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Etched Pixels

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  1. Etched Pixels

    Gresley Bogies

    By Etched Pixels,

    All been a bit hectic and I seem to have spent all my modelling time on real work and also Ultima sorting. Finally got a bit of time however so the Gresley now has bogies. Don't yet have the NGS bogies for the Thompson but I do have the TPM goodie bag so I can get cracking on the rest of the Regional Railways rake.
     
    I've also now got a nice set of "Atlantic Coast Express" plates which will go nicely on the SWT 159 in modern image mode. Wondering about destructing a Dapol 153 when the prices come down (ie after few more releases) and doing a custom 'North Cornwall Line' livery with stuff like Tintagel, Arthur and Obby Oss on it.
     

  2. Etched Pixels

    Paint Shop Time

    By Etched Pixels,

    Paint shop and decal time. Three LSWR wagons left to number, one done.
     

     

     
    Meanwhile in the coach shop:
     

     
    I've decided to the Thompson full brake in slightly faded BR blue, a livery that some of these vehicles lived to carry. I don't imagine much other matchboarded stock made BR Blue and it will make a nice mix in with the parcels rake along with the Siphon, BGs and at some point I probably want to add a Stanier or a Hawksworth just to break it up further. Now waiting its bogies and the gangways fitting.
     

     
    Tthe Gresley is now painted barring a final touch up on the and awaits the arrival of bogies (hopefully in a week or so) to complete the build.
     
     
    Further progress was delayed due to the outbreak of a rugby international, and shortly again by Dr Who ....
  3. Etched Pixels
    The Gresley is now closer to done. Still need to make roof cowls (why did I pick the awkward coach). The sides to this are screen printed to a pre 1985 design. Next to it is a faded Regional Railways Mark2 coach complete with peeled numbers and other little details, the latest in vinyl relivery bits from Electra.
     
    Both await interiors and roof paintwork finishing so they should a fairly similar comparison
     

     
    I think the Gresley stacks up pretty well - and shows just how good a job Cavndish did back in 1984 or so.
  4. Etched Pixels
    A quick detour from the Thompson to another bit of Ultima stuff. The sides, roof and ends are not a problem but the original aluminium floor is long deceased. Worse than that the price quotes I've got for a new die to extrude the stuff are not really viable with the Dapol Gresley stock on the market, nor would have space to store the typical "minimum order"
     
    So to see what was needed and as a planning aide I cut a floor out of 1mm plasticard 117mm x 16mm to go with the roof and ends. Then I stuck 3mm or so square plastic rod each side between the ends and stepped slightly out to line up with the profile on the ends both to give the sides somewhere to sit and to stop the chassis from bending. The solebars are plastic U channel about 2mm high and the rest of the underframe is Ultima parts built to the original instructions.
     
    No bogie mounts yet (or bogies in fact) but one problem at a time. I also need to work out which interior strip goes with each coach, which isn't helped by the fact they are labelled by some old numbering system with things like "N27".
     

     
    When it comes to teak printed sides are a definite winner even when not yet stuck down (need to paint the rest first)
     

  5. Etched Pixels
    It's slowly taking shape. The underframe is now fitted and the various white metal bits hung off it barring the dynamo. The roof has its vents and I've put the handrails on. That leaves the end gangways and some spots of filling to sort out.
     
    The buffers are fun as they have to be held in a pin vice and filed to give the Gresley style flat top.
     

  6. Etched Pixels
    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.
  7. Etched Pixels
    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)
  8. Etched Pixels

    Size Testing

    By Etched Pixels,

    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.
     

  9. Etched Pixels
    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)
  10. Etched Pixels
    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.
  11. Etched Pixels

    A Brief Update

    By Etched Pixels,

    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.
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