Ian Rathbone

Copydex, in a tube, is the way to go. Any hardware shop.

Ian R

On 13/07/2022 at 14:40, Chas Levin said:

One of the things that got me over the accuracy hump was taking a closer look at that side view of 1013 as shown in previous posts. I realised firstly that all measuring for the lettering must have been done purely going by the main gold areas of the lettering, ignoring the shading.

This may be true for horizontal dimensions but for vertical spacing it was included. Aesthetically lettering looks better if slightly above centre line, so if the dimension down to the gold, and up to the black, are equal, then the gold part will be slightly above the centre. I use the principal when setting out most lettering and numbers that use shading (or more accurately ‘blocking’).

Ian R

Still using Maskol? Copydex is far superior. Maskol starts to break down to a gooey sticky mess after three days whereas Copydex will last for three weeks or longer.

BR used ochre to line both crimson and cream and crimson lake coaches. The same colour effectively was used by GW and LNWR as a stand-in for gold. The LMS used actual gold for corridor coaches and yellow for non corridor, with a red line each side.

BR never used straw, except as a lettering colour. The correct colour, as near enough in modelling terms, is a 50:50 mix of Humbrol Tan (9) and Gloss Yellow (69). Select a lining transfer that is close to that.

Ian R

Guilplates no longer trade in etched plates, and they are selling off their remaining transfers.

Ian R

8 hours ago, davidw said:

Returning to the W1 and for that matter the Thompsons. 

 

On these locos (BR period), the front of them locos tender are green. I'd have thought they should be black. Is my thinking correct?

BR  never specified paint colours for ‘non public’ areas so the various works continued to carry on as before. It had been the Doncaster tradition to paint the cab interior and tender front in the main body colour, so it continued under BR. As far as I am aware eight wheel tenders continued to have a green tender front. I don’t know about V2 tenders when the locos were painted green after 1956. Likewise I don’t know the Stratford practice for B2s and B17s. Does anyone in this group know?

To complete the picture ex LMS locos’ cabs were black below the waist and white above, WR body colour, SR black below and Light Stone above. I am trying to document the minefield that is the BR livery, so all comments welcome.

Ian R

31 minutes ago, Ian Smeeton said:

There was some controversy over the thickness of lining on verticals compared to horizontals some pages back.

 

I have just come across this post:

 

 

which may solve the argument, or fan the flames again.

 

Regards

 

Ian

Which page was it?

Ian R

On 05/01/2022 at 16:09, Tony Wright said:

Good afternoon Al,

 

I don't know how many 'critical' letters I've written to model railway magazines in the past, but certainly more than one. A few have been published, and some just dumped. One resulted (after a long period) in a lasting friendship, and work coming my way. Obviously, I'll not mention names, but the story goes something like this.........

 

Quite a few years ago, a certain model railway magazine published an article on how to make a Pullman train, using the then-current Hornby starting points and a range of etched additions. The problem was that none of the Hornby cars was suitable, even after extensive alterations. What was needed were entirely new sides (which nobody made, nor ever has done), different bogies and different underframes, among other things. I pointed these out in my letter to the (then) editor. What I got back (in as polite terms as possible) was a reply stating that the editor had been in model railway publishing for decades, knew his market and doubted that anyone else would know. I accepted that, and there the matter rested. 

 

Until, a few years later, I was confronted by the publisher of the said magazine at one Warley show, threatening legal action against me! When I asked why, he aggressively told me (not asked) that I was 'Felstead'. 'Who?', I asked. 'You know, the bloke who's been putting it about on the internet that our recently-featured article on detailing a Hornby A3 is absolute rubbish. It's damaging potential sales!'. 

 

One can imagine my incredulity. It was at a time when, though I'd heard of the internet, my knowledge of it was even less (much less) than it is now. I pointed out to the fuming questioner that 'Felstead' was the first production A3, but any association I had with it was nothing, other than knowing its history. 'But you must be 'Felstead'', he replied. 'Why do you insist upon this?'. 'Because, when I asked on the internet who 'Felstead' might be, I got this answer' - 'Could it be a modeller, domiciled in Wolverhampton, who's built dozens of A3s, written several articles about them (both prototype and model) and has taken many photographs of them?'. Two and two made a lot more than four in this case! 'Then who is 'Felstead'?', he demanded (typically, as is far too common on social media, 'Felstead', whoever he was, didn't give his name - or her name if it were a woman). 

 

Anyway, 'Felstead' had provided a list of at least 50 (yes 50!) faults with regard to the model. By coincidence, Ian Rathbone and I had discussed the self-same model, and, although we didn't find that many faults, we found several. The loco in question (60035 WINDSOR LAD) was fitted with German deflectors and a GNR tender, somethings it never had. There were numerous detail inaccuracies, and the livery was a work of fiction. Since the article was headed 'Masterclass', I puzzled over which class it was supposed to be aimed at. Though in use when I first started teaching (over 50 years ago), the term 'educationally sub-normal' (ESN) was used to describe the mentally less-able, but it is now (correctly) far too un-PC, but it did spring to my mind! Can one be 'cancelled' for thinking something? 

 

After the publisher had accepted my not being 'Felstead', he said to me 'We need to talk'. It thus transpired that I was invited over to the magazine's HQ for a meeting with him and the editor, where it was discussed how I might contribute to the publication. The previous Pullman correspondence was mentioned, but we all parted as friends, and I then received numerous commissions for photography, writing how-to articles and prototype histories. A situation I fulfilled until taking full-time employment with BRM in 2003. An excellent conclusion all round, especially as Warners allowed me to fulfil commitments I'd already made to the other magazine. 

 

So, who knows what might happen after a critical letter? And, who is 'Felstead'?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I remember criticising the article on an early web forum - can’t remember which it was. Yes, the editor was somewhat upset but, as I remember, there were 103 errors in it, not 50. It was appalling.

Happy New Year

Ian R

Can anyone tell me why RMweb is now covered in pop-up adverts? What is the point of an advert that covers the content and cannot be deleted? Why does an advert cover my notifications so that I can’t read them? 
 

This is a railway modelling site - none of the adverts is related to that, so what is the point? Revenue for the sponsors I presume, but they are bloody irritating.

Ian R

On 03/12/2021 at 08:06, Daddyman said:

Remember also that Copydex (the cream-coloured smelly stuff in a pot and not, I think, the stuff in a tube) is the same as Maskol but lasts longer both in the pot and on the model, and is cheaper. 

I use the tube Copydex - perfectly effective, cheaper and far more convenient. 
 

Ian R

Land Rover Deep Bronze Green.

Ian R

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

So it is - well, I learn something new every day!

 

Do you think that there would be a market for right-facing coach roundel transfers?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Fox are already doing them.

Regarding the BR crest introduced in mid 1956. It was derived from the crest (the bit above the helmet) of the BTC Coat of Arms -

As it is an heraldic device it can only exist in the form granted by the College of Arms but I presume BR didn’t realise that so RH & LH versions were used for both locos and coaches (I have photos of the coach version, and Fox now produce the transfers). The situation only existed for six months so from early 1957 only the LH versions were used (there is much photographic evidence for this). The 1959 date in ‘Blood and Custard’ must be an error.  I don’t know how one would decide which side of a coach gets which version.

One of the NRM’s many livery errors was to give the ‘Duchess of Hamilton’ a RH crest even though it didn’t get its Crimson Lake livery until 1958.

The cycling ferret was NEVER a crest. It was an emblem, badge or logo.

Ian R

This must be pretty simple to do from the Bachman O4 - the ROD 2-8-0. The livery couldn’t be easier, plain black all over. This model in 7mm was built by Mike Edge.

Ian R

On 23/09/2021 at 08:19, robertcwp said:

But in reality not all regions changed at the same time. The LMR started outshopping stock in maroon a bit earlier in 1956 going by contemporary reports, which is perhaps not surprising as it was essentially the old LMS livery with simpler lining. The first all-maroon sets on the Eastern were the Talisman sets when that service launched in September 1956. York and Doncaster works were reported as still using crimson and cream in the summer of 1956.  I have seen it suggested that the Eastern considered a return to mock teak but have not seen any official documentation to that effect. Mark 1 FOs E3076-80 and BSOs up to E9315 were crimson and cream when new in 1956.

Interesting that you mention a return to teak. In August 1956 I travelled with my parents from Newcastle-under-Lyme to Newcastle-on-Tyne, and thence to Tyne Dock. We changed trains at Newcastle for the journey down to the docks where the two highlights were that I could underline 26501 in my book, and that the coach next to ours had been newly painted into mock teak. I can remember the smell of its new paint to this day. It was steel bodied, side corridor and possibly a brake - my memory is vague on the latter point.
 

Ian R

On 03/07/2021 at 19:33, Ian Rathbone said:

I agree that Humbrol 69 is totally useless these days, in fact I opened a new can of 9 this morning and that was oily and too thin. Before the paint formula changed it was always about 50:50. I put some of each paint on a palette and let the oils evaporate off for a bit then mix and put in the pen with a cocktail stick.

 

I bought some Railmatch yellow because of Humbrol problems but found that was as bad. I think it’s the safety elves restricting the types of pigment that can be used in ‘hobby paints’. I will stick with Precision in future.

 

Ian R

An update on Humbrol paint. I recently opened new cans of 9 and 69 and they were perfect, both were good and dense. 
 

Following the discussion on lining colours, I always dull down the colour, so with yellow I add tan, for white I use a light grey, never vermilion but Humbrol 19, for lining orange I use a can of 9 with a mustard spoon of 19 added. It is difficult to get lining down to a scale width, but dull it down and it looks more to scale.  For gold I use Precision Paints ‘Brass’ which goes through a pen beautifully provided it is well stirred.

Ian R

On 15/09/2021 at 17:27, Tony Wright said:

When I built an O Gauge Black Five for John Emerson, according to the info we had (the locomotive depicted as running in 1967/'68) the leading pair of wheels on its tender were discs and the other four were spoked! Which is what I fitted.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Here it is -

 Impressive model.

Ian R