Andy Keane

Along with everything else I continue to potter at the signalling infrastructure. These are the pulleys and detectors to go in the wire runs from the 'box to the signals.

Another question is how many wagons would the Railway have kept at a yard like Helston in the 20s and 30s. The stableblock could have housed at least three horses, possibly more. Then there was the motor shed. I guess there may be a list somewhere, perhaps @The Stationmaster might be able to advise?

Many thanks @Mikkel. Those are epic wagons, but I can see the lettering will not be simple. Maybe I will get a custom set ordered up when I have worked out sizing. But how do you recolour transfers - I guess they must be pressfix? Andy

Given my very limited painting skill, she will have to be unlined!

It’s really hard to know of course. But I rather fancy a change of colour since I got a crimson lake top light as a gift. Hence I updated my preorder on the autocoach to crimson and so the 517 will follow suit. But I do wonder how closely matched these colours would have been in real life. These will all form part of stock for a slightly “earlier” Helston, set around 1920.

@Mikkel I am working up a little horse drawn GWR delivery wagon and wondered if you could advise on adding the lettering to the sides? Do you make up custom waterslides or some other cunning scheme? I see Fox make one set of transfers but suspect they may be too big for a horse wagon. Thanks in advance. Andy

OK - black it shall be.

Thanks - that's a really helpful aid memoir for my painting.

Phil, if you could that would be very much appreciated Andy

Many thanks - very helpful. I will paint the little tank in crimson lake but no lining - it will be a nice change from green and go nicely with the crimson lake Dapol auto-coach I have on order. I will go for gold as opposed to yellow lettering on the side tanks. I have a polished safety valve bonnet but unfortunately not dome so it will also have to be painted. I may pop it away until the coach arrives so as I can ensure the paints match. I assume that tank tops would still have been black along with the footplate, but what about the splashers? they look to match the tanks in your picture along with the tool boxes and sand boxes in crimson? regards Andy

Phil, what impact, if any, do you find fitting the carriage body makes? l have a second SRM on order and when I add the people etc, I could perhaps try an enclosure. Andy

I find exactly the same - somehow just setting things down really helps order my thoughts. I wrote an article on my signal frame for MERG and it made me realize there were a couple of things I had not thought about until I started typing. I am currently writing up my block instruments and again it is helping.

I think I am more critical of the kits I am building myself than the RTR stuff I buy. It is the same with decorating at home - if the decorator does a less than perfect job I shrug, while I am harder on my own efforts.

Perhaps @Miss Prism could advise - given I plan to use a crimson lake auto-trailer for the immediately post WW1 era, should I paint the 517 to match, and if so is anything known about lining on a loco painted this way?

Yes, thanks. Though I am still unsure if a humble 517 would have been lined when painted crimson lake. While I can paint locos ok I have never thought of trying to line one.

It seems Hornby can get it right when they try. I may see what they fetch on eBay to compare to the £300 for a new Dapol.

I am really enjoying reading this thread. I have built an interlocking system for my tiny layout using an Arduino so I appreciate the difficulties. But I also had help from @The Stationmaster, @5BarVT and @Harlequin to keep me on the straight and narrow. I shall definitely seek you all out when you start exhibiting again. Terrific.

I have been browsing gwr.org.uk on loco liveries and I notice it says that 517's could be painted crimson lake when coupled to similarly coloured auto-coaches. Given I have a lined crimson lake auto-coach on order I am now wondering about a matching paint job for my Mallard kit. The 517's that ran to Helston were 569 / 1158 / 1163 / 1481 and I suppose one of them might have been painted that way. What is not so obvious to me is if the 517 would have been lined as well - does anyone know? Also which of my four numbers might most likely have had this done?

That is an epic development on your signals. Have you thought of writings this up for an article in the MERG Journal. They are looking for content and I think many people would enjoy a full piece on this work. Andy

Neal, There are some lovely photos you are posting. BTW, what makes are these goods locos? How do they run for you? Thanks Andy

My carriage shed needs a set of mobile access steps and I have been wondering how best to model them.

I guess there are a variety of Hornby versions dating back over thirty years. Which one do you have - are the more recent ones improvements? I see there is a Finney kit on the bay for over £400 if one had the skills and patience.

That's a really lovely model - well worth adding in my view. In one of your photos there is a little set of steps beside the loco - where did they come from or did you scratch build them - I could do with similar. Thanks Andy

While doing this I am continuing to work on the 517. these shots are before and after priming. It always amazes me what the priming reveals - that bulge at the bottom of the tool box casting was not at all obvious before painting. Also adding the little wires to the sand-boxes now seems much more worthwhile. But my soldering is still clumsy compared to the work people like Tony and Jerry do.

I find I am able to overlook these for the sake of yet another green loco - mad I know. Meanwhile I have gotten the guttering and downpipes onto Godolphin road and weathered the front garden walls. I just need the window frames to arrive before pushing on to completion. Then I will have to tone down the building itself as it looks rather freshly painted, although one could leave it as is and claim they just had the decorators in!