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  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
    • 8 comments
    • 3,311 views
The Grime Street Blog

A few ongoing projects, mainly from 3d prints.

There are quite a few ongoing projects at the moment mainly FUD prints but a few other bits and pieces.   First up is Leeds post war car 276, this was to be the prototype for a batch of 50 , unfortunately it never progressed beyond this one, this proved to be the last complete tram built at Kirkstall Rd works, (601 and 602 were built by Roe at Crossgates and 600 was nominally a rebuild)   Shown in the second of it's three liveries (light blue, dark blue then red). FUD print body, scratch bui
Red Devil

Red Devil

1
When You Don't Like What You See....Make it Yourself

Steel Load .... American Style.....

I saw this load and it looked like a simple thing to recreate.   The load is made using 0.2mm Thick Styrene sheet cut into strips 26mm wide and cut to varying lengths depending on the prototype. These are then sprayed a gun metal grey and then using a nice reddy brown paint the rusting is made. The trick is to put the paint on the brush then wipe it all off. Then lightly go over the 'steel' and this will prevent over painting them.   The wooden supports are made from scale cut basswood tim
cooley_boy

cooley_boy

1
When You Don't Like What You See....Make it Yourself

Doing a Bit of dry brushing...

Its been awhile since I have done any dry brushing as part of the weathering on my wagons. The skill is know what colors will work best, in what sequence they should go and experimentation is also key I find. I have a few timber topped flat cars and so using the dry brushing method seemed the best as I have more control over where the paint goes than when using an airbrush.   I started with using a dark brown and then followed with a series of lighter browns made mixing a very pale grey not
cooley_boy

cooley_boy

0
The Cuckmere Valley Railway

Plans

As promised, I've been playing with various plans for a week or so now.   This is the latest and, hopefully, final iteration of the smaller 6' Plan.     This is the basic version - I've printed out the plan a few times and have been drawing the structures etc on to get the best fit.   Starting from the right hand side, the branch curves in, crossing to the left hand side of the board and then heading offstage over a level crossing. The track below this is the headshunt for the goods
dseagull

dseagull

0
brightspark's Blog

Progress on 76010

Dear Reader, Happy New Year. I do hope that it is not too late?   Here is a short update on Super-Pig 76010. She now sits on the correct number of wheels and pick-ups have been fitted. Brakes and wheel weights have been added to the loco. The tender has still to get its brakes.   The only area that I had trouble with was the front pony truck. The instructions in the Branchline kit show a spring wire going from the front of the pony truck to a point on the chassis above the pivot screw. Th
brightspark

brightspark

3
Fen End Pit's Blog

Electrickery - or just how much electronics goes into a locomotive

So we've now had three major purchases for my Ruston project.   As usual the final drive to the axles will be delrin chain and the actual gearbox is being positioned in the same place as the prototype, central between the two axles and driving to one from the left and the other from the right hand side. I need a gear box with enclosed gears (owing the large amount of sand moved around on Fen End Pit) which ruled out my usual options from High Level. I remembered using on enclosed box on my J39
Fen End Pit

Fen End Pit

2
Shipston-on-Stour Branch

Layout details

A little refinement on the track plan (I have finally got a double slip that fits!) so I am back to a 9'x2' scenic layout plus 4'x2'extension/fiddle yard.   Some late night checking against the historical photos has helped to place foliage on the plan. And the good news is that the trees will help rather than hinder the appearance. The station platform underwent several phases of gardening over the years and the placement of gas lamps also varied, but the optimum 1930s appearance is reasonab
Focalplane

Focalplane

0
Stock for Brent 1947 GWR

GWR D95 part 4

Somehow managed to find a fair bit of modelling time over the weekend, meaning I managed a lot more progress on the coach projects.   First up was the RH D95, The last remaining side was prepared and fitted following the same method as described in Part 3. The only difference being that less material needed to be removed in order to clear the new windows (as a result of not having separate droplights.) I'm guessing these must be amongst Comet’s older kits, as the level of detail is a lot les
The Fatadder

The Fatadder

1
sigtech's Blog

Sproston - finishing off the canopies, and a revamp of the goods yard area.

Apologies for the lack of new 'blogstuff' - but Christmas intervened, along with it getting rather cold in the loft, despite my recent insulation improvements. The main canopy over platforms 1&2 is now in light and dark stone, as is the smaller one covering the parcels lock-up, a few hanging signs in WR colours have been added where seems appropriate.The platform inhabitants are presumably grateful for their new shelter from the elements... For some time I have been unhappy w
sigtech

sigtech

0
Modelu's Workbench

Dukedog variations part I – No.9018

With 5726 waiting on some final bits (smokebox number and shed plate) I thought I'd make a start on the trio of Dukedog's that will feature in the works. At this stage its detailing I'm concentrating on, converting them to P4 will be a challenge for later when I've developed some better skills...! There is a well documented process to convert a Dukedog to EM on Alan Gibson's website, hopefully this could be a good starting point.   The 3 Dukedog's will give some opportunity to model so
alanbuttler

alanbuttler in DETAILING

2
kyle of lochalsh

kyle 2015 - all roads lead to...kyle...

Evening all,   Another heavy week at work lead me to want to get some modelling done this weekend. This followed a lightning 90 minute visit last weekend to the St Albans show to keep the mojo topped up.   Progress has been in the form of fixing the 4 roads to the fiddleyard in place, which has once again put my basic soldering skills to the limit. To aid this process, I have used both Solder paint and red flux from C+L so was feeling a bit light headed after breathing in fumes the last two
bcnPete

bcnPete

11
The Cuckmere Valley Railway

Well Well Well...

It's been many a moon since I did any modelling - aside from a half-finished Tamiya Ford Capri which is still awaiting painting of the bodyshell (unless cross-stitching several Christmas cards counts!)   However, times they are a changing. I last updated in August 2013. Since then we have moved, I started a new job and have subsequently obtained promotion. Leah is now a cheeky little miss of 20 months and we celebrate our third wedding anniversary in July. I'm not really sure where the time ha
dseagull

dseagull

0
Three Shire's Head

The Milk Train

The Milk train   When we think of milk traffic we tend to think of the West Country. I suppose this is down to the fact that this area clung in to rail borne milk traffic when other areas had migrated across to the road. Branches like the Culm Valley remained open almost exclusively for this traffic into the 70s and short diesel hauled formations are burnt on the imagination.   This wasn’t always the case, a quick look through every pre-grouping company’s wagon diagram book will reveal speci
Argos

Argos

1
Sixties Snapshots - 00 scale

Six up – Bachmann Baby Scot with BR Mk1s

My last session featured some of my older models of BR (LMR) steam 4-6-0s. On that occasion I had started to strengthen some of my rakes of coaches and had added additional second class BR Mk1s. Six Up The Hornby ‘Staniers’ are relatively light weight. The Bachmann ‘Portholes’, despite some criticism of the bogie design, I think are free running. Adding an extra Bachmann Mk1 to the ‘Staniers’ and the ‘Portholes’ did not cause any haulage problems on my gradients.     My Bachmann Mk1s ap
Silver Sidelines

Silver Sidelines

18
Coombe Barton

Building the Churchward 45xx Part Three

More on the footplate   Right, so the cleanup.   The brass is usually attacked with a glass fibre brush and that’s quite quick. For excess solder I use gravers. First found out about them from Eileen’s but bought from somewhere else when I was buying other tools (where they cost less) and mounted them in a couple of Axminster file handles. I use the ones made from 1.5mm and 2.5mm square section. A graver is simply a scraper with which you can get into the right angle and get the excess solde
Coombe Barton

Coombe Barton

4
Pen Green Workshops, 4mm Scale

My First Thoughts

I have returned to railway modelling after a number of years away from the hobby, due to work and family commitments. With the aim of building something that I can actually finish and have space for, and starting out with a completely blank canvas, I have settled on a layout based on the Inglenook Sidings shunting puzzle, in 4mm scale. I have started this blog with the intention that it will keep me focussed as I have a habit of not sticking to one idea for very long. My prototype choice is Pen
Jim15B

Jim15B

2
Legomanbiffo's sound Blog

Things that go thump in the night

Well that’s the misery of Christmas over for another year! I actually quite enjoy Christmas itself but two things spoil it for me;   The ridiculous three-month build up, the over-commercialisation of everything, and everyone being on holiday at the same time and clogging up the shops / roads / Post Office etc.   The three things that spoil Christmas for me...   And there’s having your railway time compromised because you have to spend time with family.   Amongst the things that spoil Chr
legomanbiffo

legomanbiffo

0
Northall

Caroline Street - A new adventure – Part 2

Pavement and road are in place. But although the printed version is very good, I prefer to give it a personal touch.     Another problem I had to solve was my way of weathering. When I started using my pastel pencil I noticed some scratching on the surface of printed pavement. So I re-read an article about colouring black and white photographs. In this article the recommended the use of soft pastels. I decided to give that a try. In an art shop I asked some advice and I went home with a sma
Job's Modelling

Job's Modelling

3
Ullypug's tales from the tinking table

14xx - 1454 ready for service

Have had a bit of a modelling spurt and finished off 1454. Should be released to the operating department for Wheal Elizabeth's forthcoming appearance at the Sodbury Vale show on 31 January (though what the engine is doing in that part of Cornwall is anyone's guess...). Minion will be making it debut too. Hmm note to self, must build a new stock box.   Anyhoo, the numberplates and smokebox plates were attached with Johnsons Klear and the final details (buffers, couplings, balance weigh
ullypug

ullypug

7
Barry O's Weathering Blog

More wagons!

Been very busy preparing wagons and vans for weathering. I have built some vans, rewheeled or regauged a number of others, fitted couplings and added transfers as required.   I am just about finished with Fish Vans (5 Cambrian ones are being built with longer wheelbase chassis) so these     LM (Parkside) and   LNE Insulated (Parkside)   are some of the last ones for the time being.   For a changes I have also been working on a train of Ventilated Meat vans. Two were already fin
Barry O

Barry O

0
greslet's Blog

A New Year resolution – back to layout building and blogging

The last blog post was in February 2015 and the last one to do with any progress on the layout is over a year old. 2014 was really a year of no modelling whatsoever. Stevenson Road is still sitting with…<p class="more-link-p"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.railwayblog.kevinappleby.co.uk/a-new-year-resolution-back-to-layout-building-and-blogging-1236/">Readmore ?</a></p>   <a href="http://www.railwayblog.kevinappleby.co.uk/a-new-year-resolution-back-to-layout-
greslet

greslet

0
greslet's Blog

A New Year resolution – back to layout building and blogging

The last blog post was in February 2015 and the last one to do with any progress on the layout is over a year old. 2014 was really a year of no modelling whatsoever. Stevenson Road is still sitting with electrics and track complete but very little else, and the Rede Valley line didn’t run […] The post A New Year resolution – back to layout building and blogging appeared first on Rede Valley Railway.
greslet

greslet

0
greslet's Blog

A New Year resolution – back to layout building and blogging

The last blog post was in February 2015 and the last one to do with any progress on the layout is over a year old. 2014 was really a year of no modelling whatsoever. Stevenson Road is still sitting with electrics and track complete but very little else, and the Rede Valley line didn’t run […] The post A New Year resolution – back to layout building and blogging appeared first on Rede Valley Railway.
greslet

greslet

0

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    • MikeOxon
      10ft (3m) Driving Wheels

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      Thank you, Jeremy.  Those underslung springs were not unusual.  Early locomotives often used the boiler as a main structural member.  It led to difficulty when designing the Firefly replica, which has extra supports to meet current safety criteria.   I know that at least one early engine was rejected by Brunel because it was supplied with a single central buffer.  I suspect it took a while for these dimensions to be standardised.
    • Jeremy Cumberland
      10ft (3m) Driving Wheels

      By Jeremy Cumberland · Posted

      Impressive.   You say that the locomotive as per Lane's drawing had the footplate too high for Viper's tender, but surely it also has front buffers too high for other rolling stock. Were the front buffers not intended for use with other vehicles?   What do you reckon to the driving wheel spring and axlebox in Lane's drawing? Apart from the arrangement of the leaves, it looks as if the driving wheels are supported by the loco frame rather than the locomotive bearing down upon
    • bcnPete
      Kyle - an update...and a visit at last...

      By bcnPete · Posted

      Many thanks Mike - yes Scotland is indeed beautiful...in all weathers!   Interest in Kyle....hmmm...where do I begin!   I guess a number of reasons - I am an 1/8 Scottish so I guess part is in my DNA. A few trips up to Scotland over the years and I guess a love of the interesting small trains especially in the BR Blue era.   Kyle came about as my 2mmFS china clay layout layout was expanded too quickly so I became a bit bored with it...even though china clay seems to
    • Yan
      Post Scaleforum 2024

      By Yan · Posted

      Thank you for leaving the comments and thoughts guys, much appreciated.   Both Butley Mills and Ditchling Green are with new owners that are currently refurbishing them. Even the modelling skill and composition still shine through, so they were both well worth seeing in the flesh. One of Iain Rice's layouts I'd like to get the opportunity to see is Trerice.
    • BarryP
      Post Scaleforum 2024

      By BarryP · Posted

      It's good to see so many positive reviews of a model railway exhibition. I did dabble in S4/P4 way back and Iain Rice's writings were inspirational. I saw Butley Mills when it was first shown at Scaleforum in 1987 and I loved it. Gordon Gravett's models are fabulous and I would love to see them in the flesh, as it were. I did visit two shows specifically to see the magnificent "Pempoul" layout that the Gravetts built, that was the finest I've ever seen. I'm dabbling in "O" Gauge and an opportuni

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