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Pugsley

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Blog Entries posted by Pugsley

  1. Pugsley

    Of weeny LEDs and orange

    By Pugsley,

    Success!! Well, second time around.
     
    Since embarking on the cab detailing exercise it didn't take me long to realise that there was little point in going to this level of detail, if no-one was ever going to see it. Sure, I know it's there and that's pretty satisfying, but every now and again everyone likes to show off a little bit
     
    So, to that end, I decided that the cab would need to be lit, for the purposes of showing off and atmospheric night shots, which I do have a penchant for. My quest for suitably sized LEDs led (geddit ) me to ebay after trying my regular sources. I found this seller:
    http://shop.ebay.co.uk/ledbaron/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686
    Who appeared to have exactly what I was looking for in terms of warm/sunny white LEDs. I've used the 1206 sunny white LEDs in the cab - ordered early Tuesday and delivered Friday from Germany, no connection etc, etc, but great service. I didn't think the prices were too bad either, given the current exchange rate.
     
    This was the result with the LEDs as fitted, with a 1.2k resistor on each LED, wired to a common return:

    Whilst not as blue as the normal white LEDs, it still didn't capture the orangey, slightly dingy, glow that you normally get from incandescent bulbs. So, a bit of orange paint and there was a vast improvement:

    It captures the look far better IMO. A fair bit of the detail can be seen through the windscreens as well:

     
    The beauty of the 1206 variants is that they are virtually the right scale size for the cab lights (according to my quick back-of-the-fag-packet calculations from photos ) I originally tried 680 ohm resistors, but these were far too bright. TBH, I might swap the 1.2K for 1.5K resistors, although the brightness looks about right now after adding the paint.
     
    I promise that these are the last cab photos I bore you with, the other end will look much the same as this....
  2. Pugsley

    I'll be your number one

    By Pugsley,

    Number one end, that is!
     
    A couple of views of the No 1 end cab, with virtually all of the detailing parts added.
     
    Matt - as you see, I've added the wire to the phone handset - couldn't make the wire itself curly though, I couldn't find the unfeasibly small wire, so had to use some slightly thicker stuff. I've twisted as best I can so that it looks the part though
     

     
    The radio unit has turned out a tad oversize, and that coupled with the fact that the AWS indicator is also oversize makes it stick up a bit further than it should. On the plus side though, this means that you can see it's there through the windscreen
     
    These photos also show the strip that has been added to the cab doors to give some relief, and some of the other detailing parts that I've added to the cab, including the brake indicator and switches above the drivers door.
     

     
    The cab lights are yet to be added, as are the wiper motors that I haven't made yet. Due to their position, I decided it would be best to fix these in place once the nose bulkhead was secured in position. I'm currently trying to decide whether or not to make representations of the cab sun-shields and attach them - they'll be visible through the cab windows, after all.
     
    That cab floor is way too clean!
  3. Pugsley

    Interior design - too

    By Pugsley,

    Since discovering TFMP's camera has a macro mode, I've managed to take some decent photos of the completed engine room bulkheads.

    No 1 end
     

    No 2 End
     
    Again, working from photos I've added grime washes with gouache and used powders sparingly. Looking at the photos I've found of 37 cabs, the engine room bulkheads don't seem to get as grubby as the nose.
     
    Just the cab interior to weather now, then I can crack on with installing the other cab fittings and get the other nose bulkhead completed. I'm going to try and make some track circuit clips to fit on the brackets - it may prove a bit tricky to do convincingly, but there's no harm in giving it a go!
     
    The painted flags look a bit naff close up (the out of focus pictures from my camera helped disguise that!), but in the context of the finished loco should look OK. It'll be quite had to see most of this detail anyway, but at least I know it's there! The cab lights should help a bit though.
  4. Pugsley

    Interior design

    By Pugsley,

    I've had a crack at weathering the nose bulkhead this evening, and I must admit that I'm rather pleased at the way it's turned out - used, but not too grubby (please excuse the rather cruel enlargement).

    Can you spot which bit has had the attention from the fitters boot?
     
    Most of the effects have been done using gouache, but powders have been used in a couple of places to tone down the effect.
     
    Engine room bulkheads are next.
     
    Edit - I've taken a better, not so out of focus, picture this evening, which makes things look a little better. This also shows the modified boot print, and that I've not painted the AWS reset button silver!
  5. Pugsley

    D I Why?

    By Pugsley,

    A combination of things in the title - do it yourself transfers and why am I going this far? I could have the body assembled by now, I reckon, but it is getting to a point where the extra work seems worthwhile - I just have to keep thinking 'it'll look great once it's finished!'.
     
    The transfer making wasn't as tricky as I feared it might have been. I ordered some of the clear and some white paper from Crafty Computer Paper, which comes with fairly comprehensive instructions. The first attempt didn't go exactly to plan - after 3 light coats of Klear sprayed on the ink ran after wetting the decal. Since that first attempt, I've given everything else one thin-ish coat of Humbrol Mattcote applied with a flat brush and it appears to be working much better. The signs were made up in CorelDraw based on photos I've found on t'internet.
     
    The results so far:

    The engine room bulkheads are now substantially complete - just need a little weathering before fitting. The painted flag and detonators in box effect looks a little crude but, in the context of the assembled model, should look OK. Just don't look too closely...
     
    The nose bulkhead for the No 1 end is in a similar position, although I have started on the weathering of this, mostly worn paint/shiny metal so far, using Metalcote silver (Humbrol).

     
    Once the nose bulkhead is weathered and fitted, I can make a start on fitting the cab detailing bits, and the LED cab lights. About the only cab detailing parts left to make now are the windscreen wiper motors - these will be fitted after the bulkhead is secured in place.
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/1264621456/gallery_6668_11_33085.jpg
     
    Included in the above pic are brake indicator lights, isolating switches of some kind (I think - they're fitted above the cab doors on the drivers side), cab heaters, radio and unidentified tanks that go on the secondmans side.
     
    After finishing the cab assemblies, attention will turn to the body sides, although there is a little experimenting to be done before assembly - more of that in the next 'gripping' instalment...
  6. Pugsley
    No not class 20's, (or that, you smutty individuals ), but one of these:

     
    Which has proved invaluable this weekend, as I've started adding detail to the cab of 415. It's great for cutting multiple, identical, pieces of styrene, with the supplied adjustable fences - angles are included too. It's very easy to set to the size you want too:

     
    Various people have said to me that the problem with going up in scale is that you end up adding smaller and smaller details, because you can. They've been proved right! After trawling the net for pics of 37 cabs (a big shout to Brian Daniels here - his pics have proved invaluable for this B) B) ) I've found some pictures of the cab of 694. Although 415's detail may be different again, I've used it as a base for the detailing. I've made a start on the nose end bulkhead:

     
    I've started with these, as this is where the bulk of differences seem to be, the kit rear bulkheads look spot on - they'll just need painting and weathering. The changes are minor, but worthwhile, mostly centering on the panel in front of the secondmans seat. Other changes I've made are an additional gauge and elongating the hole for the AWS indicator down and to the right - the hole in the bulkhead means that it sits too high and to the left. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but it would be really noticeable once I've put the cab-shore radio in place.
     
    I've removed all the detail from the secondmans panel before adding some spare door open buttons from my 455 etches and building the other parts from assorted microstrip and rod.
     
    Here are some of the other details I've been working on over the weekend - can you tell what it is yet?

     
    They're a bit rough round the edges - I need to work on my miniature crafting skills a bit (Willard Wigan has nothing to fear! ) but they do the job - as long as someone can tell what they are, I'll be happy!
     
    I've also been adding cab door detail to the inside - it just didn't look right with the plain resin moulding behind the cab door area. There's still a way to go on this yet.

     
    I don't know why I can't just build kits as they are, but the more I look, the more I notice and the more I want to add! It's some sort of affliction, I think - a desire to make life more difficult for myself Off to carry on with chopping now...
     
    PS - If you don't know who Willard Wigan is, take a look here and prepare to be amazed:
    http://www.archipelago-art.co.uk/id36.html
  7. Pugsley
    Erm, rinse my kits after washing with soapy water - isn't that what everyone does?
     
    It doesn't seem right that a 7mm kit bodyshell can be built out of this few parts, but here are all of the main structural components. These are now drying off before work commences on the cab bulkheads and sanding down the filler on the bodysides.
     
    I've also discovered a few more parts I need that aren't included in the kit. The ETH gear is missing, despite stating that it was for a /4 at the time of ordering and I've also discovered that I need Western Region style lamp brackets. I did speak to a nice man at JLTRT this afternoon though, and they are sorting it all out for me - their service is very good.
     
    I find it incredible that 415 (or 277 as it was formerly known) went through refurbishment and came out still with only WR lamp brackets, although one on the no.2 end had been bent round to act like a standard bracket by 1993 - possibly the first time anyone had tried to put a tail lamp on it? Trust me to pick an oddity without realising it...
  8. Pugsley

    Unleashing the genie

    By Pugsley,

    Links for later parts of the saga:
    2 - What do you do in the bath?
    3 - Giving the Chopper a good workout
    4 - D, I, Why?
    5 - Interior design
    6 - Interior design - too
    7 - I'll be your number one
    8 - Of weeny LEDs and orange
    9 - The real slim Shady
    10 - His name? Number two...
    11 - Mikkel made me do it ;-)
    12 - Wax on. Wax off.
     
    I have probably just made a mistake, probably quite a big mistake - I've opened the big white box of joy...
     
    For those of you who are not aware of the big white box of joy, it contains a JLTRT 37 that I acquired earlier in the year and was trying to put off starting until I'd got a lot further with the various EM projects that I have on the go. This box has been calling me from the shelf for a few months now and I've managed to resist, until today!
     
    Before construction starts in earnest, I've decided to have a good look at the body parts to figure out what needs to be done to represent my chosen prototype - 37415 in the IC 'Mainline' livery.

    So far I've identified 3 panels that need to be removed, and several areas that need to be filled, as marked on the sides in the picture above. My first impressions on unwrapping the sides was of nicely defined castings with the minimum of flash. There was one bit that I wasn't too happy with though - on each side the window above the rectangular grille was connected to the grille below with a bit of resin. With a bit of care, and a fine pointed scriber, I've managed to remove this block and introduce a small gap between the window and the grille. No before pictures though, sorry.
     
    Other additions that will need to be made are bulkheads behind the drivers seat, which I think were added at refurbishment. I just need to find a decent photo that shows the detail, as there seems to be a couple of different types.
  9. Pugsley
    There are probably more time consuming bits to come but doing the detailing bits is going to be the most time consuming part of the whole project, it certainly has been in the case of the DTS I've been focusing on today, even more time consuming than removing all the raised detail!
     

     
    The first pic is here to highlight just how much of a difference the windows make. Admittedly it is additional expense on top of a rather expensive kit, but the difference is amazing - they really transform the model.
     

     
    Fitting the windows is quite straightforward - the instructions included are very helpful. Each window is cut from the fret, trimmed and filed to remove any remnants of the tags. Once lined up on the bodyside, I've put a small piece of masking tape to act as a hinge whilst keeping the window in position. I've then used Roket Hot thin Cyano applied with a scalpel blade to secure the window frame. This is ultra thin, so it penetrates into the gap around the window, which just needs pressing down gently. I've also added the new full length rainstrips, from 0.25x0.5mm styrene strip (Evergreen 100.
     

     
    It gets ever more time consuming (hence the project creep bit) when I keep noticing more and more detail differences between the 455's and other units using the same bodyshell. The biggest of these that I've noticed is the front handrails - seemingly unique to the 455/7's and /9's. As can be seen in the pic above, there is a section cut out of the valance that normally projects past the cab front where there is a handrail. I've also discovered that the /9's have a different bolster design on the DTS and TS to the other subclasses, so I can't use the parts that I had etched for this one. As a lucky accident, however, I do have some spares of another part which I think will do the job although not designed for it - a stroke of luck!
     
    I've yet to decide exactly what I'm going to do for the bogies on this unit - the DTS is temporarily standing on the ones included in the kit, but I don't think I'm going to use those.
     
    Next job is to tackle the MS
  10. Pugsley

    455 Progress

    By Pugsley,

    I've made a bit more progress with the 455, with all four bodyshells assembled. The bodyshells go together quite well, but I have had to do a fair bit of fettling to get the ends to line up properly with the roof and the sides to line up properly with the ends. No major surgery was required, just a little judicious filing here and there, particularly the vertical section of the rebate in the sides, where it meets the end of the roof.

     
    All 4 cars with filler applied around the ends, awaiting rubbing down. The most time consuming part of the last couple of weeks has been the removal of all the raised details around the windows and the doors - only necessary when using Jim's etches (which I'd recommend, as it moves the detail of the model into a whole other level). There are also a couple of other good reasons to use the etches, but more of that another time.
     

     
    The other thing that I noticed is that the cab roof finishes straight across in the kit, leading to a 0.5 (ish) overhang in relation to the end of the sides. This needs to be eliminated by gently filing the roof section from a point just left of the corridor connection to the outside edge - the real things curve at these points. Hopefully it is visible in the pic above.
     
    Next job is to finish sanding down the first application of filler, before skimming over with a second layer and gently sanding that back.
     
    On the plus side, judging by the level of interest so far, I don't think anyone will be announcing an RTR 455 any time soon Anyone want to buy some Replica Mk1's and some MJT parts...
  11. Pugsley

    Point(less) Update

    By Pugsley,

    With flights of fancy put on the back burner for the time being, where they should be, a milestone has been reached in the construction of Bisley Junction - the pointwork is more or less complete!
     
    The most challenging piece so bar was the B7 FB crossover:

     
    Which I'm rather pleased with, closely followed by the two bullhead rail points - flat bottom rail is so much easier to work with as it's obvious which way up the rail goes!
     
    The only thing left to do do all of the turnouts is to fit the tiebars. After considering several options, I've decided to go for functional stretcher bars of my own construction:

    For this I've used 0.5x1.5mm brass strip, 13mm long, with the last 2mm of each side bent to form an 'L' shape - the brass did need to be annealed to soften it before bending. Between the two brass strips is a piece of paper secured to the brass using epoxy resin, which sticks the parts together and insulates electrically. As an extra precaution I've also run thin superglue into the joint as well for added strength.
     
    The one pictured above is the prototype, which appears to have been a success so far, it's very strong, will be easily soldered to the rails and both sides are fully insulated from each other. I need to drill a hole for later fitting of the operating mechanism but other than that, it's complete. Just another 6 to make now....
  12. Pugsley

    Setting the scene

    By Pugsley,

    The next project, now with Chittle well and truly out of the way, is an incursion into Southern Region territory, with a might-have-been line between Bagshot and Woking.
     
    The story goes something like this:
    The line was built in the early 1920s as an alternative to the light railway proposed between Sunningdale and Woking, via Chobham, which was never built. The line provided a direct connection from Ascot and Bracknell to Woking by branching off at Bagshot, and running through Lightwater, West End, Bisley and Knaphill before joining the main line again near St Johns.
     
    The line was electrified and the layout of the station modified in 1967, at the same time as the rest of the South-West mainline to Bournemouth was electrified. At the same time the station was remodelled to accommodate the new oil terminal, with a new station building and access built on the former goods yard. The branch line to Bisley camp was also lifted at this time.
     
    The line was closed to passengers in 1976, after the canal bridge near St Johns was weakened in a dredging accident and had to be demolished, with the line beyond West End being lifted. Oil trains continued to the local fuel distributor until 1984, and the loop was retained so that aggregates trains, now coming from the Reading direction, could continue to reverse into the terminal, as the terminal has no run-round facilities. The stone trains are routed through Bracknell, and access the line to Bagshot through the chord at South Ascot.
     
    A large expansion in the town, and the progressive nature of the Network SouthEast sector at the time lead to the station having it's passenger service reinstated in 1988. Luckily the 3rd rail equipment had been left, albeit isolated, when the passenger service ceased in the 1970s.
     
    The station was originally composed of an island platform, with the main station building, on a now mostly demolished platform, connected by a footbridge. The far platform road has been filled in, and it is in this space that the new station building has been constructed, with the rest of the platform left as a bay.
     
    One of the former main lines is extended slightly to act as a headshunt for the run-round and the other main line now forms part of the goods loop. The far platform line (which is now the bay) originally continued to Bisley Camp (hence the name Bisley Junction - Bisley village, further down the line, only had a halt. Evidence of this lines embankment can just be made out, but has mostly been obliterated by the housing development. With the expansion in the town, the oil terminal has started to receive trains again, and another local industry (office furniture) now receives bright steel in vans from the UK and coated steel from abroad.
     

     
    The station at West End is marked by the blue dot on the map, the Stone terminal by the purple. There is one additional station on the line, at Lightwater.
     
     
    Trackplan is more or less like this, and I hope the notes above help to make some sense of it:
     

     

     
    The inspiration for the layout comes from several sources, St Denys, Chessington South and Addiscombe. I've got this kind of thing planned for the terminus end of the layout:
    http://neillwood3163.fotopic.net/p51672801.html
     
    And that's about as far as its got, save for one try of the templot plans on the board, and a point and a bit (about 1/4 of the way through the second point :mrgreen: )


  13. Pugsley

    The finished article

    By Pugsley,

    As the title suggests, I'm at a stage now where I think that this loco is complete.

    I've not done too much since the last update - I've added a few subtle streaks here and there using gouache, and done a little more to the coupling rods - I wasn't entirely happy with the way they looked. I've also given the body a coat of matt varnish, as some of the finishes I've used are a little fragile. If this wasn't a project destined for ebay, I'd have probably left it as I could easily touch it up as it wore off.

    The rust on the cab end has been reduced slightly - it looked a bit OTT, but that's about all that I've done to that end.

    The effect on the tops of the equipment boxes is hairspray and powders, that I've attacked with a sharpened cocktail stick in an attempt to simulate boot marks from people walking over them. I'm not entirely sure it's worked - it's a technique that needs a little refinement, I think.

     
    I wanted to see how it would look in a slightly more realistic setting than the plain white backgrounds that I've been using, so had a bit of a play in Photoshop. It's a bit crude, but gives the general idea, I think. For the background I've used a photo of Wenfordbridge clay dries that I took a couple of years ago when I promised TFMP a day out in Cornwall. It didn't go quite as she was expecting, but that's a whole different story!

    Now that this one is done, I think I'd better get on with track building. The white box of joy keeps calling me, but I'd better get on with the 4mm stuff first, or it may never happen!
     
    OMS - http://www.discovertrance.com/TuneIn/DiscoverTrance-high.asx
  14. Pugsley

    Side two.

    By Pugsley,

    A little more, much the same as before. The tank spillage needs a bit more work, I'm not entirely happy with that bit yet, but everything else is coming on nicely. The underframe has been done in much the same way as before, but this time I tried using raw umber gouache to tint the Tamiya Smoke for the oily bits on the underframe, instead of using the gloss tan.
     

     
    It's worked rather nicely, so that's another combination of materials added to the arsenal!
     
    Next stage is putting a bit of grime and rust in the panel lines, and reworking the fuel spill area - maybe more progress later. The exhauster boxes need a little attention too, both on the top and the sides.
     
    OMS - http://www.last.fm/listen/globaltags/ghetto%20jazz#pane=webRadioPlayer&station=%252Flisten%252Fglobaltags%252Fghetto%2520jazz
  15. Pugsley

    The Past

    By Pugsley,

    I guess it seems strange starting a blog about a layout with a post about an entirely different layout, but it highlights some of the thinking behind the new layout, and I feel it sometimes helps to have a little of the past to understand the present and the future. The old thread containing more info about the construction of the layout can be found here:
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=608
     

     
    Chittle was my entry in the 2007 layout challenge, which was for layouts with a total area of less than 6 square feet. This introduced a couple of compromises, particularly in terms of shape and, of course, overall size. The biggest compromise, for me, was the inability to capture the feel of railway running through the landscape as much as I wanted. I didn't want the layout to feel crowded, so the final track plan was as simple as possible, but this did limit operation somewhat. After operating sessions on Bleakhouse Road, I decided that whatever I did next needed to have more operating potential, and more shunting to keep me occupied.
     

     
    Starting from scratch, and never having built a layout before, I wasn't really sure what I was doing, so there was a large element of making things up as I went along. Initially I wasn't going to use point motors, but eventually decided I wanted to. Unfortunately, I hadn't designed the layout with them in mind, so ended having to chop holes out of the polystyrene, and glue plywood into the apertures, making much more work for myself than I ever needed to do. The extruded styrene did make for a strong and lightweight base though, and I will probably use it for a layout again in the future.
     

     
    Having more locos than anything else (that always seems to happen!) meant that it would have to be a small depot of some description, but I wanted it to be different - not another depot layout with a Pikestuff shed, and Knightwing fuelling point. I did end up with the Knightwing fuelling point (but used the less common roof option to try and disguise that...
     

     
    Various avenues of research led to Peterborough stabling point (the EWS one) as a basis for the shed and fuelling point. Again, I hadn't built a structure from scratch, so didn't really know what I was doing. I figured, in the end, that as it was to be an open building, so the interior would be visible, it would be a good idea to build it like the real thing. Wills sheets were used for the base of the building, glued back-to-back to give the necessary thickness, and brick patterns on both sides. The top of the structure as then built up with Evergreen styrene girders, styrene battening, and embossed plasticard cladding on that.
     

     
    During construction I put lights on one building as an experiment after fiding some LEDs that looked like industrial lighting in both white and yellow. It worked, so all of the building on the layout were equipped with working lights, with the hope that it would work for taking night photos on the layout. In the end it was something that worked quite well, and it was worth the extra effort.


     
    Scenery was a mix of static grass, and Woodland Scenics foliage, along with some brambles made from rubberised horse hair. Scenic methods mostly came from the Captain Kernow Scenery Clinic Service, which was most enlightning, although I used spraymount for speed, rather than the more usual PVA. The deadline was rapidly approaching by this stage!
     
    I didn't think it would be finished in time, but to my amazement it was, although circumstances at the time helped. Even more of an amazement was it winning I still can't get over it to this day. Following this, it appeared at both the main and SWAG hosted members days, and one exhibition. It's recently gone to a new home to clear space for the incoming project.
     
    There are many lessons I've learned during the construction and operation of the layout, probably too many to mention here - although the major ones are the operational interest, and not using points of too tight a radius - A5s are probably OK for small steam locos and shorter wagons, but cause problems with a lot of modern stock. Other lessons learned will crop up in the next update about the current project. See, I said there was a point to all this
     

  16. Pugsley
    With TFMP being out for the day, I've been able to crack on with this little project all afternoon. I go through phases with this, sometimes I really get into it and can achieve a lot in a what feels like a short length of time. Other times I don't really 'feel it' so get distracted, and don't achieve much at all.
     
    The second side is just about there now, I think. I've highlighted the panel lines with dark grime washes, and added the rust underneath the door hinges with powders - a mix of Mig Vietnam Earth, Black Smoke, Industrial City Dirt and AIM Grimy Black. I've added some rust wash from the exhaust on the roof at the front, again using gouache - it really is a wonderfully versatile medium.
     

     
    The masking tape depot plaque worked again, although it nearly ended in disaster - I hadn't noticed that I'd put the Metals flash over the corner of it, so when I removed it some of the transfer came away! Luckily I managed to retrieve the part, so managed to stick it back down with matt varnish.
     
    Work will now commence on the ends, although these are straightforward compared to the side, so I may even have this finished this evening! I need to make myself some sort of photo plank, now that I've no layout to take pictures on. It'll be a useful exercise too - there's some techniques that I want to try out.
     
    I think I've hit upon the next project already.
  17. Pugsley
    Sometimes I wonder why I don't seem to achieve very much, other times it becomes painfully apparent!
     
    There is the normal distraction - a quick bit of web surfing becomes a marathon research session into something or other, which transforms into You Tube surfing for class 37 thrash, which turns into, well, you get the idea. It's almost as if my subconscious doesn't really want to achieve anything relevant to what I'm supposed to be doing!
     
    Where is all this leading? Well, one of my pet distractions has been finding a suitable location and idea for my forthcoming S7 foray. In most respects this is useful, but the timing is way out as I already have another layout on the go, and insufficient space for another in the house. TFMP is pretty easy going, but I think that filling the spare room with multiple layouts would be a bridge too far!
     
    So, introducing Partington Sidings. The basic concept is that the line between Glazebrook and Timperley remained open to traffic between Liverpool and Stockport into the '90's, but singled. Off this line, the other side of the ship canal from Cadishead, is a set of exchange sidings for a chemical plant at Carrington, alongside the one that is now operated by Nova Chemicals (although I think it may have been mothballed recently)
     
    Traffic will mostly be tanks, with some vans carrying bagged product. The wagons are moved from the sidings to the plant by the Allied Chemical Sentinel, but have to be moved in the right order, as there is a lack of siding space within the plant - so plenty of shunting required! Wagons are brought to the siding as an extension of the Trafford Park Sidings Speedlink feeder - normally an RfD 37 or 47.
     
    Given that this is going to be built in S7, so I have yet to build any any of the stock, it is a very long way off. Yet, I still waste my time working all this stuff out, and last night even spent time designing logos for the company shunter(s) which have yet to be built! The worst part is I didn't just do one, I ended up doing three showing the progression of the corporate image from the 60's to today! All very silly really....

     
    I will soon be opening the large white box of joy though, despite all my protestations that I wouldn't before significant progress on Bisley had been made - the 7mm attraction is growing stronger every day
  18. Pugsley

    The whys and wherefores

    By Pugsley,

    This new blog format has deluded me into thinking that people may be interested in the reasons behind what I do, the inspirations and how it all started, really. They probably aren't, but I'm going to do it anyway
     
    It really started with the introduction of the Hornby Class 50, back in 2003. I'd had a model railway before, but sold up in 1993/1994 to start modelling US prototypes due to the superior models available. That too soon fell by the wayside once girls, cars and beer were discovered.
     
    The 50's were a firm favourite of mine from the days when I lived near the GWML and saw them regularly, and then from bashing the Exeter-Waterloo line in their final days. The release of the Hornby 50, to a higher standard than the US models I had, was an eye-opener, so the first releases were duly purchased. I was originally approaching from a collectors point of view, but soon realised I wanted more.
     
    During the time of my interest in US modelling, I bought Model Railroader every month, which was full of inspiring articles - it seemed light years ahead of Railway Modeller at the time, every month they'd have the 'Trackside Photos' section, where there would be some ultra realistic photos, similar to this:
    http://www.modelrailroadphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=3764
     
    There was also the annual photo contest, which took these photos to another level, with superb modelling and photography.
    http://www.trains.com/mrr/image.ashx?img=mrr-tp0108_01.jpg&w=600
     
    I wanted to achieve that kind of result, but railways soon got left behind. Once I rediscovered them, eventually I rediscovered this quest for realism as well, which happened around 2005 and is what lead me to both EM gauge, and weathering. I started searching around the Internet, and happened upon a couple of very interesting sites. The first was Mellow Mike:
    http://www.mellowmike.com/
     
    Amazing models, and very realistic. He's comes across as a bit up himself though (the old site wasn't as bad as the new one for that!) - no details about techniques, but plenty of inspiration. He is very good indeed:
    http://www.mellowmike.com/FR8_Cars/MRL50036_P1.html
    http://www.mellowmike.com/FR8_Cars/MRL54035_P2.html
    http://www.mellowmike.com/FR8_Cars/SOO_4Posed.html
     
    Inspired by what I found, I then discovered the Model Trains Weathered site, and forum. Now subscription only, I learnt a lot in terms of new materials and techniques, and the members there were very good at constructively criticising what I'd done.
    http://modeltrainsweathered.com/
     
    It was there that I learnt of the work of a guy called John Pitts. His structures were amazing, but what really captured my imagination, and inspired me to have a go, was this SD45T-2, in proper Southern Pacific condition:

    More pictures here:
    http://www.pbase.com/lumixfz30/abandonedreabuilding
     
    I then subsequently discovered some military modelling sites, and the models of Mig Jimenez, amongst others, which really leads me to where I am now. I think I'll leave it there - I should imagine anyone who started reading this has given up by now
     
    I leave you with this - my first attempt - it wasn't bad, considering, but I realise that both the techniques, and definitely the photography have improved an awful lot.
     

     
    Hopefully this has been of interest to somebody. :icon_mrgreen:
  19. Pugsley
    As is kind of hinted at by the title, I'm pretty happy that I've finished the first side of the 09. It's just been a matter of adding the the little details with gouache and powders, so again it won't look much different to last time.
     

     
    The masking tape depot plaque seems to have worked as intended, a bit more gouache washes and powders in this area have made it look as it should.
     

     
    The trickiest part of this phase was the marks on the battery box where the BR arrow had been removed. Again using goucahe helped with this, as I found it really difficult to get to look convincing. I think this is attempt number 4 - the rest were wiped off with a damp cotton bud as I wasn't happy with them.
     

     
    I've made a start on the front, but that needs a lot more work yet. The cab end and other side need to be done next. I'm really pleased with the way this one is turning out - I think it might be the best one yet!
  20. Pugsley
    There are periods of doing this kind of thing where I feel like I've spent an awful lot of time doing something, but don't really have much to show for it.
     
    I've started on the roof of the 09, with the cab roof getting the most treatment. A mix of weathering powders and hairspray was used for this - mostly Mig Europe Dust, with a little Brick Dust and Gulf War Sand chucked in for good measure.
     

     
    This is mixed up and applied with a brush. If it goes on too thin, add more. If it goes on too thick paint neat hairspray on, and dab gently with a cosmetic sponge - this will spread the mixture, remove it in places and also remove brushmarks. If you end up getting it where you don't want it, a wet brush will remove it.
     
    I've also reduced the fuel spill effect in front of the cab - it was looking a little too dark to me. A soft flat brush moistened with screenwash took care of that, brushing it down vertically. I've also modified the paint on the front slightly to get it a bit closer to the photo I'm working from.
  21. Pugsley

    More Gronk Progress

    By Pugsley,

    A bit more progress has been made with the 09 - I've still not been tempted back to making track, even though I really should be getting on with it!
     

     
    The powders and gouache have been broken out to add further dirt and grime, and I've also made a start on the underframe.I've decided to try a different method to the one I used on my last 08, which was straight out of the Martyn Welch book. This time I've used slightly different materials - acrylic gloss black, grimy black weathering powder, Europe Dust weathering powder, talc, and a bit of gloss tan. It's worked quite well, and I think it looks just as good as the Martyn Welch method (although it is ostensibly the same, but with slightly different materials), as seen here:
     

     
    At this point, a bit more work has been done on the grime, and the roof has been started in the form of the exhaust. I've used a rust powder and hairspray mix on this brushed on, and then dabbed with a moist cosmetic sponge to impart a bit of texture, and disguise any brush marks. Powders are used dry on top of this base to add variety of colour and soot. Progress so far:
     

     

  22. Pugsley
    Follow these links for the other stages of this project - I've had to trim the number of entries in the index box, to the right:
    Part 2 - More Gronk progress
    Part 3 - It doesn't look much different, does it?
    Part 4 - End of side 1, please turn over
    Part 5 - Side 2
    Part 6 - End of side two - approaching the end(s)
    Part 7 - Nearly the end(s)
    Part 8 - The finished article
     
    I know its in the archive, but seeing as this is still a current project, I'd better move it over here.
     
    Based on this photo:
    http://web.ukonline.co.uk/railscans/pic ... 000310.jpg
     
    The model started life as Dick Hardy, but I wanted to do something different with it. I started this ages ago, and it was intended for the later period on Chittle, but now I've got rid of the layout (and the rest of the stock), I'll probably put this one up for sale once finished - I still want to do it justice though.
     
    This was how far it had got previously:
     

     
     
    Renumbered, and the black window surrounds and cab door that the Hornby model came with have been painted grey, with a mix matched to the factory finish. I'd also renumbered it with Fox transfers, and changed the warning flashes to the early type (I'd originally planned to do it in 1998 condition, which wasn't much different). It needed fading, and the roof and sides need to be done separately - executive dark grey is a funny colour when faded, it goes a kind of tan colour. Departmental grey, however, just gets lighter.
     

     
     
    At this stage the roof has been faded with washes mixed up from Humbrol 110 and 34. The sides have been attacked with white gouache washes. The numbers have been removed, as the fading virtually obliterated them. I'll put them back later, probably after the first grime layer has gone on - as they're plastic, the oily dirt from the fuel doesn't stick to them.
     
    The downside of using this wash technique is the wash gathering in all the detail, and looking very wrong. Since trying this method on the 08 (after using it with some success on my blue 33) I've decided it's a technique that is better suited to smooth sided vehicles. Undeterred though, I pressed on to see what would happen once some grime had been run into the panel lines:
     

     
    And to be quite honest, it looked more than a bit pants. So, I decided that it all had to come off (the beauty of gouache) and that the only way to get the overall fade would be to do a spray fade. I left the gouache washes that I had already put on the yellow on both ends, as I wanted that more faded than the black. A bit of maskol to protect the glazing, the roof masked off, and it was ready to go:
     

     
    The gouache hasn't gone completely, but it doesn't matter as the sprayed fade will even things out. I used Vallejo off-white, heavily thinned with a little screenwash added in the mix to help the surface tension. this was sprayed at relatively high pressure, and just dusted on, and built up gradually.
     

     

     
    It's looking much better by this stage. It needs a bit more work on the battery and exhauster boxes on one side, and a bit on the solebar of the other, but that can be done with gouache.
    Once the dirt starts to be added:
     

     
    It starts to look more like it should from the photo. Numbers have been added again, but from Modelmaster this time - I'm disappointed with how yellow the Fox transfers go.
     
    The griming/highlighting needs to be finished on both sides, and then it'll be onto the underframe. I haven't yet decided what technique to use on the underframe - my variation on Martyn Welchs' method, or another idea I've been cooking up, similar to that I use for buffer grease. Hopefully I'll make a decision soon
  23. Pugsley
    The next, somewhat elastic, deadline for getting this 'ere 37 finished is now Guildex in Telford. I'm hoping that, even if it's not actually painted, it will be mechanically operational, which took a step closer today with the arrival of this, from the etchers:

     
    I'm pleased with the way it's come out - pretty much everything has come out as planned, with the exception of the writing on the axlebox stirrups. I knew I was pushing my luck with it, as it was on the small side, but it isn't legible, as I'd hoped it might have been. On the plus side, you can see that something's there, so all is not lost:

     
    This weekend will now mostly be spent beavering away in the workshop, to try and get everything ready for assembling the bogies. I just hope that there's no major flaws in the design!
     
    There is a real sense of satisfaction when the shiny bit of metal, made from your artwork, comes through the door
     
    In terms of major bodywork, the loco is mostly complete. I've got to trim some of the bufferbeams away to mount the ETH gear, but the other major job was to fill in one cut-out on the side of the loco, and make another.
     

     
    This is one of those reasons that prototype photos are essential if you're trying to accurately recreate a particular loco - especially with 37's as they are a minefield of detail differences.
     
    Whilst studying photos of 415, I noticed that the semi-circular cut-out present on the model isn't there. There is a recess behind the cut-out, to thin the skirt in the visble section, so this was filled with two bits of 0.25 x 3.2mm, cut to fit (2.9mm IIRC), superglued in place. Once dry, I filled the hole with Holts Knifing Putty - which I've discovered is better than most model fillers, and cheaper too!
     
    The new aperture is based on dimensions scaled from a side-on photo of 415, found on the web. I marked the hole out, and started it off by drilling 1.5mm holes towards the corners. These were then joined, carefully, with a sharp scalpel. The hole was finished to size with small files.
     
    I made a list of all the things that needed doing the other day - I won't be putting it here, as it's too long! Suffice to say that there is plenty to keep me occupied for a while
     
    I've got a weekend to myself, so I'm hoping to achieve a lot this weekend - updates as and when
  24. Pugsley

    I was half right!

    By Pugsley,

    The half right bit being at the end of my last, unusually verbose, post where I said that the next post would be about modelling and with pictures and stuff. So here it is! The part I was wrong about though is that I thought it would be about the 37 bogies, however I've decided to do a bit more to the TTA chassis that still only currently exists in the virtual world.
     
    I've now drawn up the axleguards (W-irons if you must ), mounted them to the chassis rails with Scale Hardware rivets, and put the wheels and bearings into the axleboxes and slid those into place in the axleguards. The good news is that it all fits together!
     
    Isometric view:

     
    One thing that I did discover during the assembly process was that there were some dimensional issues with the axleboxes - both of them were too small, but luckily as I'd scaled all the dimensions off photographs, all to the wrong ratio, I've got away with it by just scaling them up as a complete part. That was more luck than judgement though!
     
    Looking at both the side and end views, below, I'm happy that, so far, everything looks to be the right kind of size and in the right place. If anyone can see something that looks wrong, please let me know - sometimes it's hard to see the wood for the trees when you're looking at something constantly.
     

     

     
    The axleguards still need the wear liners added (these will fold up onto the axleguards), so there is a bigger gap than there would otherwise be between the guards and the axleboxes. The next job to tackle will be the inner chassis rails and cross-members, which is going to be quite an interesting task, I think.
  25. Pugsley

    The Initial Griming

    By Pugsley,

    This really is the most I've done in ages - whilst on a roll I thought I'd make a start on the weathering. I used the water mixable oils for this, just to see if they were any good for loco, as well as wagon, weathering. They are! Well, subject to some limitations, anyway.
     
    This is how things now stand:

     
    I've used a combination of Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Black and White oils for the body grime. This has mostly been acheived by almost drybrushing the colour on, before running over it with a small flat brush, moistened with a screenwash solution. After this stage, when still damp, a dry number 12 flat brush was flicked over the surface in a top to bottom, vertical, motion to remove more paint and give the rain streaked appearance.
     
    The oils have also been used on the nose grilles and to recreate the grime deposits that gather in the cab door recesses. I'm going for subtle on this one, working from a pic that I can't post, unfortunately.
     
    The underframe has just had it's first coat, a mix of Vallejo Flat Earth and Black acrylics, applied by brush. No airbrush has been ued on this so far (except for the repaint). It's a bit glossy still, but later processes will tone this down to dead flat where required. I did try to use the oils straight on the underframe, but it didn't really work, they need to be used on top of something else for full effect.
     
    That's it for the time being, as everything will now need to be left for at least 24 hours to dry - the biggest disadvantage of using the oils. More as it happens
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