Re6/6

The problem  with the storage is that we're on the coast with very high salt and moisture in the air and the boards are stood on end....moisture and gravity!

31 minutes ago, swisspeat said:

what scale do you work in?

Balcombe and Parkend Marsh Sidings are in P4  When they're built (!) Rüthi (SBB) and Lisanno (FS) will be in H0.

Ouse Valley Viaduct

Parkend

3 hours ago, 96701 said:

He did have a recent problem whereby he left the lid off the static grass, dropped his headlight into it (by accident) and ended up with the whole lot upside down on his carpet! His advice? "Always put the lid back on your static grass."

Aaah.....I chuckled when I read that! The times that I've left the lid off, turned it over to start flocking and tipped the fibres all over the place and a big clean up/rescue was needed!

I now conciously check that the lid is firmly screwed on before work...mind you that's no guarantee....!😉

Peter, a starter pack would probably be a good idea to get the feel of it all.  It would also depend on how much static work you have to do. If you have a fair bit to do then Phil's recommendation 

https://dmgelectech.co.uk/product/static-grass-applicator/ looks to be a good place to start. 

I have a lot to do, probably 5m² +, so my heavy duty 35 kv machine is most useful.

If the layout 'never leaves home' hairspray is fine.  I've used it ever since the advent of static grass but to our chagrin when we got 'Balcombe' out after three years of outside insulated shed storage last year, a vast amount of expensive fibres had fallen to the floor. Being a cheapskate, I swept it all up up and seived it for re-use!

If one's layout is portable then I would use Peco or WWS layering sprays which do have a stronger hold, after all hairspray is designed for 'one night'!

Just a thought!

Really splendid work Graham. Just what we (Balcombe) have been waiting for!

20003 is almost ready for the paint shop and when they arrive we'll have a good selection of motive power for the Newhaven boats

Some more work has been done on 20003 over Christmas. A bit more work needed on the body like screw link couplings, vac pipes, glazing and some items in the central area of  the underframe before painting.  Also the pan (Judith Edge) needs to be properly fitted to the body.

First proper test run on a Balcombe board.

5 hours ago, John Besley said:

Hmm, remember Ernie the guard ex Newton Abbot driver he had a bit of a hunched back. Back in the day he drove most of the top link turns, Kings, Castles etc, as well as worked the Kingsbridge branch

Indeed, dear old Ernie Carter, top driver in his day. A real character, he used to 'fall asleep' (just resting his eyes!) at the regulator on the way to Kingswear according to Colin H his fireman!

Amazingly he attracted the ladies but was 'called to God' enjoying himself at the Bridgwater carnival!

On 21/12/2023 at 08:50, John Besley said:

 

I take it you worked on the TSR as it was in those days.... in which case I should know you... I cut my teeth there along with Pete Roach in 1973 to 1975 while still at school, my first job when I left school in 75' at 16 was on early shift loco prep and cleaning in that hot summer

Indeed John I did. I was on the Pway and worked at Buckfastleigh at first then moved to Paignton when the DVR  started running  just the school service. Three of us built the pit at Paignton and then I took the much cleaner job of running the bookshop! Fondly remembered days...well sort of!

A better view of Brian's work.

Thank you Rob. All the best.

John

Restoration work on Balcombe is well underway for its first proper public showing next year at Fareham on 5/6th October and then at Bristol on 2/3/4th May 2025.

The layout had been put into storage for three years and had suffered considerably, so there was much to refurbish. During storage in an outside insulated shed nearly all the static grass had dropped off. The reason for this was that I had used strong hold hairspray, as was the norm at the time. A big lesson learnt there was that hairspray is for 'one night only !' not a few years in dampish storage. For future work, Peco or WWS layering spray will be used. Being a cheapskate, all the dropped off fibres were swept up and seived, ending up with an ice crean container half full (new replacement cost around £30!)

The layout was 'finished' in a rush for Scalforum 2019 with a lot still left to do, let alone repairing and refreshing all the storage deterioration.

I'll be restoring and finishing off the scenics of which there is rather a lot of static grass work and many copses and individual trees to build. I'm fabricating additional steelwork support for the curved sections to give a guaranteed flat base so that no board joint is directly above any supporting trestle which could give a potential 'ski jump' due to the uneven floors in many exhibition halls.

10800 is our group 'Fuhrer' has organized all the planning and designated all the necessary tasks to be done by individual team members who are the best at the type of work that they do. 

Tim (Captain Kernow) has taken on the not inconsiderable task of making a large quantity raised lineside raised troughing, the distinctice SR wire and concrete post fencing and the telegraph poles. Additionally he will be making various lineside buildings. CK has designed the troughing work and commissioned York Modelmaking to laser cut it all but it still has to be built. It will be required for around 50% of the track (15 metres+)

A joint testing train  in 1965. The amount of tree work required can be seen. The raised troughing and fencing is shewn along with the telegraph poles.

Rod (10800) is doing all the major rewiring work and a lot of track rebuilding in the fiddle yard and repairing the damaged juice rail of which there's quite  lot!

Nick (Brinkly) has taken on the building of all the Bedford sprung bogies and Brassmasters torsion bogies which will give us top quality high speed running. I was fortunate in acquiring the Eileens residual Bedford etches at auction so that we have sufficient of them which will be fitted with Black Beetle wheelsets for all the express passenger stock.

Brian (Taz) , our coach builder, is building a 6PAN set of etches from Worsley Works.

4LAV.. Brians work ..built from W.Works etches and Hby 2BIL & 2HAL.

7 hours ago, wiggoforgold said:

No problem John. How did you do the tunnel walls?

I think that I used Slaters coarse stone Plasticard Alex

Ah yes, Ivor! He came into the mess room once asking if we'd like some 'women' magazines...well of course we did...and what did he bring in some 'Women's Own' ...! Dear old Ivor!

It was reputed that he died a very wealthy man so you never can tell!

I remember the day when one of the carriage cleaners at Paignton who was covering the shunters turn coupled up the 52 with only the pipes and the right away was given. Well you can imagine the rest.....!

1 minute ago, queensquare said:

 

...... wooden ‘thunder box’ earth closets

 

 

Ah yes I remember those as my uncle's farm in Coverdale had no mains sewerage!

On 11/12/2023 at 10:35, Gedward said:

A lovely dead tree with exquisite moss work.

Soldering to that thick brass was a nightmare! I had to use a gas flame to get sufficient heat. Originally it was just the wrapper with no ends or other bits so they were all scratchbuilt.

Anybody remember 'Bronco'? Another joy to use!

21 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

And the film itself gets another showing this afternoon on BBC 2 at 2:45.

....and what a joy it was to see it yet again!