dougidle

Blimey - the last time I update the thread properly was at the start of July. The plan for July was to Replace the transfers on the Iron Mink Build the last 2 wagon kits (20ton Toad and GWR Cattle wagon) Build the point kit Add more straight track and wire it up so that it works Obtain wheels for the B-Set I bought a few months ago July wasn't very productive unfortunately - I was informed of redundancy and then other things took priority. I've found a new role so looking ok at the moment. Since the last post I've done a few things. The Iron Mink has been re-liveried and looks much better. I also completed the 20 ton Toad and the Cattle wagon. The cattle wagon is from the old Airfix kit which I planned to kitbash into a similar GWR model. In the end it was such a pig to put together that I didn't bother. It doesn't run very well either so could very well be visiting the bin soon! It does look good though. I've spent a lot of time trying to get the chassis I built for 4803 to run and eventually admitted defeat. Through the EM gauge group on facebook I was able to find someone who volunteered to get her running - this has been done and I'm waiting for her to come back to Kent. The sector plate is now all wired up and permanently attached too. I couldn't get the Gibson wheels into the bogies on the B-Set so I replaced the bogies with brass ones with cosmetic sides from MJT. Very nice they are too. While I was at it I fitted the wheel into an old Airfix Autocoach too. I could fit the wheels on this one and didn't need to replace the bogies. After asking for advice in the EM facebook group I was sent a C&L point kit free of charge to experiment with. It was a OO kit and I purchased the additional items to make it EM, built it and it's not ready to go on the layout. I've got a tortoise point motor to go with it and hope it have it completed in the next week or so The goals for September are wire up and permanently attach the point and the track up to the point at the other end of the layout re-wheel a Bachmann Pratts Spirit 14 ton tanker actually run a train! Cheers, Doug

Hi All, Jackson and Tattershalls book is very good indeed. I managed to get a copy of eBay earlier this year. While the more modern book by Beale is great for pictures, the older book has a lot of text and detail about the line. I too was unable to find a picture of 56943 in GWR livery but I made a best guess when I built my O gauge version to run in the garden. I have one of the Oxford Rail 6 wheelers which I intend to delivery as 56943 at some point. For plans of the buildings - I think it's only the station, platforms and the cattle dock. There's a good plan for the station in the Feb '96 RM - happy to photocopy it if anyone wants it. I've been very quiet on the model recently - I'll try and provide an update later on. Things have moved very slowly! Thanks, Doug.

So.... It's the 1st of July and that means monthly update time. My plan for June was to: Have the chassis for 4803 complete and running Construct 3 more wagons (a Weymouth Co-Op, Mica B and Iron Mink) Lay further straight track Build the A5 point I didn't get the chassis running and I'm at a point now where I'm going to pass the baton to someone else to get it finished. This month I did manage to add the pickups which were a bit fiddly but she won't run properly with the rods attached. I suspect it's either the wheels not being quartered exactly or the chassis not being straight enough. A member of the EM gauge facebook group has kindly offered to see if she can be rescued. I did complete the 3 wagons although I noticed after taking the photo that the rails on the Mica need painted. The transfers that came with the Iron Mink were awful and shiny and will be replaced this month with some nicer HMRS ones. I also able to build some more track but the point didn't get made. That's going on the July plan! The plan for July is Replace the transfers on the Iron Mink Build the last 2 wagon kits (20ton Toad and GWR Cattle wagon) Build the point kit Add more straight track and wire it up so that it works Obtain wheels for the B-Set I bought a few months ago In other news I also bought a non-working Bachmann 57xx so that will be a project later on in the year along with the 2251 body that I already have. Hopefully, when August starts I'll have some proper track down and I can start putting down some scenery

I do like these little locos - they're so full of character.

A bit more glacial progress was made this month. My original plan for May had been: Complete the chassis for 4803 (finally!) so that she moves under power Complete 3 more wagons (2 7 planks and a Tube C) If I can do these, June will be the month that some more track is finally laid. I didn't manage to complete the chassis unfortunately and have stopped updating the build diary I was keeping as it has digressed into a more general conversation about 14xx chassis kits. Once I put the chassis together I discovered that the worm supplied with the motor didn't fit. After a call to High Level another was supplied and after a further wait for some Loctite to be delivered and wiring everything up she ran for the first time. She didn't run very well though and I eventually traced the problem to the plunger pickups which were preventing the wheels from turning freely. I've ordered some parts to make some wipers which I hope will be better. I did paint the chassis though - she's had so much handling though that another coat will be needed. Next time I'll just spray the chassis black to start with. I did manage to complete the 3 wagons - with the exception of buffers unfortunately. Neither Dart Castings or Alan Gibson have any in stock. That's 7 pairs I need now. I also took all the baseboards apart and finally screwed them to the walls meaning they're fixed in place and I can work without them moving. I have ordered some more track from C&L and hope to have it soon. I also got an A5 point kit. For June, my plan is to: Have the chassis for 4803 complete and running Construct 3 more wagons (a Weymouth Co-Op, Mica B and Iron Mink) Lay further straight track Build the A5 point

Day 8 After 2 separate packages and another delay while I waiting for some Loctite, 4803 finally moved under her own power over the bank holiday weekend. One of the problems with starting from nothing is that everything you need, you have to order so there's a long delay while you wait for something to arrive. While I was waiting for the new worm and lactate to arrive I primed the chassis white and then painted it black and the inside motion red. In hindsight I wish I'd sprayed it all black and then painted the red on afterwards but white is all I had so that's what I used. Once I'd fitted the gearbox I couldn't get it to move at all as it was fouling the motion so after a lot of fiddling and swearing I just cut the rear part of the motion out and everything fitted. Being my first chassis kit, I'm sure the error is on my part and the small inaccuracies in the construction rather than the kit itself. After several attempts I fitted some plunger pickups. I really struggled to get these to spring properly - either because my wire was to stiff or the legs were slightly bent as they went through the hole in the nylon. Once everything was wired up I ran the loco and it ran very poorly and the motor got extremely hot. After some help from the EM modellers page on Facebook I worked out that the wheels were not turning freely at all and that the additional resistance was being caused by the plunger pickups. Once removed, the loco ran very freely. Today I have ordered the components to fit some wiper pickups and some styrene sheet to fabricate a floor for the cab. To tie this back to the conversation here over the last few days I've built the chassis fully compensated (in for a penny, in for a pound!) and this works really well. It was quite simple to assemble, even for someone on their first chassis. The thing that I struggled with most was fitting wheels straight and true and then quartering them. I'm sure that when I build another, either a 57xx or 2251 I will make a better and more accurate job but for now I'm happy with the quality of the build. Once payday arrives later this week I will order the detailing kit from Wizard and start work on the body. Here she is so far, looking much better for a painted chassis although some of the paint has worn off because of the excessive handling. I'll touch it up once I'm finished getting the chassis to run.

Thanks @melmoth. My progress is also glacial. I keep getting distracted with building stock when I should make some track instead! I think we crossed paths on the EM gauge group on Facebook too? Cheers, Doug

Thanks Roger - I'll have to get myself some fish vans now! When we visited in December I brought back a small bag of sand from the beach that I plan to use to load some wagons in lieu of shingle. I was also planning to have some wagons with timber loaded from the docks. I'll have to get some NE wagons after seeing that picture - all of my stock is GW so far. You can really see how open the landscape was - I don't have nearly enough space to do it just and will have to cut it off just after the points. As there's no obvious scenic break I'll try and mask it with some trees. Thanks for the photos and I look forward to seeing your build too. Cheers, Doug

Thanks Martin - the sector plate was pretty simple to build although it took a bit of thinking about. I screwed a bit of wood underneath the baseboard and drilled through both the baseboard and the lower wood. I then used the hole to draw an arc using a pencil on a string anchored in the hole. I cut the plate outing screwed a large piece of MDF underneath to act as a floor. I then put a piece of dowel in the original hole and cut the sides of the plate. Hopefully that makes sense. I Thanks Martyn - I will give it a listen.

Day 7 I'd been unable to complete the brake rodding until I received a 0.5mm drill bit. These arrived over the week so I got back to it this weekend. The brakes went together quite easily. Last weekend I'd done a short piece of work on the gear box, only to discover that the worm supplied with the kit was a different diameter to the shaft on the supplied motor. A quick call to High Level Kits and a replacement is on the way - until that arrives there's nothing else I can do. Once it does arrive though I should be able to finish her off and get the chassis sprayed.

Progress feels really slow at the moment but that's just the way things go I suppose. I made good progress on the chassis for 4803 but failed to meet my goal after I broke all my 0.5mm drill bits that I needed to complete the brake gear and the worm supplied with the motor didn't fit so I have to wait for a replacement. Here she is at the moment. The drill bits arrived yesterday so I'm hopeful I can get the brakes and sand pipes added this weekend and then the chassis will be ready for painting. I did manage to complete the 4 wagons - and 3 of them even have buffers! I would have added them to the 4th too but I wanted to use sprung ones with the shanks moulded to the model and I couldn't get any loose buffers. They'll have to wait until next month now. I added coal into two of the wagons and filled the ballast wagon with some ballast I bought from the Bath Model Shop well over 20 years ago! I continued to get sidetracked, buying wagon kits on eBay, an Autocoach detailing kit and wheels and also managed to pick up a pair of Airfix B-Set coaches from the EMGS which I'm waiting to arrive. They'll all go on the list. For May, my plan is to: Complete the chassis for 4803 (finally!) so that she moves under power Complete 3 more wagons (2 7 planks and a Tube C) If I can do these, June will be the month that some more track is finally laid.

That was the one that made me ask

Thanks everyone. It sounds like other than the mounting points to the chassis there aren't any fundamental differences. I was planning on replacing the handrails in any case so that's not a big deal. If I can find a retooled body at a decent price I'll get one but if a cheap old one turns up I'll go for that. Thanks again, Doug

Hi All, For my next project I'm looking at building a High Level Kits 57xx chassis and adding a Bachmann or Mainline 57xx body. There's quite a big difference in cost for them and I was wondering what the principle differences between the 2 are other than the Bachmann ones are likely to have a smarter finish. Are they principally the same model? I'm not to worried about the finish as I plan to strip it down, detail it and then repaint. Thanks, Doug

Your b set looks great. Is it just the regally model that you’ve illuminated or have you detailed it’s exterior too? Thanks, Doug

Hi All, For my west Dorset branch layout I have been keeping an eye out on eBay for some of the limited edition Dapol 'Eldridge Pope' and 'Hall & Woodhouse' brewery vans. A couple came up for sale today but they are very pricey and it made me think that they shouldn't be too hard to reproduce on my own.... if I knew how. I'm also not a big fan of the Dapol wagons - I don't like the way the side ribs just hang off the bottoms disconnected from the frames. Has anyone got experience of making their own wagon decals that they'd be prepared to share with me please? Sincere apologies if these wagons were listed by you - I'm sure the price is a fair one and I don't want to devalue your items. Thanks, Doug

Day 6 I took Sunday off because the weather so good! I spent a couple of hours either side of lunch today working on her again. The brake detail at the back (which can't be seen in the photo) is completed and went together easily. I must be getting better at this soldering lark. The next step in the instructions is to fit the wheels and see how the model goes around curves. Since my layout doesn't have any curves it was pretty simple. I struggled to get the wheels on straight, not helped by fitting the OO axles instead of the EM ones. I then cut up my fingers trying to get them off and while fitting the correct axles I broke one of the tiny bolts that hold the rods in place. I won't be able to get it out so I'll have to replace the wheel and buy a new crankpin set I did get a photo of it all put together though but before I'd levelled it out. Once I'd corrected my mistakes she ran a lot better, as you can see here. I'll see if I can replace the broken parts during the week. Next weekend I'll build the brake gear and then we're on to the part I've been dreading.... actually motorising her. Cheers, Doug

Thanks for sharing your models Jules - your layout was one of the first to reinspire me when I returned to modelling in 4mm just after Christmas. I love it and enjoy every post and picture. Cheers, Doug

Day 5 I’ve finished off the detailing on the chassis, added the rear wheels and the internal compensation beams. These were a bit fiddly but no swearing was involved! I only fitted one side of the front wheels for now. They were such a tight fit I didn’t think I’d be able to get them off again afterwards. Brake gear tomorrow!

Day 4 What looks like a small bit of progress today but it actually looks ages. I've pretty much finished detailing the chassis now - next us is fitting the compensation units and the brake gear. Maybe today :-) I really struggled fitting the rear sand boxes - I don't know why really. I need to use less solder too but otherwise the kit is going together really well. Here it is sat under the body shell.

Thanks for the heads up on Jason. I was already aware of the detailing kit but not the spectacle plates or the 247 developments page. I'll definitely be getting the cab windows. Cheers, Doug

Just beautiful Kevin! Your brace of 48s are perfect and inspiring. I'm in the process of building a chassis for a body that I bought from eBay - my first EM gauge loco for my model of West Bay. Thanks again, Doug

Day 3 Despite the glorious sunshine today I 'forced' myself to do a little modelling. I did some work on some wagons and then sat down for another couple of hours work on 4803. I started off by fitting the hornblocks now that I have some clock oil thanks to the kind people at Eileens Emporium (kind enough to ship my order part filled so I didn't have to wait!). This was a bit of a struggle and I tried to make sure it'll all work using a some plasticard strips to keep the right gaps between the wheels. The instructions say to use a chassis jig but since I don't have one and don't know what one is this'll have to do! I also fitted the inside motion which was quite fiddly. I missed a couple of small parts out but I doubt anyone will ever notice. To top things off I removed the outside frames at the rear and then refitted them so that everything is square. Now the chassis is straight, the hornblocks are slightly out of alignment. I'll have to sort it out next week. I wanted to see what the chassis looks like with the body on so I also made the modifications needed here... nice and straight forward. The only problem is attaching the body - the instructions in the kit say to use the original screw but having bought my body on its own from eBay I don't have one. I assume that there should be one that goes all the way up into the chimney and screws into it so it doesn't come up.... my body also didn't come with a chimney. Next weekend, I hope to complete the detailing part of the instructions and who knows.... I might even have a rolling chassis!

I'd love to see more pictures of 4825 please.

At the start of the month I set three goals: Add the 3rd baseboard top and lay enough track that I can move wagons from one traverser track to another Complete the 3 wagons Have a running (unpainted) chassis for 4803 I didn't manage to get the 3rd baseboard top because I can't really go to B&Q at the moment so that'll have to wait a few months now. I did lay track though and the traverser works. I also completed the 3 wagons. Here they all are along with the rest of my stock. For April, my hobby goals are: Get the chassis for 4803 running, painted and the unmodified Hornby body attached Complete 4 wagons with the exception of sprung buffers which I don't have and don't have the cash for at the moment For anyone who is interested in the chassis build, you can follow it here.