Mikkel

Ah... that explains why I got wet feet :-)

Job, I very much agree with your approach. It's nice to follow each others work, but take mine with a grain of salt as the approaches are sometimes a bit half-baked :-) BT that is a great idea - I'll try that. Thanks :-)

Ahem... yes grab rails not gas pipes as originally written! I'm sure your technique is as good as mine. I get the curve by bending the wire around a tube, and then do the angles by bending over a thin steel ruler/strip. It does take a few goes for me too.

A couple of the coaches I’m restoring had buckled or sagging rooves, so I’ve been rolling and detailing some new ones from Plastikard. It’s one of those pleasing tasks where you get the satisfaction of making something from scratch without things getting too stressful - although with brass rooves it can of course be a bit more tricky. Here's a brief illustration of what I've been doing. “So tell me dear, should I be worried?“ In retrospect, I can see why my wife was slightly concerned! But what we have here is of course just the Plastikard roof cut to shape and rolled tight around a tube. This particular tube is 3.1 cm across, and is in fact a bit of plumbing from a sink. The tube immersed in a tub of boiling hot water, left for 10 minutes and then cooled down quickly under the tap. The resulting curve works out right for the single-arc roof profile on these coaches. The Plastikard is 0.5 mm which I think is the thinnest I can get away with while still keeping it relatively sturdy. Gas piping from Alan Gibson straight brass wire (should it have been a smidgen thinner?) and lamp tops from IKB. The rainstrips are plastic strips from Evergreen. I’ve been ambivalent about grab rails on coach ends (life is hard for the railway modeller!). Partly because it can sometimes look too obtrusive on models: If you look at a real coach, it is not really something that captures the eye. And partly because I like to have my rooves removeable, and the rails gets in the way of that. So some of my coaches only have the grab rails indicated. But now I’ve decided I want it there in full, so the rooves will just have to be fixed in place. A trial fit and things look OK. But it seems I’ve gone and squashed the lamp brackets – hope I can get them straightened out! Glueing down the roof on a V2 that I finished some time ago. I kept the original roof on this one. The coach is on a flat surface with bits and pieces stuck in below to get just the right tension on the elastic bands - enough to keep it tight but not so much as to bend/damage the roof. I realize that plastic rooves are not as good as brass ones, and they require good internal support. But so far I haven't had problems with other rooves I've done in the past, so it seems to work. Go to part 4

Those rivets are very neat. We'll need to have a word with that fitter though. This is the GWR, remember, not some Colonel Stephens Railway running out of Waterloo or what have you!

Interesting. I'm trying to think if I have come across any posters etc announcing special trains and events which might give a clue to that, but can't recall any off-hand. It occurs to me that both I and the original builder have presumed that the upholstery of the saloon should be dark green as per first class. But since this is third class, it should presumably be either the standard third class red, or maybe (as per Harris' summary on p31) "leather" as for smoking compts. It did occur to me that the good people of Farthing deserve a race special sometime soon :-)

Good point :-) Last night I was working on the coaches and found myself humming "Yesterday...". Not a coincidence, I think!

That's a nice page about the Didcot G20. So dd, were you having a christmas lunch in the G20? :-) Thanks for the offer on pictures but I think I'm OK as it is. In a way it is a little surprising (in a pleasant way) that saloons would be built for third class passengers. I would have thought that at that time, the hire of a family saloon was such an exclusive and expensive thing that it would have been the domain of the better-off only.

I've had a look at the GWR Lambourn station, which was constructed new in 1909 and well photographed at the time (see "The Lambourn Branch" by Robertson & Simmons and other pubs). Windows and doors: * As newly constructed in 1909, the windows and doors are freshly painted in a very dark colour, clearly chocolate. * In 1914 the station is known to have been re-painted * In 1919 the windows and doors are still very dark chocolate * Nothing clear from the 20s (anyone?) * In 1930 the station was re-painted * Nothing clear from the 1930s (anyone?) * In 1950 the station is still in GWR colours, and the windows are in all-over dark stone (sic) * In 1952 the station was re-painted * In 1954 the station is in BR livery and the windows are white If anyone knows of good photos from the 20s and 30s it would be interesting (I have already checked the LVR website but photos there of little use for this purpose). Poster boards: There are two particular poster boards on an end wall which feature in several photos through the years: * In 1909 their frames are chocolate (p110) * In 1919 their frames are light stone (p105, I don't think it is a trick of the light) * In BR days the frames are dark again :-)

I think you are right Nick. I had not thought of checking Harris. It seems there is another G20 preserved at Buckfastleigh (didn't know that), which does not appear to have partitions. But as it is used for meetings and events that may well be a modern feature. http://www.train-photos.com/picture/number13612.asp FWIW, these notes to the new Shirescenes conversion kit also suggest that the Buckfastleigh one has been altered in other aspects. http://www.dartcastings.co.uk/shire/S108M.php BTW you mentioned you took photos of the G20 underframe, but according to the Dart Castings notes that's not an original one. In any case, I tend to trust Harris (certainly more than Russell).

Just been through your thread for the third time today. Apart from the brilliant modelling it seems to me you have re-defined what a thread is. That's interesting in itself, I think. (what to call a mix between thread and a blog - a throg? ). The presentation issue is always tricky, I think, because it can easily become superficial and glitzy and distract too much from the modelling (or lack of it!), but everything is just right here. That's really inspirational. Oh and I know we're not supposed to think like that, but when I see the statue of Alderman Frankland and the Walkers shop and trees and spaciousness on top of the Hill, well then dammit I can't help thinking "I want one of those too!". The only bit where I feel less enthusiastic is the Fulk Bros shop. I don't know what it is but there is something about the look and feel of the place that makes me wonder where they get their meat...

Bah, you 7mm boys have it easy!

Ian, thanks, I don't really need more stock for Farthing, but as so often it's the process more than the goal that's enjoyable :-) These are from the old IKB range, ref 4200. The BGS took over the range and I've found them on their website just now. Look on page 32 (sic!) of the 4mm parts page F4200: (IKB 4200) Coach spring 6' White metal casting (or just search for "4200"). Not sure if the price is for just one - there seem to have been 3 in my pack but maybe I ordered only 3! Thanks and not too late :-) But I wonder: The photos below of the restored G20 at Didcot do seem to show internal partitions - unless the restoration did not follow the prototype? http://www.flickr.com/photos/camperdown/6766965233/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/camperdown/6766965631/

OK, that's what I was wondering about. No good then. Thanks as ever.

Interesting to see how light the Hornby coaches are. I wonder why? Is there a secret cost benefit to making light coaches, because transport costs per unit are lower? But the bulk would be the same. Anyway, they do look good in their right livery (not GWR I mean). The difference in the roof profile is amazing, and says a lot about the benefits of a well-moulded modern RTR coach, I think.

PS: Now I can't get my mind off that brake gear. Once you start thinking about such details it becomes hard to ignore them! I have had a closer look at the brake gear that has survived on some of the coaches I'm restoring. The A frames between the brake shoes seem to be of a different pattern than the W1 - eg here is one of the R1 4-wheelers (cobwebs and all!). I wonder if that is correct / worth keeping...

Hi Nick, many thanks for that. I had forgotten that shot of your W1. The brakegear does seem simple. I'll try it out on a later project - good to know about the Mainly Trains etch.

That's what I was thinking. But maybe it was empty. Or it was just a different age. Note the woman in the white top on the opposite platform though. Looks like she's eyeing it closely. Maybe we've solved a robbery after all these years :-)

Hi Ian, yes, I think you are right about the distortion issues. Although perhaps if I had put them in some sort of solvent-dissolving bath they might have come apart without that problem? But it all seemed a bit too risky. Thanks very much regarding John's books. If he's written anything on brake gear I'd be glad to know. I owe myself a christmas present anyway :-) Happy new year to you too!

Character, character, character. And the fencing is very convincing, which is not easy. Brilliant.

Hi Pete. They will all be chocolate and cream. I think the original owner had a mix of both variants, which would nice in a way - but the lake doesn't really fit my normal period. I hope you do some more coaches. Your SDJR 6-wheeler was delightful and done in a more thorough way than what these coaches here are being treated to.

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

Apologies for diverting the topic for a moment, but what is this item? Looks fascinating - as does the livery it carries.