gobbler

Wow, you guys certainly know your onions....er....buses. I was born in Maldon and grew up in Hatfield Peverel. The time frame I model is during the transitional period, so I can run steam, diesels and DMU's, though as a young lad all I saw was BR blue class 20's, 31's, 37's and 47's and EMU's of various classes. I remember jumping on buses 53, 353, 91 and 92 to get to and from Chelmsford. Bunked the train from Hatty P to Ingatestone on a Friday night to go to my mates school's disco, normally a class 31 with a train of suburban coaches. Distinctly remember always finding an empty compartment for the journey. You've come up with a mine of information, most of it above my head. I should be able to get general dimensions from somewhere, I suppose. From these i should be able to make a passable model or two. Thanks to everyone. Scott

I know the help and knowledge here is indispensable, so i have a question.... What buses ran in Essex and East Anglia during the mid to late 50's and early 60's??? I would prefer a kit, or if anyone knows of 4mm scale drawings, I could have a go and scratch build one. Thanks in advance Scott.

Well, that's one side of one van done with rivets and locking mechanism. Just 5 more sides to do Thanks for looking, Scott

Have a go at making your own. Have a look at my thread, don't know why its added this particular picture......??? You can make the farme fairly easily. You just need some top hat bearings and some patience. Scott

Mullie, I've read all the thread today. You've done a lot of chopping and changing. Excellent modelling btw. I must say it was the mention of GE areas that first piqued my interest. This is my favoured area and my time period is the transitional time so i can run steam with diesels and 1st generation DMU's. I've scratched built various coaches, carriages and wagons (my/our carriage scratch build thread) but have yet to lay a base board. Ive found this an interesting and great read. You haven't posted in a while, i was wondering how things were progressing? Scott (gobbler)

Nope....even cheaper than that. Stretched sprue from some of my tamiya 1/35th tank models I do occasionally. I use tamiya extra thin cement, I've used others like mek pak, but i get on with this the best. Thanks for your question. Scott

I've literally had a riviting evening......pun intended Also added the 'T' sections on the ends of the 5 plank wagons. Have yet to work the drop side brackets on the 3 plank wagons. There's still plenty to do on these wagons. Have also added all the leaf springs on these 3 vans, Have yet to add the door hinges and rivet detail to these. All wagons need to have the brake gear added and buffers. Thanks for looking. Crits, comments and questions always welcomed. Scott.

Been tinkering with my wagons again...... I've finished one side of one wagon, looking good so far. I've used up all of my 'W' irons i made a week or two back. Also all my top hat bearings have been used up too, but thats ok, ive still got 7 wagons to complete. Every wagon is free running with no wobble. Still loads of details to finish. I.e. axle boxes, leaf springs, brake gear....and of course, one or two more rivet/bolt details to do. Thanks for looking. As all ways, comments, crits and questions are always welcome. Scott

The grain vans, what buffers are those and where can i procure some? Thanks in advance Scott

Haven't updated this thread in a while, life getting in the way, as per usual. Been busy on and off as you can see in the following pictures. The covered wagons now have wheels and I'm starting to add detail to the axle noxes. You can also see one of the two salt vans i made, now in green. Here you can see both salt vans, and behind, the three grain hoppers i made a while back. Just in front are the two 5 plank and two 3 plank GE wagons. These are being made whilst i wait for various bits and bobs to dry thoroughly. Thanks for looking. I'll post more as and when..... Cheers Scott

I really like the brass detailing you have done with the doors. These are what im looking at doing. A rake of 3 possibly 4 with slight variations between them. Good looking models. Scott

Thanks Jwealleans, I will look for v22 drawings and see what i come up with. Nice idea btw of doing a cut and shut on the parkside model. Also a nice idea of the resin model........but being a reader of this thread.....you should know by now, i just gotta have a go at scratching it. Cheers Scott

I've been quite on hear of late.....so a time for a quick update on my shenanigans.... I've bought myself an olfa cutter and have been practicing scribing my lines.... 1st up, 3 covered GE wagons Then there are 2 x 3 plank wagons and a 5 plank GE wagon The scribing is ok, i think, if a little wide. Of course you cant have wagons on the rails without 'W' irons. So I've got a little production run of these I'm doing at the moment, all from the drawing i posted a page or two ago. When these are done, I'm not sure what to do. Possibly some ballast wagons or some of the older type wooden bulk grain wagons as in these two types from Peter Tatlows LNER wagons. But unfortunately there is no accompanying drawing. I have two options...... 1. They were seemingly based on a GWR design, got to get a book for the scale drawing, but dont know which one.......help any one? 2. I have a parkside dundas model which i could take the measurements from. Thanks for looking Scott

Well the 10.5's would give the clearance you need, whethet or not the size is prototypical is s question i cannot answer. Sorry Scott

Are the wheel flanges slightly too big? May be some finer wheels or use a file to get just enough clearance without ruining the white metal castings Scott

Well woodhead, you said it 3 times, and as if by magic......ta..da.. Hes here, thanks. Clive, It would be a branch off the Liverpool street - Norwich main line. Either my favorite stretch to southminster or the Braintree - witham or somewhere along the thaxted line. What voltages there where i have no idea and wouldn't know where to start looking. I was thinking of the stock used, how the train or consist? Was made up and what type of locomotive is needed to start with. Im hoping the make up of the train would be fairly similar on all essex branches. I imagine some opens carrying the cable on some type of drum, some longish opens carrying the gantries, some converted coaches for the workers, maybe some covered wagons with walk ways, some means of erecting the gantries and possibly something for the cement. Probably 10 or more wagons in total, but in what order?? Id then look at the gantry, fixtures and fittings styles and see which type would be best for me to scratch build. Cheers Clive, Scott

Afternoon all, Im thinking about making models reflecting how early eastern region went about installing overhead electrification systems in the 50's. I cant find any information and particularly pictures of the converted or specialized stock used or of the early type 'gantries', fixtures and fittings used. Is there anyone out there in RM land that could help? Thanks Scott

Looks a beaut.

A prototype of want you want base your model on would help too. Im an eastern region guy, I immediately thought of Maldon west. Is it something like this you want to do? Though more expensive, my material of choice would be plastic, but i would build it out of a couple of cornflake packets first, until i was happy with the look. The pictures attach show the before and during demolition. Keep us updated with your progress. Scott

I think i may be having delusions of grandeur, not uncommon i hear. TBH when I had my 22ft x 2ft space where i used to live, i got the track laid and started the ballasting, as you can see. (Sorry for the picture quality) I obviously dont have this space. Also all points were manually operated as well. So ive decided to go for a shunting style layout, as i think im trying to run before i can crawl. The plan is to use the long thin plank. I'd like a loop, a number of sidings, an engine shed and possibly a small station to accommodate my two car cravens 105 or my Wickham 109 if i ever finish it. I am going to experiment with point motors, they seem reasonable price on a certain auction site at around £6 including the switch. Also i will experiment with elctro frogs as well as ive only ever used insulfrog points. This will end up being a test bed for all kinds of things including static grass and other techniques which ive never used. As Harlequin has said "Don’t spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar" so taking that on board, as well as other comments im scaling back and i am going to use this to build up my skills. Just need to come up with a track plan now....... The board is only 285mm wide, but is quite long at 1930mm. Im going to need somewhere to run all my scratch built wagons. So far I've built 2 x salt, 3 x grain, 1 x lowmac, 1 x cattle truck & 2 covered wagons With more in the pipe line. Suggestions anyone? Thanks, for looking Scott

What is a BLT? thanks Scott

Any chance of a diagram to explain your idea above? DMU's would all be two car, apart from pictures from 1960 onward, haven't seen any pictorial evidence to suggest longer DMU's were used upto the transitional date I'm modelling. Coaching would be of GE corridor, Gresley and Thompson suburban stock. The diagram of Southminster shows the two road engine shed at the correct end, the only thing missing in this area is a 55ft turntable, which comes off the little spur from the engine shed road. I could use shorter radius points, but i think it would make it look more 'trainset' like, rather than a model. I may re-lay the track tonight for a two coach loop and see what that looks like. Cheers Scott

Done a qhick feasibility test. You can see how much space is gobbled up by the point work and a 3 coach train having a run around loop. I think another double slip is required to the two road engine shed, just below the class 31. The rest is pretty close to my dketch above. The points also miss the base board join too. Pinching the double slip from the bay, this is how it will look. I'd like to see a 3 coach service running here, but 2 coaches were prototypical. Cheers Scott

Harlequin, i basically have no budget, probably will never have, properly. But i want to start something. Built quite a few wagons, coaches and other stock, on my scratch building thread, and want/need somewhere to run them. I've come across these 9mm ply boards, and not wanting to turn my nose up, I thought could do something with these. The ultimate distance is shown below. 10'4" 3150mm Of course, may even get more length in by adding a bridge or small viaduct into the line. On the above I envisage station and goods in the 510mm wide board, with a scenic run in from the probably a cassette system past a bridge. Ive just sketched this Track plan a very simplified southminster. Well, thats what my minds eye sees at the moment. Thoughts? Cheers Scott

Right.....got the tape out and done some measuring up. I have 2 9mm ply boards. 1) 11" 1/4' x 76" or 285 x 1930mm 2) 20" x 48" or 510 x 1220. The way i see it, i have 3 main options. 1) have a L shaped layout 2) keep the wider shorter piece and have it flanked either end by some sort of fiddle yard. 3) cut the longer thinner piece into 3 at 510mm and lengthen the wider short puece by 855mm thus one effective board of 510 x 2105mm So, with my available material, what would your suggestions be. They've all got their own merits. It will be portable, probably not show standard by the time ive finished with it. OO/4mm and have an eastern region flavour around the time of transition. Thanks in advance Scott