richard i

Le silence est grand et le reste est ferblese.

(Silence is great, and the rest is nothing) as the french would say

I will go with wood ballast bins.

finished article on here soon along with another couple POW

Being slowed down by having to make up 80 couplings, With 11 actions per couping to make it, it is slow and monotonous work..............but boy does it look good when hands free uncoupling can be done.

Richard

Okay

on to ballast bins, and throwing this one out there, were GCR ballast bins in GCR days concreate or timber built?

Richard

yes Clive,

i had found a picture of the chippenham wagons, but they were out of area so they could not be a wagon, but an 'orse and cart was possible.

Richard

Bob parkhurst - now i remember, yes it was a hoot.

And now for the latest project, the coal cart.

It has the empty sacks, spade, hammer and bucket from prototype photos, the chains underneath were also added, in true modellers form. No idea what they do but they are on the photos. The driver seemed to be in either that position or ridding on the front swivel carriage. He still needs reigns and a whip........and of course the horse. I am thinking cart horse, (thanks for the advice), Things take a while to get to the states.

SWMBO kindly got me the cart for christmas, but not a horse to go with it.

As for the name.... Like the Cluro castings factory, it is named after a friend who has assisted in the project, for which i am most grateful.

I feel a couple of ballast bins coming on next.

Richard

I was thinking that not only would the LMS 2-6-4 tanks go well with the time period but also a tender loco to add a bit more variety. Now a Black Five or a B1 would be very fitting only problem being the traverser can only just hold a four coach suburban train and a Brush Type 2. A class 5 4-6-0 is too long

 

Thoughts then went to an Ivatt or BR class 4 2-6-0, as they were still around in numbers right up to the end of steam and about as long as a Brush type 2. Yesterday in John Dutfield's Model Railways shop I found one of each on the shelf. I couldn't make up my mind which to buy. Oh dear this diehard diesel modeller now has 3 LMS tanks and 2 class 4 tender locos.

Welcome back from the dark side, Darth Spider, will you be returning to your light side name?

Well, since you are offering, how about an early automobile, driven by "Bob" Parkhurst...

Forgive my ignorance but who is bob parkhurst? The man driving on the bridge is driving a 1914 car does that count?

The photo I referred to was of a 6 wheel brake. There was a very obvious 'different colour' to the ends and 'just around the corner' of the sides. While it was (obviously) in black and white, the 'obvious' explanation would be vermilion ends, as used on various other lines. The snag is I have not so far found any documentary evidence. Sadly, this is not unusual. Even photos of brake vans are not two a penny. I have never seen a photo of an ex-LDEC brake, or of one of the more unusual GC types. (Diagram 65.) So we are doomed to a certain amount of guess work.

 

By the way, I had forgotten another variation. Fish vans (and according to some people similar NPCS) were originally brown with yellow GC lettering, not unlike the GW scheme for 'brown' vehicles. They were changed to grey at an unknown date, best estimate circa 1908. Given that these vehicles were not all repainted immediately, you could probably still get away with the odd brown fish van in 1912, although the chances are it would be covered in filth anyway, since the vehicles don't seem to have been washed on a regular basis. I have no suggestions as to how to produce the smell of rotting fish, except maybe add a small piece of old sardine to each one.

So what was the weathering colour on fish vans, was it white like cattle vans due to the use of lime or .....?

lord flasheart, a constable.....any other requests, i am feeling in a generous mood.

Sorry to have missed this. The answer is 'not in GC days'. The white circle may have been a RCH convention as other railways used it. (My L&Y source says 'post Great War' for a similar circle.) The reason for the vans was that in WW1 a new traffic started in imported meat. I'm not sure (dodgy memory as to precise facts) whether it arrived in the UK on the hoof to be slaughtered at the port or in carcass form, but either way extra insulated vans were needed, and not just on the GC. Hence the date of circa 1917. (When Britain was close to being starved out by the U-boats.)

 

The GC also had some refrigerated vans - it is sometimes said they were in a lighter shade of grey, and at least some of them carried a massive white five pointed star on the door with a big white 'G' and 'C' on either side with the word 'Refrigerator' written across the van side in big red letters cutting across the other lettering. Not sure what they were used for, but I suspect imported meat, and they certainly ran to Marylebone as I've seen a photo of some there.

 

The only other variation is that Engineering stock was painted red oxide. I am not sure if this included sleeper wagons as they were sometimes used in traffic and the logic of the different livery was to distinguish non-revenue earning stock.

 

Finally it is reported that cranes and the associated vans were blue (which blue?) with vermilion ends. BTW I have seen a photo that suggests that some 6 wheeled brake vans also had vermilion ends, but I have seen no written evidence of this. 

Helpful as always.

Some brakes with red ends, do i dare paint it and then post it on the GCforum to see the response. I have two so maybe one with and one without.

Hi Richard

 

I have just been thinking about your suffragettes, would there be a constable keeping an eye on them?  

they have not chained themselves, and it was more likely to be a detetive near the GCR as Suffragettes set fire to GCR trains using the time between stations to the full in the unobserved non corridor stock to set up their incenduries.

......Now i have to model a train on fire, at this rate this will become a German layout in more than just name.

One curry, two Guinness, and a vodka and prune juice.

 

That will fix the smellovision.

but i some how feel the consistancy would be wrong. It is back to that old phrase about dont let the bottom fall out of your world eat a madras curry and let the world fall out of.......

Thank you for the kind comments.

The streets then seemed to have a reasonable level of pedestrian activity as most people walked.

The casting yard was going to get the milk cart originally, but it just did not sit right, i might do an early lorry backed up as that would look better than a wagon(?). Perhaps a dray without a horse that is being loaded up, then the horse could be tied up away by the gates, (yet to be built).

Horsedung........ i feel an experiment coming on to find something/ a mix with the right texture. There is no smellovision at least.

Richard.

Thanks Chris, i will look at the langley offering. We are a bit far from east Anglia as it is set in Nottinghamshire.

I have finished the road scene, minus the coal wagon

and the casting yard. Though i feel that needs a little somethingelse to finish it  off.

I will let the pictures do the talking.

Is there any thing else which could go in to the scene to make it more realistic organic items help break up the angular engineering lines?

Richard

More people and the approximate position for some, The newspaper seller is done, i actually changed the figure as it seems most at that time held the papers in one hand and a big advert for the paper in the other, i went for fog crash, could be any time, though trams did go in the 50s. He will not appear on the station, but rather the bridge. However, there is better lighting down on the platform in order to see his sign better.

to complement this i found a notice saying trains disrupted by fog, on the GER........I am sure the GCR would notify people of issues with their neighbour as they had connecting services.

The last dog and owner, again a change as originally it was to go with a suited chap, but he was more likely off to work where as this one is more at leisure.

The suffragette has got her sign, again cropped from a photo of an actual sign, i was going to fit a wooden post to it but in the photo it was held in the hands.

In the second Beyond can be the fisher woman selling her wares and at the top almost blured to extiction is the top hatted gentleman and his wife.

Just 2 women left and then it is on to the coal merchants cart. I do need  horse though, would they have had a cart horse or just a bog standard dobin?

Richard

I have already done two of the Blue version  !!.

 

I have built a PDK version for myself and a Hornby conversion as above for a customer.

 

The PDK version is here

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=547&start=275

 

 

The other Hornby version is on page 22 here.

They do look great, i hanker after the first incarnation with the really short cab.

The figures are really bringing the layout to life. I'm impressed you've managed to get the labrador to look so good. I tried that one once and gave up.

 

I was painting one of those drays from Dart Castings yesterday evening. Is that lettering I see on the side of yours? 

Thanks for the "Like" of the lab, I did it a yellow, then had stone in places to change the shading. Nose was then done black, a wash of brown put over the top to bring out shaddows. A lead, (back to UK ) was made from a thin strip of painted masking tape. One dog painted. The Old English sheeep dog was white then dry brushed with black on the rear end.

The dray has Great central Railway down the side, it is a copy of an image on google, if you search images for horse and cart. It has brake gear added and the chains hanging below.

Richard,

I find with painting the women that I have to approach each one individually and try and work out what colour goes with what.  I like the sash, how did you do it?

 

Model Railway Developments said that they might do a Suffragette complete with banner although some of their figures can be a little large others are just right.

the sash was a piece of paper where i used a sharpee to draw the two outer colours and then useda ruler and scalple to trim it to size width wise before looping it round and using PVA to hold it in place.

Thanks for the suggestion of MRD for other relevant kit.

Richard

I like the King's visit. 

Surely that would require bunting and crowds, how many people can i paint without going insane?

But wait.......an excuse for a royal train.......thats another build!

More people, one needs a banner which should be obvious.

Also i have gone to the dogs, the old english sheep dog has no leash,

but the Lab? has one fitted,

there is a Heinz 57 one on the overbridge which also has a leesh fitted using a little masking tape painted up.

Two futher groups of people.

The first is a young mother waiting at the top of the stairs for her sailor husband to come up the stairs.

The second group is being pursuaded of the benefits of giving women the vote. She needs a banner too but that can be much more direct.

The one in red came out by accident as the paint held off the risen areas to give an interesting affect to the dress.

Just a couple more women to paint, i am finding the fashion colouring is coming to to me if i look at each figure in turn, new carer perhaps?

No to get on with the news board and placard.

I am sure this is a railway but i dont seem to be going near any wheels recently.

Richard

Thank you for all the suggestions

The miners and balkans are both great suggestions, along with election victories, i will have to see which are readable when reduced to half a 4mm man height.

Here are the next batch of people.

first up the fish monger selling her fish off the train from grimsby, i would say fresh off it but then it would wiff a bit, she will have a customer eventually.

you may notice the milk cart in the background, it has moved, it was to be in the factory grounds but i am undecided, it does look good on the road.

then the casters from cluro castings are moving the latest casting out to sit awaiting cllection in their yard, but what other gubbins to put in here to fill it up realistically? I will move the man off the fence, he is only placed to see if i like the placement.

Lastly the cess is now filled in on the ballasting to tidy it all up. The eagle eyed will also notice some trees have sprouted, they are temporarily in place to see if they work there. i do not want them to be in the middle it would lok wrong, but do they work at all as the need to be short to fit in the box when the two boards are faced off against each other.

next some dogs, an old english sheep dog, a lab and something else which i can not work out.

Richard

Clive true but i have not found photos of them on the large flyer sheets next to the seller and that is what i am trying to replicate, i could do it in word but i had hoped to be authentic.

Okay headline choices for the newspaper seller.

1. Peace talks for Russia, fits 1912, 1918, 1920, 1936, 1945, 1949 - any others i have missed?

2 Titanic - too specific and not that cheery

3 British ships u boat adventure - too war?

4 "Let them starve " views of public men - what was that about?

5 What Amy said to Jim - Again what is that about?

6 Police chief arrests himself!

7 Man hurt in fight over birthday cake.- It was a real one!

8 Fog train and coach collision

9 GER railway fog disruption

10 Does it matter they will be too small to read any way?

All view wanted for the poll, voting closes tomorrow.

Richard

Divide the track into sections of a reasonable length. Place a coin at the end of each of these sections.

As you progress, collect the coins. When you have a small collection of these coins, remember that they can be exchanged for beer in public houses. Reward yourself with a trip to such an establishment. Come home and go to bed - don't do any more. Believe me, the results will be appalling. (Don't ask me how I know this.)

 

As for technique, whatever works for you. The old formula Johnson's Kleer floor polish was regularly recommended as the adhesive to be applied to dry ballast (at the sides) rather than dribbling dilute PVA from above. Some like to paint the area around the sleepers with glue, and sprinkle the ballast on. I have even tried mixing the ballast with wallpaper paste, and pushing it into the gaps: but that was with Peco Streamline. I wouldn't recommend it.

I had not heard of the johnsons kleer, the two issues i am trying to solve are the ballast floating up on the glue when it is applied, and the glue bleeding out on to surrounding areas that then need reapplying. Would the application from the side assist or compound this?

You taught both my kids........what sanity do you have left.  

your kids did not remove my sanity, they were not the worst by a long chalk. If they had removed my sanity what would the others have done?

Thanks for the likes, any views on the best way to ballast though.

I need my sanity saving.

Richard