Firecracker

This is one of those things that doesn’t fit anywhere, so it might as well go here. The grey fergie (or to give it its proper title ‘Tractor, England, 20hp’) and breathing on the oxford offering. A bit of history, the fergie came out of the fertile mind of Harry Ferguson (aka. ‘The mad mechanic of Belfast’). Ferguson was an inventor and developer, his tractors were first built by David Brown, then Ford, then the Standard Motor Co. The fundamental idea of the Ferguson system was to make the implement (eg a plough) part of the tractor, rather than have it trailing behind. This meant the down force exerted by the ploughshares in the soil could increase the traction of the tractor, thus the tractor can be lighter. Also if the plough hits an obstruction, the system releases the load, so the tractor spins it’s wheels rather than rear up and land on the driver (as was the wont of the Fordson). The TE-20 grew out of the Ford 9N, following the dissolution of the infamous ‘handshake agreement’ (and resultant lawsuits) between Ferguson and Henry Ford. Following the refusal of Ford UK to build his tractors at Dagenham, Ferguson approached the Standard Motor Co, whose shadow factory at Banner Lane was empty following the end of WW2. The rest is history, leading to (imho) a tractor that would finish the revolution of mechanisation in agriculture the Fordson F started. Anyway, onto the model. I’ve encoutered three models in OO, Springside (bit of a curates egg, good in parts), the Langley kit (the dearest and currently in the ‘to do’ pile, so unable to comment further at this moment in time) and Oxford’s offering (cheapest, some crude detail and missing link arms (which was the major selling point of the fergie)).. I’m after 4, to pose on a warflat as per these (and as I’ve said elsewhere, that date is wrong, I think it’s 1948) So, the Oxford fergie. There’s a bit of crude detail, mainly in the front axle and side arms (being fair, this is mainly due to the manufacturing process). On the other hand, the engine detail is spot on, the model is definitely a TE-A (starter motor and toolbox on LHS of engine, no TVO vaporiser shield around the exhaust manifold) The track of the wheels is too wide and there’s a bright silver front axle that shouldn’t be there. Oh, and the link arms of the Ferguson system are missing completely. So, wheels. The rear is easy, remove the wheels form the axle, file off the hub from the inside, shorten the axle by about 1-2mm and refit. Next, the front. I first cut the axle with a pair of snips and removed the two halves. The axle is trimmed back to a 2mm (ish) stub. Remove the inner hub until it’s flush with the back of the wheels, and refit with superglue. File the stubs flush on the inside of the stub axle arms. Next up (ie I haven’t worked it out yet) the missing link (arms) Owain

And a bit like buses turning up, I’ve just found another! Taken from Michael Thorne’s ‘Ferguson TE20 in detail’. No idea of location, tractors are either TE-A’s or TE-D’s (covers hiding possible vaporiser shield round exhaust manifold which is the easy recognition feature and they’re not TE-F’s, there’s no toolbox on the wings - you rebuild three of these, you get to know the little details). Owain

Just a quick photo, whilst getting shots for a spotters guide to the grey fergie and breathing on the Oxford diecast model. Rather like this, but I do need to sort a back scene to hide all the background crap. Owain

Here’s what I know, it’s not complete. My father knew the younger of the two blokes in civvies, he and the gaffer next to him ran the local Ferguson agents at the time. Now my father also knew his son and at some stage my interest in railways came up in conversation. Son mentioned deliveries of tractors to Kendal by rail, the old man mentioned it to me, and I remembered seeing that photo and dug it out. On on the date, I reckon (speaking as someone who rebuilt three fergies) going by various details those are either the early TE-20 fitted with the continental petrol engine (made from 1946-48) or the TEA-20, fitted with the standard motor co.’s own petrol engine (made from 1947-56). My gut is they’re TEA-20’s. Now the old gaffer in the photo remembered it as the first big delivery to Kendal, (I reckon there’s at least 21 in that load). But at that time they supplied a large area (the only other dealers were Carlisle, Barrow and Preston iirc). Cumbria embraced the fergie, it was ideal for the smaller mixed farms and remained a Ferguson stronghold for a long time. It can’t be as the caption thinks, because the fergie went out of production in 1956. So my gut for a date is probably 1948. Owain

Dunno about the wagons, but the tractors are Massey-Ferguson 35’s... Owain

Right. Yesterdays adventure was Shipley show, with amongst others, the rather nice Conistone. Also showing that that with a little paint, a merit sheep will become a Herdwick. So there’s a job lined up. Picked up a Bachman warflat with the intention of replicating one of the ones in this photo. As I posted on the warflat thread, I suspect the date in the caption is wrong, I think it’s late 40’s early 50’s at most. There’s a family connection, my father knew the bloke on the left in civvies who reckons this is the first delivery of Ferguson TE20 tractors to Kendal (hence the posing). As someone who rebuilt three of them, those look like either the TE20 with the continental petrol engine, or the TE-A20 with the standard motor co.’s petrol engine (they’re definitely not the TE-D or TE-F). The petrol engined fergies went out of production in 1948 and 1956 respectively, so it must be before that. Anyway, here’s the wagon And with two fergies posed (Oxford and Springside) Also bought this PO wagon, purely because I liked the livery. Owain

Following with interest, here’s one for you (taken from Robert Western’s ‘The Kendal & Windermere railway’) Those appear to still have their jacks on the ends. Now I suspect the date In the caption is wrong, my father knew the younger of the two blokes in civvies (LH, with hat) and apparently it’s the first shipment of Ferguson TE20 tractors to Kendal, so early 1950’s at the latest. Owain

Right. Apologies for the radio silence, it’s been the busy period at work, plus the annual pilgrimage to Dorset, for GDSF. Anyway, a bit more progress. A start has been made on features in the pway yard, with a bunker for railway ballast. Based on several prototypes built from RSJ’s and concrete sleepers, plasticard and c&l sleepers have started to yield the outer wall. The ballast mound inside will be scatter over a foam core. Waiting hoppers (two ex DBS sea lions) will be loaded by telehandler (justified by the one used at Grosmont). A rather nice effort from Oxford diecast, here trialled to check it can do the job. Next up, a coat of acrylic on the scenic areas, plus plasticote chocolate on the timber sleepered track (it’s a good base for weathering, the concrete sleepers on the siding will be treated separately). Add some fencing (ratio) and pop the vehicles back to get a feel for how it looks. To be added is a board crossing between the crossover and the platform end, in lieu of a footbridge and under the windows of the box. Also an occupation bridge, in low relief over the cutting above the derelict toad. The wynns diamond T is a tribute to the one ex Hudson’s of arnside that used to be resident (if anyone’s got a recent photo, I’d like to see it) at L&HR (and may still be for all I know). Random personal connection, many moons ago my parents had an unexpected visitor in the form of a tyre services pickup land (literally) in one of their fields, that diamond T arrived (before its retirement) to recover the offending item, crewed by a young lad who was ready to drag it out by himself and an older gaffer who saw no need to rush, Rome wasn’t built in a day, now calm down and put the kettle on. Owain

And a bit more! The rest of the track has been glued down, then a start made on the scenics (using my ‘Kryten’ approach with a hot glue gun and foam core board) to give us the PWay yard, car park and the cutting side. The dust has been blown off this ratio signalbox (built sometime around ‘95-‘96) and a rummage in a box of junk yielded some ancient Cooper Craft signal box nameplates, so they had to be added. A quick blast of paint (plasticote Stone textured paint, over Payne’s grey acrylic in the car park area, to suggest tarmac) to define the areas (and as dictated by the law of sod, the board decided that this time the paper would lift and crease. Hopefully it’ll dry flat.). Vehicles and containers have been added to get a feel for a layout that looks right. Finally, track power was hooked up, rails cleaned and test trains run. This is actually a shunting test, there’s one delayed action kadee magnet buried under the track at the far end of the platform, so can you propel a brace of sea lions the full length of the platform and drop them in the siding? You can, so a) there’s no need for a second magnet and b) the trap point can be finally laid. (because if it was required, that was where the magnet was going) Point motors next... Owain

From ‘what-might-have-been’, to modifying Peco track, pt.2! The ballast siding is being laid in flat bottom rail on concrete sleepers (to give a bit of variety and reflect what a preserved railway might lay). The only problem is that as bought Peco track has a sleeper spacing that’s nearer HO than OO. I got the idea for this (and an appreciation for the visual difference it makes) whilst browsing YouTube, so take no credit for the idea. Trial and error showed that increasing the spacing to 6mm (or 1/4” for the metrically impaired) produced something that looked ‘right’. Fortionately, I’ve got some 1/4” wide stripwood, so a brief attack with the chopper gives us some gauges. First job, work along the length, cutting and removing all the webs. It’s also a good idea to remove some of the surplus sleepers at this stage (a rough estimate is you’ll use 12 sleepers per 100mm of track). Then, using the gauges, start to space the sleepers. Yes, they will move and twist. At this stage, that’s not too bad a problem, so the spacing and alignment will take a little tweak yet. Here’s the result, compared to the original. Now to lay it. We’ve already marked out the line of one rail with a sharpie, so coat the cork with suitable glue, plop it down and working from one end, tweak the alignment (working left to right in this photo) with the gauges. As soon as you’re happy, weights are added whilst the glue dries. Owain

Glad you like it, there’s a lot more to come! Here’s a ‘what if’ for you to try for size. Acccording to Wikipedia, Peter Beet (of Leander fame) visited Tebay shed in the mid sixties,where he was allowed to clean locos by the staff, whilst at medical school. In ‘64, he starts as a GP in Morcambe. Suppose he comes into contact with someone who wants to preserve something and they revisit his old haunts at Tebay (where being known to the staff, they’re allowed to wander round of a weekend). A shabby standard 4 in green catches their attention.....and finds its way to Carnforth when Tebay closes in ‘67. Dai Woodham gets a glut of 16t mineral wagons in ‘73, so the mogul and the 9f aren’t cut up. The only people affected are the group buying 92134, because they’re warned off taking parts off 92232. Owain

Peco points and their modification. To get a true 6’ cess between the two running lines, (rail centres are the sharpie lines) the crossover points need a minor modification. Trim one set of rails with a dremel, tidy up and fit rail joiners. Some minor tweaking of the sleepers, and it’s a wrap. Here it is with the track cut to length and trialed, showing (IMHO) how it looks better. Also there’s been a session in the point control box with a soldering iron, however there’s another two switches to go in there for the trap point (which Monk Bar models didn’t have in code 75 in stock when I attended at the weekend, so they ordered on Monday and rang today to say it’s arrived. Remember folks, support your local model shop). Owain

And it’s still coming along! First up, the wiring on the board is now finished (just connections to make to the track and point motors as they go in (the third point supply is for the trap point on the siding). Also the inter board connectors have been fitted. Holes for the coach bolts that hold the boards together are drilled with a jig, to ensure alignment. Finally, with its legs fitted, the new board is slotted into place and the track layout mocked up. Owain

And a few more bits! First up, the control box received an internal makeover. Second, a start has been made on the wiring of the new board, along with the cork going onto the track bed. Due to the way my boards are daisy-chained, there’s a main cable (1.5mm2 mains cable) that runs the full length of each board with the individual track feeds in parallel on the DCC side. A second 16VAC feed supplies the point motors. So here’s the end connection box with the two supplies (DCC on the left). The underside of the board, 3 way choc blocks are for points, 2 way ones are track feeds. An overview, showing the point control box as well. Owain

Another week, another bit more! New legs with adjustable feet have appeared for the new board. The new board is also seen here with the ply track bed down and the basic layout mocked up (the bit of ply that JCB’s stood on will become a longer loading bank). Also there’s a trap point to go in between the crossover and the sea lions. Finally, with the fiddle yard removed to give us some fighting room, I’ve been able to take these views looking down the layout. Owain

I had the exact same idea. Then I realised that the case is an extrusion with the ends screwed on, with the screws threading into a groove. You know that moment in the cartoons when the lightbulb comes on above someone’s head? Just like that. Anyway, just thought I’d show it, might be of use to someone, there’s got to be another of those systems in use somewhere, surely....Here all it’s doing is stopping the unit sliding about in the box, but I would have thought it would be man enough to support it. Just have to make sure it’s supported at both ends. Owain

I realised earlier this week that it’s exactaly 1 year today since I got this nonsense to move under power and control. Wow. Where did that go? Anyway, to prove I’m still committed (or possibly should be) work has started on the fourth baseboard. This will go on the north (Lowgill) end and will feature the north crossover (an end to shunt releasing with the cl 25 during testing and development sessions!). The single running line will continue north under an occupation bridge (to give the scenic break) just before the bridge there will be a ballast loading siding on the line of the second running line. Said siding will disappear under the bridge, with this toad (having studied photos, I decided to go greener) sat at the end of the board, to further obstruct the view into the fiddle yard and suggest that in best preserved railway traditions, there’s further derelicts beyond it. Anyway, a baseboard needs a frame. So put suitable timber through the horizontal bandsaw (a square cut every time!) And we’ve got a kit of parts. With appropriate gluing and screwing, they become a frame. Once that’s dry, it’ll get legs and a top. Then there’s the exercise to get it into place (which is being combined with a major tidy of the front and several other moves (a large surface plate, for a start). (If this is ever finished, it is intended to be exhibitable or at least portable, so it’s being designed with dismantling and reassembly in mind) Next up, I acquired a new enclosure for the control gear (if anyone here knows or is related to this chap, who I understand was ex. Doncaster or York). As I said, if this circus ever reaches the stage it can go on tour, the idea is this box will also carry tools and the other 101 cosmetics of the layout beautiful. For the moment, it’s a lot tidier than it’s predecesor. For the curious, here’s how to bolt down a Lenz DCC system. Remove two of the case screws, and replace with longer screws through a joining block. Screw the block down. Owain

Another quick one, attacking an Oxford Toad. The idea is based on several vehicles that had been sat for a while under trees and acquired that green patina. At some stage the van has also been damaged (at a guess, dropped) and instead of repairing the damage (bent handrails and roof corner bent) decided to make it a feature, as if the vehicle has been clobbered in a shunt. I’ll have another look in the morning and see what it looks like in daylight, but pleased so far. Owain

Aha! That had not occurred to me, I’ll try that. I browsed your other work last night, I’d seen the other JCB. I also liked the Ferguson Land Rover, very taken with the delicate effect. Owain

Hi Mick, Cheers for that, that’ll teach me to read from the beginning! I’m rather taken with the effect of the pigment on the tyres, looks just right for aged rubber to me. Most of what I’ve tried had either no effect or overwhelmed.

Watching with great interest, I attacked one of these a few months back. I went from more of a ‘rustbucket’ look, aiming for a machine that’s been exposed to the Cumbrian weather and suffered accordingly. One thing I would suggest is that if you’re planning on posing this with the back actor in the folded position, there’s too much metal in the top pivot for it to fold up correctly. I scalped some out with a burr in a dremel, to allow the boom to fold up a little further. Before After Incidentally, where are you getting that pigment from? Fancy having a play with that. Keep up the excellent work, looking good! Owain

And finally, because moving pictures seem to go down well (plus following a row with BT, I can now upload to my YouTube account in minutes rather than hours), here’s the Westmorland Pullman departing Sedbergh. That loco is due a renumbering to 75024, which survived at Tebay until 1967 and in my fevered imagination entered preservation via someone with slightly more money than sense, Carnforth and the fledging L&HR scheme. With the exception of the match board sided Pullman (which at the price it was, I wasn’t leaving behind) the rake is mostly mk 1’s and met-cams (as per most preserved Pullman dining rakes). The LMS inspection saloon is there a) as a tribute to the GWR saloon the NYMR use, b) because I saw one and really liked it and c) as a translator vehicle between the first Pullman and the loco, because the coupling on the Pullman is too high and I wasn’t having them uncoupling on camera. Enjoy. Owain

And a bit more. The airbrush has been broken out again, with a bit more shading being applied to the yard. Trying to get the effect of dry-er ash and ground here, think it’s an improvement from the 100 shades of black, so I’ll carry on playing. It was also used to attack the road surface, aiming for a bit of a less uniform texture plus the traces of mud tracked out of the field gateway. The retaining wall also got a working over, the idea here is that a bit of that foam above the wall is going to be hacked out and some bushes added, then ground foam above it up onto the other board, to create the impression the ground slopes a bit more than it actually does (due to the presence of the frame of the second board). Billy Armstrong’s (I grew up on a Cumbrian fell farm just over the hill from Sedbergh, we used Armstrong’s on occasion, known as Billy Armstrong locally, so when Oxford released this, I had to have one) cattle wagon also got a light coating of muck and road dirt blown over it, with some attacked with cotton wool buds to suggest cleaning or use of the trailer lockers. Finally, for something completely different, I picked this kit up for a grand total of £1 at a recent car boot junk fest (in Porthmadog, of all places, the places you wander into whilst waiting for a bus), so I’ve got a new desk tidy. Owain

A few more bits, some bolster wagons. There’s a BDA for the pway lads and a bobol C for the goods rake. Job is to make the decks look a bit more like wood and make them a bit more tatty. Wood effects are humbrol enamels, first a base coat of a light tan (121), then given a coat of their grey wash. Dry brush with grey 28 and brown 29 in the direction of the grain (ie side to side on the wagon). Just needs a coat of Matt varnish because the wash decided to dry glossy for no reason. Rust effects are good ‘ol Typhus corrosion and Ryza Rust from Games workshop, steel highlights are Leadbelter (again GW). Owain

Wow. Thanks one and all, this has been truly educational. What started as an idle ‘what’s that?’ has turned into a lot of learning. Although I am amused that going off Nharding99’s link,it appears Bachman got it wrong on their effort. Thanks again one and all. Owain