Jump to content
 

Sylvian Tennant

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    822

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Sylvian Tennant

  1. Sylvian Tennant

    J27 #4 - Done

    By Sylvian Tennant,

    The J27 is finally done. This was my first time using Lifecolor paints (the odd Vajello and Humbrol paint was used) and I think the effort mostly paid off.
     
     
     
    As I don't possess an airbrush nor have a real interest in airbrushing at the moment this has been done entirely by hand. I have to say I am quite impressed by this. I had a couple of issues but that was mainly down to my lack of experience with this range. Any issues were quickly rectified and actually improved on the effects. The cab is removable for ease of maintenance and removal of the chassis. The paints dried with no real streaking which was awesome. There are still a lot of imperfections but that's down to my building skills rather than the paint. I also may have been a little heavy handed and lost the emblem but it's a freight loco and I think it's due for an overhaul.
     

     

     

     
    I
  2. Sylvian Tennant
    So, I've managed to get the paint work done on the tram. As I've decided to devise my own railway for it, I took some personal liberties such as the purple motif on the side skirts.
     

     

     
    The lining is far from the best, but I used what I had to hand, a white gel pen which I've used on larger projects such as the 16mm scale wagons. But, it'll do and show what can be done with materials I had to hand.
     
    I wanted to pt the name of the railway but I couldn't find my gold gel pen so instead I just give it a number with some transfers I had to hand from a previous commission. It's the number of the first house I lived in.
     
    I'll need to varnish it with some Klear, and add the last bits of detail. Now I'm wondering whether to weather it, just a touch to show a working engine rather than your typically well groomed 7mm model.
  4. Sylvian Tennant

    J27 #3

    By Sylvian Tennant,

    So far so good, i've managed to pretty much overhaul the locomotive and tender to give a decent representation of a J27.
     

     

     

     
    Unfortunately when I was looking over some images of the engine i was going to represent it turns out the dome was the wrong type. Being that anal I hunted around for another J27 with NER Pattern buffers and dome in the Teesside region...eventually finding 65870 which spend most of it's life in or around Area 51 and have the correct pattern details I needed.
     

     

     
    Following on from this, I just need to add some more obscured loop couplings, make up some three linkers and glazing otherwise she's ready for a repaint. Saying that, I am considering making a slightly bigger balance weight for the centre wheels to help hide the other splashers as the J27 had them only on the centre ones.... maybe I should have done a J26 !
  5. Sylvian Tennant
    I love trains and model railways and can genuinely now say I cover all of the main gauges in British railway modelling. How did I achieve this - by being given an O Gauge Y6/J70 tram locomotive. I am genuinely not sure if it's a kit or scratch build or scratch aid kit or what. it was built, and it seems to have been built okay if a little dated. There was some work towards making a chassis for it but I was given a Lima motor bogie which works and will fit on to the body with some work.
     
    Anyway. I have decided to take advantage of restoring this little old lady up to work order. As the tram seems to have a combination of both the Y6 & J70 locos I decided to give it a completely made up designation and give it a fictional railway to run on. I'll reveal all, once it's complete. Anyway, I want to give it a slightly lived in (whether to weather or not) feel some I cut out some of the windows and front doors.
     

     

     
    Of the window frames many broke up due to the soft and thin plastic the body was made up of some I had to make some new ones from 20 thou plastic sheet.
     

     
    The the body was rubbed down to later be replaced, the skirts were extended. The roof edges had some chips which we filled in and some slight modelling imperfections were addressed.
     
    Hopefully the outcome will be a pleasing affair. I'm currently looking into building a Wisbech style coach and wondering what wagons it could haul. Nothing too big as 0 isn't my main gauge but something to run when visiting my friends garden railway.
  6. Sylvian Tennant

    J27 #2

    By Sylvian Tennant,

    I'm back on the modelling horse again - ironically, I've moved to Tyneside and this has spurned me to to think about some of the projects I have in mind around this neck of the wood. Where I've moved to is not too far from Tyne Dock which has bumped me 9F project further up the list to convert it to 92064. Also going to ram through with the J27 to get something done before 2017 conks out on us.
     
    So far I've gotten close to the structural completion of the model with a cab scratch built. I'm just building a basic cab with elements purely representational without it being finescale. In addition to that, the way the chassis comes away from the body mean that the cab will have to be removable.
     

     

     
    A lot of the dodgy modelling will disappear once painting and weathering occurs and the crew are added and it's placed in the loco.
     
    The tender bulkhead also needed to to be updated to look the part... theres still some work to get it finished but the main components are effectively there. Again, i'm just adding bit to make the locomotive look a little more complete without falling into finescale representation.
     

     
    More to come soon.
  7. Sylvian Tennant
    Last year I was given the opportunity to start my own garden railway... all the bits had been bought when i was more affluent so most of the track and stock had been bought before. Without going into too much detail here are a series of photos I the development it took over the nine months or so of building it.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. We moved house and had to take the line up. But all is not lost! Despite having a leaky back yard...efforts are afoot to recreate the line, slightly bigger with not so many too tight s curves!
     

     
    Watch this space...
  8. Sylvian Tennant
    A commission I did about a year ago for a lady's son. He wanted the LT 150 Prairie tank but with "Metropolitan 1" on the tanks instead. It was a bit of a ###### to finish off (possibly due to bad planning on my part) but the results speak for themselves .
     
    This is the overall process in pictures.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    It was a bit of a ###### to finish off (possibly due to bad planning on my part) but the results speak for themselves .
  9. Sylvian Tennant
    There were a few things I forgot to post a while back that I had done for other people so I'm hoping to catch up on this.
     
    Recently I was given a Class 08 (well I say recently I must have had it for the best part of a year). It was in a slight state of disrepair and had been bought second hand. I was told to replace the ladders and front steps as they had either been broken or broken off. there wa also a missing sandbox which needed replacing.
     

     

     

     
    All that finally required was to weather and I was specifically told to not over weather... make it look new but used.
     
    The customer is a regular of mine and is pretty much always pleased with any i do. Though I feel a little awkward about receiving too much praise.
  10. Sylvian Tennant
    For some reason I started on this last night ...
     
    I think it was a Scratchbuilt J27 which another dickie X04 motor and dated chassis. Like the G5 it may have seen many owners and i think compared to any later offers may be slightly out of scale but overall it looks like a J27 and that's all that really matters to me as I think I can finish up with something that looks good.
     

     
    The chassis is now a Bachmann Jinty which we undergo some visual mods to look like a J27 under frame.
     
    I'v had to cut a fair bit from under the boiler to shoehorn the chassis and take to it and yes, unfortunately the daylight will be limited and I think there may be some shorting issues with the can motor and the metal body but I think they're easy to solve.
     
    The body itself needs a lot of work both from when i received it to further work that needs correcting after I started hacking. Plus a snowy finish from white spray paint I accidentally let off in it's presence. Hopefully with all going well I shall have a BR locomotive with a detailed (and removable cab) that can be put to service on local freight trains.
  11. Sylvian Tennant
    Just a quickie to say I've started cracking on with a couple of new projects. This year will mainly be tank engines as I have none updated so far and since finished the Gresley coaches I may need venture into other projects for the variety. Currently in the works are a G5, which I think is Nucast originally. Built by a member of my old club and handed to me as some sort of sixth hand gift.
     

     
    TBH the original motor was a Triang X04 motor which I think has seen it's best days. So I'm going to open out the chassis and try and a fit a high level gear box with Mashima motor. I also need some new wheels as the original ones were for a live chassis operation - I have been told this this is a simpler operation than the wiper pick-ups but i'm not buying that!
     

    Next up is a Gresley V1/3 (I don't know which!) which is the old Bachmann model - this is just a simple update to compliment the Gresley coaches I've built.
     

     
    Later on there will be a Ivatt 2MT Tank and a Thompson K1 (not a tank engine and somehow I've rejected the idea of the Hornby one and decided to build me own!)
  12. Sylvian Tennant

    Silk Purse?

    By Sylvian Tennant,

    Finally they're here!
     
    Based on an image I've found of a D49 on a local train. Save this time - I have Saltburn's Ivatt 4MT to hand.
     

     
    The weathering was basically rail match roof dirt and frame dirt - with a ratio on favour of the roof dirt. I wanted to try something different from my umbral and I think it's paid off.
     

     

     
    Apart from the end corridor connectors which were MJT - the central ones are scratch built using the MJT ones. built with 20 thous plasticard, black paper, some thread with the weather sheet made of out small square sections of black bin liner.
     
    The only downside is that they are close coupled and do struggle to make it round even 4th radius curves. I may have to return to this issue later.
     
    the inspiration taken from this blog.
     

     
    Finally - and although you can't see them really, i've added passengers as a finishing touch taken from the praiser Seat Fingures set. Most of which were painted to reflect the 1950's save these three which are me, my partner and my dear friend on our way to Whitby Goth Weekend in style
     
    I'm quite pleased with what started out as some Hornby Railroad stock. Any questions - please feel free to ask.
     
     
     

    ed: the 4th radius curve issue has now been sorted
     
    Here some more picture's i've just taken to highlight some of the modifications I've made.
     

     

     

     

  13. Sylvian Tennant
    I've been away for a while, mainly due to personal tribulations, moving house, finishing uni for the year and trying to find a job to maintain our overheads. However this has not entirely stopped me from modelling when we finally managed to settle down. I now have a room all to myself to model and a garden (of which you may soon see some railway related activity once finances and time improve).
     
    I last left you with my updating of some Hornby Railway Gresley stock. I finally managed get to a position where they are beginning to come together.
     

     

     
    The technique I have follow mainly can be found here and in my eyes looks near perfect for what I want as a teak finish. The transfers are HMRS and are meant to represent them in the early to mid fifties when the original liveries were mingling with the newer blood and custard.
     
    These coaches were inspired by an image I have of a D49 on a local train not to far from where I live. It was taken in 1954 and shows two coaches in teak and two in crimson and cream which seems perfect for a local train being pulled by a 4MT or V1/3.
     
    They are defiantly not perfect, the lining on the Crimson stock is not the best and maybe a little too high to be deemed "proper" and the guards handrails on the brake coaches leave a lot to be desired however, I'll live with that.
     

     

     
    The under frames with painting with a mix of under frame grime and roof dirt from Railmatch - a 2:1 mix in favour of the roof dirt. and the roofs were giving a similar undercoat of the mix but with a bigger ratio of roof dirt (5:1 this time)
     
    The under frame sides for the teak stock where given a Humbrol 62 & 70 equal mix.
     
    The interior were painted Railmatch teak (ironically) and washed down with Humbrol 98 which was wiped away. The seat where Vajello red and blue (I can't remember which but any of the more vibrant ones should be okay) the pictures and mirrors was just a silver and white gel pen which won't look to out of place once installed properly.
     

    Next up - to weather them and hope some of the little niggles blend in and finish the roofs. hopefully by the next post they've finished with glazing, corridors and passengers.
  14. Sylvian Tennant

    Teak update

    By Sylvian Tennant,

    Just a quick update on my Hornby Teak conversion project.
     
    The bodies are now complete. I've drilled the holes to accept MJT handrails and grab handles, added roof vents from Lanarkshire models, and roof handrails. Toilet pipes and emergency brake pipes. I've also removed the gangways to later be replaced by some scratch built and MJT concertinas and glued the ends to the bodies removing filling and sanding down the joints between them.
     

     
    Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.
  15. Sylvian Tennant
    So after ramming some engines through the updateometer I realised that I haven't done any rolling stock for at least a year! Which is terrible of me. Worse still, apart from the support coaches for my breakdown crane, I have no passenger stock at all.
     
    Well that must change so first things first, I have set about doing a local passenger set to go with my Ivatt's and a V3 I have waiting to be converted.
     
    Now it might have been a simple affair of buying some new and improved Hornby Teaks and in an ideal world I might have. But I'm a poor student and i have a rake of some Railroad Teaks lying about so I thought, sod it, I'll use them instead.
     

     

     

     
    I'm not bothered by the inaccurate length of the coaches - they look enough like Teaks to me. The underframe however is something I would struggle to live with. So I set about with some MJT bits and some parts that had come through to my local shop from another which had closed. On hind sight the white metal battery boxes could have been scratch built to fit in with the support girders. the MJT parts - being accurate - were too long to fit between the frames.
     
    Originally I was going to make the girder frame from plastic card but they proved to be too arduous a task, plus when the original moulding were not too badly damaged and could be reused in part. the only replacement was the centre bit so I swapped for some evergreen 'L' section. the read was pretty much straight forward bar some slight inconstancies but visually nothing to cause too much alarm.
     
    I'm wondering how to couple the middle set of coaches up but I have an idea in mind.... watch this space.
  16. Sylvian Tennant
    Hello again
     
    I'm doing on a bus, which is a first. Just another completed Mucky Duck. Complete a with a clean (ish) smoke box and another fireman having a sneaky tab.
     

     

     

     
     
    I might have to introduce a workplace ban on this from now on as I run the risk of it becoming Samey, the same with the clean smoke boxes
     
    Anyway here's 43054 (a Saltburn engine) either her Teesside based sisters.
     

  18. Sylvian Tennant
    Hello hello hello
     
    I'm sort of back, kind of. I've been quite busy of late with a study that is going mental with stuff, a uni course who over aches my head and a girlfriend who is now a fiancée. Mental.
     
    But I still have time to model which is good.
     
    So here they are, first up is my beloved Q6 which I finished on Friday. Unfortunately the light in the pictures is a bit pants but I wanted to add something a bit different from the usual mucky engines. So, I painted the bottom half of the smoke as a "patch up job" even else is pretty much filth and I've even added the fireman having a tab as he looks out between shovel fulls
     

     

     

     
    ?Next up (and finished the same time) is my slightly battered WD which I now think looks a much more professional looking model that in it's previous guise. Again, I'm slightly bored of completely filthy WD look now so (along with my other WD with it's clean buffer) I want to add a clean or repaired bit ever WD I work on. This time, it was the smoke box which has seemingly went under repair and repaint in comparison to the rest of it. Obviously it was be unrealistic to just lap paint and be done with it so I, washed humbrol 62 & 33 over the smokebox. I then dusted the top of it and steam pipe with Humbrol 27004, 62 and 64 and using a white colouring pencil added stream down the door. Finally some umbral 64 was dribbled at the bottom of the smokebox front.
     

     

     

     
    ?Both engine have couplings with work with your typical mention locks and (hopefully) D&G couplings which our club use for shunting.
     
    Till next time my dear fellows.
     
     
    I hope you like, I like.
  19. Sylvian Tennant
    Hello, hi, good evening, who are you!
     
    Ah well never mind, you're here now and I suppose I should talk to you.
     
    Well, enough of these commissions and imaginative what if's, something relatively real now, for me.
     
    remember that Dave Alexander Q6 that I was relegating to the side due to my overly pessimistic opinion of doing something completely heinous to cause it to go wrong (of which I'm eternally shackled to) Well somehow it has managed to please the God's enough to work!
     

     

     
    So far I only have the chassis built but that is more or less complete saved some slight tweaks with the weathering which can happen once it's fully assembled. I'm quite pleased with it!
     
    I'm going to put it to one side as another commission has come my way and also I have this to work on.
     

     
    For £75 it's not bad but there's a fair bit of work and possibly a repaint on the way. I'll explain more later unless you would like to read my new blog update (warning contains strong language and opinions)
     
    http://sylviantennant.blogspot.co.uk
  20. Sylvian Tennant
    I was given these little Hornby fellows by a friend to paint up, I think one set is for his "Black Prince" or "Cock of the North" 9F (I can't remember which!) and the chaps in green at the front (which isn't that prevalent because my of cr*ppy camera phone)for his GWR project, which I can only describe as a bit of a beast.
     

     

     
    I also gave a quick slap up of the accessories he gave me too.
     
    Next up, my other rates rather knackered Bachmann 08, but firstly, I want to get my Q6 chassis motorised and working before I crack on with that.
  21. Sylvian Tennant
    So, it's done. I have managed to finally create a monster.
     
    I messed with time an history and it brought me to this place.
     
    The dark and brutal world of British mainline steam in the 1980's.
     
    Many have scoffed that it was far fetched, and yes it because frankly steam didn't survive on the mainline after 1968 as a revenue earning arm of BR.
     
    But it's nice to dream.
     
    but anyway. After a major electical issue involving rewriting the driving wheels to the tender to get it working again it is complete.
     

     
     
    I promised a brief story on my world at 988 193 so here it is.
     
     
    It belonged to a batch of loco's built during the war, and spent most of it life in the midland region, that part of it's life I'm not to clear on. but the 1955 white paper smoke emissions called for steam to be eradicated by the end of the century and called for steam locomotives to provide a more efficient turn of economy and emissions. BR contacted L.D. Porter who had been working on modifying Agrentine steam locomotives and he proposed a series of improvements on a select number of locomotives to extend their lives.
     
    R.A. Riddles was successful in pushing for electrification and the pilot scheme diesel locomotives (which were fewer in number than reality) were pooled into the WCML & Southern with steam locomotives from those regions transferring or scrapped outright.
     
    The Western was the next to go with their favoured hydraulics with left the areas of the midland region, Wales, Yorkshire and the north east and Scotland until the 1980's when the Midland regions went fully with electrification and diesels. Wales eventually succumbed and the eastern side of England and Scotland were left until the end of the 80's.
     
    Steam still lingered on until mid 2000 with the final shunting, depot pilots and industrial locomotives were withdrawn.
     
    anyway the 8F in question was converted in 1976 from a 988/0 (an unmodified 8F) to incorporate a Lempor chimney, dual braking, radio equipment, electric lighting& mechanical stoker. A the end of midland steam she transferred from Toton to Thornaby along with a healthy number roof other locomotives from former midland Region sights. Here she worked mainly on Oil trains up to Newcastle and York, occasionally running coal trains up to Drax and also doing turns on steels runs to Redcar.
     
    She ended by as one of the last few surveyors lasting up until 2000 and eventually adopting a Loadhaul and finally an EWS livery before withdrawal and eventual scrapping in 2012.
     
    Anyone, daydream over.
     
    She wasn't done over night but would have been a lot sooner had the electrical issue hadn't occurred. Paining was done completely by hand, that also includes the weathering too.
     

     

     
    Transfers were from Replica Railways, Nairnshire Modelling Supplies and HMRS.
     
    The crew were modified Dapol track workers. The livery itself was Hornby rail colours BR Blue & Yellow, as mentioned, hand giant. the weathering was also done by hand.
     

     

     
    I have enjoyed it and I'm looking to build some more BR blue locos eventually as well as stock and maybe a small layout.
     
    But for now, I am going to stick to something closer to reality.
     
    If you have any questions, please just ask.
  22. Sylvian Tennant
    A taste of things to come guys.
     
    I managed to hand paint the bodes ready for the transfers and gave chassis and uncleaned bits.
     

     

     

     

     
    I haven't yet added the separate parts and wondering if I should it before or after weathering.
     
    I'll give you a speculative history on this individual loco at my next post which should show the finished article.
  23. Sylvian Tennant
    Well here's the part finished 8F I was working on. It does work too which pleases me a lot.
     
    I need to try and remember what I've put on now.
     

     

     

     
    All I really know is that due to the type of model it is that a lot more work went into it than I had originally envisaged.
     
    Saying that, I have really enjoyed this build and I've been itching to get the painting work started however that can wait as my Q6 kit is becoming impatient too.
     
    I have modified the tender bulkhead and added a very basic mechanical stoker to the cab but is this will be manned i have left the other bits of detailing out just for the sake of economy.
     
    In addition to the general updates. the modern fittings that you may see on the finished product are;
     
    AWS Battery and fittings
    Air braking equipment (westy-house pump, air tanks, brake pipes and plumbing)
    Stone generator with headlights
    Snowploughs
    Lempour chimney
    Roller bearing on axel boxes
    Radio antenna
    gas producing Combustion System
    Speedo
    Forward and reversing lights (non-working)
     

     

     
    I've removed one of the lamp irons as by the time the loco were modified the reporting numbers had come into use (though by the dated I'm setting my engine in the reporting numbers would have log since vanished too)
     
    The livery will still stand at overall Blue with yellow buffer beams and small double arrows and the number will be 988/193. i might add a strip of plastic over the smokebox number plate so it will fit.
     
    You might have noticed the dummy coupling on the loco is missing... well, I'm just waiting to add the modified one on to it after painting.
     

     
    Please, let me know what you think. Even rivet counters.
     
    Actually, i really want to hear the rivet counter shout out " If you finish this, I will stop modelling all together and stand make din front of the queen" stuff because i think it's funny and plus, I'll hold them up to it - at gunpoint if necessary.
     
    Oh look what came today!
     

  25. Sylvian Tennant
    Hello, welcome, good to see you all again. Yes, it has been too long, if not for you, then certainly for me. Well, I have been quite busy as of late, but not really doing slot of train lately.
     
    Firstly, a house move, into cottage, with my girlfriend! and her dog, and possibly new kitten. Secondly, UNIVERSITY! too much to do with so little irresponsibly spent money. But my new modelling room...ahem... I mean study is complete so I have been getting around to a bit of modelling.
     

     
    Arggh thar-she-blows. A railroad 9F converter to a Crosti toilet- I mean boiler with a Dave Alexander kit and Golden Arrow tender. Yes, I know I could have do more, no it's not my model. In fact it was a communions for a friend. He did all of the leg work for the conversion, I only did the weathering and finishing touches.
     

     

     

     

     
    Overall, everything is the same as before, the only major improvement on the weather was the use of artistic pencils for the patches of rust and to highlight the limescale along the boiler sides.
     

     

     

     
    I'm quite happy with her.
     
    and here she is with my 9F
     

     
    now the Q6.... actually, I've stalled with it, momentarily as I require some retaining compound foe the gears and stuff....
     
    but over the Easter you may very well see one of these....
     

     

     
    (I love annoying rivet counters) if you frequent the fictions locomotives threads then you might have seen earlier versions. The plan is to extend the time steam had by about 20 years and in doing so BR carried out a series of modifications under the direction of L.D. Porta and David Wardale. The Geisel ejector I originally had in mind has since been replaced by a Lempor one, the covered cab would have cost too much work to be of much substantial economy and the Gas Producing Combustion System has since been added.
     
    It was either BR Blue steam or LNER electrification with Apple green GG1's flying to York and back
     
    I leave you to ponder over that.
×
×
  • Create New...