enginelane

Day 43 and what a difference a day does make. Yesterday bitterly cold and today could go out with just a spring fleece instead of artic gear! Few jobs outside so modelling session brief today. Opened up the Part build of the 40 ft box car and added weights - the big steel nut weights, bogies and roof. Knocked down the shiney plastic with a thin coat of roof and carriage dirt ready to take on more weathering tomorrow.

Thanks, really informative how you have taken the prototype and applied it to your model layout shed. Really grateful for all the information this query has produced.

Dug out some letraset and box car decals that had some spare numbers on the sheet. Decided to create an imaginary coal company for the 34 ft open hopper cars. Settles on ICG standing for the Indiana Coal Group. This imaginary Company was formed in the 1950s to group together smaller mine concerns in an attempt to produce coal that could compete with other sources. It reused existing stock relivered and bought in old cars from other railroads to keep down costs.

A visit to the decals folder and a mixture of rub down letraset and waterside from a box car produces ICG which stands for an independent company that exists only in the imagination. The Indiana Coal Group was formed when a number of smaller coal companies combined in the early 1950s. The group uses secondhand stock and accounts for the ERIE Railway Open hopper that makes up the 4 th car in this cut.

A lot more people than I imagined being involved. No wonder BR found it difficult to retain staff for some of the jobs shown

Thanks. So there was not the same regime as in Diesel locos of A exam B exam etc? Lots of modellers end up with more locos than needed to run the supposed trains was wondering if a shed needed a third or twice as many spare locos to cover for ones repairing. I know it’s often quoted that a diesel Loco could do the work of three steam engines.

Hi, if on a shed Lay-out how often would an steam engine be stopped for routine maintenance or periodic maintenance. Was wondering how many extra locos would have be on shed to cover this aspect of steam haulage.

Found a box in a cupboard that I thought held bags of paper maiche but in fact held a number of unbuilt and Part built kits of 34 ft and 40 ft open hoppers. They are from an estate and I was fortunate enough to have been gifted the items. Spent the afternoon fettling the 34 ft open hoppers. When combined with the 40 ft cars going to make a good addition to through trains on CHIRM.

Day 41. looks like no reaction to the covid jab but not wise to wake up and find yourself sleeping on the jabbed arm. found a Box in a cupboard that had been gifted to me as the remnants of an estate. I thought it contained bags of paper maiche but it contained a number of kits and partially built items. Four 34 ft open hoppers, 2 40 ft open hoppers and an unbuilt 40 ft box car. Spent the modelling session fettling the 34 ft hoppers. Need to source some decals but make up a short coal cut to add to CHIRM through trains.

A little project . Layout will have spot limestone trains being loaded from a concrete pad so requires a work worn but maintained front loader. Picked up a secondhand atlas loader and added dust powders as first layer

Day 40. not the best of days. Had covid jab this afternoon but that failed to lift another wise flat day. Bardun the Next modern image layout that is being built at the club will have as part of its operation trains being loaded with spot limestone loads requiring loading off a concrete pad. Picked up this atlas model dumper secondhand somewhere on what if I remember rightly were called exhibitions. Idea to create a careworn but maintained vehicle that has had a hard day dusty day working loading limestone. Base layer of dust added before moving on with some chipping.

Added rust to some hopper and half built tanker

Day 39. day visit by grandson Issac so less modelling time. Added rust to stone hopper and partially built tank wagon for use on CHIRM.

Short engineering train for Kiln Lane just needing couplings adding

Added base layer of stone dust to hopper wagon and fixed in place with pigment fixer.

Day 38. a bitter day outside so probably not the best idea to go for a walk. Modelling time curtailed again today but first layers of stone dust added and fixed in place with pigment fixer. Lettered up the 5 plank wagon and added weathering. dumper truck weathered.

Day 37 not a lot of modelling time today as looking after grandson Issac. Weathered the cement mixer, roped down the oil drum and added sand. Missing brake b gear added. When everything had dried needs to be painted, numbered and weathered.

Day 36 spent the day reading and researching into one or two things so not a lot of practical modelling. Decided to add a cement mixer travelling back from a work site in a permanent way acquired 5 plank wagon. Will have a partially used pile of sand.

Midland Record Number 2 has a whole article on Train Control. Long time since reading it but it’s a very cold day here so might give it a repeat reading later

Day 35 of lockdown and today‘s project weathering a couple of Grampus for use on Kiln Lane. Somewhere I am sure I have seen an image of a dumper truck carrying waste through these type of wagons so aim is to weather up and add as a load. finished off the display, photo track strip.

Day 33. rain pouring down so no garage time. Took opportunity to renumber Kiln Lane locos as all from Royston Shed as recorded in Carlton North sidings train register for 1962.

Another warm enough day for outside so not a lot of modelling though have roughed in the scenic break at the chemical plant end. Shallow cutting with bush and small trees. Rest of hard standing for engine spur roughed in as his small metal working garage between tracks. Does sub contracting jobs for the Iron Works.

Day 32 and warm enough for outside so not as much modelling time spent. Garage time spent roughing in the scenic break on CHIRM at the chemical plant end. Aim is to create a shallow cutting through which the lines running. Small trees and bushes as vegetation. Roughed in the rest of the engine spur hard standing. Will have a fuel tanker there to refuel the Engines. Somewhere I have been a Monon engine been refuelled by Whites fuel tanker. In between tracks will be a small machine shop using the old garage from Vimes Street. Sub contracts little jobs for the Iron Works.

Warm enough to get into the garage today for a while and with forecast indicating another cold spell did some maintenance jobs as well as planting the maize field on the right handside of the lift out section. Overhead crane in position at the Stone Mill.

Day 31 Warm enough for some garage time. Planted the remainder of the maize plants on the right hand side of the lift out section. Enough to suggest a field or at least a share cropper. Overhead crane in position in stone yard. Transfers for the 8Fs came to day in the post so will start applying them later.