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James Hilton

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  1. James Hilton
    Christmas and New Year were great fun, but combining the family commitments and putting together an issue of my mountainbike e-zine I had very little time for modelling. The first two weeks of January have seen a reversal with a snow bound last week and issue deadline out of the way.

    So what did I get for Christmas and what have I been working on recently?
     
    I treated myself to the Bachmann sound equipped class 37 (in Railfreight grey) and a Dynamis controller. This has proved great fun (although I've yet to stretch her legs on Paxton Road). After posting up a thread before Christmas asking people to help me decide on a repaint I happened to mention in my status I'd fancy a swap. Chris56079 PM'd me offering a swap with his Bachmann Collectors Club 37411 Caerphilly Castle body, a locomotive I'd lusted after when it was released! Despite being well off period for Paxton Road a swap was duly arranged and since receiving her from Chris I've added the etched plates from Fox.
     
    The etched plates from Fox fitted and the body placed on the sound chassis. When I got back into the hobby in 2007 this was one of the locomotives active on the mainline that I always wanted to model. It doesn't fit my layout time period but who cares! Now I can have a 2007 period with a few of the more modern vans when I want! As long as she never appears with my other 37411 we'll get away with it!


     
    This model will be the third 37 I've worked over (previously a Mainline freight liveried 37/0 and an EWS 37/4) and I intend to build on the experience of the other two with this one! She'll receive snowploughs (thanks to Mark Miller), new buffers and MU socket, bufferbeam plumbing and ETH cable. I'll add speedo drive, brake actuation chains, sanding pipework and some detailing around the fuel tanks before a very delicate weathering with a little road dirt on the chassis, ploughs and some exhaust staining and dirt on the roof panels. I'll also try opening out the face of the air horns with a small drill bit as well as I've looked at the turned options from Markits and A1 models and I don't think they really capture the size of the 37 horns accurately.
     
    Expect some photos posed on Paxton Road when the weather warms up!
     
     
     
    A humble EWS liveried Bachmann Seacow also appeared on my workbench over Christmas and was far too pristine with it's crisp grey interior to not undergo the weatherers brush (so to speak).
    I've always had an issue with the paint finish on Bachmann Seacows; when weathering with Humbrol enamels it's very very difficult to build up layers of grime successfully as the paint doesn't ever seem to dry and adhere to the paint permanently so that when you apply a second colour, the white spirit in the wash starts to soften and dissolve the earlier layer. This is fine in little areas as it gives realistic scuffs in the dirt, but across the whole wagon side is quite annoying. Anyhow, moan over suffice to say I've got one side I'm happy with and the other has been rubbed off with a cotton bud for a second attempt.

    The side I'm happy with pictured below, along with the other Seacows that are in use on Paxton Road, whose weathering and detailing is described here.

     
    The start of the effect is simply a liberal coating of Humbrol 98 (Matt Chocolate) all over! The bogies, wheelsets and bufferbeams all get it neat whilst the bodyside and ends get a thinned down wash applied. Once this has thoroughly dried I mix some Humbrol 33 (Matt Black) and 98 together and slightly thin this. This is applied over rivet detail and fabrication edges before being sponged off with a cotton bud in a vertical brushing action (top to bottom). I'm quite happy with the side that's pictured, the other side ended up with too much thinners added and the whole finish coming off with the cotton bud. Take this stage carefully building up slowly or use acrylics or a varnish coat between weathering.
     
    This wagon now needs a decent internal weathering to match it's sisters on the layout, something I'll get round too in a few weeks when I come back to finish the second side.
     
     
     
    As well as making a start on the second structure for Rose Hill I've also dug out some other older models to progress with for Paxton Road. The rake of PNAs is progressing nicely with all 4 now fitted with Brunninghaus suspension units (as per this description on my blog) and have the initial chassis and bodyside weathering applied. Still to complete is a dusting of powder on the chassis to build up the shadows and texture, painting the buffer shanks silver and applying weathering and some remains of a spoil load to the interiors.

    The PNAs here are 75% complete and bookend the main era of Paxton Road (1998-2002).

     
    So that's it for now really. Expect more in the coming weeks as I've some detailing bits to start adding to Paxton Road, along with progressing the scenery around the MOD depot building pictured a few weeks before Christmas.
     
    Comments questions and anything else welcomed, please use the comments feature or contact me by PM.
     
     
     

  2. James Hilton
    Well today turned out to be a 'snow day' with my family not able to get to work and nursery! After a fun morning building a massive snowman my 2 year old went to bed...
    So out came some prototype photos, a ruler and my notebook. I decided with the cold weather baseboard construction will have to wait and my time would be best spent on the structure I'm least looking forward to constructing - the pub. I've not got views from all sides but I've got both ends and the front plus some partial rear shots - enough to get started anyway!
     
    So I just worked from eye - I'm the sort of chap who doesn't count bricks. I worked out from my station building and some general known dimensions (door size for example) the rough size of the building and drew things up by eye. Funny that when I checked against the dimensions I got from Google Maps the scaled down pub works out about a 85% representation - perfect!
     
    So with the floor plan, side and front end drawn out I figured the easiest way to proceed is to just start... so hear we are - first cuts. More progress tomorrow if the snow keeps coming! 6" fresh today ontop of about 4" from yesterday that had frozen and compacted a little - roads are pretty bad on my housing estate.
     

     
    A prototype shot of the pub for comparison

  3. James Hilton
    I always find a good sketch helps me visualise how things are going to work - ever since the early days of armchair modelling for Paxton Road, so today saw me knock something up for Rose Hill.
     
    Usually I'd start from scratch but I wondered if I could build on the (poor) photos I took last night with some ink to show what I have in mind and check out whether the scaling factor will still trick the eye.
     

     
    What do you think?
    I'm pretty pleased. I suspect I'll lengthen the platform by about 10cm (up to a metre) which will mean a little baseboard creep. I'm going to mock up the baseboard shape in paper and determine whether or not I'll need a join or not. In the meantime I really should stop browsing the forum and crack on with the Pacer!
     
    (and still no fix for the blog posting date thingamy - hence the December 31st date - it's really today, Monday 4th January 2010 at 20:25).
  4. James Hilton
    Well Christmas and New Year have come and gone and despite a few items (a sound equipped 37, EWS Seacow and a Dynamis controller) I've managed to make some progress on Rose Hill.
     
    This evening I've been scaling up dimensions from Google Maps (great tool - when you draw a line it tells you how many feet it is!). From my simple layout (see below) I've determined a number of key dimensions:

    Platform length = 332ft = 1328mm
    Station building length = 42ft = 168mm
    Pub length = 52ft = 208mm
    Flatbottom rail = 440ft = 1760mm
    Bullhead rail = 175ft = 700mm
    Rough layout length (length of blue rectangle) = 628ft = 2500mm
     

     
    Woah! Daunting or what? That's a pretty hefty layout for just a SLT!
     
    So having already scratchbuilt the station building on a slightly condensed scale (as it was originally intended to just be a photo plank) I measured that up again. Length = 12cm. A happy comprimise? Anyhow for now it's far too good to scrap!
     
    So what scaling factor does that give? 16.8cm/12cm = 0.7
    I then applied that to the other dimensions to see how they looked...
    Platform = 0.9m
    FB rail = 1.2m
    BH rail = 0.5m
     
    Promising, I thought - if it would pull it off full size, so out came an old roll of wrapping paper left over from Christmas and I laid things out on the floor.
     
    Wrapping paper, some postcards, Pacer chassis, track and a sharpie pen!




     
    As you can see it's still pretty massive for a single line terminus, and luckily, as the track plan is so simple, that kind of visually hides the reduction in length.
     
    For comparison here are some prototype shots:
    1994 http://kevin818.fotopic.net/p48334824.html
    1997 http://117305.fotopic.net/p47647470.html
    2006 http://jst.fotopic.net/p37311167.html
    2006 http://dwb.railcollection.fotopic.net/p35274350.html
     
    Now I'm at a quandry. This layout is supposed to be an exercise in prototype observation, in 'scale' modelling, and with an interesting baseboard shape to give a novel viewing situation if ever exhibited... Is this 'scaling' of reality really the done thing? I mean, is it a comprimise too far?
     
    If I don't scale the layout then it will need to be made as two boards - itself not a problem, until you lay the platform down and end up with a mighty big join in the platform, the station car park etc etc. I really wanted to avoid that and at about 170cm the reduced size plan is long, but do-able (and it will fit in my car - just).
     
    See what I mean, this is a real issue! Can I have a few thoughts please?!
  5. James Hilton
    If you remember a few weeks ago I was moaning about the Slaters pantile embossed plasticard and it's lack of relief. I wanted something that had more relief and I could get the 3D effect on the ends of the roof showing overlapping tiles as well...
     
    Well the answer I came up with was perhaps a little different from the norm but before I tell you how I did it, here is a photo which shows the end result. I'm really pleased, it looks just right to me and hopefully the idea will help other modellers with a similar quandry - as it uses a similar idea to overlapping paper tiles used on all sorts of great buildings I've read about in Model Railway Journal over the years...
     

     
    So I looked at Slaters other embossed plasticard - and came across a sheet of the 4mm corrugated steel and I thought, hmm, this looks A LOT like pantiles, would it work if I cut it into 5.5mm strips and then layed them upside down? A small demo piece looked fantastic, so I moved onto the real thing...
     
    First up I cut a base piece of plasticard. To complete the effect I added a few strips of plasti-strip along the front edge to raise the first row of tiles and then layered them up the roof, 4.5mm showing of each row. The chimney is just single sheet thickness Slaters embossed brickwork with a plastic cap and I let this into the roof.
    The roof is simply strips of corrugated iron embossed plasticard layed up which gives a great appearance and accurate end on view as well


     
    However as you can see, the back of the building is still not complete! At least this shot shows how the building is built up of laminated plasticard - glued together using superglue where possible to reduce the risk of warping. I will be adding the rear and second half of the roof now I'm happy with the finish of the first half over Christmas.

     
    Meanwhile work on the Pacer has really slowed down a little - though this one is ready for priming. I'll crack on with the second car over the festive season as well!
    The detailed Pacer car posing with the half finished building.

  6. James Hilton
    I've always had a thing about Class 08s and 09s - and when younger rememeber seeing the Bachmann model appear as a pre-production sample in every years catalog and the model never make it to my local shop. [
     
    When I returned to the hobby two years ago the Bachmann and Hornby models were available, with pro's and con's to both. I personally prefer the shape of the Bachmann model and they run very well on Paxton Road. I recently chose to model 09007 based on the Bachmann model of 09006. This required more extensive modification than previously and I also undertook a heavy fading and weathering job.
     
    This article has appeared in Model Rail (December 2009, Issue 138) and is reproduced here with kind permission of Model Rail Magazine.
     
    Faded Glory...
    Modifying a Bachmann model to represent work worn 09007.
    Article courtesy Model Rail Magazine - Issue 138 Page 92 - Words and photos by James Hilton
     

     
    When Bachmann released it's 08/09 model back in 2000 it took the 00 RTR market by storm and was released in a myriad of liveries over the next few years. Good tooling design allowed the variations in locker, access and cab door arrangements to be modelled as applicable to the prototype and the good running characteristics and well captured character has ensured it's continued place in the catalog.
    The Hornby challenger arrived a few years later. The higher level of intricate detail really sets the model apart from the Bachmann version but has been made available in less livery variations.
     
    I personally feel the Bachmann model captures the character of the prototype more successfully - and for those with a stud of these I present a case for detailing and upgrading the basic Bachmann offering to better reflect individual prototypes and close the detail gap with it's Hornby competitor.
     
    This article describes the modification of Bachmann 09006 into 09007. Although some of the steps are unique to representing a Class 09, some of the other tips and detailing are applicable to a standard 08, and the weathering tips can apply to any model, Bachmann or Hornby.
    PROTOTYPE HISTORY
    The twenty six original Class 09 were built between 1959 and 1962. Based upon the successful 08 (itself a development of prototypes dating back to the LMS) and specifically aimed at the Southern region they were geared for short trip work with a higher maximum speed of 27mph (versus 15mph of the 08) with the expense of a reduction in tractive effort. They were also equipped with high level air pipework for shunting Southern multiple unit stock. The original build are now classified 09/0 as during the 1992 a number of Class 08s were rebuilt with higher gearing for use on local trip freights across the UK ??“ categorized 09/1 and 09/2.
     
    After privatisation the class found themselves re-distributed around the UK as they're higher top speed meant they were useful shunters with the advantage of running trip workings between yard and customer premises. A testament to their usefulness, until late 2008 no Class 09 had been scrapped (however a number have been preserved).
     
    MODELLING FROM A PHOTO
    I always find my modelling much easier when basing my efforts on photographic evidence. These days the internet is a very useful tool and a few hours trawling the photo sharing sites often yield more than enough detail shots. My favourite is community.fotopic.net. You just type in the loco number, select 'photos' (rather than galleries) and you usually have at least one page of photos to select from.
     
    In this case I chose to model 09007 in circa 1999/2000 condition. At the time the loco sported a very faded Mainline livery, but had not been fitted with the Oleo buffers it received sometime during 2003. I managed to collect a good selection of front, rear and side shots to enable specific details to be captured and to guide the fading and weathering process.
     
    A selection of scrap plasticard off-cuts, various wire grades (some from Ratio kits, some old guitar string) plus some old plastic sprue - along with a set of Hornby bufferbeam pipework from a Class 31, were the only parts required for this conversion. I used some Fox transfers (the small black numbers on the back buffer beam, silver numbers on the sides and the post 1998 warning flashes) and Humbrol paints and varnish to complete the basic transformation. This was weathered using a mixture of a faded varnish coat, dry brushed colour variation, washes using Humbrol paints and some Mig weathering powders - all detailed in the Step by Step guide.
     
    SUMMARY
    The project was a good little evening project that stretched over two months. I am happy with the finished model and it fits perfectly with my ficticious MoD depot set north of Winchester on a spur of the old Didcot Newbury and Southampton railway.
    The modifications are within the capability of the average modeller and really transform the already good Bachmann model into an excellent representation of this diminutive, mundane but essential shunter.
     
    Next up - a two tone Mainline grey liveried Class 58, and getting around to finishing my layout!
     
    STEP BY STEP
    1) Preparation
    The first thing to consider is the basics, and checking body details against prototype photos. Identify the changes required, remove unwanted details (marker lights, lamp irons etc) and make a list of things that need to be added or modified.
     
    2) Rear high-level pipework
    The arrangement of hi-level pipework looks complicated but is formed from ____ thou wire formed to shape by eye and small pliers ??“ fixed with superglue. The bracket is L profile plasticard, the pipes themselves more wire, and the lever from the Hornby Class 31 bufferbeam pipework detailing kit. In addition the lamp irons have been repositioned and an extra one added.

     
    3) Front high-level pipework
    The front air pipework looks slightly more complicated but is formed in the same way ??“ and is self supporting. Extra lamp irons were added to the sides of the radiator grill.

     
     
    4) Front Steps
    This step (excuse the pun) transforms the Bachmann model. I believe the Bachmann front steps are about 2mm to narrow. They are simply removed by popping a knife edge behind them and easig them out. I remove the handrails completely. The steps are then sliced out and replacements added in plasticard, secured with superglue, before being re-attached using superglue.
     
    5) Rear pipework
    The extra underframe pipework on the Hornby model is exquisite. I have gone for merely a representation, which tricks the eye into seeing the full detail. Formed from some .017 gauge guitar strings and 0.5mm wire following photographs. Best fitted before the cab steps, and you can gently remove the sand boxes to aid fitting. The orange pipework is attached directly to he coupler mounting. A representation of the small air cylinders behind the cab steps is made from sprue off cuts. The antenna was added to the cab roof to represent the cab-shore radio telephone fitted for mainline running, the part coming from an A1 models etch.
     
    6) Bufferbeam detail
    I have used the pipework from a Hornby Class 31, but have successfully used Class 50 air pipework. Alternatively you could use your preferred supplier for the air and vacuum brake pipework. I also added a pipe joining the two air tanks together, formed from an old guitar string.
     
    7) Re-numbering and paint touchup
    The original numbers were removed carefully with brake fluid and a sharp scalpel. These were replaced with Fox transfers from a pack designed for a Class 37. Any silver numerals in the standard tops font could be used. The small number on the buffer beam is from the Fox pack for Railfreight/Civil Link front numbers. The warning flashes were appied directly over the originals, and extra ones added where necessary. All transfers were set using Micro-Set solution, and Micro-Sol was used on the numerals to allow them to sit more closely over the raised detail.
     
    8) Touch-up
    The detailing parts were touched up using Humbrol paints using photos as a colour guide. In addition the body colour was touched up where details had been removed. I took the opportunity to dry brush on some faded Mainline blue at this stage to give a variation in the fading effect.
     
    9) Chassis weathering
    The chassis was weathered using the techniques described in Martyn Welch??™s excellent book ???The Art of Weathering??™. Matt black, gunmetal, matt chocolate and matt tan were applied (along with some thinners) to the outside frame using photos as a guide. Whilst this was still wet some ???black smoke??™ Mig weathering powder was stippled into the paint with an old brush. The coupling rods were drybrushed and given a dirty wash (matt black and matt chocolate) and the pipework and tanks given some weathering using matt chocolate.
     
    10) First pass fade and weather
    I wanted to give a good variation in colour, not just fade the whole model. To that end I applied a little Humbrol Matt 25 to the body using photographs as a guide - to give a greater variation in tone.
    I made up a faded varnish (approximately 50% thinners, 50% matt varnish with a touch of matt white). I used Maskol to mask the window panes and applied the varnish with an airbrush. In this case I used purely white to tone the varnish, but it is possible to add a sandy colour or a green depending on the effect you wish to obtain. A good explanation can be found here:
    http://eastmoor.blogspot.com/2009/07/fading-fast.html
     
    11) Body weathering
    Once the varnish has thoroughly dried I added the exhaust staining using Mig weathering powder, and the oil, fluid and rust staining on the body and around the hinges using Humbrol 98 matt chocolate and 33 matt black were applied by brush with some thinners. A cotton bud is useful at this stage to soften the edges as the thinners soaks into the varnish. It is most important to use a prototype photo to base your model on. A closely observed but badly executed weathering finish is much more realistic then a perfectly applied work of fiction.
     
    12) Finishing touches
    You should now have a faded, stained, work worn model. At this point review to check no details have dropped off - and if necessary replace these now. Finishing touches then involve adding a greasy mix to the buffer faces (Humbrol 98, 33 and 53 - then stippled with Mig black smoke powder whilst wet) and some chipped paint on the grab rails. Check the wheel treads are clean and get the shunting and trip work started on your layout!

     
    LINKS
    http://community.fotopic.net
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_09
    http://eastmoor.blogspot.com/2009/07/fading-fast.html
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=207593#207593
    MATERIALS
    0.5mm nickel silver wire (spare from a Ratio kit)
    0.017 gauge steel wire (assortment from used guitar strings)
    Stainless steel off cuts (from S-kits brake disc inserts)
    Plasticard (various thicknesses and profiles)
  7. James Hilton
    It feels good to have made some solid progress in the last fortnight, Paxton Road is at last coming into the final phase...
     
    The MOD warehouse on the back of the layout needed to be completed before I could finish the ballasting or scenery on the front of the layout. However since building the plasticard shell in the very early days of the layout I've struggled for inspiration... these new photos are 2 years on from when it all started:
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6868&hilit=paxton+road+warehouse&start=25#p177027
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6868&hilit=paxton+road+warehouse&start=25#p188387
     

     
    So what have I been up to?
    Well the original roof has warped so will need replacing but I've finished the shell. This started with a spray of grey primer. Once dry I added a wash of Humbrol 98 (Matt Chocolate) all over the external wall surfaces. I added a light cream (I can't recall the number) wash over the brickwork - and then once dry used some 98 to add darker staining. I painted the cameras white and the emergency door blue, and then used some Europe dust and Black smoke powder to very lightly weather the loading dock, and some Europe dust powder to stain down from the pipe supports (along with some matt white paint on the top of the pipe to represent bird droppings!).
     
    I was struggling to decide how to do the signage and came across the free Scalescenes warehouse download which included all the signs I needed... an added bonus it also included perfect roller shutter doors so these were duly cut out and applied using spray mount.
     
    Looking at the model it still didn't look right so I ended up cutting up the 'concrete apron' from the Scalescenes factory and using spray mount applied this to the loading dock.
     
    Here we are with current progress... showing all this work to great effect.
    I'm really pleased with the finish so far - nice and subtle but definitely work worn.


     
    So what's next? Well a new roof and some steps down from the loading dock... and then decide how to do the concrete infill without ruining the finish on the building!
  8. James Hilton
    Sometime it's hard to sit down and work on a layout until you've got a baseboard built so how do you fill the odd hour here or there?
     
    Well this week I've been assembling all my Easytrack (half as OO, the other half is for Rose Hill so is P4). It's quite straightforward but leads to sore fingers sliding the rail through the moulded sleeper bases. The effect is worth it though, it looks superb. Even the OO is fantastic and I've got myself down for point construction in 2010!
    So what next? Over Christmas I suspect I'll sketch out the baseboard plans with Dad back at the family home, and work out if I'll need to operate a little selective compression to get Rose Hill fitted within the area constraint of the challenge (and the area constraint of my garage!)
     
    Today was an early Christmas celebration with some friends so not much modelling time - however I did escape down to the Churnet Valley Railway first thing this morning with my 2 year old daughter - very atmospheric and great fun!
     
    Cheddleton depot and station on 13/12/09 about 10am, still frost on the ground and with steam leaking out of the coaches 5199 (a Llangollen loco I believe) awaits with the first Santa special of the day whilst the NCB shunter warms up on the depot.


     
    A distraction this week has been a scratchbuilt BMX bike. I wanted to see if it was possible to fabricate something delicate enough and in proportion - and it is! This is the result of an hours work, and uses 0.45 wire for the forks, headtube, top and downtube, and 0.35mm wire for the handlebars and rear triangles. I'm stuck on what to use for the wheels though, they need to be about 8mm diameter... any ideas? I plan to make two, one for each layout as there will be some dirt jumps modelled in the woods on Paxton Road.
     
    After taking the photos I realise I should have included something for scale - the rear triangle is 5mm across the bottom, and the top tube is 7mm long... i.e. this is tiny!


     
    I must be mad!
    Next up, I'm going to finish off the station building and start scratchbuilding some of the platform furniture for Rose Hill (seating and bike boxes) along with further work on Paxton Road's warehouse!
  9. James Hilton

    The mainline 09...

    By James Hilton,

    I've been keeping this one a secret for nearly 6 months...
    Ever since members day in the summer I've worked on this model and finally this month I can show you guys on here how I created it! Not until the next issue of Model Rail is out though so for now enjoy this teaser snap taken on Paxton Road on a summers day in 1998.
    09007 shunts the MOD vans whilst 33019 brings in some wagons for a weekend possession on the mainline.

     
    Keep your eyes peeled on my Workbench thread between Christmas and New Year for the full story and in the meantime head down to your local newsagents and pick up the December issue of Model Rail!
  10. James Hilton
    I've been keeping a project under my hat since Members Day this year where I picked up a model of 09006 from the Bachmann trade stand for a bargain price...
     
    Over the following 8 weeks I transformed her into a model of 09007, complete with my trademark step modification and scratchbuilt hi-level brake pipes. I faded and weathered the bodywork and took step by step photos. After I approached Ben Jones at Model Rail, I wrote it all up for an article and today, I finally saw the fruit of my labour this morning stood in WHSmiths!! 4 pages in the December issue, I ended up buying 4 copies so I can distribute them around my family...
     
    The title page of my article - proud - hell yeah!

     
    So that's fame - here's the next step... You've probably read about my 2010 challenge layout, Rose Hill - in P4. Well the trackwork arrived today and along with the P4 Easytrack bases, I ordered some OO ones to see the differences between P4, finescale OO and Peco Code 75 so this evening I built up a set of each.
     
    Left to right - OO Easytrack Code 83 flatbottom concrete sleeper, OO Peco Code 100 flatbottom wooden sleeper, OO Easytrack Code 75 bullhead wooden sleeper and P4 Easytrack Code 75 bullhead wooden sleeper. Visually P4 blows OO out the water, and the Easytrack does the same to the Peco track.

     
    Move round from end on though and the difference becomes hardly noticeable between the Easytrack P4 and OO. Peco still a poor relation.

     
    So the next step? Is it a wholescale switch to P4? No I don't think so - yet. The likelihood is Paxton Road Mk2 will use Easytrack and stay OO. Hmmm, maybe... or maybe not...
    What have i started!!
  11. James Hilton
    An exciting looking pair of parcels arrived this morning, just after I got home from town rather chuffed to find my article in Model Rail (see my other blog)...
     
    A long thin tube and a big jiffy bag nicely labelled up from Exactoscale! My P4 track components (and gauges) plus some OO stuff to compare as well!
    Then I had to go out so I spent the whole day itching to read my article and put together a few trial sections of P4 track.
     
    I finally managed it about 6pm this evening and after a quick check of the Pacer's back to back I connected up my controller for an inaugral run... and success! The Pacer moved from one end of the 0.5m section to the other!! Excellent.
     
    The Pacer and progress on Rose Hill to date - slow but steady. This end on shot will be possible on the finished layout thanks to the plan to be able to view on 3 sides, including the bufferstops.

     
    The track goes together very easily. I opted to try steel rail this time, which seems ok so far, and a lovely realistic colour to it! The Exactoscale components are well packaged and nicely moulded and a 0.5m section like this goes together in about 5 minutes. I could build all the track I need for Rose Hill in under an hour!
     
    Here are couple of other shots just to show how excited I am - and impressed with the increased fidelity for virtually no increase in pain. Mind you this layout doesn't need any points - so that's a bridge left to cross before I throw myself completely to the finescale wind!


     
    Hopefully over Christmas I'll put together some base boards to allow progress to start on scenery. Before then I should really work out how much I'm compressing the plan by! Oh well. Mustn't be distracted by the myriad of other projects on my workbench!
  12. James Hilton
    It might not look like much but I feel I've reached a milestone this evening...
     
    At this rate it's a good thing I'm building just a single line terminus! Nevertheless the first car of my Pacer is at a point where it can be painted.
    Full side on view showing overall progress to date!

     
    Work has been quite extensive - perhaps not as far as some have gone, but I've chosen to work on the things that will make the largest visual difference.
    On the front ends I've replaced the handrails, added the roof aerial, replaced the fender, added a coupling (with pipework) and fabricated replacement steps.


     
    On the back I've added a replacement exhaust stack (that links down to the underside of the floor) and support brackets (fiddly).


     
    In addition, and as can be seen in the photos, I've re-wheeled her for P4, modified the wheelset framing (to represent the heavier duty spring bases) and worked a little on the interior, as well as adding full door handrails using .45 and .35mm wire.
     
    Next up is bringing the second car up to scratch before I put them through the paint booth to appear as 142036 in Northern livery... unless I'm distracted by the Mainline 58 or new sound class 37 over Christmas!
  13. James Hilton
    Well unlike some other people I've had less modelling productivity this weekend...
     
    Apart from ordering all my P4 bits and bobs last week, very exciting, and my Christmas present arriving on Saturday (the Railfreight 37 with sound and a Dynamis controller) it's been a quieter week. Prior to the present wrapping evening ahead of me I dug out my Pacer for some modelling relaxation and to see what I could do in 20 minutes. Rather than start on the second car fitting handrails (which can easily swallow two evenings) I looked for something quicker and easier...
     
    My eventual plans for this model see headlights and interior lighting fitted - and with that in mind I decided it was probably a good idea to do a good job on the interior. A thought whilst being dragged around John Lewis earlier about using staples for the seat back handrails materialised this evening and I'm really pleased with it!!
    Simple - No. 25 and No. 26 staples, seperated up and superglued to the chair backs.

     
    Next up is a repaint into Northern colours and progressing the bodies next week.
    Then I really ought to stop putting off the baseboard building and work out what I'm doing in that department!!!
  14. James Hilton

    Big boys toys...

    By James Hilton,

    Sometimes you know it's ridiculous, sometimes you know it is a waste of money, sometimes you know there are some fundamental flaws in the model - but sometimes you're just very very tempted!
     
    The Barclaycard is in for a bashing. I've wanted a DCC sound locomotive for some time, and after taking some advice on the best RTR options I'm on the brink of breaking the seal and dipping my toe in DCC as well as sound for the first time.
     
    I've had a soft spot for 25/3s after seeing the one at Llangollen a lot in my childhood. Now that sounds wierd doesn't it! Remembering a locomotive in preservation and being nostalgic about that, not seeing it on BR! Well they were still about but I don't remember them! I was all about steam and GWR as a kid!
     
    So despite the window inaccuracies, the frame inaccuracies and an aging model detail wise 25095 still ticks all the right boxes! A shabby looking messy body design, short chassis, rattly Sulzer engine...
     
    So what to get to go with her? I'm thinking a set of the Presflo's from Hattons... but we'll see...
    At the moment it depends on whether I get my daughter the DCC trainset (with a controller) otherwise I'll need the money for a Dynamis. Either way, I'm sure my family will love all the noise on the dining room table trainset on Christmas day!
     
    So off to Fotopic for some research...
     
    At Watford Jcn, 1986
    http://sulzerphotos.fotopic.net/p25727834.html
     
    At Warrington, 1986
    http://eightiesbritishrail.fotopic.net/p53324507.html
    http://eightiesbritishrail.fotopic.net/p53324506.html
     
    At Victoria, 1986
    http://trackbasher.fotopic.net/p55956787.html
     
    At Bristol TM on Bridgewater flasks, 1986
    http://alisterbetts.fotopic.net/p38636355.html
    http://alisterbetts.fotopic.net/p35006692.html
     
    And scrapped by 1988
    http://keithmiller.fotopic.net/p42085796.html
     
    Am I mad? Probably
     
  15. James Hilton
    A flurry of activity on the Rose Hill project over the last few days and after the inspiration last Friday, and a day or two to mull things over I ordered my first P4 bits...
     
    Thanks to Dave at Ultrascale they arrived this morning - the wheelsets to convert the Pacer. I was so excited I had to test fit one of the driving sets before I even took a photo!!
    I've not yet got the trackwork and gauges ordered - so can't prepare the wheelsets properly as I need a back to back, but the visual improvement over the Hornby originals is staggering. I just hope the mechanism isn't too dissappointing. I test ran it in OO mode and I was happy so it should be fine. I'll need to work out a way of adding a pick up to the rear wheelset without too much drag though as this bears on the axle which is now completely insulated from the wheel tyres.
     
    P4 wheelset kit - ready to build up and a comparison in the top left corner, incredible visual improvement!

     
    and the first driving wheel fitted to test clearances and if this is going to work!

     
    Other progress on the Pacer has been slow - although I've started working on a front coupling. I scoured Hornby spares and Bachmann spares to get a version of their recent Sprinter releases to no avail - so have resorted to scratchbuilding. However I'm quite impressed and I think with painting and weathering it will more than look the part
     
    Scratchbuilt coupling, I can't find anything better on the market.

     
    The last bit of progress to report is the fitting of half the roof to the station building. More recent research has shown that I've actually scaled down the building a little too much - it's about 4 or 5' shorter than the prototype. I'm trying to decide if this is actually a good thing and means I can scale down the whole area slightly to keep the build under more manageable proportions. I know this is P4 but it's not my usual style to go 100% prototypical - more if it looks right it probably is... with this in mind I need to decide over the coming weeks if it's a comprimise I'm willing to put up with or if I need to rebuild.
    Anyhow - the dissappointment is the pantile embossed plasticard from Slaters is very poor. There brickwork is excellent and very easy to work with hence why I plumped for the roof tiles - however they just don't have enough relief. Any suggestions? I'm really at a loss at present how to build these without having to resort to complete scratchbuilding!! Help!
     
    Dissappointing - the Slaters pantile embossed sheet just doesn't cut the mustard. Time for a re-think...

     
    Anyway enough of my ramblings on here. Comments and encouragement is very welcome!!
  16. James Hilton
    Well it seems to have been an age but progress on Paxton Road has been made, despite the distractions of a new project!
     
    The warehouse that was constructed right back in the dawn of the project before even the boards were built has been brought inside for 'finishing off'. The layered plasticard construction has caused a little warping in places that I've tried to put back with some thick bracing and superglue. The roof is going to need totally replacing.
     
    I've started to detail it a little now so I could get a sense of it was worth rescuing.
     

     
    The warehouse is supposed to represent a rail served MOD depot just north of Winchester at Worthy Down and is completely ficticious. Obviously the compound will be secured by security fencing and regularly patrolled by guard dogs, but in addition and in this day an age the norm, the MOD have added CCTV - two camera can be seen on the north end of the warehouse.
    These are scratchbuilt from various plastic offcuts and some etched stainless steel fret left overs.


     
    I think these look less clumsy then those available cast in white metal and I'm very pleased with them.
    In the top photo you can also see some external pipework and the CCTV control box added. I have to decide next where I'll locate exterior lights and if these will be working or not - and then I'll be onto gutters before re-roofing. I'm pleased with it so far though!
     
    Also worth mentioning is the Ratio gantry crane I've started putting together. I envisage this will be located on some hardstanding outside the warehouse to enable offloading of large items of equipment that can't be fork-lifted or driven out of the vans and opens that visit the facility. It's a very nice kit and I've been very impressed with the quality so far.
     

     
    That's all for now. Slow but steady progress - these two structures really need finishing so they can be built into the scenery as it progresses from front to back on the second half of the layout
  17. James Hilton

    One small step...

    By James Hilton,

    Just one small step... that's all this is - one small toe dipped in the P4 water...
     
    With the excuse of the 2010 challenge I've finally decided to scratch that itch so to speak. P4 has intrigued me for a number of years with the increase in fidelity appealing to both my engineer and artistic natures. Rose Hill will be an exercise in restraint, in prototype observation and a bit of fun - not too much of a distraction from my real love - Southern region late 90's stock.
     

    photo © and (P) Stephen McKay
     
    So where is Rose Hill?
    It's perhaps the modern quintessential branch line terminus? A single line terminus, one platform, park and ride style car park situated in Marple on the outskirts of Stockport (itself on the edge of Greater Manchester). The branch is a little over a mile long and leaves the Hope Valley line (Manchester to Sheffield) after Romiley. There are about 3 services an hour into Manchester Piccadilly.
     
    I plan to model the station with the road bridge as a scenic break. I will model the carpark and fuel yard in their entirety as well as what I believe was an old Hotel on the main road.
     
    Here is a plan of what the layout will cover - easily within 13.9 sq ft with fiddle yard in 4mm.

     
    Rose Hill is not a new project for me entirely. It's been on my workbench for about 2 months as a possible layout idea. The 2010 challenge has given me the impetus to try something new (P4) and model it accurately.
    You can find my previous posts on my Paxton Road blogs here:
    A distraction... Rose Hill, Marple
    Pacesetting...
    Pacer progress...
     
    So what next? Get out the credit card and order some P4 bits...
     
    On a more serious note can I thank all of those who responded to my thread in the 2010 Challenge forum, and in particular those who have today offered a great deal of support and advice in taking the P4 plunge. Thankyou. I hope Rose Hill will be a credit to me, the scale and modern image modelling.
     
  18. James Hilton

    Pacer progress...

    By James Hilton,

    Well it's been a few weeks now since I first posted my intentions to modify a Hornby Pacer up to more modern standards and after a stint on my rake of PNAs and some structures for Paxton Road a parcel arrived from Mainly Trains...
     
    Handrail wire and short handrail knobs! Just what I had been waiting for - and an excuse to get the Pacer back out.
    I've removed all the plastic handrails and replaced with wire on one unit so far, it really does lift the model. I've also tidied up the doors with a knife and file to better represent the later two piece doors.
     
    Those that are following the 2010 challenge forum may have spotted my entry (or eminent entry). Rose Hill! What might come as more of a surprise is my choice of gauge - P4!!
     
    Yes P4 - I might be mad but I'll be converting this Pacer to be the sole item of stock on Rose Hill. So where a basic upgrade and repaint may have originally sufficed I feel I need to raise the game a little now.
    Ultrascale make a conversion kit for the wheel set and so I set to work with the rest of the chassis. I've removed the original front apron, and sanded down the original axle pedalstals to be flat. I've crafted up a front apron from plasticard which has worked well - it now needs the steps adding.
     
    The new front apron, modelled from prototype photos. Also note the new handrails, including additional driver ones on the door, along with a new lamp iron. The glazing is temporarily fitted to check it still fitted without modification.

     
    I've also added the modified squarerer pedalstals by adding plasticard to these carefully. These might need a little more work to make them slightly deeper and it looks like the prototype has a lip along the bottom edge I will try and craft from either thin plastic or some etched stainless steel off-cuts.
     
    A comparison shot of the original chassis at the bottom still to be worked on, and the modified chassis above.

     
    Next up is working out what to do with the exhaust on the inner ends, crafting the radio pod for the roof and deciding if the plastic block that holds the weight can be modified at all whilst still allowing some hidden weight!
  19. James Hilton
    I took a trip down to Paxton Road today as I heard that an EWS 37/4 was on the MOD job - a rarity these days. Mid morning saw the feeder service from the hub at Didcot arrive behind a battered 37411 'Keith David Hilton'. I managed to grab a few snaps during my lunch break but had to head back to work so didn't see so much of local shunter 08543 shunting the depot. As I left 37411 was stabled in the layback siding and the place was deserted. I guess there isn't too much urgency about things on a cold winters lunchtime.
     
    Hope you enjoy the snaps. 37411 is a modified and weathered Bachmann model (based on 37411) with custom name plate transfers from Precision Labels. 08543 is another modified and weathered Bachmann model (08648) with a repainted roof, rebuilt front steps plus some nice subtle weathering. All stock is modified Bachmann with weathering and detailing. The VAAs await a further trip through the workbench to sort dropping coupler and fit disc brake calipers and disc brake etchings to the wheel sets. Questions and comments welcome - I'll keep an eye on comments on this blog.
     
    37411 arriving at Paxton Road:





    It was then uncoupled, ran forward and into the loop awaiting the shunter:





    Todays resident shunter at Paxton Road is Eastleigh based 08543. A shunter is outbased here during the week - unless an 09 is rostered, in which case this trips up with the MOD working from the second hub at Eastleigh as required.





     
    Just as I was leaving I grabbed a shot of 37411 stabled:



     
    08543 shunts the newly arrived vans into the headshunt for the MOD sidings:



  20. James Hilton
    The Hornby Pacer is an aging model with an appalling mechanism. However despite it's age and mechanical inadequacies I think it really captures the look of the prototype really really well, and am interested to see how it will respond to some gentle improvements.
     
    Rose Hill is a slow burn project - and I've settled on no specific stock purchases (although if successful I may splash out on a 101 and 150!!) and so my original Pacer was dug out from Mum and Dad's a few weeks ago for evaluation as potential stock for the layout.
     
    In summary the model served me well on my first layout, after the two cars were permanently wired together - and it was modified with kadees each end and some weathering. Less successful was the addition of toilet windows and corridor connection.
     
    So what's the plan?
     
    In brief a phased approach to create a model of contemporary standards! I've split this into distinct stages...
     
    First up Bodywork...
    Replacing all moulded handrails with seperately applied wire examples.
    Fitting lamp irons to cab fronts.
    Improving folding doors.
    Adding radio pod to cab roofs.
    Improving exhaust representation on inside ends.
    Modifiy and improve toilet window glazing.
    Look at flusher glazing cab front windows.
    Modify front fairing to include automatic coupler.
    Add Kadee couplers to inside ends and close couple units.
    Add a corridor connection between the units (to disguise the wire connection).
    Repaint into Northern livery (with custom transfers from John at Precision Labels).
     
    I've gathered all the raw materials together, and have stripped down the model to it's component parts. Here are some photos of where we stand at the minute!
     



     
    This is as far as I intend to take the model at this stage of Rose Hill. Once Rose Hill nears completion I will look to improve the performance of the model.

    Secondly mechanical...
    I intend to fit the Highlines motor/gearbox/flywheel chassis improvement to one of the cars (which includes trailing axles too) and fit an unpowered version in the second car. This may need some extra weight adding to the drive car to enable decent performance.
     
    Finally DCC and lighting...
    Finally if the chassis improvements work and performance is improved I would love to take it to another level by adding lighting, both to the head and tail lights and the interiors using a kit available from Express Models.

    I usually have a few models in progress at any one time, and this along with building structures for Rose Hill and Paxton Road will mean this project moves very slowly. I shall update again once the model is ready for painting.

  21. James Hilton
    When Heljan released the Class 58 a year or so ago I swore I wouldn not buy one, until some kind soul posted a video link of one shunting an engineers rake during a weekend possession!! With Hattons selling them off at a bargain price I picked up a two tone grey Mainline branded example. The model runs very nicely and well captures the heavy utilitarian appearance of the prototype, but was put to the back of my modelling cupboard as a number of small niggles bothered me and meant modification was required rather than simple weathering...
     
    Out of the box the livery is well applied on the whole, although the spelling mistake in Mainline (spelt out as Mainine - comical) and the incorrect arrangement of cab window black surrounds is quite obvious - it was good to see the tricky painting of the grills in the side doors appear on this model compared tot he initial release.
     
    A read of an article in Rail Express Modeller, and a quick look around the model hi-lighted a few areas for improvement. The body side handrails were to be replaced with finer wire representations, the exhaust moulding was to have the ports drilled out, the numbers would be removed and the cab black surround modified, the model would be renumbered and then weathered to represent a locomotive circa 2000.
     
    So where are we up to?
    Well on the old forum I showed a teaser of the bodyside handrails. I've started to fit these as of this week, carefully slicing off the original plastic handrails leaving the holes plugged with the handrail moulding. I then cut down the twisted 5A fusewire eyelets to a shorter neater length, and offered this up to mark the new holes. These were carefully drilled and the handrails fitted with superglue. The long one with 6 eyelets was a pain, and some of them came free from the main handrail causing a few blue words!
     
    Photos of progress so far...
  22. James Hilton
    Paxton Road has been going over 2 years now and after a recent spurt of activity I find myself lagging a little in enthusiasm. Paxton Road is a ficticious location based in 1998-2000, depicting a small MOD depot north of Winchester on the old Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway. I really enjoy modelling modern image (well modern-ish) and modifying RTR OO equipment and I also love Class 33s and Mainline freight livery which led me to the Southern location. One thing I miss though is the ability to base my model on the real thing; structures, scenery, setting, trackwork etc.
     
    I've been thinking recently about a photo plank style layout (seeing Jon's Brookeshire planks), to practice some scenic techniques. Unlike Paxton Road I would like this to be based on a prototype, a bit like RGR's Mossley Terrace from the old RM web. Living in Macclesfield I have regularly ridden my bike on the Middlewood Way but never all the way to Marple, and a little Googling after seeing a photo of a 101 in 'A Decade of Change' book on the Piccadilly - Rose Hill trip and Rose Hill seemed to be the perfect solution.
     
    Rose Hill is a single line terminus. The line comes off the mainline and travels about 2 miles down to Rose Hill. There is no loop or run around, just a single platform and building which houses a waiting room and part time ticket office. What makes it even more perfect is the road bridge (great scenic break).
     
    However to scale I'd need 10+ feet, and this amount of space just isn't available. This is supposed to be a quick project to get something finished and keep up motivation so things will be selectively compressed to about a 4' (max) scenic board with small bolt on cassette style fiddle yard.
     
    Stock movements are limited. The line is served by 150/1 and 142s (previously the last place to find the 101s) at least these are relatively short units. I'm lucky in that I have a first release Hornby Pacer (in original provincial blue) and a first release Bachmann 158. Both of these will be usable on the layout with a little work (repainting/detailing for the Pacer - possibly some minor mechanical upgrade, and just detailing for the 158). In addition I'll source a First NorthWestern Bachmann 150.
    Here are some photos of the stock fresh from being picked up from my parents home this weekend?



     
    The layout will not use any 'ready to plant' structures - the only off the shelf scenic material are likely to be some fencing with the building, bridge and bike lock up compounds to be fabricated from scratch. The layout will be deep enough to model the cutting so you'll view the station through a few trees and scrub with the cutting sloping down into the layout away from the baseboard edge.
     
    I've made a start on the station building. This has been selectively compressed to better fit the shorter platform, but maintains the character of the original. It will be finished to a high specification with signage and posters attached as finishing touches.
    Here is the work in progress, totally scratchbuilt from various grades and offcuts of plasticard.



     
    The last remaining question surrounds the possibility of using DCC and potentially sound - which would make this far from a cheap distraction but certainly a good place to experiment with a limited scope so to avoid massive expense in this area!
     


  23. James Hilton
    I've had two of the Bachmann PNA wagons (a 5 and a 7 rib) for nearly 18 months and they've never before appeared on my workbench!
     
    These are good quality, value for money models of a nice mundane prototype. Perfect for Paxton Road - which is endeavouring to permeate averageness and mundane in it's environs, scenery and rolling stock (if not in quality of finish and modelling!). The Bachmann model uses their TTA underframe, as did a batch of the prototype wagons. Unfortunately it does not accurately portray the brunninghaus spring arrangement - and when I discovered this the models took a back seat on my project list! The prototype are all currently stored, but were in regular use during the timeframe of Paxton Road, usually in block trains - and often for material and spoil removal.
     
    I needed a work stained and weathered wagon to be left in one of the sidings on Paxton Road, so a PNA was hastily pulled out and weathered, along with the interior being rusted up and some ballast remains added to the interior. Despite this the underframe still bugged me.

     
    I bought a copy of Nigel Burkin's excellent book, 'Making the best of ready to run models: Modern Wagons in 4mm Scale', which covers the type in some detail. I realised the springs were available from S-kits as an aftermarket white metal casting and splashed out on enough sets for my fleet of 4 PNAs. The chassis modification is actually really simple.
     
    Chassis Modification - Step by Step
    1. Carefully remove the brake lever from each side, and store safely out of the way.
    2. Using a sharp blade slice through the existing spring moulding where it meets the hanger, leaving the hanger in place.
    3. Slice out the spring moulding a section at a time, being careful to avoid nicking the body of the wagon (or your fingers).
    4. Remove the spring hangers and axle boxes from the S-kits mouldings.
    5. Superglue the new springs into position. Note there is a small gap between the spring and the hanger. This is un-avoidable but is not noticeable at normal viewing distances.
    6. Re-attach the brake levers with superglue.
     

     
     

     
    This should leave you with a model that reflects the correct chassis for the prototype, and ready for weathering.
    On one of my models I also replaced the moulded lamp brackets with thin stainless steel (etch off-cuts) but didn't think this added enough visually to carry over to the other wagons.
     
    Weathering starts with the chassis, then interior, then body sides and then an overall wash if required.
     
    Chassis Weathering - Step by Step
    1. Starting with a medium brush, apply a quick wash of thinners to the chassis frame - avoiding the axle blocks.
    2. Use Humbrol 98 (matt chocolate) and apply liberally, occassionally cleaning your brush and adding a little thinners. This should give a dirty but translucent effect so you can still make out the works plate.
    3. Use Humbrol 98 neat on the new spring assemblys and axle blocks. Apply neat to the buffer beams, and buffers.
    4. Use Humbrol 98 with some thinners on the brake rigging, so that the white remains visible, but dirty.
    5. Use Humbrol 98 neat on the chassis brake rigging.
    6. Use Humbrol 98 neat and paint the front face, back face and axle of both wheelsets. Avoid getting paint on the wheel tread, and if you do carefully remove with another brush moistened in thinners.
    7. When dry you can apply a very delicate touch of Mig weathering powders. I use Europe Dust on the brake shoes to represent brake dust, and then use Black Smoke on some of the chassis frame to add some shadow.
    8. Apply some silver to the buffer shanks.
    9. Mix some Humbrol 53 (Gunmetal) with Humbrol 98 about 25/75%. Paint the buffer heads. Whilst these are still wet stipple on Black Smoke weathering powder.
     

     
    At this stage your model should have started to look more realistic and certainly less toy like - we're well beyond the point of no-return yet with such a cheap model to start with this should not be of concern, and hopefully you're confidence has grown.
    We're now ready to tackle the interior of the wagon. If you study prototype shots you'll see that the interior quickly gets rusty, dusty and in generally unkempt condition. The sides are often quite rusty and scuffed, with some 'tide' marks where a load has been present. The base often appears lighter as it's more dusty with some remnants of it's previous load - these wagons were loaded and unloaded by mechanical grab. Some useful photos were posted by Mark and Brian on my original request for help thread here on the old forum.

     
    Interior Weathering - Step by Step
    1. The base of the interior is a good enough base for weathering but the inside sides and ends need painting. I use Humbrol 98 (Matt Chocolate) and some Humbrol 60 (Matt Red), and a spot of Humbrol 33 (Matt Black) to mix up a rusty dirty colour. This is then applied to the insides adjusting the tone slightly by varying the proportions of the mix as you go.
    2. The floor will also need weathering. Study photographs and determine the type of ballast or spoil previously carried as this dry dusty load will have deposited a film on top of the rust.
    I decided on a light grey (Humbrol 64) and a little orange (Humbrol 82), mixed with a small amount of thinners and varied across the floor.
    3. The remnants of it's last load are produced by applying some neat PVA glue in the corners, and in roughly the position where a mechanical grab would miss, and then applying ballast of your choice. I chose granite.
    Now the chassis and interior are suitably distressed the final piece in the jigsaw is tacking the body. If you study photographs of the prototype (either in Nigel's book - or online on Gareth Bayer or Martyn Read's sites) you'll find that they appear to be generally dirty, but the info panels have been cleaned up - and also that the dirt is quite uniform, something that a beginner and an airbrush might struggle to achieve. I use a really simple basic technique that is surprisingly effective. This works on this type of wagon because the base colour is quite similar to the weathered colour, and would not give such a good effect on a lighter or brighter wagon.
    Bodywork weathering - Step by Step
    1. This really is a two step process. Apply some thinners to one or two body panels at a time. Add a little Humbrol 98 (Matt Chocolate) to the brush and 'mix' on the panel until uniform. Don't worry if this appears slightly uneven and transparent. I find this adds to the effect. Use Humbrol 98 neat along the top sides.
    2. Whilst this is still damp use a dry clean cotton bud and clean up the data panel and the blue works stencil, and the min curve and loose shunting signs.

    I know this photo shows the model with the incorrect springs - but as is life my PNAs are a work in progress and I've not finished the body on the wagons that have a finished chassis!
    You should now have a PNA that definitely looks the part, and with a little work a short rake could be assembled, happy to be towed behind your EWS 66 (or similar) or just stashed in a siding full of debris awaiting collection after a weekend occupation and track renewal work elsewhere.
     
     
     
     
  24. James Hilton
    Well the old stuff is still live and available on the old forum, CLICKY CLICKY, but I thought to start off the blog it would be good to recap a little, so here we are - the history and development of a small scenic shunting plank...
     
    Paxton Road started life back in September 2007, my return to modelling spurred on by the arrival of my first child and a realisation that the track day car project was a non-starter! I should explain that Paxton Road is actually a childhood memory adaptation - and I'm not a Spurs fan!
     

     
    With the realisation that I didn't have much space I shopped around for minimum space ideas - and a 6'x1' grew to 7' x 18" plus! I used brown wrapping paper and cardboard models plus some old track to work out if it would work and spent an enjoyable evening pushing stock around on the floor!
     
    You may notice the distinct lack of a layout fiddleyard - at either end - the layout was originally conceived as a shunting plank to fit in with the rules of the 2007 challenge. The size increased but the fiddleyards were never added to the design. The layout can be operated by anything from an 08/09 up to a Class 58 and still be 'shuntable'.
     
    The initial scribblings were based on a industrial estate railway - similar to Trafford Park, with the excuses of van traffic and short trains in a gritty location. However things quickly headed Southern with my new found love of the Heljan Class 33.
    Research showed MOD workings also used short trains with small vans - perfect for a space starved modeller - so the layout concept was set as a small MOD establishment receiving explosives and general merchandise in largely van traffic but potentially the odd open.
     
    Paxton Road had just been 'somewhere in the Southern region' until I was browsing a book on the Didcot Newbury and Southampton railway. I read about Worthy Down, just north of Winchester and it's part in WW2. I summised it's importance continued after the war and when the rest of the line was abandoned the chord built during the war for access from the GWR to the Southern, just north of Winchester, remained open as far as Sutton Scotney - although abandoned any further north than Worthy Down. Paxton Road is the ficticious name of the road that crosses the line on an overbridge (the centre of the layout).
     

     
    The baseboards were built using some foam insulation board after reading about in Pugsley's 2007 challenge layout thread. This proved lightweight and fairly stiff, but does have drawbacks - being hard to fit wiring and point motors. This foamboard was framed with 9mm plywood - cheap stuff from a DIY place - I'd use decent marine ply next time. Underside was strengthened, and the sides cut deeper than the foam board to allow wiring to be tucked out of harms way.
     
    Trackwork is Peco Code 75 (with short radius electrofrog points - another thing I'd not do next time - definitely worth medium or large radius if you can afford the space) which was laid on some grey foam I had from work - about 4mm deep deep this would give a realistic height for the road bed above the surrounding landscape and give a nice ballast shoulder - something missing on a lot of layouts which does impact the realism in my opinion.
     
    I really wanted to do a good job on the scenics of this one - and although I'd inherited a large quantity of Woodscenics scatter I was drawn to static grass - which I'd see in Model Railway Journal and on layouts like Cement Quay and Chittle. Not wanting to splash out on a static applicator I took the plunge and ordered some ready made 'grass mat' and 'static grass tufts' from International Models (Silflor is the brand) - which led me to the Noch puffer bottle at a later date.
     

     

     
    Which brings us bang up to date with my last update on the old RMWeb. A major milestone - 2 years on and first half, all 3' of it, is 'about' finished! It's been an interesting two years. In the same time I've churned out a fair number of models on my workbench, some of which have been moved on and others still prized possesions. I do enjoy the layout and scenics, but I find myself split between that and modifying ready to run stock and weathering - so one day I'll get there with Paxton Road - and probably with too much stock!
     

     

     
    Thanks for reading! I hope you'll visit again to see how we go from here on this, my new layout blog!
  25. James Hilton
    Well here we are - a new RM web and a new era. This will make keeping projects easier to organise, but as the end of an old era it seems apt to review where I've come from and my progress on the old forum. Read on for the index to my existing rolling stock projects...
    33207 (now sold)

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a#p188025"
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=25#p227636
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=25#p232141
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=250#p614427
     
    08683

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a#p221113
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a#p222084
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=25#p239758
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=125#p472612
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=125#p474051
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=125#p484903
     
    08543

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=25#p249686
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&p=661713#p661713
     
    33108

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a#p222084
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=25#p224264
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=25#p232141
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=50#p264799
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p600288
     
    57008 (now sold)

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=50#p282599
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=50#p284341
     
    37013

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=50#p308793
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=50#p318188
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75#p319972
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75#p322300
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p586457
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p598203
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p600291
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=275#p685597
     
    47744 (now sold)

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75#p342147
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75#p354020
     
    37411

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&p=532922#p508922
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&p=532922#p532922
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&p=539046#p539046
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=175#p539960
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&p=540792#p540792
     
    33019

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=200#p567665
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=200#p570183
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=200#p570615
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=200#p570768
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=225#p582523
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=225#p583504
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p600288
     
    58009 - coming soon!
     
    VAA/VBA/VDA vans


    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75#p345553
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p598203
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p600288
     
    Seacows



    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=100#p378605
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=100#p379368
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=225#p598203
     
    BDA

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=150#p503990
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&p=532922#p508922
     
    OCA

    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12152&start=200#p559068
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