James Hilton

I used 0.4mm nickel silver wire provided in Ratio kits as you always get a few lengths extra... you can see it on the EWS example. This was because I had a damaged handrail (like you). I only changed the side shown in the photos. I bent it to length first, then mounted the middle supports in the body, protruding by the same distance and in line. I then added the long handrail and used superglue to attach to the intermediate supports. I thought this was easier then trying to fabricate in brass, then precision drill 4 holes in line!

The black 08 is looking really nice now and the greasy rods are really nicely captured. I think the underframe itself could do with being a bit more gungy - I find adding powders to wet paint works well

Lovely - I can't wait for my Sentinel to arrive now! I may well be asking for some advice as I put it together Do transfers/nameplates come with the kit or are they available? I'm wondering about getting John at Precision Labels to make some up for me when I get mine through - I don't fancy doing the wasp stripes on the MSCR shunters by hand!

The 26 looks lovely...... always fancied one myself! Totally unjustifiable for me!

Thanks! Yes I'm looking forward to putting the interior together. I'm wondering how to model the strip lights at the moment. I can't find a working solution suitable for 4mm - as I also wanted some in the inspection pit

The same as this shed at Ellesmere Port... http://j-eyres.fotopic.net/p48060667.html and this one at Barton Dock Road... http://j-eyres.fotopic.net/p39404196.html Ellesmere Port's shed was used to maintain the Sentinels based there and at Stanlow. Staff used to come out from Mode Wheel to do the work. Barton Dock Road was established when the swing bridge was taken out of use and engines based at Trafford Park couldn't get back to Mode Wheel for servicing... So basically - light servicing of the areas shunters. Why?

The Concept? So now you've read the inspiration and learnt a little history. Logically I should share the concept before I get into the murky depths of random modelling blog posts! I have an Ikea book shelf in my study. For a long time I've pondered about building a little diarama to sit on it - originally thinking OO and using it as a photo plank. I'm not quite sure what kicked off the interest in the MSC really, but this little foray in to P4 seemed to fit on the shelf top without having to worry about the physical size of my other P4 project (Rose Hill). The track plan is really simple and something I've had in mind for a while, combining one point with a sector plate and cassette/traverser. Note the hidden sidings shown in the second plan (on the left of the scenic section) will not exist as the shed will feature a fully detailed interior Complications A little quandry comes from the fact that it fits perfectly within the realm of the 2010 Challenge!! It even has five new elements for me (P4, track construction, point construction, etched kit construction and aiming to finish something!). Whether or now I swap my entry will depend on progress on this and Rose Hill in the coming weeks. A further complication is that with a little tweaking to the planned size the layout would fit within the S4 Society's Armchair challenge! Future Expansion One thing I am concious of at this stage is the opportunity for future expansion and with this in mind I'll be building the baseboards using decent alignment dowels - despite currently only planning a simple set of fiddleyards. Current thinking is that with a little more space I could model the exchange sidings with BR, off to the right of the plan (instead of the sector plate) and further again I could build a fiddleyard off the back left track and a further scenic expansion off the front left track, perhaps serving another refinery. Still following me? Good. I'm not crazy then! Questions, comments, support and more information always welcomed

The end of the line? The Manchester Ship Canal needs no introduction – and to those interested in industrial railways neither does it’s significant sprawling web of rails – not only dock side but real lines linking places and businesses to both the canal and the wider rail network.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Ship_Canal  By the early 1980s the system and the canal were in serious decline, and the small fleet of diesel hydraulic Sentinels and diesel mechanical Hudswell Clark's were mainly involved with oil and containerised traffic, with hubs reduced to Ellesmere Port (serving the oil refineries at Stanlow and Eastham) and Mode Wheel (serving Lancashire Tar Distillers and Trafford Park). When the Barton Railway Swingbridge no.2 was shut in 1981 it was inevitable that Mode Wheel would shut (1988) and new facilities were established at Barton Road (next to Kelloggs) and at Lancashire Tar Distellers near Weaste junction. In 1991 Peel Holdings acquired a declining, derelict and run down canal and railway system and looked to re-vitalise the Trafford Park area and re-develop the docks. The railway eeked out an existence and saw in it's centenary during 1994, but with closure of the Lancashire Tar Distillers facility railway operation north of the canal ceased in the same year. Operations at Ellesmere Port lasted a few more years but in 1996 the lines were mothballed with a decline in rail traffic to the refineries and the engines sold on to new homes. So, without fuss or ceremony ended 102 years of the Manchester Ship Canal Railway. Timeline of decline... 1967 - Line to Eastham laid at Ellesmere Port 1972 - Salford dock railways closed 1978 - Through route from Weaste to Cadishead shut 1981 - Last locomotive uses Barton Railway swing bridge No.2 - system severed 1981 - Partington Coaling Basin closed 1982 - Barton Dock Road shed opened (next to Kelloggs) for Trafford Park 1988 – Mode Wheel closes 1991 – Peel Holdings 1994 - Centenary of Canal and Railway 1994 – Operation North of the Canal ceases with Lanc Tar Distillers closing 1996 – Ellesmere Port operation ceases Photos of the prototype... http://j-eyres.fotopic.net/c1374075_1.html http://murrayliston.fotopic.net/c1027937.html http://industrialrailwaysofthenorth.fotopic.net/c1711248.html http://www.shipsofthemersey.photos.me.uk/c1777293.html http://glazebrookeast.fotopic.net/c1547689.html http://www.geoffspages.co.uk/raildiary/nwind/index.htm http://picasaweb.google.com/montyburns56/TraffordParkEstatesRailway?fgl=true&pli=1# Photos taken at Ellesemere Port, February 2010... Rail operations at Ellesmere Port have re-started with imported coal being brought in, not from the original Cawoods dock facility, but at a wharf at the old Bowaters plant. A Freightliner 66 was observed hauling a loaded train away from the facility, a shadow of the former MSC Railway - but not forgotten. Next up is the concept... comments, questions, help, advice, memories - please post them all up for me - they'll all help

Tom.... WOW - this is incredible if it was 4mm - but 2mm!! WOW Fantastic modelling, observation of colour and scenics. Top marks!

Martin amazing attention to detail and a captivating read. Thankyou for sharing in so much detail and I can't wait to watch this model progress

Hi Martin - thanks! a hissy tape would be much more appropriate wouldn't it!! Haha you've spotted my anal attention to detail, yeah they're the Esso ones... although I think I'm going to do a Shell BP one first. I've only found a Mobil one for sale (at Kernow) so not sure whether to go for that or wait until the new batch from Bachmann arrive. I'm not in a big rush for that yet I've another post waiting to make but I'm getting a bit frustrated with the gallery upload thingamy so will wait until it's sorted

That really does look lovely Brian - when is the weathering gear coming out?!! I'm really hoping Heljan mess up the 33 otherwise I feel an 0 gauge distraction becoming a bit more of a reality - and I really really don't need any more modelling distractions!

Dave this looks wonderful. I remember having a lovely big roundy roundy that I built with my Dad as a kid. Although I don't have the space for something like this (or the money!) I love looking at other peoples, and I'm very jealous. Despite growing organically it's slowly getting more and more realistic and the steel works looks another great fun location.

Thanks guys... Will - yes it does mean I'm going ahead with the project (and since it can be based indoors it'll probably move quite quickly). I will start with building the Sentinel and depending how that goes will determine if it's a go-er or not to be honest. Update from Charlie at DC Kits is that the motor bogie arrived from Australia last week so is just clearing customs before he gets it, packages her up with the kit and sends on to me! Rich - thank you. I've deliberately started this with 'inspiration'. I thought if I could somehow capture what I'm trying to recreate in my minds eye, see it, hear it then I stand a good chance of pulling off something worth sharing with the world. I'm constantly motivated by others modelling (at whatever level) and like to share mine - and I hope with the passage and sketches I've actually captured a few of my readers imaginations as well. For those that haven't guessed - the year is 1983. The XR3i will be a Oxford Diecast model (tweaked and detailed) and the diarama will have a speaker mounted in the workshop... only kidding - although I guess I could have a CD of the Smith's first album on loop along with some seagulls and other industrial noises mixed in playing quietly in the back ground?! I was 3 in 1983 so it's not really a living memory. I do remember the industrial railways at Bristol Docks (another potential future project!) from my childhood summers staying with my Nana at Ashton Gate and walking down to see Henbury, the SS Great Britain and the 'yellow diesel' at the Weston Fuel Co! Funny how you remember certain things. Anyhow - with this layout it's a chance to have a go at P4, kit construction, point construction, super detail and actually finish it. Guess what I was listening to last night whilst flicking through books on the MSC Railway?!!! Yup - the Smiths.

Inspiration? Now picture this, a warm balmy summer day. The air is warm but not sticky, comfortable t-shirt weather. Bright blue skies, windows down and the low burble of the exhaust of your brand new Escort XR3i. A light breeze is blowing across the meadow and a short horn blast sharpens your senses as a small 0-4-0 Sentinel shunter ambles across in front of you with a short train of work worn fuel tanks, reminding you that these days this is oil country. As you rumble over the tracks into the yard you crane your head to catch a glimpse down the overgrown tracks towards the exchange sidings, desperate for a glimpse of something more exotic then the usual Rat. Parking up in the shade of the building, the quiet calmness of the weekday afternoon reminds you of those long summer afternoons of your childhood. The gentle melody of Morrisey creeps into your consciousness as the workshop radio plays This Charming Man through an open door. A quick look around and the place is deserted so you grab a few photos, soak up the atmosphere before jumping back in the car and heading home, quite oblivious to the significance of recording the Indian Summer of these mundane industrial workings.

No - it's 'out of the box' Peco Code 75. I say 'out of the box' as I did modify the pointwork by removing the odd diagonal timbers, and cutting the points in the crossing so that I could get a more realistic space between the running lines in the loop. Now the old RMweb is back have a browse through my old layout thread and you can see the development http://www.rmweb.co.....php?f=9&t=6868 Specifically this post for the pointwork modification: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6868&start=50#p261797

Ooh this sounds interesting. It'd be good to see a photo showing them in relation to a known household object or perhaps some 4mm rolling stock. My head is struggling to see how big this stuff would be!

look forward to reading them

Neil I have wondered about doing a little diarama with my Exactoscale OO track - something akin to Weston Road whereby the backscene can be formed by rakes of wagons with locos or the subject of the photos posed in the foreground... thanks for the nudge! Jan - thankyou I hope that some of the ideas and tecniques I've used over the last two years on these three will help with your model Lukasz, Chris - thankyou! I think you've both picked up on something here - the shunter is so 'every day' that we all rush to model the big locos, the celebrities and forget what gives a model real character is really caputuring people's imagination. I hope my treatment of these shunters does that, there is nothing over the top or shouts 'look at me'. They're quietly earning there keep and the consistency in my approach and choice of materials has given them a work worn uniformity. I hadn't really appreciated how important this is until I parked these three together. They were all done and worked on at different times yet coming together still look part of the same scene. Glad to have helped/inspired/whatever! I just really enjoy modelling and sharing my techniques and results with others!

One day! I think I'd need a handrail bending jig to get all the grabs consistent - that's why I've never tried. I find the white paint makes them thicker too as the grey ones on 08543 seem thinner because they're body coloured! The great thing with modelling with this frame of mind is that you never finish! There is always just one more improvement to make

Hi Neil - you know me and weathering, it's nothing complicated. I use Humbrol paints (faves are Matt Black 33, Matt Chocolate 98 and Gunmetal 53), and Mig powders (Black Smoke mostly, with a touch of Europe Dust used to represent brake dust occasionally). The EWS and Mainline gronks have a faded varnish added - whereby you add a touch of white (or off white/sand) to the varnish before applying with an airbrush. I then added the washes and powders afterwards. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to find a prototype photo and base the fading, staining and oil fuel spills on that! Also note that sometime it's necessary to repaint to get a faded finish - the roof on 08543 is repainted from the Bachmann dark grey and is a slightly greeny grey after some well observed help from Pugsley back on RMWeb 3. Hope that helps mate! As you can see there is progression but I think the key is not being afraid to re-visit older stock and bring it up to your current abilities They look great sat on that bullhead rail - it's a real shame I didn't know about it when I built Paxton Road otherwise I'd have definitely used it in the sidings

I've a peculiar habit - nothing like that! No I mean I've a habit of revisiting older models and bringing them up to my recent standards. This is most evident when I have more than one of a locomotive type - actually that's nearly all my stock (3 08/09s, 2 33s, 3 37s and just one 58). I find working on a newer model makes me re-evaluate a previous effort and look to improve it. I guess this progression is pretty natural and is a good way for a beginner to progress - so guys, don't be afraid of re-working models you thought you'd finished - it's very satisfying. So what is all this waffling about? Yup - my brace of 08/09s. I've a thing about the Bachmann model (although I reckon all three need tweaking mechanically to improve running a little) and it responds really well to weathering and detailing. The models were completed in the order EWS, RF Grey and most recently the Mainline liveried 09 (featured in December 2009 Model Rail ). As I've done each model I've updated the previous versions and after completing the last of the three and adding wire handrails to my Pacer project I wondered if the small short Gibson handrail knobs I'd aquired for that project could be used on the 08s? The answer - as you can see, is yes! Check out the revised foot step handrails! The foot steps need modifying first (as described in the article) with plasticard to make them wider. Then you can drill 0.5mm holes at the top to fit the knobs. Once these are fitted I added 0.33mm Gibson handrail wire (easier the thread then the 0.45mm - so less fiddly). I'm really impressed - so impressed that I'm going to roll out the modification to the other pair at the same time! I've also added improved pipework under the cab and revised the vacuum pipe. I also need to add one extra air pipe to each end - and then just touch in the details. These models are ones I'm really proud of - the humble shunter and mundane appearance of all three is perfect for my layout. I think the Bachmann model, with these small modifications really comes to life. I'm planning on fitting Brassmasters rods to all three at some point this year once I master soldering with my Judith Edge Sentinel kit in the summer. After my recent 37 detailing I'm planning to revisit my model of 37013 next - but have a plan of attack on Paxton Road thought out for the next month or so to try and progress the warehouse area despite the cold weather. Questions, comments etc welcome as usual - I'll keep an eye on the comments and respond as necessary. If you're interested in the weathering finishes I can elaborate as the original posts describing the work are now on RMweb 3 which as of this week is still unavailable unfortunately.

What sort of camera are these taken on? The colours seem quite washed out with low contrast? The B+W is full of atmosphere though

Thanks Matto... Here is a close up with some notes...

Oh and shouldn't above the windscreens be green?