88C

Quite likely that it was a wagon that had been photographed. Brian

No photos this time, not much modelling done recently, quite a bit of time spent in the garden. However I have sorted the bogies for the toplight and given it a test run around the layout, I now need to find time to start the interior. My wife and I went to the Stafford show on Sunday, what a great exhibition. A lot of layouts of interest and could have done with more time to go back to some of them, we arrived at 10 and left at 4. I did manage to part with some , well quite a bit of cash, and was very pleased to find a 4575 in BR livery, just what I need for my South Wales auto train. Perhaps there would have been more time if we didn't spend so much time chatting, meeting several RMwebbers and some old friends. I must mention that it was a pleasure to chat to Rob @NHY 581 and Jay @JustinDean operating Bleat and also brief conversations with Chris @2ManySpams, Robin @gwrrob and Ian @Oldddudders, such meetings helped to make the day so enjoyable. Brian

Pleased to meet you today and have a good chat, not to mention finally seeing a sheepish layout. I did tell Spams that there was movement, not sure he believed me. Trust you had a safe trip back to Cardiff. Brian.

Hopefully the keyboard issue has now been sorted. It was good to have the chance to meet several RMweb members and have a bit of a chat. Also managed to part with some cash!

We have just returned from the show, à big thank you to all involved, an excellent exhibition And well worth the entrance fée. Sorry for the odd accents but my iPad refuses to be set to qwerty despote choosing Thatcher on settings. Brian. where did Thatcher Côme from? I typed ´it’

Looping forward to seing you on Sunday. Brian

A new layout for you to see this year is Oakenham built by club member Dave Raynor. Photo curtesy of Dave. Brian

Please note that our venue, The Summit Centre, is cash only and tis will apply to refreshments and entrance. Hopefully traders may be able to take cards. Brian

Looking forward to seeing you at Stafford next weekend. Brian

Not much modelling done recently as we were away over the weekend. I am one of the .membership secretaries of the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway and Saturday was a day for new members. Great weather and a successful day. Brian

I find that having different projects on the go means that there is always something that you fancy doing. The weathering is coming along nicely and if you do a few couplings each day the job will get done, unless you have amassed as many wagons as I have over many years. Brian

Work continues, slowly, on the toplight. The sides and ends have been assembled but I did use the upturned floor to place some plastic strips to help locate the floor. The truss rods are made from nickel silver wire and they slide into plastic tubing fixe to the solebars. My intention is to create a coach that will help give a train a typical GWR appearance of a real mix of stock and not to produce a show piece model, I know my limits! Brian

Getting closer. Work continues on the new N gauge layout, Shawbridge. Nothing like a deadline to get things done. Brian

Somehow I seem to have missed this thread but glad that I have found it now. It looks like a project that appeals to my interests. Brian

Looks good, but not for the purist. Brian

I have sorted the bits of the toplight and this what I found. Along with these bits I have in stock. Should be enough to get started, but when I was running trains in the garage I looked through a box of assorted coach detailing parts and came across this. The ends in the first picture were the same type that a certain Mr D sold me at a Nottingham show years ago but the cream ones make a lot more sense. Next job is to work out the best way if putting it all together, from what I have read and can remember from my earlier build the lack of partitions is no great loss. I'll keep you posted as I go along but progress will be slow, life gets in the way with all the other jobs that have to be done. Brian

Some good stuff from Townstreet OK for permanent layouts but I wouldn’t recommend for a portable layout. (Experience).

Very nice, I hope that I will get the chance to see it for real one day. Brian

Recent modelling has mainly been directed at getting loads into wagons before they get used at our show. For too long most of my general purpose wagons have been running around empty, not very cost effective. This is the latest wagon that I have finished from my cousin's part built kits. Reading posts about kit building coach kits has made me think that I should be doing the same. I have been looking through the coach parts rescued from Bedford and there is enough of a Slaters toplight to start with that, I'll keep you up to date when I get started. By the way, I seem to have been one of the fortunate ones to receive a Bradley Manor, all I can say is WOW! Brian

All the best with the show. I did look into the possibility of getting a train down but the thought of a bus replacement for part of the journey put paid to that. Brian

Only six weeks to go now and still plenty to do. The club layout this year will be Radford Mill in its extended form. We hopefully will be putting on another small friendly show with something for everyone. See you there. Brian

The choice of couplings is a very personal choice, let’s face it there is no perfect answer. Most of my older wagons use 3links, they look good when a train is made up but I don’t have the space for generous curves so any shunting becomes too frustrating with them buffer locking and derailing. The modern tension locks are much neater than the older style and are not so obtrusive so I use those in the goods yard. Any wagon kits I build now tend to have at least a hook and tension locks which can easily be removed if need be. I have seen magnetic couplings being used for shunting, a wagon moving on its own towards a loco is not a good look. Personally I do not like the look of KayDees on British standard gauge stock although I have used them on an 0-16.5 layout. Whatever you choose, enjoy the modelling and operating. Brian

I decided to give my Mainline Manor, 7813 Freshford Manor, a run out before the arrival of Bradley. Running was what can be expected, OKish when on the move but not very controllable. For some unknown reason it's own tender kept derailing even after checking the back to backs, hence the photo shows it with a spare black tender. Brian

An interesting choice, but not one for me. However it has prompted me to look in my books to find photos, first of all in Brian J. Miller's book Rails To Prosperity there is a photo of 1683 in Barry shed in 1943 having apparently failed with a boiler problem. For more reading there is a chapter in David Maidment's book about GW Eight Coupled locos including a shot of stored locos at Penrhos. Brian