JonKing

The hardstanding in front of the shed area is now finished. Whilst not an exact match to the prototype I have tried to copy the general layout of the hardstanding particularly the curved area towards the station end. Prior to painting I lightly cut casting joints and repair patches into the plasticard with a craft knife being careful to only score the surface and not go all the way through. Edges of the plasticard adjacent to the rails were also chamfered to ensure sufficient flangeway clearance. I was keen to try and achieve the right colouring and avoid a solid grey block of colour. Firstly I primed the harstanding with Halfords Grey primer and then used an airbrush to apply a paint mixture (light grey / brown mix) over the primer. I wasn't looking for an even coat with the airbrush as I wanted some tonal variation. Newer patches of concrete & repair patches were then hand painted with a lighter grey mix. Once dry I used a large soft brush to apply a thin dark grey wash, this created some initial staining but also darkened the casting joints cut in previously. Photos below show these steps. Once dry I then mixed up a thin dark grey / black paint for use in the airbrush. I lightly sprayed this along the flangeway gaps building up to the desired density. I also sprayed the edges of the hardstanding adjacent to the building with the same mix, this has the effect of blending and disguising the joint between the hardstanding and building. The same mix was then also used to build up colour in areas where locos will stand and also used to create traffic route marks across the hard standing (if you look at google earth photos there are clear marks of the traffic routes where road vehicles are crossing the hard standing). Overall pleased with the finish. Now to glue it down and get on with the rest!.

Following some rather glacial progress the layout is starting to come together (slowly!). The carriage shed which forms the majority of the backdrop to the rear of the layout has been constructed from plasticard clad with slaters corrugated slate. The structure straddles a baseboard joint so has been constructed in two sections, the "station end" structure being 4ft in length representing the original carriage shed building with the "shed end" building approx 2 ft in length representing the later extension constructed in the early 2000s. Whilst the later extension was constructed slightly later than my chosen time period its not too much of a compromise. The joint between the two does need some slight fettling as does the backscene board. Track around the shed area has also been laid, wired and tested. Some initial weathering has also been applied with humbrol track colour. The carriage sidings have not been laid yet. All track is Peco Bullhead, slow progress has been partially due to trying to get hold of the bullhead points. In addition to the shed buildings the station end cabin (photo below) has been constructed as has the transformer building located to the rear of the carriage sidings and tank room. Front view of the station end cabin below, unfortunately this is the side that wont be seen when its in place!. Rear view of the small "tank room". Not entirely sure what this building is, its also worth noting that on the prototype this building is painted white whereas I prefer a brick finish. Next job is the hardstanding outside of the main shed. I have chosen to use plasticard for this which takes a lot of cutting, sanding and fettling to get to the correct shape. I thought about using plaster but shied away as it looked to be a very messy task. Joins between the plasticard will be disguised as casting joints, service trench scars etc. Its starting to take shape but some way to go.

Will have to bear the blackberry situation in mind once summer comes!. One of the consequences of the current lockdown is that we have been staying local which has given me an excuse to explore the local disused railway lines whilst taking the kids for their weekend walks. Into town via the viaduct is a particular favourite although the footbridge over the line by the new St Modwen estate can be a bit dicey with an 5 year old and 3 year old who don’t look where they walk (the amount of irresponsible dog owners who don’t pick up after their dog appears to have increased exponentially during lockdown!). It appears that the formation has been infilled to some degree in the vicinity of the former Rugby wharf sidings and signal box. I suspect the line would have crossed under Brownsover Road rather than at a level?. Another pleasant walk we hadn’t done until lockdown is the former GC route as far as Newton. The section from Newton Manor Lane to Newton is great for the kids to take their bikes away from traffic.

Unfortunately due to the current situation I had to dismantle my old layout Embankment Road TMD. It was permanently located along one wall in my home office and had to be evicted when I started home working and it became clear quite quickly that trying to share the office with a layout wasn't feasible (albeit it did provide an interesting backdrop for Teams calls and trigger some rather interesting conversations!). Thoughts have now progressed towards a replacement layout. Initially I gravitated towards completing a layout based on Bury Interchange just before closure, I even started converting another GMPTE 504 (my first conversion is on this forum somewhere) however I soon succumbed to the lure of late 90s diesels again and Bury / the 504s were put back in hibernation. The late 90s railway scene holds most interest to me, I have very fond memories of spending summer evenings on an overbridge near my house watching 37 hauled freights climb Rattery bank and trips with my Dad to locations such as St Blazey, Cardiff Canton, Toton & Peak Forest. This time I wanted to model a prototype location and considered a number of potential prototype locations including Crediton, Goodrington Carriage Sidings and Newport Stabling point. Unfortunately all of these would require a large area to model prototypically, as the layout has no permanent home I really didn't want to model anything more than 8ft (exc. staging area). I have therefore decided to model another TMD (!), or specifically roads 6-8 and fuel point sidings at Bristol Barton Hill. The Google Maps screengrab below shows the area I will model, with a bit of scaling it will fit in an area approx 8ft x 2ft. Despite its size there will only be three points in the modelled area as per the prototype giving access to shed roads 6-8 and the fuel point road. The carriage shed (formerly planned maintenance shed) will form part of the backdrop and sidings between the fuel point and carriage shed will be non-functioning and used to store rakes of RES coaching stock and a TPO set. The layout will be set in the period between 1998 - 2001 (e.g loaded with RES & EWS 47s and latterly EWS 67s). Baseboards have been built using modified laser cut Grainge and Hodder baseboards (modified to taper from 600mm width at the shed end of the layout to 400mm at the cabin end). I have also started building the main shed building. Unlike my previous models the shed is solely built from plasticard, previously I have always used a MDF shell but didn't want to here as I wasn't sure where the layout would be stored and MDF wouldn't cope well with the humidity in the loft or garage. The shed is almost entirely formed from 1mm plasticard laminated to give varying degrees of thickness and strength for the key structural elements. The shed walls are formed from an inner and outer layer of 1mm plasticard sandwiching 4 layers of 1mm plasticard spacers giving an overall thickness of 6mm. Stonework is slaters coarse stone with plasticard strip used for cill details etc and custom laser cut brick lintels from York Model Making. The cladding (including roof) is slaters corrugations. I have modelled the shed so that the door to road 6 is closed (I always tend to have at least one door closed on my depot buildings). I was initially worried around how strong the building would be given its size (its 2ft long and even at that size slightly under scale) however using laminated plasticard for the key structural elements has made it very robust. The base model has been painted using a base colour for the stonework followed by darker washes and picking out random stones in brown. Roof has a base coat of grey, translucent fibreglass roof panels have then been painted on and then weathered with washes of darker and lighter colours. The roof vents are from Aughagen with replacement panels surrounding the vents picked out in lighter grey as per the prototype (I assume the ventilation system has been renewed at some point necessitating replacement of localised roof panels). Next job is to fit windows, doors and other details.

Yes that’s them, obviously not needed for the older EW&S livery but are needed to complete the later EWS livery. If you are minded to produce the three beasties logo at some point the thin yellow reflective stripe at the bottom of the body sides would also be perfect to complete your EWS collection

Have been using railtec transfers for a while now and they are absolutely fantastic - no carrier film, come off the backing easily and do not curl or break up!. However, does anyway know if they do the standard EWS three beasties logo (as applied to the standard red and gold livery). I can find the renumbering packs (which don’t include the logos) and the larger yellow and red logos used for patching obsolete liveries but not the standard logo?. Thanks in advance.

47315 sits outside the admin block at Embankment Road TMD, late August 1998.

Not much progress on DR98008 recently, I am trying to source a set of custom transfers to finish it off. In the meantime a handful of locos have rolled off the workbench. First up is 47315 in battered dutch livery. I remember visiting Bescot in the late 90s and 47315 was stabled outside of the TMD building, being a Devon boy dutch liveried 47s were a rare "spot" for me especially given there would only have been 3 or 4 left in traffic at the time. 47315 is a complete respray of a Bachmann 47, given I am modelling the loco in battered late 90s condition base colors were sprayed using faded tones. Varnish and transfers were applied as normal and then body streaking added by painting on thinned dark grey / dirty black paint which was then removed in a vertical motion with cotton buds soaked in thinners to soften the edges of the streaking. Roof grilles and panel lines were then given washes of the same dark grey / dirty black to build up an accumulation of dirt in the grilles & recesses. On the prototype the fibre glass roof domes had been chipped in places revealing BR blue underneath, chipped areas were added with a small brush as were nameplate scars where the nameplates had been removed. The roof was then sprayed with a light coating of dk grey / dirty black withe a second coat of dirty black / dk blue around the exhaust area. Lower bodysides were sprayed with frame dirt and brake dust. Correct pattern underframe tanks were added (retaining steam heat water tanks) and the under frame was sprayed with frame dirt. Next up is 20118. A complete respray from a Bachmann 20 previously resprayed & weathered (badly!) by me around 10 years ago. Respray and weathering techniques on this one are fairly standard however I have modeled the loco in 1995 condition when the engine room doors had been repainted a lighter grey on one side (following these doors being replaced with doors from a BR blue loco at Tinsley in the early 90s). Eagle eyed will notice I have used the incorrect OHLE warning stickers - I have used the post 1998 versions (yellow triangle) rather than the pre 1998 versions (red symbol), I have done this on the purely fictitious premise that 20118 was reinstated by DRS as a short term measure to work with its original batch of 20/9s. Not too far fetched given 20118 was only withdrawn in 1995 due to a broken windscreen,

Next up for me is something a bit different. Unique single MPV DR98008 modeled in its original white livery when it appeared to be purely used as some form of tractor unit (prior to its conversion to a Network Rail switch and crossing inspection train). Firstly I stripped down a Bachmann MPV to its component parts, in hindsight I didn't need to strip it down this much but wanted to work out how it all went together and how easy it would be to move key components. I wanted to model DR98008 with a single tool store as shown in the below photo:. http://www.ontrackplant.com/photo/98008 Once stripped down it became clear that I could shift the circuit board with a bit of modification to the wiring so that it would all sit over the motor at one end, as modeled by Bachmann the tool store would need to be located in the middle to hide the circuit board which wouldn't look correct. Photo above shows the wiring modified to move the circuit board to one end. The tool store will sit over this and the motor, unfortunately the metal protrusion at the right hand end of the motor (as shown in this photo) will extend beyond the tool store slightly. I am happy with this compromise as removing this protrusion will mean re motoring and major surgery to the metal chassis. I also wanted to make sure that the lights worked at both end. Installing wiring for the lighting board at the "new" cab end was easy enough, I just took the feeds off the old wiring which would have gone to the second car and ran them through a hole drilled in the chassis. I then 3d printed a spacer which would support the "new" cab and lighting board. Photo below shows how it works, the cab just slots over it: A toolstore was also 3d printed and toolstore / cabs then painted. I have never had to spray a large area white before and it was infuriating, taking around 8 coats from an airbrush to get good coverage. Warning panels were sprayed WP yellow and details picked out in black. The handrails on the deck were salvaged from the old Bachmann sandite units. Its starting to look the part now, a lot of finishing still to do including finding some custom transfers and a varnish that wont yellow when sprayed on the white.

A while since I have posted on here during which time a few locos have rolled off my workbench. First up is a trio of battered Hornby class 50s, these have all been partially resprayed to a varying degree (either to correct livery errors or as a result of past weathering fails by me!). I have modeled these in battered 1990 / 1991 condition as that is how I remember them from regular visits to Laira with my dad when I was 6 / 7. 50046 is a partial respray to correct dodgy weathering, I have included some hand written "AVFC" graffiti which is present on photos of the loco taken around 1990. Weathering is fairly standard - washes, chipped paint on the roof and brake dust / exhaust dirt to blend it all together. The white engine room window is liquid glazing which is drying (I lost the window!). 50001 started life as Hornby's 50002. I resprayed the blue to the earlier NSE light blue (the dark blue on 50002 being too dark anyway for NSE dark blue) and the Hornby mustard yellow warning panels were resprayed the correct shade of warning panel yellow. Again weathering is fairly standard, bodyside streaking formed by dragging dk grey downwards with a brush soaked in thinners, washes to the grilles and brake dust / exhaust dirt sprayed through an airbrush to pull it all together. 50032 is modeled in heavily battered condition as it was prior to withdrawal. The yellow warning panels and blue have been resprayed to a better color match and white added to the cab doors (the Hornby model doors are plain blue). The livery is technically incorrect for 50032 as the upper white band should be higher up (and there are also a few other detail differences). I was happy with leaving the livery as is as I didn't want to fully respray NSE livery!. The roof chipping was achieved by brushing on rail grey, leaving to dry and then covering patches of the grey with maskol (working from photographs). The roof was then sprayed with a coat of exhaust dirt, left to dry and then the maskol removed to leave a patchy finish. This was then blended in with dry brushing and the rest of the loco weathered using a similar technique to 50001. Next up are a pair of 31s, 31434 in br blue and 31229 in dutch. Whilst I could purchase a dutch 31 or br blue 31 both were resprays of spare body shells to save money (I also find it easier to weather resprayed locos). 31434 was a fairly simple respray however the roof was sprayed faded br blue to give it a sun bleached effect, heavy streaking was then added in addition to dk grey washes to the grills and copies amounts of exhaust dirt and brake dust sprayed from an airbrush.

Well 31201 and 37719 are now complete having had a light dusting of brake dust to the lower bodysides, buffer beam details brake pipes etc have also been fitted along with a crew in 31201: Weathering has also started on 37412, an initial light wash of dk grey in the grilles / tumblehome area wiped off with a flat brush soaked in thinners and a wash of dilute matt black to the roof. A spare set of ploughs from the spares box has also been fitted.

A bit more progress on 31201. Weathering has started with streaking / oil spills to the bodyside, these have been done using my normal method of dk greys / browns roughly painted on and then removed with a flat head brush soaked in thinners in a vertical motion (reference to photos is important here to make sure the streaking is in the right place!). Roof weathering has also started with diluted matt black painted around grills, hatches, panels etc and then wiped off again with a flat head brush soaked in thinners. I would normally avoid matt black when weathering however find its the only colour that really "works" on a exec dark grey roof ("roof dirt" shades are actually lighter than the exec dk grey and look odd in my opinion). This is probably as far as I want to take the weathering on this one other than a quick (light) blow over with brake dust on the lower bodyside. Those with eagle eyes will also note the yellow cab door at the non rad end on this side, there is also a BR blue door the other side. This is 100% correct for the prototype loco in its final years. Weathering has also started on 37719 using the same techniques. Weathering on this one is lighter with most of the streaking being confined to the tumble home, I want this to represent a bog standard 37 in its final years (e.g worn but not over weathered), I am however planning to add homemade "non-multi" yellow stickers in the centre windows at one end. The non-multi stickers, a yellow rectangle with black X basically signified that the locos multiple working equipment was defective at that end.

Progress continues. 37719 and 37412 have had transfers applied, a filter coat (to fade the paintwork slightly) and a coat of matt varnish. The filter coat initially makes the paintwork look a bit washed out however some weathering will bring them back to life (hopefully). I want to make sure everything has fully dried and hardened so weathering wont start for a week or so. Transfers are partially applied to 37906, unfortunately I messed up the Transrail branding (twice!) and so have had to order some more transfers, Interestingly despite both 37906 and 37412 being in Transrail livery the details on both vary significantly - 37412 only has the "Big T" logo and no red repeater stripes or Transrail branding, good job I checked photos first!. 37100s chassis is complete (still needs all the wiring putting back together though) and nose end grills have been repainted grey. I decided to try and make the marker lights more like the prototype, the existing marker lights were filled and then drilled out to accept some brass tube (approx. the same diameter as a standard marker light). The brass tube was pushed through the hole so it stood slightly proud of the nose as per the prototype marker lights, this was then glued into place and trimmed at the rear so it didn't foul the nose lighting circuit board.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Painting of the TTG 37 bodies is now complete including the bodyside grilles. As expected the grilles took some time to paint (approx. 4hrs per loco). I brush painted these, trying to avoid seepage around the masking tape and also getting the paint to penetrate into the grille recesses proved quite a challenge (thanks to Stephen "AyrMRG" for his tip of using slightly diluted paint which really helped getting the paint into the recesses). I am quite pleased with the end result, not up to a factory or professional finish but definitely passable. 31201 is also progressing well and ready for transfers / weathering: All of these are now awaiting gloss varnishing prior to transfers and then weathering. There is a bit of a hiatus on the varnishing as my airbrush (a cheapo £10 ebay purchase) has finally stopped working as the rubber seals have perished from constant cleaning with solvent cleaner. I have treated myself to a new Iwata neo which is on its way. I have also started another side project having picked up a Bachmann split box 37 body from ebay recently at a reasonable price, this will become the rather unique 37100 in transrail livery with split boxes at one end and a flush front the other. 37100 also only had one underframe tank (the other presumably having been damaged in the same collision that led to its flush nose). I didn't fancy butchering a functioning 37 chassis for 37100 so decided to use a damaged one that had been sitting in my garage for some time. This one was knocked off a shelf some time ago, smashing one bogie and buffer beam. In a classic case of cut first check later I had also at some point tried to use this chassis under a heavyweight 37 and converted the wrong underframe tank to a flush sided tank. The DCC chip pins are seriously bent and the chassis has also been covered in overspray, dust and cobwebs!: First step was to check the motor to ensure it worked (it did after some cleaning) and then strip the entire chassis to its component parts. Underframe tanks were cut off and a spare was sourced from my spares tank and installed on the chassis. Wheels were cleaned, a spare bogie obtained (again from the spares box) and everything reassembled. Its now ready for final prep (sanding the filler) and painting but first I want to find some more photos of the prototype to see if there are any pipe runs, extra parts etc I can fabricate out of plasticard where the tank has been removed: The body will need its nose end grilles painting rail grey before transfers / weathering. Still some work to do on the flush nose end which is recovered from a heavyweight loco, door hinges have been added to the nose end doors using etched brass mk1 door hinges. At first I tried to replicate the central door lip with a strip of plasticard, this didn't look right (it was so thin it distorted when glued) so has been replaced with thin strips of brass from my spares box. The lights are not quite right - in reality these sit on 37100s nose and are not recessed in the same way as heavyweight conversions, I am in two minds whether to modify these or leave as is.

Plymouth Friary was used to marshal goods trains up until the mid 1980s(?) following closure to passengers. Photos on this link show goods wagons / mixed freights stabled in the platform roads with station buildings / canopies still in existence: http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/p/plymouth_friary/ very modellable aswell as the bridge carrying Tothill Road makes a good scenic break.