West End Workbench

[mick b]

OR its neigh on impossible, unless the kit is already designed with a slot for the wire, even then the wire would have to be perfectly level and straight for any hope of it working. Etched Coach sides are too thin to allow for a etched slot anyway. Too tight the roof breaks when fitted on , too loose it falls off.

Much easier to simply solder a etched roof too the sides , and then use the normal building method of a removeable floor for access.

[jwealleans]

Getting on with a few things in parallel just at the moment. J5 is now lettered up and will be back on the test track during the week. It's not assembled here, just resting on the frames for the photograph.



Brake van has also been lettered for a little while and was awaiting a batch of roof mix. It now just needs that handrail sorting out and a covering of matt varnish before weathering.



The main focus is still on the Easterling set. It's worked out that I have all the Yarmouth portion bar one, so that is coming together quite quickly. Here it is posed behind an appropriate B17 (I have more pictures of it B17 hauled than B1, although i was told it was a B1 working).



From the front, we can see progress up to now.



BTK is painted and clearly the masking came unstuck. I've cleaned that back and it's now drying and awaits a respray. TK had a bit of a reaction to the Halfords varnish and I've had to touch in the crimson, but it's not really apparent in this shot. Once weathered I think I'll probably get away with that.



The second TK has just been started. I've done all the alterations and it'll be painted through the week. The CK will be the next to be stripped down.



Right at the rear, the RF which was where the idea came from and now the RTO still in teak and awaiting glazing and an interior. The cosmetic bogie sides have also not yet arrived.

Also now declared finished and awaiting transportation, D & S NER BT.

[nzpaul]

Getting on with a few things in parallel just at the moment. J5 is now lettered up and will be back on the test track during the week. It's not assembled here, just resting on the frames for the photograph.

Hill climbing version, keeps the boiler level......watch out for the crown sheet going down though.


Paul

[Atlantic 3279]

Also now declared finished and awaiting transportation, D & S NER BT.

Transportation for life? Been stealing bread, or the squire's sheep has it?

[jwealleans]

Someone else's photographs from Flickr, more like.

[drmditch]

Transportation for life? Been stealing bread, or the squire's sheep has it?

Better than incurring the death penalty for defacing a Chelsea Pensioner or impersonating Westminster Bridge.

(an old undergraduate joke!)

[jwealleans]

Both thoroughly reprehensible and deserving of the stiffest sanction.

[jwealleans]

With four well-on-but-nowhere-near-complete carriages on the workbench, together with the usual number of odd jobs, repairs, wagon kits and other fill 10 minute jobs (as well as the Ormesby Hall locomotives to service), what does the sensible modeller do?



Start a new kit, of course.

I've had this for a few months - spotted it on Ebay and as I've not seen one before (I didn't know they'd done it) I bagged it and have been accumulating other parts for it ever since. Peter K kits are body only, so it was an unexpected bonus when this one included a roof. I'm going to try to use it as there are always more modern options if I decide it doesn't cut the mustard.



RDEB do the right length floorpan and the other bits will be a mixture of MJT, 51L and scratchbuilt. I've had an absorbing hour or two working out the underframe arrangement this afternoon so that'll probably be the next step.

[nzpaul]

what does the sensible modeller do?



Start a new kit, of course.

Once upon a time I would have claimed to finish a model before moving on, I no longer have the same level of discipline so many models at the same time. It's more fun that way.

Paul

[jwealleans]

Not just more fun, it means you can work on one project while another dries/sets/waits for bits through the post. I'm pretty good at finishing things once I start them, but I always have several models on the go at any one time. I have a very short attention span as well.

[jwealleans]

Gosh, hasn't it been a while? Modelling has taken a little bit of a back seat recently what with one thing and another, but I am still beavering away from time to time. One project which I absolutely had to complete this summer was a replacement steel 5 set for Grantham, to cover for the one formerly supplied by Mr. King. These days we don't have to go to the extreme efforts he did to produce his silk purse from the BSL sow's ear, thanks to a number of different suppliers who offer the etches.

I ended up with a choice and the final set as shown below is RDEB for the BT-T twin and Southern Pride for the Composite. Bill also produces the Composite and that may make an appearance in the future. The Southern Pride one, despite their advertising, is the D190 52' vehicle, not the D304 61'6" version built for the GC Area. I have advised him of the fact.

There was nothing terribly exciting or innovative about the build, so here is the completed set running on Dave Scott's Ingleby last Sunday. For use on Grantham there's a BG permanently coupled to this set and this will be the Kemilway vehicle I was working on late last year.









Test running is always worth the investment of time and in this case some tight back-to-backs were rectified and the presence of a fat b****** in the First Class end of the Compo will be dealt with by strategic insertion of a piece of etch. So to speak.

Here, with heritage motive power provided by Mr. Scott, are some moving pictures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USr5Eeroq80

In April I was delighted and very privileged to take custody of a couple of locos from Hitchin. The layout has been broken up and the stock sold off, so I was able to bid on a couple of the locos and secure them. Both, I find, were scratchbuilt in King's Cross Models by a chap called Mike Shepard (his initials are in the frames).





Neither is dated, sadly, but I'm assuming they're from the 1970s with the remote possibility they're older. Both run very well although they were suffering from extreme wear on the driving wheels. On the C1 these had gone right through the nickel-silver tyre, which I've never seen before and neither had Mr. Markits. One set of wheels on each had already been replaced so I am now working on replacing the others and gently cleaning what I believe are Alan Brackenborough paint jobs.

[Dave]

What a great day out it was last Sunday at the Ingleby running day. The carriages looked superb.
I was very impressed with the 2 locos you got from Hitchin, amazed at the state of the wheels I've never seen anything like that before, must have run miles.
Thanks for tea as well.......wonderful food and company as always.

[jwealleans]

Thanks, Dave, you're too kind.

I did also mean to mention that at the end of this month I will be demonstrating weathering at the Thirsk Show on the 31st. Usual venue and in support of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, so a fine cause to be supporting. I hope to see plenty of you there.

http://www.expo-thirsk.co.uk/blog/

[Robpulham]

Chris, and I will be there too with our respective demos. It will be good to catch up.
You will particularly like her current painting.

[Chas Levin]

Lovely looking coaches Jonathan and a beautiful looking layout too!