Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[2002EarlMarischal]

Graeme's! I can take no credit!

I could have spent the whole day just watching Gresley Beat - at least after I managed to get to through the 3-deep crowd!

[Atlantic 3279]

Interesting YouTube find Jim, and some consolation following your own camera problems. It's slightly unfortunate that the 4-8-2 stopped just short of being fully revealed for what it is in plain view on the turntable and isn't seen again until glimpsed in the distance, stuck fast under the coaling tower!
Hi Mick, P1 2393 is indeed mine, grabbing its chance to shine after resident P1 2394 began to play up.
That grinning fool in the green T-shirt is clearly enjoying playing trains. He ought to grow up a bit at his age....

[mick b]

P1 with 40+wagons and brake vans too. Just rewatched and now noticed 3279 is enjoying himself as well !!

[LNER4479]

Well done 3279 - the P1 looks (and runs) well.

[2002EarlMarischal]

A bit more of the Gresley Beat between 2.36 and 4.00 on this You Tube clip - a selection of other layouts too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWwyNoGbHnE

[earlswood nob]

Morning all
I think the clerestory conversion of a Hornby Gresley is terrific, but sadly I don't think I could follow Atlantic's example as I couldn't saw a roof into three straight strips.
Earlswood nob

[mick b]

A brace of P1's here (one is Graeme's)

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index. ... 13/page-12

[Atlantic 3279]

I don't think I could follow Atlantic's example as I couldn't saw a roof into three straight strips.

Stay tuned......

A brace of P1's here

Ta Mick, I'll have a look.

[earlswood nob]

G’day all
The pic on the other side showing a coal train double headed headed by two P1s, inspired me to seek out a reference to P1’s working passenger trains.
I snapped the details in RCTS green 6B.

As they say there’s a precedent for everything. Not only can you use a P1 on a passenger train, you can also use it assisting a Pacific.

Earlswood nob

[Atlantic 3279]

In between rounds of resin casting yesterday, I was playing with microstrip, solvent and tweezers - whilst still trying to recover gently from the tiring trip to the NEC last Saturday (and all that went before it).

The best method I found for fixing the long glazing bars into the large window frames was to firstly stick the short upright pieces into the upper corners of the large frame, thus creating a locating step and doubling the bonding area for the end of the long bar. The final addition of the middle upright seems to brace the long bar just sufficiently.

The unwanted doors were eliminated by scraping away the upright beading, shut lines, handles and hinges, then filling the gaps in the horizontal beads with chips of 0.010" thick plastic sheet. After finding that "cut to size" pieces suffered too much under the action of my solvent (and I wanted to use something fairly potent in order to get firm adhesion to the coacvh side) I found it much better to cut oversize chips of plastic, bond these in place, and trim to size only when the plastic had re-hardened fully. A light coat of earth-brown paint over the white bits should soon reveal how well my trimming and smoothing has worked. A spot or two of fine filling may be needed, but once the coach is "teaked" and primrose-yellow-lined I imagine that little evidence of the alterations will be apparent.

As can probably be seen, I've removed the wrongly placed battery boxes from the underframe too.
These results give me confidence that my methods are viable, so now I can push ahead to some effect.

[Atlantic 3279]

Am I right in supposing that those moulded plugs and cables on the ends ought to be removed from any coaches that I finish as "still gas lit" examples?

[LNER4479]

That looks really good 3279, certainly a further step to creating the pre-grouping look.

End cables are (presumably?) the RCH jumpers for controlling the (electric) lighting circuits so, yes, would not expect to see them there on gas lit vehicle.

[Atlantic 3279]

Purely to suit my own purposes, having probably four coaches to convert (from two CK and two BCK), I plan shortly to produce some moulds for duplication of parts in resin. My current firm intention is to mould:

1. The clerestory roof.
2. Ends with panelled-in windows.

Also I may add:
1. Howlden timber duckets.
2. Battery boxes.
3. Fox bogies if attempts to obtain parts for cheap, easy plastic ones fail. If so, I'll probably do the bogies in one-piece for strength.

Whilst it occurs to me that it is also perfectly possible to duplicate whole sides in resin, in fact a whole basic bodyshell is not beyond all limits, I doubt the cost effectiveness of doing this just for my own purposes as those moulds would be large, i.e. needing a lot of rubber. I'll only need two sides of each type at the most. If it turns out that others are keen, in numbers, to have copies of "generic" Howlden-look coaches without having to sit down and add window bars to sides, possibly deleting doorways too, then I could make more comprehensive moulds, but I really ought to do that before my prototypes of these coaches get "teaked" as the detail is crispest when the plastic side is unpainted. If anyone is dead eager, then perhaps they'll let me know soon?

[earlswood nob]

G'day all
I may well be interested in clerestory roofs for Hornby short Gresleys.
I should be capable of the microstrip on windows and ends.
Fox bogies would be a good addition as the Coopercraft ones are difficult to obtain these days.
Earlswood nob

[LNER4479]

I think it makes sense to stick with the generic stuff 3279, so a 'yes' for me for the Fox bogies to add to your 'firm' roof and ends. Lot's of vehicles to be seen on Fox bogies (certainly pre-war), not just clerestories (eg Howlden NC local stock, including the re-cycled artic sets - one of them definitely on my 'to do' list & that's five or six Fox bogies in one go!)