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wenlock

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Blog Entries posted by wenlock

  1. wenlock

    About time too!

    By wenlock,


    Finally painted!
    I’ve finally completed painting my pair of six wheel coaches which have been languishing on the work bench for far too long! Readers of this blog will know that coaches are definitely my nemesis, they always seem to take me forever to complete and these two have been no different!  I’m taking Sherton to the York  exhibition at the end of the month and that provided the enthusiasm to get them finished🙂

    Diag V8 Passenger Brake Van

     

     


     
    Diag U14  Ist & 2nd Class composite carriage

     

     

     
    I like the variation in roof heights and styles which seem to typify a branch line train in the Edwardian era.
     
     
    Branch train comprising of 2021 class saddle tank number 2112, D14 brake 3rd, U14 1st & 2nd Composite, Diag C10 all 3rd and Diag V8 Passenger brake van 

     
     

     



     
    They really shouldn’t have taken me 3 years to complete, but hopefully readers will think they were worth the wait!😁  I’m thoroughly looking forward to exhibiting at the York show, it’ll be the furthest North that Sherton has been, well and truly out of G.W.R. territory!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  2. wenlock

    Another pair of GWR opens!

    By wenlock,


    Another pair of GWR opens!
    Great Western Railway open wagons constructed using Cooper Craft kits, with the addition of Slaters sprung buffers and wheels.
     
     
    GWR 3 plank open

     
    GWR 4 plank open

     
  3. wenlock

    Sherton Abbas is in BRM

    By wenlock,


    Sherton Abbas in BRM
    Delighted to say that Sherton Abbas is appearing in the April addition of British Railway Modelling Magazine!  Photos and video  by Jamie Warne.  
     

     
    Thanks to all at BRM!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  4. wenlock

    Duckets! or V9 to V8

    By wenlock,


    Duckets!
    My V9 passenger brake van has been languishing on my work bench waiting for me to paint it for far too long.  I applied a coat of acid etch primer at least a year ago, but since then made little progress.  The main stumbling block in motivation to finish it was the fact that for my modelling period the V9 didn’t exist!  I thought when I bought the kit that a coach that was originally built for broad gauge and then converted to standard gauge in the 1890s would be perfectly acceptable for circa 1905, how wrong can you be!
     
    V9 Passenger Brake Van

     
    Upon further reading I discovered that the V9’s were in fact converted from V8’s by the removal of the guards duckets in 1920.   Apparently the duckets were prone to rot and their removal happened on a number of Passenger Brake Vans, creating the V1s from the V2s, the V4s from V5s, V6s from V7s etc. All this seems to indicate that GWR Passenger Brake Vans all had duckets in the period that I model.

    As I’d more or less finished the vehicle, this was a little irritating!  After a bit of mulling about the problem I decided I had three options.
     
    1. Convince myself that it didn’t really matter and what’s 15 years here or there!
    2. Finish it and sell it to someone modelling the 1920s
    3. Add the missing duckets!
     
    I knew that how ever much I tried to convince myself scenario 1 would always grate on me, so that wasn’t going to work.
    If I did sell the coach I’d still have to build another more appropriate vehicle to replace it and coaches take me forever to build!
    This left me with option 3, but how best to proceed took me a while to ponder about.
     
    The break through came when I found out during a phone call to Slaters Plastikard that it was possible to purchase individual components from their 7mm coach range.  I’ve already built a number off their 4 wheel and bogie clerestory coaches and remembered that the duckets for the Brake 3rds were separate components from the body sides.  I ordered a pair of these and once I’d assembled them could make a start adding them to my V9.
     
    Plucking up courage to take a saw to a more or less finished coach took a while but once the first cut was made there’s no going back!
     
    Cut sides and Slaters Plastikard Duckets

     
    Once the cuts were made and tidied up with files I glued some plastic card inside the coach using rapid set epoxy resin.
     
    Plastic card inserts

     
    The duckets were then glued in position using liquid poly and allowed to set.  Milliput putty was used to fill in any gaps between the duckets and the body sides, once set this was sanded with diminishing grade sandpaper strips.
     
    Duckets in situ

     
    The Slaters duckets are meant for coaches with the smaller eves panels, so the moulding was sanded off and then microstrip was used to make a new raised panel line a couple of millimetres lower than the original position.
     
    Microstrip panel moulding 

     

     
    The coach was then re-sprayed with primer to give a smooth finish and check that everything blended together without any obvious joins!
     
    Coach in primer

     

     

     
    Hopefully readers will think that that I’ve finally got an appropriate coach for Sherton and I can get on with painting the pesky thing!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
     
     
  5. wenlock

    Manchester Christmas Model Railway Show

    By wenlock,


    Manchester Show
    Just a quick blog entry to say that I'm taking Sherton Abbas to the Manchester show.  It'll be the layout's first visit to anywhere further North than Telford in the Midlands, so if you're in the area, do come along and say hello🙂
     
    Looking forward to what should be a good weekend, as long as the M5 and M6 are compliant!
     
    BW
     
    Dave
  6. wenlock

    D14 breaks cover!

    By wenlock,


    D14 finally finished!
    Well it’s only taken 3 years, but the procrastination is over and I’ve finally finished my D14 brake 3rd!  There are no real excuses as to why it’s taken so long, I could say other projects have taken precedence, or “life has got in the way”, but the reality is I just struggle with motivation when it comes to coaches!  I find it it easy to get enthusiastic about building a new locomotive and freight wagons are reasonably quick to build, but coaches just seem to take me forever.  
     
    I’m pleased it’s finally finished and it will add a bit of variety to the passenger services arriving at Sherton Abbas.  I’ve still got to paint the pair of 6 wheelers that I’ve been building, let’s hope it doesn’t take another three years!

    D14 brake 3rd
     

     

     

     

     

     
    Until next time …..
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  7. wenlock

    Retirement!

    By wenlock,


    Retirement
    No not Sherton Abbas, but me! After more than 30 years of teaching Dental students the delights of "Fixed and Removeable Prosthodontics", I’m now a gentleman of leisure😀  Now you would think that would result in a flurry of modelling activity, but I’m afraid Mrs Wenlock has other ideas.  There appears to be a list of projects and jobs that have in her words “Just been waiting for you to have time to do them”, that she has been creating for the past couple of years!  I’ve managed to finish constructing her decking, gazebo and garden bar projects, but apparently there are a number of what she refers to as “Little jobs indoors” still to attend to.
     
    It’ not all been DIY projects though, I treated myself to a fortnight of riding my motorcycle around Northern Spain & Portugal 😎
    I caught the ferry from Plymouth to Santander, fortunately the Bay of Biscay was calm, a very gentle crossing.  Once in Spain my friends and I spent a few days riding in the Picos mountains before heading to Covilha in Portugal.  The Serra da Estrela Natural Park contains mainland Portugal’s highest point at 1993 metres, along with spectacular roads, views and rock formations 😀
     
    Picos de Europa

     

     

     
    Serra da Estrela Natural Park

     

     

     

     

     
    1800 miles of fabulous riding in beautiful sunshine before heading back to the UK again.  Within an hour of landing back in Plymouth I was on the M5 which was at a standstill, surrounded by caravans and it was raining! Good to be home😆
     
    Sherton Abbas has changed little over the last 6 months, although I have added a pair of etched brass cold frames alongside the walkway to the signal box.
     
    Cold Frames


    It’s been a while since I posted any pictures of the layout on the forum, so here are a few views of the layout. 
     
    Layout Pictures

     

     

     

     

     

     
    If you are thinking that trains are conspicuous by their absence, then the explanation is that they are all safely in their storage boxes!  I’m taking the layout to the Farnham & District model railway exhibition on the weekend of the 8th and 9th of October.   Exhibition | F&DMRC (farnhammrc.org.uk)
    I’m thoroughly looking forward to the show, it’s been nearly a year since the layout’s last outing and should be a really good weekend! 
     
    If you do come along to the exhibition, come over for a chat, it’s always good to put faces to names on the forum🙂
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
     
  8. wenlock

    GWR Dia. U9 1st & 2nd Class Composite 6 wheel Carriage, that turns out to be a U14!

    By wenlock,


    GWR Dia. U9 1st & 2nd Class Composite 6 wheel Carriage
    Well it's been a long time coming, but I've finally completed building another coach!  I finished the V9 back in November, so this one's construction has hardly been at a lightning pace  The build follows more or less exactly the same methods as the V9, but with the added faff of having to detail the interior of the compartments.  I used seat mouldings from Slater's Plastikard and plan to add some scratch built picture frames and mirrors along with a few Edwardian passengers, once the painting has been completed
     
    Kit components 1

     
    Kit components 2

     
    I'm not sure how old the kit is, the brass was pretty heavily oxidised, but it all cleaned up without any problems using a fiberglass scratch brush.
     
    Assembled Coach 1

     
    Assembled Coach 2

     
    A bit of fiddling was needed to get the ride height of the two coaches the same, but nothing a bit of judicious filling of the subframes containing the wheel sets wouldn't sort out!  
     
    Dia.V9 Passenger Brake Van and Dia. U9 Composite

     
    Now that they are built I'm pleased with them and once painted they should look the part when combined with a couple of bogie clerestories.  I'll ty and get the painting done over the next month or so, but life has a way of adding distractions to modelling plans!
     
    Until next time
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  9. wenlock

    1/16th scale Sopwith Camel

    By wenlock,


    1/16th scale Sopwith Camel
    Apologies for the lack of blog entries over the last few months, life sometimes gets in the way of modelling! I’ve managed to rupture my Achilles’ tendon, so I’m hopping about in a Vacoped boot with my ankle locked in an equinus position.  Getting up the steps into the workshop is a bit of a hassle, so as way of compensating for not being able to play trains I’ve been building something not railway related🙂
     
    I’ve long been fascinated by WW1 aircraft and used to build and fly radio controlled balsa versions, before returning to railway modelling 20 or so years ago.  Hasegawa make a 1/16 scale plastic kit of a Sopwith Camel without its fabric covering, so all the ribs and stringers are exposed in the finished model.

     
     I’ve fancied having a go at simulating wood grain using oil paints on top of a base coat for a while now and after watching videos on YouTube felt confident enough to have a go. Hopefully the results on the model are convincing, it certainly looks better to my eye than the brown plastic the kit was moulded in!  I wanted to represent the turnbuckles on the rigging wires which the kit does not include, but found some suitable tubing in a fishing tackle shop meant for tying flies 🙂
     
    It’s been an interesting diversion and I’m pleased with the end result, but I promise I will get on and finish that rake of coaches I started two years ago soon!
     
    Here are some pictures of the finished model.


     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Until next time!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  10. wenlock

    Dean Goods part 1 chassis construction

    By wenlock,


    Dean Goods part 1 chassis construction
    In between my plasticard dabblings I've made a start on my 7mm Dean Goods. I quite like having a couple of different projects on the go, when I've had enough of one, I can often muster up the enthusiasm to have a go at something else! As I enjoyed building the Martin Finney 2500 gallon tender kit, I decided to use a loco kit from the same manufacturer. The kit comprises of a number of Brass and Nickel Silver etched brass sheets, along with some very nice Brass and White Metal castings.
     
    Etched brass and Nickel Silver etches
     

     
    Brass Castings
     

     
    White Metal Castings
     

     
    The building commenced by cutting out the the chassis sides and chassis spacers. 3 widths of spacers are included in the kit, allowing a chassis to be made that's suitable for Scale 7, Finescale, or Finescale with lots of room for side play! Once the "fret tags" had been cleaned up with a file the sides and spacers were soldered together using Carrs 188 Solder Paste.
     
    Chassis
     

     
    The kit can be built with a rigid chassis, or hornblocks can be fitted to allow compensation. I like my locos to have sprung compensation and have had good results using Slaters Hornblocks, so I've decided to use them again. The hornblocks have to be assembled and it's worth spending some time ensuring that they slide smoothly. I've found that if you screw the limit adjuster screw fully home before you position the spring, then it's less likely to "ping" across the room!
     
    Chassis & assembled hornblocks
     

     
    In order to position the Hornblocks correctly the coupling rods are used as jigs, this ensures that the correct axle spacing is maintained. The coupling rods are pivoted with a prototypical fork joint, allowing the wheels to rise and fall on their springs. The coupling rods are made from two laminations of Nickel Silver that are soldered together using solder paint. The resultant Nickel Silver/Solder/Nickel Silver sandwich is suprisingly strong, initially I was a bit concerned because the etched Nickel Silver is quite thin.
     
    Coupling rod components
     

     
    Coupling Rods after lamination and cleaning up
     

    Once the rods had been cleaned, the fork pivot joint was drilled to take a 1.6mm nickel silver wire. This wire was then threaded through the forked joint and the end of the other coupling rod to allow the rods to pivot around this point. The instructions state that the wire should be soldered to the back of the rods to hold it in place. This worried me a bit, I could foresee capillary action flowing the solder all around the joint and locking the rods rigid, not ideal! I remembered reading somewhere that graphite made an excellent anti flux, but needed a way to keep it in position around the joint. I hit on the idea of using of using a fine oil mixed with graphite fillings that had been sanded off a pencil. This oil/graphite mix was applied around the joint, taking care not to cover the back of the rod where the solder was to go. Solder was applied using an iron, rather than my trusty miniflame and I was relieved to find that the anti flux had done it's job and the rods would still pivot.
     
    Coupling rods and graphite anti flux
     

     
    Coupling rods after cleaning
     

     
    Before the hornblocks could be fitted, the chassis needed detailing. Etched brass overlays incorporating rivet detail were soldered to the outside of the frames, then the guard irons were formed and soldered in position. The springs were built up from brass laminations and these along with other detail parts such as brake hangers, and ashpan detail were soldered in position.
     
    Frames with overlays in position.
     

     
    Close up of frame detail.
     

     
    The frames were now ready to have the hornblocks fitted. To ensure that the axle spacing remains consistent, I like to do one pair of horn blocks at a time using the central axle as a reference point. The kit provides brass top hat brass bearings that are used if you build the kit as a rigid chassis. A pair of these were temporarily fitted to the center axle holes and an extended jig axle was pushed through them. The rear axle frame was cut away on each side along the etched guide lines to give a square cut out large enough to accommodate the hornblock. An extended axle was then threaded through the rear pair of hornblocks, which were glued in position with Araldite 5 minute epoxy resin, using the coupling rods and center axle to dictate their position.
     
    Rear hornblocks held in position by jig axles and coupling rods.
     

    Once the epoxy resin had set, the procedure was repeated for the front axle hornblocks, once again using the center axle, coupling rods and jig axles as reference points.
     
    Front hornblocks held in position by jig axles and coupling rods.
     

     
    Once the front hornblocks had been fixed in position, the procedure was repeated for the center axle, using the front and rear hornblocks, coupling rods and jig axles as reference points.
     
    Center hornblock held in position by jig axles and coupling rods.
     

    Once the centre axle hornblock had set in position, the coupling rods were removed along with the jig axles. After checking that the hornblocks still slid smoothly in their guides, the chassis was then put to one side while work could begin on preparing the wheels before fitting.
     
    I hope you've enjoyed the build so far, the next post will cover fitting the wheels, brakes, pick ups and motor/gearbox.
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave

  11. wenlock

    William Clarke style Goods Shed part 3 (Corbels revisited!)

    By wenlock,


    William Clarke style Goods Shed part 3 (Corbels revisited!)
    In light of the discussion caused by the the corbels in part 2, I decided that a bit more thought was required! After a lot of pondering, I've decided that I still like the idea of the building having corbels, but if they are going to stay, then they had better be done properly! As Nick, Ian, N15 and Iain pointed out, they did look as if they had been stuck on as an afterthought and didn't look at all convincing. This wouldn't do at all, so armed with a glass of red wine and wielding a scalpel, surgery commenced!
     
    Building before surgery

     
    Building after plasticard quoins around the corbels had been removed

     

    Once the offending quoins and brickwork had been removed, 30 thou plasticard pieces were cut to inlay in the space created. Plasticard Microstrip was also used to blend the corbels into the quoins. Any joins were filled with Milliput epoxy putty and then allowed to set for 24 hours. After a bit of sanding and a coat of matt white Humbol Enamel as a primer, this is the state of play so far.
     
    Building after application of new quoins, sanding and priming.

     

     
    I've added the gutters and scribed the stone work, which is about as far as I can go with the Goods Shed until I build the platforms and get a better idea of the landscape profile around the building.
     
    Thanks for the constructive criticism guys, we all need a little prod now and then to improve our modelling standards, lets hope you think what I've done is an improvement!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  12. wenlock

    William Clarke style Goods Shed part 2

    By wenlock,


    William Clarke style Goods Shed part 2
    It's been a while so I thought I'd show the progress on my Goods shed project. The application of the quoins did seem to go on a bit, not helped by the fact they had to be placed both the inside and outside of the shed. Working out the angle the plasticard needed to be cut at for the arched door and the round windows defeated me, I should have listenened harder in geometry! In the end I resorted to a best guess, along with a bit of judicious filling here and there until they fitted.
     
    Once all the quoins had been glued in position using Liquid Poly, the structure was allowed to harden for a couple of days.
     
    End elevation of shed.

     
    Rear elevation of shed.

     
    Platform elevation of shed.

     
    Once the building had fully hardened, the quoins needed sanding to get crisp, sharp corners.
     
    Window aperture prior to sanding.

     
     
    Once the sanding had taken place, a scalpel was held at 45 degrees and the characteristic mullion window profile was scribed.
     
    Window after scribing and sanding

     
    The same process was applied to the doors at both ends and to the goods yard entrance.
     
    End Elevation after sanding and scribing

     
    Platform Elevation after sanding and scribing

     
    Rear Elevation after sanding and scribing

     
     
    40 thou Slaters Plastikard was used to form a sub roof, this was then covered in plasticard slates applied as strips.

     

     
    Well that's the progress so far, loads still to do; gutters, down pipes, doors, windows etc, but I'm happy with the overall size and appearance of the building. I'm sure there would have been an office area, for paperwork and making tea in the building, but I'm not sure if it would have been incorporated inside the building, or whether it would have been a lean to outside the main brickwork. .
     
    Your thoughts and comments welcomed as usual!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  13. wenlock

    William Clarke style goods shed

    By wenlock,


    William Clarke style goods shed
    After my etched brass diversion, I'm getting back on track and making the buildings for my 7mm GWR branch line project. I want a goods shed to compliment the station building, so something designed by William Clarke would be ideal. I also want a style of shed that's platform mounted and has a track running through it, finishing at an end loading platform. I spent sometime researching possible prototypes, the "Modelling Questions, Help and Tips" section of the forum was very useful (Thanks to all), along with information by PM and email, (Thanks Ian!)
     
    Unfortunately despite this help I've been unable to find a prototype of the right size and position for my layout. In an attempt to resolve this situation, I've decided to design and build a goods shed in the architectural style of William Clarke. Quite what he'd make of my attempts to interpret his designs, is anyones guess, probably best to draw a veil over it! The design I've come up with, has influences taken from Abbotsbury, Fencote and Bearley Goods Sheds. Ashburton Shed, although not a William Clark design, has also influenced the overall proportions of the model.
     
    After a number of sketches and scribblings, I drew up the following 7mm scale plan.

     
    From this drawing measurements were taken and the sides of the building were cut out from Slaters Plastikard Flemish Bond sheet. Bricks were removed to allow for the addition of the stone quoins, that are a prominent feature of William Clarke's buildings. The brick sheet was then laminated to layers of plain 40 thou plastic card using liquid poly, to increase the thickness of the walls. Due to the open nature of the shed it will be fairly easy to see inside, with this in mind the internal surface of the walls were also laminated with the brick embossed styrene sheet.

     
    Once dry, the sides were glued together ...
     
    Platform elevation

     
    Yard Elevation

     
    20 thou plasticard was then cut into 5mm x 5mm squares and 7mm x 5mm rectangles to represent the stone quoins. These were then glued into position on the internal and external walls. (Much quicker to type, than do unfortunately!)

     

     
    Well that's the progress so far! I'd welcome any comments as usual, try to be gentle regarding my presumption with William Clarkes designs!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  14. wenlock

    Dean Goods 2500 gal tender Part 2

    By wenlock,


    Dean Goods 2500 gal tender Part 2
    Its been a couple of weeks since my last blog entry, so here's the progress on the Dean Goods tender build. Part 1 ended with the body almost completed, but with the chassis needing more work to finish the project.
     
    Chassis at end of last blog entry

     
     
    Setting up the brakes was the next step. The components were removed from the fret, cleaned up with a file and the holes drilled with a 0.8mm drill.

     
    The kit provides a choice of brake shoes, one made by laminating etched brass components and the other from white metal castings. Both methods would I'm sure give an acceptable result from an appearance point of view, however I don't like brake shoes to be made from a conductive material. I'm going to use the tender wheels to provide additional current pick up from the track. Trying to get the brake shoes in close contact with the wheels and not cause a short is not my idea of fun, so I decided to make some non conductive duplicate shoes.
     
    The white metal castings had nice detail, so I used these as masters and poured a mould around them using cold curing silicone rubber.

     
    The masters were removed from the mould once it had set, acrylic resin was then poured into the mould and allowed to cure.

     
    Once the acrylic shoes had fully polymerised they were removed from the silicone mould.

     
    The acrylic shoes were then cleaned up and drilled to take a 0.8mm brass wire

     
    0.8mm brass wire was threaded through the brake hangers, brake shoes and the chassis. Once happy with the position of all the components, solder was use to fix everything in position.

     

     
    Once I was happy that the chassis was still free running with the brakes in place, Sand pipes and the vacuum pipe were bent up using 1.2mm brass wire.

     
    The axle boxes and springs were white metal castings, so these were glued in position using a rapid set epoxy resin.

     

     
    This completes the chassis build, so the body was placed in situ to check clearances and levels.

     

     

     

     
    I'm pleased with the end result and think that the kit captures the prototype tender well. I'm going to leave improving the looks of the coal rails until i can get some half round brass wire from Eileens Emporium.
     
    Before I paint the tender I want to complete the loco that's going to pull it. There's a rather nice looking Martin Finney Dean Goods kit, that is sat on my work bench and needs building, so that's all for now!
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
     
  15. wenlock

    Dean Goods

    By wenlock,


    Dean Goods
    I haven't posted for a while, I'm afraid Mrs Wenlock has decided that the house needs decorating. Funny how painting walls is nowhere near as satisfying as painting models! The William Clarke goods shed has progressed to the stage where the walls are cut out, but I'm suffering from a lack of motivation to finish it. I think the time spent constucting the station building, got cutting plastic card out of my system for a while! One of the things that I love about this hobby of ours, are the number of different processes involved in constructing a layout. They say "A change is as good as a rest", so with that in mind the Plastikard has been put away and a new project has been started!
     
    I've fancied building an engine with a tender for a while, so far all the locomotives that I've built have been small tank engines. The Dean Goods has long been one off my favorite locos, so I've been collecting information and photos of the class. I want to model the loco as running in 1907, with a round top firebox, polished brass dome and 2500 gallon tender.
     
    I've not built one of Martin Finney's 7mm kits before, but they seem to be well thought off so I've bought a Dean Goods loco kit, along with a 2500 gallon tender kit from him.
     
    I'm not sure how frequent, or of what interest the posts will be, but I thought I would take some pictures during the build and chronicle the loco's construction.
     
    Chassis and Slaters Plasticard wheels

     
    The wheels have been chemically blackened and the chassis assembled following the detailed clear instructions included in the kit. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the horn blocks move freely, but once this has been done the beam compensation included in the kit works well.
     
    The instructions state at this stage that the body needs to be completed before the chassis can be finished.
     
    Tender footplate and water tank substructure

     

     

     
     
     
    The slot and tab construction technique makes it easy to achieve a neat square substructure. The tabs were folded over and then soldered using solder paste and a mini flame.
     
    The tank overlay is then wrapped around the substructure after forming the flare and soldered in position.

     
    Buffer beams and valances

     
    Front and back steps, buffer beams and valances in situ.

     

     
    Sand boxes, coal plates and tank filler

     
    Flare corners soldered then shaped and coal rails in situ. I'm not really happy with these, to my eye they are one of the weaker parts of the kit. The prototype rails are round in cross section, the flat etched brass doesn't simulate this at all well. I'm not sure what to do about it, I may try to solder some half round wire to thicken the rails.
     

     

     
    Brake, water scoop standards and sand boxes in situ

     
    Rear hand rails, lamp irons, steps and buffers.

     
    Tool boxes, water feed valves and pipes

     

    That sees the body almost completed, so work can begin on finishing the chassis, which I'll save for the next "thrilling" instalment!
     
    Thanks for reading
     
    Dave
     
  17. wenlock

    Match Truck and Load

    By wenlock,


    Match Truck and Load
    I've spent the last weeks modelling time building my first 7mm point. It's being constructed using C & L components along with their timbertracks sleeper bases. I'm using 31.5mm gauges, supplied by Debs and really like appearance of the reduced flangeways on the point. Its not finished quite yet, but my test wagon seems to trundle through O.K. so, so far so good! I'll post some pics of the finished result when i get there.
     
    Since its been over a week since I've posted anything, here's a couple of pictures of a GWR match truck and load that I built a couple of months ago. The wagon is built from a Coopercraft Kit, with the buffers replaced with parts from Slaters Plastikard. The load was an etched brass and white metal kit, of unknown heratige that I picked up at a show years ago. It was quite a nice little thing to build and is a shame I can't credit the manufacturer!
     
    GWR Match Truck and Load

     

     
     
     
    Dave
  18. wenlock

    First 7mm, 31.5mm gauge Point completed (well nearly anyway!)

    By wenlock,


    First 7mm, 31.5mm gauge Point completed (well nearly anyway!)
    O.K. So here it is, my first 7mm point! Constructed using C & L plastic 2 bolt chairs, Nickel Silver rail and a Timbertracks B6 sleeper base. I also used a pre-soldered crossing vee and machined switchblades from the same supplier. The cost involved in buying pre made vees and switches is money well spent in my opinion, saving a lot of time laboriously filing and shaping lengths of rail. The machining seems very accurate and I found the switch rails sat really flush against the stock rail with very little adjustment.
     
    I found Iain Rice's book on finescale track construction invaluable, it contains loads of useful information, which although aimed at 4mm modellers most of the information is applicable to those of us working in a larger scale.
     
    Initially I was concerned about the bond that would be achieved between the plastic chairs and the wooden sleeper bases, so I strengthened the crossing vee/wing rail assembly using some etched brass fret waste. I'm not convinced that this is entirely necessary now that I have seen how good the plastic bond is.
     
    The timbertrack bases have a small V shaped mark formed into the plywood, to give an indication as to where the crossing vee should be located. When I used this guide to locate my crossing vee, I found the stock rail, when gauged from this position was to far to the right. This resulted in me having to move the previously glued crossing, which is how I found out how good a bond is achieved between plastic and plywood!
     
    Once the crossing vee was positioned correctly the rest of the point's construction progressed without any further problems, using the 31.5mm gauges to hold the rail in position while the glue was drying.
     
    I wasn't happy with the wooden webs between the sleepers, so once everything had set, I used a scalpel to remove them.
     
    I'm still undecided about the best method to use for making the tie bar. In my 4mm days I used the "moving sleeper" technique, but feel this larger scale needs something a bit more realistic. I'm planning on using wire droppers off the end of each switchblade, throuh the baseboard and into a "below baseboard actuator" for the function of the point. I would welcome peoples views on ways to get a good cosmetic tie bar that won't try my patience too much!
     
    Despite the need to remove the webbing between the sleepers and the crossing v positioning guide not appearing to be in the right place, I'm pleased with the end result. I've still got four more points and a double slip to build for my project, so those nice people at C&L can expect a further order in the next day or so!
     
    Thanks for reading
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
     
    Overall view of 7mm point

     
    Close up of crossing V and gauges

     
    Crossing V and wagon

     
    What to do for a tiebar!

     
  19. wenlock

    GWR 6 wheel Siphon

    By wenlock,


    GWR 6 wheel Siphon
    Built from a Slaters Plastikard kit, with the addition of some white metal milk churns. I can't remember who made the churns, but the Slaters kit went together beautifully! I really like non passenger brown vehicles, so I'm planning on building a number more for my GWR Edwardian branch line.

     
     
    I'm still busy beavering away building points for the project, I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy it, but it's turned out to be very satisfying. Each one is taking about a week of modelling time, even when using C & L's pre formed vee's and switch blades. Although I'm in no real hurry to get them all finished, I'm glad its only a small terminus that's been planned all the same!
     
    That's all for now
     
    Dave
  20. wenlock

    A Trio of Cattle Trucks!

    By wenlock,


    A Trio of Cattle Trucks!
    Great Western Railway 18' 6" Diag W1 Cattle Trucks Built using Slater's Plastikard 7mm kits.

     

     
     
    Great Western Railway Small cattle Truck Diag W3 Constructed from a Pow Sides models etched brass kit

     
  21. wenlock

    Coal wagons for Sherton Abbas part 2

    By wenlock,


    Coal wagons for Sherton Abbas part 2
    A previous blog entry described the building of these wagons http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1131/entry-21530-coal-wagons-for-sherton-abbas/
     
    Once I’d finished building the four wagons they need painting. I’ve tried using acrylic paints in the past but still much prefer working using enamels. The insides were painted in a greyish yellow base coat to represent unpainted wood, this was then dry brushed in browns and gunmetal to represent wood grain. The under frames, internal strapping and solebar iron work were painted in matt black. A fine brush was used to tidy up the lettering which I’d damaged here and there during construction. Next time I’ll varnish the sides to seal them before building starts!
     
    Painted wagons

     
    In order to tone down the wagon’s paintwork I applied a dilute wash of dark grey over all the internal and external surfaces. Once dry this muted the colours nicely without masking them too much. I then dry brushed lighter greys and rust tones over the iron work to highlight the textures and bring out the detail in the under frame and internal strapping.
     
    Wagons after application of dilute grey wash

     
    Once everything had dried a wash of dilute black was applied inside the wagon to simulate coal dust and enhance the separation of the internal planking. A similar but more subtle wash was then applied to the external surfaces again to enhance the surface detail and planking.
     
    Wagons after dilute black wash


     
    A light application of coal dust and crushed coal was then brushed into the internal corners and planking of the wagons and fixed in place with a mist of aerosol clear matt varnish.
     
    Application of coal dust



     
    I use Spratt & Winkle couplings on my stock, which although not particularly aesthetic, do work reliably and allow hands free shunting. Before assembly I chemically blackened the brass components using Birchwood Casey "Brass Black", which stops the shiny brass couplings looking too obtrusive!
     
    Couplings


     
    Now the wagons are finished here are a few pictures of them in service on the layout:-)
     
    Lady Jayne emerging from the Abbey woods on the private siding after a delivery of coal to the brick works.

     
    Proceeding down the line into Sherton Abbas station.

     
    Waiting at the siding signal

     
    With the signal set to clear "Lady Jayne" can proceed across the double slip prior to pushing the wagons into the exchange siding.


     
    Placing the empty wagons into the exchange siding where they will be collected by the next pick up goods.


     
    I'm pleased with the way the wagons have turned out and feel that the extra effort involved in adding the internal planking and bolt heads has been worthwhile. It does however mean that I'm going to have to "revisit" some of my other wagons who are sadly lacking! :-)
     
    Until next time......
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  22. wenlock

    Platform Lamps

    By wenlock,


    Platform Lamps
    The Stygian gloom that descends upon Sherton Abbas platform at nightfall has been a concern for sometime now. Complaints from passengers about the complete absence of platform lamps has been on the increase as nights are drawing in and Winter approaches. Rumours of "Ne'er-do-wells" lurking in the darkness abound, which although completely unfounded have proved unsettling for passengers of the fairer sex. The Sherton Abbas Chronicle has been stoking this discontent and shouts of "Something must be done!" have been shattering the tranquillity of this normally quiet market town.
     
    Fortunately something has been done!
     
    The previous paragraph in reality just means I've finally got round to making some platform lamps for the layout:-)
     
    I've held off sorting some lamps out for a couple of years now, mainly because I haven't found any that I liked. The proprietary white metal offerings look a bit coarse to my eye and although I was impressed by these brass versions https://www.kemilway.com/kemilway-architecture.html, despite numerous email requests I had no response back from the manufacturer:-(
    Modelu have been promising some for a couple of years now, but I think other projects have taken priority.
    I probably should try to make some splendid examples like Mikkel's http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/75/entry-20710-lamps-and-lamplighters/, but know when I'm beaten!
     
    I rather liked the fineness of these lamps from Peco https://peco-uk.com/collections/lineside-scenic/products/station-platform-lamps but was initially put off by the hexagonal cross section posts.
    I also liked these white metal posts from S&D models https://www.sanddmodels.co.uk/products_43_lamps.htm GL14 in their range.
     
    A plan was hatched to combine the Peco lamp tops, the S&D posts and hopefully make something at least a little GWR looking!
     
    Peco and S&D components

     
    Peco parts

     
    The Peco plastic lamp housing was cut off the posts and then glued to the top of the white metal posts using 5 minute epoxy resin.
     
    Lamp housing glued to post

    I want two of the lamps to be wall mounted, so brackets were made using some plastic card strip and etched brass scroll pieces from the scrap box:-)
     
    Lamps and posts

     
    Completed lamps

    The lamps and posts were then positioned on the platform, the wall mounted versions were fixed onto the Goods shed and Station building.
     
    Lamps in situ on the layout
     

     

     

     

     
     
     
    I’m reasonably happy with the way the lamps have turned out. The finials on top of the lamps aren’t quite representative of G.W.R. practice, but are probably adequate, at least until Modelu bring out some scanned examples!:-)
     
     
    Peace and tranquillity have returned to Sherton Abbas, indeed a number of passengers are reported to have expressed their gratitude to the Station Master. The following headline has also appeared in the “Chronicle”
     
    Lamp lighting ceremony at Sherton Abbas station!
     
    We are pleased to report that a lamp lighting ceremony took place at Sherton Abbas station last Thursday evening. Local residents arrived in considerable numbers to witness the event which was presided over by the Mayor of Sherton Abbas, our Station Master and members of the Great Western Railway board. The ceremony was punctuated with enthusiastic applause and a rousing chorus of “For he’s a jolly good fellow!” rang out across the station forecourt once the lamps had been lit.
     
    Until next time ..........
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  23. wenlock

    Coal wagons for Sherton Abbas

    By wenlock,


    Coal wagons for Sherton Abbas
    Autumn is here, the nights are drawing in and thoughts once again turn to modelling!:-) As I mentioned in a previous blog entry http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1131/entry-20890-coal/ I've planned on building some private owner coal wagons for Sherton Abbas and now the layout is more or less complete the time has come to make a start. I wanted to represent wagons that would have been running in the Somerset / Dorset area circa 1905 and found the information contained in this book invaluable http://lightmoor.co.uk/books/private-owner-wagons-of-somerset/L9877
    POW sides make 7mm versions of suitable wagons based on Slaters Plastikard kits http://www.powsides.co.uk/www.powsides.co.uk/info.php?p=2
     
    POW sides kits

     
    The kits come pre-painted, lettered and incorporate excellent detail on the outside surfaces, however the sides and floor are completely smooth on the inside of the wagon. I decided that I would try to "improve" the appearance of the wagon's internal detail.
     
    I started by scribing planking onto the wagon floor using a ruler and compass point, sandpaper was use to remove any burred edges.
     
    Scribed planking

     
    I've noticed on previously constructed wagons that the sides begin to bow inwards over time presumably as the solvent used in their construction evaporates. In an attempt to avoid this happening, rather than scribing the sides I decided to individually plank them. Strips of 10 thou plastic card were fixed inside the wagon using liquid poly, in theory this should form a laminate with the outside of the wagon in compression and the inside planking in tension giving a stable box shape. Quite how successful this will be remains to be seen!
     
    Internal planking

     
    Prototype coal wagons often exhibit bulging sides, in order to simulate this spacers were cut from an old steel ruler to force the sides apart while the glue.
     
    Wagon drying with spacers in situ

     
    Once the sides had thoroughly dried the spacers were removed and the internal framing was represented using varying thicknesses of micro strip. I found John Hayes' book on coal wagons https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1874103488/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 a really useful source of information regarding prototype practice.
     
    Internal strapping

     
    The next step was to simulate the internal bolt heads. Small slices of 10 thou Slater's Plastikard rod were cut and then fixed in position on the planking with a tiny drop of liquid poly. I can't pretend that this process is anything but tedious, my wife thought I was quite mad:-) Its probably no worse than ballasting track work and does give some texture to the inside of the wagon. Capping strips were simulated with micro strip and detailed with more cosmetic bolt heads
     
    Adding bolt heads

     

     
    The rest of the wagon's construction follows the Slater's Plastikard instructions. I've completed another of the wagons, so two down, two to go! Once the other pair are completed I can make a start on the painting and weathering of the four wagons which will be the next blog entry.
     
    Completed pair of wagons


     
    Sherton Abbas will be appearing at the Portsmouth Model Railway show https://www.shmrc.org.uk/exhibition/ on Saturday the 17th November, do come over for a chat if you are attending the exhibition.
     
    Until next time........
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  24. wenlock

    Layout Transportation

    By wenlock,


    Layout Transportation
    I've just returned from a very enjoyable weekend exhibiting Sherton Abbas at the South Hants Model Railway show in Portsmouth. https://www.shmrc.org.uk/event/2018-shmrc-exhibition/ We were made very welcome by the hosts and even provided with an excellent fried breakfast at the exhibition hall before the public arrived:-) It was good to meet up with other RMweb members who came over and introduced themselves during the day.
     
    The first time the layout ever left my workshop was when I took it to the SWAG event in Taunton last year. I hadn't given much thought to safely transporting the layout and I must admit its first outing was a bit of a lash up! The layout was "arranged" in the van in the only way it would fit and then held in position with some bits of old rope and some elastic bungees:-) Although the layout survived the excursion without any damage, it was more by luck than judgement and I decided that before the next show a better solution needed to be devised.
     
    First attempt at transportation!

     
    In addition to the three scenic boards, the fiddle yard, layout legs, lighting gantry and stock all need to fit into the van.
     
    Layout in sections

     
    I decided the most efficient use of space was to stand each board on its end, but this would damage the track at the base board joints and would obviously be very unstable during transit. To overcome these issues "end plates" were cut from MDF and fitted to the board ends to protect the track. A jig was also made that would hold the boards in position when stood on their ends.
     
    Transportation jig

     
    All layout base boards aligned by the jig

     
    The jig is simply screwed into position using pre-drilled holes in the base board ends.
     
    The layout was much easier to fit into the van and plenty of space was left for storage of other essentials:-)
     
    Layout ready for the journey to Portsmouth

     
    The journey passed without incident and the jig certainly made transportation much easier and far less stressful!
     
    Waiting for the public to arrive, the calm before the storm!:-)

     
    Now that the show is over I can get on with finishing those private owner wagons started in the previous blog entry.
     
    Until next time........
     
    Best wishes
     
    Dave
  25. wenlock

    The big freeze!

    By wenlock,


    The big freeze!
    The air temperature in Sherton Abbas has been plummeting over the last few days. A winter like this hasn't been seen since the mid 1890's when the Queen was still on the throne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1894%E2%80%9395_in_the_United_Kingdom More snow has been forecast to fall this evening and reports are coming in of heavy drifting further North.
     
    Despite this bone chilling weather, passengers are arriving at the station in the hope that trains are still running and the line hasn't been closed!
     
    Sir Edward arrives at the station forecourt by carriage and is accompanied by his manservant Jenkins. As long as the train arrives, a luncheon engagement awaits at his club in St James's Street.
     

     
    Head Porter Wilfred Edwards braves the elements, but wishes he was back inside and sat by the fire.

     
    The waiting rooms in the station building are both full and some hardy souls have decided to await the train on the platform. Lets hope it arrives before frost bite sets in!

     

     
    The train finally draws into Sherton Abbas platform, pulled by a Metro class locomotive numbered 1500

     
    While the passengers were settling themselves into the carriages, the locomotive has run around, coupled back onto the train and is now ready to return up the line through the snow covered landscape.

     

    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all!
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