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Mikkel

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Blog Entries posted by Mikkel

  1. Mikkel

    Soft body, hard shell

    By Mikkel,


    Layout construction
    No, this is not a description of the average RMwebber, but a reference to the baseboards for my 2010 challenge layout "The depot". As Kenton keeps reminding us, the clock is ticking so I thought I'd best move ahead with this. The scenic section of this GWR micro- layout is to be housed within an Ikea "Snackbox". This plywood shell now houses a "soft" self-contained baseboard, made from 10mm foamboard and measuring 35.2 x 54.1 cms (13.9 x 21.3 in). This serves to raise the scenic section, and provides room for electrics etc underneath. I'll add a thin fascia to the front in due course.
     
     
     

     
    The foamboard structure slides in and out of the Snackbox. This should make it simple to work on from all sides during construction, and will make it easier to take photos from tricky angles when the layout is complete.
     
     
     

     
    The simple bracing, which strictly speaking I could probably have done without, given the thickness and small dimensions. The entire foamboard structure weighs in at 250 grams.
     
     
     

     
    The 10mm board seen next to a 5mm example and showing the sandwich structure of this material. The idea of using foamboard for lightweight baseboard construction is of course quite well tested by now, eg on Chris Nevard's superb Catcott Burtle. There was also Keith Harcourt's Kappaboard layout (see e.g. Railway Modeller January 2000) which even made do without the plywood shell.
     
     
     

     
    So far I have used my X-acto knife as the main means of cutting the foamboard, although I hear that a scalpel may be better. With the thickness used here I do occasionally have problems keeping the end profiles exactly at 90 degrees. Checking the web I found these specialist foamboard cutting tools that look tempting but also rather expensive, so I think I'll keep at it and learn it the old-fashioned way.
     
  2. Mikkel

    Wagon propulsion

    By Mikkel,

    I've been testing the trackplan for “The sidings”, and got a bit carried away...
     
     
    Jokes aside, there is a more serious side to this: As previously explained, the layout is inspired by the trackplan at the back of Gloucester Old Yard. This included the very short so-called “biscuit siding” which served a private warehouse through a kick-back arrangement.
     

     
    In GWRJ No. 45 (p262), shunter Hayden Jones explains how the biscuit siding was operated:
     
     
    Photos of the siding do not show any major gradient, and I'm a bit confused as to how gravitation could be done both "in an out". I wonder if the quote refers to the use of pinch bars? Alternatively, there may have been a light gradient one way, and use of horses and (later) perhaps a powered capstan the other way.
     
    In any case, my initial reaction was to disregard these practices on my layout (which is not a direct copy of Gloucester anyway) and simply shunt the siding with a loco. I have made provision for this in the track plan and may still end up with that solution. Still, I couldn’t help toying with the idea of some form of non-loco wagon propulsion in that particular siding.
     
     

     
    The video above demonstrates my most succesful experiment so far. There’s a magnet stuck to the underside of the wagon and another in my hand underneath the baseboard. I thought I’d test it just to give it a try. The magnets are MSE and work quite well through my foamboard baseboard, and yet I have my doubts: The video shows manual operation where starts and stops can be done fairly gently. However, to make it practically feasible some sort of permanent, mechanically sliding magnet would be needed, and in such an arrangement it would be tricky to avoid sudden starts and stops, I think.
     
    So what are the alternatives? High Level do a mechanism for powering individual wagons, which looks interesting. It is illustrated in operation on the rather superb Leicester South seen below (from ca 6.17). Does anyone else have any experiences with this or other means of non-loco wagon propulsion?
     
     
  3. Mikkel

    The Remains of the Day

    By Mikkel,


    Stories
    While researching a book on the real Farthing station, I recently acquired a set of photos from the 1900-1910 period that I thought I would share here. My sources in Farthing have been able to provide a bit of background on some of the staff featured in the photos. Above, we see the bay platform at Farthing, with station staff in attendance. The stationmaster Mr A. Woodcourt is seen second from the left. The stock presents something of a mystery. While it has been known for some time that loco No. 34 was occasionally seen at Farthing, it appears here to be heading a 70 ft Autotrailer to Diagram A12. These coaches were built with gangways to run behind railmotors in the Plymouth area, and it seems highly irregular that it should turn up at Farthing on its own. Perhaps readers can offer an explanation?
     
     
     

     
    "Buffalo" No. 1234 in the bay area at Farthing. The fireman was known as "Mad Charlie" due to his rather spectacular style of shoveling, which included various risky balancing acts on top of the bunker. Sadly this practice eventually led to his demise, as one day during a particularly tricky move he fell off the loco at full speed. His reputation lived on, however, and for many years afterwards firemen in the area would acknowledge a particularly deft move as "a Mad Charlie".
     
     
     

     
    The bay in a lull between trains. The picture carries the date "May 5th, 1907" on the back. The photographer must have been standing on what was then Platform 3, looking across the Up Main. Today, of course, everything seen in this photo has been converted to a parking lot.
     
     
     

     
    The gentleman in this photo has been identified as Mr Tom Gradgrind, a worker for the local cartage company Smith & Sons. Always known as a bit of a dreamer, he eventually became obsessed with the notion that the entire population of Farthing were merely toys in the hands of a giant. Although he was later cured and settled down for a normal family life, his wife would occasionally notice him casting fleeting glances at the sky, as if trying to catch a glimpse of another world beyond the clouds.
     
     
     

     
    William K. Honeythunder with his parcels van and horse. Although much admired by the women of Farthing, Mr Honeythunder's true love were the horses he worked with. Some 15 years after this photo was taken he became a superintendent in the GWR's cartage department at Paddington, where he fought long and hard against the phasing out of horse power on the Great Western.
     
     
     

     
    Stationmaster A.Woodcourt served the GWR for 27 years. Farthing was his last post. Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined, meticulous but also somewhat cautious man. It therefore came as a surprise to many when, the day after his retirement, he withdrew his entire savings from the bank, boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle.
     
     
  4. Mikkel
    This blog sometimes tells some pretty tall tales, but this one is based on a true story. I recently came across a fascinating account of a court procedure at Old Bailey, involving an incident on the Great Western at the turn of the century. I decided to re-enact the incident, with Farthing as the setting and a little, ahem, modeller’s license. Dennis, will you take it from here?
     
     

     
    My name is Dennis Watts, that’s me on the right. I’m a slipper boy with The Great Western Railway Company. I scotch trucks. They pay me 10s. a week. Here is my story.
     
     
     

     
    This is my uncle Henry Watts, he's a checker in the goods depot. It’s the afternoon of May 28, 1902. Pay attention to that box on the porter’s trolley. My uncle is consigning it to the daily Penzance truck.
     
     

     
    After loading, the Penzance truck is shunted to no. 1 line with other trucks for dispersal. Most of the trucks will go out in the next few hours, but the Penzance one is left overnight for attachment to the 4:55 goods.
     
     
     

     
    That night, I walked home from a late shift after the lamps were out. I passed the Penzance truck sitting alone in the dark, and saw some people there.
     
     

     
    I recognized two horse drivers, Woods and Lawson. There were also two other slipper boys, Fraser and Marsh. I could tell they were up to no good.
     
     
     

     
    I walked up to them and saw that they had opened a box of silks from the Penzance truck. They were tucking the goods down their trousers. They asked if I wanted to buy some cheaply for selling on, but I refused.
     
     

     
    Being an honest sort of person I was very uncomfortable with the situation. They were all a bit threatening and I was afraid. What would they do to me?
     
     
     
    To be continued....
     
    Part 2 is here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/75/entry-17072-the-honourable-slipper-boy-part-2/
     
     
  5. Mikkel
    Some years ago I picked up a number of secondhand GWR four and six-wheel coaches, originally scratchbuilt by Colin Edge. They were lovely models but had been worn by time.
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    I have since been gradually restoring the coaches - not to finescale standards but to general working order. This and  the following blog entries is a lighthearted illustration of the work done.
     
     

     
    First job was to inspect the damage (with apologies to Chris Nevard!). The example seen here is a diagram R1 All First 4-wheeler in the lake livery.
     
     
     

    There must be a thousand coaches out there with broken or warped stepboards!
     
     
     

    Springs gone too. And the paintwork is looking a bit sad. Anyone aged 40 upwards will recognize the symptoms
     
     
     

     
    The roof has buckled, and the glazing isn’t so pretty anymore.
     
     
     

    So to summarize, this little R1 exhibits some very typical signs of wear and tear on kitbuilt coaches. But as long as the basic model is sound it is well worth the restoration effort, I think. More on this to follow...
     
    Go to part 2.
  6. Mikkel

    Fun with crates

    By Mikkel,

    I’m detailing my goods depot, something I’ve been looking forward to. As the layout is designed for close-up viewing I’ve been searching for goods items that could pass muster at a reasonably close range.
     
    To begin with, here is a selection of crates. I'm afraid it's my usual unholy mix of kitbuilt, scratchbuilt, modified and ready to plunk! Hopefully it will all blend in with a bit of weathering and careful positioning on the layout.
     
     

     
    First up are these rather nice crate kits from US-based Rusty Stumps (above). The kits are laser cut plywood and come in various types – these are for horizontal crates. They are HO but quite large. The instructions are very good and the kits are easy to build (I used wood glue).
     
     

     
    If you prefer a plywood side rather than planks, the kit can be modelled inside out.
     
     

     
    Parts fit together well and with care the lid can be made as a press-fit, meaning you can take it off if you wish to leave it open.
     
     

     
    Above are the built up kits next to another offering from Rusty Stumps: Ready-made resin versions of the same crates. The latter clean up reasonably well, but I think you’ll agree that the kits are worth the extra effort.
     
     

     
    As an aside, Rusty Stumps also do a range of resin workshops scenes. I have no particular use for these right now but couldn't resist having a closer look.
     
     

     
    Back to the crates. This laser-cut high quality card kit is from the German company Kotol, which Job brought to my attention some time ago (thanks again Job!). The products from this company are not cheap, and some of their items are distinctly continental. But it’s attractive stuff for those who like small details, especially as they use wood, cotton and card for their goods items – so you get lots of texture.
     
     

     
    Above are the Kotol crates built up (I made the front one different just for variety). The kits are a bit fiddly and the card is quite sensitive to glue and scratches. So care is needed. The smaller HO scale was an advantage here, as I couldn’t find any decent small crates or boxes from UK manufacturers
     
     
     

     
    The Kotol range is quite varied and has some unusual items (anyone fancy working bicycle lights in H0?). This wood kit for a set of makeshift steps was a quick and pleasant build, and comes with a convenient jig.
     
     

     
    Scratchbuilding is another option of course. Having built the above kits, I used some of the scrap ply and card to fashion a few extra crates such as the one above. This added to the output from these otherwise somewhat costly kits. The scribing etc does take time, but other than that I would certainly consider scratchbuilding as an alternative in the future.
     
     

     
    Good old Hornby do these nice ready-made crates (there are others in the package, this is a selection). Some of them are very large and would probably have been dealt with outside the goods depot, not inside. But I find the medium and small ones useful. The one at the rear is as they come, the others have been heavily dry-brushed to add texture and do away with the slightly translucent look.
     
     

     
    I found this and a couple of other bottle crates in my spares box, and thought it loooked a bit dull. So I decided to have some fun.
     
     

     
    The result was these three machinery crates from Carr & Sons, a well-known Farthing company. A tad fanciful, but I had a fun evening making them. The sharp-eyed may have noticed that “Carr & Sons" looks suspiciously like “To Carry 10 Tons” on a transfer sheet.
     
     

     
    As many will know, Carr & Sons were leading manufacturers of round tuits. The one at the bottom is the basic model. The middle one is the advanced version. At the top is another of the company’s products, the square bloke (a development of the regular bloke).
     
     
    PS: I have no connection with any of the above companies - except for Carr & Sons, where I own 51% of the shares ;-)
  7. Mikkel

    Traverser testing

    By Mikkel,

    I’ve been testing my somewhat "under-engineered" traverser, and made a little video to show it in operation.
     
    It continues to work well, and I now have some faith in the basic concept. I’m in the process of re-enforcing how the tubes are fixed in the foamboard, but that is more of a pre-emptive move than a result of any actual problems so far. The running is smoother than rendered by the video.
     
    PS: I’m aware of the period inconsistency between loco and wagons, it's all still a work in progress
  8. Mikkel

    Downsizing

    By Mikkel,

    The Farthing layouts have seen some major rebuilding in the past months.
     

     
     In the early autumn, we sold the house and moved to a flat. Having made sure that the layouts survived the move without damage…
     
     

     
     … I immediately cut them to pieces. It was clear from the outset that downsizing was needed, as the only place to store the layouts is in a small attic room reached by a narrow flight of stairs.
     
     

     
     The Down Bay was the first to suffer. The sky backscene was dismantled and the integrated fiddle yard was cut away, leaving a 92 cm scenic board. 
     
     


    The Old Yard was given a similar treatment. A third of the scenic section was cut away. It’s built on foamboard, so I was able to make a good clean cut with nothing but a craft knife.
     
     

     
    That left a 100 cm board (left). The off-cut went into storage, maybe it will return as a diorama some day.
     
     

     
    A bit of work was needed on both layouts to adapt the track to the new formats. 
     
     

     
    An attempt at repairs. Looks a bit like Texas! The Down Bay still uses code 100 track, whilst the other layouts use hand laid C+L.  I don't really mind the difference.
     
     
     

    My third layout, the Goods Depot, didn’t need shortening. It’s a micro built in an Ikea box, which fits neatly in a large old closet. I’m still negotiating for access to the lower part of the closet!
     
     

     
    In order to operate the now truncated layouts, my trusty “Bumblebee traverser" was adapted with extra tracks and sturdier height adjustment legs. It continues to work well against all odds, and is now able to feed all three layouts.
     
     

     
    So trains are now running again at Farthing   Here is the Old Yard set up on the dining table. The small size of the layouts means that I am able to enjoy some relaxing “shunting puzzle” operation in our living room during weekends, without too much bother.
     
     

     
    Here is the Goods Depot, which is small enough to operate on my new desk/workbench, also in the living room. I have an agreement with my wife that when seated here,  I'm invisible. She gets the point but says my activities are not exactly "invisible" 
     
     

     
    And finally the Down Bay, taking up a tiny bit of space on the dining table .  The retaining walls need to be realigned and proper sky backscenes are on the cards.
     
    So that's the current status. Ironically, there is room for further layouts as long as I keep them small enough. Plans are afoot for a modular approach, but more on that later. 
     
     
     
  9. Mikkel
    This little project was described some time ago in my workbench thread. A couple of recent discussions suggest that the modifications involved may be of interest to others. I don't seem to have posted the usual build summary in this blog, so here it is.
     

     
    The Coopercraft GWR 4 Plank Open kit (4mm scale) has an error which means that if you build it as designed you end up with 4 planks on the outside and 3 on the inside, as seen here.
     
     
     

     
    So, following good advice (thanks Nick) I cut along the red line indicated above, in order to remove most of the big fat lip on top of the solebar. This in itself lowers the floor by 1.5 mms.
     
     
     

     
    The floor provided in the kit is 1mm thick, so I decided to gain another 0.5 mm of internal depth by replacing it with a 0.5mm styrene floor.
     
     
     

     
    I suppose this is on the limits of how thin a floor should be, but with bracing underneath it all seems solid enough. There are two pips on the inside of each wagon end (not shown), these had to be removed to fit the new floor. The gaps at the end of the solebars were fixed with filler.
     
     
     

     
    The lowered floor. Not perfect, but at least the bottom plank is now visible.
     
     
     

     
    Most of my wagons have lever brakes but it's time I introduced some DC1 brakes too. So I splashed out on this Bill Bedford etch.
     
     
     

     
    I worked with available drawings and pictures in the GWR wagon book  by Atkins, Beard & Tourret.
     
     
     

     
    I think I used the wrong link component below the swan neck lever, lesson learnt for the next one. Still, the exercise has helped me understand better how these brakes worked. Sometimes the absence of instructions can be a learning experience!
     
     
     

     
    The low number belies that No. 781 was built in 1902 as part of Lot 374,  thus sporting DC1 brake gear from the outset. I debated whether to add a sheet rail. Some of the 4-plankers were certainly fitted with these later on, and the O5 diagram in Atkins Beard & Tourret features a sheet rail - but I have a suspicion that the diagram stems from 1905 when the wagon index was drawn up. On page 54 of the same book is a picture of a 4-planker showing off the new DC1 brake gear in 1903. It does not feature a sheet rail, and is in the same condition as No. 781.
     
     
     

     
    The wagon is in GWR wagon red (I follow the 1904 theory). I chose a slightly redder shade than normal to suggest that it is fairly recently painted.
     
     
  10. Mikkel

    The trials of Mr Bull

    By Mikkel,


    Stories
    Here are some progress shots from "The bay", the first of the Farthing layouts. They mainly show the platform as I still need to detail the yard behind it.
     

     
    Mr Bull waits impatiently for his train on platform 2 at Farthing station. Behind him, 517 class No. 835 rests quietly in the bay with a newly arrived stopping train. The loco is an Alan Gibson kit that I bought secondhand in a rather unusual condition, sporting NER fittings and numbering! I returned it to running order and gave it a repaint, and it now serves as a regular engine on "The bay". The first two coaches are six-wheelers built from Blacksmith kits, namely an R2 First and a T38 Center Brake Third.
     
     
     

     
    A further view of No. 835. In a somewhat hazardous gamble, the Management has decided to delay securing of the roof on the R2 until passengers are onboard. Perhaps sensing the impending disaster, the crew is nowhere to be seen.
     
     
     

     
    Throughout his life, Charles R. Dixon categorically denied being shortsighted.
     
     
     

     
    The luggage belonging to the party of Mr and Mrs Longbottom, with whom regular readers (if there are any!) will be familiar. It is a little known fact that some Edwardian women were able to hover a few inches above the ground. Must fix that!
     
     
     

     
    Sometimes I think a cameo can be more effective without people in it. This one needs a bit more work though, and I seem to have gone over the top with the highlighting on the barrow. The lamp is a standard GWR type from the old Mike's Models range. They look ok from a distance, although close-ups like this show the thickness. The working lamps from DCC concepts provide an alluring alternative for future layouts, although I have not yet checked whether they resemble true GWR types. Does anyone know?
     
     
     

     
    The branch train has taken its place in the bay, ready for its return trip to Overbourne. The 850 class No. 1961 is again from an Alan Gibson kit, and yet another restoration job. The dome and chimney are not actually sliding down the boiler side, it must be the angle of the photo! The clerestory behind it is a chopped up Triang coach now running as an all Third to Diagram C10.
     
     
     

     
    Mr Bull is still waiting. His day has been bad enough already. When he discovers what he has stepped in, it will get worse.
     
     
  11. Mikkel

    Fourth bite: The Stables

    By Mikkel,


    Layout design
    Work has started on the fourth layout in the Farthing series. This will be named “The stables” and continues our meandering walk through the goods facilities at Farthing in the early 1900s.
     
    The layout is inspired by my interest in GWR stable blocks, including the larger variants of the standard design that began to appear in places like Slough and Park Royal around the turn of the last century.
     

     Slough, 1928. Source: Britain from Above. Embedding permitted. https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW021896
     

    Park Royal, 1930. Source: Britain from Above. Embedding permitted. https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW033806
     
     
    Searches on Britain from Above show that stable blocks tended to be located near the entrance to goods yards. This provides an excuse to incorporate another favourite scene of mine, namely the roadside views into Vastern Road yard in Reading – including those lovely trees in the foreground, as seen in the excellent  GWRJ articles on Reading goods by Chris Turner and John Copsey (Nos 81 and 82). 
     

     
     
    At this point you are probably expecting a large sprawling layout with an intricate trackplan - but, er, this is the trackplan:

     
     
    The layout will be a micro and follows what I call a “matchstick” design, i.e. a few very short tracks.  Ridiculously small, I know, but I like the challenge of making such a seemingly dull trackplan scenically interesting, and working out a shunting puzzle for it. My goods depot layout (below) followed a similar concept, and  has become my go-to option when I need a quick shunting fix after a long day at work.
     

     
     
    So I want another one! With the new layout, the idea is to use roadside trees, fencing and the goods yard entrance as foreground view blocks and “see-through” structures. The stable block will be the main event in the middle distance, while the trackbed behind it will be raised to a higher level. An Inglenook style shunting puzzle will be applied.
     

     
     
    That said, it would be nice for the locos to stretch their legs on occasion. So I've allowed for the option of a possible future modular approach, whereby some of the Farthing layouts could be joined up for occasional running sessions in our living room, e.g. as illustrated below. Whether that ever happens remains to be seen, I’m taking it step by step.
     

     

    As usual, the baseboard was made from 10 mm foamboard. This time I used actual Kappaboard, which is clearly a better quality than the imitation product I used before. 
     

     
     
    The basic baseboard in place, braced inside with more foamboard. Neoprene foam will be used for noise reduction.
     


     
    I’m now at the mock-up phase, testing the scenic ideas. As some may remember, the stable block has already been built and is a model of the prototype at Park Royal. The one at Slough was almost identical but a little shorter. Incidentally, both of these prototypes had sidings crossing close by at an angle (hard to see in photos of Park Royal).
     

     
     

     
     

     
     
    The layout fits on my workbench but will have to be packed away frequently. The 66,5 x 48,5 cm baseboard is therefore designed to fit in an Ikea “Samla” bedroller (55 L version), which can be stored under the bed - or stacked with other layouts in the attic. I’m aware that longer boxes exist, but they tend to be quite narrow and I like visual depth. The backscene and major structures will be stored separately.
     

     
     
    The Ikea version may not at first seem ideal as it has sloping indents at the ends. However these conveniently hold the baseboard in place whilst allowing room for fingers to be inserted. The bottom does have a slight curve at the middle – not a problem for me as my baseboard has legs at the corners, but it won't work for everyone.
     

     
     
    There remains the issue of the fiddle yard. I can’t use the normal one I have, as this will be a two-level layout (part of the fun). So I need a fiddle yard arrangement that allows me to move stock vertically as well as horisontally.  The simplest option would be to move a fiddle stick back and forth by hand, but I'd like to stabilise the movement somehow. One option is a flexible arm of some sort. There’s a whole world of these, including holders for monitors, keyboards, tablets, smartphones, microphones and lighting. The challenge is to find something that is cheap, of reasonable quality and – importantly - does not require too much fiddling with alignment. 
     

     
     
    Another option would be to do a sliding cassette arrangement with a slope. A few tests showed that, contrary to what I thought, the stock stays put on a light slope.
     

     
    Sides might help too! 🙂
     
     
  12. Mikkel
    I spent an enjoyable morning installing my two shed cranes in the goods depot. As previously mentioned, the cranes are copied from the ones used at Paddington Goods, although similar types seem to have been used in other large goods depots in the 1900s. I have not been able to find any technical specifications, but I doubt if they were able to handle anything heavier than light goods in vans and wagons.
     
     

     
    The cranes were scratchbuilt using plastikard and various other bits and pieces. I've decribed the build here.
     

     
    Looking at prototype photos I noticed that when a shed had multiple cranes, they tended to be grouped together in strategic positions. This makes particular sense with these cranes, whose purpose was to move goods from the vans/wagons to the cartage bays.
     
     
     

     
    I therefore placed the cranes so that they were able to swivel between the goods stock and the cartage bays, thereby allowing goods to be transferred directly, as per the arrangement at Paddington.
     
     
     

     
    One of the cranes was placed so that it could also reach the balcony of the mezzanine floor. This is inspired by the arrangement at Hockley. The safety chains for the balcony have been temporarily removed as I wasn't happy with them.
     
     

     
    The cranes were operated by a lever which connected to a mechanism beneath the deck...
     
     

     
    ...and the lever was protected by a small cage. The latter hasn't turned out very well and I think I will have to redo them with more care.
     

     
    We discussed the livery of GWR cranes here. In my case I opted for the wonderfully ambigious "Medium Grey". Photos of the prototypes of these particular cranes alongside wagons suggest that their colour was not far from GWR wagon grey.
     
     

     
    Finally, a photo with the roof on. I do like the look of these cranes, it's a very neat design I think.
     
    The final photo also illustrates a couple of challenges that I have to address as the next step: The weathering of the walls is a work in progress, and is tricky because it shows up too strong in photos, while it looks fine in reality. I am also repainting parts of the roof structure, as I wasn't entirely happy with the shades I had used. It never ends, does it? :-)
  13. Mikkel
    The men stood in silence and stared at the broken crate. It had fallen on its side and the contents had spilled out. There was no mistaking it: There in the middle....
     
     
     

     
    .... was a human skull.
     
     
     

     
    Station Master A. Woodcourt was the first to speak: "Well it may be a murder, but it's hardly a recent one!"
     
     
     
     

     
    At this point the director of the travelling theater company launched into a major outburst: "A murder? Are you mad? We use that skull for Hamlet! Didn't I tell you we were playing Shakespeare? And now I really must insist that your men hurry up with the unloading, or there will be no play tonight at all!
     
     
     

     
    And with that, they all got back to work. All except T. Gradgind, the carter. For a long time, he stood looking at the skull: Those cheekbones, that forehead. It strongly resembled his aunt Augusta. Augusta, the would-be actress who disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few years ago. Should he tell someone? He decided against it. They wouldn't believe him. They never did.
     
     
     

     
    Meanwhile, Station Master Woodcourt had returned to his favourite spot at the end of the bay platform. He was thinking that it might be time for a toffee (and that he rather deserved it) when one of the men interrupted his thoughts. A point failure had developed at the entrance to the carriage sidings. It was being worked on, but the problem was what to do with the Slip coach off the 15:55: It was still sitting in platform 3, blocking the up main. Would it be acceptable to store it in the bay for the time being?
     
     
     

     
    That sounded good to Woodcourt, and so the handsome Toplight Slip was propelled into the bay siding....
     
     
     

     
    ....with the trusty No. 835 and driver T.F. Oberon in charge.
     
     
     

     
    This particular Slip was a compo to diagram F15, originally introduced in 1909. Like the other Toplight designs, it clearly signalled the modern and functional style that was becoming apparent everywhere on the GWR after the beginning of Churchward's reign.
     
     
     

     
    As the coach came up against the buffer stop, a new problem became apparent: The coach would block the exit to the run-round when the first branch train arrived tomorrow morning.
     
     
     

     
    Uncharacteristically, Woodcourt decided to deal with the problem tomorrow. It had been a long day and he really was feeling his age. Perhaps tomorrow would be better. Tomorrow was June 28, 1914. That sounded peaceful enough.
     
    THE END
  14. Mikkel
    I’ve been painting 4mm figures. Here are some photos and platform scenes.
     

     
    I wanted to find a better way of holding figures during painting. Above is the good old bluetack solution, straightforward and good for spraying, but it doesn’t hold the figures very firmly during brush painting.
     
     

     
    Another well-known solution is wire in the legs. Useful for mounting on the layout, but not always an option, I find. Some 4mm shoes won’t take a drill well, and on 3D printed figures the material can break.
     
     

     
    So I’ve been experimenting. I made some wooden blocks and fixed double-sided heavy-duty “Nano” mounting tape to them. This works reasonably well. The tape is elastic, though, so if left overnight a heavy figure may keel over.
     
     

     
    So I'm now trying out “Tesa Powerbond Ultra Strong” mounting tape, which seems good so far. The tape does need replacing after 1-2 figures, and loses strength if you spill water on it. 
     
     


    Anyway, back to the figures, starting with some Andrew Stadden ones. This is porter N. Pipkin, painted a while ago. Despite a ligelong struggle, he never did manage to grow a moustache. 
     
     

     
    This is the young Maria Lobbs. She's a bit teared up, a common sight on railway platforms. All those difficult goodbyes.
     
     

     
    I sometimes wonder if I should use more shading on the figures. The dilemma is that it looks good from a distance but can appear rather stark in close-up.
     
     

     
    I think the big plus of hand sculpted figures is that they tend to have a lot of character. It can be overdone, but the Andrew Stadden range gets it just right, in my view.
     
     
     
    An attempt at an early GWR bus driver, made using an Andrew Stadden head transposed to a body from the spares box (unknown origin). Photos show a variety of greatcoats in use by period drivers, this one resembles a 1909 example in the Steam collection, second picture down here.
     
     

     
    On to the Modelu range. I’ve done a few of Alan’s railway staff in the past, but thought I’d have a go with some Edwardian passengers.
     
     

     
    Free at last! If I'm not mistaken, recent Modelu figures have more supports than earlier ones. They come off easily enough.
     
     

     
     I’ve only just discovered that the Modelu figures don’t need priming. I was sceptical about that, but Vallejo acrylics go on well and in fact stick better than on my primed metal figures. 

     


    Most figures in the hand sculpted ranges have slightly oversize heads and facial features. By contrast, laser scanned faces such as the Modelu ones are quite subtle. Prototypical, but harder to paint. Until recently I just left them blank, but on this batch I’ve tried to lightly indicate eyes and lips/moustaches.
     
     


    The black band on the boaters was made from narrow masking tape. Gives a nice clean edge.
     
     


    I tend to go with sandy and brownish shades on my figures, to blend in with the overall colour scheme on my layouts.
     
     

     
    But I’ve been advised not to overdo colour coordination, so here is – somewhat grudgingly - a splash of green.
     
     

     
    In close-ups the printing pattern does show on some Modelu figures. But this is many times the actual size, and you certainly can’t see it with the naked eye.

     


    Mrs Sanders is billed as an Edwardian figure but the bustle and skirt seem distinctly Victorian. The bustle went in and out of fashion during the 1860s-1880s but was largely gone by the 1890s. See also the useful Vintage Dancer website.
     
     

    Henley on Thames, colourized. No date. Source: Getty Images, embedding permitted. 

    La belle epoque - for some at least! There's still some way to go before the platforms at Farthing can be filled with crowds like these at Henley on Thames, but below are some test shots from the bay platform. 
     
     


    Mrs Martin and Mrs Hunter lament the moral decay among the working class.
     
     

      
    Why, only this morning - says Mrs Hunter, hand firmly on hip – my purse was stolen in town!
     
     

     
    Mrs Martin expresses her sympathy, omitting to mention that the very same purse is hidden under her corset.
     
     

     
    Meanwhile, Porter N. Pipkin is on thin ice.
     
     

     
    Maria does not seem to believe his excuse for neglecting her recently. Perhaps the bit about cheese rolling was a fib too far?
     
     


    Further along the platform, two writers from the Railway Magazine are weighing their options.
     
     
     
    The brief was to do an in-depth piece on Great Western wagon liveries. But it’s a rather hot day to be trudging around a goods yard.
     
     

     
    Perhaps field research isn’t really necessary. Better to have a good lunch at the Stag’s Head, then head back to London for a spot of creative writing. After all, who really cares about wagon liveries?
     
     

     
    Meanwhile Mrs Toodle and Miss Toppit discuss the upcoming wedding of the Browns.
     
     
     
     
    They agree it will be a wonderful event and it is such a lovely young couple.
     
     
     
     
    Secretly they hope it will end in scandal and despair.
     
     
     
     
    At this point Mrs Sanders appears in her hopelessly outdated Victorian dress, and everyone studiously ignores her. Such old-world eccentricity really won't do. We are the Edwardians, modern, efficient and sophisticated!
     
     
  15. Mikkel

    GWR weighbridge office

    By Mikkel,


    Structures
    A weighbridge has appeared at Farthing. It began as a kit, but in the end much of it was scratchbuilt. Here's a summary of the build.
     
     

     
    This was the point of departure, a lasercut kit from Rail Model. A little research showed that it is based on the prototype at Leckhampton, a drawing of which appears in the EricPlans volume on GWR and LMS structures. 
     
     

     
    The kit is nicely cut, but I noticed that the corners weren’t mitred. So I sought to remedy this with a file. Bad idea! The MDF edges began to crumble. My mistake.
     
     

     
    I eventually decided to cut a new ‘skin’ from SE finecast brick sheet. This also changed the brickwork from Flemish to English bond, thereby bringing it into line with other brick structures at Farthing. 
     
     

     
    Perhaps I should have built a whole new inner core while I was at it, but I like the idea that the original kit is still in there.  
     
      

      
     A bit of rudimentary furniture.  
     
     

     
    Also a rough outline of the scales - a Pooley design, using bits of styrene and glue brush handles.
     
     

      
    Bird's eye view of the interior. Frankly, almost none of it can be seen from outside! Regarding the blue distemper, see the discussion here – including Tim V.’s interesting photos.
      
     

      
     I decided to make the roof detacahable in case something inside comes loose, or I want to add some staff. 
     
      

     
    Some GWR weighbridges had sliding windows. Some offices had six panes per window, others had four.  The windows supplied in the Rail Model kit provide for this. They’re a bit deep though. Sanding them down is an option, but I didn’t fancy the MDF dust. 
      
      

     
     So I drew up new windows in Inkscape and cut them on my Silhouette. I had some trouble getting the ‘crosses’ neat. 
     
     

     
    A trial fit of the main windows. A closer study of GWR weighbridge offices show that details differ in almost every case. The windows on the Leckhampton structure were positioned relatively high compared to other designs, and centrally rather than off-set to one side.  
     
     

     
    The roof slates were cut from self-adhesive vinyl on the Silhouette, as per the stable block. Once again thanks to Lee for this tip.
     
     

     
    Inspired by @Dave John (a.k.a. the Magnet Man) I stuck a magnet under the roof. That way I can lift it off without damaging anything. 
     
     

     
    Gutters from Wills, and some downpipes fashioned from brass wire.
     
     

     
    The door opens inwards. Makes it harder for those Midland Railway rogues to barricade it from the outside. 
     
     

     
    A 'warts and all' view of the window end. The Leckhampton structure was unusual here: Most GWR weighbridge offices had no window in the end wall, or just a small one.  The Leckhampton building had blue bricks at the base, common but not universal. I decided to go for plain red bricks in order to match the stable block. 
     
     

     
    Trial fit on the layout. I'll have to shift the whole thing further into the yard, so that the staff can better access the door. Slight planning c*ck-up there!
     
     

     
    The weighbridge itself is a Smith etch of a Pooley design. The instructions say it is based on the one at Knightwick, installed 'around 1889'.
     
    That's it for now. Thanks to everyone who helped with information! 
     
  16. Mikkel
    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
  17. Mikkel
    Greetings everyone – Pickle S. Finkerbury here, railway historian and time traveller. As previously explained, I have a knack for being in the right place at the right time, which has provided me with unique insights into certain unknown aspects of GWR matters. Here is another extract from my files: 
     
     


    Farthing, early 1900s. It is well known that the GWR treated the workers at Swindon to an annual excursion by rail. What is less known is that the top management at Swindon Works also undertook an annual excursion, although that was of a much more exclusive nature. This year, the distinguished group are visiting the ever expanding Farthing station.
     
     
     


    Their special train has been propelled into the sidings of the Old Yard, and the members of the prominent party are investigating the facilities. The First class coaches show early experiments with the garter crest livery, soon to become standard. The roofs won't stay white for long.
     
     
     


    The official purpose of the excursion is to obtain a first hand experience of practical engineering matters. But - as the local staff are quick to note - the participants seem more interested in socialising.
     
     
     

     
    This includes L.R. Thomas, manager of the Carriage & Wagon Department at Swindon Works. He has brought along the young and rather lovely Miss Estella Havisham, whom he has been courting since they met at a ball in Swindon a few weeks ago. 
     
     
     


    Being of a somewhat awkward and old fashioned disposition, Mr Thomas is struggling to keep the conversation going - until he spots a couple of wagons in the sidings. Sensing an opportunity to impress the young lady, Thomas decides to discuss the evolution of the GWR wagon brake. 
     
     
     


    Since he is talking to a woman, Thomas keeps it very simple: 'You see, Miss Havisham, this wagon uses our old brake design. You will note the large lever.'
     
     
     

     
    Thomas continues: 'We have been using this brake design for a long time, but it can only be operated from one side, and is really a rather primitive arrangement.'
     
     
     

     
    Moving on to the next wagon, Thomas becomes visibly excited:  'Now this wagon, by contrast, uses a much more modern and ingenious brake design!'
     

     


    'In fact this brake is my own design, which I patented a few years ago. It is known, I might add, as the Thomas Brake'. 
     
     
     

     
    'As you can see, Miss Havisham, my design has handles on both sides, rather than a single lever. By winding the handle the brakes are applied. Do you understand?'
     
     
     


    Miss Havisham does seem to understand. 'Oh Mr Thomas, what an ingenious mechanism!', she exclaims, 'And such an interesting topic. I must confess that all this talk of handles and levers excites me somewhat!'. 
     
     


    Now rapidly warming to the topic, Mr Thomas is about to go into further detail – but then Miss Havisham interrupts him:
     
     


    'But I wonder, Mr Thomas, if a more convenient single-action arrangement could be developed? One might perhaps exchange the handle for a side lever with the end set downwards and connected via an adjustable link to a toothed quadrant which could be loosely mounted on a transverse shaft. Short hand levers could be fitted at either end of the shaft, with which the rack could be actuated via a projecting arm, thus engaging with a lug on the quadrant. A pawl could be used to retain the toothed rack when the hand lever is pressed down. When on, the side lever would lift and reverse the brakeblock shafts on the rocking shaft at the V-hanger. Would that work, do you think, Mr Thomas?'
     



    Speechless and bewildered, Thomas just stands there.  What Miss Havisham has just described is not only highly ingenious, it is also a design very similar to one currently being developed by William Dean himself, with much input from Churchward. How on earth would a layman - and a woman at that! – be able to come up with something so advanced?
     
     
      
     
    Just as Thomas is about to regain composure, an elegantly dressed man approaches them. Thomas’ heart sinks further. He knows exactly what is going to happen. What had seemed such a promising day is rapidly becoming a nightmare.

    Who is the elegant man in the grey suit? Why does Miss Havisham know so much about wagon brakes? And what will it all mean for Thomas’ efforts to court her?  Find out in Part 2, which is here.
     
     
  18. Mikkel
    Here's a little video showing scenes and train movements at Farthing station - including the arrival, shunting and departure of the Westbury stopping train. It's 2,5 minutes long. Be warned that it features music, although only a quiet piano.
     
  19. Mikkel
    Yesterday I went to get some things in the attic of the old apartment block where we now live. Each flat has a tiny storage room, and as I entered the attic I noticed that one door was ajar.
     
     


    Feeling curious, I had a look inside. The room was empty,  but someone had left an old filing cabinet in the corner.
     
     


    Imagine my surprise when, inside the cabinet, I found a number of files marked “Farthing”. With trembling hands I opened the first file, and…
     
     


    Pleased to meet you Ladies and Gentlemen! I am Pickle S. Finkerbury, autodidact railway historian and time traveler. My works include “A Complete and Exhausting Survey of Farthing Station” and “Abandoned Occupational Crossings of Wiltshire, Vol. 1-3”. 
     
     

     
    My specialty, however, is to document the more, shall we say, unusual aspects of everyday railway operation. I have a certain knack for being in the right place at the right time, and have collected a number of files with previously unpublished information. 
     
     

     
    Today I should like to share an interesting finding that I came across in the bay platform at Farthing station, one fine day in the summer of 1907.
     



    The branch passenger train from Overburne was just arriving, exactly on time. 
     
     


    The train pulled into the bay platform…
     
     


    …and came to a halt at the stops, where Station Master A. Woodcourt  was waiting.
     
     


    It was then that I overheard a most interesting conversation between the Station Master and the newly arrived loco crew.
     
     


    - 'Gentlemen, can I have a word?'
    - 'Yes, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'I’ve been reading in the papers about all these dogs that have been disappearing.'
    - 'Dogs, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'Yes, it seems a lot of people have lost their dogs. The police are without a clue, but I’ve noticed….'
    - 'Noticed, Sir?'
     
     

     
    - 'I’ve noticed that the missing dogs all came from houses situated along the Overbourne line. You work that route together a lot.  And it got me thinking…'
    - 'Thinking, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'The two of you, you’re our best men on the footplate. Very eager, aren’t you, about optimising performance. Always experimenting with the firing and the fuel.'
    - 'Fuel, Sir?'
     
     


    - 'All right Perkins, that’s enough! I’m not an idiot. We’ll keep this to ourselves, but there will be no more firing with people's pets! It was bad enough with the cats last year. We certainly want a good fuel economy, but not at the expense of our four-legged friends. Understood?
     
     


    After a long silence both men gave an almost imperceptible nod, and got back to work on the footplate. 

     


    They set the train back… 
     
     


    …did the run round…
     
     

     
    …and eventually pulled away with the train. As we watched them go, I heard the Station Master reminding himself to inspect the ash pit that evening. I shudder to think what he found.

     

     
    So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. You are now privy to one of the best kept trade secrets of Great Western footplate men. And you know why GWR engines had such a lovely bark.

    Till next time!

     
  20. Mikkel
    Oooh… shiny! This is the dome belonging to SECR No. 592 on the Bluebell Railway….
     
     
     

     
    …and this was the dome on my ageing GWR Buffalo class loco, painted brass on a whitemetal casting. Not a very favourable comparison, and my loco crews were in uproar.
     
     
     

     
    It was time for drastic measures. The whitemetal dome was removed by drilling from underneath. The safety valve cover caused more trouble, and had to be sawn off and filed down.
     
     
     

     
    I bought some brass castings from Alan Gibson…
     
     
     

     
    …and polished them by hand, using progressively finer grades of wet and dry to get that shiny look (other methods are available). The mould lines can be tricky to get rid of, but as Gareth kindly pointed out, if you just keep at it they will eventually disappear.
     
     
     

     
    So here is my “Buffalo” after a good clean and sporting her new fittings. She could do with a new chimney and various other mods, but for the time being I’m happy with this.
     
     
     

     
    My 517 class loco got a similar treatment, although in this case the existing fittings were unpolished brass beneath the paint, and were fixed very firmly to the loco. So I had to rub down and polish the dome and safety valve “in situ”. A bit fiddly and not quite perfect, but at least I managed to avoid major damage to the paintwork.
     
     
     

     
    So that’s it, the new fittings are in place and the footplate men are content again…
     
     
     

     
    … and feeling slightly superior about the SECR’s approach to safety valve covers.
  21. Mikkel

    GWR large flat dray

    By Mikkel,

    Here's the third and last instalment about my recent trio of horse drawn wagons. This is yet another GWR "dray", as they are commonly known. GWR drawings generally use the term "trolley", which I understand was the original and more correct term for what is today popularly called drays.
     

     
    The wagon was built from an old Pendon kit, picked up on ebay. There is no mention of the prototype, but it resembles a 7 ton trolley drawing in the Great Western Horsepower book.
     

     
    An illustration of the variation in length and width of three kits for flat drays/trolleys – nicely reflecting how the prototypes varied too, as vehicles do of course. On the left is a Dart Castings offering (see earlier post), and on the right is the Slater’s kit which really is quite large. The Pendon kit is the middle one.
     
     
     

     
    The only structural modification I made was the addition of the rear flap (is there a proper name?). These are usually in the down position, held by chains.
     
     
     

     
    The main part of the project involved modifying the horse, the carter (aka carman) and "van lad".
     
     
     

     
    The horse is from the Dart Castings stable. The photo above illustrates some of their range (no connection), with the measurements as stated in their lists. I like their 1:87 draft horse, which has the bulk of a strong horse but isn’t visually overpowering, as I think some horses can be in a layout context.
     
     
     

     
    I had a couple of these horses so modified one of them by raising its head. The neck from a discarded old Langley horse helped achieve this.
     
     
     

     
    On the left is the original figure by Dart Castings (as used on my “Ratkin & Son" wagon), on the right is the modified one.
     
     
     

     
    Similar work was done to make the carter, using a Dart Castings body and an Andrew Stadden head. Period photos and
    show that on flat drays like these, carters very often sat on the left side, like this. Presumably it is the safest and most practical position when you have to get on and off frequently, as they did.
     
     
     

     
    The van lad was made by modifying an Andrew Stadden figure, as seen here. He has not yet reached the grade that allows him to wear a uniform.
     
     
     

     
    A load was made using surplus items from the goods depot, e.g. my DIY cotton bales and crates, and various kits and ready-made items.
     
     
     

     
    I added some indicative roping from EZ line. Just a couple of ropes, as too much of this sort of thing tends to distract the eye in my view. In any case, the roping and packing practices on horsedrawn vehicles seems to have been more relaxed than on the permanent way. Two examples here and here.
     
     
     

     
    The other side. I tried to avoid colour clashes when building the load.
     

     
    And finally the wagon in place on the layout. That concludes this little series of horsey updates for now. Keep on trotting!
  22. Mikkel
    This is the third and final part of a story based on a real incident on the Great Western at the turn of the century. It draws on the transcripts of a court case at Old Bailey. The story is narrated by Dennis Watts, a slipper boy in the employment of the GWR. The story began here.
     


     
    Having produced their damning evidence, Detective Benton and constable Walmsley rounded up the four thieves and took them to court. I was the star witness at the trial, and made sure to tell the story well. Based on my testimony, Woods and Lawson were convicted and put away.
     


     
    Unfortunately Fraser and Marsh - the two other slipper boys - got off free. I hadn’t counted on that. After the trial they returned to work and cornered me.
     
     
     

     
    I ran off, but they chased me…
     
     
     

     
    …all over…
     
     
     

     
    …the goods depot.
     


     
    In the end I had to call for help…
     
     
     

     
    …and soon we were four against two.
     
     
     

     
    We quickly overcame the two villains, tied them up, and…
     
     
     

     
    …packed them in a couple of tea crates. They were forwarded that night on the 2AM goods, labelled for Thurso.
     


     
    Because you see, dear reader, I haven’t been quite honest with you…
     
     
     

     
    I’ve got a gang of my own, and we didn’t want those amateurs intruding on our turf. Not that they were any competition, really. We’re a pretty organised bunch. My uncle the goods checker is on board, and Watts the GWR copper. Handy people, if you’re into goods scams. You see, we don’t deal in petty theft. We aim much higher than that: We have ways…
     
     
     

     
    …of making whole trucks…
     
     
     

    ….disappear.
     
     
     
    *****************************************
     

    Editor’s notes:
     
    You may be wondering how much of this actually happened. The story roughly follows the real events recorded in the proceedings from Old Bailey up to the point of the trial (albeit in a simplified form, and with the names altered). The original theft of the satins and silks, and the clever detective work of matching the pieces of wrapping did thus in fact happen. The appearance of our “hero” the slipper boy as the star witness at the trial is also true, as is the fact that two of the thieves were released after the trial.
     
    From there on, the story is fiction. Or is it? A closer reading of the court proceedings leave certain questions unanswered, and it is these “loose ends” that inspired the rest of the story. As for making whole wagons disappear, I refer to “GWR Goods Wagons” by Atkins, Beard and Tourret (1998 edition) which in the preface states that 3 wagons were added to the condemned list in 1908 because “they had not been heard of for 10 years” (sic).
     
    PS: I’m using the term “truck” rather than “van” or "wagon", as that is the word used by all the staff in the testimonies of the court case at Old Bailey. I’ve always thought the words van and wagon were used at the time – perhaps that was the official terminology, and "trucks" was everyday slang?
  23. Mikkel

    The Biscuit Shed

    By Mikkel,

    I've been working on the “Biscuit Shed”, the first of the buildings for my new Farthing layout. It is inspired by the “beer shed” in the GWR Goods yard at Stratford on Avon, which was used as a loading facility for beer traffic from the Flower & Sons brewery.
     
     
     

     
    The biscuit theme draws on the so-called “biscuit siding” in Gloucester Old Yard, which served a small loading shed that was used by various industries over the years, including Peak Freen’s biscuit company.
     
     
     

     
    Every building has a history, and so it transpires that the Biscuit Shed was the original train shed of the erstwhile North & South Junction Railway's terminus at Farthing. When the GWR took over that line it was decided to keep the shed as a transshipment facility for the area’s blossoming industries, and in 1899 the GWR entered into contract with Badger's Biscuit Company for just such a purpose.
     
     
     

     
    This non-standard history allowed me to use some roof trusses with a "Queen Post" pattern from an old Airfix station canopy kit.
     
     
     

     
    The side was built using laminated styrene and braced as per the beer shed at Stratford on Avon. I've only just discovered microbrushes (the green thing), they are proving quite useful.
     
     
     

     
    I used a small jig to make the supporting timber posts. The jig was developed with input from NASA engineers and proved an excellent way of gluing the posts firmly to, er, the jig! :-)
     
     
     

     
    I liked the “waisted” appearance of the timber support columns in the beer shed at Stratford at Avon, so I tried to copy this by fitting a hollow section of square rod around the bottom of each post, filed lightly at the top to add an angle. This was also a convenient way of hiding any inconsistencies in the height of the support posts (purely theoretical, of course!).
     
     
     

     
    Still working on the loading dock, it will have a polyfilla surface and sleeper-faced sides.
     
     
     

     
    The footprint of the dock is a bit odd as the building will be located in the front left corner. The white pipes on the roof marks the join of the Wills slate sheets. Once painted grey I hope they will blend in - sometimes I think it is best to hide a join in plain sight, so to speak.
     
     
     

     
    So just a little more work and then it's time to paint it before embedding it on the layout.
  24. Mikkel

    Here's looking at you

    By Mikkel,

    It was the winter of 1997 and I was in London for the Watford show. Or to be honest: My life was a bit of a mess, and I was trying to escape from some difficult decisions that had to be made.
     

     
    I had arrived a day early and was staying in a cheap and gloomy hotel not far from Paddington. The idea was to spend the day touring the model shops around London, but things were not going well: The weather was cold and windy, the shops were uninspiring and I couldn’t escape my own thoughts.
     

     
    So I caught a train down to Eastbourne. The warm carriage and gentle rocking of the train lifted my spirits a little. In Eastbourne I stood on the empty pier for a long time and tried to clear my head.
     
     

     
    Then I walked over to the Train Times model shop to see what was on offer. I saw her almost immediately, and I knew I had to have her.
     

     
    Sitting on a shelf was a 633 class loco, slightly scarred by life and hardly glamorous. Yet beautiful in her own way and longing to be loved.
     

     
    I bought her and walked out into the streets of Eastbourne, feeling a little lighter. On the train back to the chaos of London, I finally made those difficult decisions.
     
    ...
     
    So that was the story of the day I bought No. 643. I'm telling it here because I've just sold the loco, and I thought she deserved a proper goodbye. She'll be going off to another man now, but that's how it had to be. Here's looking at you, kid ;-)
     
     
  25. Mikkel

    The four phases of modeller's recovery

    By Mikkel,


    Musings
    I had a setback with my Dean Goods. I was spraying on some varnish in preparation for lining, when this happened:
     

     
    Orange peel - or something similar!
     
    There followed the usual process, so well described in Dr Mindbender’s insightful ”Coping with Failure in Railway Modelling: The Four Phases of Modeller’s Recovery” (Wild Swan, 2019):
     
    Phase 1:  Despair (”Why me, Lord?”) 

     
     
    Phase 2:  Resentment (”Stupid model!”)

     
     
    Phase 3: Detachment (”It's only a model.”)

     
     
    Phase 4: Comeback (”Bring it on, orange peel!”)

     
     
    Moving from phase 1 to 4 can take hours or years, depending on circumstances. I have projects in the cupboard that seem permanently stuck at phase 2 (resentment)! 
     
    In this case it went a bit faster. I was at stage 3 (detachment) and about to reach for a wagon kit when a sudden surge of inner strength (a.k.a whisky) prompted a search for "how to strip paint off a glued model".  The results suggested that a bath in IPA might do the trick. It did, with a little help from a tooth brush.
     
     

     

    Things are now more or less back on track. Due to the 'toothbrushing' and rubbing with Wet & Dry, the edges seem to have lost a little crispness in the process (this is styrene after all, not brass) but it's not too bad, and I'm just happy that the whole thing didn't fall apart. Re-painting is now underway. Phew!
     

     
     
     
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