James' workbench- ex-GC locos and stock in OO

[Atlantic 3279]

I remember the conversion from a mere ten years ago very well. The builder certainly produced a very convincing result:
https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic. ... ings+barry

[James Harrison]

That's the one.

[James Harrison]

Actual construction is quite close to completion now.

Boiler fittings are brass castings from Alan Gibson, most of the bodywork is plastic sheet or plastic strip or rod. The only exception is the cab roof, which is a lamination of paper.

Still to do are the coal rails, the handrails, whistle (this list keeps on getting longer the more I think about it!) and couplings. Then into the paintshops.

[James Harrison]

A couple of coats of matt black. I've started switching over to Tamiya acrylics, and although it is early days I'm not yet entirely sold on them. I'm going to smooth down and fill the body, then give it a couple more coats of black. Then the lining can be added.

Yes, the lining. I'm of the understanding that Tuxford kept up the LD&ECR style of lining up to 1923, and in Carter's book of railway liveries it is said that by 1906 the lining was thin red lines either side of the boiler bands, then bunker and tanks were panelled out in light grey with a chrome yellow line outside and a vermillion line inside. A pity that the light blue lining evidently didn't survive until the GCR takeover, I'd imagine it would look quite attractive and quite obviously different from the rest of my GC loco fleet.

[kimballthurlow]

Wow, I never thought I would see the day when somebody made a model of an LD&ECR locomotive. Well done.

I once did an imaginary route detail planning on the western end of that LD&ECR, which of course was never built. As George Dow once said, it was "neither Lancashire nor East Coast.

Anyway, gaining running rights on the L&NWR from Macclesfield (north), it carried southward on a great south and east arc through Wincle and Allgreave, then a straight tunnel (about 3 miles I think) to cross over the old Midland line somewhere around Millers Dale. Then on to Chesterfield.

Kimball

[James Harrison]

Thanks. There is at least one more LDEC engine in the offing, I was hoping for two but the M7 wheelbase is just too far out.... that KItson 0-4-4 was tiny!

Millers Dale. Happy memories for me, several years ago, being on a University field trip around Buxton and walking a short part of the Monsal Trail around there. The Midland viaducts look impressive enough; the LDEC proposal would have been a behemoth. "I'll believe in that bridge when I see it" was the comment of one of the Midland's directors I think upon seeing the plans?

Of course, Chesterfield isn't too far from there!- only 19 miles or so according to a route planner- so near and yet so far.

[kimballthurlow]

Thanks. There is at least one more LDEC engine in the offing, I was hoping for two but the M7 wheelbase is just too far out.... that KItson 0-4-4 was tiny!

Millers Dale. Happy memories for me, several years ago, being on a University field trip around Buxton and walking a short part of the Monsal Trail around there. The Midland viaducts look impressive enough; the LDEC proposal would have been a behemoth. "I'll believe in that bridge when I see it" was the comment of one of the Midland's directors I think upon seeing the plans?

Of course, Chesterfield isn't too far from there!- only 19 miles or so according to a route planner- so near and yet so far.

Nice to see your comments on the LDECR James.
Lucky you ..... I have never been there. I used Ordnance Survey maps to plot the likely gradients and necessity for viaducts and tunnels. Bu I cannot remember why I chose that route, because I don't believe there has been anything written about it. Only a search of the original Parliamentary Bill would I suppose have the detail. A fascinating "might have been" anyway.

When I plotted the imaginary route (45 years ago), I remember wondering if the Pollitt singles would be up to the job, because the gradients were significant, I think I limited them to 1:100 or slightly less.
regards
Kimball

[James Harrison]

The plan is to try my hand at an LDEC 0-6-0, using the Mainline/ Bachmann J72 as a basis. It's been done before- it was the subject of a magazine article way back in the 1970s (I bought a copy of the magazine a little while ago)- I think it has the potential to be a nice little project.

Progress with the 'D' class has reached the lining out stage. The easiest way to line it, I reckon, is to start with some LNWR/ BR mixed traffic lining (grey with an inner red line) and then touch in the yellow outer line afterward.

To which end I have ordered some appropriate lining transfers. Whilst waiting for them I succumbed to itchy fingers and began another project.

~~~

You may remember last year when I had a few attempts at building some original 1898 GCR carriages. The conclusion I reached, after building a pair of them, was that they can't be hackbashed convincingly from ready-to-run models. But then I found that some slightly later carriages (from around 1905/ 06) are strikingly similar to old Triang Caledonian coaches.



Composite brake carriage, builder's photograph.





All first and all-third, scale drawings in George Dow's Great Central Railway. vol.3 (this work forms the backbone of my little reference library).

So comparing the carriage bodies to the photograph and drawings, suggested that I could build a model of each from the three Caley coaches I had in my project stash.
Each body only required one cut to each side to arrive at a close approximation of the GCR carriages- and even better, the beading matches up! No need to sand the bodies smooth and rebuild the beading afterward.



The brake carriage was first under the saw. A big plus with these old Triang coaches is that once a pair of fixing screws are removed, the roof drops out and then the sides all loose. Being reduced to a set of flat parts makes it so much easier to cut them up and change them.



The all-third followed. The windows on the corridor side make a pleasing match with the drawing- and even better the number of compartments matches.



Finally the all-first. My comments on the all-third about the match of the windows and compartments stand true here too.

Right, that's the easy bit!

Now to cut up the underframes..... which are much chunkier pieces of kit. I cut two up and then called it a night.



So one of the underframes cut down to length, then the carriage sides glued into it and left to set. The all-first has been likewise treated, leaving only the all-third still flatpacked.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Look nice, amazing what you can find when you look outside the box.

manna

[James Harrison]

Thanks. Well, those transfers haven't turned up yet so it looks like another modelling session on these carriages instead. Oh dear, what a shame, nevermind.

[James Harrison]

Transfers arrived today so this evening's modelling session has been lining out the bunker, tanks and boiler. Although the yellow element of the LDEC scheme is missing, it is surprising how even just the grey and red parts on a black background manage to recreate the overall effect.

[James Harrison]

Lining is about 3/4 complete- just the splashers and cabsides to go- but this is already shaping up to be a very nice model.

[James Harrison]

Finished!

Now, that rake of carriages....

[manna]

G'Day Gents

LIKE LIKE LIKE.

manna

[James Harrison]

Thank you! Onwards, upwards... next project!- which is going to be a rake of three (four, if I can) GCR mainline carriages of 1905/06 design.