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Mikkel

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Blog Entries posted by Mikkel

  1. Mikkel
    Here's an idea for a potential future layout in the Farthing series. The idea is to show a small section of the yard and sidings at Farthing. The trackplan is based on a real-world prototype, namely an interesting ladder of kick-back sidings in Gloucester Old Yard, which served a variety of purposes. By focussing on one end of the track ladder, the layout can feature a variety of stock movements in a limited space, while still following the prototype.
     
     

    Crown Copyright 1936
     
    Above is an OS map showing Gloucester Old Yard (as of 1936, hence past the 50 year copyright date). Goods depot on the left, engine shed on the right, and lots of sidings in between. Lovely!
     
     
     

     
    Here is the map again, after I’ve been at it with my crayons! As you can see, the red headshunt in the middle served a variety of interesting facilities (is headhunt the right word in this case? Americans would call it the lead, I think). This included the coaling stage, and a yard where the loco department deposited ash and stored the occasional loco. The engineers also had some special vehicles in these sidings, including an inspection saloon with its own carriage shed. The sidings also served the Gloucester water works, and a private goods depot used by, among others, a biscuit company.
     
     
     

     
    Here’s a close-up, showing how all sidings to the right of the headshunt were effectively kick-back sidings. Consequently, trains had to be propelled/drawn almost to the end of the headshunt to access the sidings. Two locos worked the sidings: The yard pilot and the shed pilot.
     
     
     

     
    Looking at photos I also noticed that by the late 1940s an additional point had been provided linking the headshunt in question with the mileage sidings (not visible on this 1936 map, but drawn in here). This included the two sidings seen here in green, which led to an end-loading dock and seem to have featured a good variety of vans and mineral opens.
     
     
     

     
    So how does all that translate into a small layout? Well the idea is that the layout will feature just the extreme uppermost part of the yard, as indicated here with the green outline. The rest of the yard is represented by an off-scene fiddle yard.
     
     
     

     
    The plan above illustrates the variety of stock and moves that can be justified on the layout. For 1-5, trains are drawn back/propelled into the headhunt (and hence onto the layout) before being moved into the relevant siding (ie back off-scene). Movements of the Loco Coal wagons were especially interesting: They were exchanged between the yard pilot and the shed pilot. The two mileage sidings (6) provide for a bit of general shunting (edit: and coaching stock storage, see below). The small section of track (7) is a scenic indication of the rest of the mileage sidings.
     
     
     

     
    Apart from the shunting, there could be a few interchangeable cameos/dioramas to indicate the passing of the day in a yard. See the “flexible layout” idea. I am playing with the idea of setting the layout in 1947, which would be a departure from my normal Edwardian timeframe. EDIT: On reflection I have decided to stick with the Edwardian period. An OS map from 1902 suggests that the trackplan displayed above was largely similar around the turn of the century, give or take one or two sidings.
     
    Note: Much of the inspiration for the layout comes from an article in GWRJ No. 45, which describes operations in Gloucester Old Yard. If I have misunderstood something (including terminology) please don’t hesitate to correct me.
     
    Edit 1: I have found the following 1932 photo on the excellent "Britain from Above" site. The layout will focus on the busy sidings upper right, where the road bends. Registered members of the site can zoom in on the photo - and this reveals that the two mileage sidings that I intend to include on the layout are crammed with coaching stock! More stuff to run and model then :-)
     

    Original image here. "You may, print, display, and store for your personal use at home and you may copy to a blog or personal web page as long as the page is freely available with no login restrictions and no charges."
     
     
    Edit 2: Since writing this post I have decided to stick with my Edwardian timeframe. The above post has therefore been lightly edited to avoid confusion.
  2. Mikkel

    Hand-me-down coaches

    By Mikkel,


    Coaches & Browns
    Supposed to be cleaning the basement today, but ended up sorting through a box full of half-forgotten rolling stock that I've picked up second-hand over the years. Obviously I had to give them a spin on the layout. (“Just to see if they’re still working, dear"). The above trio of Victorian coaches were originally scratchbuilt by Chris Edge. I couldn’t resist them when they were up for sale a few years back, even if they are a bit early for my 1900s timeframe. If I’m not mistaken, the models represent coaches introduced in 1854 (photos in Russell's GWR Coaches, page 11) although the underframe suggests that they are modelled in their later period. I’m not sure when they were actually withdrawn, so any info would be much appreciated...
     
     
    .
     
    According to Russell, this First Class coach was originally built by Wrights for the Chester & Birkenhead Rwy, before being taken over by the GWR. The origins in stage coach design are very obvious, including luggage rack on the roof. For an artistic interpretation of what the compartments would have looked like inside, have a look at this painting. Victorian elegance in full flourish – but only for some!
     
     

     
    By contrast, the “Thirds” look cramped and boxy. Apparently, many of these were built for branchline service. The photo in Russell - on which I suspect this one is modelled - appears to show an example from the Culm Valley. Provision of Third class coaches became mandatory for the railways in the 1844 Railway Act. Incidentally, the Act is available for download here.
     
     

     
    Here’s another rather unusual rake of coaches! I bought them on ebay some years ago - there was no photo, just a brief description of a set of “kitbuilt GWR coaches” in etched brass. It turned out to be NER branchline stock from the 1880s, built from Connoisseur kits, but painted in GWR 1930s livery! Perhaps the previous owner used them as examples of GWR Workmen's coaches?
     
     

     
    My initial disappointment soon turned to interest, when I discovered that the NER sold many of these coaches off to light railways prior to WW1. I'm currently pondering whether to backdate them and employ them on "The bay" as absorbed coaching stock, acquired with the take-over of the Overbourne line - as per the Lambourn Valley Railway coaches.
     
     

     
    The NER introduced the coaches in the 1880s. This Brake Third was to Diagram X. I have always liked "Birdcage" look-outs, a pity the GWR didn't employ them!
     
     

     
    Just to round things off, this little loco was also out for a spin today. It is one of the Sharp, Stewart & Co. 2-4-0s, originally built for the Cambrian in 1866 but seen here in its Swindonized form. It's another ebay purchase and has been built (I believe) from the GEM / Mainly Trains kit. Not sure whether I'll ever get around to finishing it, as it is out of my period, but it trundles along nicely enough.
     
     
  3. Mikkel

    Short trains for short layouts

    By Mikkel,


    Coaches & Browns
    Brake Third, Third, Composite, Brake.
     
    Above: Small layouts require short trains. Recently I've been looking at prototype examples of short GWR formations in pre-grouping days, and options for employing them on Farthing. Here are some of the more obvious/common ones to start off with. Above are the classic Ratio 4-wheelers, with an RTR-bashed PBV at the end. The Ratio kits constitute a T47 Bke Third, an S9 All Third, and a U4 Composite respectively. I am not sure why these particular coaches were chosen for the kits, but if joined to a V5 PBV as seen at the back of this train, they form one of the sets built for the Ruabon & Dolgellau line in 1900 (although it is unclear to me whether these sets ever ran individually, or only in multiples?). Add another Composite, and you would have a formation similar to the Cardigan branch train around 1911 - albeit with different diagram numbers. The V5 was built from the ends of two Triang coaches, as described here.

    Brake Third, Composite, Brake Third.
     
    Above: The Brake Third / Compo / Brake Third formation was very common on GWR pre-grouping branchlines. There's a prototype example here. In this case the leading Brake Third is a Holden "Metro" coach, of which some were devolved to branch services and mixed with non-Holden 4-wheelers (eg the Faringdon branch set). The "Metro" is a modified Ratio kit using Shirescenes sides - a quick way to add a bit of variety, although it involves a number of compromises (details here).
     

    Brake Third, Composite, Third, Brake Third, Siphon.
     
    Above: This is about the maximum length of train I can reasonably fit in the bay platform at Farthing while still preserving full operational scope. The Brake Third / Compo / Third / Brake Third arrangement was another fairly widespread 4-wheeler formation. It was apparently known as an "A" set in Edwardian times and a "WW" set in the 1920s. In this case I have added a 6-wheeled low-roof Siphon at the end, built from an old K's plastic kit.
     
    Of course, it wasn't all so streamlined! Far from it, in fact, as discussed in this entry. Personally I actually prefer the ungodly mix of different coach styles seen on many GWR trains, not to mention the really short trains that ran on some branches. But more on that later.
     
    Sources: See GWR Branchline Modelling vol 2 by Stephen Williams for a discussion and list of formations on selected branches.
     
    Note: The GWR would have called a Brake Third a "Van Third". I use the former term here as it seems more intuitive.
  4. Mikkel

    Powsides/Slaters Private Owner wagons

    By Mikkel,


    Wagons
    I wanted some Private Owners for Farthing, so have built a couple of Powsides kits, i.e. painted and pre-lettered Slaters kits. I opted for two Gloucester designs to RCH 1887 specifications, one a 5-plank side-door wagon, the other a 7-plank side- and end-door job. 
     
     

     
    I like the overall appearance, although TBH the small lettering isn’t quite up to current standards. Perhaps I was unlucky, they look fine on the website.
     
     

     
    The kits have blank interior sides, so the moulding pips were filed away and planking was indicated with a scriber.
     
     


    The instructions recommend joining all sides first, then mounting the floor inside. I struggled a bit with this, the floor wasn’t a perfect fit and the sides were lightly curved. Some dismantling and remedial work ensued, but I got there in the end.
     
     


    I used waisted pin-point bearings from MJT. Split spoke wheels on one wagon, and plain spokes for the other one because I ran out. Did some of these wagons eventually receive plain spoke wheels? Otherwise I’ll swop the erroneous set later.
     
     


    Some of the small lettering was a bit damaged or missing as the kits came. I touched it up as best I could. Some bits I simply painted over. I’d rather have absent lettering than odd lettering.
     
     


    The built-up wagons. 
     
     


    Having admired Dave’s lovely builds of the 7mm versions of these kits, I decided to indicate the interior ironwork as he has done. For this I simply used strips of Evergreen (painted darker after this shot).
     
     


    Good interior photos of these wagons are rare, so drawing on discussion by Stephen and other helpful RMwebbers I drew up the above sketch to guide my detailing of the interior. Please note that this is my own rough and ready rendering. There are various unknowns and no one has “signed off” on this sketch. Anyone interested should consult Stephen’s drawing and info here.
     
     


    Interior ironwork in place. The kit does include a hinge for the end door. On some wagon types this was positioned above the top plank, but in this case I fitted it just behind the top plank, based on this discussion.
     
     

     

    Archer’s rivet transfers at the fixed ends.
     
     
     

    Stephen pointed out the “big nuts” that appear on the ends of many Gloucester wagons, extending from the diagonal irons inside. Looking at photos they seem to have been present on both 5-, 6- and 7-planks as seen here left to right (obviously only at fixed ends). 
     
     

     
    The nuts don’t feature in the kit, so I added them. On the 7-planker I drilled holes and stuck in bits of brass. This proved tricky as it’s just by the corner joins, so on the 5-planker I Mek-Pak’ed on bits of plastic rod instead, as seen above.
     
     

     
    As usual: Liquid Gravity and 3mm Sprat & Winkles. I'm always amazed how much difference weight makes to the "feel" of a wagon. The couplings too: Ugly they may be, but they turn it into a working vehicle.
     
     


    Weathering the interior with pigments. The “Sinai Dust” seen here is courtesy of the late Mick Bonwick. Thank you, Mick.
     
     

     
    The Ayres wagon. Phil Parker uses a fibre glass brush to fade the lettering on printed RTR wagons. But these are transfers, so would tear (I did try).  Instead I lightly dry-brushed base colour over the lettering. Helps a bit, but not quite as effective. 
     
     

     
    C&G Ayres still exist as a well-known Reading removal company and former GWR cartage agent. This (very) close crop shows one of their removal containers at Reading ca. 1905. 
     
     

     
    But a search of the British Newspaper Archive showed that C&G Ayres were also at one time coal traders [Source: Reading Mercury Oxford Gazette March 9, 1918]. So I need to decide whether to designate the Ayres wagon for coal or furniture. I wonder if this explains the difference between the red Powsides livery and the green wagon livery that I normally associate the company with.
     
     
     

     
    The Weedon wagon. You can just make out the nuts on the ends, but they aren't really noticeable. The effort would arguably have been better spent detailing the brake gear!
     
     

    I had assumed the Weedon Brothers were mainly coal and coke merchants, but again newspapers and directories of the time offered further info. [Source: Kelly's Directory of Berks, Bucks & Oxon, 1911]. It seems that manure was also a key aspect of their business. The company features on the right in this directory clipping - amongst lime burners, loan offices, lunatic asylums and other essentials of progress!
     
     


    Though based at Goring, the Weedon Brothers had stores in a number of places, as illustrated in the above 1889 advert. I’m inclined to designate the wagon for manure rather than coal. I wonder what that would mean for the weathering? Richard's latest book on Wiltshire Private Owners is firmly on my wishlist.
     
     
     

     
    Anyway, the wagons are now running at Farthing. Here's No. 1897 knocking them about in the sidings behind the stables.
     
     

     
    Overall I've enjoyed the build. May have a go at applying my own transfers next time. 
     
     

     
    It's just a couple of plastic wagons of course, but I learnt a lot along the way. That's one of the great things about modelling, every build is an entry point to railway history.  Thanks to everyone for the help.
     
  5. Mikkel

    Barrels, baskets, bales

    By Mikkel,


    Goods
    I’m still working on the goods items for my goods depot. Here’s a selection of various items I've been working on recently. Apologies for getting a bit long-winded with this, but I enjoy learning a bit about goods items as I go along – it’s all part of the scene, after all.
     
     

     
    H0 and 0 casks from Frenchman River Works. Great texture and six hoops, which is rare on model casks despite being very common in reality.
     
     
     

     
    The FRW barrels again, now painted. At first I thought they were too rickety for an Edwardian goods depot, but then realized that they represent “dry slack” casks with wooden hoops as used for fruit, tobacco, nails etc - as opposed to “dry tight” casks for eg flour and salted products, and “wet tight” casks for beer, wine etc. Slack casks were typically of inferior materials and workmanship, and were often only used once. An interesting topic in itself, see eg this website.
     
     
     

     
    White metal beer casks from Dart castings. They are reasonable mouldings, but do require some work on the mould lines and flash. This particular type represents Firkins. The whole topic of unit sizes is fascinating but bewildering. For example, a wine and beer Hogshead were not quite the same, and a particular cask unit could be either fat or tall.
     
     
     

     
    The Dart casks after painting. Pins on the extreme left, the rest are Firkins. The light ones are work in progress. There’s a slight “Warhammer” look to these casks, but then these close-ups are very cruel.
     
     

     
    Prost! Large beer casks from German Kotol. I’m a bit ambivalent about turned wood barrels: The wood grain is often too large for 4mm. Translated to 4mm I would say these are roughly equal to a Butt (a word of advice: don’t try to Google butt and beer in the same sentence!).
     
     

     
    These lightly modified casks from Bachmann have a nice feel to them, and unlike many other model casks they actually have a bung hole (don’t Google that either). (update Feb 2021: Latest versions don't have the bung hole). I’m thinking they are Hogsheads. Hoops can be hard to paint neatly, so I painted some masking tape in a rust colour, and wrapped it around the existing moulded hoops. Oxidization of the hoops seemed to happen very quickly on new barrels.
     
     
     

     
    The Bachmann casks in place. Most 4mm casks only have four hoops, and at first I thought this was wrong for the larger types of casks. But photos from GWR goods sheds reveal several examples of casks with just four hoops, apparently irrespective of size and date. See GWR Goods Services Part 2A pages 6, 55, 59, 63, 92, 102, 163. On the other hand, there were clearly also many six-hooped barrels in Edwardian days, see eg the wonderful photo on p. 68 of the same volume. So both types would be appropriate, it seems.
     
     
     

     
    On to baskets. These wicker baskets are also from Hornby, now sadly discontinued. There are long debates about Hornby on here, but some of their goods items are fairly good - design clever, in fact!
     
     
     

     
    Gem whitemetal pigeon baskets (ebay seller’s image). At first I thought they were missing the external louvres for light and air that are evident on latter-day types. However, a bit of research suggested that some early types were in fact quite similar to the Gem offerings. See for example this drawing.
     
     

     
    It seems this type of pigeon basket was closed with straps, so out came the masking tape again, painted and folded to look like straps. Incidentally, for 7mm modellers Skytrex have some pigeon baskets in their large range of goods items.
     
     

     
    Hen’s teeth. After much searching I managed to track down this discontinued Preiser H0 “kit” for produce baskets.
     
     
     

     
    Painted hen's teeth. Photos from the 1900s show baskets of various sizes in goods sheds – both full and empty, and not just in large quantities but also individually or two or three together. The cabbages are a loose fit so far, would they have been covered with something during transport?
     
     

     
    Unsung hero. The humble goods sack, illustrated by a rather good whitemetal example from Dart Castings.
     
     
     

     
    More white-metal sacks from Dart Castings, now painted. I might make some more of the flat, stacked ones to my own design. When I was boy playing with toy soldiers, I made sandbags from clay and loo paper.
     
     

     
    I wanted some wool bales and decided to make them myself. I began with this type. Finding the right fabric is tricky. Hessian and similar materials looks overscale in 4mm. I ended up with a thin, soft and fairly tightly woven material for making sheets. It was wrapped around a length of plastic rod (several rods laminated to get the right shape), and fixed in place using Loctite Powerflex. The ends are individual cut-outs of fabric, soaked in glue and smoothed tightly to the rest of the bale, giving the impression of a seam.
     
     

     
    The rope was simulated by sewing thread. The thread was sewn to the bottom of the bale, wrapped around, sewn again to the bottom, etc. My wife watched with a strained smile, I suppose she would have preferred me to take up sky-diving.
     
     

     
    Despite pulling the thread tight, I wasn’t too successful in achieving the bulge between the “roping”. Experiments with a soft “core” of cotton wool didn’t seem to help. This is the best I could do for now.
     
     
     

     
    Next up was a different type of bale, the pressed ones illustrated here.I used the same fabric, but dyed it using an age-old technique: Dunk it in Carr’s sleeper stain and weather with baby powder. Apparently, manual bale presses were in use well before the turn of the century.
     
     
     

     
    To get that bulging look, I wrapped the fabric around H section plastic rod and stuffed it with cotton wool. More manly pursuits!
     
     
     

     
    The bales in place on the mezzanine floor. I'm not entirely satisfied. Even this fabric looks overscale in the texture. But I'm tired of fiddling with them, so apart from a bit of weathering this will have to do.
     
     
     

     
    Inspired by Nick’s cider boxes and Job’s whisky crates (many thanks gents!), I’ve experimented with making small crates from folded paper. I found some photos of this attractive Coleman’s crate on the web, allegedly correct for the period. The photos were scaled down, edited, and printed. As this is supposed to be a wooden crate, I glued the prints to sections of plastic rod in order to avoid the folds and sagging that would haved suggested a cardboard box. As far as I understand, cardboard boxes where only just coming into use as transport containers around this time, and I can’t recall seeing any in photos of 1900s goods sheds (but please do correct me if I’m mistaken).
     
     
     

     
    The Coleman’s crates came out OK, but most small crates of the period had an unpainted natural wood look which I find difficult to create in paper. So I’ve now ordered some paper-thin wood veneer that can be used in inkjet printers. Should make for an interesting little experiment.
     
    Edited Feb 2021: The barrels that I originally referred to as Hornby seem to have actually been from Bachmann. Note that I have since purchased some more of these, and the bung hole is no longer modelled. Oh, the woes of this world.
  6. Mikkel
    I’ve added a selection of horse droppings to the road and yard on “The Stables”. 
     
    Obviously, prototype research was needed first! Period photos from the 1890s-1930s often show droppings in the street, especially where horse-drawn carriages were regularly parked.
     

    "Bicycle couriers with copies of the Manchester Guardian, which are being delivered to Euston station in London for circulation, circa 1920." Getty Images, embedding permitted. 
     
    Droppings can sometimes be seen strung out, as seen below. I assume that’s because the “action” happened while the horse was on the move. But just how many horses were involved here?!
     

    "A view along Holland Park Mews, London." Getty Images, embedding permitted.
     
     
    After a while, the droppings would get trampled or washed apart. 
     

    "Looking down one of the streets in the village of Hatherop, Gloucestershire, c1860-c1922." Getty Images, embedding permitted.
     
     
    In the busiest streets of large towns it could sometimes get quite messy, if I interpret the image below correctly. 
     

    "Newcastle ca. 1900. The entrance to Central Station and in the background, St Mary's church and spire." Getty Images, embedding permitted.  
     
     
    It’s worth pointing out, though, that many 1900s photos of street scenes show just a few droppings or none at all.  The street sweepers must have worked hard in the big cities!
     

    "London. Holborn Viaduct, about 1900." Getty Images. Embedding permitted.
     
     
    In villages with limited traffic, the manure would presumably have been rarer. And perhaps quickly snatched up for gardens?
     

    "Stratford-Upon-Avon, circa 1900." Getty Images. Embedding permitted.
     
     
    Despite busy horse traffic, urban goods yards also appear relatively clean, although sometimes the presence of a photographer may have helped!
     

    "Paddington Goods Depot, 1923.  Horse drawn vehicles carrying Witney blankets"  Getty Images. Embedding permitted.

     
    A study of contemporary photos and horsey websites showed that the colour and texture of droppings varies considerably. One factor is whether the dung is fresh or old. Another is the horse's diet. For example, I understand that low quality hay results in very brown droppings, while green grass will give you an olive tinge. Here's a selection, á la carte:
     

    Photos from Flickr Creative Commons. Credits clockwise from top left: Ben Schumin; Ben Schumin; David MW; Bernd Hutschenreuther; Jes; Jes.
     
     
    True dung enthusiasts will therefore need to study the fodder composition of the companies they model, which incidentally also varied across time and place. For example, Tony Atkins writes in "GWR Goods Cartage", Vol. 1, p77:
     
     
     
    I didn't go that extent though. Basically, I just tried out some stuff. From earlier experiments I knew that, when tapped repeatedly, the little balls that form in pigment bottles will move to the front and can be gently shaken onto the ground. This is Vallejo Natural Sienna pigment (ref. 73.105).
     

     

    The balls were secured by floating a little Woodlands Scenic cement alongside, letting the balls soak it up through capillary action. This binds the pigments together and sticks the balls to the ground. Once dry, a brushing of matt varnish sealed them further.
     

     
     
    Breaking up some of the pigment balls adds a more scattered impression:
     

     
     
    A light dusting of Johnson's baby powder made for a drier, more discrete look.
     

     
     
    A lick of dry-brushed paint resulted in a darker and more compact appearance. An almost black shade would be quite common,  but that turned out to be rather distracting. Little black spots tend to catch the eye! So I went for lighter brownish shades. 
     

     
     
    Standard GWR stable blocks had channels that helped carry droppings and urine out of the stable block and into the sewer. So there I went for a glitzy Wet Dung look, using a bit of gloss varnish.
     

     
     
    I used additional pigments around the edges to indicate a dissolving dropping.
     

     
     
    Arguably, my droppings are on the large side (quiet at the back!). But I think a slightly stylized look can sometimes work OK, as it helps the viewer interpret what they are seeing. Also, have you ever stood next to a shire horse?
     

     
     
    Not quite a shire horse. House-trained though. Let's see the Midland beat that!
     

     
     
    Although I like an uncluttered look, it's probably all still a bit too clean.
     

     
     
    I'm currently working on that. These are pigments brushed into the setts, after first adding a tiny drop of Woodlands Scenic Cement and letting it almost dry. The idea is to represent residue from past droppings. Must add some bits of straw too, as recently suggested by Matt.
     

     
     
    Meanwhile, Stableman John Rokesmith has had enough of it all. Not what he had in mind when he joined the railways. '"Romance of the footplate", my arse!'
     

     
     
     
  7. Mikkel

    Low-tech coach restoration (5)

    By Mikkel,


    Coaches & Browns
    Well I finally got around to finishing my little restoration job on these old coaches.
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Got the painting done reasonably quickly, but then followed the usual issues: “Now for the glazing. Oh wait, I’m out of Testor's. Must order some more. Now where did I order it last time? Better google it. Ah there’s RMweb, well maybe just a couple of minutes on there then. Oh look, someone's discussing the cost of tea at exhibitions. Gotta follow that! Well that was a pleasant hour on RMweb. Wait, did I forget something? Oh well, tomorrow then.” Etc!
     
     

     
    But I got there in the end (click images if not sharp). Here's the 6-wheel Van to dia V13, converted from a W3 . I use a simplified version of the livery as it would have been seen around 1906 on my coaches. I did have a bit of trouble painting the panels on a couple of them, as my normal method works best on new and sharply defined panels.
     
     
     

     
    Here's the R1 All first. A big word of thanks to all who helped find the right running numbers for this diagram, both here and on the gwr e-list. The R1s were numbered 1-8 and I initially thought this was a great opportunity to have a coach numbered "1". I even applied the first transfer, but then found it simply looked odd! So I chose no. 7 instead.
     
     
     

     
    Here's the G20, a Third class saloon. The glazing has been fitted, I just like it clean. So much for the interior detailing, you can't really see any of it. Oh well. In case you're wondering, the Weasel is on the other side.
     
     
     

     
    Here's one I restored earlier, one of the little 4-wheel V2s. I have to say Colin had a great taste in coaches when he originally built these a long time ago.
     
     
     

     
    Another one from the first batch I restored, the U16 6-wheel compo, with the luggage windows now appropriately "blinded".
     
     
     

     
    And finally a line-up of the three newly done coaches, ready for service. As the header says, this is all very low-tech but it has been a nice project and I like the idea of giving Colin's old coaches a new lease on life. There's a message in there for all of us balding old farts, I think: It's never too late!
     
     
  8. Mikkel
    Everyone knows how the “standard” GWR cattle vans looked, but I’ve always fancied the earlier W2 vans with outside frames. So I dug out an ABS 4mm kit and brought it with me on the family holiday. These were "medium" sized cattle vans, with the option of adding a partition and thereby making them "small" if the customer so required. I've always wondered why this was worth the trouble, as the difference in space seems minimal !
     

     
    I decided to build the kit as supplied, which is in the post-1905 condition with oil axleboxes, an updated locking mechanism for the doors, and the Wright-Marillier partition locking bar.
     
     

     
    And we all know what a Wright-Marillier partition locking bar is, don’t we! A regular household word it is. “Good morning dear. Wright Marillier partition locking bar?”. “Oh yes please, and two sugars”. Well, above is the 4mm version of such a mechanism, as supplied in the kit.
     
     

     
    It seems that in the early 1900s the GWR was having problems with farmers who paid for only part of a cattle wagon, and then moved the partition to increase the space when noone was looking. So in 1903 Messieurs Wright and Marillier of the GWR’s Wagon & Carriage department invented a locking bar that would help prevent this. Not quite Nobel prize stuff, I suppose, but a good example of practical engineering for everyday railway operation.
     
     
     

     
    The sides require a bit of preparation. Apart from fitting the locking bar, a door latch must be fashioned from wire and the main bars fitted.
     
     
     

     
    The W2s were built with “bulb” section solebars (where the upper lip is wider than the lower one), and an early distinctive type of round buffer housing. Those lugs on the casting above the solebar caused me a lot of headscratching. They don't seem to serve a purpose and get in the way of the assembly. In the end I simply removed them. I hope I haven't missed some vital point!
     
     
     

     
    Poor man's brass. I've finally realized why I get on better with whitemetal and plastic than with brass. They are much more forgiving materials, eg I can file and tweak and fill in to correct all my mistakes!
     
     
     

     
    Modelling in the wilds of Denmark. A fly of the genus Wotsit inspects the roof bands. Actually it may have a point: I think the bands should have been a tad flatter and wider.
     
     

     
    Standard grey and a bit of lime wash. I forgot to add the small "M" and "S" to the livery (now corrected, see the first photo). I know that the lime wash was often more pronounced in reality, but I find it can look a bit odd in 4mm scale. So I prefer this understated look. I haven’t finished the lettering on the ends as I am not sure how it should be. The photo in "GWR Goods Wagons" (Atkins et al) shows an experimental livery on the ends which was not carried forward. The kit instructions indicate the “GW” as seen here, but also with tonnes and tare in italics on the left hand side. But I thought that the standard end livery should be “GW” , running number and “Medium”?
     

     
    When the GWR introduced the large "GW" on goods stock in 1904, they ran into problems with the outside framed vans. There simply wasn't enough room between the frames. The solution was to use smaller, non-standard letters. I did the same. Photos from the early 1900s also show that on some wagons, the cross-bar on the “G” differed from the later standard style. The HMRS transfers have the later style (bottom right), so I modified them with a lick of paint (top left).
     
     
     

     
    The W2 in the bay siding. Surprisingly, the photo in Atkins et al shows it with screw-couplings, so I have added an (overscale) set of these until I work out if that was standard.
     
     
     

     
    Mr Wright and Mr and Mrs Marillier inspect their invention on the W2 at Farthing. What the world does not know is that the concept for the locking bar came from a clasp on Mrs Marillier's corset. What Mr Wright and Mr Marillier do not know is that they both got the idea from the same clasp.
  9. Mikkel

    A flexible layout

    By Mikkel,


    Layout design
    I have been thinking about an idea for a "flexible" layout. This is still very much developing, and what you see here is not an actual trackplan, but an illustration of the concept. The basic idea is a layout where selected drop-in modules can be removed and replaced with other modules. So a particular cameo, building or siding can be exchanged with another cameo, building or siding – thereby changing the look of the layout. This in turn allows for variation in rolling stock and operation.
     
     
     
     

    Ultimately, such a concept gives endless possibilities of varying a layout from one operating session to another.
     
     
     

     
    In my case, though, the aim would be to have a layout that can capture a little of the way in which a railway scene changes over time. In real life, sidings also frequently changed their length and purpose over the years, as stations were rebuilt, trackplans changed etc
     
     
     

     
    I also like the idea of having the layout change over the course of a single day. Exchanging one lineside diorama for another could be used to indicate that we have now passed from morning to afternoon.
     
     
     

     
    Buildings and their immediate environments could also be prepared as individual dioramas and then used on the layout as appropriate. It would be interesting to buy a couple of ready-to-plonk buildings and then have one in pristine state while distressing the other one, in order to show the passage of time.
     
     
     

     
    The layout could be designed to be viewed from all sides. That would add to the feel of an "interactive" scenery.
     
    Anyway, it would be interesting to hear if people think it is actually feasible? Joins will clearly be the big issue. But I'm sure something similar has been tried before, so if there are any thoughts or experiences out there I'd be happy to hear them.
     
  10. Mikkel
    I’ve been building some “foreign” stock for the goods depot at Farthing. It’s a real pleasure, but also humbling to realize just how little I know about other companies, and how difficult it can be to obtain kit parts for other pre-grouping companies. We GWR modellers are a spoilt lot!
     
    My 1900s period is before the “common user” arrangement, so most of the goods stock at Farthing would have been the GWR’s own - but there should be room for a handful of foreign vehicles, especially from the companies close by. This included the MSJWR, which crossed the GWR's Berks & Hants line at Savernake, not far from Farthing.
     

     
    So first up was a MSWJR 3-plank dropside wagon. Over on gwr.org.uk I had seen a note by Paul Absalom that this could be made by modifying a Slater’s kit for the Midland Railway dia 305 (thanks Paul!). The MR design was used as the basis for 20 wagons ordered by the MSWJR from Oldbury works in 1899.The sides and ends of the Slater’s kit (above) are virtually identical to the MSWJR versions, so these were used directly.
     
     

     
    The running gear is a less straightforward matter. There is very limited documentation available on these wagons, and the only known photo has the underframe in shadow. A drawing has been made, but there is doubt about whether the running gear is portrayed correctly. So an informed guess is the best we can do. This led to an interesting discussion involving several RM Webbers – especially wagonman – as well as Neil Lover of the “Swindon’s other Railway” site and MSWJR historian Mike Barnsley (see this thread for details). Many thanks, gentlemen!
     
     
     

     
    To cut a long story short, we concluded that the MSWJR probably wouldn’t have gone for the fairly sophisticated and expensive Ellis axleboxes provided in the Slaters kit. So these had to go. An alternative option would have been to modify the existing axleboxes.
     
     
     

     
    Instead I fitted MJT units/W-irons (non-rocking). This required some of the framing to be carved away, but was otherwise straightforward. Packing was added underneath the units.
     
     
     

     
    The exact type of axleboxes used by the MSWJR isn’t known, except that they were most likely of the grease type. In photos of other MSWJR wagons I noticed a simple type not unlike the standard GWR grease box. So I fitted some of the latter (also from MJT) and modified/filed them to suit. The only other modification was to file away the MR build plate on the solebar.
     
     

     
    I couldn’t find any ready-made MSWJR lettering, so opted instead for the “white shaded black” letters from one of the HMRS P.O. sheets. These are slightly overscale but close enough, I think. The sheet is rather costly, but I wanted it anyway for lettering some Farthing based P.O. wagons at some point.
     
     
     

     
    The finished model. I suddenly realized that a dropside wagon might not often be seen inside a goods depot, as they tended to carry loose material, stone etc. But I’m thinking that a couple of large crates might justify a dropside, to facilitate unloading?
     
     

     
    Shunter George “Bulldog” Mullins studiously ignores the new wagon. A GWR man to the core, Mullins treated vehicles from the competition with poorly disguised contempt. In particular, he refused point blank to shunt vehicles from the MSWJR. The origin of this particular grudge was always a bit of a mystery, although some said it had to do with an unfortunate incident in his youth. The details were unclear, but apparently it involved his pet donkey, a sleepy MSWJR driver and a poorly guarded level crossing.
  11. Mikkel
    The LSWR was the biggest of the GWR's neighbours at Farthing, so I thought I'd better make myself some stock from that company for my 1900s goods depot. Last night I finished my LSWR sliding door van, to SR diagram 1410, built from the David Geen whitemetal kit.
     
     
     

     
    Above is the kit assembled as it comes. Having done that, I realized that a couple of details didn’t match the photos and drawings in my newly acquired “Illustrated History of Southern Wagons, Vol 1”. The kit has the door rail below the roof, while all photos I have seen show it in front of the roof. Likewise, the kit has the vent covers below the roof, while most (though not all) photos show them flush with the roof top.
     
     
     

     
    It's possible that the kit is correct for some vans at some point in time. Nevertheless, I decided to lightly modify it to match the photos I had available. I filed back the roof and original door rail, and added a new rail from scrap brass. The vent covers were extended to the roof top with a sliver of plasticard.
     
     
     

     
    After a first light coat of primer, Archer’s rivets were added to the door rail – 12 little devils each side. For all its bad reputation, rivet counting can actually be quite fun! Can you tell I was in a hurry when I did the priming?
     
     
     

     
    I was confused about the brake gear. A sketch in the instructions show that for a single lever arrangement, the arms should be fitted left over right. So that’s how I initially fitted them, but it seemed wrong: The only photo I can find of a 1410 van with single-lever, one-side brakes has them right over left, and so do other single-lever LSWR (and GWR) vans and wagons. So eventually I re-fitted them right over left. Did I get it right though?
     
     
     

     
    Except for the primer, I prefer to brush paint my models. I like the flexibility of it. For this van I decided to experiment a bit. I first added a basecoat that was deliberately a little darker than the ideal colour.
     
     
     

     
    On top of this, I semi-dry brushed a lighter shade. By “semi” I mean that the brush was more loaded than you would normally do in dry-brushing. I like the resulting “depth” of the colour.
     
     
     

     
    Due to a mix-up with my mail orders, I found myself with not one but two LSWR lettering sheets: One from HMRS (left) and one from Fox (right). This allowed for a bit of comparison. The two sheets are almost identical when it comes to the actual wording/styles provided. The HMRS sheet has lettering for all the main SR constituents, and a little more variety in the LSWR lettering styles. I personally like the HMRS Pressfix method which I have gotten used to over the years. The Fox transfers only have LSWR lettering, and water-slide transfers are not my favourite - but significantly, the smaller letters and numbers are a good deal finer than the HMRS ones.
     
     
     

     
    I ended up using a bit of both. By using the HMRS tare numbers for the tare, I could use the finer Fox tare numbers for the paint date on the solebar. The latter is a little overscale I think, but I thought it would be fun to include. Incidentally, January 22 1901 was the day Queen Victoria died, and thus the beginning of the Edwardian era. It does date the van, so I'll be in trouble if I decide to model a later period! For the number/builders plate I initially fashioned one in photoshop (bottom of picture), and printed it to the correct scale. But when fitted to the wagon it looked like… a paper printout! So I used a non-descript builders plate from a Mainly Trains etch instead.
     
     

     
    I went for a lightly weathered look, but not too much. I find it hard to get that faded look to the lettering that I have seen on some models. Any advice would be much appreciated.
     
     
     
     

     
    Today was a nice day here in Denmark, so I took the goods depot outside to get a few photos of the new van and assess general progress. I recently managed to crush the mezzanine floor, and am slowly rebuilding it. That's the second disaster I've had with this little layout, the other was when the roof structure got smashed. No wonder my son calls me Homer Simpson!
     
     
     

     
    Views like this make me happy though. Comparison between the LSWR van and the contemporary GWR iron mink shows two different approaches to the standard goods van of the late 19th century. The LSWR van was introduced in 1885, and seems fairly large for the time with its 18ft over headstocks. The GWR Iron minks were introduced the year after in 1886. With a 16 ft (later 16’6) length it stuck to a more modest size but experimented instead with iron for body construction. I wonder which of the two designs was more economical in the long run?
     
     
     

     
    One day I'd like to try building a lightbox, but for the time being I'm content with that big old lightbox in the sky.
  12. Mikkel
    I’ve been making my own crates and tea chests from printable veneer. Today I installed them in the goods depot at Farthing.
     
     
     

     
    The mezzanine floor at Farthing was used as a storage facility. Traders could have their wares stored while awaiting dispatch and distribution.
     
     
     

     
    Space was literally at a premium, and this floor was always tidier and more well organised than the busy decks below.
     
     
     

     
    Farthing wasn’t far from Britain’s first Nestlé factory, built at Chippenham in 1873 for the manufacture of condensed milk.
     
     
     

     
    This part of the goods depot was inspired by the balcony floor at Hockley Goods, which seems to have been used for similar purposes.
     
     
    The following is a description of how the crates were made, summarized from the workbench thread:
     

    I like the smallish wooden crates that could be seen in goods depots before cardbox boxes became common. So I began by designing a few of these. The top one above is photoshopped from a pic of an original Nestlé crate. The rest are tongue in cheek
     
     

     
    I wanted to capture that light wooden look of a new crate, and wasn’t quite happy with the texture of ordinary paper. After searching the web I came across these veneer sheets intended for creative photo printing. I bought mine from Crafty Computer Paper (no connection).
     
     
     

     
    It’s important to note that these sheets only work with top loaded ink-jet printers. They will jam if you use a printer where the paper bends over on itself. I have a cheap top loaded Canon IP2850 printer, which cost about 30£ a year ago (colour cartridge included). It does take the sheets, although each sheet needs to be pressed down gently when the rollers try to “grab” it. I would be weary to do this on a high-end printer!
     
     
     

     
    Test prints suggest that the wood effect is pretty much as I had hoped. The lettering comes out OK I think, although I’m sure a more expensive printer could give an even better result.
     
     
     

     
    The veneer sheets can be cut fairly easily with a normal scalpel.
     
     
     

     
    I've experimented with two different ways of building the crates. The first and most laborious method is to cut out each side separately, and glue them on a block of laminated plastic rod as seen above.
     
     
     

     
    This method gives a fairly neat final appearance, as seen above. This pic also shows the texture of the veneer, and how the different shades of the sheets can be used to add subtle variety: The ones on the left are from one sheet, the ones on the right from another.
     
     
     

     
    A quicker method is to cut each crate out in one piece, and lightly scribe the rear of the veneer at the corners with the back of a thick scalpel blade (a sharp scalpel or deep cut will break the veneer). The crate can then be folded and glued with a good quality card glue or similar. You inevitably get a light tear at the corners though - so this method is best for crates that aren't seen close up.
     
     
     

     
    I've made rows of stacked crates by glueing individual sides to the front of a long block of laminated styrene strips, as seen above. Saves time, and can't be seen once completed.
     
     
     

     
    The fake rows can then be stacked and glued or just blu-tacked together.
     
     
     

    The tea chests are based on real ones but photoshopped to fit my setting and period.
     
     
     

     
    The metal edges on the "East India" one didn't really come across as I hoped in the printing...
     
     
     

     
    ... so thanks to Dave and other RMwebbers I tried using the dull side of foil for the metal edges. I cut the foil in strips and then fixed it with card glue to one side first. It can then be bent around the edge and stuck to the other side.
     
     
     

     
    It’s worth the effort to spend some time cleaning up the edges afterwards. With a ruler and sharp scalpel, edges can be trimmed straighter and narrower as required. The superfluous foil can be scraped off leaving no visible mark. Small problem areas can be fixed with a quick lick of metallic paint. The veneer is very forgiving, so paint can also be scraped off if necessary.
     
     
     

     
    The crates are strenghtened inside like this.
     
     
     

     
    The tea chests represent different types and sizes, some with metal sides and some without. Judging by photos I have seen, the metal edges don't seem to have been common until the 1920s or so.
     
     
     

     
    As mentioned earlier, the sheet itself is quite forgiving and glue and paint can be scraped off without leaving much trace. The lettering is another matter. The print on the right has been treated to a light coat of Vallejo matt varnish!
     
     
     

     
    Finally a comparison between a veneer crate, an earlier paper-printed effort (right) and a parcel made from Manilla envelope paper. The crate has that nice and square look.
     
    Thanks to all who have helped and contributed to this little project, see the discussion in the workbench thread for more ideas and suggestions.
  13. Mikkel

    Regrettable incident at 3 PM

    By Mikkel,


    Stories
    Over the years I’ve gathered a small collection of anecdotes and photos that document quirky situations and customs on the real-life railway. The idea is to re-enact them in model form while the glue dries on other projects. The Slipper Boy story was one attempt at this, although admittedly that one got a bit out of hand!
     
    Here’s another, simpler one.  First, the props:
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    *****
     
    Clear as mud, I suspect! Here’s what it’s all about:
     
    Railway Magazine, January 1906:
     

     
     
    Just another incident on the everyday railway, but we can’t allow this stuff to be forgotten! Below is an attempt to re-enact it in my Farthing setting. I’ll see if it works without words:
     
     

     
     
     

     
     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    *****
     
    That was the event as reported.  But I wonder what happened afterwards? All those tasty eels, and no ice left to keep them fresh... A quick discussion among the staff, perhaps, to find a solution?
     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    🙂
     
    *****
     
    PS: I couldn’t find a period description of exactly how live eel were transported in Edwardian days, so the container seen here is loosely based on a 1970 FAO publication which documents a method that does not seem out of place in earlier days:
     
    "Live eels can be transported in small quantities in tray-boxes […]. A typical wooden tray-box contains four lift-out trays about 50mm deep, each designed to hold about 10kg of eels graded according to size. The top tray is usually filled with crushed ice so that cold melt water trickles down through the eels during the journey to keep them cool and lively. […] Each tray has drain holes and is divided across the middle to make a total of eight compartments holding about 5kg each, that is about 40kg for the whole box. The lid of the box is nailed on, and the whole is steel-banded both to prevent pilferage and to prevent the eels escaping through the joints. Boxes of this type are used successfully for live transport not only within the UK but also for 24-hour journeys from the Continent with little or no loss."
     

     
    Source: http://www.fao.org/3/x5915e/x5915e01.htm#Live storage and transport
     
  14. Mikkel

    Low-tech pre-grouping stock

    By Mikkel,


    Coaches & Browns
    My ability to build brass kits is limited, but I've decided that I won't let it keep me from modelling the pre-grouping world that I find so fascinating. Instead I try to make the best of whatever skills and means I have available. Here's a few examples of what I like to call "calculated bodging"!
     
     

     
    1. Simple kits. Above is a Toplight Composite Slip to diagram F15, built from an ex-PC Wheeltappers kit. These feature pre-printed sides, which gives a quickly finished coach but also means the sides have no relief when viewed close-up. For today's spoiled modeller the latter can be hard to accept, but it gave me confidence to continue with kit building, and a rake of these does look rather good when moving by. Sadly, I hear that Wheeltappers are no longer renewing their stocks. Fortunately there are other simple kits available for the pre-grouping modeller. This includes the Ratio 4-wheelers, and I've written up a brief introduction to these over on the GWR Modelling site.
     
     

     
    2. Kit-bashing. The standard features of many GWR coaches allows some possibility for hacking up sides in order to join them in new ways. This W1 Parcels Van was composed of two Ratio brake thirds, following an idea from J. Russell. I've done some notes on the build here. I don't really like pristine white rooves any more, so they are due for a repaint. Edit: For some excellent additional examples, have a look at buffalo's blog.
     
     

     
    3. Conversion kits. This is a Siphon C built using the Shirescenes etched brass body kit fitted on a modified Ratio 4-wheeler chassis. The body is brass, but has been treated so that it can be assembled with superglue. You can read how it was built here. The Shirescenes kits offer a number of good conversions of the Ratio 4-wheelers. There are more examples here.
     
     

     
    4. RTR bashing. There's something strangely satisfying about sawing up RTR coaches to produce different diagrams. This is a V5 passenger brake van, built from the ends of two old Triang clerestories. Again, there's a write-up of the job on gwr.org.uk. While on the topic of RTR coach bashing, have a look at the current work being done by rovex, which although not pre-grouping shows nicely what can be achieved.
     
     

     
    5. Restoration. Bringing old second-hand stock back to former glory is a favourite pastime of mine. This 6-wheel Compo to diagram U21 is a current example. She looks a little sad right now, but there's a warm heart beating in there! The model was originally built by Chris Edge, using what I believe was a very limited production run of kits that he made largely for his own use. My restoration has so far included new step boards (always a weak point) fashioned from strengthened Plastikard, as well as simplified Comet brake shoes, Romford pin-point bearings, Alan Gibson wheels, and gas lamp tops from IKB. I'll also add a new interior, new glazing and give the coach a complete repaint.
     
    At this point you may be wondering what I do for locos. Here again I tend to resort to restoration of secondhand locos. I'll feature these separately later on, but meanwhile there is also the option of converting selected RTR locos to the pre-grouping period. There are nice examples here.
     
  15. Mikkel

    Platform trolleys and barrows

    By Mikkel,


    Scenery
    I've been enjoying myself assembling a variety of 4mm trolleys and barrows for "The bay".
     

     
    Platform trolleys from Coopercraft, with loads from the Monty's range. The one with the milk churns is a bit of a cliché I'm afraid, but I can't help liking it and it was a very common sight it seems. The heavy load of luggage on the other trolley belongs to the party of Mr and Mrs Longbottom. They have yet to discover that the maid has forgotten to pack their pajamas.
     
     
     

     
    These are from the Monty's/Dart Castings range and were a simple and pleasant build. I've always liked the barrow type in particular, which has such a rustic look to it. I initially thought the luggage trucks looked a bit too modern for Edwardian times, but they do seem to appear in photos from the period. Since I bought these kits I've discovered that Langley have a pack of etched brass kits for what appears to be the same prototypes (kit # F129, packed with some station seats, see it here). However I decided to stick with the whitemetal ones, in order to maintain consistency of thickness with the other platform fittings and vehicles.
     
     
     

     
    The handcart on the left is of an early GPO type, but will play the part of a GWR cart until I come across a model of a specific GWR prototype (if anyone knows of a kit, please do get in touch). My version of the kit came from Monmouth models, but I believe it is now available from PD Marsh. Looks like I still need to clear off some flash! The wheelbarrow also came from Monmouth.
     
    Here are some of the finished items in situ at Farthing:
     

     

     

     

     
    I have yet to find a detailed study of the trolleys and barrow used by the GWR, although photos of platforms usually show some interesting examples. There's also a nice little assembly of photos of trolleys and barrows in Vol 2 of Stephen Williams' "Great Western Branchline Modelling", although these appear to be taken in the latter years of the company.
     
  16. Mikkel
    I’m building an 1854 Pannier Tank for Farthing in ca. 1919 condition, using a modified Hornby 2721 body, a Bachmann 57xx chassis and various parts from SEF and Brassmasters. Pure it is not. The project has been described on occasion in my workbench thread, but in a fragmented manner. This post summarizes progress to date. Prepare for many close-ups of green plastic 🙂
     
    Background
     

     
    It's a bit of a nostalgia project. I wanted to do something with the old Hornby 2721,  a model I've had a liking for since first seeing it in the magical Hornby 1980 catalogue at the tender age of 11. Note the "X", it was high on my wish list back then. When I finally got one several decades later the running was a disappointment. So it went to sleep in The Big Box of Lost Souls, until I decided to bring it back to life.
     
     

     
    The original plan was to make a backdated 2721, but along the way I decided to do the outwardly very similar 1854 PT class instead. The components I'm using match an 1854 PT a bit better, including the plain Bachmann conrods and the absence of visible springs behind the Hornby splashers (a feature of the 2721s).  The 1854s were also a bit more widely dispersed during the period in question. Above, I have plotted the 1921 allocations of the 1854s and 2721s into Google Maps. See details below this post.
     
    So the goal is a pragmatic 1854 PT in ca. 1919 condition, a period I have a growing interest in. Ironically I have yet to find a 1919 photo of an 1854 PT. Instead I'm extrapolating from early 1920s photos (including a couple on the gwr.org.uk pannier page), and drawings in the Finney/Brassmasters kit instructions and Russell's "Pictorial Record of Great Western Engines" Vol 1. Thanks to Brassmasters for making their instructions freely available, I try to repay by purchasing fittings from them. The RCTS "Locomotives of the GWR" part 5 is a key reference. Jim's book "An Introduction to Great Western Locomotive Development" has also been useful.
     
     
    Chassis and body
     

     
    I’m using a Bachmann 57xx/8750 chassis for the project.  Various chassis versions exist, including 32-200 (left) and 31-900 (right). I’m using the former, which is shorter and lower. 
     
     

     
    Closer look at the chassis. The weight block has been removed to test the fit. Later it went back on.
     
     

     
    The Bachmann chassis and Hornby body. There are various well-known issues with the Hornby 2721. Hornby used a Jinty chassis, and so the splashers don’t line up with the more correctly dimensioned Bachmann chassis. The frames and bunker are also too long, and there’s no daylight under the boiler. The chimney is appealing, but wrong shape.
     
     

     
    I disassembled the body and was surprised to see that the tank/boiler top is a separate component, well disguised under the handrail.
     
     
    Butchery
     

     
    The first job was to get some light under the boiler/panniers. I used a scalpel, scoring repeatedly along the edges of the moulded sides with a used blade, then eventually cutting through with the tip of a sharp new blade.
     
     

     
    And there was light. 
     
     

     
    Then the interior was cut, carved and hacked about until the chassis was a good fit along the sides and ends. The photo is early on in the process, a good deal of material was removed.
     
     

     
    The chassis and modified body. There’s ample room for the Bachmann weight block, so that was re-fitted.
     
     
     

    The backhead was cut away to allow room for the gears. The motor does protrude a bit into the cab, but will disappear behind a new backhead.
     
     

     
    From the side.
     
     
    Footplate
     

     
    The Hornby body is too long for both an 1854 and a 2721. This is in fact the 2721 drawing from when that was the aim, but the principle is the same for the 1854.
     
     

     
    So I shortened the footplate by about 2,5 mm at each end, doing cut-and-shut.
     
     
    Splashers
     

     
    The center splashers, being out of line, were then attacked along with the toolbox.
     
     

     
    The incorrectly positioned toolboxes, half-relief injectors, and very low sandboxes were also chopped off.
     
     

     
    I considered scratch building the replacement splashers as per my Dean Goods rebuild, but wasn’t in the mood. So I dug out a broken old Finecast 1854 that came with an ebay job lot. 
     
     


    The Finecast splashers were cut off, cleaned up and fitted to the Hornby footplate.  There are no rear splashers on the Hornby body, so these were also fitted. Will fit bands to the front splasher later.
     
     
    Bunker and Backhead
     


     For the bunker I again turned to the old Finecast 1854…
     
     

     
     …and cleaned up the parts as best I could.
     
     


     The 1854s and 2721s had the same frame and cab width, so in theory the 1854 bunker should be a direct match, but it was too narrow. I thought the Hornby body must be wrong, but checking the measurements again showed that the Finecast bunker isn’t as wide as it should be. Food for thought!
     


    Anyway, I rebuilt the bunker with styrene panels. Later, plated coal rails were fitted. The original Hornby weight block was filed to suit. Along with the weight block on the Bachmann chassis, the loco now runs quite nicely.
     


    The worm and gears were concealed using an old Bachmann backhead, moved slightly back and with a raised section of cab floor beneath it. I’ve done this before, once the crew are fitted I don't notice it.
     
     
    Beneath the tanks
     


    The Hornby balance pipe is a blob one each side of the motor block, so I made some new blobs.
     
     

     
    New firebox sides and rear tank supports (adapted to allow room for the injectors) were also made. Drawings of 1854 and 2721 PTs show the balance pipe fitted just behind the front splasher, but photos suggest that they were soon relocated to a position nearer the center of the tanks. So that’s what I have done.
     
     

     
    Removal of the “skirts” on the Hornby body exposes the Bachmann motor and lets too much light in. Strips of brass sheet were curved, painted and fitted each side to hide the motor.  Testing for shorts showed no problems.
     
     
    Fittings
     


    The Hornby tank top isn’t that bad, but the chimney (odd shape), tank fillers (too small) and grab rails (moulded lump) had to go. I'm wondering what the small pipes/cables running along the top are for, and when they were fitted.
     
     
     

    The chimney was sawn off, and the tank fillers removed (vertical slices in both directions, followed by a parallel cut along the bottom). The bluetack is for protecting details.
     
     


    Finney/Brassmasters chimney from the 1854/2721 kit, the rest is from Alan Gibson. 
     
     

     
    Dry fit of the Finney chimney and tank fillers. The safety valve cover is so far an RTR item, can’t seem to find the appropriate shape in brass. I'm confused about the chimney position, forward or center on smokebox? I'm aiming for a pre-superheated version, but despite good photos on gwr.org.uk, I can't work out what it implies in my case.
     
     

     
    Tank vents from bits of filed styrene, seen here with the Alan Gibson tank fillers.
     
     
    Smokebox
     

     
    The front also needed work. As it comes, the Hornby body has a Churchward pressed steel front. I rather like it.
     
     

     
    But pre-1920 tank smokebox fronts tended to be plain, so it was all sanded away. Difficult, and it shows. A ring was added to the smokebox door, not quite the dished look but better than nothing. Alan Gibson door darts fitted, and new steps from scrap bits of brass.
     
     
    Tank and cab sides
     

     
    Pannier tanks fitted before ca. 1917 were flush-riveted. After that they were snap head rivetted (1917-1924) and then had welded seams (after 1924).  I decided that my loco was fitted with panniers before 1917, and therefore sanded away the Hornby rivets. That took the shine off her!
     
     

     
    The lower cabsides are too narrow on the Hornby body, so these have been extended. This photo also shows the plated coal rails on the bunker (which is still loose).
     


    After a hiatus the project is now on the move again. I'm making a new cab roof and have started fitting details. More on that later. Thanks to all who helped with info and advice. 
     
    For part 2 see: 
     
  17. Mikkel
    For the past year or so I’ve been adding to my fleet of early 1900s GWR wagons. The idea is to make each wagon a little different. Here’s a summary of some of the detail differences so far. First up is this gang of Iron Minks.
     

     
    The Iron Minks were built from ABS kits, with replacement roofs from MRD. The grease axleboxes on 57605 were scrounged from another kit, and the deep vents on 11258 were made from styrene. The unusual hybrid livery of the latter van is based on my interpretation of a photo in Atkins, Beard & Tourret. See this post for details.
     
     
     

     
    Next is a brace of three-plankers, seen here at rest in the still rather bare sidings at Farthing.
     
     
     

     
    David Geen does whitemetal kits for both the round- and square end 3-plank wagons. The 5 inch "G.W.R" insignia was moved from left to right in 1894, but wagons still carrying left-hand "G.W.R" occasionally appear in photos as late as 1905.
     
     
     

     
    No. 1897 of the 1854ST class shunts a pride of 4-plankers in the sidings.
     

     
    The 4-plankers are Coopercraft kits, with modified floors and running gear. The rarely modelled Thomas brake gear on 71508 was fashioned from handrail knobs and wire, while the DC1 brakes on 781 is from a Bill Bedford etch. The irregular font of the Tare numbes on 64493 are based on a prototype photo, as with most of the wagons.
     
     
     

     
    All good fun. Having said that, I've had enough of building little red wagons for the time being, so now it's on with the layout.
  18. Mikkel

    Kit-bashed roof structure

    By Mikkel,


    Structures
    The roof structure for the "The depot" has been underway for some time as I've been busy with other things, but it is now nearing completion (sketches of the goods depot can be found here). My original idea was for a large single span roof, but after ploughing through photos and obtaining some sound advice from fellow RMwebbers (thanks everyone!). I decided on multiple lesser spans instead, of which two are visible on the layout.
     
     
     

     
    The structure is built from a variety of modified components sourced from old Airfix/Dapol, Rovex/Hornby, Ratio/Peco and Heljan kits, thereby encompassing quite a bit of British railway modeling history! I initially envisaged something scratchbuilt and rather more finescale, but I know from experience that I need to keep things simple to sustain momentum, so in the end I opted for some extensive kit-bashing.
     
     
     

     
    A selection of the components used. Clockwise from top left are parts from the Airfix canopy glazing (I bought in a number of these kits), support columns from an old Rovex footbridge kit (still to be added), some ornate ironwork from a Heljan station kit (also to be added) and leftover bits from the Ratio canopy conversion that I did for 'The Bay'.
     
     
     

     
    The Airfix canopy kit appears to have been designed in 1959. Is it perhaps among the oldest model railway products still on the market, along with the other ex-Airfix kits?
     
     

     
    The original pattern of the Airfix roof trusses (top) seemed inappropriate in this context, so these were changed to indicate a Howe pattern instead (bottom). Various leftover parts from Ratio kits were used to add detail and hide joins.
     
     
     

     
    The rooflights still need a bit of work, but the basics are in place. They will hopefully let in lots of light, which is important in a small box-like layout such as this. I suppose it's all a bit chunky in places, but I'm hoping to improve this with some strategic weathering and detailing later on.
     
     
  19. Mikkel

    C+L underlay and Carr's ballast

    By Mikkel,


    Track & Traversers
    For what it's worth, here's a quick recap of some of the products I tried out for the underlay and ballast on "The bay".
     
     

     
    C+L foam underlay. I used neoprene foam from C+L Finescale for the underlay. This was of 5mm thickness, although I believe they now also have an 3mm version available. The foam may at first seem rather sensitive: Even a light prod of a finger leaves a noticeable hollow. However, the foam eventually evens out, and in any case becomes much less sensitive once fixed in place. For this I used a gooey, water-based glue, normally applied to carpet underlay. I extended the foam across the entire baseboard, rather than using it only beneath the track. This also allows buildings and structures to be recessed into the foam by cutting appropriate holes, thereby eliminating the problem of unsightly gaps between structures and ground surface. Look at that heavy chipboard - stone age baseboards, but it was what I had lying around at the time.
     
     
     

     
    Carr's 4mm ash ballast (left) vs 2mm stone ballast (right). In Edwardian times, neat ballast shoulders were rarely seen in bay platform areas on the GWR. Photos of the Newbury bays suggest a light sprinkling of a rather fine ash-like ballast, and sleepers almost level with the surrounding ground. Since most manufacturers seem to insist on over-scale ballast, I experimented with both 2mm stone ballast and ash ballast. The picture above compares Carr's 4mm Ash ballast (left) with 2mm Dark Grey Ballast (right) from the same company. I opted for the finer Ash Ballast, a dark grey matter of non-stone material. This gives a nice representation of the very fine ballast I was after.
     
     
     

     
    Ballasted track. I applied the ballast to the track through a film cannister, pierced with holes at the bottom to get an even and controllable spread. This was then adjusted with a fine brush and a not-so-fine index finger. I sieved away some of the finer ballast dust beforehand, and then later added it to the top in order to enhance the "fine" look.
     
     
     

     
    Original and extended sleeper spacing on Peco track. The track is Peco Code 100, left over from an earlier layout. I consider this a compromise, but I stuck to my principle of exploiting the items I already had available. Moreover, with careful ballasting and weathering it is a compromise I can live with. I did experiment with the sleeper spacing, to see if I might create the illusion of scale track gauge. I realize this is a very subjective thing, but for me the extended sleeper spacing gave a slight narrow gauge look with which I wasn't quite happy, so I decided to leave the track as it came.
     
  20. Mikkel

    How to eat an elephant

    By Mikkel,


    Intro
    Question: How do you eat an elephant?
    Answer: One bite at a time
     

     
    "The Farthing layouts" are a series of OO micro-layouts that depict small sections of the same overall junction station. The period is Edwardian, although I occasionally have heretic out-of-period operating sessions. The layouts are operationally independent of each other, ie they are not connected or modular. In this way, I can explore my interest in larger stations in a very limited space. In other words, I'm eating an elephant one bite at a time!
     
    The station of Farthing is located on the GWR line between Newbury and Westbury, and serves as the junction for the fictional "North & South Railway" line from Swindon to Salisbury, now part of the GWR system. It is also the starting point of the local branch to Overbourne.
     
     

    Map showing Farthing and the old North & South Railway, now absorbed by the GWR
     
  21. Mikkel
    I've managed to finish my early GWR one-planker, built mostly from styrene. Just to recap, the prototype is one of the 18ft types with wooden solebars, originally built in the 1870s. We don't hear much about GWR one-plankers, but there were more than 2300 in service in the early 20th century. They appear to be a bit of minefield with a variety of dimensions, so mine is based on the drawing in "GWR Goods Wagons" by Atkins et al. Details are based on no. 5141, of which a couple of photos exist.
     
     
     

     
    Here she is with a light dusting of grey primer, in preparation for the rivet transfers. It seemed a shame to cover all those nice brass detailing bits, but sooner or later we all loose our shine!
     
     
     

     
    For the rivets I used Archer's resin transfers, as discussed in this thread (thanks gents!). I bought the mixed-size sheet as it is a bit difficult to assess beforehand what size you need. There doesn't seem to be many UK stockists, but DCC supplies have them. They are not cheap, but there should be enough here for several jobs.
     
     
     

     
    Pacman? No, rivet transfers. The clever bit is that you can cut out strips of rivets and therefore don't have to add each one individually. But it depends on the prototype of course. In my case I did have to add a lot of them individually to get the right spacing.
     
     
     

     
    The transfers need to be soaked in warm water prior to application. The instructions suggest retaining the backing paper until the rivets are in place, and then sliding it out from under them. I personally found it easier to tease off the backing paper with a brush while in the water, and then simply add the transfer directly to the wagon.
     
     

     
    As long as they're wet, the transfers can be gently nudged in place and repositioned as required. Once they dry up they start to harden. As RMwebber Sasquatch advised me, the transfers really do need a coat of primer to stick to if you want good adhesion. As you can see, the transfer film is fairly obvious...
     
     
     

     
    ... so as recommended in the instructions I used Microsol on top of the transfers, which interacts with the primer and transfer film so that the latter essentially dissolves.
     
     

     
    Train spotting. The transfer film is gone and the rivets are stuck in place. One of the fun things about scratch-building is that you can replicate the idio-synchrasies of a particular wagon. The real no. 5141 also had a rivet head missing on one corner plate, and lacked rivet plates on one end of the solebar. The ribbed buffers are from MJT and this close-up is a little unfair to them.
     
     

     
    Another of those little imperfections that I rather like, and that noone else will ever notice! Photos of no. 5141 show the wagon with two different wheel types, one axle with split spokes and the other with solid spokes. I'm sure it wasn't built like that, but something happened along the way. We all know the feeling!
     
     
     

     
    Here she is again after another coat of primer to cover the rivets. The brake is a bit of an enigma. We know that these wagons had a single large wooden brake block, but the details of the arrangement are not clear. The two photos that exist of no. 5141 are from the unbraked side, and the brake is only seen as a ghostly shadow. Photos of other wagons with single brake blocks suggest that there were several different types, so that is not much help. The arrangement seen here is therefore my guesstimate, based on consultations with knowledgeable RMwebbers (any mistakes are entirely my own!).
     
     
     

     
    Then came the question of livery. As discussed elsewhere, my working assumption is that wagon bodies were red right up to 1904. But what about the bits below the solebar - the axleguards etc? Were they red or grey? I tend to think grey, but looking at photos of the real 5141 it does look as if it's the same colour all over. I can't show the prototype photos, so above is a shot of my model instead, taken with the "monchrome" setting on my compact camera. As you can see the wagon is clearly the same colour all over....
     
     

     
    ...except that it isn't . This photo was taken immediately after the one above, and to me it indicates just how difficult it can be to tell colours apart in monochrome, even with today's technology. Admittedly, these shots aren't of a very good quality (they were taken with the macro-focus on), and I realize that it is problematic to compare modern photos with those of the 1900s.
     
     
     

     
     
    No doubt it also depends a lot on the colour shade and lighting: This photo was taken indoors with artificial lighting, after I had given the wagon a second coat in a different shade, and treated it with weathering and varnish. Here you can actually see a colour difference between the axleguards and the body. This may explain why the evidence from prototype photos is so ambigious. In any case, for the time being I'll stick with "red on top, grey underneath" (to paraphrase the old Kerryman joke).
     
     
     

     
    So here she is in more or less finished condition. I say more or less because the prototype photos of no. 5141 show her with broad gauge-style incised lettering on the solebars, and a variety of chalk markings on the sides. I must admit I am at a loss on how to reproduce these, especially the incised letters, so I might have to compromise and leave it off. As for the shade of the red colour, I wanted to try out something a little more worn and toned down that on my other wagons. Experimenting is half the fun of modelling, I think.
     
     

    Lady in red. Not much to look at really, and quite labour intensive. But she's all mine!
     
     
    Edit August 2015: I recently came across a photo on the web which I think may show one of these wagons. There aren't a lot of photos of them around and I have never seen this photo mentioned before in the literature. Note especially the enlargement available in the r/h column: http://www.dudleymal...ak/roundoak.htm
  22. Mikkel

    Backdated Monty's figures

    By Mikkel,


    Figures
    Off with their heads! Farthing is set in Edwardian times, but good figures from this period are not easy to come by. I've therefore been doing a bit of backdating to the excellent Monty's range of 1930s-50s figures from Dart Castings. The photo above shows a rather gruesome selection of body parts left behind from butchering and modifying the Monty's figures.
     
     

     
    This lunar landscape shows my preference for blu-tacking the figures to inverted cups, so I don't have to handle them during painting. The cups give a good grip and you can turn them any way you want to get the right angle for painting. Paint and varnish is Vallejo acrylics, which are superb and work fine for me on whitemetal as long as its primed and varnished.
     
     

     
    Mr and Mrs Longbottom in trial position on the bay platform. They will shortly be joined by Mrs Longbottom's niece, who is slightly delayed due to her currently having no head.
     
     

     
    Mrs Longbottom is the result of a bit of fun figure-bashing (terrible word!). The face and upper body is from a Monty's figure (this one), with a bit of DAS modeling clay added to the hat and body to suit the style of the period. The lower body is from the Langley range of Edwardian figures, whose dresses are rather good, but whose upper bodies are a bit too stick-like for my tastes.
     
     

     
    Adding various types of beards to the figures (well the male ones at least!) helps to backdate them. This ganger is remodelled from a Monty's figure, adding a moustache made from Miliput, and with a modified hat. The latter was inspired by a similar hat worn by a ganger in a photo I have. None of your fancy bowlers here!
     
     

     
    This is the station master of Farthing. He is in fact a skipper from the Monty's range (one of the more recent additions), with the cap cut to look GWR-ish. The cutting of the coat isn't quite right, but life is short...
     
     

     
    This was originally a 1930s porter that I've attempted to backdate by filing off his pockets, modifying his cap and adding a moustache. His arm has been repositioned as he will be standing by a cart.
     
     

     
    This gentleman has had his original hat replaced with a bowler made from bits found in the spares box.
     
     

     
    This seems to be one of the more popular figures from Monty's. I've filed down his hat to represent the boaters of the period, and modified his nose just a little to make him look different from all the other ones out there.
     
     

     
    This worker is entirely unmodified, with the moustache painted on. I go for relaxed poses when I select figures, as I'm no great fan of the "frozen movement".
     
     

     
    Hmmmm, went a bit too far on the backdating there! Jokes aside, this is one of my son's plastic Warhammer figures that I painted. Now I know they're a bit larger than 4mm figures (I don't believe there's an exact scale for Warhammer - for good reason!), but they're not that much larger, and look at all that crisp detail. Imagine those production techniques applied to 4mm model railway figures! But I suppose the cost would be too high and the market too small?
     
  23. Mikkel

    GWR horse-drawn trolley

    By Mikkel,

    Here’s another horse-drawn vehicle for my goods depot, this time a scratchbuilt light trolley in the GWR’s “Birmingham” style. The model was built from styrene and bits in my spares box, with wheels bought in from Langley.
     
    Drawings and photos suggest that there was a bewildering amount of detail variation within this basic type. I based my model on a drawing on page 241 of P. Kelley's "Great Western Road Vehicles", which was built in several lots. Another almost identical version can be seen on page 243 of the same volume. Various photos of the trolleys in action at Hockley can be seen here, although my particular version is closer to one depicted at Slough on page 38 of "GWR Goods Services" Part 2A.
     
     
     

     
    The vehicles had a protective canvas cover over the driver which could be extended backwards over the load in wet weather. The canvas was held by hoops over the seat, which – unlike many other goods delivery vehicles – seem to have been permanently fitted. In typical old-world fashion, these otherwise mundane vehicles had moulded panels along the sides. I fashioned the latter from strips of Evergreen - could've done with a Silhouette cutter there!
     
     
     

     
    The wheels were a bit of a problem. The closest I could find were Langley’s 12mm wheels. These are 0.9 mm too small and have 11 spokes where they should have 12. In the end I compromised and used them. If I find better wheels I'll replace them. The springs are modified leftovers from Coopercraft wagon kits.
     
     
     

     
    The fore carriage and shafts were a nice little puzzle to build. The drawing does not clearly show the type of shafts used. The GWR used several varieties, with designs becoming simpler over the years. To cut a long story short, I chose the graceful “curvy” style of the earlier types.
     
     
     

     
    Main parts assembled and ready for painting.
     
     
     

     
    Lettering presented the usual problem when you need non-standard sizes. Photos of trolleys from the 1900s show some with serif lettering, some with sans serifs. Some have numbers at the front, others at the rear. I eventually used HMRS Hawksworth coach lettering (!), which is a compromise but not too far off for sans serif lettering. I've only just noticed the broken spoke - a fault in the casting it seems.
     
     

     
    The weather sheet fitted. Again there was variety on the prototypes. On some vehicles the sheet extended all the way down over the sides, on others it stopped short above the deck. The sheet was fashioned from a wagon tarpaulin from the Smiths range, turned over to hide the lettering.
     
     
     

     
    Final detailing included adding a few bits of this fine chain which I've only recently discovered. It is imported by Cambrian Models and has the great advantage of being pre-blackened. It is 33 links per inch, and can be obtained from Cambrian themselves or by internet order from H&A Models (I have no connection to either).
     
     
     

     
    For horse power, I chose the recently introduced "feathered" Vanner from Dart, seen here on the left together with a mate from Shirescenes for comparison. As always with figures, I prefer relaxed/calm poses - and I liked the way the Vanner was bending its head down. The bucket was fashioned from bits in the spares box. Keeping draught horses in good shape was taken very seriously, and photos show them both feeding and drinking while waiting at goods depots (eg here).
     
     
     

     
    So that's about it. It's been interesting to scratchbuild this vehicle and thereby learn about the design of these vehicles. Sometimes doing a small project like this can bring as much satisfaction (and challenge!) as a whole layout, I think.
     
     
     

     
    For a couple of other scratchbuilt GWR horse-drawn vehicles, see Jerry Clifford's lovely little vehicles, and Beachcomber Bob's dray here on RMweb.
  24. Mikkel
    Farthing, June 27, 1914. Europe is on the brink of war, but noone knows. The staff go about their morning routines, and No. 835 sleepily shunts a horsebox.
     
     
     

     
    Station Master A. Woodcourt examines the scene. He likes the order and calm of the bay area. He is feeling his age and hopes it will be a quiet day.
     
     
     

     
    But it is not to be. As he propels the horsebox into the sidings, driver T.F. Oberon notices a problem. Throughout his life with the railways, he has been able to smell a hot axlebox. And he can smell one now.
     
     
     

     
    As the "hot box" is confirmed, Woodcourt realizes he has a problem on his hands. There is a major event at the Farthing Race Course today, and there are no spare horseboxes to deploy.
     
     
     

     
    To make matters worse, the owner of the horse turns out to be the rather brusque and imposing Mr Bull. As Bull launches into yet another of his long-winded complaints about the state of the country's railways, Woodcourt realizes it is going to be one of those days...
     
    ***
    Credits: Horsebox built by Pete Morris.
    ***
     
    Will Woodcourt solve the problem? Will the horse make it in time for the races? What else is in store for the good people of Farthing? Find the answers in the next instalment of "All in a day's work"...
     
    Go to part 2
  25. Mikkel
    As mentioned in the previous blog entry, I've been restoring a small collection of secondhand scratchbuilt 4- and 6-wheelers. I should point out that I'm cutting some corners here: The premise for this project has been to see what I could do with the coaches with simple means and materials, and without breaking them down into their constituent parts and starting over.
     
     

     
    First job was to remove the rooves and discard the glazing and droplights, which were beyond saving. The coaches have etched brass sides, but have been assembled with glue. However the original builder did it properly and only the coach seen here (another First to dia R1) needed a bit of reinforcement in the corners.
     
     
     

     
    This 6-wheel First/Second Compo to diagram U16 was restored some time ago. Most of the repairs are hopefully self-explanatory. The coach was built with droplights in the luggage doors, which it shouldn't have. This mistake is probably due to an error in Russell's Great Western Coaches vol 1 (p47). Fortunately I have a copy of the Newsletter of the Great Western Study Group No. 51 (1996), which includes an invaluable list of known errors in the Russell volume.
     
     
     

     
    The windows were blinded with plastikard filed to shape. A bit tricky, but filing and fitting can be a strangely pleasing exercise, I find.
     
     
     

     
    This 6-wheeler was originally a W3 parcels van. Certainly an interesting prototype, but I already had a W1 parcels van and didn't really need another. So feeling a bit reckless I converted it to a V13 PBV, which as far as I can see has virtually the same dimensions. The main difference was that the V13 had guards lookouts, and I found some in an old K's kit that happened to have the right measurements. I wait with baited breath for someone to tell me that there was some major difference between W3 and V13s that I haven't noticed! (if so please do tell, it has not been painted yet so there is still time to change it back!).
     
     
     

     
    On some of the coaches I added new springs, while on others I repaired the existing ones with thin strips of glazing (the thinnest material I had to hand). I am not sure the latter is totally rational, but then modellers rarely are :-)
     
     
     

     
    Here we have another unusual beast - a six-wheel saloon to diagram G20, the one that is preserved at Didcot. It is currently receiving the standard treatment of repairs.
     
     
     

     
    The interior of the G20 Saloon, which has had a new lick of paint. I haven't been able to find any drawings of this diagram, so I am not sure if the arrangement of the seating and tables is correct?
     
     
     

     
    The brake gear has been replaced on some of the coaches. This is of course a simplified representation. In fact, brake gear has for too long been one of my blind spots and I'd like to learn the details better.
     
    That's it for now. So far I'm very much enjoying this work. It may not be text-book modelling, but I find it relaxing and it's nice to breathe some life back into these old models.
     
    Go to part 3
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