Adrian Stevenson

Today I made another big step forwards. I fitted my first DDC sound chip and stay alive to the Lionheart 64xx Pannier tank. Never done one before. I don't have a video to show, I will try and do one at some point in the future. (Not something I have done before either) But Andy has listened to the loco over the phone The stay alive is amazing and runs for about 15 seconds! Cheers Ade.

Your brass version is much nicer anyway. Well done. Cheers, Ade.

Nice work!

I think Northroader is correct, if you look very closely you can see the ghost of the letter "R". Cheers, Ade.

Hi Phil, I intend to buy a Heljan railcar when they finally come out. Any soldering tips are always welcome. Cheers, Ade.

Spent my modelling time today working out the correct scale sizes of all the buildings taken from the original plans and marking these on the baseboards with chalk. My first task was to mark out the curved line for the backscene to avoid a 90 degree corner. The other line shown in that photo shows the proposed position of the lineside fence running down to the engine shed. The next photo shows the engine shed and water tower/coaling state and pump-house. The station is shown next. I have painted the fencing today in Light Stone. The goods shed and signal box can be seen next. The goods shed had two bays with cranes. Then just a few shots of Pannier tank 9659 with a goods train. I need some number decals for the buffer beam before I can weather this loco. Cheers, Ade.

Hi George, I am fond of Southern Loco's especially anything designed by Bulleid. Maybe one day! Cheers, Ade.

Hi Henk, I just gave it two coats of Precision Paints GWR green. But I removed the printed on name and number first. Cheers, Ade.

Thanks Dava. I just need to give it a light weathering. I would really love to know if it ever carried a brass number 12 plate and if it was also numbered on the buffer beams? Given it only served for a couple of months, and was on trial, did they bother numbering it in conventional style? Cheers, Ade.

Nice work. I especially like your control panel. Cheers, Ade.

Hi Guys, today I finished making up the platform fencing. Just doing this took several hours. It will be touch and go if I have enough.... I will see once the station buildings are done. Got one side sprayed up in the ubiquitous Halfords grey undercoat. I also made the duck board planking which was fitted between the tracks in front of the cattle dock. There will also be a narrow duck board pathway to add on the far side of the track. I also had a go at more weathering to the track between the point and the cattle dock. A visiting rule 1 Terrier sits in place. I caught Patch the Cat eyeing up the Milk Churns on the platform and I just knew what would happen next. Blurry pic but you get the idea. Then another of him just being his normal self on the alert looking out the window. Cheers, Ade.

The 16ton mineral wagon is such an icon of BR steam era goods trains. They look the business. Cheers, Ade.

Hi Phil, nice repair job. I love the railcar. Cheers, Ade.

Finally finished my respray of the Sentinel into GWR green. Will do a very light weathering at some point. Cheers, Ade.

Thanks as always for the comments and the likes. Lost some modelling time today as we woke up late and what with the clocks going forwards, it was a late start today. But I have finished the buffer stop and fitted it to the siding. A couple of shades of brown used followed by black weathering powder and a dry brush in dark grey around the edges of the timbers. I had just enough flock in stock from my war games kit to finish it off. I then decided to get the Sentinel respray done. The Sentinel ran on the Malmesbury branch in 1927 on trial. Not sure if it ever carried a brass number plate or number on the buffer beams? (Shown here with the B set, but in time I intend to build the branch set of three 4 wheel carriages) Cheers, Ade.

The wartime posters have a strange resonance in today's situation. Cheers, Ade.

Hi Neal, well done on all the progress made. Cheers, Ade.

As a change from building and painting, today I have actually done some modelling! I wired up the Dapol signal, just using the track feed, but it will most likely be given it's own power feed in the long term so the lamp will be dimmer. But it works fine. I then measured up for the platform. The prototype was 18 feet wide, so this gives a width of 126mm for the model. Always to keen to use items to hand, I cut this from some of the floor insulation I had spare. But to give the correct height a layer of cork underlay was glued to the bottom. The photo just shows the platform roughly in place. Once fixed it will be closer to the train. With the platform in place, it really gives the layout a different feel. I then scratch built a sleeper built buffer stop from coffee stirrers, which will go at the end of the milk dock siding. I again copied the prototype from a photo of when the station was demolished. Again just roughly in place for the photo. The almost finished product on shown on my laptop. I will get it painted up tomorrow. I have also started another pack of the Poppy's Wood Tech fencing and built up one length. Cheers, Ade.

Very enjoyable. It works really well. Thanks for the link too to your layout build. Cheers, Ade.

That looks excellent. Just how I remember them at Nottingham station in the 1970's. Cheers, Ade.

Hi Guys, thanks for the cat photos. Always been a cat lover. The cabin is now painted, bar the doors. But this afternoon I worked on Patch's cabin. Made a new roof from some off cuts of the insulated chipboard and used some spare roof shingles to finish it off. Just needs another coat of brown paint to complete. Cheers, Ade.

Hi Ian, here you go. He is doing a tour of inspection this morning. Cheers, Ade.

Hi Guys, another good day working on the cabin. The windows now have been painted and the trims fitted but the 4th one is crooked and needed redoing otherwise it will drive me mad. The rear panel, side and front have now have the second top coat. So 5 coats of paint and primer/preservative in total. I am hoping this will put me in good stead for the long term. Just the window wall and door to do now tomorrow. Hopefully the photos will show how much richer the colour is now outside? Patch the Cat has an outdoor house which is rather like a Signal Box, so Lez has decided he should have a matching colour scheme. So today she began doing a rub down and repaint into chocolate and cream. I am going to do him a new roof too. On the railway front, a mixed train of Minks and Gunpowder vans await pick up. Cheers, Ade.

Hi Martin, oh no I have been rumbled.... Hi Guys, I have spend the whole day working on the shed. All six storm braces are now in place. You can fit them internally or externally. I chose to fit them inside. These tie the gable end timbers to the lower logs via a floating fitting to allow for expansion/contraction. I have also gone around and painted all the window frames and fascia boards again, so these are now finished. Added the floating bolts to the top of the window frames and added the makers plates over them. Also started fitting the trim pieces inside between the roof and walls. All these small finishing jobs take up a surprising amount of time. Done some measuring up for the station platform. I was hoping to use some of the spare insulation foam from the floor or ceiling. The ceiling foam on the chipboard backing though is too high, so I will be using the floor foam, but this is too shallow and will require some backing, maybe cork, to bring it up to the correct height. I am making the most of my time, as Lez has got wallpaper and paint coming for the house.... Cheers, Ade.

Hi Guys, the auction house has now closed down for the lock down. In fact, we closed down yesterday, but I was out on business..... So time to do more work on the cabin in the sunshine! Today I have painted the rest of the windows in brown paint, along with the fascia boards and a second coat of brown to the doors. Also had time to put my first picture up, a limited edition print "Duchess on Camden Bank" by Barry Price. Even had time for a little running session. Tomorrow I plan on doing more painting and fitting the six storm braces and the last three window trims. Cheers, Ade.