ullypug

But what ever are you going to do on the 4 days between the shows! Seriously, good luck. I don't envy you!

Very interesting. Here's hoping Ultrascale decide to offer some kind of wheel turning service as suggested.

Ah, but who's nose is that at 0:59?

The ongoing addition of a running line continues. Here you can see the new bridge with a bubble car where the new platform will be on the viewing side. A shot without the bubble car and the addition of a background blocker. No photoshop here! The bridge was made from cut and shut sections of the existing retaining wall, so the colours match the original bridge exactly. I didn't fancy trying to replicate the stonework from fresh. The change in levels from the original to new bridge is unfortunate, but I didn't want to destroy the original. I'm debating what to put in the foreground between the two. One of Kernow's Type 4 stone LSWR signal boxes would fit but would be a bit over the top and would have no realistic reason to be there. At the other end of the layout, I'm planning to relocate the original clay slurry loading point and add a couple of tanks as scenic blockers. Both lines behind will extend onto the fiddle yard meaning we can load a rake of tanks, rather than a couple in the original location which will be used as a coal siding/loading bank and occasional stabling point for the works shunter. One of the bubble car just to prove it's green!

Cor it's been a while hasn't it? Whereas I used to be able to count my modelling activity in hours, now it's minutes. Happy to report I've finally finished off the bubble car. Well I say finished, there's a mist of weathering, head codes to add, etc etc. I'm really pleased with the way this has turned out. Ok so you can buy a Hornby bubble car in green but that's not the point. This model means a lot to me personally because it's taken so long to build. I bought the donor unit 27 years ago when I was working at the model railway in Weston (not a bad summer job as they go) and the Craftsman conversion kit I reckon was bought from the Bristol Model Railway show about the same time (when it was still at the exhibition centre - I caught the bus I seem to recall). So we've got history. The lining is Fox transfers and having now used them twice for lining, I have to say I'm really impressed with their stuff and service - they made up a special pack of all the bits I needed. Yes I know the upper stripe should be the same thickness as the mid body stripe it being a West Country engine but I don't care! I'm still chuffed to bits with it. Glazing a mixture of flush glaze and err actual flush glazing, all secured with Johnsons Clear. Photos attached. Taken in poor light so apologies. It is green honest!

Now that's nice!

And very nice it is too. Looks a bit of a beast!

OK, so as I've mentioned in earlier posts, the intention is to convert Wheal Elizabeth to through running, whilst still being able to run as terminus when the mood takes me. Those of you who know your Cornish railway history will be aware that there were several schemes to link the Bodmin and Wadebridge line with the Par to Newquay branch, via an extension of the line from Ruthernbridge up to Roche (Victoria). I've never actually seen the confirmed route, but analysis of the OS maps show a couple of possibilities via Withielgoose or St Wenn. None of this really matters, except such a line would have presumably seen a mixture of southern and western region stock, which is all the excuse I needed! So to the layout. The right hand end has already been modified for the new board and I've now built the left hand end board too. The greenery to the left of the existing bridge will be removed, allowing the wharf to be extended through as the running line. The existing stone bridge will then be the headshunt ( a bit like Grogley Junction). The wharf will become a station platform. The right hand end platform is going to go and be replaced by a relocated slurry loading point. This way we'll be able to load a trainload of bullets or tanks or whatever.The existing slurry siding will become a stabling/refuelling point for the works shunter. The new board will allow cassettes for one or both lines, though I may change the headshunt to plain track. All the original boards & fiddle yards have remained unchanged, so I can in theory swap around depending on the configuration required. Well that's the plan anyway. Hopefully, I'll find time after Christmas to make a start on the scenics and trackwork.

Evening all apologies for the lack of updates. Primarily due to my camera having to be repaired. I don't see the point of blog posts without photos. As the title suggests, I've got the Muir Hill Tractor to the painting stages and have managed to get something approaching a wooden appearance, after a couple of false starts. Just the transfers to add, one or two painting defects to rectify, a little light weathering and we'll be done. Clevedon has been put away for Christmas, having been wired up and now awaits construction of a panel before I can start again. Meantime, I've been playing with Wheal Elizabeth but that's another story.

No. It got scrapped. There was some talk about it going to overseas charities for emergency bridges etc, but nothing came of it. Can't remember if it was Cleveland Bridge but you could be right. Yes we did have all the tv crews there when we closed it and lots of the general public who wanted to be the last to drive over it. That privilege went to a chap who was one of the first to drive over it in the 60's. Didn't stop lots of people trying to be the last though, including an open topped bus full of male strippers trying to do the Full Monty live on the local news. I can remember the PR consultants with their heads in their hands.

Can't really believe it's been 13 years since I worked on the job to take down the flyover. It didn't do badly considering it was only supposed to be there for a couple of years. All to do with protecting St Mary Redcliffe from traffic fumes and vibration apparently. Oh and the roundabouts were designed to be a choke point, encouraging us all to abandon our cars. No I'm not joking. We saw some interesting 'activities' in the adjacent Grosvenor Hotel over the year I can tell you.

Blimey, that does look fiddly. End result looks good though. What's the origin of the repeater? Is it a kit?

and so do 247 Developments, along with the smokebox shed plates. Parkside do the ex GW diag 013 clay wagon, the precursor for the BR diag 1/051 (Ratio), which was later converted into the clayhood. Cambridge Custom Transfers do a sheet for the 1/051s.

Evening all I've been making slow steady progress with the tractor which has culminated tonight in the gear box being powered up and test run. No shorts and the wheels went round!! The body and chassis have both been primed and painted and the next step will be to fit the pickups to the chassis, then glaze the body and put the roof on. Then the final painting/light weathering, transfers... Also have made a start on the so called match truck, which I've always thought was a milk trailer pulled by the small railcar but hey-ho. Awaiting a the wheels from Slaters before I can go any further with this one. Photos attached as ever. The black wires are soldered to the motor terminals and will eventually be cut back to the pick up mounts, which will be copperclad glued on the inside of the chassis frame.

Very nice too.

I'm pleased to say that the O2 had a successful try out at Uckfield this weekend. The photos I took there were not good enough to post so I've taken a few tonight. Not the best lighting conditions but I'm really pleased with the way this has turned out. I only had the one 3/4 shot aft so apologies for the out of focus. I like it though! Also had a little shunting session with the Ruston. This will be the works shunter when I reconfigure the layout and it needs a headshunt. We tried the basic operational concept out using the class 03 in the wharf to move trains about at Uckfield and it worked well. Just need to get on and do it now!

A visit to Uckfield this weekend saw the purchase of wheels and gearbox for the tractor. A day off today saw the (eventual) fitting of said wheels and gearbox. I haven't ever built anything in 7mm before so I suppose it shouldn't have been a surprise when I discovered I lacked the necessary reamers to open out holes etc! The kit says it hasn't been specifically designed for motorising but there are options. In my case that consists of a bit of guesswork, a Roxey 40:1 gearbox and Mashima 1420 motor, a bit of hacking about and a lot of filing. The net result is as shown in the photos below. I've got a bit more work to do to stop the wheels fouling the body and I'm going to have to find another way of attaching the chassis, but all in all it's going well. The motor shouldn't be too obtrusive and I may even be able to disguise it to look like the tractor itself.

Tee hee!

Evening all Nothing like a deadline or in my case a looming exhibition appearance to cause a general panic and frantic session of modelling activity. Wheal Elizabeth's off to Uckfield next weekend and I really thought I should have the O2 ready for running. So, a little bit of tweaking here and there, the fitting of the roof and application of smokebox number plate and crew and it's just about ready. Of course I'm not actually planning to have this hauling clay hoods, so I also finished off a Hornby BY van which was re-wheeled at Bristol last May. The eventual aim is to have this as part of the passenger stock once I sort out the other end of the layout. Still it should make a nice little cameo. The bubblecar's been in the spray shop for its final pre-transfer application of Kleer but it won't be ready for Uckfield. Neither will the Tullis Hoppers. Good job really as I don't have room in the stock boxes. Of course now I've uploaded the photos I've noticed the screw link couplings are no longer attached to the O2. A session crawling around on the floor beckons methinks. Also attached is a shot of the last board for Clevedon, well the underside and the wiring. Exciting isn't it? I hate wiring, not the working out wiring diagrams but the sheer monotony of soldering hook up wires to tags. Oh and in case you're wondering, each road in the shed will have isolating sections every 4-6 inches, which is why there's so darn much of the stuff. Yes I know about DCC etc but as nobody does sound chips for Drewery Railcars (yet) I don't see the point!

I always liked the fact that the B&WR had 'Wharfingers' rather than station masters. Sounds very James Bond. I've got a full dimensional survey of the Helland Bridge Wharfingers Cottage if you want it. Wheal Metagyen is just too cheesy.

I've stayed in that cottage. It was a holiday let for years. The Mrs couldn't work out why I took a 30m tape measure on holiday... How about naming after one of the other villages in the area; Blisland, Tredethy or St Mabyn? Could be suffixed with Bridge, Wharf or Road? Blisland Bridge has a nice ring to it. As ever the speed with which you proceed is startling!

That's one serious power unit Martin. Bet you could get the layout/test track underneath it to move if you opened it up to full throttle. You might need to consider strapping said layout down! Disappointed you haven't gone for the working sanding gear.... yet!