West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

Thanks for the replies. Graeme: the yellow colour is an acrylic French car primer I bought while on holiday a few years ago. I used it because my Halfords grey had run out, but it's perfectly fine as a primer. I use it on plastic coaches which are going to be teaked and have used it on brass with no problem.

Mark - the layouts are open March to October each Saturday and Sunday as well as Bank Holidays. If you're going to be in the area on a Monday let me know and you'd be welcome to come to the club night and have a look behind the scenes.

Simon - I have been supplied with a good picture of E667E in Blood and Custard and have also unexpectedly received my CD of GER Journals so I have something to look forward to perusing on the long trip to Cardiff this Sunday. I will look through the HMRS catalogue as well; it is a useful source.

Bill - I'll have to get the instructions from the attic tomorrow , but off the top of my head it's LNER diagram 30 or 31. Dan listed the numbers to this diagram, something like 664 to 670 but with the rider that 669 was rebuilt differently to the others. I don't know whether 669 lasted the longest or was used on some prestige services but I have several pictures of it in different places including a colour one by Dick Riley.

Edit - I only had to look at the D & S kits thread on here - it's apparently D30E.

[M Gair]

Thanks for the info.
I may have to look out for that yellow primer. Have just painted the teak on a full brake and started the lining with a bow pen. tried to attach photo but the file was too big.

I/We will be passing through on Saturday the 7th of May 2011 on the way to Whitby then York. Looking at this years Exhibition Diaries, this may be your exhibition weekend. If not, I will still be visiting. Any place that has LNER or BR eastern region will certainly get a visit.
It will be good to see some excellent layouts and rolling stock. I have arrange to visit "The Gresley Beat" in Kent if the owner is around when we are there. Gainsborough MRC is also on the list and maybe another further down towards London and the MRC (Copenhagen Fields) in London itself.

Enough of my ramblings
Look forward to some more photos.
regards
Mark

[9E]

There's a nice shot of E667E with one of the TOs in the 611X number range at Sheffield Victoria in the late 1950s in E.M.Johnson's Woodhead Part Two. It shows it apparently in maroon with Gresley bogies.


Simon

[jwealleans]

That's very useful, Simon. I shall try to get hold of a copy of that book. I have found E667 in blood and custard also with Gresley bogies in a copy of the GERS Journal. That has given me enough to go on in terms of painting.

Interesting to know what it runs with, which was my next train of thought. Is that TO a Gresley vehicle? I haven't got Michael Harris to hand to check.

[65447]

Jonathan, re the ex-GER restaurant car don't forget the discussion on the previous RMWeb, to which you contributed - a quick review may remind be helpful: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=46022 (but there again it may not)

[jwealleans]

Cheers for that '47... I'd been back through Stuart's topic in the new forum but hadn't followed it through in the old one. I'm ploughing through the GERS Journals at the moment seeing what they have to offer. I do see that Bill B lists a couple of TOs so one of those may be on the agenda to go with this once it's finished.

[9E]

From the photos I have plus reading the May 1997 BackTrack article (referred to in the RMWeb thread) it looks like the GE RFs mostly ran with the various (and varied!) GE Restaurant Third Opens. The photo of E667E I referred to shows it paired with a D.431 RTO (either 6114 or 6115). The HMRS collection shows D.429E (6110-3?) and D.435E RTOs (6116-7) paired with RFs/RUs as well. D420E RTOs (6108-9) also featured but were out of use by mid-1956 at the latest. I can't comment on Gresley TOs with these restaurant cars as I don't have any photos. Do you have a train in mind for your RF?

Simon

[jwealleans]

Cheers for all that, Simon - you're answering questions I haven't even started to ask myself yet. I have now obtained a copy of the Backtrack photo, which is very good. The RTO is in crimson and cream and doesn't seem to be branded and the RF has been declassified, by the look of it. The centre steps are still there as well, I note.

I don't have a particular train formation in mind ATM although we have mulled over the Harwich-Liverpool. For a time in the 1950s this was diagrammed to be double headed through Thurston by a K3 and a Britannia. I'm not sure the fiddle yard is big enough for that train, though.

[AndyRush]

Jonathan

I can do a Winter 1954 Carriage Working for the North Country Boat Train if that woulfd be any help.

Andy

[jwealleans]

I'd be very interested to see that Andy, thanks.

[Bill Bedford]

I have found a bunch of diagrams of LNER restaurant cars including the D.431 RTO. so if anyone wants etchings for one of these please let me know. Note that these and later carriages were 54' long while D.429E (6110-3?) and ealier were only 50'.

[jwealleans]

Yes, D 431 for me, Bill. Confirmation to follow. Incidentally, I read that the one in the photo must have been 6114 as 6115 was destroyed by bombing in 1943.

[jwealleans]

Busy week and weekend so there was only limited progress. I took the RFK with me on my travels intending to build the interior while I was away. Bit of a mistake as despite my packaging and care it seem to have been either impacted or crushed while I was on the move. I had to repair the coupling and the tank filler pipes when I got home and I've also tried to re-emphasise the tumblehome a little as well - it seemed to have become very slab sided, presumably at the same time as the other damage. Rob P very kindly lent me his rolling bars to make up a brass roof, but after several attempts I was unable to get anything which was as good a fit as the plastic roof Danny supplied. There's a small amount of squadron green visible where it didn't quite fit.





It still has the Fox bogies - I'll keep those until the D431 is built then swap them over. The photograph also showed up some twisting to the steps and that cosmetic coupling, which I've sorted. It just needs a final clean over and then it can go into primer.

While that was in the airing cupboard and bored with the other odds and sods on the WB I decided to have a look at something else - young Mr. Chivers kit for the GC 4 wheel fish van (RC118). I have one to build for Ormesby and one for myself. It's largely fold up from a single large component, like many of his kits. Looking at it, I thought it probably wouldn't take much time to make up, so the iron went back on....

This is what you get in the box:



... and an hour later I had this.



Very encouraging to see a kit go together this quickly and because it's all folds you can't really go wrong. I gather from discussion on the GC forum that some work may be needed to make 14mm wheels fit. I also note that there's no plastic for the roof in the picture - either I missed it in the box or it wasn't there at all. I shall check.

[mick b]

Jonathan
Coming on well, I presume you have fixed the wayward roof on the coach side too.

Re Chivers do they come with roofs?? I have bought three via ebay in the past, none of them had a roof in the kit.!!!

[IAK]

Now that that Coach looks nice.
Its great to see D&S stuff back [eagerly awaits horseshoes order]
Now frae memory you never did get a roof with the Chivers GC fish.
Mind I am surprised that is still the case.