Etched Pixels

Drawing ordered... thanks for the pointer Alan

The Mark 2 BFK now has an interior - unpainted so far, and the roof mostly done (needs another coat and some weathering/matting). One mystery remains first. Presumably the BFK has a periscope - but where does it go ? Meanwhile I've also been putting together the test build of the Ultima Thompson matchboard full brake. Usefully the N gauge society has produced the rather less usual 8ft Gresley bogies this needs, as part of the rather excellent Gresley brake kit. The only trouble being that in looking for reference images I inadvertently discovered the rather cute 6 wheel Thompson D.358 full brake which I now need to find drawings of to etch up.

Its a much brutalised Mike Howarth shell (60' in 2mm so close in N). I'm trying to produce a reasonable Maunsell set and some extra oddments for Wadebridge. Basically its Howarth coach + Ultima roof + Etched sides then once I've got the test one to a standard I'm happy with I'll build a proper set and stick them or the right 8ft bogies.

Sorry I don't understand what Farish coaches have to do with it ? Thats not a Farish shell. Alan

I should probably have been clearer - I've also got a pair of brakes I've been doing (off the old rmweb thread). For those I have flattened the sides and do need duckets. I've sent some test duckets off for etching, we shall see what happens. The third does indeed not need duckets - just an interior and vents.. and a good deal of milliput where I got the join a bit out 8)

The Electra vinyls arrived for an ex NSE BFK to go with the regional coaches. Easy to put on (took about 5 minutes, and about 15 to ge the original paint off). The vinyls only address part of the coach however. The underframe is of course wrong for an older Mark 2, although replacements are available from Ian Stoate in resin. The roof is more of a challenge and needs to be drilled and fitted with ventilators. Then the wheels, interior and rubbing plates.. There's also a very nice set of faded RR sides waiting for their coach to arrive. Meanwhile the Maunsell construction project moves on. I've now put an Ultima Bulleid roof on one of the Maunsell test coaches and it improves the look immensely, particularly of the ends even though it doesn't yet have any ventilators on it. Just the duckets to sort now. (Roof still loosely fitted)

Some further progress - the curved platform woodwork is down and the front edge is filling out slowly as I add the bank. Still trying to decide what should go towards the Padstow end in front of the station - waste ground or some kind of development. The math says that a five coach RR rake should fit into the island platform for summer special services.

Last packet of TPM buffers used up until the new ones arrive along with a pair of Ultima rubbing plates. This means one coach is approaching complete. I'm still not sure whether to redo the water filler pipes with wire because of the difficulty in first removing the plastic ones from the roof and repainting. The TPM buffers mean I can now fit much closer couplings - probably Red Caboose buckeyes. (There will now be a short embarrassed silence while I go put the rubbing plates back on the right way around)

Wadebridge is going to need stock and some of that is Mark 1 regional railways stock for the summer services at least (I've even got an 'Atlantic Coast Express' headboard waiting to get etched to fit on the 31 8)). The Farish Mark 1 was a superb model for its age, and Bachmann have really brought out the best in it with the newer printing/paintwork, bogie and wheel updates. Unfortunately there are three things that totally suck (plus the couplings): the buffers, the lack of proper rubbing plates and the underframe. So as well as interior painting the RR stock is going to need a bit more work. Bernard (TPM) does some nice buffers for these coaches which can also be fitted in retracted position mid-rake allowing very close coupling. Cheque in the post for more buffers very soon Bernard . The gangway rubbing plates are fixable with etched overlays and the underframes with the Ultima bits So just how bad is the Farish underframe to make it worth fitting etches, cutting off and filing smooth the original underframe ? Having done one I'm converted and I shall be doing the rest of the rake ASAP. I got the regulator box a bit wonky and I still need to fit the wire for the brakes but its getting there. Next to tackle the ends.

For the long DMU stock its a lot easier to put the deocder in the underframe moulding than butcher the roof area. Also if you are using a sound decoder its in fact pretty much essential both to get the needed height and so any speaker wires to the other car are low down and won't make the unit topple on curves.

I've been catching up from the joy of exams and next day a brief business trip to Tokyo. The only real plus point was a ride on the N'ex and a view out of the hotel over five tracks of suburban lines, two high speed tracks and a guided overhead thing. It's quite amazing at 7am watching Shinkansen after Shinkansen, mostly full, roll through Tokyo. Wadebridge modelling will now resume but in the meantime I've been doing some further research and found pictures of about half of the loco-shed side of the island platform building. I've also found some very interesting 1978 pictures that not only prove the diagram of the late layout of Wadebridge in the North Cornwall Railway book is wrong but even better that British Rail kept the same additional crossover I added to make the layout work. So I am in fact inadvertently prototypically correct. I was also amazed to discover that the goods shed siding had been filled in at one point and then late cleared and returned to use.

Looks nice - less length but that makes it fit so much better. BTW is the bear driving the 66 ?