westernviscount

Hi Rob, These are all I have at the moment but will take some more detailed shots if needed. It isn't very complicated as I needed to knock up something quick to aid in last minute wheel cleaning for an exhibition! Foamboard is so easy to use, is very rigid when joined and is very very light weight. Cheers Dave

Mine didn't last long in pristine condition.

What a find! What was it doing in Smiths do you think?

Sadly, progress ground to a halt due to a mislaid pin-vice. After much muttering and moving of thinks from one place to another I gave up and had an unscheduled visit to Hobbycraft. The v hangers and cylinder cranks needed the holes opening to .5 mm to receive the brake gear bar, made from .5mm brass wire (supplied in the kit) The V hangers and cranks are all connected to the brake cylinders. Each hanger and crank is thread onto the connecting rod before cementing them into position. Next to the battery boxes. These were gloriously fiddly, made up from 3 mouldings then filament cut and glued in place by a speck of superglue applied with a cocktail stick. Next the dynamo was assembled from four pieces, illustrated in the first picture on the bottom right of the sprue. At this stage I am much enjoying the amount of detail going into a section of model unlikely ever to be noticed. I am being cautious how much I celebrate this about the kit as glancing ahead the bogies and detailing etches look very fiddly! My homemade cradle has been invaluable to this build and I wonder how I have managed without this piece of kit for so long. Its simply foamboard hot glued together with sponge to hold the kit or loco tight. I built it to assist with wheel cleaning originally. Anyway, hope this has brought some interest to you. Onward! Hope you have a happy evening of modelling ahead.

My Dad loaned me an old bradford barton parcels stock pictorial survey with an example of just that.

It has been fun so far i must say.

Yes, i think this is a fair warning, i haven't reached the fiddly etches yet for the doors but i found so far that it is challenging just enough to absorb me fully...which is what i love about this brilliant hobby. I notice you are finishing in BR Blue. What decals do you intend using?

Progress last night was better than i thought. I reckon the underframe and body are the straight forward bits but i'm happy so far. One issue is that the image on the front of the package shows the vehicle finished in BR Blue with white number decals but the kit is only supplied with decals for finishing in southern railway green or BR(SR) green. I am now considering how to finish the vehicle as my period is 1970 so BR green could be appropriate and add interest to the layout. Still a bit to do before i reach that point though.... I rather like the etched droplights which allow one to position them in the open position (only left hand doors according to the instructions) I fitted the etches with the doors still on the sprue. I dab a tiny amount of superglue onto the top of the etch with a cocktail stick, place it glue up on the end of my left index finger and lower the door onto the etch so i can see the position of the etch. The small amount of glue enables the etch to hold long enough to add more glue or fine tune if necessary.

So i have come to realise i have a growing obsession with parcels vehicles. I have also been stretching my kit building muscles recently so thought i would combine the two and build the ratio kit of tge SR bogie B. Here it is in it's unboxed state. I have also just poured a wheat beer so progress of any kind is not guaranteed this evening. Happy modelling for now.

Thanks ken. Still enjoying the layout and looking forward to having a good old running session on the 21st. Dave

Looks like no-one else has started a thread so thought I'd take the liberty. Templefield will be at the exhibition at Canvey Island Transport Museum, 105 Point Road, Canvey Island, Essex. SS8 7TD, On Sunday 21st April 2019. See ya there.

Hi Folks, I thought I would share the results of a chance find in Hobbycraft, Basildon the other day. I was in for some bits and bobs for my daughter when I noticed a load of jars filled with decorative stones. As I was mentally scoffing at what I thought was a rather tacky interior design accessory I noticed this... The jar doesn't have any detail about what the material is but thought i'd take a punt as it looked very much like 4mm coal. The jar is about the size of a coffee jar and was priced at £3. I built a plastikard "shelf" on legs to sit loose in the wagons. The coal was poured on top of the shelf,removed from the wagon and a masking tape wall stuck around it to enable the coal to sit nicely on the shelf. It was then lightly sprayed with "wet water" then soaked in pva/water mix. As I poured the coal, I placed a magnet inside to allow the load to be lifted out with my shunting hook. I am often sceptical of cheap alternatives as they rarely match up but if you want a fine coal substitute I recommend this stuff...worth a try. cheers

Hi folks, I have completed a parkside Fruit D kit and am now struggling to find suitable decals to finish it in br blue livery. I know modelmaster do a sheet of yellow lettering for earlier br maroon liveries but i can't find a white version. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Looking forward to this.

Looking forward to Shenfield on Saturday. Would also love to see the clayton on Sunday but not sure what the boss would say!!! See you there Saturday for sure. :-)

Late response but like you i drill the holes first and make the first bend with pliers, not necessarily long nose as these often have rounded sides. Pliers with nice right angled sides are best (for me). To ensure a right angle i bend the wire to shape and use another pair of pliers to press the wire into a right angle. I line up the bend end with one of the holes and mark the other bend position with a fine liner pen (preferably permanent) then make the second bend with the pliers positioned to obscure the mark i made. It usually works just fine.

Late response but like you i drill the holes first and make the first bend with pliers, not necessarily long nose as these often have rounded sides. Pliers with nice right angled sides are best (for me). To ensure a right angle i bend the wire to shape and use another pair of pliers to press the wire into a right angle. I line up the bend end with one of the holes and mark the other bend position with a fine liner pen (preferably permanent) then make the second bend with the pliers positioned to obscure the mark i made. It usually works just fine.

With regards to movements, would the vans commonly be left in the sidings with loco and barriers departing and returning for the van at a later time? Cheers

Was googling images of the area and this thread appeared. It really is a superb piece of modelling with a few shots really making me double take. I must confess to being disappointed that this area has been modelled already as i really fancied a crack at it! Probably still will to be honest!! Having grown up in NE Wales many a sunday drive took us past the power station at traws and as a kid it held a great fascination for me. Anyway, great work. P.s. basic question but i havent read all of the thread; did the loco run round at Blaenau and propel to maentwrog and traws? Cheers

Cheers. Really happy with it.

Hi folks, Is it still possible to super detail locos? Im thinking last century, lima locos having cast vac/air pipes, etched grilles, etched antenna, flush glaze added on. In my teens i bought a class 31 detailing pack for the lima model and very much enjoyed the process. Is it possible as brief web searches have not led to much other than xtreme etches which i dont think do bufferbeam detail etc. Cheers

Love the book "Adding realism to your model railway" by Michael Andress. Some would say it's dated but it has a chapter on detailing diesels and is a lovely read. Hmmm, is there some sort of movement towards retro techniques in railway modelling? Bit like how you can buy a commodore 64 computer from Game?

This is a fascinating thread. I have come to it really late on and merely skimmed the content so forgive me if i repeat points already made. Here are some half baked ramblings... When i am modelling i take it deadly seriously and it is the degree of immersion and the attainment of "flow" that i feel is a tonic. I do not however actively turn to modelling for this, i just recognise the benefits this level of immersion has on me after the event. Reflecting on darker times and whether modelling helps, well when the black dog is sniffing around, as hobbyists who have tangible results in the the form of completed kits, scratch built projects sat on shelves and an entire layout sat in the corner, we are lucky that we have these physical reminders or "monuments" to immersion and joy. They remind us at least of our ability to feel zest, even if we are not feeling it right now. Leisure time is becoming (apparently) more about experiences rather than the accumulation of things. i wonder if the lack of "stuff" will make it harder to feel a connection with ourselves at our happiest, like looking at a hand built wagon??? As an aside, speaking strictly for myself and with no concrete evidence (how very modern!), i feel that the modern obsession with maximising potential and accumulation of experiences and other corporate speak bull.... is seeping into leisure time, thus leading to the possibility of hobbies themselves becoming sources of stress...just a thought;-) So beware of taking the hobby too seriously but more importantly, make sure you take the hobby seriously enough!! Happy modelling all!!

Hi folks, I am nearing the completion of a little project I have been working on. This is a Dapol BR 20t brake van I have tweaked and finished as an air piped example from the 1970's. The kit is a real favourite as it is very simple to build, captures the essence of the prototype and is very very cheap!!! Tweaks include the removal of handrail mouldings and replacement with brass wire, a scratch built roof, new inner doors, removal and replacement of lamp irons and addition of air brake pipes on the side of the vehicle. There was an article about the revamping of this kit in one of the big model railway mags I believe which was quite a coincidence. I didn't happen to get a copy but I believe the updates went some way beyond my efforts. Here are the results so far... Next time I would consider replacing the footboards with something finer. I believe there is a kit but I will refer you back to one the main reasons I love this kit...cheapness!! Impatience led to me skipping ahead without adding coupling hooks (as I have run out) so this is one of the last jobs before adding sprat and winkles. Enjoy the rest of your evening all.