Ben Alder

White metal- a necessary evil I'm afraid, but the only option for me here. They are generally nowhere near current standards of kits but I'm grateful they are around at all and as replacements aren't going to happen its make do and mend for me as brass superstructures are something I've never tackled.I'm getting there though with them.

Thanks for the kind comments- I'm beyond caring about the odd mm or so nowadays , and a T9 worked out cheaper than chassis,wheels and motor/gearbox would have. And I knew it would work perfectly as well. The track is good old OO- C&L plain and Peco Code 75 points- and more than one has thought it EM. I keep quiet in any gauge wars that flare up now and then, but this combination suits me fine, and again is totally reliable.

.Donps the image of the sheet of human eyeballs - would they follow you round the room?

I don't know- I didn't dare look- deus ex machina is enough without eyes as well

Wonderful work there, please show more.

That was quick - puts my recent modelling output to shame- I must get back to the bench. I will put up a pic of my effort sometime- it is on my son's layout now, underneath a double layer of Warhammer gaming base and about two feet of junk, but I'll make an effort to dig down to it. I remember passing this shed many times and drooling over the contents- once or twice catching it in the open, which was nice. Not as much as passing Perth turntable and seeing a Princess on it though

And who is looking out of the coach in the first photograph?

Games Workshop the tutor?

I would advise to persevere with the blog- its a good way to keep things together andmake them easily seen to visitors. Things in a thread can get lost, and you find yourself repeating answers every few pages. I use my thread for day to day updates etc. but put anything more "meaty" in the blog, and find that this works quite well.

Wonderful work,Mikkel,I'm seriously impressed with this.

Yup, N at its best- certainly a case here of less is more.A lovely feeling of space and setting, and I'm sure a lot will be following progress with interest.

Richard

Following this with fascination- keep it coming.

Happy New Year,

Richard

Glad it has been of help- thought it might be more easily found as a seperate entry here, but all credit to Mr. D for the original formula.

Richard

Excellent work (said by someone who can hardly draw a straight line)- it blends in perfectly.

Richard

Your layout is taking shape nicely and has a good feeling of openness about it that is typical of the area. Looking forward to more updates.

Richard

Very well done, and can only agree with James about following the prototype and also in some final toning to blend the shades together. And this is 2mm too! Puts a lot of 4mm offerings to shame. Perhaps you can go over materials and methods used for this.

Richard

Very interesting- please keep us posted on this one. What period are you intending to feature?

A man with the same timescale as myself, I see. The only problem is that another thirty years can't be guaranteed, and are probably unlikely , so keep us posted on progress. It's looking promising, though.

Richard

That static grass really is the business, isn't it.

Yep, we've come a long way from dyed sawdust . This latest use of static grass included miniNatur 6.5mm winter flock- suggested usage being for O gauge, but ideal for straggly bits beside fences etc.- and Noch wildgrass; their plainness being quite suitable for this part of the world. I'm going to add some more whin type bushes, but don't want to overdo this aspect of the landscaping.

Very impressive- I like the backscene and the way the scenery blends in to it. Nice spacious feel to the whole thing as well.

Richard

Looks very interesting- keep us posted on progress on this. Although I've moved onto S&W's I still await the Holy Grail of tension lock couplings- delayed action- with interest, and if your trials work, some form of commercial adaptation would surely be feasible.

Richard

It isn't an art, its easy! I showed how it is done on one of my coach blogs ust using a steel ruler with masking tape stuck along its length and a Craft brass knife handle.

 

I used the method in the early 1960s with plastikard. It was the only method i knew when I started building coaches in brass 10 years ago and it works on brass too (up to 12thou thickness).

 

Believe me you will never look back once you've done a brass coach as it opens so many doors.

 

Larry

Yes, I've seen this and have promised myself that I will give it another go one day- the memory of ruined brass sides lingers however

Richard

Well worth the effort I'd say (with relief as I would have felt guilty otherwise!) The pesky Hornby glazing is virtually unremovable because its a far thicker/stronger plastic than the coach sides. To be honest, rather than attempt to create a tumblehome, it is easier and quicker to detach the plastic sides and attach etched brass replacement. There is an Aladins cave of etched sides out there from the likes of Comet, Bedford, MJT, Kemilway etc.

 

Larry G.

The glazing is indeed a s*d to remove. The sleeper was easyish, but the other two were something else. With regard to your comments on brass sides, I am afraid you are in a class of your own here- your work is astounding and far ahead of most of us. As for myself, the most dreaded words I can hear are "form the tumblehome". Its an art I never mastered, hence the Kirk sides, and I am glad that most of my coach needs are LMS, with Comet having done the hard work for me.

Richard

This is so coincidental.

I've recently bought a couple of Airfix non-corridors from Les Kent (Haslington Models).

 

They'd been grimed so I tried some T cut on one side of one of them. This was particularly to remove the LMS lettering and lining - with a view to some BR crimson.

 

Certainly does the trick, but ohhhhh those prismatic windows !!!

 

Need to try and find a way into them !!!

Here is the non corridor with the SE windows. The lining is a bit heavy, but it must be about twenty five years old by now and wasn't worth the time stripping and re-doing, so stayed as is.

And a cruel close up.

They do look rather nice- worth the effort! ?

Yes, I must take some clearer photos- watch this, or some other, space, maybe tomorrow.

This is so coincidental.

I've recently bought a couple of Airfix non-corridors from Les Kent (Haslington Models).

 

They'd been grimed so I tried some T cut on one side of one of them. This was particularly to remove the LMS lettering and lining - with a view to some BR crimson.

 

Certainly does the trick, but ohhhhh those prismatic windows !!!

 

Need to try and find a way into them !!!

I actually gave a non-corridor brake third a tweak when I was doing the rest of this work-it was lying abandoned in my spares box, and when I was collecting donors for the Caley coach ends Ithis one came along for the ride. There is a pic of it on the layout thread. As the finish was tolerable- I had repainted it years ago- it got a spray of Games Workshop varnish to bring it up. The windows are horrible, so, although not a big fan of them, I fitted SE Finecast glazing, which is a good bit better than the original. The roof can be prised off and then the interior and glazing are removable, although its a tight fit in the body.

Richard