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wiggoforgold

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  1. wiggoforgold

    8 Coupled

    By wiggoforgold,

    I've been playing around with 2-8-0's. I took some pictures of the events.
    First up is an 8f, from Kettering shed. It's a modified Hornby, but 46444 built it, so you'll have to ask him for details. Its got DCC sound, which I rather like, and I've been experimenting with adding sound to Diddington, but retaining the option of DC control for the locos which aren't sound fitted, and never will be due to cost.

     
    Next is a WD 2-8-0. This should be from March shed, but I'm not sure if the number's right. Its a straight Bachmann model, weathered. The only detailing is the addition of a 247 developments fire iron rack on the tender, steps on the tender bufferbeam, and the addition of the bar linking the reversing gear at footplate level.

    Cheers for now
    Alex
  2. wiggoforgold

    A 9f at Diddington

    By wiggoforgold,

    One of the feauture of the railways in the Fenland were the numerous timber bridges, built by the Great Eastern Railway. In reality they were fairly rickety affairs, often with severe weight restrictions, and caused the Railway Inspectorate to despair.
    We modellers run things over them that would probably have resulted in their immediate collapse in real life. Here is a case in point. 46444 brought his Bachmann 9f round last night, so we took a few pictures of it on the bridge at Diddington. Here they are.



     
    92106 was a Kettering based 9f. it appears to have got lost and ended up at Diddington.
  3. wiggoforgold
    The new layout has a working name "Fen Drayton". The real Fen Drayton is a few miles East of St Ives; there was never actually a station there, though I think there was a proposal.
     
    The proposed layout is a double track through station. It uses the 'bitsa" station approach, so that the bulk of the platforms at the St Ives end of the station are offstage, and part of the lay-bys and the entrance to the goods yard at the Cambridge end are also off stage. I propose using a cassette fiddle yard at the Cambridge end, which will give access to the lay-bys and goods yard, and a sector plate at the St Ives end.
     
    The main buildings will be:
    Station building: Histon
    Signal Box: St Ives
    Goods shed: Something generic GE, the main shed being wood, with brick built offices at one end, based on Histon.
     
    The design needs some more tweaking for visual effect. At the St Ives end, the exit from the scenic section is disguised by the station. At the Cambridge end, the exit is disguised by a stand of small trees or large bushes. I'm not sure about this. I'm reluctant to use another building as I want to keep the numbers of buildings down in order to maintain an open effect, so I'm looking for a suitable scenic feature.
     
    At this stage I was going to post a trackplan Unfortunately, computer problems at this end mean I can't get the plan in a suitable form for posting, so please bear with me while I sort this out - hopefully only a few days.
  4. wiggoforgold

    A scenic break

    By wiggoforgold,

    There's been a bit of a hiatus in work on the layout. At the end of last year, I suffered a detached retina. It's all been put back together now, but immediately after the event I couldn't see to do anything and then until my eyes stabilized there was a mismatch between the two which meant I couldn't do close work (this was brought home to me when I found I couldn't judge the distance to put the brush in the paint jar) So.. I started a lot of projects which still await the finishing touches, such as the bogie detailing on the EE type 3 (though this hasn't been helped by 46444 who accidently took the etch for the bogie steps home with him).
    Anyway, at the back of Diddington station there's a gap where the scenery is unfinished. Filling the gap has been on my "to do" list for some time. It looked like this:

    I've got a mental picture of what I want it to look like when it's finished. Work started by cutting a base the shape of the hole from a piece of a cardboard box. A vertical profile piece was fixed to the back using a hot glue gun, and formers giving the shape of the landform were fixed to this every 30mm or so.
    The finished formers looked like this:

    Srips of card about 5mm wide were glued to this to form a lattice, again using the hot glue gun. The card strips were cut from a cardboard "fridge pack" for coca cola, but any medium card, such as strips from a cereal packet would do. I did the longitudinals first, then added the short strips from front to back.
    This is the finished lattice:

    I then made a plaster covering for the lattice. I used squares of stiffish fabric about the size of a postage stamp, dipped in a mix of artex and pva and laid on the lattice. The fabric should be reasonably stiff - I used some dress stiffening material (I think it's called Buckram) because I had it to hand. I have also done it using squares of paper towel, dipped in a pva/water mix. The aim is to produce a hard, light shell. Once dry, I trimmed the fabric back where it hung over the lattice, and reinforced the ends with a coating of plastic wood, sanded down when dry. The piece now looked like this:

    I had intended to build the whole piece and complete the scenery with it repmoved from the baseboard, but at this stage I decided it was better to fit it in place, whch would better allow me to blend it in to the baseboard and backscene. The section was glued in place with hot glue, and the gaps filled with an earth mix of artex, chinchilla dust, pva and brown acrylic paint (actually I mixed yellow red and blue as I was out of brown). The earth mix was painted all over the section, so it now looks like this:

    Its now being left to dry for a few days before I complete the scenic covering, which will be mainly rough grass and bushes. I'll do another entry when the finishing stages are done.
  5. wiggoforgold
    Work has progressed on the scenery behind Diddington Station. Here is an update on developments.
     
    Once the plaster earth mix had dried, the completed structure was blended in to the backscene with a mix of artex and PVA. Once this has dried, the completed structure was given several coats of burnt umber acrylic paint, and the back board was touched up with matt white emulsion.
    The scenery looked like this at this stage.

    Next job was to finish the ballasting of the Bay and private siding. The ballast was a mixture of Woodland Scenics fine granite ballast, fine ash, and chinchilla grit (which is a fine dust obtainable from pet shops, which chinchillas use to give themselves dust baths). The ballast was applied dry, and teased into place with a fine paint brush. I put some masking tape down alongside the track to give an edge to the ballast. I also masked off the moving parts of the turnout.. The ballast was fixed with a mixture of Johnson's Klear, Isopropyl Alcohol (obtained from the Chemist) and a drop of washing up liquid to break the surface tension. This was dripped on to the ballast from a syringe. I find this much harder to do than describe. Some people seem to do this effortlessly, with wonderful, neat results. I always struggle. I thought about applying the Klear with an airbrush, which I have read about people doing, but I felt if I did that, I would simple blow the carefully arranged ballast away.
     
    Once dry, excess ballast was cleaned off the edges of the rails and sleepers with a sraperboard tool. The track was then sprayed with modelmates mud brown weathering dye. In some places a pass with a black dye was made as well, to simulate oil between the rails.
     
    After this, a start was made on adding grass and undergrowth. Round the track this was done using a "puffed grass" technique. A small area around the rails was painted with white glue (pva), let down with a little water. Flock fibres were then puffed in place, This can be done using a static grass applicator, but I used a small soft plastic bottle with several holes of about 3mm dia drilled in the top. The bottle was hallf filled with flock, and squeezed rapidly to puff the fibres on to the glue. This action causes the fibres to stand up when they land in the glue. Once the glue is dry it looks like grass. (Until the glue dries it looks like a white sticky mess of the "what have I done?" variety, so don't panic.
    On the scenery behind the track, some grass was added using the puffed grass method. Rougher grass was added using hanging basket liner. Clumps of hanging basked line were plated face down in a white glue/water mix, and the glue was allowed to dry thoroughly - at least over night. Once dry the backing og the hanging basket liner, and about half the liner itself, was ripped off. The remaining fibres we trimmed with scissors to give the appearance of rough grass. The hanging basket liner I use is a natural green, which doesn't need painting. In due course I might give mine a light dusting of dark earth from the airbrush to blend the various sections together, but I'm not convinced it needs it.
     
    A hedge was added at the back using theatrical hair, coated with hairspray, and shaken in a plastic bag containg a mixture of Carrs leaves. The leaves stick to the hairspray, and the resultant strips of hedgerow were stuck to the scenery with more pva. The backdrop itself is plain white. The layout is set in East Anglia which is very flat, and much of the surrounding land would be below the level of the railway. The plain backdrop gives the layout an open feel which helps give the atmosphere of the area being modelled.
     
    Here are a couple of pictures of the platform end. The first shows the track after ballasting, and the second, taken from almost the same place, shows the scenery treated in the manner described above.


  6. wiggoforgold

    A sneak peak

    By wiggoforgold,

    I thought I'd model something a bit different( for me) this Christmas. Years ago I brought a Bachmann class 46 when it was first upgraded. The intention was to use the bogies and motor in a class 40 but that never happened. The Bachmann class 46 languished on a shelf until earlier this year when I decided to resurrect it. I bought a Craftsman conversion kit to convert it to a class 44, and some Fox etched nameplates.
    I followed the Craftsman instructions for the conversion. When it came to the ends I found that the etched nose doors as supplied didn't look right if they were fitted flat as per the instructions. I therefore slightly curved the very top of them before fitting,which greatly improves the appearance. I also substituted some spare headcode discs from a Bachmann class 24 for the etched ones in the kit as the Bachmann ones were easier to fit.

    The model was finished apart from glazing and small details such as nose handrails and windscreen wipers.
    The body was airbrushed Railmatch BR green. The grey roof and yellow ends are Tamiya Acrylics. When dry the green areas were polished with T-cut, and Fox transfers applied.
    The model was then weathered, first with a very dilute mixture of Tamiya flat earth NATO black and IJN deck brown. ( I Think flat earth and NATO black are my favouriteTamiya colours- I certainly go through a lot of them) Rather than use Tamiya thinners, I make my own from Isopropyl Alcohol (ask a friendly chemist) diluted 50/50 with distilled water. The grey/earth mixture was applied to areas about the size of a postage stamp at a time, and immediately wiped off with a cotton bud. One of the reasons for a heavily thinned mix is it retards the drying time so that the wiping off will be properly effective. Some may feel safer using a similar mix of enamels, which will have a longer drying time than acrylics.
    Once the thinned mix was dry the body had a toned down matt finish. I applied more T-cut to the green areas to remove more of the mix.
    Once satisfied I dry brshed flat earth along the bottom of the body sides. Pictures show some staining below the small grille on the body side, and this was represented by dry brushed Tamiya dark grey XF 24. Silver was lightly drybrushed on the roof access steps and below the cab doors.
    I have noticed that the tops of the noses on green diesels escaped the attentions of the cleaners even when an attempt was made to clean the rest of the loco so weathering was applied to these areas using Carrs and Tamiya powders.
    The roof had awash of a heavily thinned mix of Tamiya dark grey and flat earth. This was wiped off as on the body sides. Once this was dry the roof area was sprayed lightly with Tamiya flat black XF1, with a heavier coating round the exhausts.
    Once all this was done the nameplates were fitted.
    The model still needs glazing,and some small details such as windscreen wipers and nose handrails, but I am currently recovering from a detatched retina, and at the moment my distance perception is insufficient for the accurate cutting and drilling involved.



  7. wiggoforgold
    Billy Connelly once sang a song, called, I think, "3 Wee Women". It was about 3 ladies in Glasgow who were waiting for a bus. Eventually "along came seven buses, every one a 42". Diddington blog entries are a bit like this. Nothing happens for ages, then two come along at once.
    I was playing with the camera last niight, so I took a couple of pictures of the goods yard. There's no trains in the pictures, but I thought the buildings and scenery might be of interest.
    First up are the goods sheds. When I first built Diddington, it had a larger goods shed, built from the Prototype models kit of Little Bytham shed. I decided it was a bit overpowering, so I substituted some smaller sheds. The wooden shed is from the Wills kit, and the concrete one is the Ratio Provender store.

    Next is the Cattle dock. This is from a Ratio kit. Its actually a GW prototype, but when painted and set into the layout, it reminds me of the pens at St Ives (Hunts) in the 1960's. I changed the stone walls in the kit for brick ones when I built it. Once built, the cattle dock was fixed to a card base, and the landform built up round it. The end loading ramp next to it was built on the same base, with brick walls from the Exactoscale sheets. The ground covering is fine ash sprinkled from a sieve onto an undercoat of Tamiya acrylic paint(a mixture of dark earth and grey) and more pva, applied when the paint was dry. Vegetation is puffed grass and hanging basket liner, applied as described in previous blog entries. The cobbled surface of the cattle dock itself was painted with a thin pva/water mix, which was dabbed off with a paper towel, and puffed grass applied, to give the look of a cattle dock that was no longer in use.

    The building in the background is a chapel, based on one at Brigstock near Kettering. Its made from Wills brick sheets, with a roof from Wills corragated Iron sheet. The brick walls were painted with Tamiya acrylic, and the pointing was a thin wash of Artex applied over the brickwork and wiped off when nearly dry, leaving a residue in the courses between the bricks. A side benefit of this technique is that it cuts down the depth of the heavily scribed courses in the Wills sheets.
    Thats all for now. More scenic work is in progress on another part of the layout, detail;s of which will follow in a few weeks.
  8. wiggoforgold
    I said a couple of months ago that I would put up a track plan of the proposed new layout, Fen Drayton. I've finally sorted out the technology to do this, so here it is. The idea is to have a through station with a cassette fiddle yard at the Cambridge end, and a sector plate at the March.StIves end.
    I've invested in Templot, so when I can manage it I'll create a better plan in that and put it up.

  9. wiggoforgold

    Brake Vans

    By wiggoforgold,

    I havent done a blog entry for a while. I suffered a detatched retina in my left eye a couple of yearsago. I recoved from that, was about to post a blog entry, and I suffered a detatched retina in the right eye, so everything has been on hold until I could see the keyboard.
    I have managed to do a bit of modelling though, although I've got a number of unfinished projects where I can't yet see clealrly enough to do fine work, such as the EE type 3 which has been awaiting bogie brake cylinders for the last two years - the parts are in my "to do" box but I can't see to fit them! This situation has hardened my resolove to do a few experiments in "O" gauge.
    Anyway, I've made some brake vans. The van in the picture is a standard BR 20t van, built from the Dapol kit. I like the Dapol kit. Despite being about fifty years old, it looks corrects, and fits together perfectly. There's a couple of errors, the best known being the roof, which is a mirror Image of what it should be. Its a bit chunky anyway, and I replaced mine with a new roof of 20thou plastic card, formed to shape round a jam jar dunked in boiling water. I fitted new vents from MJT, and the chimney is from a bit of brass tube.
    The other error is the duckets, which I believe are not quite the right height (I'm not sure if its too low or too high) A lot of the models I've seen don't bother to change this. I didn't either.
    Running gear has been upgraded. I find that even in OO, long wheelbase wagons benefit from compensation, so mine has MJT W irons. I sanded off the kit W irons, keeping the springs and J hangers, but cutting off the axleboxes (these can be kept if desired) Replacement axleboxes from MJT were fitted. Wheels are Bachmann.
    The buffers were replaced with MJT sprung Oleo buffers. The rest of the mdel uses the kit parts
    The body was sprayed with Precision LNER wagon oxide (I didn't have any BR bauxite) and the underframe was painted with Tamiya NATO black. Fox transfers were applied. Weathering was a wash of heavily diluted artists oil colour (burnt umber) followed by drybrushing various shades of earth and grey.
    I then relaised I had forgotten to fit the grab rails to the outer ends of the veranda, which still await fitting
    The van lurking in the background is an Ex LNER "Toad B" whch has scratchbuilt sides with Airfix/Dapol duckets on a Parkside underframe.
  10. wiggoforgold
    Here are some pictures of Buckden Station near Brampton, Cambridgeshire in 1978. At the time the station was in use as a private house. The signal box, still in its Eastern Region colours, appeared to have been used as a greenhouse.
     
    1. The signal box
    First a general view from the back.

     
    A view of the access steps. The box was platform mounted

     
    The water tank at the back was a nice feature

     
    2. The weighbridge
    A couple of pictures of the weighbridge office


  11. wiggoforgold

    D2201 Refurbished

    By wiggoforgold,

    My model of Drewry 04 Tram D2201 was originally built back in 1996. It’s given sterling service on several layouts over the years but I noticed when I photographed it some time ago that the cab wasn’t properly seated, and once I’d noticed it, the eye kept getting drawn to it.
    It was originally built using an Impetus conversion kit for the Dapol kit, running on a Bachmann 03 chassis. Although the incorrect wheels were hidden by the skirts, it somehow never sat right. Eventually the mechanism became erratic, and I decided to replace it. I though about building a chassis, but eventually decided on a Bachmann 04 mechanism. This has the correct size wheels. It still has a split chassis, but the running is greatly improved.
    I removed the cab, checked all was square, cleaned up the footplate area where it had been removed from, and reassembled it with Zap a Gap superglue. A small gap between the cab front and the left hand bonnet side was filled with Milliput, applied from inside the body. More serious was a gap along the bottom edge of the cab rear. After investigation, I decided the gap was down to the fact that I had assembled the rear buffer beam slightly out of square. The remedy was to carefully fill the gap with Zap a Gap, after which it was painted yellow, and the ends of the wasp stripes painted with Tamiya Nato black.
     

     
    The weathering was then reworked. The model was weathered when it was built using Humbrol Acrylics, first as washes, and finished by dry brushing, but methods have developed since then! The existing weathering was partially removed with T cut, and reapplied using powders. I first applied a couple of washes using powders mixed with water and some Humbrol Decal Fix. I made a grey wash for the bonnet sides, which I ran into the panel lines and bonnet louvres, using mainly some, with a bit of black and dark earth added. I then applied a black/brown wash to the foot plate, using a mixture of black, dark earth, and red oxide powders. Once dry, the upper part of the model was treated with smoke weathering powder, with dark earth applied to the bottom edges of the skirts and cowcatchers. The whole application was then sealed with a light misting of Humbrol Acrylic matt spray varnish.
    Some small rust patches were added to the bottom of the body and cab sides, using a mix of Red oxide powder, and diluted Humbrol mattcote. Finally some streaks representing spilt fuel were applied to the point were the bonnet sides meet the cab front, using AK Interactive “engine oil”

     
    Alex
  12. wiggoforgold
    I've always liked the Brush type 2 (class 31). They were the first main line diesels I remember, and I've always had a model of one, be it Triang, Triang TT, Triang-Hornby, Airfix or the current Hornby model. I'm pleased with the current Hornby model, particularly the running, and I like the revolving fan feature. However,to my eyes there is something not quite right about the end view. I think the problem is that the centre window is slightly deep, and the geometry of the outer windows has been distorted to match these, but this is just my opinion.
    I wanted to make a model of a production series Brush type 2(class31/1) as running in the 1960's, with headcode boxes, train heating boiler and associated steps, and a radiator grille in the central bodyside door. I decided to model D5579 as running in 1965. This locomotive was painted in an experimental golden ochre livery. I have seen pictures of the loco at both March and Cambridge, so I surmise it ran on the March-Cambridge line via St Ives, which is the area I model. The pictures I am using are here:
    http://grahame910.fo.../p62294319.html
    http://grahame910.fo.../p62294344.html
    The current Hornby model is based on the pilot scheme version which does not have these features, and I was unable to find an earlier model, and the current Hornby model would require a considerable amount of work to produce the features I required. I held fire on the project, until I read a thread on RM Web by James entitled "Brush Type2 rebirth", which described how to produce a Brush type 2 by putting a Lima body (which has better ends than the Hornby one) on Horby bogies. I liked the idea, and looked for a second hand Lima model to modify,but before I could find one wasofferd a brand new unpainted Airfix body, so my model has become an Airfix/Hornby hybrid.
     
    The Airfix body is pretty good. The cab ends appear correct, and the body has all the features I require. I read Monty Wells' article on improving the Airfix Brush type 2 in MRJ No 14 and decided the following modifications were required:
    1.The bodyside valance between the bogies is too short (The original Triang model is like this as well; The Lima model and the current Hornby model are OK in this respect.
    2. Replace the moulded fan grille by an etched grille from Shawplan.
    3. Replace the moulded grabrails on the roof with wire.
    4. Make provision to fix the Airfix body to the Hornby chassis.
     
    I have used a complete Hornby chassis for my model. This was modified by removing the end sections. The cab interior backs remain fixed to the chassis,but the floor/seat units from the Hornby model were refitted into the body.
     
    I stripped down the Airfix body,removing the moulded handrails and the moulded roof fan grille. I cut off the incorrect short valances level with the bottom edge of the sides. I then made new valances of the correct length from20 thou plasticard, and solvent welded these to the bottom edges of the sides. I scribed a vertical line in the middle of the new valances to represent the panel join, and added beading from 10 thou plasticard to match the vertical beading on the bodysides. The modified body looked like this:

    Here is a close up of the the new valance:

    Afrter undercoating the new valance looked like this:

    I waspleased that the join is invisible. The new valance is only fixed to the bodyby its top edge. There would be room for some discreet reinforcement behind, but I have not needed to do this.
     
    In the MRJ article,Monty Wells modified the headcode boxes by removing the moulded headcodepanels and making up new panels and fitting them into the headcode boxes after painting. I have done the same,but in retrospect I think his modification was to take advantage of replacement headcode letters available to him at the time, and I would simply put transfers on the existing headcode panels if Imodify another Airfix body. Here are mynewpanels:

     
    I made replacement roof grabrails from fine brass wire. The mofied body was then ready for painting. I sprayed it overall with Halfords grey primer. When this was dry I correct a couple of blemishes, and then sprayed the body with Tamiya flat earth XF52 as an undercoat. The roof was sprayed with Tamiya light sea grey XF25, and the buffer beams with Tamiya flat red XF7. The interior was sprayed Tamiya buff XF57.
    At this stage the body looked like this:

    The roof and bufferbeams were then masked off and the body sprayed with Railmatch Golden Ochre. This is the current point of progress. When this is dry I will complete the detail painting and transfers, and take some more pictures of progress.
  13. wiggoforgold
    Work on D5579 has continued. I've been looking forward to painting this one as the colour scheme is a bit different. I considered a number of different ways of finishing it, but in the end I adopted the following method:
    The body was painted in Railmatch Goden Ochre, and Fox transfers were applied. The body was then lightly sprayed with Tamiya clear varnish let down with thinners. The thinned varnish dried almoost matt, which is what I wanted, although it is actually sold as gloss.
    One dry, the body received a wash of Citadel "Devlan Earth". I kept a bowl of water by me while this was applied, and a supply of cotton buds, to wash off some of the paint as it was applied. This was only partially sucessful, as the paint dried faster than I was anticipating, and once dry water won't shift it. It dries nicely matt though. I thought about trying Tamiya thinners, but didn't, as I was nervous about damaging the original finish.
    The excesses of Devlan Earth were removed by gently rubbing over the body with T-cut on a cotton bud, which gave the effect of worn paint showing through the dirt.
    When I was satisfied, thye engine and boiler exhausts were picked out with Tamiya flat black, and the roof was sprayed with various mixes of Tamiya flat black and NATO black.
    The finished effect looked like this:

     
    I then drybrushed silver on the steps below the cab doors, on the nose and for the boiler access. Rust was lightly drybrushed on the bottoms of the cab doors, as in photos the panit here appears to be worn away with rust showing through. Oil seepage from the engine room floor was brush painted with a mixture of IJN brown and Semi gloss black, blended in by drybrushing at the edges with flat earth and NATO black.
    Once this was dry, the bottom edge of the body was lightly sprayed with flat earth to represent a mixture of road dirt and brake dust.
    The end result looked like this:


     
    Just in case anyone thinks its a bit grubby for an experimental livery, here's a link to a picture of the real thing in 1965 - I think you'll agree I've been quite restrained.
    http://grahame910.fotopic.net/p62294319.html
    There's still work to do - the bogies and wheels need paniting, couplings and bufferbeam detail are to be fitted, and glazing is required, as well as paniting of the cab interiors and installation of crew.
     
    Cheers for now
    Alex
  14. wiggoforgold
    I started making models of the green diesel era about 12 months ago. Having done classes 24, 31 and 15 my friend Mark kept telling me I needed a class 37. Initially I resisted, on the grounds that a 37 was a bit big for the current layout. Then two things happened; I found a picture of a class 37 from the appropriate area and time which I really liked and I decided to build a layout based on a through station for which the class 37 would be entirely appropriate. Finally, James started a thread on this forum entitled "Brush type 2 rebirth" in which he puts a Hornby mech in a Lima body, and in that thread he made some comments about his class 37 which got me thinking. (It also gave me some ideas for another class 31, but that's a different story).
    I had a Lima class 37/4 body, and I aquired a Bachmann class 37 chassis sans body, and decided to merge the two. My model was to be D6723 in GSYP as running in March 1967.
    The basic Lima body is dimensionally correct, but mine was finished as a 37/4, and I found a considerable number of detail differences between a 37/4 and an original EE type 3 with split headcodes, so the inapropriate detailing was removed and the body redetailed.
    For me, the main weaknesses in the Lima body are:
    -The tumblehome, which isn't pronounced enough
    -The cab front windows
    -The ride height, which is too high.
     
    Putting the Lima body on the Bachmann chassis allowed me to correct the ride height and tumblehome. I discarded the entire Lima mechanism, including the moulded floor, except the bufferbeams, which were cut off the floor an reattached to the body, New bulkheads were fitted at the backs of the cabs, which allow the body to sit at the correct height on the Bachmann chassis. The chassis was modified by removing the extensions at each end, and removing the circuit board on top of the chassis and rewiring it conventionally (I don't use DCC).
     
    I reworked the tumblehome on the Lima body by scoring along the insides of the body at the point where the tumblehome starts to curve in, and gently bending the bottom of the sides to make a more pronounced tumblehome. (I got this idea from James) I made up a card former with the correct angle to check the bend, Once I was satisfied with the revised tumblehome, I reinforced the bend by running solvent down the score line inside the body, and reinforcing it with strips of 40thou plastic card. The Bachmann chassis is narrower than the old Lima one, so the modified body fits to the chassis without further change to the chassis. This does however reveal that the Bachmann bogies are too wide across the sideframes, so I need to narrow these.
     
    I reworked the cab front windows by cutting out the moulded frames, using the resultant aperture as a template to make up new glazing, and fitted new A1 etched windscreens. The new glazing has been put aside until after painting.
     
    The redetailed body has been sprayed in grey primer, and put aside to allow the paint to harden and to give me time to study it to see if it requires any further detailing, or if any work already done requires further attention.
     
    Finally, a couple of pictures of work so far:


     
    The next stages are the narrowing of the bogies, rebuilding the fuel tanks, and painting the model.
  15. wiggoforgold
    Work on D6723 continues. As construction of the body proceeded, I repeatedly offered it up to the Bachmann chassis to make sure everything fitted. I removed the moulded ends from the Bachmann chassis,and also the circuit board from the top of the chassis. I had discarded the lights, and I don't use DCC so the circuit board was superfluous, and its removal gave me more space at the top of the chassis for fitting the body.
    The trial fits of the body with modified tumblehomes empasised the fact that the moulded sideframes on the Bachmann chassis were too wide. I narrowed these by removing the sideframes with a razor saw, cleanig up the parts,and reassembling them. The width of the saw cut gives sufficient narrowing. The brake cylinders on the Bachmann bogies looked a bit underfed,though I think Bachmann may have addressed this on later models. I intend to replace mine. The best option appears to be cylinders from the Hornbyclass 50, if you can get them, but unfortunalely I don't think these are available as spares. I have decided to use Roundhouse ones, and am currently awaiting delivery of these. The plan is eventally to fit new brake cylinders, together with the actuating chains for the hand brakes. At the same time, I will improve the bogie steps, and fit a speedometer. For the moment I have just narrowed the sideframes, and painted them.

    After priming, the sideframes were sprayed with a mixture of matt black and dark earth Tamiya acrylics. The springs were picked out in semi-gloss black, and dry brushed with a mixture of NATO black and dark earth to highlight the coils. The sideframes were then sprayed with Modelmates weathering dye (mud brown), most of which was immediately wiiped off with a damp cotton bud, which emphasised the detail. (Thanks to Ian at Antics in Plymouth for showing me this)
    I spent a lot of time studying the fuel tanks before deciding how to tackle them. The tanks on the Bachmann chassis are a one piece moulding. On the prototype,there are seperate tanks, linked by pipes, and suspended from brackets. I found these photographs helpful while considering what to do:
    http://www.brianhans...t/c1481786.html
    http://eastmoor.blog...37-details.html
    After taking a deep breath, and making myself feelparticularly brave I cut the tank moulding from the pastic part of the chassis (there wasn't a lot left of it by then) I separated them into separate tanks, and filled the resultant gaps in the tanks with 40 thou black plasticard. I then cut a rectangle of 40 thou black plasticard to form a base for the tanks and reassembled the tanks on these. The brackets between the tanks and at either end were made from plasticard and plastic strip.


    Apologies for the first photograph being slightly out of focus, but I wanted to show the resultant daylight round the tanks, and I couldn't get the focussing on the camera to improve.
    The tanks were agian sprayed with a mixture of Tamiya matt black and dark earth,with a spray of Modelmates dye. The steps were picked out in NATO black,and then drybrushed with Humbrol polished steel, and a Tamiya black/earth mix.
    Fuel spillage on the smaller tank was done by painting a patch matt black, and then overpainting part of that patch with semi gloss black,before lightly spraying the whole thing with dark earth.
  16. wiggoforgold
    I've been doing some more work on D6723 and have got the painting and weathering to a point where I thought a further update was appropriate.
     
    I painted the ends first with Railmatch yellow, and when this was dry masked it off and sprayed the body with Railmatch BR green, followed by grey for the roof. The areas for the markings were painted with Klear,and Fox transfers applied. The body was then sprayed with a couple of coats of Humbrol varnish, the second with a drop of Humbrol dark grey in itto start the toningdown of the body. I would have used satin varnish,but I didn't have any to hand, so I used gloss.
    I gave this a couple of days to dry hard. To tell if the paint is dry, sniff the model. If you can still smell paint, the paint beneath the surface has not completely dried. When it has dried through, the paint smell will have gone.
    When the model is dry weathering can commence. Get a good picture, preferably colour, of the locomotive you are modelling (or if that is not possible, something similar in the same area) . I found a suitable picture on Brush Veteran's site. This site has hundreds of useful pictures,and I have spent hours studying them. Comparison of various photographs of the item being modelled indicates typical weathering patterns, for example the build up of grime below the valance and the layersof dirt on the top surfaces of the noses on the class 37, or the characteristic coolant spillages on the class 24, or the oil leaks from the engine bay floor on the class 31.
    http://grahame910.fotopic.net/p62337762.html
     
    The green areas were then polished with T cut and weathering commenced with various toning down washes. D6793 had a wash of Games Workshop "Devlan mud", most of which is immediately wiped of with a cotton bud. When this was dry,parts of the roof and lower bdyreceived further washes of well thinned Tamiya NATO black and dark earth. Again, alotofthis was wipedoffwith a cotton bud before it had time to dry. The object of the exercise is to leave a residue of dirt in the various bodyside crannies, and around the edges of raised items such as grille surrounds and window frames. The roof was brushed with Carrs black weathering powder. Referring to the photographs, various areas were then picked out with Tamiya Acrylics, mainly matt black, NATO black, dark earth and IJN medium deck brown. Semi matt black was used for oil spills.
     
    The roof was then sprayed with various shades of black, and a mix of dark earth and grey was sprayed on the body sides.
     
    The results so far look like this:



     
    Looking at the photographs reminded me I havent fitted the grilles over the horns in the nose. I've used A1 railmatch etchings and they are painted ready. Buffer beam detail needs to be added, as well as cab interiors and a crew. I also want to add some mere detail to the bogies. I'm waiting for some new brake cylinders,and these will be fitted together with the handbrake operating chains. Finally I've just found a source for some etched bogiesteps,and I'm going to try a set of these.
  17. wiggoforgold
    I've given some thought to how the finished layout will look and what buildings I need to acheive this. As I'm going to refer to where the buildings are placed on the layout I'm putting up the track plan again to save the need to refer to a previous blog entry to see where the buildings go on the plan.
    My aim is that a person looking at the layout will be able to get an idea of location and period without a single item of stock being present. An indication of the area modelled can come from two things, The design of the railway and its infrasructure (such as buildings, signals, trackside furniture (eg water cranes and fences) and from topographical features such as the landform, the non-railway buildings and the vegetation. The period can be indicated by things like peoples fashions, posters, railway and road signs, the state of repair and colurs of railway buildins.
    I have also given some thought to the season modelled. Theres a bit of "chicken and egg" here as my tought process ran "I want to run these trains - what season should I model? ( For example in 1950's East Anglia you won't find vans of local fruit being loaded in midwinter.) The thought process could just as easily run "I want to model autumn, what trains are appropriate? I've seen a number of highly atmospheric layouts set in different seasons, although most layous seem to be set in some rather undefined midsummer season. When you think about it summer only lasts about 25% of the year, and it usually rains for at least part of that time - perhaps more layouts should reflect this.
    So, where are the buildings going too on the layout? To start with, here's the plan again to refer to:

    At the StIves/March end of the layout I plan to create a cameo scene depicting the platform end. The bulk of the platforms will be offstage. The main station building will be based on Histon, and will form a view block hiding the exit of trains from the visual part of the layout. Because the layout will only be viewed from one side, I will only fully model the visible parts of this building and some of the others. Opposite the station building will be the signal box on the platform end. I have always liked platform level signal boxes. I was originally inspired by the late Peter Denny's "Grandborough Junction" box. Mine will be based on St Ives (Hunts). At the end of the platform will be a typical GE level crossing. Most of the stations on the line between St Ives and Cambrige had this arrangement, although I think that without exception the crossing was at the StIves/March end of the platforms. Mine will be at the Cambridge end. I'm also wondering about having a water tower, based on StIves, adjacent to the signal box.
     
    I plan a single pen cattle dock on the spur adjacent to the level crossing off the goods loop. The single pen is typical of stations on the line, and has an interesting pentagonal arrangement, rather that the usual 4-sided ones.
     
    The next building will be the goods shed. I'm still thinking about this. Current thought is for a typical GE wooden shed, with brick built offices at one end. St Ives will provide the prototype for the offices, and the shed itself will be generic. The practical function of the shed on the layout will be to cover the baseboard joint. It will be removable, so it fits over the joint. I'm undecided whether to build it on a removable sub base that fits over the joint, or leave a hole in the scenery for it to slot in to.
     
    In front of the goods shed will be a couple of "jigsaw" sections which will further disguise the baseboard joint. Between the runnings lines and the sidings there will be a group of buildings, pssible forming a PW depot, and in the foreground will be a goods yard. Both these groups will be on their own "jigsaw" sub-bases. I haven't dicided on prototypes for the buildings yet, but Godmanchester had a few that might be suitable. Part of the reason I am undecided is I am unsure how many to have, and how big they should be . As well as disguising the baseboard joint, I want there to be a visual block midway along the layout. That way the trains will pass behind the buildings, which will help disguise the length of the layout. It will also help to divide the scenic area into more manageable sections for the eye to take in. The other side of the equation is that I don't want to clutter up the layout with too many buildings, as I am modelling an area which is flat and open, and I am concerned that too many buildings will spoil the effect.
    Finally, where the running lines leave the visible section of the layout at the Cambridge end, I'm planning another view block, this time a stand of trees or bushes. This will also have the effect of visually balancing the station buildings at the StIves/March end.
    These are the thoughts so far - any ideas will be gratefully received!
  18. wiggoforgold

    Happy Accidents

    By wiggoforgold,

    Sometimes, the construction of models doesn’t go quite as planned. In a recent experience, at every stage in the construction of a model building for Diddington, something felt “not right”. I tweaked it to try and improve things, hoping it would be all right in the end, but as construction progressed things clearly weren’t to be, and I scrapped it. I’m currently thinking about starting it again.
    Sometimes however, the accident can be turned to advantage, and as a result I discovered some techniques that I can hopefully use again in the future. I’d like to share a couple of my favourites.
    I made a “Terrier” for Diddington, by modifying the old Hornby model. I was inspired by some pictures of the abandoned Terriers on the Edge Hill railway, and I thought an apple green industrial loco with red wheels would make a change from my usual BR black. When I came to paint the model, the body was sprayed with grey aerosol primer. Once this dried, the body colour was sprayed with a Humbrol Acrylic LNER green. This is where things didn’t go quite as intended. Because I hadn’t used the Humbrol acrylic before, and because I was concerned about it drying too quickly and clogging the airbrush, I over thinned it. This meant that when it was sprayed on the coverage was poor. To avoid too much of a pain build up, and runs, I stopped. When the over thinned coat dried, I was left with a faded top coat with the undercoat showing through, which gave a fine impression of faded, weathered paint. Exactly what I wanted, though not what I expected. I left well alone, and carried on with the weathering.

     
    Recently I made a 350hp diesel shunter (08 to the younger generation), from an old Bachmann model. The finished article was to be heavily weathered, so to get the effect of grime in the gaps between the panels, I started by spraying the entire body with a mix of Humbrol Gunmetal, Matt Black and Dark Earth. Once dry, this was oversprayed with Railmatch BR Green and transfers applied. At this stage the model looked rather nice, and I was almost tempted to leave well alone and proceed no further, but I did, and this was when things started to go slightly wrong.
    To seal in the transfers I sprayed it with matt varnish from a spray can. I used a spray can of Vallejo matt varnish which I had to hand, but which in retrospect was a bit old. When it dried, it had a white powdery crust in places, which spoilt the overall finish. The effect was reduced by working over the model with a stiff brush, so I proceeded to the next stage of the weathering. This was to coat the body with a heavily thinned mix of Tamiya NATO black, Dark Gray and Matt Earth, much of which was immediately wiped off from the centre of the bodyside panels. When dry, this again reduced the white bloom, but not quite enough, and it was still in the centre of the panels where I didn’t want it. I put a bit of T-cut on a cotton bud, and used this to restore some shine to the centre of the panels, and remove some of the thinned Tamiya mix and the faulty matt varnish. The result was body panels that looked like they had been cleaned in the middle, with a grimy faded appearance to the edge of the panel which I wouldn’t have achieved if the varnishing hadn’t gone wrong in the first place.

     
    Overall, I’m very pleased with the way both these models have turned out, and present them as examples of how setbacks can sometimes be turned to advantage, and how they may provide an opportunity to discover new techniques.

  19. wiggoforgold
    Mark (46444) asked if I could weather his Hornby Staniers for him
     
    The coaches made up a 3 coach set in BR maroon.
     
    The Hornby finish is slightly matt. I used T-cut to impart more of a a gloss finish to the sides. I renumbered one of the Brakes as M5599M as both brakes in the set had the same number. I then masked off the sides, and sprayed the roofs with a very thin mix of Tamiya IJN grey with a little dark earth in it. I lightly sprayed the underframes and bogies with a mix made up from Gunmetal, matt black, dark grey and dark earth. I then sprayed the bogies with a further mix with more dark earth in it.
    I brushed the roofs with Carrs powders, and brush painted parts of the underframes with various well thinned mixes of dark grey and dark earth, most of which was rubbed off straight away with a cotton bud. I ran a darker mix into the joints round the doors, again rubbing off any overspill.
     
    I painted the wheels separately with Tamiya matt black, let down with a little dark earth; I would have used NATO black, but I'd run out.
     
    Here are some pictures of the results:



  20. wiggoforgold
    I'm doing this as part of my Diddington blog, though it might be the precursor of a new blog in the future, or even a layout thread.
     
    I've aleays like the idea of insdusrial railways. They've got a lot going for them as they are ideal for small space modelling however, I've always been distracted by some of the larger stuff.
     
    There's an industrial/light railway spur at Diddington, and I've had a number of ideas for developiing it over the years. Sor far it's got as far as a few items of rolling stock and an engine, and a hole in the backscene. The idea was that beyond DIddington there was an agricultural tramway running into the fens. Inspiration came from the Wissington line in Norfolk, and the Ironstone lines of the East Midlands. An early idea was called East Midlands Sand and Gravel.
     
    Her's a picture of the train for the agricultural tramway running on Diddington.

    The terrier is a Hornby one, detailed.. I was inspired by the Edge Hill terrier in Tim Shackleton's "Plastic Bodied Locos", but I've kept the Hornby chassis. I felt that one oof the shortcomings of the Hornby model was the bulk of the chassis compared with the prototype, and spent some time removing superfluous bits from it to make it look a bit less substantial. Finishing was a happy accident. I sprayed the body with grey primer, and then sprayed the livery with Humbrol acrylic railway colour (LNER green). The mix was a bit thin, with the result that the undercoat showed through, giving a faded effect which I kept..
     
    Just before Christmas, 46444 came round, and brought his J94 and Sentinel, which can be seen on his Juniper Hill layout thread. Here's a couple of pictures of their visit to Diddington. I paticularly like the oily paintwork effect on the J94, whch I understand is the result of overspaying Tamiya matt green with Johnsons Klear.


     
    Which brings us to the reason for all this. Eyesight problems suggest that 4mm modelling may bi a bit too much of a strain, so I've been investigating 7mm, and the Wissington railway has reared its head again. There's some nice video of it on Youtube, in a film called "Industral Steam", and the engine "Wissington" is preserved on the North Norfolk Railway I think. Anyway, its a Hudswell Clark, which looks rater like the Ixion one, so here's my interpretation.

    Weathering is a wash of Indian ink, followed by weathering powders. I'm going to add abit of rust using the Modelmates product, and simulate worn off pant on the handrails and steps by rubbing with a soft pencil. Looking at the photographs I think a bit more dirt is needed on the footplate and round the buffer beams. The distribution of dirt follows the pictures of the real Wissington engine. So now I'm off to make a bit more track (perhaps a turnout!) and a couple more wagons. Also, I keep looking at the Dapol thread to see when their Terrier is coming out....
  21. wiggoforgold

    More pictures

    By wiggoforgold,

    Here are some more pictures of Buckden Station in 1978
    First, a view of the Signal Box, looking towards Huntingdon from the station building. The gentleman in the picture was, I think, the last station master/signalman, and lived in the old station building:

    The signal box was platform mounted, so the locking room was set in the platform. The door was accessed down a flight of steps at the Huntingdon end


     
    More to follow
  22. wiggoforgold
    Heres a few more pictures of Buckden Station in 1978-
    First a detail shot of the weighbridge office

    This old sack trolley was on the platform

    A view through the signal box window, looking at the shelf for the block instruments

  23. wiggoforgold

    New wagons

    By wiggoforgold,

    I've been building a few wagons over the past few months, and I thought I would share some of my efforts.
     
    First up is a Prestwin Twin Silo wagon from the Airfix/Dapol kit. It's assembled pretty much out of the packet. A bit of weight (to bring the total weight up to 50g) was put inside before the silos were finally assembled. Some of the components, such as the ladders, were thinnned down a bit, and the moulded grab rails on the platform round the silos were replaced with new grab handles made from brass wire. The buffers will also be replaced, with sprung Oleo buffers from MJT. The wheels were replaced with Bachmann items, running in the existing moulded pin point bearings. The chassis assemble square, and isn't compensated, although I would usually do so on wagons with more than a 10' wheelbase.

    Next is a pair of BR shock absorbing vans. The left hand, plywood van, is from a Red Panda kit, assembled out of the packet with Bachmann wheels. The right t hand, planked van is from an old Bachmann model, fitted on a modified Ratio 10' WB chassis. The original Bachmann lvery was kept, the van body being weathered with a wash of Games Workshop Devlan Mud, followed by dry brushing with earth and rust colours.

    Finally, a Vanwide. The original model was scratchbuilt from Plasticard many years ago following an article in the Railway Modeller (Feb 1968, I think) and rather shows its age. It was intended as a restoration of an old project, rather than a superdetailed replica.

    With the exception of the planked shockvan, all the vans were sprayed with Precision LNER red oxide (I'd run out of BR bauxite) with weathering comprising a wash of burnt umber oil paint, followed by dry brushing with shades of earth and rust. Except on the Prestwin, transfers are by Fox. The Prestwin uses the original transfers from the kit, whiich have an all too aparent carrier film. I plan to do another one, which will use Fox transfers.
     
    Next entry will be something a bit different, some Industrial engines.
  24. wiggoforgold
    Morning all
    It seems a bit odd that the first entry in this blog for my layout "Diddington" is about planning its successor!
    I've learned a lot from Diddington, both in terms of what ideas I would use again, and what I would change. I was finally prompted to start working on a new layout design because of pressure on space; Diddington has shared its home with a band's rehearsal room; plans are afoot to convert the room in to a full blown recording studio, which isn't compatible with a model railway sharing the space (It spoils the acoustics).
     
    I think it would be useful to post details of the planning process. Hopefully some will find the planning progress interesting, and I am hoping that by posting the planning process it will generate feed back which will help me improve the finished model.
     
    I have considered a number of schemes. All are set on the Kettering - Cambridge line in the 1950's. I considered making a model based on the Western end of the line, possibly a small station based on Cranford in "0" gauge, or an exchange between the industrial Ironstone workings of the East Midlands, with industrial locos, and mineral trains hauled by 8f's and 9f's. I've settled on something a bit further east, set on the section of the line between St Ives and Cambridge. This allows the greatest variety of workings and locomotive types; Cambrige - Kettering services worked by Ivatt class 2's and J15's; Cambridge - March services worked by D16's, J17's;J20's and K1's; Through freights via March and St Ives worked by WD's and O1's (come on Bachmann O4, the razor saw awaits) Cambridge - March parcels trains worked by B17's; Oh, and a 1960's interlude with green diesels. I can't have A4's but then life isn't perfect. A lot of the stock will be reused from Diddington, which cuts down some of the work.
     
    Having got to this stage,the first step in the more detailed planning process was to consider the criteria, both prototype and model, for the new layout:
    Prototype Considerations:
    Period - 1950's steam Location - GE in East Anglia, Kettering - Cambridge Line Double track A platform mounted signal box, based on St Ives (Cambs) A small goods yard A level crossing Through freights Display Considerations:
    "Diddington" was conceived as a home layout; It was only much later I decided to exhibit it. I have enjoyed showing it, but putting it on show reveals some drawbacks, and the new layout will address these Boards will be high level, with a proscenium arch, and "wings" at each end, so the viewpoint is directed into the layout. Being East Anglia, the are no hills and tunnels to disguise the exits from the scenic section, so I will have to use strategically positioned buildings and trees. The high level view point does give difficulties, in that it can exclude members of the potential audience, such as children and people in wheelchairs, so I'm still thinking about this. I am also mindful of the Disability Discrimination Act. Operation from in front of the layout, so the operator can interact with the audience, but the control panel to be sited at the end of the layout, so the operator does not block the audience's view of the display. Model/Construction Considerations:
    The new site will be smaller, so the size needs to be kept down A smaller size will make the layout more easily transportable "OO" gauge; Home made PCB pointwork with SMP plain track, as "Diddington" All points electrically operated with Tortoise point motors. Automatic couplings. Aim for totally "hands off" operation. A properly signalled layout with working signals operated by ex PO relays. Make boards from Ply. When the layout plan is finalized, a cutting schedule can be prepared. A 'roll up" cloth back drop, rather than the fixed backdrop on "Diddington" Having thought those through, layout planning can begin. My starting point was "Bildeston" in Iain Rice's book "Layout Design - finescale in small spaces, though the track pal I am working on bears little resemblance to the plan in the book. I'll put it up in a couple of days, as I would like some input as to its fidelity to prototype, and the placement of signals and catch points.
     
    That's all for now; The next installment will be the track plan.
  25. wiggoforgold

    Railbus Trials

    By wiggoforgold,

    Back in 1963, Diddington featured heavily in that report, and not in a good way. Despite this, Eastern Region carried on looking at ways they might improve the services at Diddington. Viewers of my gallery may have noticed the attempt to use a redundant Wisbech and Upwell diesel tram on the agricultural tramway back in 1967, but before that they tried using an AC cars railbus on the passenger services. I've found some pictures of this event, which are attached.
     
    The truth is, I found an old railbus model when I was having a tidy up, and 46444 was visiting, so he took some pictures. The railbus is a Dapol model, assembled pretty much straight from the packet, on a Branchlines chassis, with a Branchlines interior.
     
    Its not my first attempt at the railbus kit. The first was back in about 1965. I went in to Huntingdon to buy an Airfix Beaufighter. The shop didn't have one, so I got a rail bus instead. That cost 17.5p (they called it 3/6d back then), and I've made a few kits since.

     

     

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