Jump to content
 

Grasslands

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    353

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Grasslands

  1. Grasslands
    I tried to think of a good Leader pun, but ‘falling behind’ works as an inverse analogy.
     
    36001
     
    The picture above shows one of my favourite locomotives: 36001, Bulleid’s Leader; the monstrous experimental steam engine that looked like a diesel. Leader was constructed in 1948 and ran for a brief 1½ year period (from 1949 to 1950). ‘Ran’, of course, might not be the best word for Leader’s trial runs, as she was prone to failure and was often towed back to Brighton Works.
     
    Leader was fitted with various experimental design features including: a chain drive; a fully enclosed boiler; and a cab at either end. She was also fitted with an off-centre boiler (very strange). The fire box was located near the centre of the loco and must have been a terrible environment for a fireman.
    I always found something fascinating about this loco and urged my parents to buy me a book on the subject. When I left home, this book was one of the first things that I ‘acquired’ from my parents house.
     
    The Model
     
    There is a resin kit available of Leader, made by Golden Arrow Productions, which I got for my Birthday in 2008. After purchasing a load of Bulleid Q1 wheels (expensive), I set to work planning out the look of the model. The Golden Arrow Productions mould is good, but I thought it a shame that it missed out some of the more prominent panel lines, so I stencilled the panel lines out onto the moulding and scored these onto the resin with a modelling knife.
     
    I was also not to keen on the shape of the windows, which I felt didn’t quite capture the look of the prototype. Following the guidance of a topic on converting the Golden Arrow Leader on RMweb, I decided to widen the windows and slightly change their shape.
     

     

     
    The white metal chassis blocks are lovely mouldings for this model, and when built they really give you an idea of how big this engine really was (an idea of scale kindly provided by driver Bob in the pictures above and below). It might not be the best engine to build if you have a layout with low tunnel mouths, as it really is a beast. The real thing towered over most water tanks, making it difficult to top it up with water.
     

     
    Liveries
     
    Livery-wise there are a surprising number of options for an engine that ran for such a short period of time. Leader carried prime grey with a large British Railways ‘cycling lion’ emblem (only on one side) for a very short period. The British Railways emblem was quickly removed and the engine was lined out (along its panels), but remained in grey.
    I have never cared much for either livery and I instead opted for the livery (well… not really a livery) present in the only colour picture that exists of Leader. At this stage it was being repainted and appears to be a very silvery grey. This was the first image of Leader that caught my eye, many years ago and this was what I wanted on my model.
    More about the build next time….
     
    visit grasslandsmodels.wordpress.com for further projects
  2. Grasslands
    Today we answer the question: ‘How much modelling can be done in a day?’
     
    At the Doncaster show a nice chap told me that one of Craftsman Models conversion kits includes the older style cab for an 04 shunter. So a quick purchase of a Bachmann 04 (and said conversion kit) and I was off. I decided to see how far I could get through the conversion in a weekend.
     

     
    Below is a time-lapse video of the first day of the conversion, enjoy!
     
    http://youtu.be/XuRcH2-5k1E
     
    Visit GrasslandsModels.wordpress for further projects
  3. Grasslands
    I have always been a big fan of diesel shunters. I loved watching little shunters moving around Bescot Yard and the various industrial complexes in the Midlands.
     
    BR Class 13 Diesel Shunter
     
    One shunter I never had the privilege of seeing was the BR Class 13. The Class 13 was a special locomotive, designed to operate over the ‘hump’ in the large marshalling yard at Tinsley. Each one looked like two locos stuck together (which is exactly what they were). Two BR Class 08s were used to create each Class 13 loco. One of them had the cab cut away and was linked, via multiple-working gear, to the other. Thus only one driver was needed to operate these two locomotives; the cabless one being the slave and the cabbed version being the master.
     
    The class 13 was also fitted with large buffer plates which helped counter balance these Siamese locos. Only three were ever created, each with various differences in detail. I saw a model of one on the Rail Express stand at Warley show a few years ago and was eager to try my hand at creating one out of the RTR class 08 models currently available.
     
    First considerations
     
    While visiting the Mickleover Model Railway Show in 2010 I was discussing with a fellow visitor my plans to build a class 13, and how wonderful it would be, having two motors and all, but the chap quickly countered: ‘why use two motors?’ he said ‘wouldn’t it be easier to take one of the motors out’? I must admit, the chap had a good point. I decided that life would be easier if one of the motors was removed, but thought it would be nice to keep the model picking up across both wheel sets.
     
    The two best models to undertake this conversion with are the Hornby and Bachmann 08s. It is apparently easier to modify the Hornby 08 (as it is easier to remove the cab area). Plus the Hornby version is regarded as a superior model. Unfortunately, superiority comes at a price out of my budget range, so I stuck with the Bachmann models.
     
    In October 2010 I came across the perfect donor locos in the form of x2 Bachmann models (08623 and 08672), and so armed with a photocopy of an old Rail Express article on creating a class 13 (Feb 04, No.93) I set to work.
     

     
    Converting the Bachmann 08 into the slave unit.
     
    I started by removing the motor from the slave unit. I soon discovered that if I wanted the slave unit to continue running smoothly I would need to retain the large cast weight that sits under the motor. The motor really, really didn’t want to be parted from the metal casting and became the most difficult job of this project, particularly removing the motor from the small plastic harness surround (see below).
     

     
    I then began attacking the slave unit cab. Now it is important to know that the cab is in fact a separate moulded item and actually slides off the Bachmann body (with difficulty). This does leave a chunky area of plastic and interior detail in the location of the cab that needs removing with a small hack saw.
     

     
    Once the cab plastic was removed it was then time to remove a chunky section of metal-chassis casting which sits in the cab area. Once this was removed with a suitable metal hack saw, it was clear that my 08s were starting to resemble a class 13.
     
    I then used modelling putty to fill in the gap in the cab floor and sanded it to a smooth surface, while also smoothing the cut edges of the bonnet. I then removed the buffers and detail from the buffer beams and sanded them down flat (so they could be used to stick the new ‘meaty’ buffer beams to).
     
    Modelling made easy
     
    It was at this stage that 2011 took me off in another direction and although the new buffer beams were designed and made out of plasticard, I never fitted them. The thought of designing the cab bonnet area on the slave unit put me off.
     
    And so by coincidence RT Models decided to create a class 13 conversion kit out of resin, white metal and nickel-silver parts. I quickly purchased the conversion kit and then got back to work on the loco.
    The RT Models conversion kit is easy to put together and was quickly glued into the cab area of the slave unit. I decided to use the new buffer beams supplied with the conversion kit because they already have the holes punched out of the casting for buffers and vacuum pipes.
     

     
    Stability issues
     
    After refitting the wheels to the now motorless slave unit, I realised that my removal of the cab weights meant that the metal cast no longer fixed to the rest of the chassis (I had cut away the screw holes). I solved this issue by adding a motor harness from an old brass kit to the inside of the bonnet (which provided some rigidity to the body and frames).
     

     
    D4503?
     
    It is worth noting that although there were only three Class 13s (now long scrapped), my Bachmann models include conflicting mouldings to any of the three prototypes. The main offender being a tool box (or radiator) on my slave unit that was never included on any of the three real locos. I opted to solve this problem by creating a fictional forth loco (rather than scarring the loco with modelling knives). This also allowed me to be more flexible with livery choice and detail. I have also fitted the larger buffers seen on some of the class 13s, which I think give the model a nice ‘chunky’ appearance. I want to model the engine in approximately 1968 condition, so I plan to keep it in BR Blue, but with the number 4503, which will put the loco in the period just before it was renumbered into the TOPS system as the fictional 13004.
     
    What’s next?
     
    I have linked the master and slave units together with a screw link coupling (managing to make the one on the front of the master fully sprung!), so I need to next test how the loco operates over short radius curves and point-work.
     
    In the mean time, here is a video of the 13's trial run.
     

     
    visit my main blog for more projects: http://grasslandsmodels.wordpress.com/
  4. Grasslands
    So where were we? Oh yes, I remember… I was converting a Drewry Diesel Tram while filming the results (using time lapse recording). Here are the links to days 1 and 2.
     
    Here is the video:
     

     
    Day 3 consisted of replacing the rather small buffers on the Bachmann Class 04 with the slightly larger versions used on the tram version. The donor for these buffers was a disused set of buffer beams from my Heljan Falcon (blink and you will miss it in the first few seconds of the video). I then added some brake pipes and hand rails. I firstly fitted the plastic versions that came with the Bachmann model, but decided they were horridly over sized. I decided to cut them off so I could replace them with wire versions instead.
     
    I also fitted the small exhaust on the bonnet. The 1950s tram I am building has an exhaust pipe that is barely visible. As I have not seen any aerial shots of the bonnet I have made a guess as to what this might have looked like. A taller cylinder was attached to the exhaust in the later part of the 1950s, and I did find a pipe in my ‘bits box’ that matched this perfectly, but I forced myself to refrain and stick to my plan for a tram without a full chimney.
     

     
    I also noticed that the Bachmann version of the 04 has a step either side of the bonnet front that doesn’t appear to be present on the earlier tram types. I cut this off and added hand rails.
    I finished off by filling in some of the gaps with model putty.
    More to come in day 4….
  5. Grasslands
    We now return to the development of my Golden Arrow resin and white metal kit of the pioneering Bulleid Leader (click here for part 1).
     
    Leader’s bogies are gigantic, just massive. Leader looks like the monster truck of UK locomotives. These bogies are cast in white metal and have a very nice finish. They are also nice and weighty. While reading how to install the recommended DS10 motor I mis-interpreted the instructions and installed a separate DS10 motor into each bogie. In hindsight this wasn’t such a bad idea, as leader is now a real brute on the rails.
     
    I followed the wheeling convention of some of Heljan’s diesels and put bearings around the front and rear axles on each bogie and left the middle wheel floating. This helps prevent the massive wheels from causing derailments.
     

     
    I installed two Lenz silver decoders (one on each bogie) and programmed each to the same ID. Trial runs showed strong running qualities, but I did need to shave away some of the higher sections of the bogies to allow Leader to get around the tight corners on Brewery Pit. Having duel motors and picking up current from both bogies means that when Leader de-rails it has a propensity to continue to drive on with the derailed bogie, so one needs to be careful.
    Leader often ran with all it’s vents and doors open, so I cut through the resin cast and opened up all the doors and vents. I also made some vent flaps out of plasticard. I then added hand rails and door knobs. Please note that most people fit the the vertical cab rails on the front of Leader in the wrong position. Most models have them mounted on the very front of the cab, but the prototype has them fitted to the sides and they bend around to the front. In my opinion this makes a big difference to the look of the loco. These hand rails were made from guitar string.
     
    I also added lamp irons and a whistle. The flush glazing was hand cut from thick transparent plastic.
    I then painted Leader with the softest silver-grey shade I could find. I used a Halfords car spray and I was very pleased with the results. I felt like I had sprayed the paint on a bit thick in places, so I decided to fix the paint with a satin gloss coat – fatal mistake!
     
    The paint never fully dried and always retained a slight tackiness. I keep my models in a metal box surrounded by foam and I was concerned that the foam might mark the paint so I wrapped Leader with a thin bit of plastic wrapping. I then discovered that the paint was still slowly moving and the paint had formed moulding lines with the patterning of the plastic wrapping. I quickly sprung into action and scrubbed away the tacky areas of paint. My model of one of my favourite engines was sullied.
     
    So at this stage these pictures are all I have of Leader in it’s (almost) final stage. A real shame.
     
    The story continues…

     
    explore my blog grasslandmodels for more projects.
  6. Grasslands
    Following my last post about Leader, I discovered that the paint was not fully drying and the finish had warped while in storage.
     
    It is difficult to find a paint stripper formulated to strip resin kits, they are normally designed for metal or plastic models. I sent a quick query to Howes of Oxford about their Model Strip and was advised to test the paint stripper on the underside of the body. I did not see any adverse effects, so I covered leader in the paste.
     

     

     
    I left the model covered overnight and cleaned off the paste and paint with an old tooth brush.
    I was very happy to see that most of the paint was removed. There was still some panel lines and crevices where paint remained so I decided to also try another paint stripper. My second attempt was with Phoenix Precision PS18 Superstrip and this stuff was quite amazing. I dipped my toothbrush in the liquid and on the first stroke of the brush, the remaining paint started coming off.
     
    The picture below is the now fully stripped Leader body. There a couple of patches of paint that remain underneath. These are where glue was used to fix in the interior cabs. The next stage is a bit of degreasing before Leader’s return to the paint shop.
     

     

  7. Grasslands
    Currently on my workbench is… well… my workbench.
     

     
    The workbench I have used for the past few years is a cheapo laminated chipboard job from Argos. The former office desk was forced into the role of being my modelling desk when we moved to Newbury in 2008. It has now taken a fair amount of abuse from my modelling torture kit, so it is only right that it continues in its role in my new house (until I accidentally cut in half or something or other).
     
    In my new house the desk will be up against a radiator and I already suffer frequent losses of small items to the carpet monster (that darn carpet monster!!!). I was also quite concerned that I will now loose small items down into the inside of the radiator. I decided that I would install a backing to my desk that will hopefully prevent small items from ‘pinging’ away.
     
    I purchased x3 framed cork note boards from Staples and went about screwing them onto the back of the desk. Being lazy, I decided to screw them onto brackets and let the boards hang off the desk (as oppose to cutting the boards and mounting them on the top of the desk). There was still an annoying gap between the cork boards and the desk when they were screwed down so I tacked down some white ‘L’ shaped plastic to cover up the gap.
     

     
    Now I will hopefully see a significant reduction in my time spent crawling under my desk looking for small brass bearings. The added bonus is that I can now use the cork to pin up instructions and notes, which will be very helpful.
     

  8. Grasslands
    I have been trying to answer three niggling questions:
    How can I fix the Bachmann chassis into the brass kit body?
    How can I fill the gap between the chassis and the front of the loco (see left)?
    Can I refit any of the little details from the original brass chassis to the Bachmann one (sand boxes and the lubricator arm)?
    As most of my time in this hobby is spent thinking about how to solve such problems (rather than actually doing anything) I decided, in the mean time, to see if I could deconstruct the old chassis.
     
    The old brass chassis
     
    I knew I wanted to retrieve the lubricator arm assembly and maybe the brake rigging from the old brass chassis, but I had foolishly soldered all the parts (including the axle bolts) into place. I also wanted to see if I could get the wheels off intact (for use in the future).
     
    After a bit of soldering-iron wrestling, I managed to get all the wheels, gears and motor away from the chassis. I could now strip the brass chassis back to bare metal.
     
    Paint stripping
     
    I have a range of chemicals (normally used for other household or DIY applications) that I use for paint stripping. For metals and brass, there is a chemical I use that can remove paint in a matter of minutes…Nitromors!
     
    ‘All Purpose Nitromors’ is a paint and varnish remover which I bought from Homebase or B&Q. This is one of those chemicals where you heed the warnings on the tin! This is vicious stuff! On my first trial with Nitromors (stripping white metal figures) the chemical ate through my rubber gloves and burnt my hands!
     
    It will eat plastic, so if you have any plastic detail on a model, it is very important to remove it. It will also eat any glue joints, so unless you have soldered your model together, expect it to fall apart too (such qualities can also be quite useful).
     
    I have a small metal pie-tin than I fill with Nitromors and then drop my models in (I think plastic containers are too risky).
     
    As expected, after a few scrubs with a toothbrush, the brass chassis was back to bare metal. After a good rinse and scrub with soda crystals I dropped the chassis into my sonic cleaner, which removed any remaining residue.
     

     
    I noticed after this step that the solder joints had become quite brittle, which makes me wonder whether the sonic cleaner was the cause (I hope not).
     

     
    Bachmann Chassis
     
    As the chassis appeared a bit more fragile after the ‘purge’, I decided to cut off the brake rigging (deciding that I wasn’t that precious about including it on the new chassis).
    I then noticed that the Bachmann chassis was actually thin enough to sit inside part of the old brass chassis frame. I decided to cut the front end of the brass chassis off and change the position of the spacers, which miraculously allowed me to refit the front end of the brass chassis around the Bachmann one, thus:
    filling the annoying gap at the front of the engine;
    creating a front mounting for the chassis; and
    retaining the front-end chassis detail
    Result! Granted, the rear section will not be quite as simple, but I will tackle this next.
     

     

     
    See my blog for further projects: GrasslandsModels.wordpress.com
  9. Grasslands
    The running quality of my locos is important to me. Irrelevant of how well made they are or how detailed, if they cannot run along a piece of track smoothly or cross a point without stalling, then the loco is of little use to me.
     
    The long suffering Craftsman BR 07
     

     
    My BR Class 07 Shunter is one such loco that looks much better than it runs. This Craftsman kit was purchased partly completed in 2003. One of the areas completed was the chassis, which was quite jerky and the rods appeared to be binding. I decided to deconstruct the chassis and start again.
     
    I rebuilt the chassis with a new set of wheels and a new Mashima can-motor. I spent a very long time making sure that the chassis was set up properly so it would run smoothly. This was all done on a straight test track. I didn’t realise that the engine would not enjoy going round curves or crossing points.
     
    I persevered, redesigning the pick-up arrangement on the wheels. I was also trying desperately to find a method of keeping the motor from rocking backwards and forwards, which made the fly-wheel skim the inside of the bonnet. My attempts at stabilising the motor eventually led to the DCC decoder blowing up, and the 07 quickly went back into storage (it was that or out the window).
     
    After purchasing a couple of the new Bachmann Class 03 Shunters, I started to wonder whether one could be adapted to replace the Craftsman chassis. I did some quick measurements and decided it was worth a go.
     

     
    Body modifications
     
    The first thing I did was widen the opening for the chassis and cut away some areas inside the 07’s body cavity. This modification also required removing the floor of the cab and cutting away the control panel (no doubt much easier if the body has not been constructed). The opening in the rear bonnet also required opening up slightly for the DCC decoder harness.
     

     
    It looked as if the 03’s chassis may actually fit inside the frames, but the chassis itself would require some modifications.
     
    Chassis modifications
     

     
    The main modification required was to remove the front end of the 03’s die-cast chassis. The length of this section of metal restricts the chassis from sitting where the 07’s wheel sets are prototypically positioned. My new hacksaw was used to cut away the front of the chassis, with some masking tape around the motor core, stopping any metal shavings getting inside.
     
    Once this was finished I unscrewed the axle nearest the crank shaft from the coupled wheels and used a mini-saw to grind away the coupling rods so that the cranks could be removed. At this stage I was a bit nervous whether the new chassis would still operate properly.
     

     
    Reinvigorated
     
    The new chassis runs very well and sits as low as I hoped it would. The 07 will now happily cross the point work of Brewery Pit. I next need to reattach some bits to the 07 that unfortunately fell off while I was accosting it with a mini-saw. I also want to see if I can fit some of the former chassis’s little details to the new one.
     

     
    I am fully aware of the inaccuracies in the chassis including: the wheel sets not being entirely accurate, with a slightly different spoke arrangement; and the brakes being fitted the opposite way around, but (as I said at the start), if I have to compromise the accuracy of the loco to ensure I can actually run the darn thing, then so be it.
     
    visit my main blog for more projects: http://grasslandsmodels.wordpress.com/
  10. Grasslands
    Motors
     
    Change of plan…
     
    I have just tested the Class 13’s ability to manoeuvre around short radius curves and over point work (which it manages wonderfully). I think this is mostly due to the large buffers I have used (preventing buffer lock). However, the master unit (with the motor) sounds like it is straining to pull the rather weighty slave unit. It would be a shame if the engine cannot pull a long train in the future because of my decision to remove one of the motors, so I have just reinstalled the motor into the slave unit.
     

     
    My layout is DCC so this will mean a further modification to the front of the slave unit chassis (to accept a second decoder). For engines with two motors I use two decoders programmed to the same address. This takes the strain off an individual decoder and also allows each motor to be fine tuned separately.
     
    Pick-ups
     
    The pick-ups on the Bachmann class 08 are a tad primitive. They are set up on the top surface of each wheel. When the model is brand new this is not too much of a problem. Unfortunately, as time cracks on, the pick-ups collect all the dust and dirt from the wheels until they no longer carry any volts to the motor. They can be cleaned up, but you need to take the wheels out.
     
    As I was already deconstructing the 08s I decided to cut away all the pick-ups and install a new arrangement based on methods I have seen used on RMweb. I superglued two pieces of copper-cladding to the chassis plate and soldered together some new pick-ups from fine copper strip.
     
    So far I am very pleased with this modification. Once I have wired the loco to pick up off all 12 wheels, it will become a very difficult loco to stall.
     

     
    Visit my blog for further projects: GrasslandsModels.wordpress.com
  11. Grasslands
    Today I ignored the dark and wet weather outside and focussed on making sure my Class 13 would be a strong runner on digital control.
     
    As discussed in part 2, I will be installing two DCC decoders (one in each unit) and setting them to the same address.
     
     
     
     
    I first modified the chassis casting of the slave and master units. Cutting away the lugs that formerly supported a small circuit board (now surplus to requirements). This modification allows just enough space for a Bachmann 3-function decoder. Granted it is not quite enough space, thus a lot of the decoders soft outer shell needs cutting away to help it fit in the gap.
     

     
    I then soldered the decoders into position and covered joins with shrink tube. This was my first time using shrink tube and I feel much more confident that my wires will not break apart as I move the loco and motors around.
     

     
    Having built another model with a similar pick-up, motor and decoder arrangement I was keen to avoid a certain pitfall: If both motors and decoders pick-up from the same wheel sets, it is difficult to make separate adjustments to the decoders (without disconnecting the pick-ups).
     
    To avoid this problem, I wanted to build the Class 13 with some kind of pick-up connector, which would allow me to separate the pick-up’s for each unit (when needed). While wondering if I had such a connector I noticed the surplus circuit board from the Bachmann 08 includes just the thing!
     

     
    I super glued the little plastic connector beneath the master unit chassis and wired the two pick-up sets together. The pick-ups are disguised as two hoses that are present on the prototypes buffer beams. All tension between the two units is focussed on the spring-loaded screw link coupling, thus these wires are loose, but kept in place by the 08s outer chassis.
     

     

     
    The Class 13 is now one of my best runners. The slow speeds I can get out of the two motors are quite impressive.
     
    Next on the agenda is some filling and sanding.
     
    Happy New Year!!!!
     
    Visit my blog for further projects: GrasslandsModels.Wordpress.Com
  12. Grasslands
    The bulk of the conversion is finished.
     
    Chassis Modifications
     
    As predicted (see Pt2), the rear of the chassis was the more difficult section to complete. I took to cutting down the back of the Bachmann chassis by grinding away the raised profile mouldings on the sides of the chassis (where the crank-shaft use to be). I lost a few cutting disks in this operation (goggles recommended). This aspect of the work was surprisingly easy.
     

     
    The next problem was that the Bachmann chassis’s bolt hole doesn’t line up with the existing body-hole at the rear of the chassis. Annoyingly, it is not quite distant enough to cut a new hole. So with a selection of drills and grinding tools in my mini-drill I widened the existing hole. You could likely get round this issue if you were still building the Craftsman 07 by moving the body hole, but this is not an option for me.
    Next, I cut the remaining sections of the brass chassis to their new shapes. This was mostly trial and error; the main issues being avoidance of pick-ups and wheels. The rear sandboxes caused some issues yesterday which were resolved by sanding down the face of the rear brass section. Once this was complete I fitted the remaining details and all was looking good, and running well.
     

     

     
    Lubricator arm mechanism
    My biggest achievement here was refitting the lubricator arm to the front axle. I lost the lubricator hand wheel in the cleaning phase (see Pt2). It flew out of some spring loaded tweezers. There was enough time for me to watch it flying across the front-room at great speed, never to be seen again. Queue lots of cursing. This was one of the smallest bits on the model. I cannot think of an easy way of fabricating a new one. So let’s hold our heads high and move on…
     
    On ye olde chassis, the lubricator crank was fitted on top of the coupling rod washer. As the Bachmann chassis has bolts that screw the coupling rods in place, I decided it made more sense to fit it beneath the bolt (no soldering or gluing required). I widened the hole on the crank and fitted the lubricator arm, but the mechanism attempted to collide with both the coupling rods and the coupling bolt. A couple of washers later (one in front of the coupling rods and one thicker one within the lubricator arm mechanism) and the lubricator arm was up and running!
     
    To be honest, this project is nothing to do with accuracy; small additions like the lubricator arm are more to do with the hours I spent building the darn thing first time round! So I am happy to see this work finally paying off, minus the hand wheel (sniff!).
     
    Below is a video of the loco running:
     

  13. Grasslands
    Finally managed to upload my video and pictures from last Sunday. I was hoping to put them up on Monday morning, but just didn't have the time. So to catch up with my Wisbech & Upwell Class 04 conversion:
     



     
    The video below includes modifications to the 04s body to take the new Bachmann Class 03 chassis.
     
    On reflection the axle doors on the side skirts are a bit big, but I was modelling at speed at the time and didn’t think to double check.
     

     
    Check out grasslandsModels.wordpress for more projects/videos
  14. Grasslands
    Two weeks ago me and my Dad visited the Festival of British Railway Modelling in Doncaster.
    It was our first visit and we both really enjoyed the day. The best thing about the show was the number of big layouts (in a UK context), which allowed some good length trains to be run.
     
    Wisbech and Upwell Trams
     
    My interests in the Wisbech and Upwell Railway were well catered for with some interesting discussions about how to model the tramway version of the Drewry tram (see separate post). The highlight for me was the Y10 ‘super sentinel’ shunting around Happisburgh Goods. This was an odd coincidence as I recently begun development of this loco using a 3D modelling programme, thus I took the opportunity to take pictures from all angles (the pictures of the top being a God-send).
     

     
    Grasslands
     
    I was also interested in the disturbed grassland and ephemeral vegetation modelled on Kensal Green (sorry… went all ‘ecologist’ there). Their grassland just seem to have something that my current efforts don’t seem to have. I think it is do with the thicker layer of decayed vegetation beneath the current growing stems (closer to the buildings). I think I will experiment and see if I can improve mine.
     

     
    Black Country Blues was also looking impressive with some great modelling of recently disturbed vegetation, very much the colours, structures and ‘feel’ of the surrounds of home ‘back when’ (Me and Dad thought we recognised the view from Barr Beacon).
     
    Purchases
     
    I was in a wallet-burning mood and was quite set on buying a D11 Director, which I managed to acquire from one of the cheaper vendors.
     

    Unfortunately for said wallet, I then came across another subject I am interested in: a T9 in Southern Green with ‘British Railways’ on the tender. Opening the box I was quite surprised to find a colonial star on the front (apparently this was the designate royal train). This wasn’t evidently clear from the box and it would be nice if Hornby considered expanding beyond the traditional ‘side profile’ photos on their model-boxes. I also find them not the most flattering images, but that’s me. The colonial star didn’t of course amount to the surprise of finding an elephant on the side of my Heljan BR Blue Falcon when I bought it a couple of years ago!
     

     
    Video
     
    Below is my video from the show, hope you like it:
     

  15. Grasslands
    As I am just picking up where I left things after an entertaining divorce in 2015, I thought I'd start by adding my blogs from my 'x5 Shunter Challenge' to my RMWeb blog feed.
     
    These are all posted on www.grasslandsmodels.wordpress.com
    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
     
    I have been very busy with work and other hobbies so I haven’t given as much attention to the railway blog of late. It is now time to settle down to do some modelling.
     
    So… Where do I start? I know… Let’s try and build as many kits as I can.
     
    The new duo
     
    I purchased two new brass kits back in October that both came with High Level Kit gearboxes and included options for chassis compensation. My plan was to use these two kits as a test for both gear box construction, and chassis compensation, so I could then apply these newly learnt skills to three other locos that I have been planning to build for a number of years. Then I started thinking… Why wait?
     
    The infamous five
     
    So I decided that I needed to get over my concerns about building my kits ‘properly’ at some undefined point in the future and just get on with it. There are just too many things to build and not enough time.
     
    So my plan is to attempt to build these five loco kits up to the same stage, starting with the chassis’ and moving onto the bodies. The five lucky loco kits are:
     
    BR Class 02 Diesel Shunter – DJH
     
    I have had this little beginner kit since 2004. I attempted building the chassis a few years ago but I wasn’t too happy with the motor and gears included with the kit. In addition I attempted to build the chassis with standard electrical solder and I had done a pretty poor job. I am keen to see if I can fit compensation to this loco and give it a new motor and gear box.
     
    Sentinel post war 100HP 0-4-0VBT – RT Models
     
    This attractive little 0-4-0 caught my eye when it was first released. I also liked the idea of buying it as a complete kit with all the wheels, motors and gears (sourcing wheels, motors and gears always tends to slow down my model projects), so I bought this little kit to get me back in the mood to do some model building.
     
    Ruston & Hornsby 88DS – Judith Edge
     
    Another little 0-4-0 that comes as a complete kit. I purchased it at the same time as the sentinel too. I have wanted one of these locos for a long time, as I always enjoyed visiting the orange version stored at Washford Station on the West Somerset Railway.
     

     
    11001 – Judith Edge
     
    Bulleid’s super shunter with box pox wheels. This strange looking thing has always facinated me, and I have been plucking up the courage to build it for a number of years (I think it was 2010).
     
    English Electric/Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0DE – Judith Edge
     
    This early diesel looks superficially similar to a class 08 diesel shunter. I bought this one at the same time as 11001.
    So do I have the stamina to build all five of these kits? Watch this space…
×
×
  • Create New...