The Fatadder

View Advert OO Bulldog body - white metal Here we have a nicely built white metal body for a GWR Bulldog, One of those projects that I am unlikely ever to finish so makes sense to sell on to free up funds for other projects. Advertiser The Fatadder Date 24/01/24 Price £40 Category OO / 4mm scale  

I’ve been looking at my Bulldogs with the intention of getting something finished. I currently have 2, the Bird detailed a while back in the thread (for which the chassis doesn’t run freely) and a k’s white metal body built to a high standard which needs a chassis. I also have the brass lump that was under the bird when I bought it (alas with far too small wheels) and a Falcon chassis kit. I’ve been looking at getting some wheels ordered, frustratingly the price of loco wheels is astronomical these days. Even Gibsons are now £10 an axle (excluding the outside cranks!). While Markits don’t even tell you the price (they show 2013 prices, and a note saying the price is something like 2015+a percentage (but not how to get from 2013 to 2015…). Wizard have annoyingly been out of stock for years now….. This is the current state of the chassis, having removed the too small wheels and given it a good clean. I’m tempted to bore these out to accept bearings. All I want is a free running chassis that can be pushed by a King / Castle on a set of 8 coaches… This is Bulldog no2 The question now is whether I will finish both locos, I’m considering selling the white metal one to free up funds to buy wheels for the brass one (particularly as I can’t see when I will actually finish the is one).

What about square point rodding (Wizard Models do it in from memory 0.5 by 0.5mm). Not sure if anyone else does a smaller grade for smaller scales

A few more wagons, Ratio Iron mink fitted with an MRD roof, doors and brake leavers (I couldn’t get my head around the etched brake gear so used bits from my scrap box for the third brake.) before painting, lettering and adding couplings. Cambrian LMS 5 planks and a Parkside LNER 1 plank both gained buffers and couplings. I also added couplings and glazing to this Comet full brake, I’m not happy with the paint so unless weathering sufficiently hides it I suspect I will respray (again) the remaining projects, the rear 5 need buffers, middle row need paint / transfers for the left two, while the right two are Bachmann BR clay wagons pending conversion to GWR versions) the bottom row need metal buffer heads. All of them need couplings and most need OO wheel swaps. However this will be some way down the line.

Well done Accurasale, certainly a very welcome feature. All the more so for locos that you bought because it looks nice, but very rarely run like the Porterbrook Deltic. One question if I may Should you weather a model, or add different couplings (or even fitting your finescale wheels), would this invalidate the warranty should something unrelated (eg a motor failure) happen? Or does this just mean that if you make a mistake and brake something while you are doing the weathering/rewheeling/fitting your Accurascale crew etc you are (understandably) not covered

I may be able to help with that, will have a look.....

Very nice job on 60065. With the Coalfish have you thought about doing one of the ex MAA batch for something a little different in the rake? Not a particularly difficult job to convert from the original (incorrect) Hornby model.

I’ve used a couple of methods, initially on 37671 I added a bead of micro strip around the edge then filling / filing to shape. I then realised that one end of 668, one end of 674 and both ends of 670 should be like this. So I’ve drawn it up as a 3d print. Should be priming the test print tomorrow.

I know what you mean, it’s a coach I’ve wanted for a very long time. Will be good to finally get it onto the layout later in the week in the mean time, two more wagons, the LMS van shown yesterday now has transfers, while the Parkside 5 plank i built at the weekend has been painted and lettered. the Comet full brake has handrails / door handles fitted. Should be glazed and fitted with couplings tomorrow…. I don’t think there’s room in the fiddleyard at the moment so some stock changes will be needed!

Onto the next batch: coopercraft 5 plank and loco coal, and a Warren Shepard etched starfish. The loco coal will get a similar weathering job to the bogie example that was on the bench the other day before moving it to the layout. Parkside LNER 5 plank, Cambrian LMS van and another Coopercraft O4 5 plank Siphon C and a Blacksmith 013 milk brake Hayes? 70ft parcels van 3d printed 6 wheel siphon (annoyingly the resin broke opening up the slot for the coupling, and a buffer broke off pinging across the room.) The LMS van needs some more transfers adding tomorrow. Also on the bench for tomorrow, this full brake needs some finishing to run with the siphons / M13/ K18. It needs door handles, glazing, handrails and couplings.

Before I start what will be a very slow process drawing one of these up in cad to do a 3d print, does anyone know if this project is dead in the water now? If it’s still in development and will eventually appear it will certainly be worth waiting for

During the workshop tidy I found a forgotten box of unfinished kit built wagons. All of which were built many years ago for my last p4 steam layout (although a good number had since been rewheeled). Lots were missing a combination of buffers, buffer heads, springs/axle boxes and tare weight transfers, while pretty much all were missing couplings. The first batch were intended for through trains so have been fitted with hook/loop couplings. Followed by a quick build of a Parkside GW 5 plank. The next batch were those which either had buffers available or already fitted, but needed Dinghams. So an initial 12 sets were soldered up last night, dipped in Casey’s Gun Blue and this afternoon fitted to another 8 wagons along with 5 NPCCS (the 5th coupling was already made) a couple need springs /axle boxes adding and a transfer kit two to complete which will be sorted before moving it all out to the layout that leaves another 10 or so wagons for which I need to order parts

An intercity 47 on a rake of Virgin mk2s was always a result travelling back and forth to Devon in 98/99. now starting to think about weathering my intercity 47 rather than the more important job of building couplings this evening….

Based on the continently times photos by Accurascale it looks like it shouldn’t be too difficult seeing as it appears to be a separate part. Though to be honest I’ve removed it from so many Bachmann / Hornby locos with a solid plate I’m not too worried

The coal wagon has now been weathered and is ready to enter service (it will gain a coal load eventually but there’s no need to clog up the workbench for any longer waiting for it.)

I think that would still be coming out of Gloucester as what became Douty propellers was originally a JV between Bristol and Rolls Royce. There were Coastal Command Lancasters stationed in Cornwall in 47 with 203 and 210 squadron. So my thinking is a replacement prop being delivered for an in service aircraft…… Will have to get one ordered

Really nice job on those, I am assuming their operation would have primarily been transfer of new build propellers (presumably from whoever became Douty in Gloucester to Filton) as opposed to delivery of replacement parts to in service aircraft (and thus would never be seen anywhere near Brent). That said I still really want one!

I'm far too impatient for that, will be buying either a green GWR example and respraying or a BR black and rebranding / removing the smokebox number

Isnt that exactly what your CEO does Fran?

This bogie loco coal wagon has sat on the bench for far too long, so tonight it’s finally been fitted with its transfers (from CCT) applied on a coat of Klear. They will get another coat of Klear in the morning before varnishing once the weather warms up. It’s also been fitted with buffers and couplings ready to join a mineral train on the layout. the plan is to get the 4 or 5 different loco coal wagons heavily weathered in the spring

The next job was to ad an enclosure for the high intensity headlights, this has about a half mm clearance between it and the light board allowing space for a pair of wires (thus avoiding having to solder on a surface mount led). This was followed by gluing the ends to the body. Once dry I checked the fit of the light board, it’s tricky to get in but does work. the idea is that a 10 thou lid will be glued in place after fitting the led (which I’m awaiting delivery from eBay). Next up the doors, in the late 90s the doors on 37025 were really tatty. I can’t tell if they failed differently to the rest or if a depot did some repairs with the wrong blue. Either way it looks a bit odd seeing as the body sides are in pretty good condition for a 37/0 in 1999. I’m not too worried about the mat finish of the blue on the cantrail where the paint was repaired. Varnish should help, else it’s a dirty area so weathering will hide. the final job was to fit NRN radio pods to the cab roof. Annoyingly I could only find one Hornby 50 part and one of my own etches/plasticard, so each end is slightly different. In the end I managed to remove the glazing, again destroying one piece in the process. As one part from 37510 was also broken at least it means I have enough cab glazing for one loco (with the other getting a set of laserglaze) Next on the list will be filling the gap between nose and body, before giving all the yellow areas a coat of primer (once it warms up!) and spraying yellow. After which it’s just a wait for the transfers. I will be waiting until Railtec have the intercity ones available in order to save on postage (ordering for 510, 668 and 025 in one go).

More work on the new 37 last night, I have initially settled on 37025 in Large Logo livery, this will need both of the original ends finishing off (along with converting to a welded up door). So the ends have been modified (including fitting a Replica high intensity headlight) and will be painted the next time the weather is suitable. At which point the question will be whether the work around the lower edge where the old fairing was is up to scratch or not. (If not I will pivot back to modelling 37010 using a last gen end for one side and the heavily cutaway end fo the other.) As for the body it requires a few changes from the standard model, along of course with a renumber. First up the BR logos, numbers, scotty dog and the yellow band along the top of the body were removed with Microsol. I had hoped to avoid paint, but there were a few marks / shinyness left over so the whole area was polished up with T cut. Of course this means it will need varnishing, so the side glazing has been removed (the cab windows will have to be masked as once again there was too much glue. I found the area that was covered by the yellow stripe along the top needed a slight repaint, the Phoenix blue doesnt quite match the Bachmann shade (but this area will be quite dirty so its not the end of the world) Remaining work includes: Respray the roof in Rail Grey New number transfers / Stag logos Cab front needs the black extending up to the roof (which will have to be done with the glazing in situ Nose grills need to be painted black Change OHLE flashes to post 98 I think there is some sort of additional part that needs adding to the cab roofs (radio pods?) New names Weathering (including lots of paint damage on the prototype around the doors) finally I am trying to work out how I can get access to the lights with the nose attached to the end. Possibly by removing one of the end body fittings (and only screwing the light board in on one side). Ideally I’d like to fit the end to the body, fill the joint, then spray the whole yellow area in one go

Aside from playing with Southgate Park at the Weston Show yesterday, the weekend has been spent doing a long overdue tidy up of the workshop. (All be it a job that is still incomplete thanks to spending yesterday at said show...) One benefit was finally finding a number of bits that had been lost (such as the etched class 37 window that was intended for 37521 but is now needed for 37668) Sorting through a random bits box I found 3/4 of a Cambrian Shark that had been put to one side when the Hornby model was released and forgotten about. The body was in a sorry state, with broken sides and a missing roof, however the underframe was in good condition. I also came across my second Hornby shark (in Loadhaul), which was in an equally sorry state. This has been converted to flush sides (just not particularly well), but also had the underframe destroyed during a failed attempt to fit etched w irons in order to get it P4ed. This got me thinking, given I have a good Cambrian chassis and a Hornby body which could at least (with a fair bit of work) be made good. Could the two be combined? After carefully cutting away the remains of the body from the Cambrian chassis the answer clearly is yes. The end ballast weights, and plough equipment were all damaged / missing on the Cambrain model so will now need transferring across from the Hornby one. Along with stripping the body and completely redoing to ensure the flush bits are completely flush. All of which will happen at some later date, but it will be nice to save it (even if 3 sharks is somewhat overkill The next 37 body has now arrived so really need to make a decision on the identity. I had mistaken which body type it was I was getting so my original plans for a centre box loco have been put to one side (though I think 175 in blue will be on the eventual hit list). I have one good split box end, 2 centre box ends and @Daddyman's part converted split box ends. Loco wise its a toss up between 37010 in Dutch (with an extra big cutaway at one end), 025 in unbranded Large Logo (requiring a fair bit of repainting), or one of the rebuilt locos that ended up with a centre box end but a split box roof. I am going to have a go finising off the existing ends first and then make my mind up as to the way forward. Finally a small missing detail added to the layout, I found half of a pack of etched point leavers during the tidy. So one of these has now been painted up and fitted to the point for the slurry siding. While taking the below photo I realised I didnt weather the manhole covers before gluing them down, so this needs doing asap so they are not so garish! (I also just stopped myself before destroying the cables linking the buildings thinking they were dirt...... Once this has dried I will back fill the area around it with a little more ballast to fully blend it in

When I was researching for my build I added curtains, I am sure I found a source for this but I cant recall what it was.

Wish the Hurst range was still around, all those test train etches are a big loss