Down_Under

Seen these Dave http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130549-6point5-minimum-gauge-models/

No worries Mike! Thanks for making up the chassis and making me get of my butt and make some models! The chassis goes together really quickly.

Next up is a Janus or two. The first started life as a Oxford Rail/Golden Valley Hobbies RTR unit. The Second is a pure Judith Edge kit and will be built up as a ironstone loco. Now, I don't profess to be an expert on these locos and all there differences, so comments and corrects are welcome. Most of my comments are simply observation of the prototypes and/or discussions with people in the past. A quick google of Janus will throw up a heap of material and images. My personal favorites are here and here on Fickr. Most of these are steel works or ironstone locomotives, since that is where the majority ended up. Images of those that were supplied to the NCB and working seem to be few and far between. James over at West Halton Sidings has a excellent collection of photos and details of the Judith Edge kit here and a review of the Oxford Rail Model here Plus there is Ruston's Excellent thread on the Janus Lets start with the Oxford Rail Janus. It is true that they did pick an odd prototype - with cut outs in the buffer beam for hand rails, and one air inlet covered and the other open. But it comes with some nice bits of detail from behind the valances, and I quite like the exhaust covers that flip up. After some umming and arrgghh-ing I have decided to keep this one as a NCB example (the paint job is pretty good), which means it keeps the paint, but little modification (detailing) required. There does not seem to be many images of NCB examples (believe there was only 6), most are off #6 'Roger H. Bennett' in preservation, more sleuthing required here. If you know of any feel free to post up links etc. Here is one in action (can anyone ID the loco?), with the main variants/modifications being the need to fill the buffer beam cut outs, fill in the NEM tension lock holes (Judith edge half etch overlay), fit larger buffers (Alan Gibson large 24" industrial buffers), front headlight/handrails - scratch build (or speak nicely to Mr Edge for the resin one) replace flimsy coupling rods (Judith Edge Etch - supplied with EM/P4 Chassis - but a nice word might get you some along with some work plates) works plates - Mr Edge or Narrow Planet. This image is from the Chasewater Blog - another excellent record/blog. Does anyone know the ID of this Loco? Can’t imagine anything more terrifying that bombing down a country lane in your triumph stag to find a Janus lumbering out the hedgerow! The RTR version measures up pretty well with the Judith Edge drawing. Correct length, height etc. This is the first chassis I have built in a long while - so I figured a easy 0-6-0 to start things off. This chassis is designed to bolt straight in, no modification required. The chassis is a snug fit and did require a little filing of the half etch cusp to fit withing the buffer beams. Coupling rods. As supplied they are solid and I think designed to articulate on the center crankpin. I opted to make it more prototypical as they are supplied as three etches and articulated on the knuckle as per the real thing. So out with the piecing saw it was. These mostly went smoothly. I only soldered in the 0.45mm wire once, or maybe twice. I was a little over-zealous with the solder first time round, and some filing was needed. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked as intended. Not bad for first attempt! I fitted the little steel bushes supplied by Alan Gibson. These are just a push fit - I guess people recommend soldering these in? This gave me some confidence to solder up the chassis. Within a short while (couple of hours) I had a mostly rolling chassis. I say mostly, as in my eagerness and new found confidence I soldered all the chassis spacers only to find in bound and it wasn't quiet square. So some un-soldering and re-soldering was required (de-soldering braid is handy stuff!). Now I'm not total sold on this chassis jig - I found it a bit of a faff. Maybe because I have to pack it up and move it all the time, or I was in a hurry or I'm just learning and have hamfists. Practice I guess. Anyway here it is! Rods an wheels attached. Using the JE style compensation. Which also works. Mike has suggest using a little scrap etch to keep the compensation beams against the chassis as these seem to like to wander towards the middle of the axle. I may go to hornblocks and modify to a central pivot beam. Not sure. Part of the fun! I guess next up will be sorting out a motor, box and some detailing J Last edited to add rustons thread which I somehow had missed.

Inspiration - well we all need some now and then, and this is where I get mine. I grew up watching 'Trains Now Departing' and I have lost track of how many times I've seen 'Lines of Industry' (YouTube Link) - I still re-watch this from time to time. The Ironstone tramways and NCB lines really captured my imagination back when I was younger. I grew up in the Northwest surrounded my the remnants of a industrial past, before going to Uni up in Edinburgh in the mid 2000's, and spent a few years in between studies cycling round lanes, peering over hedges from the Borders to Fife at relics of from another era. So there is going to be a strong midlands Ironstone and a Scottish - to NE England theme to some NCB modelling. Recently there have been some excellent videos of Astley Green (YouTube link)- five parts to this series and oozing everything I want to try and capture Then there are the ironstone lines with the Gratham and Woolsthorpe links posted elsewhere on this forum. Plus the excellent books my Eric Tonks. Other inspiration comes from others - The OTCM Blog, Kirkmellington, West Halton Sidings, plus Ruston, Adam, Barclay, Whitemoor and PGH of this Parish. So on the dining table at the moment, we have a couple of Janus, a pair of 16" Hunslets (Ring Haw and Jacks Green), a 50550 in development and a bunch of wagons.

The darkside has come out already! haha. Just waiting for those wagons from RT That's the one.

Good Evening All, After a long time lurking I've managed to find some time between the desert (where I work) and a classic Land Rover to start some modelling. As the title of this thread suggests, I'll be mainly working in P4 and cover all things industrial - locos, wagons and maybe even a small diorama (mostly due to space) to test locos and wagons (perhaps a'la Rustons' works background), with an NCB or Midlands Ironstone theme, all from the kitchen table. I'll try and model specific locos, modelling specific NCB and Midlands Ironstone engines in the late 60s, 70s and into 80s, but may stray at times. I apologies in advance for my rather basic photos - its actually much harder than I thought to take good pics. Hopefully they should get better, along with the models. Feel free to hint and tip, offer advice or criticism (as long as its nice ). Without to much more fuss it would be rude not to start with something National Coal Board -ish with all this RTR stuff floating about these days - a little bit of upgrading and re-wheeling to re-hone some skills before cracking open a kit. First up we have Accurscale HUO's (internal user pack) and Oxford Rail Janus converted to P4 on a Judith Edge Chassis. It was hard not to resist the HUO wagons, even though they fall outside of my main area and era. They just look so good, I have nothing more to say that hasn't already been said - some of the best models I've seen straight out the box. The Janus was bought a while back more because of its inaccuracies to refresh my skills and what better way than to build a chassis and do some super detailing? More on this later. The HUO's - these seem to have turned up everywhere as internal user wagons being played with by Andrew Barclays in collieries, from Dollar Colliery, Orchills, Clackmannanshire, Scotland in the 1970 (Tom Heavyside - Scotlands Last Colliery Steam) through Newstead in the midlands to the South Wales Coalfieds at Onllwyn in the 90s. They pop up in coalite plants across the country. The only real addition was to fit some 3 - link instanter couplings and P4 wheel sets slipped in pretty easily, little reaming required for the axles to roll freely. These are courtesy of AMBIS Engineering and I think they look the part. Little more solder next time and some better fling perhaps. Question to everyone - do you solder up the link or leave it open? Beauty of these AMBIS etched links is that they will close couple Small little addition makes a heap of difference. Now, just need to re-learn the art of weathering. The next post will focus on the Janus.... Enjoy, J Edited - updated a link

That looks good Adam! I have a Thomas Hill rebuild in the stash. J

Great work RT! really looking forward to these! James Edit - could the discrepancy in wheel diameter be through wear? Edit2 - Perhaps the springs be made from suitable wire wound round wound brass? Bolts also work. The nut head would represent the real life bolt holding it all together

Chen melling - thanks for those photos - awesome stuff - I only found 2 so far on the web so you just tripped those!

Was the eastern and Scottish region pre selected as an safe area?! with 8 mobile units that existed?

Seems the eastern region had its fair share of these trains. Motive power wise I guess C.31 would be the mainstay of this unit? Would the loco "abandon" the train or stay with it until the all clear given ? Edit - topic changed to reflected wider use of trains

Thanks for that. So is there a list of other regions that can be complied?

Thanks for that - pretty much answers all the questions A totally model-able train J

Interesting Couple of answer before I could post a few more questions - typically how many coaches (seems accomodation - sleeping? Power generator? Comms - corridor/brake stock?) - if WW2 era - we are mostly talking grouping stock? Assume each region? Had its own? - impressed that they survived so late (1985) - any further info welcomed - assume they would have been 'tested' perdoiclaly dueing the year? - you will have to pardon my ignorance - but what coach was that in the initial photo at Doncaster?

Possible another ex-Haifa Loco (I have no book to check) HE 1686/1931 ended up at tunnel cement, Thurrock Quick question - what IRS handbook are you using? J

Evening All, While researching some class 31's I came across this picture on rail-online With the quote: "Tucked inside Doncaster old steam shed together with an old Gresley coach. I recall this was part of one of those strange 'strategic control' trains and was stabled there for years in case of nuclear attack, they were not well equipped!" So after a little bit of googling not much turned up, so here I am. Does anyone have any pictures, info, knowledge, make up, stabling of one of these 'trains'? J

There is a thread in industrial modelling sub forum (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/111474-hunslet-engine-co-works-numbers/&do=findComment&comment=2975311) with a bit more info. I think Birch Coppice is a larger 16” OC Hunslet. They made 14”, 15” and 16” varieties.

At least two 14” OC hunslets made it back from Haifa. One of which made it to Oxford Ironstone Quarries named “The Bursar”

And several ended up with the NCB...and Australia I wouldn't be disappointed if it was a C.11. More froth!

Hmmm...well if that's a whitewashed interior - thinking diesel shunter, still exists and hasn't been made yet, that rules out most BR standard classes with exception of the 02. But if I had to speculate, Ruston, they made loads of them, they appeared on BR, they appeared in industry - a Ruston 165DS/DE?

Keep up the good work Gordon. Chassis looking like the business and thanks for the updates. J Ps nice series 2. I'm currently in the mist of restoring my 59 series 2 shortie. So big thumbs up from me

Hi Justin, Those bogies look the business. I've been eying up a couple of sets of these bogies for a while to go under some MK1 parcel stock. J

Looks good Gordon, My first Peckett arrived last week, so super excited about this! J

Nice work Adam. What couplings did you use - those supplied with the kit and filed to look more proto-typeee, or did you replace with lost wax castings, or another make? They look nice and beefy and more real than the usual single layer of etched brass with large hole for the chain James

Five of us Plus I’d take two J