West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

Do those roof lights on the luggage brake need to sink into the roof somewhat?

They do. The photo was part of the process to make my mind up about what to do with them and the answer (purists look away now) will be to use the 51L cast ones instead. If I start chopping holes in the roof all the rest of the furniture will inevitably come off and I may damage what is a good fit terminally.

[52D]

JW not very close up but 6 wheelers in central 1894 hope you can pick up some useful detail

[jwealleans]

Been a busy few months, but I have found time to tinker with a few things while work and other distractions have been getting in the way.

This is the next addition to the Grantham stud - 2744 Grand Parade as released into traffic after rebuilding, with a GN tender.



Loco is from a Hornby/NRM Flying Scotsman, the one with the white roof. Replacement dome courtesy Graeme King, washout plugs resited and extraneous OHL flashes, etc. removed. Plates are from 247. The tender was from Tom Foster, already lightly weathered, so the loco will be done to try to match.



I've painted the Howlden BG and I have to say I'm quite pleased with it. Very characterful vehicles, these.

I had a spate of acquiring wagons in May - I picked up a couple of D & S rarities in small job lots on Ebay and also had quite a few from a collection being sold at Middlesbrough show. Some of these have been refinished and will need loads and weathering before too long.



ex-GE Lowmac. I'm going to make a crated load for this rather than the more common vehicle.



More ex-GE; I have a couple of the unfitted 10T vans, but not a fitted one until now. Look for this appearing from time to time in the Scotch Goods on Grantham. The ex-GN coal wagon is a Mousa resin kit.



ex-GN refrigerated van - that in itself was worth more than I paid for the lot it came in - and an MAJ ex- L & Y van.



I think the next few are all K's - LMS vent and later GW Mink, then below ex-GE sand wagon and MR 3 plank.



I don't have a great many K's wagons but the castings on these are very crisp and well detailed. Once disassembled and the glue removed they all soldered together very well. On the vans I replaced the cast roof with a plastic one as they are very heavy. The sand wagon does still have the original roof.



The PO wagon - Slaters, I think - came to me painted and nicely weathered, but with black solebars and one or two details missing (door spring, for example). I've touched it up a bit and added a little to the weathering. The GW Mite needs a bolster making.



I think I posted a picture of this scratchbuilt Flat DV when I acquired it. I'm led to believe it's the work of John Judson, although there's no marking on it. I've added the body to solebar brackets, not that you can see them and repainted it the correct colour for a fitted vehicle.



GN brake van with altered handrails and a ModelU occupant and the new Parkside Toad E kit.

A few long term projects almost completed now.



I think I built this German wagon around 2012, together with another without brakeman's hutch. When I had the lettering made I managed to omit two complete panels worth and it's taken until now to get enough together to make it worth having some more transfers made.



The lettering for this was part of the commission and I've also started to weather it. The green was hurting my eyes.



When I was researching and building ferry vehicles, one of the tenets of the interwar period was that the UK provided the ferries for the service and the Europeans provided the rolling stock. I was surprised therefore to find a drawing showing lettering for a ferry fitted bogie bolster of the type Parkside offer. These vehicles were also fitted with European drawhooks and formed part of the ferry stock. I have no idea how they came to be in that situation unelss they were service stock for Great Eastern Train Ferries Ltd. and acquired with the other assets of that company by the LNER in (I think) 1932. Whatever the reason, it's a variation on a fairly common kit. The lettering was quite a fiddle to make up - it's based on scans of the HMRS goods lettering built up letter by letter. The closeup is merciless - I think I got the other side nearer level.



Finally a vehicle which isn't quite finished as I need to order up some axleboxes for it - ex-NER refrigerated wagon from a Hornby body. These are best known as the Thomas Circus Van, but as Mr. King showed some years ago they can be made into a very accurate model of these vans which were used for meat, fish and I think in ordinary goods service. You can find details on his thread, a long way back.

[Woodcock29]

Hi Jonathan
Seeing your Howlden BG makes me think I should build the one I've got and also the Milk Van version - we'll have see if I can find time or whether other projects get in the way! I really like the GN refrigerator van - I built the one I have back about 1984, but have my eyes on another that might become available when a mate continues his downsizing and disposes of most of his LNER models.
Despite the fact I didn't intend to buy a Parkside Toad E as I had one built from two Airfix kits back in the 80s, but seeing the kit on the Parkside Dundas stand at Aylesbury the day after we met I must confess I now have one! I agree with others who have stated it is not up to the standards expected from Parkside with excessive flash and the fact the corners don't go together well. Its now built, along with another Toad B I've had in stock for years - both are destined for the ex-GN layout proposed by one of the travelling companions from my UK trip and to be based on the Spilsby branch.
Regards
Andrew

[jwealleans]

Go for it, Andrew, you won't regret the time spent. I have the milk van to have a go at as well. The refrigerator vans I didn't bother with too much when Dan was doing them, but now we have this perishables train on Grantham I find I've acquired a couple and they're a striking model.

The Toad is what it is and it's easier than chopping up Airfix kits. I'm pleased with mine.

Seems an age since our day out. I wish we could have a few days of that sunshine back again.

[Atlantic 3279]

Finally a vehicle which isn't quite finished as I need to order up some axleboxes for it - ex-NER refrigerated wagon from a Hornby body. These are best known as the Thomas Circus Van, but as Mr. King showed some years ago they can be made into a very accurate model of these vans which were used for meat, fish and I think in ordinary goods service. You can find details on his thread, a long way back.

Page 45 onwards on my workbench thread.
14/8/17 The relevant images should be visible again now too, following recent restoration. Never trust third party image hosting, you have been warned.....

[jwealleans]

Took advantage of some sunny weather - something sadly lacking again this summer - to photograph a few recently finished or almost complete workbench items outside.



Grand Parade just about ready for service. The photo accentuates the colour difference between loco and tender - I'll see it under the layout lights before I decide whether it needs anything doing. I really don't want to have to interfere with Tom's finish unless I have to.



Howlden PBV will be through the weathering shops soon. Teak vehicles are the hardest to bring yourself to weather, I find.



This is the D 171 milk van for Wickham market. It's had the S & Ws tested and so just needed final detailing (door handles, primarily) and now weathering.



Lastly a D & S Lowmac from Ebay, repainted and with a crated load made suitable for shunting in and out of a factory on Grantham.

[Dave]

Some very nice and interesting stock JW.
The ModelU figures do make a big difference, and the range keeps getting bigger all the time. I'm consigning the worst of my cast metal people to a life as stock weights.

[52D]

Tom Foster got me into modelu stuff its fantastic, JW your stock is most excellent, im going down the same path as you with the Scotsman but mine will be Merry Hampton in the condition it was in when it was derailed at Cramlington.

[jwealleans]

Been keeping myself occupied with the odd wagon over the last couple of weeks.



NER Refrigerated van now pretty much done. Here's a before and after. You can find these in the rummage bins at shows, in several liveries and they do come up very nicely.



I've been doing some early steel minerals to mix in with the wooden ex-POs on Wickham Market. These are both Cambrian, the ex-LNER and an LMS still in the pre 1948 livery.

As an aside, I've been asked to demonstrate weathering at Warley this year and these will be part of what I'll have with me to do. If anyone is planning to attend then please do come and say hello over the weekend.

[Dave]

JW did you ever manage to find the powders you were after, if not what are you using now.

[jwealleans]

Morning Dave,

The MIG powders are out of production and the colours I use are pretty well all gone. I haven't seen any at a show for a long time.

Phil Atkinson recommended AK Interactive, which are apparently created by the same bloke. I've only tried the black, but it seems to behave in just the same way as the MIG stuff, so as I use that up I'll replace with the AK product.

[Nova]

NER Refrigerated van now pretty much done. Here's a before and after. You can find these in the rummage bins at shows, in several liveries and they do come up very nicely.

what chassis did you use to replace the Hornby one? having seen your conversion I just might start collecting those wagons and working towards a fitted perishables train

also a quick look on EBay shows that there is also a similar version with a more prominent door as seen in the link below. is this by any chance a later LNER build?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-00-GAU ... SwjL5ZBw6K

[jwealleans]

Evergreen strip, MJT W irons and Archer rivet transfers. The axleboxes are 51L and he also does a Midland spring with J hanger which looks more like the NER fitting than an ordinary hanger would.

The van you've highlighted is an H & BR diagram although the panelling shouldn't be recessed. Mr. King has done that one as well and you'll find it overlaps with the NER van if you step back upthread just a little. I have some of the same started but languishing in a drawer.

[Nova]

Evergreen strip, MJT W irons and Archer rivet transfers. The axleboxes are 51L and he also does a Midland spring with J hanger which looks more like the NER fitting than an ordinary hanger would.

The van you've highlighted is an H & BR diagram although the panelling shouldn't be recessed. Mr. King has done that one as well and you'll find it overlaps with the NER van if you step back upthread just a little. I have some of the same started but languishing in a drawer.

Thank you, I'll definitely keep that in mind when I look to bulk up my fleet of wagons with pre-grouping designs. nice to know they're designs from two separate railways absorbed into the LNER