Northroader

If you start off with some yellow paint, then gradually mix some black in with it, on the way you should reach this shade. tHen it's just a matter of having enough mixed to cover all the loco., and overcoming your scruples at brush painting a model rather than spraying it. Mr. Blobby showed me how.

Mumble, mumble, stud contact, mumble....

She's ended up looking a beautiful job, what I'd like to know is how our Emily performs on your layout?

It must be the purity of the air in the mountains?!?

The "s" word with Humbrol paint is "stir"- stir and stir and stir, then put it on.

I'm inclined to agree with Mike, the domes will tarnish and in small sizes despite your best efforts you'll be polishing the green paint around the dome as well.

I was following the 080T thread, then went over to the Dunalister thread as directed, and was knocked out to see this started off as a B12. If you're capable of that, chimneys are a breeze. now some blue paint. do you say to Mrs. LT " I've painted this to match the colour of your eyes, darling "? Using the same line of reasoning, I've got a loco. called "Sylph". Good luck with the rest of it.

Yes, yes, yes!

It's nice to see how you're able to get the profile cutter to make up a brass tender, let me know when you start producing O scale kits. I don't think the "briquettes" are that, they're just big blocks of coal. Coal hewn out of a seam would have a laminated look as it was part of a strata, and could have had any projections knocked off, making a very rough rectangular shape. They could then build a "wall" with a slight batter on either side of the tender, and pile loose coal behind, with less chance of any shaking off when the old girl hit warp speed. Anyway, forget summer, get on with the main job in hand!, glad to see some progress.

It looks as if you're at the moment of truth when power is applied. Hope the running goes ok over the old point work. You've got a stack of different jobs with track infill, buildings, locos and rolling stock to push on with, good luck with it all, I'm interested to see how it shapes, seeing the standard gauge and narrow gauge lash-up trains side by side is looking really hopeful.

I did wot you said, following links until I ended up in 19 pages of porth byhan, (new to me, and most useful for a West Country line in the planning stages). hAving seen this, and now knowing your capabilities, I'll watch developments with great interest, although worried by your time deadline. very best of luck.

Another bright suggestion, then. (You know how it is, you hit the post button and then think "noooo", thank you for your forbearance ). What about reviving something you never see these days - stud contact? You could place these in random grouping close on either side of your running rail poking up through the weeds and the elephant poo, so they wouldn't be so obvious. Looking at the pictures various kind folks have sent in, there would seem to be plenty of room for collector skates to dangle unobserved under the coach. With the reed switch thing you'd need a further magnet to return them to the original setting for the next circuit, or another train wired up backwards following the first, if you follow me. On modelling the Indian scene, I suspect with your micro layout interests, you would be familiar with carendt.com, there's a German guy on there doing very good scenes for a Darjeeling - Himalaya line you could draw on, pages 96a and 86a, for example? Me, I've been no further than Glassy Junction.

Shouldn't it be possible to make the road surface with a dull, rough finish that is still conductive? Then you could still have a return through the balance wheel. I seem to remember that oxen could be used as well as steamers?

Now it's in black it's a very impressive loco, and a very nice model. Until you started it I had never heard of this class, which shows what a sheltered life I've had. With that long coupled wheelbase it would just laugh at the curves thru the points on my line. Now I want to see something painted blue, please. I'm knocked out by your workshops programme, moving St. Rollox, not the other place, to Gt.Yarmouth, should keep you going til Xmas. One tip If you do an M7 conversion, I tried making a NBR big 044T, which looks a dead ringer for the Caley equivalent, and it went well until I dropped the boiler to the right pitch, when I found the boiler came too close to the driving wheel flanges. As you're only chasing 4" and I suppose the boiler and footplate are a single moulding I expect you'll not bother?

Referring back to the Stationmasters post #905, - sorry, I've only just seen it - mentioning the signal gantry that folded up when the signal head was lowered on it at Westbourne Park when Paddington was re signalled. Yes, a S&T contact I had told me that the guy doing the design was out by a factor of 10 in his calculations, something to do with metrication. I kid you not.

There was a fantastic cross-section of what you could do, alone or with others. I think Tillynaught Junction was the one I really liked best, although my line will end up like the end of Assenby St.Peter, if not such a good finish.

I got there on sUnday, round the traders and spending on this and that. You're right, it's a good one to get to, glad you liked it. No mention in your blog of the layouts you saw?

Looking thro the pictures you posted about a month ago of your loft job. I've been in my loft for years, originally uninsulated. That was hell, there were two windows of a few weeks in April and September when you could do anything, and I measured a temperature difference over the year of 40degRees, which would tear the solder joins on the tracks without expansion joins and bonding. I've now got the full monty, well worth it. Have you discussed ventilation with your lad? It could still get pretty warm in summer otherwise. Hoping that you're recovering well from your medical setback and able to push on with your vision.

I joined this thread at about page 20, when I thought the new Terrier will be out, what do people think? Then I posted #499 about coaches for it. Since then I've read the thread from the start, it's been a long wait but you've all had such fun. I don't claim to be a Brighton expert, some of the folks on this thread have a marvellous low-down on these engines. I'm building a small BLT with short points, and need small tank engines pulling short coaches, as much from perversity playing trains rather than following the high standards that should be aspired to. The LBSC 1880 style fitted the requirements I wanted. I'm daft posting a picture of my work when Dapol's product has now appeared, and I think they should be congratulated on doing a model of this quality for the price it is. The points I want to show, are: A) an AnD coach kit made up. The appalling lack of detail underneath is entirely down to me, must do better. B) a grotty loco from my fair hands, the point here being the colour. Some time back I was talking to that nice Mr.Phoenix, and he wouldn't give me a tin of the paint I wanted for another line because he'd never found a reliable sample to form a match, the point being he is producing Improved Engine Green, No.476, and this, unadulterated, is what the loco is painted. You can allow that a sample from a full size loco is dark on a model, but to me it's rather like mustard, the Dapol engine is English mustard, mine is French mustard. I know from experience that the colour a loco. Is painted can guarantee a punch-up, sits back and waits.... Here is my post, those of a sensitive disposition may wish to leave the room now:

Yes, AnD "aids to modelling" - not kits. First the usual disclaimer, no money going into my pocket, guv. I've had some and made one up so far and quite pleased with it. you get a pack of white plastic sheets to build up in layers, i.e. Mouldings, panels with window openings, backing with window holes and drop light frames, sandwich sheet with pockets for glazing, and backing sheet with window holes. All the sheets are cut partway through (laser?) and the waste can quickly be pushed out. if you've ever tried to cut out a "cake plate doily" type of moulding sheet you'll know what a boon this is. Then stick together, paint, put the glazing in, and you've got a coach side with proper mouldings, which is the worst part of coach making out of the way easily and cheaply. There are also ends, floor, roof, and partitions in the sheet, but at some stage you will probably want to beef up the body a bit with some thicker sheet. Then it's underframe, wheels couplings buffers and general details to find and make. It's the cheapest way to get going with some decent coaches in O that I've found. His range is for 4wheel coaches, I've had LBSC 5comp. 2/3class, 4comp. 1st, 3comp brake 3rd. They're labelled as Billington stock, but I gather it's just roof height and profile to chanGe to backdate to Stroudley stock. Just right for the Terrier. there's also LSWR 4wheel stock, good for The IoW idea, and also some GNoSR 6wheelers. He's a rare bird for shows, possibly a phone call, Dennis Tillman, 01329-286839. The other way to get Terrier coaches is buying the equivalent complete kits, obviously a dearer but simpler, from www.roxeymouldings.co.uk. I haven't tried any of their products, so unable to comment further. Will I be buying a Terrier? Well, the price is the most realistic pitch for a model RTR O gauGe loco you'll get. I dunno if it will take my curves, which are very tight; and jUst looking at photos, I have misgivings about the shade of improved engine green it's turned out in. Pity.

Thanks for the info. I'm not one of these gifted people who can get white metal parts to come together by waving a soldering iron at them, the times I've tried its ended in tears. Nor yet superglue, usually I get everything but the parts I'm joining to stick, including fingers! Gel is a new one to me.... Maybe? I usually go for 24 hour Araldite held in place with Blutack and rubber bands until it sets, which I've found the safest way for me.

They look really good. It's a pity no-one has ever come up with a real clinching paint sample or argument what they did look like, yours is as good as anything else, and the detail, lettering and darkening give a very good effect.

Lovely work to produce a great model. one thing crossed my mind looking at it, I remember you soaking the original kit in a bucket of carlsberg to make fall to bits. And after a lot of painstaking fitting of the bits it's now back together, but I missed the part about how the white metal bits joined, sorry if I wasn't paying attention. what did you use?? I couldn't spot it on the workbench blog either, another great way to enjoy an evening at the fireside.

hello, it's me back, I've had a bit more time to look thru your blog today, and I'm really impressed with your work, such as the way you can get a 2P to turn into a U2. Your details of wagon weathering are good, one thing I usually do is to daub on a very thin wash of Matt black with a load of white spirit in it, then wipe off straight away with a tissue or rag. This leaves the corners darker and in particular the grooves of the plank joins. you need to be careful that the spirit doesn't attack any previously applied paint and leave light patches. To finish off I use chalk, the pastel stuff from an art shop. Black, pale brown, umber brown and sienna brown also possibly grey. I rub these, one at a time, on some emery paper, to get powder, then sprinkle over where I want, such as the light brown to fetch the axle guard area up, sienna on brake blocks, black for streaks on roofs, then brush in dry with an paintbrush, sideways across the roof. the gain is if you don't like it you can wash it off with water, which you can't with paint. early in your blog you say you don't like Matt varnish, I presume Humbrol. I was having trouble, either it would dry with shiny patches or it would dry with whitish streaks. I sent my tin back to Humbrol with a moaning letter (not like in Hogwarts) and got a very nice reply back with said tin and a card to which they had applied some varnish out of the tin, perfectly flat. The secret is to stir very thoroughly with a spatula, very thoroughly. They didn't say, but I think what give the flatness is very fine particles, rather like talcum powder, which are in suspension, and have to be really mixed in well before you start to paint. anyhow hope this is of use. seeing all your Irish stuff and links has got me thinking, even if I am busy with other lines right now!

That German plane just doesn't look right, does it? No wonder they lost the war. I came across your blog this evening, and fascinated by your output, both the quality, detail, and choice of prototype. I dabble in Irish railways, with a short NCC train and some more in MGWR and GSWR, and in 7mm scale, only standard bRitish gauge rather than 5'3", so I can use the stock on my layout with other stuff. it looks as if you're doing the same, very sensible. Keep up the good work, this is a really useful blog.