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The Leyland National is now all painted, need to order some transfers from Mabex. I’ll post a picture later.

Great looking tank wagons Paul, scratchbuilt I guess?

After languishing in its box for nearly 18 months the rattle cans came out and the third of my scratchbuilt Transfesa ferry vans finally got painted yesterday. White primer for the roof and Fiat Capri blue for the body. The Interfrigo ferry van also got painted with the white primer, prior to have holes drilled in it for handrails etc.

Bit of a tidy up on the layout today as I have a visitor tomorrow.

Making the buses 1/160 was a big error. They are better than the ODC diecast ones by a mile as the windows are so set back. The Cars Workshop DMS is nice but very scarce. I’m surprised they haven’t issued that in British liveries as once LT got rid of them they were everywhere. A Titan would be good as would an RML.

Found that someone a Shapeways does a Reliant Rialto.....it’s not a Robin that it’s advertised as......these weren’t introduced until 1982.

Sadly I know a fair bit about three wheelers not helped by this website http://www.3wheelers.com

It’s a VW1500......as my Dad only ever had three wheelers......Bond minicar, Reliant 3/25, Supervan, Robin, Rialto.....I’ve always wanted to do a 3/25 as as kids we went from Brighton to Nottingham through Central London in it.

I only ever had one driving lesson in one of them, the Supervan. It was the only time I ever swore at my Mother!

Bare naked Leyland National or as its a London Transport one an LS.

Now with a coat of many one colour!

The class 25/3 in undercoat. I think I will need to mark out where the triangular inspection hatch is one each side prior to painting it rail blue as its not very visible. This is a nice easy conversion for those of us who can't wait until 2025 for Farish to announce one!

Here's a bit of advise (or maybe word of warning) - make sure you have everything you need before starting a modelling project. So far for this one I've have to go out and get card mount-board yesterday, now I find that I need more primer so I need to visit Halfords tomorrow and I'm out of Redutex so I've had to place an order this afternoon (which obviously won't arrive for a few days yet).

G.

Mmmmmm been there many times.....sometimes you find you need 4 of something and only have 3!

Halfords must think you are spraying a battleship the amount of grey primer you’ve used.

Not much done today but it was warm enough to get the rattle cans out for the class 25/3 and the Leyland National bus.......with mixed results.

A quick squirt of Halfords grey primer on the 25 showed that a bit more rubbing down was required, This has been done and the loco primered again.

The Leyland National turned into a bit of a disaster as the Humbrol spray reacted with whatever paint Bachmann used. The body then got popped into a jam jar full of Superstrip. 15 mins later no paint to be seen. After a wash and clean the bus body was sprayed successfully.

Pictures to follow.

The south end of Kensington Olympia....I've written the road names on the ply to assist. The Warwick Rd bridge is a fiction but it had to go somewhere!

Looking towards Olympia with the TWA building on Kensington High Street.

A shunken version of Charles house will fill the empty plot to the left of Warwick Rd.

Looking eastish along Kensington High Street. The Olympia Garage will be a bit of ply to sit on too!

There is plenty of clearance under the bridge.

Looking north up Warwick Rd with Holland Rd opposite. Plenty of buses and taxis about today.....anyone fancy an icecream!

St Mary Abbots house sits to the right of Holland Rd.

And finally an overview looking east.......whose thumb is that!

Class 25083 progress, all filling and filing complete...just needs a squirt of primer to check the surface then painting etc. I'm pleased with it...which is just as well!

For a change I’ve been doing some work on the layout itself over the weekend and today. The road layout and bridges have been set for the baseboard that has the TWA building etc on it.

Modellers license means that Warwick Rd now crosses the railway line!

My relatively straight battens from B and Q weren’t quite as good as they seemed with one batten ranging from 34 to 36 mm deep along the length so some planing was required. Some nice curved......it should be flat.....5mm ply was screwed down to keep it flat. It will get glued later as well. The roads have been marked out with the main ones set at 110mm wide which is enough for 4 lanes, parking and pavements.

I will get photos posted along with the class 25/3 later.

Well not even enough for a penny chew from the Grand National today.....Mrs G's gee gees romped home in 11th and 12th.......those that finished that is.

First up is the Interfrigo ferry van

Then the Leyland National......finished cutting this at home as I'd forgotten to take the second body with me!

I'll get the class 25/3 photos posted tomorrow.

A pleasant day at the NGS meeting, class 25/3 finished bar cab front handrails ( made but not fitted ) and it all needs painting.

Leyland Nationals chopped up and reassembled to make up the twin door version.

The Interfrigo ferry van which has been loitering in a box had some work done on it. Sides finished, door runners and latches added. Just needs some end and underframe details plus the ladders and platforms to finish it prior to painting.

My NGS Carflats had a run around the layout with 25011, one of them had an easily solved issue with the Close coupling system after which they ran faultless, even being propelled at highest speed for several circuits.

Pictures to follow after I watch where my wife’s Grand National money falls over.

This is harder than Only Connect!

so It’s either

O

600

500

or

O

700

600

Or none of the above.

Mmmmm got me stumped or is that chopped. Last go......

O

700 series

500 series

L to R

0 series

E4 series

500 series

Great idea for chopsticks.

A little box arrived from Liverpool today containing two GF Leyland Nationals. These will be chopped to make a LT National with Centre doors. In the same box was a ODC Midland Red Plaxton Panorama. The fate of this coach will be as passenger transport for the TWA building once fleet names have been removed.

The class 25/3 has had the cantrail grills added to one side so far.....I’ll add some progress pictures later tonight.

NGS meeting tomorrow. should be able to finish the class 25/3 and I’m taking the Interfrigo ferry van in to finish off.....plus it’s a chance to play trains.

One thing about Model Railways as a hobby is that there are so many disciplines such as electrician, engineer woodworker, artist etc.... and researcher. Building Olympia has entailed quite a lot of research by book and the Internet. The fact that London is changing so rapidly means that buildings that were there in the 70s have long gone and in some cases so have there replacements.

Two big buildings remain to be built on the current boards before the smaller shops and the Hand and Flowers pub are built. Charles house on the southern side of Kensington High st will be for later and will need to be shrunk big time to fit. The P.O. Savings Bank HQ has been demolished and replaced by more flats but there are quite a few pictures of it on the web and old street maps have its outline. On the north side of the high street opposite the Bristol cars showroom was St Mary Abbots house and another car showroom belongs to Moors Garage. This building has been demolished and replaced by another office block which has subsequently been modernised and reclad so that it looks nothing like it originally was. Luckily I tracked down the planning application which includes a history of planning for the site...weirdly no date for the replacement building but there is a full set of drawings. It looks like another 1980s brown brick office but it gives me plenty of detail. It’s just a shame St Mary Abbots house date isn’t listed and no photos either.

All the bodyside grills that needed removing are now filled in and sanded flat, cab centre and bodyside windows done. I will need to replace the gutter once the cantrail grills have been added. Loco has been for a wash prior to the photos to get all the dust off.

The battens from B and Q remain mainly straight, currently stored next to the layout. I’ve just discovered that my Mitre Block has gone astray so I can’t cut the wood yet. A trip into town tomorrow will include a diversion into Barnitts.

I have done a little bit of work on 25083 today and will post some pictures later.

I’m thinking that I will just scribe the cantrail grills and frame them with strip plasticard.

25231 is the donor for 25083....

Firstly centre window enlarged and former doors removed. a bit of filler added to the inside for strength.....

The 25/3's have two side windows each side. One side they line up with two of the grills for ease of positioning. On the other side only one lines up with a grill.

Once the windows are cut out I will then remove all the grills from the sides and decide whether to use etched grills for the cantrail or just score a grill pattern on them.

A shock today, went to the boomerang dept at B and Q and actually found three bits of 12x34mm batten from the same pack that were straight! These will be the supports for Kensington High Street, Holland Rd, Warwick Rd and the bridges, after I check the clearance. The roadways are 5mm ply these were to B and Q’s usual standard, but when screwed to the battens will be OK.

I’ve made a start on 25083. This will be my fifth class 25 for moving the Motorail trains and some cross London freights. 25083 was one of only 5 boiler fitted class 25/3’s which means I won’t have to alter the underframe details from the Farish Model.

I’ll post some pictures later.

Excellent stuff.