Scale7JB

This thread could well be one of my RMweb 'fixes'... Keep up the posting !! JB.

Hi Gordon, no idea how I missed this one.. Looking absolutely fantastic. The basebaoard construction is inspirational, the 4 track mainline through the walls is fantastic, and the ballasting really very special... Excellent ! :icon_thumbsup2: JB.

Good question. The next major project which is well under way is the extension so that we can actually run trains off scene. We're not too far off, with a few working wednesdays, and some slightly warmer/drier weather I think we could be done within a couple of months. Then we should be able to work a lot more on the scenics. Chatting with PJH yesterday after the meeting we decided that whilst controlling the trains isn't an issue with the new Gaugemaster wireless controllers we have, we need to work on sending bell signals to those controlling the fiddle yard at the other end of the house to let them know what train headed by what motive power is about to arrive. All good fun stuff.. JB.

Two videos of the K2 working on West Mersea today at January's monthly group meeting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8fypHlVtYQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_9BT24uMh4 JB.

2mm is far from my thing, but this is looking lovely...! Look forward to seeing it progress... JB.

I think you'll need to put a small video camera in there to show the interior when it's in use... Moving levers as well please... probably quite easy with an application of memory wire perhaps.. JB.

Hi Dan, this is probably as good a shot as I would get of mine that is on the Hobbyhorse website.. http://www.hobbyhorse.co.uk/images/gallery_pics/11.jpg JB.

Took this the other day whilst it was basking in the sun... Please excuse the lack of rails underneath it, just shot it as it was.. JB.

Oh yes I noticed the red wire after posting. It's the wire that goes through to the cam sensor for regulating the chuffs on the lead driving axle. I think I just need tuck it inside a little better... I shall need to practice my weathering on some lesser models before I tackle this one, it's going to be heavy..!! JB.

I walked into the room where the K2 was sitting earlier and it looked great sitting in the sun, so had to take a couple of pictures... The colour of the rods doesn't look to bad in the warm light.. I played around in photoshop to try to make it look a little more like film grain too... don't worry, I didn't spend too long on it, and I know it's far from perfect JB.

Hi Ken, sorry to hijack the thread slightly, but I wondered if I might post a pic of my roof with the Scale Hardware rivets that John was mentioning... It's really not difficult at all, just a little time consuming with a few measurements a pin chuck.... JB.

Well, the K2 is going to be in 1946 livery as it will be a runner on the fitted fish trains to Liverpool St on the West Mersea layout, so I think that it would most probably be the post-war austere unlined black, or should that be brown because of the heavy weathering... JB.

Hi Adrian, hope all is well with you.. Yes, I must admit that is the best finish I have had from the Halfords 'in a can' primer. Though I did try something different this time. As with the tender I chemically blackened the whole thing as I'm petrified of paint flaking of on handrails and the edges of running boards, and then I primed with the Halfords Acrylic primer, so it now has two etchants on there. In the past I have heated the model, and the primer up to quite warm/hot as I have been told that this will make the primer adhere and etch better, but in the past I have found that the primer can go grainy on the model, requiring a bit of remedial work with a glass fibre brush and some fine 1500 grit paper. This time I thought I would try using both at room temperature rather than warm, and it seemed to work far far better! It was all going so well, but then I sprayed the halfords acrylic black over the top, and gave the roof a bit too much which hid all the detail. So I got a cotton with some thinners on and removed the paint from around the heads of the Scale Hardware bolts in the roof of the cab. It has lost a little of the black, but this engine is going to be filthy dirty so the weathering will hide where the primer is coming through. In terms of how filthy, something like this http://www.phantasrail.co.uk/Sid/Gold0280t.JPG would be nice to achieve, maybe even a little heavier. I love all the big white streaks and patches on the smokebox that come from too much priming of the cylinders, and big white patches on the lead driving wheels from where the steam from the cylinders emulsifies the oil on the wheels !! I need to do have a bit of practice on some ropey old models before i take to any of the 3 engines.. JB.

RMWeb was playing up before so I couldn't write anything here... Got down to WMHQ yesterday to see Peter and Colin and to escape the cabin fever of being at home all week, and got a couple of pics of all 3 of my 'black' engines. The J39 and J68 are both shedded at West Mersea as test engines, but both need to return to the Chapel End Engine works at some point to be serviced and have their finishing touches, along with a LOT of weathering. JB.

Hi, thanks Dan! Yes, pictures aren't too bad are they, especially as they were taken quickly on the mobile phone camera... Will get the big camera and flashguns out at some point soon.. JB.

Just a few new pictures of the K2 with some paint... Please excuse the mess on the workbench, the room was consolidated slightly over christmas.. JB.

Good man choosing S7, it's the way forward !! :icon_thumbsup2: JB.

Are you a fan of 'LemonJelly' ?? JB

Keep it up Adrian... Nearly there !! JB.

Looking spectacular...! Those flanges are a little on the large side though :icon_winker: JB.

You do know that you have until October next year to finish this.... Don't tell anyone, but if you make it look too easy, then Andy might not accept the layout for the competition as it wasn't a 'challenge' as such JB.

Look forward to seeing photos of the B12 and J68... It would be very handy to have see pictures of the K1 being built... Quite fancy one of these one day in the near(ish) future.. JB.

That Ivatt is looking spectacular... very nice indeed !! JB.

SH make rivets that go a lot smaller than that... They do look a bit too 3D, as do some of the rivets that I have used on the K2, but I'm hoping that once there is some paint on there, they wont look 'so' sharp around the edges.. JB.

That's a great space for 2mm... I would be very happy to have that for something in 7mm !! JB.