Dana Ashdown

Try saying that three times fast!😆 But the pillars do look good.

Large Prairie No.3113 — final instalment. Most of what you see was actually finished at the end of April (the lining was done on a rainy Sunday), but there were still a number of little details left to do and, thanks to Covid and the garden, these took longer than expected. As you may remember, the front footplate was NOT level!!! It didn’t look too bad in real life, but it showed in the photos. I should have done something about it before, but it was very well fixed to the body (which is a rather thin moulding) and I was afraid of major breakage if I tried redoing it. Then I had an idea: If I cut through the thick piece of plastic that forms the base of the front footplate, leaving the thinner part on top intact, I could bend the footplate down and re-glue it at the correct angle. The thin top effectively acts like a hinge. So, with my larger razor saw (I needed a wider kerf for this), I sawed almost completely through the thicker plastic base until the footplate could be flexed. With some glue spread along the kerf, I push the footplate down until it was more or less level with the rest of the engine, and put a small weight on it until it had set. I did this with the body fixed to the chassis, using the fronts of the cylinders as a guide. A tiny gap was left on the bottom of each side of the footplate as a consequence, but nothing to be too concerned about. For the present, the front footplate seems reasonably strong, but I have this odd feeling that in about three or four years it may need struts. Don’t ask me why. Etched plates would have been nice, but this is a budget project, so I made the number and builder plates from scraps of thin plastic sheet. For the number plates, I painted the plastic black; when dried, I applied two number plate outlines from the HMRS GWR lining sheet, and then added the numbers from the HMRS GWR locomotive and coach sheet. Although the numbers are the right size, they are not in the correct font. The number plates were then varnished, and finally cut out and filed to size. The white edges were done over with a gold Posca pen. I think the plate on the right turned out better than the one on the left side. The builder’s plate, such as it is, was done by painting a piece of plastic with Humbrol brass paint, then cut out out and shaped with a file. This is actually the second plate. I also did a piece using the gold Posca pen, which actually had a brighter, brassier look to it. This was the one I did first, but apparently Mr. Churchward did not approve and snatched it from the tweezers just before I was going to glue it in place. I saw it fly off, and still haven’t found it! So, out with the other piece with the Humbrol brass paint on it, and after cutting and filing to shape I glued it in place. I made no attempt at putting any kind of printing on either one. Anyway, Churchward was right… the second one does look better. (As luck would have it, the cameras picked up a whitish reflection off some errant glue just above the plate.) I wasn’t sure about adding the sandboxes inside the cab, but as they are fairly obvious on the prototype, I thought I better do them. The whistles were made from the front footplate handrails of the original Airfix engine. I did make wheels guards for the pony trucks using some scrap brass, but they came off. The plastic on the front truck seems to resist the Testor’s glue, so I’ll have to try some epoxy. On the rear, I had to modify the truck so there’s no longer any place to fix the guards to. So far as running is concerned, the engine has been in its box for several decades. I didn’t expect any miracles, and I was not disappointed. One issue that arose was the engine’s tendency to spin its wheels. This was traced to the rear pony truck. Having installed larger wheels of the correct diameter at the beginning, the truck sat higher than it did originally. Since, the rear end of the truck comes just under the buffer beam, it caused the rear of the engine to lift off the track. Not by very much, but enough to cause the wheels to slip and spin. The solution was to bevel off the top rear corner of the truck so it cleared the buffer beam. This part is die cast metal, so I used my hand-powered grinder for the job, but files would do as well. I was worried that painting the piston rods, crossheads and guides might cause some binding, but so far it doesn’t seem to. However, the electrical pick-up is a problem. All six drivers have pick-ups, so you wouldn’t think there would be an issue (although the right rear wheel has a traction tyre). Applying power directly to any of the wheel sets puts the motor in motion, so that seems fine. And yet on the test track it frequently hesitates or jerks, or refuses to move unless its wiggled. I’m not sure if the coupling rods are binding, or if its just an electrical issue. Some running-in time certainly wouldn’t hurt. When it has a mind to, it can pull at least eighteen wagons with ease, which I gather is more than the modern Hornby and Dapol 6100 Class Large Prairies can do. That said, a current Hornby or Dapol 6100 Class Large Prairie might still be a better platform, especially for a 3150 Class conversion. Although No.3113 is obviously a compromise, I think it turned out rather well. But we really do need a modern RTR model of either the 3110 or 3150 Class in original form. For me, the 6100s are just “too modern.”

I have one or two Coopercraft 4-plank wagons and a Ratio iron Mink that I plan to do in red with GWR on the bottom right corner, even though I have some of these in grey. Reason: indecision! Plus I think the period of changeover from red to grey occurred during that timeframe, so a few red wagons for my Edwardian group.

As promised, I've taken a picture of my sample card with Humbrol No.160 German Camouflage Red Brown, as you see below. (Note, I erroneously posted that it was No.100, which is Red Brown, but much lighter than this Red Brown.) Unfortunately, my camera wanted to overexpose the card, so having made a correction to the image, the above can only be considered approximate. However, the right side shows how it looks with a coat of satin varnish (done with a small brush, so a little blotchy). No.160 seems to fall somewhere between Humbrol No.10 Service Brown (which I use for GWR Chocolate) and Precision GWR Coach (Crimson) Lake. Sometimes No.160 looks brown; and sometimes somewhat redder, almost but not reaching the level of Precision's crimson lake. I don't necessarily propose this as a candidate for the 1908 brown livery; but now that I can see how it looks varnished, I can see it as a possibility. One thing's for sure, this particular exercise has proven that you cannot rely on the camera, or posted images online for that matter, as true colour guides — as Mikkel has so ably shown us.

Maybe shinier? Like the back of one's trousers.🧐

By way of an observation, I was varnishing the sandboxes for the Large Prairie (its almost done!), and so I found the sample card I had used for the Humbrol No.160 German Camouflage Red Brown and coated one half of the card with satin varnish. Surprise, surprise, the varnished paint much improved over the matt. It's brown, but the red does show better. I'll take a picture in the sunlight a post it, just to show the colour.

That set would sell-out if it were available in RTR!

Mikkel, I posted some comments on the 1908 livery in your workbench, together with two pictures that were originally posted back in January 2018: To repeat one part, I see in the Railway Magazine comments from October 1909, that you posted back in 2017, that the 1908 GWR livery was a “red-brown tint,” which Toplight No.7672 does seem to exhibit in the picture. But I think chocolate brown is close enough, given what others have said about the GWR’s experience with the stability 1908 livery colour. Humbrol actually do German Camouflage Red Brown (No.160). The colour on the lid looked promising, but I found that the actual hue was more of a medium brown with a hint of red. I recently used some to paint the shoes of one of the Gnomes. He liked it, so not a total loss!😊

I thought I should repost these two pictures from January 2018 (now lost in the ethers), when you were exploring the liveries as described in the magazines. The mostly unaltered Tri-ang clerestory “composite” represents the experimental 1903 Great Western all-brown livery. (The foot-boards are meant to be unpainted wood, but they come out rather bright in the picture.) At the time, I think we agreed that all-brown was dull but it grows on you. It forms part of my 1904-08 “semi-fast” set (still to be completed), the rest of the carriages being in chocolate and cream. I still have to replace the plastic wheels and add a few details to the bogies. I might do another composite in chocolate and cream at some point, though. The second picture is GWR Composite Brake Corridor No.7672 (corridor side), circa 1910, from W.J. Gordon, Our Home Railways, Volume I (Frederick Warne & Company, London, 1910). The coloured plates were by W.J. Stokoe, based on photographs and pictures. Whether the brown is accurate remains to be seen, but it does show how the Toplights were treated. I don’t see any “GWR” initials, but I don’t know if that’s an omission by the artist, or just a difference in livery specifications. I see in the Railway Magazine comments from October 1909, that you posted back in 2017, that the 1908 GWR livery was a “red-brown tint,” which Toplight No.7672 does seem to exhibit in the picture. But I think chocolate brown is close enough, given what others have said about the GWR’s experience with the stability 1908 livery colour. Humbrol actually do German Camouflage Red Brown (No.160). The colour on the tin lid looked promising, but I found that the actual hue was more of a medium brown with a hint of red. I did use some to paint the shoes of one of the Gnomes. He liked it, so not a total loss! Personally, I hope you leave your Slaters 3rd in brown, if only to add a bit of variety. Speaking of variety, the October 1909 Railway Magazine also observed that the first “Cunard Special,” connecting with Mauretania and Lusitania at Fishguard, was made up with a mixture of chocolate and cream and all-brown carriages.

Well done Mikkel! I used to wonder about these kits... now I know! The position of the crests does take some getting used to, but you have the photographic evidence to prove it.

Some actually had scenes painted on the sides, but this seems to have ended by the 1860s.

I certainly hope not!🥴

I can see them!

I take it that Set 2 will be in the fully lined chocolate and cream livery of 1922-27, with garter crest. I presume that Set 5 will be in the later all brown livery, not the 1908 version.

There was with full size 4-4-0s as well!

You're right, in so much as Hornby is cynically trying to squeeze sales out of Rocket by doing as many set iterations as it can, but that will eventually cause the most likely buyers to loose interest, as you have done. The whole Lion/Titfield Thunderbolt business has shown yet again that the powers that be at Hornby are out of touch with reality. Rapido took all due steps to secure film rights before committing, unlike Hornby's assumption that the term "inspired" will allow them free-play. Plus, Rapido are offering Lion separately without extras. Rocket and Lion ably demonstrate that there is a market for early railway models. What we need is less gimmickry and more practical offerings like an "authentic" Planet/Samson and/or Patentee. And without the add-ons. I might add that Lion is technically a Patentee-type, but current condition is far from original.

The mail coach should have been released separately, as well as in the new set.

Well, I have wondered about what the railway preservation groups will do in future if they can't burn coal.

They have "electric" fires now — a sort of TV screen with a video of a fire. My niece and her husband have one in their house, which I thought was a gas fireplace. I think it also has a heat option.

Some ranges had incorporated hot water tanks on the side, so hot water was always available.

Here are few pictures of Whitford Green, an S Scale layout by Mike Watts, displayed at last weekend’s Great British Train Show in Brampton, Ontario (northwest of Toronto). This is Mike’s third exhibition layout! It is based on Mike’s home town station of Mitcham, Surrey, and represents a London, Brighton & South Coast suburban station set just before the Great War. LB&SC stock is featured, as well as some L&SWR. View towards station: Locomotive in yard: Victoria with LB&SCR train at the platform: LB&SCR goods brake van and covered van at the goods shed: The layout is now featured in the recent LBSCR Modellers Digest No.15: https://www.lbscr.org/Models/Digest/LBSCR-Modellers-Digest-15.pdf

One thing, we can add anything we want to them to make them better or more "authentic."

I use Humbrol No.10 Service Brown for GWR coach brown. It is glossy, which makes doing transfers easier and is a fairly close match to the brown Hornby uses. Humbrol Chocolate Brown might be fine for pre-1904 GWR carriages (or not), but as you've discovered it is like milk chocolate, only not as tasty! Dana

Painting is mostly done now, and a coat of satin varnish has been applied before lining. The fit is tight so I haven’t push the body down on the chassis, but you can get an idea of how it looks with Indian Red frames — rather Continental! As before, the tool boxes and brass safety valve cover are still loose. When I was painting the front of the tanks, I realised that I should have replaced the moulded steps with something plainer, as per the photo of No.3121. Its a small detail, though fortunately one that isn’t too noticeable… well, not until now! I’m not quite sure about the front valve covers. I painted them to represent polished steel, but perhaps they should be black with just the rod covers in polished steel? It’s not too late to change.

This plate from S.C. Brees' Railway Practice (1836), shows the London & Birmingham's sleepered and blocked permanent way. Conclusion: It doesn't really matter what track you have under the ballast, because its going to be completely covered. Just so long as you maintain clearance for the wheel flanges.