Captain_Mumbles

As you have said, I am reluctant to do any more due to not being able to cut the frog to isolate it at this point, until the new saw comes in the mail. You have given me some good ideas about the soldering. I have tried to make my job easier by ordering some DCC concepts brass chairs to try only to find out the Peco bull head track I am using is a different spec and does not work. Hopefully I can get some of their track as well. In the mean time, I tried some ideas on filling the gaps. I tried cutting and shutting the plastic sleepers, which looked OK, not exactly happy with it, but it could pass. I had to be careful, with the peco sleepers spaced out to 16.5mm or maybe even a touch more, I had to cut the inside part of the chair claw off so it doesnt push the 16.2mm track work out too hard and make my beautiful point look like an old rickety piece of track. The Peco chairs clip/snap back on by pushing up into the inside chair from underneath with a sharp pick. I did have a lot of success cutting the chairs off the sleepers as well. So they could be used on some 1.5x3mm pine that I have. So there are some options. Ben

Templot in progress.

Gday All. I want to share my Journey that is East Mumbleton. It is a 4 lane steam era ECML DCC racetrack around the walls. It was designed so I can chill in the evenings with a beverage or two and wind down after hard days of work, yet still have some operations when I feel like pushing wagons around. It is my 2nd layout the first one had to be destroyed before it was finished when I relocated and it didnt fit the new space. I started this a while back when I closed in the loft in my new house and procrastinated over a track plan and many late nights on Templot over the course of a few months. Until somehow Our Phil (Harlequin) agreed to rescue me from insanity. The plan is over on his track plans part of this site, normally found on the front page. I threw him a few curve balls with the need for a bridge or viaduct, a station with an overall roof, and a 2-4 track main, and on top of that, an oddly shaped room. The best way I can describe what think is happening here is: Phil designs a Freezer inspired layout for a loft using some modern methods and then it gets tweaked a little bit again because I have to make the points by hand. Things are a little slow due to some work commitments but it should gain some momentum soon. Please see the pics of some progress and some rolling stock for East Mumbleton. I am still a little trigger happy on the solder. By the time I get to the 28th point I should have the hang of it... Thanks to Phil once again for so kindly providing the kick start this needed. Also Martin Wynne who somehow ALWAYS answers the calls for help no matter how dumb a question it feels like or how many times something may have been asked. Cheers, Ben

Im still a little trigger happy with the solder. I am waiting for my jewelers saw to turn up in the mail before I can make the cuts in the rails near the frogs before I can put power to em. But the old rolling chassis of an A3 seems to go through happily enough... By the time I get to the 28th one I might have the hang of it! The little brass chairs can be a bit of a pain but once I have a few sleepers on there it gets easier.

Well, I've finally starting making something and I have run some wagons through it and it works. Don't know if it is good enough for the layout yet. I made little rectangular chairs and it seems to work OK. Will use more structural sleepers next time I think. Might even add more to this one if I use it. It was definitely a 'learning curve'

Well he is definitely doing God's work. In both modelling skill and in clearing the lines of stoppages.

I guess this means no! Sounds like a large job, I wonder which locomotive would even have a boiler close enough with which to base it on. I am just going to resign to the fact I probably wont do it. I still want the A2/3, though. These Hornby A2's a re beautiful models in my opinion.

Gday Tony. I probably should have stressed that my disappointment was purely due to my own negligence in not knowing enough about the type and in no way am I disappointed with how the models have turned out as I absolutely love them. I have 60505 and I cannot decide which one to choose from between 500 and 514 with my next paycheck. I want to learn what the differences are and if it is a project I could complete. I do enjoy scratch building. I find the variations between these locomotives and their story fascinating. Cheers! Ben

Gday All! At risk of this being covered before... (It was suggested by somebody that my query would best be answered here!) I love the Hornby A2/2 and A2/3 models however, I was at first disappointed that the A2/2 is not available in LNER livery. I do prefer the configuration of the locomotives in that livery and also without the large smoke deflectors. If I want to make a representation of an apple green LNER A2/2 is the Hornby model a good place to start? I have been told I need a cab that is more like an A4, but beyond that there may to too many differences? For a little bit of interest (I hope) I have attached an in progress picture of my A1/1, in a configuration that was short lived, made only from Hornby spares and a little bit of scratch building. Cheers, Ben

OKay will try that. Cheers.

What I meant was, if I want to make an A2/2 in apple green, LNER, would the Hornby A2/2 with an A4 cab be a close representation? Just from what was said about the Hornby model not being a version that could be back dated to that livery, because the cab is not the right type. Whew, hopefully I am explaining that correctly.

Unfortunately I missed the train on those! (pun intended) When those were piled up at the news agency I ignored them as I was avoiding the temptations of getting back into trains. And now look what has happened to me!

Would it be as simple as fitting an A4 cab? I really like the look of the A2 without those big smoke deflectors, in apple green.

Tamiya light polish and cotton swab. Focus on the centre of the panels. only go lightly. Once it starts to get easy to rub stop. If it gets tooo shiny it might look a bit weird. I glued some cloth to sticks made out of thin styrene to polish under the hand rails and other details. If you leave the areas near corners and detail a bit rough or 'matt' it will help with the next step, a dark wash. Also rubbed off with odourless solvent and cotton swabs. Remove thew dark wash until you get the look you want. Cypherman, I love the later revision with the german smoke deflectors in the dark green. I'd like to do one of my A3's just like that. Maybe as 60091 Captain Cuttle.

Here is an Railroad A4 made to look less railroad with some paint adjustment and a little bit of a wash. Some detail painting went into the cab and cab windows. I originally got this to cut the skirts to expose the wheels for the late 40s look but I think I like it now. I would love for the wheels to be a little more red. Not sure how I am going to do that yet.

Here is Tranquil again after a subtle polish, dark wash, grey wash in some areas and some small amount of detail painting here and there. Still a lot more to do. As inaccurate as it may be it will be nice to keep the charm of it as well.

Gday all! Firstly I want to start this thread to as collection of modifications and improvements for the Hornby A1s and A3s for anyone to show off photos of theirs, and ask questions. Secondly, to increase my knowledge on the subject as I love them so much. Thirdly, this is also to stop me from starting a new thread every time I start a project because everything I own is either an A1, an A3, or an A4. (Except for Judy in my profile pic, of course) If this is already a duplicate thread, admin please delete. I tried to find one but have not. Ill start with a picture of my A3, Tranquil in the pretty blue. It was an old low detail, almost train set looking loco. (Yes, I am floor running, Sam's trains style ATM!) The loco and tender are sitting on Sandwich chassis. I ended up with a few too many 'Talisman' train packs very cheaply before the covid lock downs and stock shortages were an issue. There is a small change to the boiler underside where I had to cut it to fit the loco drive chassis. Turning it into a later style of body shell. The mounting points are pretty much the same. The main work was on the GN coal rail tender body shell as it is too wide to fit the new style tender chassis. Both side sheets were cut off carefully on the band saw. The loss of material on those two passes of the blade made the shell the perfect width to fit on the newer tender chassis after the sides were glued back on. Feeding the tender shell into the band saw so slowly, the cut was so clean and the join invisible after careful gluing. No repaint required. The high plastic coal that would have hidden the tender motor was cut down to fit back inside the tender at a lower position. All those changes make it look more like how the tender should look. On the Livery, I hope to add a darker stripe within the lining to improve the look of the lining. I also want to polish and weather the finish for that clean but in service look. QUESTION!: Can anyone tell me if the handrails are not to be painted to match the boiler colour? It seems odd to me that the hand rails are in bare metal on the boiler and painted silver on the cab. Have a good one, Ben

Who else wishes they had done the A2/2 in LNER, Apple green! It would be perfect!

Okay, will do that. I agree it will be easier to adjust the paintwork on the buffer beam if removed.

Looks like I'll get away with it. It looks like early A1s had a buffer beam not much higher than the buffer oleo mounting plate. It has cracked along the line of the plate. Hiding the crack along that inner line/step. Judging by the mission in getting the thing, I wont try my luck getting a replacement. Looks like it runs well. Looks like an amazing model. I am seriously considering getting another one to rename. I absolutely love this model, and the great northern. So much charm in the as-built configuration. edit: might be getting hard to get now!

I have just opened mine and guess what! Apart from that it must be the most gorgeous model they have made.

it definitely looks like there is some stuff going on there.

Painted details around the boiler and valve gear. It makes quite a difference.

Looks like a beast mate.

Gday all! Having run out of some materials for my base boards and not being able to technically go and get more stuff due to lock down I went into another little side project. I picked up the P2 on sale from one of the local Hobby stores a year ago. I wanted to hop onto the Bugatti nose conversion or fictional non streamlined bandwagon for a nice little project. Having picked up the new and lovely A2/2 I wanted to practice some techniques on improving the factory paintwork. I used the P2 for the trial. I am not much into the flat paint phenomenon. I just wanted to share what can be done using nothing more than some cotton swabs, a little bit of polish and a dark wash. I focused the polish on the centre of the larger areas so that a wash could stick to the edges and also this gives the viewer that cleanish but not so new look which I like a lot. Vary the polish so that you leave some flat areas like the lower areas and the corners and those areas will look dusty and the wash will stick to this as well. It is a non uniform finish that catches the light in some areas. This sheen effect looks really cool moving around the train set. After I was satisfied with that I used a dark wash and tidied that up with a cotton swab and solvent. In the first two pics I try to show how it started. Flat and weird looking. You get the feeling like youre holding something meaty and expensive rather and plasticky and cheap. Haven't done this yet but will also get out the paint and pick out the details and cant wait to get to the cab area. Hope you like it, Cheers! Ben