wiggoforgold

I can now reveal that Diddington is to make an appearance at the RM Web members day in Taunton at the end of April. I'm very excited about this. Some months ago Mark Branson (46444) and I discussed the idea of using his layout "Juniper Hill" as the terminus of the agricultural tramway that leaves Diddington, and the purpose of the joining section "Middle Fen" which I have been working on over the last few months is to link the two layouts. Trains now run between the two stations, Juniper Hill has acquired a set of legs to make it the same height as Diddington and new LED lights, and I'm currently putting the final touches to the presentation. I've built a fixed back scene for Middle Fen, as my original idea for a roll up cloth back scene meant that fixed scenic items such as the fencing and telegraph poles would be vulnerable to damage during transportation. The new back scene is cut from a sheet of 3.5mm ply, screwed to the back of the layout, and the wings and proscenium which were removable are now screwed to the layout and back scene as well, to make a secure unit for transportation. Ive taken some pictures to show what it looks like now: Back in Diddington station, heres a picture of D8233 moving in to the private siding.

I've been doing a bit of test running, and this revealed that the coal depot which I'd installed was slightly too close to the track to allow some items of stock to get past it. I did check the clearances before I installed it, but not with the items that caused the problems. So, I bit the bullet, and removed the back from the coal cells, using a combination of cutting disc in the mini drill, a scrawker and a scalpel. Once off (it broke into 3 pieces) I reduced the height of the back by removing 6mm from the bottom as I felt it was too high to allow wagons to be unloaded into the coal cells. I then removed about 2mm from the end and internal walls, after which the back was refitted. The resultant gap between the coal and the back was filled with plaster, painted black, and sprinkled with coal, after first retouching the sides and back of the cells with Tamiya NATO black. Some items of junk including an old car body were painted up and fixed in place by the coal cells, before adding some static grass and a couple of coal men. I still want to add a lamp by the coal cells, and an old pair of coal scales among the long grass. Here's a couple of pictures of the results. The effect I'm trying to achieve might best be described as "rural decay". Diddington is modelled at a time when the line was under threat of closure. The turntable has already been removed, and the loco shed closed. The rest of the line will follow suit in a couple of years or so. Not everyone's favourite period I know. Steam has gone, and the decline in the railways fortunes is a time of depression and disillusion for many. It makes for interesting modelling though and it's the time I remember from childhood, and the model is an attempt to recreate that.

I made one of these a few years ago using an Impetus/Dapol kit on a Bachmann O3 chassis. There's some pics in my layout thread and gallery. I've been thinking about substituting the Bachmann O4 mech like yours. Any thoughts on wether this would be a straightforward exercise?

I've been following this thread with interest for a while as it brings back a lot of childhood memories. I like BR steam ECML layouts with lots of green Pacifics; indeed I've thought of giving it a go myself, but I'm looking at something a little east of the ECML. Your pics of the 9f bring back a memory I was going to ask if you could recreate. I remember a sweltering hot day in about 1961, I was at Wood Walton watching a 9f which had stooped at a signal struggling to restart a northbound train of mineral wagons. Every time it tried to start it slipped, and the crew were hanging out of the cab to get some respite from the sweltering heat. I think in the end another loco had to be sent back from Peterborough to rescue it. Keep the pics coming, looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Watching this with interest as its my local viaduct. You can see my garden wall through the arches in Higlandman's photo. Let me know if you need any pics. Alex

I am.pleased to report the shunting horse has been purchased for Diddington, the field is ready by the engine shed and I have been studying the video with aa view to building the stable.

Be careful if you use ash from briquettes, some of them produce a rather unpleasant smell when wet. (I found this out the hard way)

Good to see you back. I think the positive that can be drawn from any change of layout venue is that it makes us stop and think about how it is best fitted in the available space. With regsrd to the platforms for Buckden I;d suggest painting then platform surfaces a brown/grey colour, then paiting on pva and sprinkling with fine ash. Once dry, any surplus can be cleaned off and the final colour adjusted if necessary by gentlyoverspraying with a suitable colour.

Jack I was thinking of about 2m x 1.5m self contained for the Cornish BLT. The trackplan would be based on "Elan" in Iain RIce's "Model Railway Layout Design - Finescale in Small Spaces" (Which I'd recommend if you haven't already come across it.) Setting was inspired by elements from Looe, Fowey and Cotehele Quay (not all railways). I've put it on the backburner for now, though I've brought a loco. I've used the plan before - the farm on Diddington was on a previous layout which used the Elan plan. It sat on a jigsaw section of board,with a hole cut in it to allow it to fit over one of the hinges for folding the layout. With the building in place on the layout, the hinge was inside the barn. For this reason the model has a false wall about 1cm behind the front windows, so the hinge could not be seen through them. You're right about the J15. It's for somewhere west of the Tamar. This time it will be a prototypical location not a million miles from Diddington, but set about 10 years earlier. Alex

Hi Jack. Uz Cornish folk need to stick together. Mark may have told you I have given some thought to a small Cornish terminus, so I looked at your layout with interest. However, the forthcoming Hornby J15 has put that on hold. Alex

Actually I was waiting to see who would be the first to spot that

Aw rats, when I remembered to get the the buffers the right way round too. I should have used the EE type 3 which does have the right head code

Thanks Mike, No tensioners = no excuses! Alex

The fat clergyman and the thin clergyman took a trip out to Middle Fen today to look at the trains. They had arranged to meet leading railway photographer Jonty Chambers, but he had stopped off at Juniper Hill in the East Midlands, and had been so fascinated by that line’s Austerity 0-6-0 that he missed the sight of Brush type 2 D5500 heading across Middle Fen with a parcels train. As for the models, D5500 is a Hornby model, renumbered and weathered. The Morris Traveller is a Classix model. It has been sprayed with Vallejo matt varnish, after which a very light wash of burnt umber oil pain was applied to the lower body panels, most of which was immediately wiped off with a cotton bud. The lower edges of the body were sprayed with Tamiya matt earth. Tyres were painted Tamiya dark grey, and the front wheels were turned by cutting the axle in the middle and bending the axle using pliers at a point just before it enters the wheel. The axle halves were then glued back in place with superglue. The clergymen are from Monty’s Models, painted with Tamiya colours.

I think there should be tensioners at the end of the load chains on the Lowmac but haven't found any small enough. Any thoughts?

Looking back through my blog entries I realise there’s quite a lot involving wagons. I like wagons. In recent years there have been quite a few nice rtr wagons. I’ve had a few , and no doubt will get some more. However, converting or improving an older model, or building a kit allows me to put something of myself into a wagon model. Plastic kits are inexpensive, and a number of my models use older models, many of which can be obtained second hand for a modest price. They don’t even have to be complete. The sheeted GW open in the previous blog entry has a damaged side, which is invisible under the tarpaulin. Part of the fun of making models like this is by taking something in a fictional livery, for example the old Airfix “Golden Syrup” van, and making it into something more realistic. Lowmacs I’ve got a couple of lowmacs. The first, carrying a JCB, is made from the Dapol kit, purchased in the days when the Lowmac and JCB were packaged together. I think the Dapol kit represents a Great Eastern prototype. The only departures from the kit were the substitution of Slaters’ metal buffer heads for the moulded buffer heads in the kit, and an element of 3 point compensation has been introduced by opening out the axle boxes at one end, and mounting the wheel set so that the axle bears on a wire pivot above the centre of the axle. The second lowmac is from the Airfix/Hornby rtr model. New wheels and buffers were fitted, and the original moulded clasp brakes cut off. My model awaits the fitting of replacements. The load bed was rebuilt with a piece of plastic, scribed to look like planking, and a piece of lead stuck underneath to add ballast. It’s loaded with an Oxford Diecast tractor. I added some plastic strips to the floor to represent baulks used in packing, and I intend to make securing chains from fine chain fitted to securing rings in the load bed. Containers There’s a variety of containers available, and the following are pictures of a few. Some of mine aren’t in use as wagon loads, but have found new employment. BR Type A This is a Cambrian kit. It’s not loaded on a wagon, but is in use as a store in the coal yard. BR Type B This is a Parkside kit. It’s loaded on an exLMS 3 plank wagon, made from a Bachmann body on a Parkside LMS fitted chassis. GW Furniture Container This is an Airfix rtr model. The wagon is a detailed Airfix conflat A, which was later produced by Bachmann. Insulated Container I don’t use one of these, but I’ve included a picture to show what is available. Cement Container This was made by Triang, about 45 years ago. It was a nice little model for its time, although the moulded raised lettering is a bit dated. They came in sets of 3, loaded on a representation of a Conflat L, which was too short and too high. Here’s a challenge for the rtr manufactures – how about an up to date Conflat L, which could be finished as a shunting runner to go with the Bachmann 03? Right – its back to fitting couplings. I hope I’ve given some ideas for a bit of variety in wagon loads.

There’s a lot of variety of potential loads for open wagons, so here are some examples: Sheeted open – this uses a Smiths printed tarpaulin. A base is made inside the wagon the shape of the load, or the tarpaulin bar if fitted. The tarpaulin is folded over that. The tarpaulin itself can be pre-treated by screwing it into a ball to crease it up. The ball is unfolded and the sheet dry brushed. Securing ropes are lengths of thread fixed to the back of the tarpaulin with pva or UHU. They can be retained in place by small squares of tissue, stuck over the thread. The wagon started life as an Airfix 5 plank open, fitted with new buffers, wheels, and the brake gear changed to the Dean/Churchward type. Cable drums - the cable drums are from the wagon load set which has been produced by various manufacturers over the years. I think it’s currently done by Knightwing – it was by Heljan when I brought mine some years ago. I was going to make six drums, but laziness took over and I only made three. The drums are assembled from the kit, and then strips of plastic (020 X 040 Plastruct were glue around the edges of the drum to make the timber covering fitted to full drums. The drums were then painted as weathered wood – a coat of grey primer followed by a light coat of Tamiya buff, which was dry brushed with various Tamiya greys and earth colours. The metal plates at the centre of the drums were picked out in a rust colour. The drums sit on a separate base, painted to look like a wagon floor, with addition strips stuck across to represent timber balks used to stop the load moving. The load ought to be roped in, but I want it to be removable so the ropes have been omitted for the time being. The wagon is an Ian Kirk LNER steel open, converted to the original version with wooden doors. Bricks - this load is made from styrene strips, stuck on a styrene base. The strips are then cut with a fine razor saw at 3mm intervals to give the impression of individual bricks. The completed load is painted in various shades of brick red, and dry brushed. Bricks in transit were packed in straw, and some strands of appropriately coloured static grass could be added to simulate this. The wagon is another Airfix 5 plank open, this time finished as a fitted version, and retaining the original buffers. New tie bars were fitted from brass strip, and a cast vacuum cylinder fitted. Timber - a load of sawn timber was built up from various lengths and thicknesses of plastic strip, and painted to look like bare wood. The ends of the strips were painted a red colour to represent markings on the new timber. The load was placed in an open wagon, with a folded tarpaulin covering the part of the load contained inside the wagon, leaving part of the load projecting over one end. The wagon used for this was a 3H LNER open. In the third part I will deal with conflats and containers.

I’ve been checking over Diddington’s wagon fleet, which has led me to consider the wagon loads. There’s been quite a lot published about wagon loads, and I have got a lot of inspiration from Iain Rice’s wagon books, and the series of articles on weathered wagons by Martyn Welch in MRJ a few years ago. Later in this blog I’ll give some examples of loaded wagons, some of which are copies of Martyn Welch’s ideas, the difference being that his were in 7mm scale, and mine are for 4mm scale. Mineral wagon loads These are the typical wagon loads. They can be coal or another mineral, or for those of us modelling the East Anglian scene, sugar beet, loaded into mineral wagons. Either the latter day 16t steel kind, or the earlier RCH wooden types. I make mineral loads on a plastic base, cut to fit inside the wagon. A couple of longitudinal supports are fitted underneath, with the ends cut at an angle. which allows the load to be tipped up and removed like this: The shape of the load is built up with a plaster mix, and when dry this is painted the base colour of the load. This is then painted with pva, and the chosen load sprinkled over and allowed to dry. The completed load looks like this: Here are a couple of loaded mineral wagons. The one on the left is loaded with loose coal in the manner described above. The wagon on the right has a load of bagged coal, made from Ratio coal sacks, cut in half and glued on a plastic base.

What plan are you using? Sounds like the S Wales colliery one published in MORIL a few years ago.

I've take some pictures of a trip along the line, which show how everything goes together. The featured train is a Bachmann class 105 DMU, fairly typical for a passenger train in the area in its final years. Leaving the fiddle yard, the line approaches Diddington over the river Ouse. The bridge is a model of the one which used to stand between Godmanchester and Huntingdon East. I didn't have a plan, but I used to row under it, and we had to bring the oars in slightly to get through the arches. I used that as my starting dimension and worked the proportions out from photographs. The model isn't fixed to the river bed with wooden pegs which project about 1cm from the surface of the water, and the bridge piers slot on to this, so the whole lot would easily be removed if the track was lifted. Once over the bridge the line passes behind a farm. This is made of card, from a sketch by George Illife-Stokes of some barns at Marlow. They originally stood on an earlier layout, and are hollow in the middle, because in its original site it slotted over one of the layout folding hinges to disguise it. The pillbox in the background is typical of many which stood by railway installations. It was made from plans in an old Airfix magazine, published in about 1973. After the farm the line passes an acomodation crossing, modelled on one at Cow Lane just outside Godmanchester. The train now enters the station area. The signal box is from a Wills kit (The prototype is Wisbech East, I think, but its typical Great Eastern.) In the background can be seen the disused loco shed, and the turntable pit. The area is inspired by Huntingdon East, though my shed is the old Prototype Models kit of Stamford. The only bit of the loco yard still used is the loco siding, and the DMU is seen passing an EE type 3 waiting here. The DMU draws into the station. It's quite busy today, there being an SR CCT in the parcels bay, and a horsebox unloading at the siding in the background. The station building is based on Thaxted, and is made of plasticard. Like several of the buildings on Diddington, it is devoid of detail on the back, which is never seen. Here's a closer view of the EE type 3 in the loco siding. Its a Lima body on a Bachmann chassis, and more details of its construction can be found in my blog. Finally, here's a picture of the Manning Wardle "Phoebe" on loan from Teign Valley granite proceeding along the roadside tramway "Middle Fen" currently under construction.

Spotted an 04 at Juniper Hill this morning..