buffalo

My thanks as well, Ben. I found your posting on painting rocks very useful and, hopefully, this will help me improve my stonework as well. Nick

Thanks for the encouragement, Mikkel. Some of the interesting viewing angles are by design but others are just appearing as the scenery develops. In the first photo, you'll notice that I've placed the nearer platform on the edge of the board, and I hope to be able to take 'eye-level' photos across the station from here. Now, where did I get that idea from For the grass I've just used a Noch puffer bottle with quite good results. It's fine for small areas and ledges on the rocks, but the larger more open areas on top might need something better. I have most of the bits to make a DIY electrostatic thing so, hopefully, I'll get around to making it soon so that I can finish this section. I think I also need to experiment with the camera a bit more. It may be that the slight fuzziness is from vibrations through the floorboards and tripod from all the computers and ancient central heating. On the other hand, the lens may be sub-optimal at f27 and may be better at around f16.

Thanks Paul and Chris Out of those, I only have Mitchell and wotsit so it looks like I need to do some book hunting...

Very cunning An interesting variation on the fixed length tools you can get for 4mm axles. The spring must make it a lot easier to get in and out with less risk of damage from bending the W-irons.

Those are rather nice looking buildings, Chris, though Fleur is the real scene-stealer. I'd not realised that they had produced these buildings and now you've got me resurecting an old idea about a little bit of 009 alongside the S&DJR, though the brewery might need to be a bit closer than the prototype was. Anyway, this set me looking through a few books and I found that Robin Atthill says the line was 2'6" gauge on one page but later he says 3'0". Any idea which is correct? I also found a photo in his 'Picture History...' volume of the two engines, Oakhill and Mendip top and tailing a train of five open wagons carrying barrels of the famous stout. I know the Binegar goods shed was originally the end of the brewery line, but so far I've found very little information. Have you found any other sources on the brewery and its railway? Now, I wonder if our cats would like a layout to sit on? Maybe not, they're still a bit young for toy trains Nick ps what size is the overall footprint of these buildings?

This weekend has seen progress at Nowhere to the point where (almost) all track on the two main boards has been laid. Track laying had stalled back in the summer when I ran out of both standard and narrow gauge track and, since then, my main efforts on this layout have focussed on scenic work on the smaller board. Today I completed laying the narrow gauge station area so, after a six-month gap, I thought it was time to update this blog. The first picture shows an overall view of the station area: Although I've included a selection of accessible stock, including one item that really shouldn't be there, there is still some way to go before trains start running. The track is in place but it still needs to be wired and there are ten turnout motors to be fitted. Indeed, several of the narrow gauge turnouts are yet to be permanently fixed as they still need to be converted to live frog operation. The next picture shows both of the two main boards that make up the layout. The two narrow gauge bridges on the reversing loop nearest the camera are now the only missing pieces of track on the boards. Eventually, there will be casettes at the near end and a small fiddle yard at the far end. At least, that is the current plan The nearer board is where I have been slowly learning various scenic techniques. All this is new to me; the last time I had a layout was in the early sixties, and the scenery on that never went beyond a bit of paint and some green scatter. The next picture shows what I've managed to achieve so far. The basis is Sculptamould applied over shaped expanded polystyrene foam. I'm still experimenting with colours for the rock faces using techniques like that described by 'Ben Alder' in this post. The approach that I've been trying is to paint all over with a dark brown (burnt umber) acrylic wash to provide a base and to fill dark holes, then a dark grey to cover most of the rock followed by a lighter grey for the highlights. These are applied with an almost dry brush. Some areas have a little burnt sienna or olive green mixed with the light grey to vary the weathering. Olive green is also used as a base for grassy areas and those with a little vegetation clinging to cracks, and also for damp areas. Most of the area beyond the narrow gauge tunnel entrance has, so far, only been painted, and some needs more work as I'm not satisfied with it yet. However, at the nearer end I have started to add static grass and other vegetation: The grassy area below the retaining wall will probably acquire some more vegetation, perhaps a couple of small bushes and some flowers. It is south-facing, so I imagine it is something of a sun trap with its own favourable micro-climate. So far, I'm quite pleased with how it is turning out and think it will make an attractive scene for photographing stock.

I said "bought", but I'm still waiting for it to arrive. It's probably stuck in the snow somewhere That, and the local Post Office has been suffering from backlogs -- the Köf was even delivered on a Sunday, and that was before the snow started. Yes, Russell says that the prototype was originally black lined in red and repainted in lined green at its first shopping. However, there are differences in the boiler and smokebox from the Hornby model. As to backdating, yes, I have thought about it, but maybe not just yet. I've ordered the early version (2818, as preserved at the NRM) so the main possibility for backdating would be to remove the top-feed. Of course, I'd then have to be careful to avoid one that was fitted with the short-cone boiler. I'll need to investigate suitable numbers. So far, I know that 2809, 2821 and 2828 were at Bristol in 1914. Not so sure about RODs, though...

Nice restrained weathering on the 'Jokker', Chris, but have you shortened the chimney so that it will fit under Marble Arch?

All these setbacks may be temporarily affecting your mojo, Pete, but I reckon you are saving many of us a great deal of experimenting by publishing your experiences in this way. As some of the others have said, it looks to me like scribing the verticals and concentrating on the weathering to simulate the individual panels is the way forward. By the way, have you tried using a sewing needle mounted in a pin chuck for scribing? Nick

That's an interesting thought, Craig, not one that had occured to me before. However, I've always understood that the use of BEMF by a controller/decoder was simply a negative feedback mechanism that allowed the controller to take account of the actual electro-mechanical performance of the motor. Yes, the presence of the flywheel should affect the BEMF, but only in reflecting what is actually happening to the motor. Whether or not the decoder can accommodate the behaviour is, of course, a different question. The flywheel on the Köf is so small that I wouldn't really expect it to do much more than smooth out the cogging of the three pole motor. Only time will tell, but I'll have to wait until it is run in and I have enough of a layout to thoroughly test it on.

Yes, indeed, but at least I find it reassuring that my inability to stick with a single prototype for more than a few days is not a unique affliction

Having been distracted by the Siphon, I've forgotten to say that I really like this idea of the multi period snapshots and am looking forward to see how it develops. If I ever get Camerton to the stage where it can be operated, I hope to do something similar. Like Farthing, the layout will be based in the Edwardian era, but I do have some later stock and will be able to run it in 20s and 30s guise. In fact, I've just bought a Hornby 28XX for those eras. It may even get worse as I'm starting to develop the urge to model the BR(W) that I remember from the 50s and 60s -- Hymeks and Westerns on coal trains, maybe. I'll also be interested to see what you have up your sleeve with this "third Farthing layout".

Yes, I must admit that I first noticed it when I was taking these photos, but you can see it spinning through the grill at the front.

Something a little different from the mostly GWR content in this blog. If you have read any of my other (layouts) blog, you'll be aware that Camerton has been on hold for a while while I rethink and strengthen my scenic skills. In the meantime, I've been working on a wholly imaginary layout called Nowhere or Nessun Luogo or Nirgendwo according to language preferences. This is a fairly simple HO and HOe layout that will allow me to run whatever continental stock I like without too much concern for prototype credibility. I'd better post an update on it soon as it has come on some way since the last entry. Along with the layout developments, I've been acquiring a very mixed collection of German, Austrian and Italian stock and slowly converting the locos to DCC. I was lucky to discover that a Fleischmann V100 purchased on ebay unexpectedly contained a Lenz silver chip, but everything else will need to be converted. So, I thought I might include some examples here of the more interesting DCC conversions. That brings me to one of my most recent acquisitions, the delightful little Brawa Köf II. At first sight it may look like a tricky job to convert this little euro-kritter to DCC but the cab is easily large enough to hide a small modern decoder: Potentially more of a problem is the solid metal chassis which is live to the right hand rail. The single wire from the motor goes to the insulated pickup on the left side. The motor contact nearer the camera in the next photo simply contacts the chassis below the rear motor support. Somehow this will need to be insulated. On the positive side, this model was also made in an AC version with an additional wire to the central skid pickup, and separate wires to each of the motor terminals. These four wires were taken through to the cab where the reversing relay was located. The beneficial side-effect of this version is that there are already grooves in the chassis to take these wires. One of these is immediately to the left of the black wire in the above photo. The larger slot for the other three wires passes through the rear motor mount. Next, the underside. The two screws secure the baseplate and the two holes, one threaded, near the centre of the plate are for fixing the pickup skid on the AC version. I'll return to these later. With the baseplate removed, the axles, idler gears and pickup can be extracted. The next photo is out of sequence, but shows how I dealt with the problem of the lower motor terminal contacting the chassis. The area under the terminal was milled out to provide about 1mm clearance below the terminal. This broke through into the slot for one of the idler shafts, but the shaft is still supported by a good thickness of metal at either end. Additionally, the rear motor mount was undercut to provide clearance around the rear end of the terminal. Now the decoder could be fitted. I used a TCS Z2, one of the smallest of current decoders. I'll also be using these fitted into the side tanks of Liliput U class HOe locos. The leads were measured and trimmed, and the lighting wires which won't be used, at least for now, were tied back. The black wire was passed through the hole used by the original pickup wire and soldered to the pickup. The axles and drive gear were replaced next and the red wire fed through the hole in the milled area below the lower motor terminal. This was then soldered to a small brass tag made from an old bit of scrap etch. The tag was secured to the tapped hole in the base plate with a short 2mm screw. This provides the input to the decoder from the live chassis. Next the orange lead was soldered to the lower motor terminal and the grey to the upper one. A small piece of insulating tape was added over the lower terminal. Really this was just belt and braces becauses the milling ensured there was adequate clearance. The motor was placed back into its supports and the wires pressed into the slots in the chassis casting. The body was then refitted and the decoder secured below window level with a small piece of sticky sponge pad. The body securing screw was replaced to hold the body down on to the chassis. This was necessary before testing because the worm is held in mesh by the body pressing down on the top of the motor. Everything worked first time when tested Now, what about lighting? The back would be easy enough, but I think the smallest SMD LEDs that I could see would still be too big for those front lights. Oh well, I still have the detailing bits to fit, and quite a few more locos to chip

I doubt if Siphons were repainted very often, so you may be able to get away with it by claiming that it only received a repaint before it went to the Harris traffic in 1929. On the other hand, it does look a bit clean for an eighteen year old van. I suspect, though, we're clutching straws here as there's a photo of 1519 taken in 1923 in Russell's Appendix 2 which has all lettering and numbering in the same places as the earlier style, except there are no large letters on the ends.

Always good to see more from Farthing As to sausages, I'm not convinced. Slinn only records 1492 as receiving Harris branding before 1927. That was in 12/24, and I do wonder whether that is a typo as the others on adjacent lines are 12/34. In general, the Harris branding appears to have happened in the 30s as noted on p48. Assuming that Slinn's dates are those on which the branding was applied, rather than just a date on which it had been observed, then I reckon Mikkel is quite safe, at least until March 1929 Nick ps. Now look what you've done! The binding on my copy has started to give up and pages are falling out. Must take less interest in Siphons

I suspect that Robin's interest is in the 1930s painting of PBVs, in which case I can add nothing to dilbert's reply. No, chocolate and cream was not re-introduced until 1922. According to Slinn, the 1908-1912 brown (windsor brown iirc) was followed by the lake livery shown by the model in this link to gwr.org. However, from a quick scim through his coverage of liveries, Harris refers only to a 'chocolate lake' livery. Hopefully someone with more knowledge of coach liveries can bring us up to date on the current thinking on these one-colour liveries? Nick

It does say "webcam internal temp", so five degrees above ambient sounds quite plausible to me. Nick

Nigel, Missy's original statement is correct: A and B would not be on at the same time, so the combinations (A1+C2) or (B1+C2) and their inverses are all that is required. 'A' would be normal for most railcar services as they were stopping passenger trains. I suspect that 'B' was rarely used, except on the later two car units, as it would indicate an express service. Note, I'm using Missy's labels here, not headcode class designations, and we'll ignore the business of the oil tail light Nick ps. if you work out how to do with diodes, I would be interested in seeing your solution

Interesting trick with the mirror, Mikkel. Looking forward to some interesting photos when you get it finished. For the pillars in this type of structure I think it would be more likely that they were in line with and supporting some of the roof trusses. Not evey one, but maybe every third truss. Nick

Hi Missy, You're far better equipped than me to know whether a 2mm tail lamp is possible, 4mm ones are small enough for me I don't know when the mandatory tail lamp was introduced but, if necessary, you could claim they were a bit slow at reading the rule book on your line Perhaps a PM to Mike (Stationmaster) might resolve this as he appears to have a good collection of GWR rule books. Nick

It does look weird, doesn't it? Fortunately, all the pictures of the later Gloucester cars that I have seen show them to have been delivered with a level waistline all round and to have remained like this in BR days (except when painted green). Yes, the dip does seem to be too deep on these etches. However, it looks difficult to tell what it should be like. The drawings make it look more pronounced than most photographs. Unlike model photos which tend to be from above and may emphasise the dip, most photos of the originals are taken from a lower level (trackside or platform) and make the upper edges of the windows look almost level, so I wonder whether it was a deliberate design feature to give this impression. Nick

Alex, Thanks for clarifying, if that's the right word the use of class A lights. At least we are agreed that class B is more appropriate here. Nick

Hi Missy, This is coming on really well. Mike is (of course) quite right about the single light. I've added to our earlier discussion of the lights on your 'Part II' entry, hopefully explaining where I think Alex' quote from the 1960 appendix is confusing. Interestingly, the one in the photo you link to above appears to have had the red light removed and plated over. As also does No 4 in the photo that Craig refers to. I also agree with you about the 'ridge'. It is only apparent in a very small number of photos of the Gloucester bodied railcars and is not visible under most lighting conditions. Indeed, it may be more pronounced on the Park Royal bodies (Nos 1-4) and is very much more obvious on the later, more angular, Swindon built bodies. Nick

Hi Missy, All the information I have (mostly text and photos in the Judge book) indicate that the red light was the same size as the white lights. There are a couple of photos of an unidentified railcar showing the red light plated over and a socket fitted higher up below the GWR roundel. The plating over the light position makes it looks larger. The socket was for an electric version of the conventional tail lamp. However, I can't find any other photos so this may have been a one-off experiment. Class A (or, since about 1960ish? class 1) is an express passenger, mail train or breakdown train en route to a job. It is indicated by two white lights at about the platform height, i.e. the lower ones on the railcar. Class B (or class 2) is an ordinary passenger or a breakdown train not going to clear the line. A stopping train, the normal job of most railcars, is indicated by a single central light at roof level (top of smokebox on a kettle). Alex' quote from the 1960 appendix is interesting in that it is clearly a BR rewrite of the 1936 version to remove references to the GWR and add the mandatory add-on tail lamp. The rewrite is, however, rather less clear than the original: 1936: The car will not carry the standard G.W. head or tail lamps. 1960: The car will not carry the standard head code, but the standard tail lamp will be carried. The reference to the head code is confusing but from the earlier version it suggests simply that oil lamps are not to be used at the front. 1960: ...two white lights (horizontally at platform level) must be exhibited at the leading end as Class 1 or 2 (" A "). Surely, the "...or 2..." here is an error? Nick