BR traction instructor

Daler Rowney matte varnish with the bottle warmed in a saucepan of hot, not boiling water and well stirred with a hook shaped attachment on my hobby drill works fine for me. BeRTIe

Just a little more touching in of individual detail but approaching a point that I'm happy with... BeRTIe

Getting close to a result that I'm happy with...just a little more touching in of individual detail... BeRTIe

...what is the current body height up to the cantrail please? BeRTIe

...mmm...my first concern with a Bachmann class 40 would be to check the height of the bodyside against prototype dimensions. ISTR that in order to get their model to negotiate 1st radius curves on toy wheels with deep flanges they effectively made the bodyshell unusable as a scale model of the prototype by reducing its height to allow the wheels to clear the body. An accurate representation of a class 40 needs a Lima body on Bachmann or Lima bogies. BeRTIe

A cautionary tale about being a resident with a BEV charger on a Park home style site just now. We had been paying 29p per kWh until the end of March (our landlords are not allowed to charge more than they pay for energy) but the removal of tax relief for businesses meant that the April to September rate became 69p per kWh. Fortunately, our site has 3 Project EV chargers available at the main building and by stopping using our own charger and switching to these for this period we have paid 30p per kWh. The rate on our own charger is predicted to drop back to around 30p per kWh again from September as a new contract commences but it is certainly a time to be wary of where & when to charge our ID3. BeRTIe

The Railways of Weardale book seen above is quite a revelation, written in 1965. As a youngster of the 70s I was aware of the cement trains to Eastgate but had no knowledge of the Stanhope branch and the other associated mineral lines of the district. Our recent walk along the Boltslaw incline from Rookhope was by chance but led to purchasing this excellent account of the industrial tramways/railways of Weardale. Despite its relative age there are many excellent B&W images that show what once was, in the 1930-1965 period, supported by detailed maps of the area. My battered copy of the Jowett's railway atlas then shows how these local routes related to the national network of the period. BeRTIe

...mmm...waiting a considerable amount of time for a mediocre non SLW type 2, or waiting a similar amount of time for a SLW type 2 that is unlikely to be matched, let alone exceeded...I'll be buying SLW every time. BeRTIe

The better forecast was for the east today and the drive from Silloth along the old military road beside Hadrian's wall certainly looked promising that way. At Chollerford we switched from the more cloudy originally intended Otterburn/Rothbury direction to a more locally sunny Hexham/Blanchland/Edmundbyers & Stanhope circuit. After coffee & cake in 'The White Monk' tearoom, our first walk was along the River Derwent from Blanchland, the second from high in Weardale at Rookhope along a long lost tramway, now part of the Coast 2 Coast cycle route. I cycled the Rowrah to Whitehaven harbour stretch of this in both directions last year. The tramway walk along the Boltslaw incline today prompted the ordering of a book covering same, in order to learn more about its history and written shortly before I was born... BeRTIe

In search of the blooming heather today...05.00 from Silloth to Lingmoor fell in Little Langdale for moody atmospherics/lakeland vistas towards Ambleside & Great Langdale... BeRTIe

...looking good Simon...are you planning a full rake? 😃 BeRTIe

...the nicest conditions tend to be early doors just now Jim.

...when the model is of a heavily stained/rusted/weathered/decayed wagon I try to avoid going quite as far as the prototype but obviously need to be in the ballpark... BeRTIe

Old Autumn is knocking a little louder now, with seasonal vapours and cooler temps adding to the visual clues in the flora...a good to be alive 6am start to the day around the Solway... BeRTIe

Decals complete and sealed with matte varnish. Painting largely done and weathering underway. My technique is to group the build together and carry out small amounts of weathering in order, on the least convincing model at any one time. Balance and intensity will be crucial indicators of when to stop. Tools in use at this stage are wooden toothpicks, rustyish shades of enamel paint and a medium sable brush with some enamel thinners on the bristles. Weathering powders will be the last stage, once any paint contamination of springing areas has been removed and weathered wheelsets fitted... BeRTIe

...I'll look forward to it Mike 👍 Now comes the tricky part, weathering down the wagons little by little until the balance and intensity are about right. My technique is to group the build together and work in turn on whichever is the least convincing at that point but being careful only to add small amounts of weathering at a time...main tools in play at this stage are a wooden toothpick, a rustyish dilute enamel paint mix and a medium sable paintbrush with a little enamel thinners on the bristles... BeRTIe

Latest bulk carrier to dock in Silloth port just now...no sign of which commodity she brings though... BeRTIe

There is also a full rake build of these Petcoke hoppers (4mm, P4) happening concurrently on the Scalefour Society website, using etched underframes and will debut at The Spalding 2023 exhibition in November on Mostyn... BeRTIe

...you're making me pine for being back in the chair Jim! 😃👍 BeRTIe

A little Sunday engineering work has seen a pair of Bill Bedford RCH W irons fitted into a Rumney 16ft 6in, 9ft wheelbase unfitted underframe as the prototype 1/161, 1/162 hopper takes shape. The top-plate has been scrawked out to accommodate the modified Mainline RTR hopper body. The scale diagram in the HMRS hopper book indicated that the hopper supports at each end needed re profiling too and 2 pairs of new inner struts fabricated...

Certainly Shrewsbury and Chester regularly in the 1960s (various books with images)...maybe Birkenhead too. BeRTIe

First sighting of a common blue butterfly in the garden earlier and I managed a pic before it took flight again. Little green caterpillars... BeRTIe

Another eye bending day applying decals letter by letter/number by number but tomorrow should see one side of all six tipplers decal complete and ready for the underframe and body weathering, once the other sides are finished... BeRTIe

Mogo vans were used to transport new cars from factories e.g. Morris Cowley in Oxford, until the 1960s. This Larkin tome includes a close up 1963 pic by Don Rowland and detailed text by DL... BeRTIe