Departmental203

Your work is superb, Andy! I'm even impressed by the graffiti even though I hate seeing it in real life! Jules

What I hadn't been clear about is I am using an old cable with plugs on either end that go between the baseboards, which fit the 25-pin plugs which is a wee bit like the VGA cable between a computer monitor and the comuter. Sorry, I should have made it more clear I was using a cable. Any further sugesstions I'm happy to hear Jules

Eventually, and yes eventually, I've been able to post an uptade - just a small one! Between fiddle yard and scenic boards, I've planned to use computer 25 way "D" plugs to bridge the gap so I can disconnect the fiddle yard to get better access to my bedroom window (ie for cleaning!) So I cut and carved away at small bits of scrap wood to hold the "D" plugs as shown below: View from behind; the wood may be a bit too thick! I plan to epoxy glue the plugs to the wood and the wood in turn screw them to the cross beams Any better ideas to my method will be appreciated but I might not have the right tools - just to warn you! Hope everybody had a good Christmas and I wish everyone a Happy New Year when it comes! Jules

Finally, after about 10 months my scratchbuilt MHA now looks more like the real thing!! Courtesy to Rainbow Railways of Falkirk, whom I had a chat to at the Falkirk show, they agreed that they can produce a pack of transfers suitable for 394829. Cost £6 and came with spares too! (Thanks Rainbow Railways!) Warning flashes are from Railtec just to let you know Rainbow Railways even included the underframe markings (wheelbase and white stars, I'm not sure what the latter's purpose is, if someone knows please tell me) which was a pleasant surprise. Next job is to seal the markings with varnish, glue the body on and do some light weathering to represent as if it had seen about a few months of use (as per the photo here) More progress over the upcoming Christmas holidays (well hopefully!) Cheers Jules

Well, I did use a glass fibre pencil Jack, I think that did most of the cleaning tbh Jules

A wee bit of progress on the OAA, at this point, the only body finishing is decals and varnishing, so got round to that Apologies for the grainy photos! I know the decals used aren't exactly the correct font but I used what I had to hand. The "T" for tonnage and the "TARE" markings have been (crudley) been applied by paint, they look more like blobs than letters! A new challenge for me: a brass kit. These are the superb Bill Bedford Sprung W-Iron assemblies for the OAA. They're quite fiddly to solder but got there in the end. I've been told that it is essential to clean up any flux residues, I used malt vinegar and plenty of scubbing from a glass fibre pencil. It's quite amazing the difference when brass is scrubbed from oxidation I used the supplied springing wire, which was annoingly in a loop, so I had to straighten it as best as possible, in future, I might buy some straightened guitar wire to make it easier. And the axleboxes, by the way, is a representation of the type fitted to many OAA, VAA/VBA and VCA types. I used spare Hybox axleboxes from the Parkside Grampus kit, cut and filed them down to get the aproximate shape and stuck tiny peices of 10 thou plasticard to get the "wings" of the axlebox. Cheers Jules

Apologies for the recent lack of replies, life just gets too busy!! I've (hopefully!) finished on the interior painting on OAA 100023, using a variety of Humbrol enamels, tring to mix them together to link the tones of the planks Apologies for the poor phone pics! My next project is another ZCA, this time, an ex SPA variant, which would have beeen converted around 1997-1998. Very limited progress but I've knocked the body and the solebars (which have been thinned down) together to get this: I'll probabaly end up replacing the horizontal support with thinner Evergreen strip, I'm just too much of a skinflint to buy some now!! I went to the Falkirk MRC show, and picked up some goodies, including another ZBA Rudd, which will probably end up as the Loadhaul liveried DC972644 (as I can't resist the brilliant Loadhaul livery!) Hopefully, more updates will be coming your way soon, but school and personal life will probably hinder this however! Cheers Jules

Loving the layout and locos Jack! Can't wait to see them in the flesh! Jules

Tell me when you can make it up north! (with the layout) Good work BTW Jack Jules

We have a week and two days off school up north, so I took the oppurtunity to do some modelling! Firstoff, some photos of the finished (worn plank effect still to be applied) side of 100023 It's still got a long way to go, needs interior painted (plank by plank!!!), numbering and weathering, it probabaly won't be finished until the new year!! Got to renumbering the three wagons that started it all... picked them up for £30 total at Falkirk many years ago (I wish wagons are still this cheap...) I numbered this MTA to 395161 after seeing a photo of it in Millerhill, I used the Fox EWS wagon data panel pack for all three and it was a real test for my eyesight trying to line up intracate digits!! MFA 391257 (yes the EWS logo is too small, but I used what I had to hand, a pack of Fox EWS logos) with the repositioned logo MFA 391235 Eventually the wagons will be varnished and weathered to represent the poor condition of these wagons (well hopefully!!) Cheers Jules

Some progress on my OAA 100023, apoligies for the terrible phone pics For my project of 394829 (DB red MHA), I am unsure about the decals which I was hoping to get them customely made for me. Do I have to send the company my own artwork that I have drawn or are they willing to do the making for me as Railtec were extremely busy when I put in an order which only contained images of the wagon. I appreciate that they are a really busy company so fair enough I am grateful for any advice regarding custom decals as this is my first bespoke project Cheers Jules

Ahh now I can breahe again - didn't screw up! Managed to strip the paint off and add the new grills (Evergreen styrene venner board in fact - courtesy from Roland Turner), and I conclude that went well! (I kept it on the ends, the paint stripper used a lot of IPA, cotton buds and paper towels and I didn't bother) Notice the difference of the shapes on the different sides, as per the real thing. Next jobs to do are to work on the roof detail (there's an exhaust for the generator - needs to be drilled, priming, painting, adding handles and decals!!! About your comment Jack, I find that you were right, a knife leaves some gouge marks that I tried to remove using sandpaper, which was only partially sucsessful, but the roof is a little tatty on M35469, I might get away with it! For something to toy around with, a Class 67 perhaps? (I bought this coach thinking I would model a short steam rake but even the shortest steam rake can't fit in my 3-car platform, it'll probabaly end up being shunted around as a loose coach, I guess this is a testbed for my cutting and shutting, detailing and painting skills) Well hopefully, I can use it well on the layout, or I can give it to someone who can run coaches better than I can!! Lewis, I plan to use S-Kits parabolic springs as they have the correct Single Link suspention, the already present Double Link suspention is rare on BP examples, according to my friend, who is an expert in tankers Hope your projects are going phenomenally! Cheers for reading, it's a wee bit long winded Jules

Moving on from the TTA, I was pondering what modelling project to do and dug out my Mk1 BSK. All I've done to it is to change the orientation of the battery boxes and change the bogie type to Commonwealth. As I plan to portray 35469 with side grills, and plus, I'm using a Hornby "Design Clever" Mk1, I decided to carve a lot of the moulded detail and the too obvious roof ribs using a Swann Morton #10 Blade and also need to cut two pairs of doors (this is my first serious kitbash, hope I don't screw up...) Pics for progresss... It was a pain in the neck to carve off the moulded end details, and ending up slicing into the detail I wanted to keep!! I have already drilled holes for replacement handrails, using a HSS 0.5mm drill Well let's see how this project goes on... Jules

Been a wee bit busy, and since D of E was (annoyingly) postponed, I've found the time to post The TTA is far from finished, but all the holes/resecces have been filled with plastic strip or rod and tiny amounts of filler (this is a George Dent method, which works very well!) I plan to use the Stensons models walkways to represent a tanker numbered in the 53xxx series which worked on the Fort William fuel workings The underframe has been liberally butchered, the only thing left is the W irons and axleboxes! I plan to use some S-Kits springs (the correct parabolic type) and scratchbuilt brake/discharge pipes It's a long way from completion, but I've started on the other side of the OAA, pics are to follow Cheers Jules

Sorry saxokid, the next update may not be until a wee while away (school plus homework, by the bucketload!!!!) Anyway, good luck with your projects Jules

Very nice work you're getting up to Jack, hope you're doing well! Loving your 60065 Jules

Nice to hear from you in a while Lewis! Hope your projects have been going well mate! More stuff will slowly (but surely) come! Jules

Just a quick post on doing weathered/battered planks in model form to represent paint peel I used a fairly dark grey pained on individual planks and left it to dry for a few minutes before using a wooden toothpick and a dry brush to manipulate the paint. Another Tim Shackleton method in his Aspects of Modelling: Weathering Wagons and Rolling Stock This also shows progress on the OAA, slowly but surely! Jules

A very nice set of projects Wanye! Look forward to their progress Good luck Jules

Very nice work Jack!Where did you get the Max Joule plate for 20303 just out of intrest Good luck (with everyting) Jules

Update in a little while, about the ex ZBO ZBA DB986446 Armed with some white and grey paint and a cut down Daler Rowley 10/0 (got for £3.50) to recrate lettering/numbers, as I'm too impatient to commision decals as I can't get round to do it The "ZBA" completely shames the "EWS" legends, which I did a year ago (I'm that slow!!) which a chunky 0.7mm Posca pen! I'll wash over the numbers with some Rust wash to kill the clean white look This was quite a test for my hand-eye co-ordination, if you can read DB986446, I've succeded! Hope I can get more posts soon, but due to the demands of Higher (equivallent to A-levels down south of the border) and Duke of Edinburgh, it's going to be harder, so please bear with me! Cheers Jules

Wiring (of the track and point motors, street lights yet to follow!!) is compl I've mostly used SEEP (PM1 and PM2) motors, bar one point, which uses a Peco PL-11 with a wire linkage and this is intended to be hidden inside the signalbox. I need to wire in a CDU, as the pont motors are a little tempermental, which I don't have!! PM2 on the left and PM1 on the right. The latter enables for an independantly swithched frog PL-11 with wire linkage (1mm thick piano wire) This occasionaly vibrates without moving the linkage! I've (as best as possible) grouped the wires to separate the 12v DC and 16v AC, but it's a little rudimental The hideous rat's nest of wiring, with loads of PVC tape!! Hope to keep updated, but school is a thing now (I live in Scotland!) thus, updates will be less frequent Cheers Jules

Layout work has been halted due to a lack of solder, so I've been progressing on something rarely featured on modern image latouts...for obvious reasons Semaphore signals! These are nice plastic kits from Ratio representing LMS tubular post signals (the catalogue number is 476) Ladders are fairly fragile - I've broke a few and if it hasn't snapped, EMA plastic weld does the job! With (most) kits, there are a few instances of head scratching, the ladder couldn't fit on the top ring, so the solution was to cut away 3 or 4 rungs and trim the right hand vertical post so it can clear the bulb housing and counterweight! I used Humbrol acrylics, which dry so fast compared to enamels!! More soon Jules

I've been recently working on the control panel, a simple softwood frame glued and screwed together and MDF for the top surface painted white I used Tamiya 10mm yellow masking tape cut with a fresh Swann Morton blade, a Stadler fine tip permanent pen for the multitude of black lines and acrylic paint for the colours. I sprayed enamel varnish in an attempt to prevent the tape wearing away (how good this idea will work is up to time to tell) and I also had to fix a bodge in the bottom right hand corner!! I realised it would look too cramped to incude Signal C so I initially crossed it out before reaching for the sandpaper!! I did breifly mention about having independentely controlled bufferbeam lights, so a sanding, drawing and a patch paint (you may be able to discern it on the bottom edge!!) later, it now looks like this. The illustration is a representation of a Train Tech buffer light which I intend to use I have used 3 screws to fix it onto the layout, I don't intend to just glue it in! The toggle switches will go in soon, I hope to keep you all informed of updates Jules

Excellent work as usual James... Jules