Darwinian

I had to touch in the cream and brown in places on the panels where I had caught them with the blade tip as I scraped the molding edges. However once dry I gave the side a blast with Windsor and Newton Gloss Varnish, through my air brush, (washed out afterwards with turpentine and then Humbrol enamel thinner). Very happy with the way it looks so far. I have a suspicion that the lower panels should not be lined for the 1924 livery but hey ho. Transfers and final varnish/weathering to go. (Yes I know one of the curly end handrails has fallen off. Luckily on the bench. And the brake pull rod on the right has been a bit squashed. Masking behind the windows is still in position.

The patience testing work on the C19 begins. I put the black on the beading with my 0.5mm marker pen and then had to finish the top eaves section with acrylic. The pen ink also didn't get into the etched grooves for the door edges and hinges so these also had to be carefully touched in using a 00 brush. The marker pen ink is more reflective so does not show as clearly as the matt black acrylic paint. I have begun very carefully scraping the paint off the edges of the mouldings using a scalpel. This requires great care as it is easy to scratch the panels. However it does produce a very fine gold (well brass) line in exactly the right place. I found that the blade had to be angled so that it was "cutting / chiseling" the paint otherwise it could cause flaking. So far I have only done the waist panels on one side. It is difficult to photograph the result but I think it shows up on the left of this cruel close up. It is slightly more obvious to the eye when the black is not reflecting so much.

Bit of quick layout detail over the last couple of days. Telegraph poles. Just the standard ratio ones. I know they are a bit crude but they look OK to me now they have been reduced and painted. They are vertical it's just the camera making them appear to lean. The bare area with the clutter on is where the colliers cottages will go, hence the privy. The signal is a placeholder for a somersault starter.

This is of course why the Pendon technique of indenting the surface of card and then hand painting the bricks was developed. Mind you I've done as very small lean-to this way and take my hat off to those with the precision and patience to do larger areas.

Just a follow up on the W4 Peckett. Further running of my OO-FS gauge widened W4 has shown up an occasional jamming of the front crankpin against the cross head on one side. I have fitted a couple of 10ba washers, cut to clip over the axle outside the bearings. I took the chassis out and baseplate off then swung the front axle over to the back so that I could slide the bearings to one side and press against the chassis block to fit the washers. No lateral movement or jamming now but it’s mighty close.

Ooh I see there is a gold pen. Perhaps the 1mm gold Posca could be used on the raised moulding then my 0.4mm black marker pen to put in the black line. I will have to measure the width of the beading.

One of the most impressive folding layouts I have seen was Ian Hopkins' "St. George's Hill" in 7mm that folded away into a mock grandfather clock. Featured in MRJ 100 1998. I cannot remember which exhibition I saw it at.

Back to the C19 and the main colours are done. Well except that the brown has crept under the masking onto the cream on the other side, including a bit of overspray that somehow found a way in. I'll have to give the cream another coat. Then it's a question of which final livery before varnish - transfers - varnish. I am thinking of trying using a marker pen for the black of the full 1924 livery. Then scratch through to the brass for the "gold" edging line.

You could save length by only building the section between the bridges. The loco shed was never very easy to see from the station area and coaling stage would still be “on stage”

Araldite rapid. Other brands are available. So far as I am aware I’ve never had a problem with the lead curling up. The glue does lose its grip eventually, possibly due to a reaction with the lead. If it’s not going to be accessible (eg. inside a van) I build a plasticard strap/box to hold it in place.

I have put details including a scratch built “wooden” chair in my Cwmhir goods shed office because it is lit. Even so you have to look very closely and with all layout/room lights off to see it. If it wasn’t lit I’d just do details close to the windows and basic shapes on the walls further in.

D1666 now largely completed as I've run out of buffer heads. Brake gear now done and a couple of slabs of lead from scrap roofing flashing added.

Looking good. Personally I have found the best cure for procrastination is to make a glaring start. Something that looks at you and says “ you can’t ignore me until I’m done”.

In between waiting for paint to dry and for my layout detailing mojo to return I've decided to add to my rather too sparse selection of open wagons. This is my second attempt at the Cambrian Kits LMS D1666 5 plank open and I'm trying something different and also trying to get the brakes right as described: So I'm using Bill Bedford RCH sprung wagon W irons and also 9'0" RCH brake gear. Being a GWR modeller I didn't have a stock of suitable cast axleboxes so I cut off the ones from the kit mouldings, trimmed them as much as I dared and then sanded off the backs until the side flanges of the axleboxes were paper thin. Here are the various stages in progress. I have since decided to discard the moulded v-hangers and use the ones from the etch. As you can see the backs of the solebars needed reducing to clear the etched W-irons.

I am just in the process of building a D1666 using those components. The brake shoe/ push rod assembly is quite easy to fold up. Just solder/glue the tumbler and shoe middle layers to one side first. The arrangement of the gear is intended for Morton type double sided brakes. The only issue is that the half etch detailing on the outer face of the shoes / tumbler is handed so if building independent either side brakes this detail will be on the inside face of the brakes on one side. Personally as my layout is BLT with Dingham couplers and no stock turning I'm just going to set the wagon up so that the detailed set are on the normal viewing side.

True, is Masokits the only source of suitable tapered posts? I can’t find any online suppliers.

Thanks for your generous advice, it is much appreciated. I realised a while ago that there should be a spur (?) to a stop block for the colliery arrival line but I’d have to rebuild that end of the layout to do it. I have also found a picture in John Hutton’s Rhymney book 1 of one of these signals at Aber junction which although rather silhouetted looks very like the Aussie version.

Great help all. Can I clarify a few things? Is this the what is meant by rotating disk on the post type? https://bbr.org.au/our-collection/ image of their preserved signal under the "signaling & safe working" "-lower quadrant" section. Then we have: 1. Main line into station. Twin somersault with one reading to the goods arrivals (with a hoop on the arm like GWR goods lines?) I assume the platform line would be on the main post and the secondary on a shorter bracketed doll. 2. Colliery into arrivals. Either disc on post only or single somersault. 3. Platform end exit signal / yard entrance. I am assuming there would be a FPL here so would this be a full somersault starter for the platform and a raised disc again for the yard (or a ground disc)? 4. Colliery Arrival/departure somersault for main line and post mounted rotating disc for colliery. 5. Exchange sidings exit? A ground disc or just hand signals from the signalman in the nearby cabin? Also when working the yard with the pickup goods would the arriving train be more likely to be routed into the Colliery arrivals/departures loop or the platform line? With the headshunt length limited I assume the wagons out would be taken out first and put onto the brakevan in the unoccupied road then goods-in moved into the yard. I appreciate I should have worked all this out before I got this far! I have checked my stash and have enough bits from Wizard models to make a start on these but have whitemetal posts so hiding fibre-optic filaments or wires for lighting would be tricky.

A coat of primer done and all seems well, although the inner side is not quite tight up in a few places. However I have decided to widen the roof slightly as it barely reached the tops of the sides and was almost flush with them. A 1mm strip was cut from 20thou and fixed along the edge with solvent. Left to harden overnight and then sanded before the primer coat was applied. There was still a slight groove where the added piece joined so I have attempted to fill that with Squadron white putty (although mine seems to have separated in the tube). The interior was given a quick coat of mid brown. Vallejo Air Mud brown and Middle stone in a 50:50 mix. I have added safety loops from etch waste to the brake pull rods, mainly to stop me knocking the rods off. Droplights have been sprayed Vallejo Air Mahogany but I have since realised I have only done 7 pairs (only 5 shown) as the others were on a different bit of the kit etch.

That really is superb. Congratulations.

I have been pondering illumination of the rotating disks. I need to experiment but am thinking: Use two concentric micro brass tube sizes as the lamp support with a .25mm fibre optic as the core. Lamp body drilled out internally with holes drilled out for the lenses. The outer tube is fixed to lamp body and operating crank this rotating around the core. No idea when I might get around to trying.

If you wanted reference to the harbour how about “The Port of Call” Used to be a favourite watering hole of mine in Clifton, Bristol so not actually close to the docks at all.

Hinges proved less hassle than expected probably helped by the thin half etched lower side. I used a 3mm approx bit on the soldering iron and full temperature setting with 145 solder. Brass etch waste provided a 1.5mm strip. Put solder on the end of the strip then solder to the side using a card distance guide from the footboard. Cut off square with side cutters then gently file flat, fine file, with upper side using a thin piece of card as a depth guide.

Rather a long delay here due to spending much of the last week taking down and replacing a fence in the garden while it wasn't raining and before the forecast stormy weather finished the demolition of the old fence in an uncontrolled manner. Anyway in between that I've largely completed the installation of the fixed and electromagnets for the Dingham couplings. The platform line loco release magnet is behind the the station canopy of I have placed the station cat sitting on the roof as a marker for it's location. A bird might have been more appropriate but I thought the trains passing below were less likely to faze a cat. The C19 now has gas pipe runs on the clerestory deck and carriage end. The steps have been fitted on the bogies and the lining of the sides done. I think painting will come next although I have to decide whether to try to represent the lower door hinges / door frame beading. I must admit the plastic rod used for the gas piping looks a bit crude in close up but not so bad in real life.

Thanks to both The stationmaster and Tomparryharry for your input on traps. For now I’ll leave the contested trap in place. Glad I was right to put the trap on the colliery line.