brian daniels

I have been painting another Heljan sample class 50 into 50015 that will be a Hattons exclusive if you want one.

Waiting for Peartree wheels for this but I have cut the middle out of the ends to represent the mods done on some of them. I tried to make the buffers but I am getting ham fisted in my old age and broke 2 shafts off the buffer heads so that was that. Luckily I had a set of Appleby ones in stock. Lamp bracket is from Slater's and the air-pipe is JLTRT. I think the coupling is a Dapol one I bought at a show but fits straight in the hole ok. Mesh has been kept in place with a strip of Evergreen plastic section. 6 Ba nuts glues on the bogie stretchers seem to hold ok. I was thinking about adding some pipework under it but there is not a lot to attach it to as there is no inside framing. Can always add some later if it annoys me. I am going to spray the ends and coil cradles separate, think that will be easier than masking it up.

Got hold of a BAA kit from Shapeways on this site https://www.shapeways.com/shops/brbluemodels , thought there was only one way to see what they are like so in for a penny in for a pound, well £125 of them to be honest which is rather a lot. My initial impression is a good looking model with minimal work but it is a bit liney in places. I tried rubbing down one end a bit but worried how far to go. We shall see what it's like when primed. The buffers look good although a bit worried what's going to happen after a rough shunt! 40 mesh count woven wire was purchased off ebay to make the deck floor which should look nice as the real ones are see through. I have ordered some Peartree disc wheels for it that snap into the bogies after prising open the axleboxes. I think these close up pictures make it look grainier than it is in reality.

When I have ordered his 7mm roof fan grills I just sent a cheque for the amount on his web site. Maybe I have been very lucky that the bits I wanted were in stock?

Couldn't remember if I put pictures up of this Heljan 50 before, certainly not in my thread anyway. So here it is anyway in L/L.

Weathered the green rat now. I added a Shawplan worksplate under the numbers. Used weathering powders on the Queen Mary as well.

I had added the cantrail grill strips after I took those earlier pictures. Roof panels up to 37095+37119 have the rivet strips on VF included. I did this list of grills a few years ago, The following locos have extra vertical supports in the cantrail grills (All RSH Built except for the first 6 Vulcan Foundry built locos, 37001-37005, 37119): 37001-37005 37069-37095 37119-37128 37159-37168 37179-37198 37283 The following have additional strapping around the cantrail grills: 37119, 37001-37004

This started life as a splitter if you want a challenge.

Queen Mary and BDV nearly there. Van needs some more weathering now I have put the windows in and the BDV needs another lot of steel sections to fill it then chained down.

Happy New Year Martin and too everyone following this thread. The handbrake chains are factory fitted to the 37/4! The actuator is screwed to the chassis and the other end other chain secured to the brake cylinder.

I liked Thornaby Demon so much I decided to do another for it, 37518 with ploughs in Red Stripe Railfreight. This started out as a pre-production Heljan 37/4 so it needed the headcode filling in with plasticard and then smoothing down. Centre door blank is plasticard with a DJH whitemetal headlight. The marker lights are Shawplan etches soldered onto a piece of brass tube. Horns and window etches are from PH Designs who's etches I am now waiting for to change the nose side grills as all these 37/5's had the grills without the centre spar on the secondmans side. Being a centre headcode model it did not have the roof rivet strips that split box ones have so these are added with etched rivet strip from Hobby Holidays. Going to have to wait a while now for the PHD etches to finish it. And another project that I have meaning to start is converting a Heljan 25 to 25261 with token recess. On a picture I got via another forum it showed it without the bottom flap on the BIS one side so I had a go at replicating this.Now just got to paint it Sherwood Green in the holes.

16t mineral meat in a rat sandwich at Swindon Works scrap line 1-5-81

Freightliner containers are from Buzz Models, they did have one on display at Reading. My wagons are etched kits from PRMRP.

First run for the containers on the test track at Antics in Stroud where also have a very nice diesel depot layout. Only phone pics so not the best quality.

Class 86 is as far as I can go until I get the etches that Pete Harvey is doing for me so it's onto other projects for the moment. I bought another M&M Bolster C at Reading so might start this Christmas time and I still have a MMP MCV to do!

Finished the BDA conversion to a BDV at last. I was struggling with the bolsters as BR lowered them when converting to air brakes it seems so the kit was like this but I needed higher ones. I was looking round Peco's shop in Beer last week and saw they did plastic bolsters from the Parkside twin bolster wagon separately. With a bit of modifying they aren't too bad I think. Atr least these have the correct cast style stanchions although being in plastic they might be a bit vulnerable as I have to pack everything away after running as I don't have a layout to leave them on. The deck was made of coffee stirrers. Sneak preview of what else I have been doing but these still need varnishing and 6 more Freightliner ones need the transfers adding.

Correct on PRMRP, much easier to call it the old RJH range. 86 has got as far as I can now until I get the etches from PH Designs which will be a while.

Take it this a slab carrier we saw in Scunthorpe on a brakevan tour.

Added some handbrake guides and made up the frame to put your brake stick in this afternoon, nearly there now. Should say that the buffers and bogies and vac cylinders are from Appleby. V hangers, Instanter and handbrakes are from Ambis. Vac pipes are Slaters.

Glad you reminded me about the missing windy wipers, forgot about them. Since I retired I do find I do not do anymore models but take longer and put more into what I do, that and I go out more! Just look at the 86 conversion and this BDA conversion for taking time!

So what have I been up to recently? Main thing was converting a split headcode Heljan 37 to 37512. It was a pre-production body from a long time ago but it did not have any rivet detail on the roof so I added the rivet strips from some that Hobby Holidays do. Grills/horns/steps and axlebox covers are from Pete Harvey, the rad fan grill and marker lights are Shawplan. Think the headlight was a DJH one. Not that the prototype had the numbers in different positions on either side! Also been converting a PRMRP BDA back to a BDV, won't be doing another of these! Got some Skytrex oil drums and painted and added the little Castrol and Shell logos that I got at Telford a couple of weeks back at the International Plastic Modellers Show.

Maybe something here https://www.rail-online.co.uk/

Hi Ian I use Fox waterslide headcode numbers and letters put on a piece of black plasticard. Then you can photo copy it or scan and print it at home. If light shines through the black I go over the back with a black marker, going round the headcode to let the light through!

86212 is the only one I have.

Finished my Hobby Holidays Warwell at last. It's got Appleby bogies and buffers, PH Designs Warrior Cradle and a ASAM Warrior on top. I added the extra width on the end platforms and plates over the buffers along with the extra flanges to support these. Still need to get hold of some wood though for the deck.