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Yep - nice work as ever Ken!

The 2p has passed its running tests and is now ready to paint:-

Hello Martyn - thanks - I did use the split pins, but squeezed them right down...I can't remember where the buffers came from I'm afraid, they come from the accumulation of bits and pieces you get after years of kit building... LaScala - do you have an 'agent' in the Uk that can pick stuff up for you at shows?

Whilst I'm awaiting the Flying Pig and other jobs to materialise - here is a kit that can be knocked out in a couple of days - the Connoisseur BR Bogie Bolster E. A great build, it fits together and the instructions are very very good. I changed the white metal buffers for nickle ones I had in the spares box as well as turning up my own posts. Recommended!

All very tidy Rob - nice work. Weathering next?

Excellent Kev - thanks for posting - where d you get the transfers from?

Ah - here we are And with a sister

Thanks Guys - The 24 is a 7mm scale JLTRT kit - I'll see if I can find another picture of it to post. Tank wagon - the livery will be black - class B Shell, I think... Regards Tony

So there have been further tweaks and additions, the securing bars have been added as well as the tank top fittings and I squared off the ends of the tank supports. I thought I might get away with not having ladders, but the more pictures I see of these tanks, most of them were fitted by the early 60s, so that is the next task. And I thought I was nearly finished...

Rapidy heading towards a conclusion now. tank ends fitted and fettled. Axlebox tie bars added, I drill these 0.7mm into the axleguard and pin with brass wire, using 100 degree solder. Discharge pipe added. Just retaining straps,bars and tank top detail left. This will be an ex Air Ministry wagon with a welded tank, though I'm not sure the scalloped ends of the support beams are right.

Nice work Rob - I think you share my dislike of too much white metal...

Continuing the wagon theme, I've been doing battle with a Pow Sides 14t tank wagon. Not the easiest of kits and when it came to the tank I almost gave up, as the resin one in the kit had a slight taper to it. Maybe I should have sent it back, or maybe I am too picky, but I went on a hunt for some suitable size plastic pipe in all our junk, but to no avail. Then I remembered that the MMP tanks have a brass barrel, so why not this one? There wasn't any scrap sheet brass big enough to do the whole tank, so I made up 3 rings in the same manner as the prototype. Inner rings act as joiners for each section. So the rings after passing through the rolling bars:- And a test fit to the wagon chassis Being stuck at home on call for the weekend and rain/snow/sleet/mud/ice not to mention cold, curtailing outside activities I also spent some time making a servo mount for the 9 arm gantry on Heyside:-

Thanks very much for your input Paul, it is most welcome, yes I saw the Dapol announcement. I've pressed on with assembling the bodies and underframes, brakes etc. For the BR open I scratch built the bar, although some castings were included for the mechanism so to speak. I notice in some photos that the bar can be quite battered looking. There seems to be a strange discrepancy with the 2nd BR open in that the solebars are too short - or the body is too long! I'm still working on a solution to that one. If we get snowed in this weekend, then they will be finished bar buffers I expect. So this is where we are up to, just the buffers to source and the vac pipes and fittings to add:-

This seems to be project where my ham fistedness comes to the fore, as vacuum braked 4 shoe vehicles need a tie bar between the axleguards, I cut and drilled a set of 6, all the wrong length and had to start again, with some 1.5X.5 strip. So here they are being fitted and being soldered in with 100 degree solder. They are drilled and pinned with 0.7mm brass wire. The next problem is that one pair of solebars seems to be short by about 1.5mm at each end! I'm still thinking about that one...

I did ask about my orders with ABS at a show - the answer was vague! It's always good to start off a project with a good botch. I mistakenly cut off the lashing hooks off the solebars, thinking they were feed pips. I thought they were rather neat. I spotted this, post event whilst I was perusing the Paul Bartlett site! So they were re-instated by drilling holes and soldering 1x1mm 'T' section. I havn't enough hands to hold 4 sides with mitred corners together whilst I solder. So, I use scrap etch to form a floor. The initial corner is soldered with 100 degree solder and the brass tacked in place with the same. Once the whole thing is together and square, I finish the white metal joins with 100 degree and solder the brass in place with 145 - with the iron just hot enough to melt it. Finally - any filling is completed with 70 degree solder. Then everything is cleaned up. I also see Dapol have announced an RTR Clay liner wagon, which would fill the 5 plank gap so to speak. Here is the initial attempt on the first of 3.

No problem Peter - Happy New Year too - to you and to my thread readers! Getting hold of ABS seems to be pretty difficult. I sent several orders to the address and never heard anything and eventually gave up. So I just pick up s/h kits at shows now. Adrian does attend shows, but it seems to be pot luck in what is available on the stand... A quick scan of the Guild traders website doesn't even list ABS! Sorry I couldnt be much more help. Regards Tony

One thing that lacks in the available 7mm scale wagon range, is the availability of decent vac fitted 5 plank wagons. There were still plenty of these around in the early 60s, and I have been bolstering my stock of unbuilt kits over the years with any I see second hand. So while the 2P is awaiting testing, I though I'd knock together a few ABS kits, two BR Diag 1/044 or 1/039 ( I think ) and an LMS D1839, of which there were only 100 built. The castings are so nicely done and even have a capping strip. First job is to clean them up.

Thanks Larry - I'd love to claim credit for lining the loco's, but I sent them away to Paul Moore to be done, as for me it more cost efficient timewise to get them done by an expert. Earlier ones I did with transfers, but it took me so much time. I weather everything, so even the lined loco's get done, and I have to be careful not to obliterate Paul's excellent work.. The railway is on hold at the moment, until after Heyside visits the Aylesbury show in May and also the railway room will be needed to store furniture in the spring as we intend to refurbish our lounge ( the last room in the house to be done ). So this has allowed me to concentrate on stock building for the time being. Best Regards Tony

A rainy day on call is always a good opportunity to make progress. I botched the connecting rods by making them to short, so after getting replacements, they ar enow fitted.. Most of the inside motion cannot be seen, but is is nice to see the crossheads working. So todays effort has been those seemingly endless minor tasks to complete a chassis, working motion with no tight spots, pick ups not dragging. Coupling rods prepared. Reverse curve test to get it to this stage:-

Thanks Mike, since upgrading the computer I think I have lost the list, but for starters:- MOK/Iain Young ( Sans Pareil ) Cylinders, valve chests, motion bracket, reverser bracket, expansion link, combination lever, standard 5 bogie ( shortened ) Laurie Griffin Crab pony truck, lamp irons, water fillers, sieves, front steps, tank stays, silvertown lubricators, safety valves, sand pipe traps, drain cocks, crosshead/slidebars - mostly from the Ivatt 2 HobbyHorse Injectors ( I think they are Duchess! ) JLTRT Buffers CPL couplings Premier Connecting rods A lot of the bits were probably modified as the Fairburn is not the same as any other loco... That all probably comes close to the original cost of the kit! There is more photos on my Derby Line Thread on Western Thunder. http://www.westernthunder.co.uk/index.php?threads/the-derby-line.1128/ Regards Tony

NIce work Ken, considering the source of the kit. Jim did some interesting loco's but they could be pretty challenging - recall the K3 I built last year. If you are prepared for a bit of knife and fork work, you can eventually ( without too much swearing ) get a decent result as you have shown. Maybe its more like assisted scratch building. I was interested to read you notes on painting, fortunately, not working to deadlines, I leave mine to the better weather. Best Regards Tony

The latest project to hit the workbench is a David Andrews 2P. Not without it's minor faults but an enjoyable build. Progress has been good, until someone suggested inside working motion.... The tender was pretty straight forward. And so was the crank axle with careful preparation, the tricky bit is getting the valve gear to work freely. It's not my tidiest work, but it is pretty well unseen, I'm more interested in it functioning to imaprt motion to the visible components.

I haven't been on here for a long time, but the 8F and the super Fairburn did get finished evemtually, and here they are on Heyside:-

Glad to see you are back Ken, I'm glad it all went well. You can catch up on all that railway reading during your recovery! Best Regards Tony

Best wishes Ken, you'll be building twice as fast when you come back! Regards Tony