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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
    • 3,303 views
Bw Leipzig Hbf West

Road and Rail

Evening all...   Having run another couple of errands at uni today, I again found myself wanting to spend some time railfanning before meeting up with SWMBO. Unfortunately, lighting conditions deteriorated quickly, militating against snapping moving trains. However, there are two images worth posting on here...       In the sidings on the far side of Southern Station, I noticed this Mercedes Actros road-rail lorry, outfitted for tunnel inspections. Assuming it was there in preparation fo
NGT6 1315

NGT6 1315

0
Hydraulic Heaven

More Coal

Some further experiments based on the 'ask the audience' responses from last time with those mineral wagons.   First the 'house coal' sized stuff.   The outer two have heaps added using Das clay to look something like the grab loaded wagons visible in photos of Kingswear (which were probably destined for Torquay gasworks, but never mind). The coal is stuck on using Jerry's tip of mixing black acrylic with the PVA which seems to cover up the whiteness of the Das quite nicely.   Left to righ
D869

D869

11
cornish trains jez's Blog

Weathering Farish Mk1's with MIG powders

Good evening all,   I'm getting a little more confident with these MIG powders now and have spent the last few nights weathering 2 MK1 GUV's, a MK1 BG and a MK1 CK.   I have used a combination of black smoke and Vietnam earth around the door hinges using a wet brush to allow it to run into the door grooves. Then a mixture of Vietnam earth, industrial city dirt, standard rust and black smoke to weather the sides to a varying degree. The roof has also been weathered using a mixture of the firs
cornish trains jez

cornish trains jez

18
Box in a box

Box In A Box - Mk2!

Decision made, 5mm foamboard purchased - time to start cutting! As many will appreciate, foamboard is extremely light (good) and somewhat flexible (bad!) so using it for baseboards tends to indicate it needs bracing... Design parameters were for the boards to be 750mm x 300mm, the sides to be 100mm deep, with the baseboard top at 75mm. Using 5mm board this left 20mm below the bed for (simple) electronics, signal and point actuating mechanisms.   Each board would have 3 supporting cross-memb
scanman

scanman

6
Stock for Brent 1947 GWR

2220 a high level chassis

Finally a real start on the next chassis, having been thoroughly driven mad by 5512's outside cylinders   The body is nearly finished, just waiting on some etched buffer beams and a few other small details. So it is onto the chassis   This will be my first attempt at a csb chassis, and will also be using the new high level 3mm bearings   I have used the csb jig from high level along with the clag website for the spacings. Typically on marking out the second pivot is over a spacer so a bi
The Fatadder

The Fatadder

12
Will J's Random Adventures in N Gauge

Nearly 50 shades of sky blue......

A brief entry this evening, but I havent popped up to say hello since Christmas, hopefully more to come soon...   I had been troubled by my Victoria Bridge diorama basking under a mediterannean sky that seemed a little bright, the blue a fair bit too intense. My plan is for the scene to suggest a bright but breezy day in September, around SVR Autumn Gala time, which will allow for the parade of pacifics and demonstration freights that are always crowd pleasers at exhibitions.   (The 'modern
Will J

Will J

6
TomE's N Gauge Modelling

Ropley - 50 Shades of Brown

Landscaping for the rear embankment is now complete.   Hi All.   Things are moving slowing down at small scale Ropley at the moment, significantly slower than at the real location it seems! You may remember a while back that I was considering whether to keep up with the changing scene at Ropley and model the ex Kings Cross footbridge which is now in the final stages of being installed across the yard. It now seems that some significant tree clearance is taking place along the top of the
TomE

TomE

11
What have I let myself in for??

The hunt has begun

Now I appreciate that winter services into Skaleby West are rather infrequent, but is that really an excuse for a couple of members of the local gentry to use the track bed to exercise their steads? I wonder what those passengers, sat on the platform waiting for the next service, thought about the arrival of a couple of members of the Skaleby Hunt as they passed through the station in the "four foot". Considering Skaleby West station is built on land within the estate of Skaleby Manor, perhaps
andyram

andyram

0
GWMark's Workbench Blog

Let the lining commence - GT3 progresses slowly

Partly because of lack of time and partly because I have allowed myself to be sidetracked onto other things progress has been a little slow on GT3 since my little burst at Christmas. I did manage to repaint the grills, giving them a wash of aluminium and then dry brushing the green over the top in an attempt to make the discs behind the grill show up better. I think I have got the effect I want, but it does need toning down a little, by the whole thing will need that at the end.   So grills an
GWMark

GWMark

0
Tim H's Blog - Where Nations Collide

Where Nations Collide

This is an ambitious project, which is an attempt to combine my British and Swiss modelling interests in a single layout. The idea is for a fixed track plan that will work either as a British or a Swiss outline layout, with scenery and buidings as swappable modules to enable the layout to be run in either mode. Time will tell whether or not this approach will actually work or not, but the intention is an operation-based layout rather than a exhibition-quality display layout.   It centres aroun
Tim H

Tim H

2
petertg's Blog

Hope renewed

I have decided to add a new piece to my blog although, after reading all the blogs where people build all their own stuff I get the impression that, in football terms, you all are in the Premier League and I am low down in a half-holiday league (if such thing still exists).   However, being no angel, I will rush in. I want to update my DCC equipment but I can't make the investment until it is reasonably possible to play trains with what I have got and it seemed that the track was still full of
petertg

petertg

1
Fen End Pit's Blog

Laser cut buildings - cancel the order for string*

Taking up macrame has been deferred for another day. Thanks to everyone for their words of help and encouragement.   I went into Makespace this afternoon and cut three new buildings to try painting. I now have two complete buildings, one in grey primer and the other in red oxide. I've also got the bits for a third and a couple of spare walls.     I tried a couple of paint finishes on a spare wall, The middle section is just Halford's red oxide. The top section has had a wash of water colo
Fen End Pit

Fen End Pit

6
Argos' Blog

Mr Thompsons Finest brake third - Part I and the first loco

Modelling has been slow of late as work and life intrude into modelling time. In order to get some stock ready for the final track laying (and to have something to play with! ) a start has been made on the etched pixels Thompson brake third kit received for Christmas.   Kit contents:-     As can be seen the kit is a combination of etched sides and 3d printed body which should make for an easy build.   Progress after a couple of hours of modelling:-       Having carefully solder
Argos

Argos

6
wiggoforgold's Diddington blog

Brake Vans

I havent done a blog entry for a while. I suffered a detatched retina in my left eye a couple of yearsago. I recoved from that, was about to post a blog entry, and I suffered a detatched retina in the right eye, so everything has been on hold until I could see the keyboard. I have managed to do a bit of modelling though, although I've got a number of unfinished projects where I can't yet see clealrly enough to do fine work, such as the EE type 3 which has been awaiting bogie brake cylinders for
wiggoforgold

wiggoforgold

4
halfwit's Wondrous Wagons!

RT Models Hudson Tipper - part 2.

The tipper body is now complete and ready for a coat of primer. To get it this far I've punched out 244 rivets and soldered no less than 24 seperate etched detail parts onto the body. All this results in a highly detailed body, the bar has been set high for any future RT Models etched wagon kits!   Here's a few images of the build;     In the pic. above you can see that the lower bodyside 'u' channel has been folded and soldered in place, followed by the base of the 'T' channel above it,
halfwit

halfwit

5
Dave Holt's Blog

Delph - Point rodding progress

Recent progress has been rather slow and has included cosmetic point stretcher bars on all the points forming the main station throat and a start on the point rodding in the same area. Of course, at the real place, there wasn't much point rodding because the signal box had been removed in the early 1900's and subsequently the points were operated by local levers. However, in my model I've reinstated the box and so rodding and signal wire runs are required. The rodding run connects the box to the
Dave Holt

Dave Holt

0
A return to 4mm- having tried everything else!!

Time to revisit the borders?

Though its hard to believe sometimes that I started the Deadwater layout in 2006/7 and thats now erm a long time ago: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10949   I recall converting various type 2 diesels to EM and being hopeful I may be able to get suitable stock to run a more accurate ( ie when the line actually WAS open) period - most of the suitable things of the time were the ex mainline split chassis models.   Its hard to believe there is now not only RTR ex LNER non-gangway
Russ (mines a pint)

Russ (mines a pint)

5
Engine Wood

Callow Lane - part-relief factory building

Whilst waiting to pluck up courage to go out to the shed and turn the hot air heater on - in order to spray the new Skaledale water tower red oxide - I've built one of the last remaining structures needed for the layout, a part-relief corner of a factory, to go up against the backscene. The location of this structure is shown on the layout plan below:   The factory is meant to go right alongside the line from the chocolate factory, which in turn is hemmed in by the end of the row of cottages
Captain Kernow

Captain Kernow

6
Paternosterrow

Cheslyn - 1914

The history of our railways is what really interests me. Its organic nature, one that has seen it evolve from private ownership to state and back to the half and half measure the system is subject to today, is a fascinating subject to study. The fact that Great Britain gave birth to the railway and, in doing so, has consequently had to make to do and mend with a very old system is testament to the pragmatic nature and engineering skill of the British. After all, who’d have thought it possible
PaternosterRow

PaternosterRow

11
riksoc's Blog

Hornby dublo locos and decoders

Hi, I have fitted a 1amp decoder (Lenz) to a two rail Hornby Dublo loco but it takes a lot of pwer to get it started and then will only run slowly if the controller (ZTC 515) is set at about 75% open.   I have tried setting CV 2 to 80 but that makes no difference to the performance - any ideas?
riksoc

riksoc

3
Fen End Pit's Blog

Laser cut buildings - time to take up Macrame*

*This is the standing joke in my house when model railways become just too difficult.   I'm in the dumps as no matter what I try I just can't get a brick finish I'm happy with, I can see now why I stuck to using Scalescenes for so long, I just can't paint brickwork.   The desk is covered with dozens of little laser cut test sheds which are going to end up in the bin very soon at this rate.     I've tried painting a brick colour in Enamel and using an Acrylic to run the mortar into the c
Fen End Pit

Fen End Pit

9

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  • Blog Comments

    • Neal Ball
      Autocoach upgrade

      By Neal Ball · Posted

      Maybe with the new bottle, I should have sent it back…
    • MikeOxon
      A Tender for Viper

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      Thank you Annie - I really enjoy re-creating these early engines.  It would have been impossible if the young Edward Lane had not taken a liking to them in the yard at Swindon.  By then, most of them had been superseded by later designs, such as Firefly, but he must have had a sense of 'history'.
    • The Fatadder
      Autocoach upgrade

      By The Fatadder · Posted

      If the IPA is not removing paint, a good trick is to warm it up which makes it more effective.   Though like you say after a number of uses it does loose its potency, I recently had to change mine after it got to the point where it was barely touching the paint 
    • MikeOxon
      A Tender for Viper

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      Thank you Chris - I think it's lovely too!  The Lane drawing was probably made in around 1848, ten years after this engine was delivered and after its time on the South Devon. As my final sentence suggested, I am now looking hard at 'Ajax' which had similar-looking solid wheels.
    • MikeOxon
      A Tender for Viper

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      My impression from the sketch was of a round section and I think the way they are arranged to slide through those supports works best of they were.  Round rods were often used on early engines when flat strip came later - possible driven by the availability of steel.

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