West End Workbench

[Saint Johnstoun]

Here are two Fergies loaded onto a Conflat.

[jwealleans]

Well I'm glad I didn't have to try to work out how to lash those down. Those in the photo are on some sort of 1 plank wagon with drop sides (Lowfit would be my guess but it's hard to be certain). The sides might stop them rolling about as much but there are nowhere near as many roping points.

I was pleased to see that they were craned on - I guessed that was the case but hadn't seen definitive proof up to now. I'll keep that for the smartarse who queries how they drove the one into the 3 planker.

[D2100]

I was pleased to see that they were craned on - I guessed that was the case but hadn't seen definitive proof up to now. I'll keep that for the smartarse who queries how they drove the one into the 3 planker.

Or you could say they just dropped the sides

[jwealleans]

Much too simple.

Did Adrian give you your kit, BTW?

[D2100]

He did thanks, along with his entertaining company

[jwealleans]

Good. I was worried he'd lose his layout under it in the back of the car.

[D2100]

Haha

Back OT and talking of tractors being craned aboard, there is a Dave Larkin photo (which may appear in one of his Kestrel books) of a tractor sat in a steel Highfit. It's one of the big 1960s Fords (a la Matchbox), so I doubt it got in through the side door.

[jwealleans]

Well I was feeling lucky last night, do I had a go at a Lucky Dip. This was what was in the bottom of the Caustic Soda jar after a session cleaning paint off Ebay buys a few weeks ago:



I'll talk a bit here and use up some space in case anyone wants to try to work out what is in there....



So here we go. After a couple of hours with the low melt and a Dremel wire brush, we had the following:

GE 10 ton brake van. Was this a D & S kit? There's nothing on the castings I can see but the etched W irons look like Danny's.



ABS P7 hopper. I see one of the corner steps has snapped off.



SEF (I think) gas tank wagon. I'll replace the dowels on this with some suitably sized plastic tube. They've sprouted an impressive layer of crystals already and I'm not sure I'd get them smooth again.

[earlswood nob]

Good afternoon JW and others
I hope the Folkestone Exhib went well.
I spotted Thurston on the list of exhibits.
If I had been free at the weekend, I would have visited as its less than two hours from where I live. I would have liked to see your tractor trains going along the track.
Your tractors remind me of an old retired Redhill driver who used to tell a story of running out of steam on Gomshall bank (between Dorking and Guildford) and an old farmer, driving an old tractor in a lineside field, shouted out;" Do you want a tow?"
Earlswood nob

[jwealleans]

Cheers, EN. We had a cracking weekend in Folkestone: excellent show, tropical weather, good food, plenty of intelligent and enthusiastic comment from the public and clear roads home. If they had more than one lift it would be an outstanding venue.

I did get the chance to snap some stuff on the Sunday morning. Although the layout ran better, we did have problems with rail and wheel dirt which might well have been a hangover from Butterley. The photographs are mainly the newer stock and engines.

The not-quite-weathered L1 in service:



along with the MJT Gresley third I built at Christmas.



This is fellow club member Steve Williams' L1, also part weathered, on the same turn later in the day.



Steve is also the owner of the Ivatt 2 which featured in this thread last year. We had the loan of a KPC controller specifically for shunting and it made a huge difference.



The J19 ran much better than before - looks as if the twisted body was the key - although it did go back to this curious speed up/slow down behaviour when the wheels got very dirty on Sunday morning.



Most of the new wagons ended up in this train as well; the Conflat and 'A' type



the ex-PO wagons



and, yes, the tractors.



There's always someone who has to spoil it, though, isn't there? I don't even know how he came to be with us, but there he was, hiding round corners and jumping out to scare the trucks.



When the Fat Controller found out, he was put on a truck and packed off to a finishing school in Switzerland to learn how to behave. And all the funny shaped foreign vans laughed at him.

[Tom F]

I've yet to see Thurston in person, but it does look lovely. Your L1 looks smashing, very nice.

[mick b]

Jonathan more praise via MRE magazine


Model Railway Express News Bulletin 07 October 20


As to the Folkestone Show it was much better than I had anticipated and for me the star layout was "Thurston". A ER 4mm layout set in East Anglia in BR Steam days (yes with that much wanted J15 and K1) operating very well and with a backdrop of a calm English Channel what more could one ask for!

John Cherry

[jwealleans]

Well that's very gratifying. I shall point that out to the others.

Tom, thank you for that. I have a couple of locos to weather which I think deserve the 'shiny but grubby' look, so I shall be bending your ear for a thorough walk through the technique when we get together in November.

[Tom F]

Tom, thank you for that. I have a couple of locos to weather which I think deserve the 'shiny but grubby' look, so I shall be bending your ear for a thorough walk through the technique when we get together in November.

Would be a pleasure Jonathan, and I will be bending your ear over some kit building advice. J25 frames are together at least!

[jwealleans]

Bit of film from Folkestone here.