the 2 small prongs which fold up to locate the carrier. If you fold up the prongs at 90% the carrier will not slide as it should. These are not soldered which I think this is a weak point if you wish to remove the wheels frequently. Scratch building requires me to remove the wheels on a regular basis and if you keep bending the W-irons apart all the time the fold weakens and is not as good as it should be. So I have modified the prongs by soldering some bits in front of these prongs to strengthen them. These parts were made from the bits on the ends of the carriers that were meant to carry brake gear. I cut these off and folded them to the same profile as the prongs once I had a smooth running wheel set and solded them in. The W-irons still don't have much solder on them but the small prongs are protected from been badly bent and ultimately failure.

After a very intense period of activities which is still going on I have managed to get into the workshop for a couple of hours. I have added the numberplate after painting which hasn't gone particular well and I will have to do it again. There are still lots to do on this ballast brake but it will have to wait. Activities have included a garden party, a reunion of ex work colleagues, a couple of good bike rides and the dreaded dec.................... as well as several social events plus a trip to the hospital. Plus we have taken the grandsons to Eureka again which always goes down well. The highlight of this time was a couple of days away at the Great Central Railway and a full footplate ride on an engine which was a engine my wife's father would have driven. He was a driver based at Patricroft and Agecroft and the engine was 73156 which was based at Patricroft for some of its life. My sister's partner has always wanted to drive a steam engine so after recovering from cancer he decided that was what he was going to do. He booked the gold package which wasn't cheap but got the engine and 7 carriages for the full day which included taking some friends and family along for day. So we each got a ride on the footplate along the full length of the line. I had not ridden on the footplate since 1968 when I was given a ride around the engine shed at Heaton Mersey towing dead engines around before the shed closed for good. The next 7 days is fully booked up with a trip to Diggerland for one of the grandsons birthday present, another reunion and a couple more social events before I have another biopsy again at the hospital.

After the trials and tribulations of the past fortnight a bit of good news came my way today. Philip my friend came around bringing with him a new coach for my collection. The quality is far higher anything I could achieve myself.

Before anyone says anything I have dropped another all mighty clanger again ! I have misread the top plank on the drawing for the top frame on the side. The side and ends don't line up as they should. Another for the scrap bin. When I mentioned it, my good lady said I could have spent the time dec............................!

I'm afraid it's not any of those, it's a van for carring tartan paint ! There aren't any doors to prevent thefts so when it arrives at its destination they have to remove the roof to get it out. A little more progress this morning as well as helping the boss pack parcels to send to Australia. This last job can be quite stressful for all sorts of reasons when the contents are precious gifts for the new granddaughter and grandson. If I got this wrong the consequences could be serious. Anyway the end frames have gone on and a start has been made on the sides. The doors on the sides should be slightly proud of the side sheets with the frame made from thinner timbers. I did this on the NSR van but I made the sides from different pieces which made that easier to do. But I have made the sides from one piece on this van. Now do I cut out and replace the middle section and start again or do I ignore it ? Also the roof previously shown is too thick so I have a couple more to try before I decide which one will look right. But all this will have to wait because I am going to see the cycling gang at the pub later. And more importantly the dreaded dec...................has been brought to my attention again !

The basic body has now been assembled but it will need adjusting and trimming. It is not my best work by any means but I may be able to pull it back. I don't think it helps not being a GWR man with an unfamiliar wagon. The roof has been cut to length but it will still need a proper fitting later. I have left it oversize until the body is complete. I am not sure where the roof comes from but is a moulded one from one of our kit makers.

Thanks to everyone for the thumbs up. I have been doing a bit of work on this van today with the basic body cut out. I'm struggling to remember how I have made outside frame van's in the past. There is going to be a bit of guess work until it comes back to me.

It has been a hectic 10 days without any time at the workbench. So tonight I have drilled the chassis for the buffers but nothing more. I am hoping that I have a couple of days modelling before life gets busy again. After I had my MRI scan I have been to see the consultant at the hospital. When I got they I was told the appointment was for a telephone consultation and I shouldn't be there. I then produced my letter telling me to be there and failure to do so would cost the NHS £160 and prevent another person from having an appointment. Today I had a letter from the NHS for a telephone consultation on the 6th September and failure to answer would cost the NHS £60. I hope the doctors are better at there jobs than the people who run the administration department. Anyway I was told my PSA had risen and the cancer has grown. So I am waiting now for another biopsy to see what treatment I will need. I am still fine with what I have been told but my other half is still fretting. The next day I went to a funeral for a ex work colleague who has just died from cancer and was only 60. When I got they I meet only 5 people I knew because of a few more have past away. I suppose as we all get older this is going to be the order of the day. The other reason I have been busy was family duties looking after grandsons for 3 full days , a garden party, family meals out and cycling and drinking beer with the cycling gang. I also went to Skipton to Ellis Clark's mini exhibition. The rest of September looks busy and the dairy is filling up for October.

meil, I am glad the have found a solution to the problem. Did you cut down the bearing as well to use without the pin point ? How was the running compared to the original. I have soldered the new V-iron on using the etched one previously used to locate it before removing the old one. I had a MRI scan on Wednesday this week and to my surprise I had a letter this morning for an appointment to see the consultant on Monday. Now my wife is instantly worried and fretting over it assuming the worst. It doesn't help that I am going to a funeral on Tuesday of a ex work colleague who has just died from c...........and he was only 60. I blame the media for a lot of hype surrounding any form of this dreaded disease. My wife thinks because I have an appointment so quick it must be bad news. When I was cycling at the weekend we met our friend Tom whom we have cycled with around the world with and he is going to Sri Lanka in January for a month. Tom had c........ about 6 years ago so he is trying to see as much as he can in case it returns. I have considered going with him but I am am a little worried that I don't have the stamina like he has. He is 15 years younger than myself and he has been out doing big rides 3 or 4 days a week.

I have not had time at the workbench for the past few days because of the dreaded dec............. I also have been on grandad duties taking grandsons and daughter out to see the telescope at Jodrell bank. The 3 year old has a great interest in the planets and the solar system. He told the lady on the door all about dwarf stars and named all the planets in order that they orbit the earth. He can write his own name and is learning to read and his little brother is following in the same manner. They don't get there brains from me ! I couldn't find a V-iron that matched the drawing so it was back cutting out my own. A couple of bits of nickel were soldered together before being drilled for the brake handle. It's not perfect but it's better all the etched ones on my bits box.

Add a bit of glamour to the job ! There isn't any glamour to H.G.V driving. When my brother had his license about 45 years ago he said to me the dream was driving down a nice long road in France and stopping at a roadside cafe for lunch in the sunshine. When the reality was losing your load on a roundabout on a Friday night rush hour in the rain and running out of hours. I tried it 20 years later and what he said was true. Never ever again, not even if they paid £40 per hour.