West End Workbench

[drmditch]

G'day Gents

I like that GN brake van above, the 'cow' wagons, brilliant, but are they a bit to 'Brown' !!!

manna

Agree about brilliant modelling, not about the special cattle vehicles being too brown. There has been much discussion in the past about the precise shades of brown on such vehicles, for example .... here... and on the previous page.

They would have been a lot of differences anyway, allowing for - preparation and undercoating - size of bin used for mixing - size of hands for 'handfuls of pigment' - how long since last mixed - varnish (if applied)- length of time exposed to coal smoke and grime - sulphur content of coal - etc etc.

Not to mention - colour film used to record images and it's stabiity - lighting - and not least individual eyesite!

[jwealleans]

The last photo - although lit by indirect sunlight - has taken on a bit of a bizarre cast. If it ever stops raining I'll try to get some shots outside. They are two shades of brown - one Precision P996 Track Dirt and the other Vallejo Dark Earth, my first experiment at an acrylic colour and a recommendation from Paul Gallon. Seen together the Precision colour is quite a bit lighter.

[jwealleans]

Part of the last train formation for Grantham is an unusual Great Northern brake composite, diagram 218BB. It's unusual in that it has two coupe compartments, one each First and Third. You can see the Third on the extreme left, next to the lav, while the first is near the middle, between the Third and First class complete compartments. This is one of Bill's kits and tonight's work has mainly been about making up the sides, fitting droplights, bending and adding a strip along the top of the sides for the MJT roof to adhere to.

[jwealleans]

I always think a vehicle, whatever it is, has taken a huge step towards completion when it rolls on its own wheels for the first time.



I also managed to glaze this and fit couplings and door handles.

[jwealleans]

The soldering is about done here and we're on to the dull bits, making the roof join invisible.



So while the filler dries, on to the next one, the first of a pair.



This is a Diagram 8 Locker Composite. Two of these ran at the outer ends of the 'Junior Scotsman', one to Perth and the other to Aberdeen. These were the first generation of the type and they were later replaced by a 66' 6" version which presumably had an extra compartment. They're quite easy to spot with the pair of doors towards the end on each side. These are Bill's sides on MJT components. The parts for these have been in the queue for a while but up to now there was always something more important to build.

[jwealleans]

Soldering now complete, roof attached, currently covered in Squadron Green putty.





The roof is as good as I'm going to get it on the GN compo, so the roof details have been added and painting has begun.



Note to self - after you've spent ages scaling off a drawing to get all the vents in the right places, then drilled all the holes, have the sense to stick the roof on the right way round. Or at least notice before you've made good the join.

[john coffin]

AAAAAAAAAAAAH the infamous measure twice cut once moment that all who work in wood will recognise.

Mind you I wonder how you can actually make sure in this case it never happens, and also if you hadn't pointed it out, how many would
have noticed.

Fine work as usual otherwise.

Paul

[notascoobie]

AAAAAAAAAAAAH the infamous measure twice cut once moment that all who work in wood will recognise.

Mind you I wonder how you can actually make sure in this case it never happens, and also if you hadn't pointed it out, how many would
have noticed.

Fine work as usual otherwise.

Paul

I took to marking (scribing) an "X" underneath and on top of one underframe end, at the base and the top of the inside of its corresponding body end and underneath the corresponding end of the roof unit. That way, I should always have the bits assembled the way I intended, on the offchance that my intentions might have been right!

Regards,

Vernon

[Atlantic 3279]

Well, it's not all bad. At least the interior went in the right way round.

[jwealleans]

Been a bit warm to get into the workshop over the last couple of weeks, but I haven't been entirely idle. Not a repost of an earlier photo, but I now have a matching pair of D8s. The roof is the right way round on this one as well.



If anyone is thinking of attending, I shall be at Thirsk Show this coming Sunday with a small selection of rolling stock on display. 2750, occasionally of this parish, will also be there building wagons. Do please come and say hello.

[jwealleans]

Progress with some of the ongoing builds. Carriages are now ready for their coats of Klear.





In the 1936 ECML Carriage Workings, 1292 is the Perth Locker Composite and leaves the Cross at the head of the 10:05 'Junior Scotsman'.



1293 heads the Aberdeen portion and leaves towards the rear. There is a Newcastle portion at the very back.

I put out a request on RMWeb for some HMRS Pressfix BR carriage transfers, which seem to be in short supply from the HMRS themselves at the moment. I was more than grateful to receive almost an entire sheet, which allowed me to letter up a couple of carriages for Wickham Market. The idea here is to produce a set composed mainly of cascaded NER carriages, older GER ones and the odd Gresley. As I had the transfers out I also changed the identity of the loco I had obtained to haul the set.



First up, then, R3235 Hornby D16. I wanted an unlined one and this seemed the quickest way to get there from what is available from Hattons, this being the 'E' numbered 'British Railways' version. 62597 is a Yarmouth loco which Dr Ian Allen also photographed down the East Suffolk on the Halesworth milk train, which we also intend to represent.



NER D 18 Brake third (3) - one of many which came south to the GE Area in the 1930s. This featured a few pages ago, an Ebay rescue and rebuild.



NER D111 Lav third. This is the second one of these in the train. This kind of carriage in various forms was very popular for cross country secondary services. In preparation I have another ex-NER clerestory, a composite, and a Gresley BT.

Finally one of this little jobs which crop up from time to time. We were setting up Marske today at Redcar show and when the stock boxes were opened, this came out. It clearly hadn't survived the journey back from Ally Pally.



So it came my way to repair. How did I get on? You can see tomorrow at the show - or you may even see me still working on it behind the layout.

[Atlantic 3279]

All very nicely modelled, but I must enter a strong protest against those nationalised liveries.......

[drmditch]

All very nicely modelled, but I must enter a strong protest against those nationalised liveries.......

'Nationalisation' - when did that happen?
Not on my railway!

[earlswood nob]

'Nationalisation' - when did that happen?
Not on my railway!


Good morning all

Isn't it great how we can travel backwards in time to an era that we all think was better.

The war didn't happen as far as my modelling goes. The A4s kept their side skirting, the P2s weren't rebuilt, and green locos stayed green.

Now I wonder if GCR 966 kept its large boiler and bogie tender until the thirties? Did the GCR Atlantic 1090 keep its Walschaerts valve gear after the grouping?

How about the GCR 0-10-2T banker and the H&B 0-6-6-0T banker, were they built?

Enough of my dreams, I must get back to the workbench.

Earlswood nob

[jwealleans]

Grantham running weekend this weekend in preparation for Woking show. We were a bit short handed and the official photographer didn't attend, so there was not much time for photography.

What I did manage to snap was the C7 being put to use for the first time. Here passing the north end pilot, the recently arrived J54:



... and here revealing the important duty she was running (we don't generally have the exhibition stock for these weekend either).



We've recently had some loco coal wagons kindly donated by Peter Simmerson. I've finished them and here one stands by the coaling stage ramp (centre) while the end of the other can be seen in the stage proper.



These will now be weathered before Woking.