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Norton961

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  1. Norton961
    I am still beavering away on building locos for the layout when I should really be building the layout! The Black 5 is a converted Hornby model built by my late friend Colin Wrangles. I have renumbered it as one of the two fitted with double chimmneys and fitted a double chimmney. The standard front bogie is not very good so am in the process of building a Mosokits bogie (thanks to Robin Whittle for the suggestion) still needs weathering and the tender converting to a part welded one.
    The Coal tank is for my LNWR period (just prior to the First World war) and is a converted Bachmann one, my good friend Tony Sheffield doing the concversion.
    The 8F 48755 is a Stafford loco with Fowler tender and is a real mixture both of parts and builders. The tender (Brassmasters) and chassis (Comet) were built by my friend David Boorman, the body started out as a Hornby one which I have modified and the pipework under the cab was done by Dave Holt (in return for me painting and weathering some of his locos). I have painted and weathered the loco and tender. The loco has recently been fitted with DCC and sound.
    49407 is a Brassmastsers G2 bought of ebay in EM and converted to P4, repainted and renumbered as a Stafford example.




  2. Norton961
    Have finally got round to finihing a few more pre group wagons. The LNWR Brake van is a London Road models kit. This has used up nearly all my HMRS LNWR diamonds, I have enogh left for 2 more wagons but I have 6 wagons to finish! The HMRS has been out of stock of this transfer sheet for months and seem not ba able to find a printer to make some more. Coast Line Models do a sheet of diamonds but they are noticably bigger than either the HMRS ones or the Ratio wagons ones. I have lettered the brake van "Shrewsbury" on one side and "Walsal"l on the other. Would be nice to have a "Stafford", but I will have to make do with a "Crewe"


  3. Norton961
    I now have a collection of 4 Pannier tanks, all of which were at one time allocated to Wellington and would regularly work down to Trench sidings and beyond with pick up freights.
    9630 has an interesting heritage, being a Korean brass loco built by Samhongsa and comes with sprung hornblocks. I bought it for £25.00 out of a box under a traders stand with a very poor paint job. I think the trader thoiught it was a backmann one, hence the chaep price. Now converted to P4 (by my friend Tony Sheffield) and stripped and repainted by me. Runs realy well with a massive can motor in it. I was pulled by this loco on the service from Wellington to Crewe in 1962.


  4. Norton961
    The remaining 2 panniers are Bachmann bodies with Comet chassis, one with a Portescap motor and one with a Branchlines gearbox. The issue with fitting a scale chassis under the Bachmann body is there is no boiler bottom as on the Bachmann chassis this is part of the chassis. I have made up a boiler botton for 9774  but remains a job for 5712. 5712 is also an early style cab. I have a High Level chassis to build so this may well end up as one the Panniers sold to the NCB such 7754 and painted bright green.
    Some of Wellingtons Pannier tanks had overhead warning flashes for working into Crewe on the stoppers from WEllington.




  5. Norton961
    I recently bought in a Bachmann Pannier tank which had been converted to P4 using Ultrascale wheels. The paint scheme was not good so I stripped, repainted, renumbered (to 4693)  to one of Wellingtons allocation. Just needs some light weathering. I was surprised how well the standard Bachmann chassis runs. This now brings my fleet of Wellingtons panniers up to 4.


  6. Norton961
    I have made some progress with the *F, some details added (smokebox door handle, whistle etc) and have now painted and numbered it. Still a little work to do (glaze cab, fit rear steps etc).
     
    I have also been workingh on some Pre group wagons, all Cambrian Models. The transfers for the Hanwood wagon are from Coast Line Models and the Cam Rys are from the Welsh Research Group. I commissioned the Lilleshall ones from Alan Jones at Coast Line models and they are now generally avaliable. The etched underframes are from Brassmasters and are suitable for Gloucester and RCH all prior to 1923.
     
    David



  7. Norton961
    This loco, allocated to Stafford shed and will be numbered 48755 had a Fowler tender so it will be a little different from my other 8F.
    This model is well travelled and must be the ultimate in collaborative modelling. My friend David Borman built the chassis (Comet) and tender (Brassmasters) . Dave Holt detailed under the cab and modified  the front pony truck. I then fitted balance weights to the drivers and the cylinder drain cocks (both Brassmasters) before painting the chassis. The body is a Hornby one with lots of additional details (mainly from the Brassmasters 8F detaing kit) plus some Comet etches and has been modified to fit the chassis. Still needs some work on the body before painting particularly around the steam pipes into the smokebox.
    The eagle eyed will notice the grey body is different from the black one as it has the boiler bottom.



  8. Norton961

    Brassmasters Patriot

    By Norton961,

    Over the last couple of months I have been busy painting and linning, both for my own models and for other people. Attached is the current status of a Brassmaster Unrebuilt Patriot, (built by Len Cattley). This is a model of one of Nuneatons Patriots which were seen in 1961/2. I have always like the prototype so a model was a must have. Still some work to do, the footplate valance wants linning out and it then needs weathering and couplings, buffer etc adding. The linning is Fox transfers.
     


  9. Norton961
    I have always liked the re built Scots and currently have one partly built Brassmasters one. At last years Scaleforum I had the chance to buy a completed Brassmasters one which was well built and a good runner. The problem was it was painted in LMS 1947 livery ( as 46115 Scots Guardsman) and therefore out of period for me. However a re paint has now been done and the loco renamed and numbered, followed by a light weathering.  Why 46148, well I saw it on the Stafford to Wellington line and was pulled by the loco on that route. Class 7s used to have a fill in turn after arriving at Shrewsbury and would run to Stafford and back before heading north from Shrewsbury with an express for Manchester or Liverpool.

  10. Norton961
    A few more wagons for the layout. The 2 Cambrain wqagons are Cambrian Models kits. I think the grey I have used is a little to dark, but I had painted them a lighter shade but putting on some Klear to reduce the shadow of the waterlside transfer has darkened the colour. The LNWR Ballast wagons are Ratio.


  11. Norton961
    .
    These are the last 2 of a batch of pre grouping wagons built in the last few weeks. I posted a request elsewhere on RMWeb about loads for single plank wagons and got some interesting replies.

    The BR wagons have been hanging around for months in the nearly finished state so I have had a finishing purge and these are the result. Mostly Parkside (what would do without this range!)
     
    David
  12. Norton961
    For those that have known me for many years know that I have always had an interest in the LNWR and some years ago I was the newsletter editor for the LNWR Society. I have now decided to have a pregroup period for the layout (freight only!) and have over the past few weeks built 8 LNWR wagons, all from ratio kits. I have also added a few GWR wagons as the Lilleshall Co who had many pits in the area supplied loco coal to the GWR, Cambrian and North Staffs.



    A few more wagons are waiting to be built along with a LRM LNWR 10 Brake van.
    The trigger for this has been the announcement by London Road Models of a Ramsbottom 0-4-0 Saddle tank as one of these was allocated to the small trench Sidings loco shed.

    This is the loco and what looks like a Shropshire Iron Company wagon.
    Whilst I am waiting for that I have started on a conversion of a Bachmann 0-6-2 Coal Tank.
     
    David
  13. Norton961
    Whilst I am currently painting and linning out Dave Holts excellent Caprotti Cl 5 I have been painting some of my own stuff, including this Bachmann Class 40. The body was built for me by Dave Room has Bachmann noses fitted to a Lima middle section. It has been sitting around unpainted for a few years so I thought I had better get on and finish it. Still nees weathering before I put the glazing in last.


     
    I intend to use the loco on Trench Sidings and it has already had P4 wheels fitted. Th the headcode at one end is 1Z01 which is for an inspection saloon, and at the other end 6V20 which is the headcode for a Stafford to Cardiff freight. The livery and number is circa 3/1967. Just need to invest in a sound chip now.
     
    I also paint and weather some US lbrass locos and here is the latest one.

  14. Norton961
    I thought I would post a couple of prototype photos and then my model version. The Fowler 2-6-4 tanks from Stafford were regulars on the passenger trains and sometimes on freight. here is a J B Buckley photo of 42389 at Stafford shed.

    This is followed by my P4 version based on a GEM kit, this was one of the last "new" models offered by GEM before George Mellor sold the business.

     
    Th next photo is of the model of 46519 which I photographed leaving the MOD depot at Donnington with a pick up freight for Wellington. This was a Shrewsbury engine at the time.

    Here is that photo, its poor quality but at 16 years old I could not afford a good camera!!

  15. Norton961
    I recently (last week at S4 North) aquired an MPD 3F built in P4 and fitted with a sound chip from Digitrainsound Zimo specifically for a 3F with a sound file by Paul Chetter. Now whilst I have DCC/sound for most of my diesels I have never been impressed by the sound chips for steam locos, untill now! I was blown away by the sound and that when you turn of the power the loco coasts (no chuffing) before coming to a stop.


    I had considered just running the layout in Dc for the steam era and DCC for the diesels, but this sound chip is causing a major re think. The problem will now be fitting sound chips into locos that are complete and where there is no chance of putting a speaker in the tender. Paul Marshall Potter on his Albion Rd blog has fitted some chips into ex GWR Pannier tanks so I think further investigation will be required. I also see that people have fitted sound chips into the delightfull Hornby Peckett so if it goes into one of them then anything is possible.
     
    The 3F since I aquired it has been renumbered (and re weathered to hid the shiny bits around the new number) to one of Shrewsburys allocation in the mid 1950s and the loco was photographed on the Coalport branch so I know it worked in my area.
     
    This could be expensive!
  16. Norton961
    This is an official LNWR track plan showing the interchange sidings and the line down to the various Iron works. The need for a small 0-4-0 tank loco was the presence of a weighbridge just after the line crosses the main road and this had a weight limit. The only change I have made to the track plan is to add in another siding parallel to the one marked for the Lilleshall Company. This will allow me more shunting movements on the layout.
  17. Norton961
    The pointwork for the layout was made by Tony Wilkins some time ago but everything went on hold as I built a new garage.
    The main section of pointwork was made in one peice and I have attemted to lay this, first soldering on wire droppers (tinned coper wire) but have now hit a problem. There are so many droppers that I cant find a way to get them all into the holes I have drilled in the baseboard!
    The first photo is of the pointwork before I added the droppers.

     
    The second photo is the underside with the droppers added.
     

     
    The suggestion is that I solder on some flexible wire onto the end of the stiff droppers, so that will be the next job.
  18. Norton961
    I realised that the track plan that I posted at the start of this blog was not very clear so here is a better version taken from Track Layouts Sec 32 East Shropshire by R A Cooke. This is an excellent series of track layouts and recommended. The part I am covering is the section top left of the diagram but it also shows why there was a loco shed at the junction.
     

     
    Originally the line diverging from the main line not only served a number of Iron Works near the junction but continued for a distance to service Wombridge Iron Works and it was known as the Wombridge Branch. Later after the building of the Coalport branch, Wombridge Iron works was servied buy a connection from the Coalport branch.
     
    Another view of the loco shed and Pannier tank.
     

     
    For those who are interested in the railways of East Shropshire I have written a book which may be of interest it also covers the Lilleshall system as well as Granville Colliery as well as Wellington, Oakengates, Coalport, Coalbrookedale, Buildwas Power station. Available from Crowwod Press.

  19. Norton961
    The only buildings on the layout are the loco shed and signal box here are 3 photos of the loco shed. These are the only photos I could find.
    The resident loco up to 1943 was an ex Caley 0-4-0 but when this was away for repair etc an ex L&Y Pug was used.
     

    I dont have a model of either of the 2 resident locos, but after the formaytion of BR the responsiblility for shunting the yard passed to Wellington, and the usual shunter was a Pannier tank (of which I have modelled 3 of Wellingtons locos.
    The next picture is of the model of the loco shed, built for me by Peter Leyland as modeling buildings is not my thing!

  20. Norton961
    A couple of photos of some of the locomotives for trench sidings. The first is D5083 which turned up one day on the Granville Colliary coal train from Donnington to Buildwas Powere station instaed of the more usual 8F. This is a Bachmann Class 24 and has been modified with Shawplan glazing and a Brassmasters circular exhaust port. The handrails have been thinned down and it is fitted with Branchlines P4 wheels.

    The second loco is another Bachmann Class 24 with Brasmasters headcode boxes (complete with a correct headcode for the line) and again Branchlines wheels and renumbered.

    The 3rd loco is one of Wellingtons Pannier tanks. I bought this as a bit of a wreck, my friend Tony Sheffield sorted the chassis whist I sorted the body. Still some work to finish though.

  21. Norton961
    The majority of the trains working through Trench were of ex LMS origin or BR standards, the only exception being some of Wellingtons Pannier tanks working trip workings. have no photos showing any of the other classes at WEllington working the line but the working instructions for the route allows most of the ex GWR classes including Castles and Halls over the route. Wellington had a small stud of the ex GWR 2-6-2 tanks for working trains to Much WEnlock and Crewe with freight workings to Oxley and I have alwys liked the looks of these locos so one is on the Trench Fleet. I bought the loco at a S4 show in a right state, with a non working chassis and the Airfix body in its original state. I passed the chassis over to my good friend Tony Sheffield whist I attacked the body.
    I removed the chimmney and safety valve and replaced them with items from Martin Finney and a vast improvement they made. I then carefilly removed all the moulded in hand rails and fitted "proper" handrails. I then painted the loco and fitted the correct number plates. This particular loco was in unlined green with the large BR emeblem. Then a light weathering and some scale couplings to arrive at the current state.

     
    I will use the loco on one of the trip workings usually performed by the Pannier tanks.
  22. Norton961
    I have been using a linning pen for many years but it is a slow process as you can only do one side at a time and only one colour at a time.
    However I have been experimenting with using the excellent lining sheets from Fox transfers. Attached is an example I used for 45593 Kholapur.

    I had already started linning out a Black 5 wirh a pen and decided to complete the job with Fox transfers and could not tell any difference!
    The cab side is linned out with a pen and the tender with Fox transfers.

    Another example is the tender I recently did for my friend dave Holt for his Crab.

    The key is to put the transfers on in stages for a tender I cut the transfers into 7 or 8 sections and do them one at a time, having carefully marked the overall length.
  23. Norton961
    Although I have only started this blog recently I have been building locomotives and stock for the layout for many years, so I suppose I should post some photos of some of the stock I know have.
    The first pictures show my collection of 9 brake vans, why 9 i hear you sk, no idea I say I just started building them and then realised I had enough!
    The majority are Bachmanns latest offering but with P4 wheels, screw/3 link couplings, roofs repainted and given some weathering. The 2 ex Midland ones are parkside, built for me by my friend Tony Sheffield and then painted/lettered/weatherd by me. The 21 ton ex LMS is a Chivers kit which I need to letter before weathering. having bought some of the Modelu lamps I need to buy some more for the brake vans.long
     

     

  24. Norton961

    G2s for Trench sidings.

    By Norton961,

    The opertion of the layout will trains arriving into the exchange sidings and being shunted into the connection into the canal basin and for this I can use a number of locos. One of my favourite classes of locomotive is the ex LNWR G2. Some 25 years ago with my late friend Jim Barnes we created a 4mm brass kit for this class and started Brassmasters so this class will always have a place in my heart. The arrival of the excellent Bachmann model meant that I have never finished my personal Brassmasters kit, but I will one day.
    The first loco is one of Staffords engines 49126 and this has been converted with Alan Gibson wheels and re numbered. I still have some weathering to do as I swapped the tender top from another model.

    The second loco is not yet converted but has been renumbered to yet another of Staffords locos and is the loco shown on a previous post in this blog at Wellington station. I have recently retired from Brassmasters but development work was started on an EasyChas conversion some time ago by my Brassmasters colleagues so this loco will get one of the EasyChas when they are avaliable.

    I have modelled one loco with a tender cab and one without.
    I have modelled one of the last of the class based at Bescot complete with yellow warning stripe (1964), but I decided I had to many locos waiting for conversion so I have sold it. I used Fox transfers for the yellow stripe but if I did one again I would use my trusty linning pen.

  25. Norton961
    A few more of my wagon fleet, this time tube and plate wagons, mainly Parkside.

     
    My reasoning for the layout depends upon the steel fabrication company (it was called Summerfields) which occupied the old ironworks sit was larger than it actually was and would justify incoming trains of steel plate and sections hence the number of plate wagons.
    Trains did work into the site but by the early 1960s were on an "as and when required" basis. Trains of plate wagons would also justify the appearance of a Froddingham WD of whic I also have a model. This is a Dave Bradwell kit built for me by my friend David Boorman from a Bradwell kit. Since arriving with me I have painted and weathered it, still a little more weathering to do though.

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