PaulG

Thank you Duncan, most helpful to those of us with little knowledge on S&D, but entrusted to rebuild an S&D layout! Paul

Well, as the NRM has three GER locos, possibly a GER/LNER E4, J17 or J69? Fingers crossed, as all three ideal for my Colchester layout; being very selfish! Paul

As the model railway is funded by Friends of Holt Station, we have to be "prudent" with purchases. We managed to purchase six Airfix mineral wagons cheaply, and this weeks "homework" was to refubish them. Fortunately the bodies came away from chassis easy for spray painting. Pinpoint brass bearings were added, together Smiths three-link couplings and lead-shot between the frames for additional weight, instead of the one penny pieces the previous owner glued in the wagon. I left the Airfix "hinged" door, but know many modellers have improved this detail. Also note the eclectic mix of wheels of varying diameters, 13mm to 11.75mm! Number, lettering and "weathering", and then back to Holt Station. Paul Project complete, with a dusting of rust and grime!

The Bachmann MR 4F 0-6-0 43875 arrived in good time, despite the Royal Mail strikes. The loco ran well out of the box and looks very good. The two marks on the chimney and tender noted in the advert came off easily with no hint of damage. I've fitted Smiths screw couplings front and rear (also West Hill Wagon Works magnetic coupling to tender); the loco frame is cast metal, which took a little more effort to fit the coupling than the tender, which is plastic. I've also added crew, now just to change the shed plate from 21A Saltley to 71G Bath (S&D), but as my modelling interests are East Anglia, I don't have a suitable plate in the spares box! Perhaps a little out of place at Colchester c1950s! I'll take it to Holt on Tuesday and see how much it can drag around the layout. Paul

Just to add my "twopenneth", I had to change my ECM 100 controllers for Gaugemaster Model 100, when I purchased a Model Rail J70 tram loco, which has I believe a corless motor. Paul

Getting ready to go off shed - Colchester c1955. Foreman "muttering" about the lamp left on the loco!

This might be of interest 2053453802_Modelling_the_railways_of_East_Anglia_in_4mm_Scale_Issue_8_February_2021_final(1).pdf Paul

Tuesdays is our usual work day, and always happy to have a chat and coffee/tea. We close at the end of October, and hopefully when we reopen at the Spring Gala next year, we will have successfully rewired the layout. Paul

Broad Sidlinch was originally built by Julian Briley in c1990 and donated to the NNR about 25 years ago. By 2016 the layout was in a very poor condition. The scenery had been made of papier-mache over chicken wire, which was rusting and collapsing. The "brief" was to leave the track as laid by Julian and rebuild the scenery. By late summer 2016, all the scenery had been removed to bare baseboard, the baseboards strengthened and the rebuild began using Celotex offcut sheets, carved as required, covered with plaster bandage, scatter materials and static grass. Because of damp in the building and costs, the building structures are in the main laser cut timber kits overlayed with plastic brick/stone etc, or from scratch using pasticard sheets. We have resorted to a few RTR resin buildings, but the costs are prohibitive. Over the last 12 months we have altered some trackwork; the station goods yard has been reconfigured, to include a dairy, currently under construction, and the fiddle yard layout altered, to improve access. One aspect we haven't addressed is the wiring, and this is going to be our winter project. With the rebuild we have tried to keep to Julian aim of a S&D model, with Somerset/Dorset landscape and buildings, and trying to get the locos and rolling stock correct for c1950s era, albeit none of us have any real knowledge of the S&DR, hence raising questions here, but our S&D book collection is growing! This area on the original layout was an aircraft runway, but we have redesigned the area as the village of Broad Sidlinch. The large building in the centre, is the Rectory, with school and church beyond. There has to be a farm! By the loco shed is the railway "town", complete with chapel, pub and village shop. The locos on shed are in the main "static" exhibits, well past their use by date! Albeit, the Jintys have been "worked-on", renumbered, and ok to bank trains up the steep climb from the fiddle yard to the main line. The 9F in the photo is very much a "static" exhibit! "Skin and rice pudding" come to mind. Paul

Thank you for your comments. We shut the model railway at the end of October and don't reopen until the NNR Spring Gala 2023. During those few months this year we plan to totally rewire the layout, a job we have been putting off for years! Paul

Further to my post above, after exchange of emails with Brian Macdermott, study of the dozen or so S&D books we have collected, and a bit of "Googling", we opted for a Bachmann 4F (31-871) 43875 which, according to "The District Controllers View", was allocated to Bath Green Park until February 1952, before moving on to Saltley. The prototype photo (sorry I didn't note copyright/original poster) in the Google search is off RMWeb, but I didn't find it when I searched this site originally! A new loco is definitely needed on the layout, as yesterday the Hornby WC 4-6-2 had to be withdrawn in need of possibly a new motor, and the Bachmann 3F 0-6-0 is already in for attention! Paul Looking for something else prototype photo is off SmugMug 43875 Bristol August 1951 Fowler 4F Midland Railway design 0-6-0.jpg

Broad Sidlinch S&D 4mm/OO, Holt Station, NNR. The model railway operates from about 9.30am until 5pm throughtout the NNR operating season. Recently two of the Bachmann S&D 7F 2-8-0 have had to have new motors fitted and a Bachmann BR Standard 4-6-0 new motion, which shows the wear the stock gets. We're also fitting brass bearings to all of the rolling stock, as the plastic axle boxes wear to an oval and the wheels bind on the underframe! We are looking to add further locos and from Brian Macdermott S&D modelling book, an LMS 4F 0-6-0 would be an ideal buy, but which one Hornby or Bachmann? I've not seen a review comparing the two models, and is one model more appropriate to the S&D in 1950s/60s? I'm fairly knowledgeable on railways of East Anglia, and in particular Colchester c1950s, but S&D is a learning curve! Any comments most welcome. Current project is the dairy seen in the photos.

Broad Sidlinch 4mm/OO, Holt Station, NNR. Moving on from brakevans, etc, we are seeking to purchase a few more locos. Recently two of the Bachmann S&D 7F 2-8-0 have had to have new motors and a Bachmann BR Standard 4-6-0 new motion, which shows the wear they get. We're also slowly fitting brass bearings to all of the rolling stock, as the plastic axle boxes wear to an oval and the wheels bind on the underframe! From comments above and Brian's book, an LMS 4F 0-6-0 would be an ideal buy, but which one Hornby or Bachmann? As said before, I'm fairly knowledgeable on East Anglia, and in particular Colchester c1950s, but S&D is a learning curve! Any comments most welcome. Current project is the dairy seen in this photo. Paul

I've collected some earlier information so may be able to help. I have put a folder on the GERS eGroup and website, which you may have seen. Paul

How are you getting on with the rest of the Colchester breakdown train? I've completed three of the four other vehicles that made up the train, just waiting for Dan Pinnock to send me the LD&ECR 6-wheel brake 3rd kit.

I was GERS Journal Editor for 20 years, and you can only publish what members submit. You can try to "encourage" articles, but...... When I was Editor there were members who could write about there time working for the GER; how many people are a live today who can write about their railway experiences pre 1948? Paul

Colchester c1950s in 4mm/OO; slowly progressing. Thirteen Wizard LNER ground signals are the current somewhat tedious project!

Hi John Thank you for your comment. I have a few 3D printed items: CDC J68 0-6-0T, which is very good, albeit their F4 suffers from too much "pixelation" and so is still in the drawer. For another "set train", I need a LNER Dia 9 compo, and have a Rupert Brown (now Wizard) etched brass kit in the drawer, but I think that will stay there, and I'll get one from Isinglass! Paul

Glazing was "fun", individual pieces of glazing, so too fitting the roof without superglue everywhere! Complete 9-coach down The Norfolkman.

Just the glazing and couple of bits to sort, then job done and onto the next project.

Reasonable progress over the last few days, all painting complete - I have a few "Just Like The Real Thing" rattle cans, sufficient to do the main three colours. The interior needs slight adjustment to centre on the external doors and tables fabricated for the open end. I'm pleased how the kit has gone together, there are a few items you have to add from the "scrap box" including fabricating the truss rods. Next lining, lettering and varnish, then the bit I'm not looking forward to, fitting the windows. Paul

There are a number of model railway clubs in Norfolk (Broadland, 32A, Norwich, and Cromer come to mind) and most seam to cater for most scales, have you thought about joining one of these? Paul

Richard You could well be correct about the number of "modellers"!!!🤣🤣 Paul

There are a few of us in Norfolk could take issue with your comments! If model shops are an indication of the number of modellers in an area, there are more model shops in North Norfolk than the whole of Essex! Paul Sheringham

I guess it falls into the same category as some plastic goes brittle, steel rusts, some scenery flock material isn't colour fast etc etc, with age. And my liquid superglue goes thick in the bottle!!!! Paul