cooley_boy

I started off my layout as dual era being 90's sectorisation/NSE and the second being current day. Over time i found the 90's more fun to model and operate by having less fixed formations so have abandoned current day operations.

I may in time find it similar. Both eras are pretty far apart in my case which will be challenging. 

So I have been Adding some of the EOT lamps from DCCconcetps onto some of my wagons. These fit onto the wagons pretty easily coming with spring pick-ups, wire, lamps, flashing device and a reed switch with magnets in case you wanted have a automatic switch on the layout that turns the lamp on and off. I see no need for the reed switch as in real life the lamp is always and on the train.
Having said that these lamps look pretty prototypical when installed and have a nice flash rate when running along. I have installed the wiring in the container in this example which is a IKA flat with 48' container permanently mounted on the wagon. I have also fitted these lamps onto a MEA, FEA and FLA wagons.

 

 

So this weekend I had a slight opening weather-wise and as such took the opportunity to paint the coaches I have set aside for my WCRC excursion train. It took a bit to get the color right but I think I got pretty close. This week I will be starting to apply all the decals which I go from Railtec.                                        

 

These have all been stripped using IPA in a Spaghetti Container which doubles nicely as an overnight bath for the Coaches. Using a tooth brush I scrubbed off the paint and decals and then using a 1200 fine wet N dry just smoothed the surface before painting.

 

All up there will be 11 coaches all up in the following Running Numbers:

 

 

BSK Mk1 80217 BCK Mk1 99304 TSO Mk1 5032 TSO Mk1 4940 RMB Mk1 1860 TSO Mk2 5237 Pullman Mk1 99350 Maroon Pullman Mk1 Julia Pullman Mk1 Alexandria SK Mk1 99722 Pullman Mk1 Diana

 

 

                                                          

Having painted the Handrails it was just a case of fixing them onto the bulkheads. 

 

Now the next step is weathering which will hopefully happen this weekend.

 

 

 

Completely outwith my period, but excellent modelling/bodging.

If only the complainers on here had a go instead of moaning that they can't open a box and drop something straight on the layout.

 

Mike.

Thank you Mike. You get more satisfaction when you personalise your rolling stock or at least more enjoyment as you are more involved. What do you model?

 

Regards

Rand

Well now comes the "fun" stuff with making the finer details like the handrails that sit on the side of the bulkhead. Time to put on a good series and get the tweezers out. I found some .25mm nickel silver wire which is just about the right size for handrails in my reckoning. After making 30 of these with 2 spare I will paint them white tonight and fix them in place once dry.

 

 

 

Also I have seen in pictures that after they added the holes in the bulkhead to allow air through that they have later added struts across the holes to prevent logs flying out. Just as well as from these photos several have been broken and bent outwards as a result of sliding logs. So looked for the smallest styrene strip I could find from Evergreen which happened to be 0.01mm by 0.25mm and cut up several lengths into 4/6/8mm lengths to go over the holes in the bulkheads. Simply gluing them onto the back where the joins will be weathered over helping loose them in the rust.

 

 

 

 

Well now every wagon has had the bulkheads fixed on and the vertical struts fixed down. Next step will be weathering all of them which will hopefully be something that can be done this weekend as the weather is looking good for it.

 

 

And just generally, apart from the track itself, the track formation would be much reduced in electrified days. Seems to me that the Shap station area would need to be modelled on detachable boards.

 

The plain track areas might just about be OK to run in both eras if the idea of demountable catenary works. But I can't really see that it would. Even fixed catenary is difficult to get looking right. Demountable would be a nightmare unless you go for masts/gantries/headspans only with no wires.

This is very true. I am focusing more on the mainline section of the climb for this reason as you are right in regards to the station at Shap which is no longer there. I am only looking at going to just before the summit on the north end of the cutting. 

 

In regards to the catenary it will be a challenge for sure but I have done something similar in the past and will be looking at transferring it across for this.   

A great idea to model Shap.

 

But the problem with dual era layouts are the sleepers. Wooden up until electrification?.

 

Good 60's photo of Shap summit, including signal box (which will also need to be removable) http://cumbrianrailways.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v21/p662738863-3.jpg

 

and also a cracking Duchess shot  https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8116/8657759424_bb7b8931ed_z.jpg

 

(Edited to include photo links)

There will be a few things that may be a bit of license needed but we will just have to see. From what I have seen in research they seemed to be replacing the wooden sleepers in the early 60s with concrete and by that time most of the line was flat bottom rail which helps too. 

 

Depending how far up to the summit I model yeah the top will be interesting. I know there is a signal box on Scouts Green http://www.davidheyscollection.com/userimages/jrc-shap-eecotype4.jpg

 

This will have to be removable. The idea may be to have scenic modules that can be swapped out. 

 

I shall meet your good shot with another http://www.davidheyscollection.com/userimages/000-0-a-jr-carter-46250-shap.jpg 

North bound this time.

Next step:

Remove the factory up rights and take the wooden decks off the wagons and replace with 0.5 thick styrene sheet and spray the tops with a red brown paint to give a base coat of rusty brown for when we get to the weathering stage which will blend it all together. 

 

 

Is it not going to look odd being electrified in the 60s mode?

That's where the trickery will come in. Looking into designing removable Catenery. 

I have also been working on striping mk1/2s to repaint into a full length WCRC excursion based on the versions I have seen with the Cumbrian Mountain Express with Royal Scot 46115 Scots Guardsman on the front. I am still try to get the shade right as I am sure those that have also tried this it is very much a hit and miss affair as the colors in prototype are not all the same and every new cost they apply seem to be a different shade. Nothing like a good challenge though. Whilst waiting for the weather to improve to paint I have been working the on BSK support coach needed. Taking a Bachmann BSK and blocking out 2 windows and adding in a Larger opening for the Roller door to be installed.

This was done cutting infills out of 0.5 sheet styrene and fixing these in from behind using an epoxy. Then using a very fine filler I filled the surfaces on the outside of the coach letting dry. Then sanding it down with a fine 800 wet-n-dry and again with a 1200 wet-n-dry (wet this time) to really smooth out the finish. Now I just need the weather to behave.

 

 

 

 

 

It has since been a long time in doing anything with my projects as life in its usual way as gone off on a tangent. Lately though I have finally had a chance to get into my scratch building projects again.

 

Now I have been getting back into this project to make 15 KFA log carriers converted from cargowaggens. I have had the ends 3D printed and have hand built most if the stays and am now at the point of assembling the everything together.

 

In the shots below we can see that the pints came out pretty good although they needed a lot of cleaning which was easy enough by time consuming getting all the soft resin off. Then the just get a primer paint finish.

Having now cleaned all the bulkheads it was time to create all the verticals of which I need 210 of them and with each having 11 parts to them that ends up being 2310 components to make!!!!.
Its a good thing I made a whole bunch of these earlier.

 

 

Now that everything has been made it is time to paint it all...

 

 

So back in 2015 I started a project to scratch build a series of KFA units from taking Heljan cargowaggon flats and converting them over much like how it was done in protoype.

I have seen other to something similar in laser cut MDF but these looked to bulky to me and I looked into making everything from styrene.
I made all the uprights for one car and modified the top of the cargowaggon getting rid of the timber layer and replacing it with a smooth sheet of 0.5mm styrene that has been sprayed rusty brown to simulate the steel plate surface that seems to have replaced the timber judging by photo research.
I then handmade one Bulkhead end but then got these 3D printed to save time and help with consistency.
 

Below is the first prototype.

 

It occurs to me that I left a few details out in what I am planning so let me add them on. 
I will be modelling in 4mm scale with a optimal layout length of 50' and width of 12' and will comprise of a folded figure 8 track plan. This will be possible as the layout will include the 1:72 gradient that Shap possesses. The fiddle yards will be under the scenic area.
Granted the area modelled will have to be squashed a bit to get it to fit in and at present I do not have a location to build which is why I am focusing on the Rolling stock side of things. I will however work on finalising a track plan.

 

Rolling stock wise I am working on fitting sound to all my locomotive of which I am almost there.

 

I am working on recreating a 11-coach WCRC excursion train with Scots Gaurdsman 46115 on that duty. 
In regards to this I have modified a Bachmann BSK MK1 Coach to be the support coach for this train. Just like to really thing I have blocked up 2 windows on either side and added the roller doors to either side. Now just waiting for good weather to give it a as-close-as WCRC paint job.

 

 

Also most of the way through creating a 15 car KFA Timber train as used by Colas. 
These just need weathering and loads which I will show through my other blog - KFA continued

 

 

 

For a while now I have been wanting to build a layout and have so far built 3 layouts which have since either been sold or dismantled into other projects. In previous layouts I have been a bit free lance in my design moving into a layout based off a location but not true to prototype. So now I am looking at modelling a location as true to prototype as possible space willing. In doing so the search was on for a layout that can be used for both 1960 operations and current day which narrows the field down a bit but the challenge was to find a place that has not really changed much since the 60s so anything near a city was more-or-less out.

 

I therefore moved into the country side and into the LMS region which is where I personally think the best trains were made (ducks for cover) and where some of the most gruelling and dramatic scenery is located. This is certainly true of the S & C but this have been modelled to death and wanting to look into an area where not much has been done in recent years I looked into the West Coast Mainline between Preston and Carlisle.

 

Here we have 2 major Climbs being Grayrigg and Shap both of which are gruelling grades which in steam days required helpers which would be a very neat thing to replicate in operation which with DCC will be very easy to achieve. I have settled on Shap for no real reason other than for several reasons:

 

1- Shap is more open in its landscape and will be in my opinion be more dramatic to recreate.

 

2- I have spent time around the Shap incline and know it better.

 

3- Shap has less of a range of traffic than Grayrigg due to all the Stainmore traffic turning east at Tebay which means there will be less traffic to cover than Grayrigg which from a budget perspective is always a good thing.

 

Having said that last point though there is still a huge amount of traffic on this line:

 

1960's Highlights:

 

The Royal Scot
The Mid-day Scot
The Night Scot
The Caledonian
The Lakes Express
All Freight Traffic

 

Duchess's
Princess's
Britannia's
Royal Scots
Black Fives
8Fs
9Fs
ETC

 

Current Day Highlights:

 

The Caledonian Sleeper
Tesco Train
Virgin Pendalino's
Virgin Super Voyagers
All Container Traffic
All Engineering Traffic
Colas Timber Traffic
Flyash Traffic
Coal from Ayrshire to Wales
Class 66, 68, 88, 57, 92, 90, 86, 60
Colas
DRS
EWS/DB
Frieghtliner
Network Rail
WCRC Excursion Trains

 

All in all a lot to model and consider.

 

I have already accumulated a fair bit of rolling stock in regards to both settings for this layout and as I don't have the space at this time to built the layout I am focusing on getting all the rolling stock ready and running this in at the local club. So what is to follow will be a series of works in regards to the rolling stock and locomotives.

 

Regards
Rand

Back off-topic: I just spent some time investigating the official website of WCRC - http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/.

 

Not one mention of, or link to, any of the fleet of locomotives used by them (other than listing the class of engine scheduled for forthcoming trains).

 

Am I missing something?

Here is the list for the scheduled Mainline runs 

 

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs17.htm

 

Regards 

Rand

Back off-topic: I just spent some time investigating the official website of WCRC - http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/.

 

Not one mention of, or link to, any of the fleet of locomotives used by them (other than listing the class of engine scheduled for forthcoming trains).

 

Am I missing something?

 

There is a list here.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Railways#Fleet_details

 

Regards

Rand

I went through and just removed all the wiring and PCB.

I fitted a Loksound V4 with a 20 x 40mm speaker.

I then had the exciting job of deciphering the LED wiring trying to figure out what everything was and then wiring it into the functions on the decoder. 

 

The mess the start with.

 

 

All tidied up and finished. All that excess wire removed.

 

In OO presumably? There are already parts on Shapeways to convert n gauge ones.

Yes in 4mm scale. I will look at doing one for the N scale market as I think it is a bit chunky. But that is just by what I see. 

 

Iirc departmentals.com has a variety of photos of the various rhht trains that predate the DRS ones too, which would be interesting to model too.

Do you have a specific Web Link?

 

Making the 3D print available ?

Yes. Sorry I could have made that clearer. I will be making a kit with the intent to use for my own models and to sell.

 

Rand 

If you want dead scale FREDs or EOTs (Flashing Rear-End Device / End Of Train device) these are very good and can be powered off the wheels of the wagons using pick-ups that come with the lamps.

 

https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/end-of-train-lamp-with-all-electronics-3-pack/

 

Regards

Working on a 3d print of the separate units in high detail and a modifying kit to convert the Dapol FEA-b units into FEA-s units. Will be making it available when finished with the design work.

Only five locos on the point? For the USA, what's so remarkable about that?   

Merely a Jest. I have seen 132 locos running in unison in Colton California where I am from but could locate my footage. Big dead power move.  

Link doesn't work (file not found)

Sorry about that.