richard i

I have had a play with the picture Just changng the coach side has got me slightly hooked. It is actually theraputic colouring a side. Two things One: What is wrong from a GCR point of view were the side lights red? The brown too light? It was supposed to be more mahogany? two: How do i view it without printing screen and converting it in to a JPEG which loses so much resolution? If i just try to convert the gimp file it is sent back as a jpeg for every layer. Also don't google download gimp on a work computer mine got very concerned about exactly what i was downloading Please comment/ critique away, Richard

A question for the grantham crew if I may. I know in BR period that parcel stock would come from all the regions in one train passing over lner lines. What about in LNER days? Are the grantham parcel trains all lner stock or a mix of all the grouping companies? Any advice gratefully received. Richard

The trees do look sculpted so a man planted row makes sense though all of one design most likely. To improve that feel you could put soil at their base, a fence track side of them and ground cover but only the other side of the fence because if you are planting ornamental trees you would take care of the landscaping around them. Even then I would lose the fir trees to the back of a copse somewhere as they are too uniform and does anyone trim a fir tree?Richard

Hand rails and steps on Just the wheel and small square on the side to fix on. There are the rivets on the side which are quite obvious, but are they worth fitting? I find the transfer ones are not really noticeable once painting is done unless you are very close. Richard

For me the issue with the trees is the spacing, try moving them in to groups of two or three and make the space between these groups irregular too. Nature is rarely regular. The wagon is a great touch. Richard

I found this whilst surfing the web, I like the fact that someone has had a go at a GCR subject, but I do not recall a green for the carriage colour. If the colorist objects to this being here then I will happily take it down. If only it could be finished off in the correct colours, but I do not know how. Richard

Sides and ends on Now the handrails and wheel on the side. Richard

It is as if I knew, but I really didn't. I am sorry if this has created extra work for people distracting them from real modeling. Richard

And then he goes and terrifies us by pointing out that sign writing which would have been impresive in 4mm is actually in 2mm how has he any eye sight left?

Not letting you near my house around the beginning of November next year........just in case.

Just having fun, as the company never existed I was having fun with the wagon. I suppose it is my take on the wagon with an alien in it that some send round their layouts at exhibitions. Like my humour I wanted my fun wagon to be more subtle in its "errors" than having an alien. Hence the German instructions. I enjoy it more when most miss it but one person looks up and grins and says" I see what you have done there. If there is a precedent I will be delighted, if not it will join the things to spot from how many will tell me Bell is missing the 's etc. Richard

The coaches are from bill's Mousa models site, there is a link to his shape ways shop which might have the sprue of 3d print of the bits. If not he might do a special, though I would not want to put words in his mouth. Some parts are on the etch like the end of the gas cylinder, though you source your own tube. I can really recommend his kit I have only ever found it first rate. Richard

That will all hinge on the cylinder if the body does not go low enough you will have to move the step down much further forward. I like your thinking though.

Better up close shots The GWR van, and breaking cover the GWR open. Then mr bell's grain wagon, probably still can not see the achtung on the transfer. The large letters on the open really were a fiddle to get over the iron work. I tried decal soft but must be doing something wrong as it just did not make the transfers sit down on the wagon. Solutions? Richard

I really need a better picture, it was the best my ipad could do in the half light this morning Richard

Transfers on The GWR wagon is fox transfers all the way, they are new and even better than I remembered. The private owner is another matter. It is a parkside kit so UK named for a friend without whose hep the layout would not have got off the ground. The letters are from a set of usa transfers. Why the company needs grain who knows, but clearly they have at least 100 wagons because this is 065 from a tamyia set of decals. The lettering come from transfers left over from an Italian companies printing of German instructions for a usa made MLRS artillery piece. I wanted it to look like there are instructions, the non pool, return to owner etc , look closely it starts with achtung but at two feet I certainly can not tell that. I then used a black marker pen to shade in the large letters. It was fun doing/ planning. It is also the reason not to throw away surplus transfers. Richard

And the inference that my models might approach being perfect copies is quite flattering. They are not up to your standards Bill. I do get your points, if I were doing it, it would be as an exercise in can I so I would not seek to make money out of it. With a first attempt I would be impressed if I could get it to come out of a mould and be of a quality where even one person would consider having it. To clear up this is all hypothetical. Besides because of this parkside have got two kit sales out of me and potentially a third, and if I was not trying to convert it or experiment they would have had none. This might be why GBL were not chased down by Hornby if they thought GBL locos were copies because for every loco brought, Hornby potentially sold a chassis to power it. I am intrigued now where supplier ends and copying begins because a car maker uses screws to make the car adds bits to them and sells it on. I suppose as long as the kit moulds require you to buy a parkside wagon it is supplier? This aside be it this or another project I do want to learn to cast. Richard

I think this is like the tax inspector saying there is tax payment , tax avoidance and tax evasion. One is right, one is wrong and the third is a sliding scale of gray. Richard

Legally would i not break copyright if i made no money from them and just molded for myself? Even if i sold them would i not be selling a different product as i had altered it and i was not trying to pass it off as Parkside. I am not a law man so i am open to correction. .......Has parkside got a world wide copyright as i am in the states? Legal brains answers? Richard

I would do it to see if i could do the two halves molding. I would need to work out with all the air pockets what was going into one piece. Being at a distance it means You tube and RMweb are my guides in these matters. I do understand i will only get better by having a go. It is the only way i will get a GCR Parker bogie Richard

From what i understood part of the issue stemed from how the GN men handled the loco as they were used to the wide firebox atlantics and this was not such a problem on the GCR. Richard

I will have two. it would be easier second time round to cut out the extra as you could do it whilst it was flat on the sprue. I am sure it is not beyond the wit of man to then make up castings to mass produce them. So far i have only attempted simple casting, this looks like it would need a two halves system. The ammount you would cut out on the slope would be as near as 9mm as to almost not ake it worth drawing a simple triange to work it out. Though that might change in 7mm. I would be tempted to do it to prove my theory but then i woud have one of correct hight and two wrong which would be more noticable than two wrong ones. Unless i gave away these first two as prototypes and do the improved version for myself. Richard

Sides on You would have thought I could get more done at the weekend but I only managed a couple of hours late Sunday night. I also had to do every thing in my power not to put them on the wrong way around. They are handed. Not obvious here but little holes have been drilled for handrails etc. Richard

There should be a repository for little gems like this so they are not lost with the passing of time.Richard

Oh the can of worms I have opened. On the plus sides I do want to run through the era so the larger ones can make up an lner train. I can run them for now and in time replace them with more appropriate ones on a one in one out policy and it will distract attention away from the 3mm discrepancy in the hopper wagons. In all seriousness I appriciate all the advice, it helps to make the railway more accurate and until someone points out something we have missed we do not notice it and do do not look to change it. Richard