46444

Thankyou Mike for your king words. Thanks as well for the nameplate colour information on McKenzie. All being well I can crack on with putting the nameplates on and weathering 72001. Cheers, Mark

Thankyou Jamie, Always good to hear from you. I'd agree about the Clan's appearance being more elegant over the Brit's with the smaller boiler. Thanks as well regarding the nameplate colour information and the tablet catcher fittings. I remember your Clan on Culreoch and the Kingmoor grime. Very prototypical for the time modelled. I think my Polmadie example may be a bit cleaner. Thanks for the tip re: weathering as well. There's a few more Scotish themed subjects lurking on the work bench. Cheers, Mark

Thankyou Andy. It's a nice wee project... Cheers, Mark

The recent re-release of the Hornby BR Clan Class was a blessing for many especially with the price of previous issues becoming prohibitive. The model had not been available for a number of years to compound this. Like others I was surprised to find the running boards and rear of tender not painted black on either the late or early crest variations. This has been debated on the Hornby Clan thread. Other issues have concerned a missing top lamp bracket on the smokebox door on a number of models. I was fortunate to pick one of these up from Derails recently for around the £150 region *. with excellent service from them as ever. Well recommended. I took delivery of 72004 Clan MacDonald but wanted to renumber it to 72001 Clan Cameron. In addition to this I decided to spray in the missing black painted running boards and rear of tender. Nameplates were obtained from Fox Transfers and Pacific Models provided the smoke box door number plate. Tamiya masking tape is your friend here and I masked off the areas to be sprayed carefully ensuring all was sealed neatly. Using Tamiya satin black I airbrushed in the the areas to be corrected. Carefully removing the masking tape revealed a neat job with a few areas needing rectification. I hand painted the screw reverser with Precision BR green which appears a good match for the Hornby green. The whistle and surrounding brass work was picked out with Citadel acrylics. Fox transfers London Midland 8 inch numerals made up the number sets with Tamiya masking tape ensuring a straight line. Once dry these were sealed with brush applied Johnson's Kleer along with the rest of the Hornby green painted areas to lift the flat paintwork. This also added some lustre and depth in the paintwork. A false floor was added to the tender bunker and real crushed coal was fixed with PVA. The missing lamp iron was made from the Branson bent up staple method (BBUSM). The excellent as ever Pacific Models number plate was cut out and glued on with PVA. The edges inked in with a black Sharpie permanent marker prior to this. In the next instalment I will have put the Fox Transfers 'Clan Cameron' nameplates on and fitted the detailing pack. Weathering will also be started/finished. From a prototype perspective the earlier releases of the Clan's had a fitting attached to the driver's cab side. I think this was for a tablet catcher. Could anyone confirm this? Also was it only the later build of Clan's to have this feature. Another quandary surrounds nameplate background colours varying from black, green, light blue and possibly red. Can anyone enlighten me? This has been a nice project so far and it has been good to remedy the missing black paintwork. The BR Clan Class is a favourite of mine and more widely travelled than would be expected. Well worth looking at if you are modelling the Scottish and London Midland Region's. Cheers, Mark * Kernow Model Rail Centre have 72004 Clan MacDonald for sale at £159.00 if people are interested.

Very nice work Alex and good to see 46465 in the flesh so to speak at Taunton this morning. The Comet version certainly has a finesse over the Bachmann RTR version. Glad Jonty Jarvis was in the vicinity to capture the 31A resident in person. Cheers, Mark

Brilliant news from the Rapido team. United Counties for me... As I remember them. In my teenage years at college in Northampton. Irthlingborough‐Wellingborough-Northampton College Booth Lane. Think a Bristol VR should be next on the Rapido scanning list... Great announcement! Cheers, Mark

Great work Alex. The Huntingdon East engine shed looks brilliant as does the turntable. They set the scene nicely. As always good to see some Ivatt 2MT action. What could possibly go wrong? Cheers, Mark

Thanks for the heads up Tony. Spider cobweb clearance trains were often employed in the Springtime by MGNR/MR permanent way teams I understand. A trusty Ivatt from Grantham was deemed suitable for the arachnid antics and headed out on a web clearance train as needed. In this instance and with pending line closure not too often as the case may be by all accounts. The Shed Foreman has cleared the Ivatt cleaning as needed for the weekend rota. Thanks once again. Mark

Good Evening Tony, Likewise, I've had a wonderful day in your's and Mo's company with Gilly on hand for Meet and Greet Duty. The photos look stunning and Thank you for taking them. You certainly can not beat a little Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 on a small rake of Gresley/Thompson stock. The real 46468 was originally a Cambridge 31A resident heading North to Oban shed eventually. Here's my take on proceedings. . And the Caley 812 and J27... Everlasting thought of the day running wise was seeing the Hornby 9F take off with a full length freight train.. Not forgetting the sight and sound of an A4 on a 14 coach train racing along. Pure magic... Thank you once again. Mark

Nice shot Alex and good to see the old Fergy again. If I remember correctly it was a lovely kit to build. I do have the Oxford version but the Springside kit has a nice presence about it. I'm quiet tempted to order one myself. Great modelling all round Alex on Yelverton by the way. Looking forwards to seeing it in the flesh so to speak. A West Riding contingent will be attending a (Pasty) Members Day in Taunton shortly and is looking forwards to catching up if you're in attendance. Cheers, Mark

Thanks Richard, I would agree entirely. I do think someone from Rails/Bachmann would have picked up on the thickness of the tender flares. Especially when compared to the 'C' Class tender as well as the Deeley tender on the 3F/4F. I think I could have shaved a bit more off the thickness but reached a point where I was happy with the effect. I would be a bit more apprehensive doing this work on the full blown Caley lined examples however. Cheers, Mark

Here you go.... Hope that's of some help?..

As promised my take on the Bachmann/Rails Caley 812 Class. I chose the late crest version as the prototypes worked from Oban on the Ballachulish branch before closure. 57566 was a Corkerhill/Ardrossan shedded loco and there are some nice colour snaps of the prototype online finished as per the Bachmann model. As for 57566 working to Balla' I'm not sure? However, I thought would keep the running number and address a few of the Bachmann/Rails discrepancies. This included the much discussed over thick tender flares. As it stands the model is fairly typical of a Bachmann 0-6-0 tender locomotive over the past few years in the mould of the SECR/SR C Class, LMS 4F and 3F. Sadly it is let down with over thick tender flares and these detract from a model which should be on par with the Hornby J36 in finesse. With a new Number 11 scalpel blade I gently started to scrape away the inside of the tender flares. Once I had reached the desired thickness I made good with a fibre glass burnishing pencil and fine grade wet and dry paper. The upper tender lamp iron was removed and replaced with one from the spares box. On the prototypes the hinged tender doors were often folded back on the tender so this look was replicated. I did contemplate replacing the cab up-right stanchions due to their thickness but decided I could live with them. Real crushed coal was added to the tender having applied a coat of PVA first. The paint finish was lifted with brush applied Johnson's Kleer. I sprayed in the smokebox and cab roof with Tamiya flat black. Baseline weathering was completed with the usual Tamiya/Vallejo acrylics sprayed or dry brushed. This certainly helps to lift the detail especially the pipework along the sides of the loco Coupling rods are inked in with a silver Sharpie pen then washed with a blend of Vallejo acrylics. When I load up the airbrush again with suitable colour road dirt I'll give the lower sides of the model a dusting and add also add smoke effects on the top of the boiler. The smokebox number plate is supplied from the excellent Pacific Models range. Crew are once more the ubiquitous Airfix/Dapol figures painted with Vallejo acrylics. Lamps are LNER pattern from the excellency Mr. Frank's at Lanarkshire Models. Hopefully the success of the 812 Class will encourage Bachmann to look at a Caley 439 Class 4-4-0 especially with a preserved example running. The clean work bench looking like a Clan gathering... More anon. Cheers, Mark

Hi 26power, Apologies. Life has caught up as usual but the snaps have been taken so a blog should not be too far away. Watch this space... Cheers, Mark

Nice to see them again Robin. Thanks for posting the photo. If you've got some German Grey paint or matt black could you paint in the buffer shanks please. I got a bit carried away with the silver paint... I've two of the Rapido versions on order from Hardy's Models. Very nice they look too. Cheers, Mark

Thanks Ralph... Must admit I do like the Oxford J27 and glad I've inspired you. Agree re: Black on a loco and looking at the prototype cetainly helps to lift it to a other level using various shades of blacks and dark greys lifted with metallic gun metal dry brushing. Cheers, Mark

Thankyou Ighten.. Totally agree. A few tweaks lifts this model to another level. Cheers, Mark

Thanks Peter, I would totally agree with your sentiments. The Oxford Rail J27 is something of a bargain. If you are prepared to put some work into detailing it, it certainly lifts it to another level. I would agree. The J26 would offer something different and be well received. Thanks, Mark

Thankyou to you both for your replies. Very helpful and I will be certainly purchasing a Set 4 mould from Mr. Bradwell to enhance another Oxford J27. Cheers, Mark

The Oxford Rail J27 is an excellent model and something of a bargain to boot. I picked up an Early Crest example when they first appeared. It ran smoothly and had no problems when running in. Looking through The Last Years of North Eastern Steam by Tuffrey I found a suitable prototype to model in the form of 65802 of Percy Main shed photographed at Blaydon in fairly clean condition. I wonder whether Oxford Rail will offer versions with modified boiler domes for longer lasting prototypes? Out of interest has anyone changed the dome for a later example and where did they source them from? With my J27 I removed the cabside numbers with T-Cut and cotton buds. I then painted in the ledges of the cab windows with Vallejo black paint. The very bright cab interior also received a few washes as well. Fox Transfers were used to renumber the model to 65802 with Percy Main shed plate (52E) from the same source. The factory paint work of the model was lifted with brush applied Johnson's Kleer. I applied two coats of this. The undernourished smokebox door dart was replaced with one from Eileen's Emporium. I masked off the smokebox and sprayed it with Tamiya Flat Black. I used the same paint for the cab roof and tender coal bunker and water filler area as well. I build up the form of the coal bunker with Plasticard sealing a load of Liquid Lead weight in the bunker area to add weight to the extremely light tender. Real crushed coal was glued into the bunker area using PVA. The coupling rods were inked in with a silver Sharpie pen then a couple of washes of Vallejo German Grey and Dark Rust gave the desired effect. Dry brushing with Vallejo and Games Workshop acrylics picked out raised detail. The excellent Pacific Models supplied the smokebox door number plate. Crew are the usual suspects from Airfix/Dapol and LNER lamps are from Lanarkshire Models. I need to fire up the airbrush to tweak the weathering then finished. Congratulations to Oxford Rail for producing a great model. Cheers, Mark

Bit of a sneak peek of my Caley 812. I need to finish the weathering off. Here's a snap of the tender with modified flairs. I'll write a blog entry shortly discussing my modifications. Cheers, Mark

I've been working on my Oxford J27. What a delightful model it is. I'll write a blog entry later but here's a teaser snap.. Finished as 65802 of Percy Main depot. Cheers, Mark Blog Entry Link:

Brilliant Jenny. Lovely video and good to see The Fell running and hearing those Paxman's. Cheers, Mark

Thanks Jenny for posting this picture and your review. Much appreciated and a positive perspective to the thread at last. Look forwards to the future videos. Cheers, Mark

Did anyone take any photographs of the Fell at Model Rail Scotland? It would be great to see them. I'm looking forwards to this model from KR Models. Cheers, Mark