Great Southern Railway (Fictitious) - Looking North

[Skinnylinny]

You know what they say - "A change is as good as a rest" - I'm definitely going for a change today. Writing from the train to a job interview for a full time position, except this one is a) not in Edinburgh and b) not in the aviation industry. It's unlikely I'll get the position, but I can hope. If I do get it, perks of the job include fresh air, natural light and an hour of commute a day in which I can catch up on reading (this being something I miss doing, but can't usually manage on a 20-minutes bus ride - just not long enough to really get into it).

 

Wish me luck!

[sem34090]

Wish me luck!

That I, and I suspect many others here, do!

 

Good luck!

 

I must admit that whilst commuting is a bit of a grind at times I find it a good time to engage in such activities as reading and occasionally even modelling.

[JCL]

Good luck Linny, I hope the interview went well.

[Edwardian]

Here's hoping it went well.

[Skinnylinny]

I think it went well - the interviewer did say I was the most qualified for the role, and it looks like an interesting job, but it is quite far away from home (Livingston, for those who know the Central Belt of Scotland well) - it'd need a bus to the nearest station here, a train, and then a 25 minute walk to get to the place. The hours are also tricky - late starts (yay!) but also late finishes. Late enough that I'd miss the last train home by over an hour. I'm currently waiting to hear back, and casually looking at whether I could rent somewhere in Livingston.

 

As for the job? Maintaining the machinery that keeps a bowling alley working. Hands-on, climbing around machinery, keeping things going job. Just the sort of change I think I need right now.

And now we wait...

[JCL]

Well good luck Linny, I hope it all works out for you. I've got my fingers crossed here.

 

On less important things, those brakes. As you say, MDF would break if bent, but oiled board would generally just bend. Is it worth seeing if a couple of laminations of that would work instead?

[RedGemAlchemist]

Good luck mate. Knowing the job market these days you'll need it as I'd expect over a dozen other people also want that job.

[Andy Hayter]

Good luck my friend

[Skinnylinny]

Well good luck Linny, I hope it all works out for you. I've got my fingers crossed here.

 

On less important things, those brakes. As you say, MDF would break if bent, but oiled board would generally just bend. Is it worth seeing if a couple of laminations of that would work instead?

Thank you - we'll have to see how this one goes! 

 

The oiled board is an interesting thought. I bought a sheet with my last order from 4D Models, but with the laser cutter being unavailable for most of the day at the moment, I've not had a chance to experiment with it yet. I'll hopefully have about a week of free time after Christmas in which I can investigate. Thanks for the tip!

[Skinnylinny]

Ye gods, I've actually managed to do some non-computer-based modelling today!

 

Today was my last day of work before the Christmas holiday (twelve days - how I miss the holidays from when I was in education!) and after work I headed off to the local model shop to stock up on supplies for the holiday in the hopes of doing some actual modelling. After picking up paint and glue, I wandered through to the model railway department and spotted a couple of the Hornby 3- and 5-plank wagons on the new-tooling wooden underframe. I grabbed one (for £12 - haven't wagon prices increased!) to investigate, and I'm impressed. The brake gear is much finer, there is a proper transverse shaft (spoiled slightly by the split in the middle to align the NEM socket centring springs) and the V hanger is no longer that weird shape, set back from the solebar. Turned metal buffer heads (not sprung) finish off the model nicely. I posed the new one "Cosy Fires" with one of the older mouldings "S J Moreland" for comparison [edit: just noticed that I didn't put the body on the older version straight! Sorry].

 

The underside view shows off the new tooling even more:

 

 

However, that lovely private owner livery wasn't to last for long! A quick coat of GSR freight grey (better known as Railmatch Roof Dirt) gave this:

 

 

The van behind the open in the above photo was also lettered tonight, having started life as a Hornby Hull & Barnsley van (you know, the ones that were a staple of train sets in garish colours labelled as containing Fresh Fish or Prime Pork). It has been fitted onto a Dapol wooden solebar chassis, and has had additional outside framing added from Plastruct. This, I think, disguises its origings pretty well while still giving me a nice outside-framed van.

While rummaging around in the projects box for some other bits and pieces, I came across a rather battered Mainline conflat. Now, I've got hold of a Guildford-based removals container, and don't currently have anything to put it on. Cue a few minutes removing the chain pockets and some of the tie-down points, and I have a quick-and-easy steel-underframe container/machinery wagon. This is seen below along with a repainted Mainline cattle wagon (well, they're not *quite* right for any actual real ones, right? Why not add them to the fictitious railway?)

 

Along with the laser-cut LBSCR goods stock, my bashed-about GSR freight rolling stock is increasing. I can now assemble the below train of finished, painted and lettered wagons, with a few more in the works.


(apologies for the poor quality of this photo - my phone doesn't much like artificial light, and we're desperately short of sunlight in Edinburgh at the moment - this being the shortest day of the year, we got just under 7 hours of sunlight today... )

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by Skinnylinny

[Edwardian]

Ye gods, I've actually managed to do some non-computer-based modelling today!

 

Today was my last day of work before the Christmas holiday (twelve days - how I miss the holidays from when I was in education!) and after work I headed off to the local model shop to stock up on supplies for the holiday in the hopes of doing some actual modelling. After picking up paint and glue, I wandered through to the model railway department and spotted a couple of the Hornby 3- and 5-plank wagons on the new-tooling wooden underframe. I grabbed one (for £12 - haven't wagon prices increased!) to investigate, and I'm impressed. The brake gear is much finer, there is a proper transverse shaft (spoiled slightly by the split in the middle to align the NEM socket centring springs) and the V hanger is no longer that weird shape, set back from the solebar. Turned metal buffer heads (not sprung) finish off the model nicely. I posed the new one "Cosy Fires" with one of the older mouldings "S J Moreland" for comparison [edit: just noticed that I didn't put the body on the older version straight! Sorry].

 

IMG_20181221_182316217.jpg

 

The underside view shows off the new tooling even more:

 

IMG_20181221_182355742.jpg

 

However, that lovely private owner livery wasn't to last for long! A quick coat of GSR freight grey (better known as Railmatch Roof Dirt) gave this:

 

IMG_20181221_212520043.jpg

 

The van behind the open in the above photo was also lettered tonight, having started life as a Hornby Hull & Barnsley van (you know, the ones that were a staple of train sets in garish colours labelled as containing Fresh Fish or Prime Pork). It has been fitted onto a Dapol wooden solebar chassis, and has had additional outside framing added from Plastruct. This, I think, disguises its origings pretty well while still giving me a nice outside-framed van.

 

While rummaging around in the projects box for some other bits and pieces, I came across a rather battered Mainline conflat. Now, I've got hold of a Guildford-based removals container, and don't currently have anything to put it on. Cue a few minutes removing the chain pockets and some of the tie-down points, and I have a quick-and-easy steel-underframe container/machinery wagon. This is seen below along with a repainted Mainline cattle wagon (well, they're not *quite* right for any actual real ones, right? Why not add them to the fictitious railway?)

 

IMG_20181221_213914766.jpg

 

Along with the laser-cut LBSCR goods stock, my bashed-about GSR freight rolling stock is increasing. I can now assemble the below train of finished, painted and lettered wagons, with a few more in the works.

 

IMG_20181221_212347701~2.jpg

(apologies for the poor quality of this photo - my phone doesn't much like artificial light, and we're desperately short of sunlight in Edinburgh at the moment - this being the shortest day of the year, we got just under 7 hours of sunlight today... )

 

 

 

Excellent wagons.  Was considering the old H&B body myself.  Like what you've done there.

[Ian Simpson]

Wow, what a difference a paint job makes!  And those other wagons look wonderful, Linny.

 

Anyway, Happy Christmas to you, and to all your readers!

[Annie]

The old H&B van Hornby body was said to be quite accurate and has been made use of by 'serious' railway modellers quite a bit over the years who have done exactly what you have done Linny and put a decent underframe on it.

[NeilHB]

Glad to see you posting on here again Linny - shall keep my fingers crossed re the job for you.

 

The new wagons look very good, and the alterations to the H&B van are rather nicely done. Looks much better on the new underframe.

[Skinnylinny]

Thanks to all for the kind words. I actually ended up staying up rather later last night, as I was being productive and really in the mood for modelling (which is usually a good sign that the dog is starting to retreat). I have had one of the newer Hornby GWR horseboxes for a while, but never really did anything with it. It's been to two swapmeets in the hope of being sold, but to no avail. So, having seen Nile's modifications of the Lima GWR horsebox, I thought I'd have a bit more of a "hack and slash" attempt.

Before I started: one Hornby horsebox - missing a few corner footsteps (I still have two - these will go to the end with the footsteps up to roof level) and a broken buffer. However, the chassis has a lot of very nicely modelled brake gear, of which I'd like to keep as much as possible. The poor, unsuspecting model:



It's very long - much too large for a horsebox running around in the 1900s. I can probably lose those cupboards at each end... A razor saw and scalpel made quick work of removing these:



The moulded doors made it much easier to get neat, straight cuts. Now, some slicing through the roof, and butting the parts together before plonking on an old Hornby wagon chassis gives this:



It feels a bit tall (although it is the same height as the Hornby short clerestory coaches used by the GSR for their mainline services), but a new chassis (to include the rather nice Hornby Mansell wheels) should take care of that, and I'll need to cut some panelling/beading for the groom's compartment (I love the laser cutter!) but it's already looking a lot more suitable. I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.
 

Edited December 22, 2018 by Skinnylinny

[mikeandnel]

Thanks to all for the kind words. I actually ended up staying up rather later last night, as I was being productive and really in the mood for modelling (which is usually a good sign that the dog is starting to retreat). I have had one of the newer Hornby GWR horseboxes for a while, but never really did anything with it. It's been to two swapmeets in the hope of being sold, but to no avail. So, having seen Nile's modifications of the Lima GWR horsebox, I thought I'd have a bit more of a "hack and slash" attempt.

 

Before I started: one Hornby horsebox - missing a few corner footsteps (I still have two - these will go to the end with the footsteps up to roof level) and a broken buffer. However, the chassis has a lot of very nicely modelled brake gear, of which I'd like to keep as much as possible. The poor, unsuspecting model:

 

IMG_20181221_225818798.jpg

 

It's very long - much too large for a horsebox running around in the 1900s. I can probably lose those cupboards at each end... A razor saw and scalpel made quick work of removing these:

 

IMG_20181221_232058685.jpg

 

The moulded doors made it much easier to get neat, straight cuts. Now, some slicing through the roof, and butting the parts together before plonking on an old Hornby wagon chassis gives this:

 

IMG_20181222_003533707.jpg

 

It feels a bit tall (although it is the same height as the Hornby short clerestory coaches used by the GSR for their mainline services), but a new chassis (to include the rather nice Hornby Mansell wheels) should take care of that, and I'll need to cut some panelling/beading for the groom's compartment (I love the laser cutter!) but it's already looking a lot more suitable. I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

 

 

Hello Linney

Like many others I have used the Hull & Barnsley van in a number of variants, including the H & B one itself.

However I note all the Terry Pratchett books behind the rolling stock.

Like you, I have all his books and read them from book 1 to book 23, and then read them over again. I am on my fourth read round at the moment (on Jingo)

Michael

[Compound2632]

Thanks to all for the kind words. I actually ended up staying up rather later last night, as I was being productive and really in the mood for modelling (which is usually a good sign that the dog is starting to retreat). I have had one of the newer Hornby GWR horseboxes for a while, but never really did anything with it. It's been to two swapmeets in the hope of being sold, but to no avail. So, having seen Nile's modifications of the Lima GWR horsebox, I thought I'd have a bit more of a "hack and slash" attempt.

 

Before I started: one Hornby horsebox - missing a few corner footsteps (I still have two - these will go to the end with the footsteps up to roof level) and a broken buffer. However, the chassis has a lot of very nicely modelled brake gear, of which I'd like to keep as much as possible. The poor, unsuspecting model:

 

IMG_20181221_225818798.jpg

 

It's very long - much too large for a horsebox running around in the 1900s. I can probably lose those cupboards at each end... A razor saw and scalpel made quick work of removing these:

 

IMG_20181221_232058685.jpg

 

The moulded doors made it much easier to get neat, straight cuts. Now, some slicing through the roof, and butting the parts together before plonking on an old Hornby wagon chassis gives this:

 

IMG_20181222_003533707.jpg

 

It feels a bit tall (although it is the same height as the Hornby short clerestory coaches used by the GSR for their mainline services), but a new chassis (to include the rather nice Hornby Mansell wheels) should take care of that, and I'll need to cut some panelling/beading for the groom's compartment (I love the laser cutter!) but it's already looking a lot more suitable. I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

 

 

That's the ticket! Much more convincingly pre-Grouping than Nile's, I hope he will forgive me for saying. Horseboxes did tend to be higher-sided than the run of passenger stock, on account of horses being tall, but a further touch would be to lose the multi-radiused roof in favour of a plain low arc.

[Skinnylinny]

That's an interesting point - I'm used to the BR Mk1 horseboxes from the club layouts, which are, of course to the standard BR Mk1 profile. Changing the roof would be tricky - it is an integral moulding with the bodyside, and is providing a large amount of the structural strength of the model. ,The elliptical roof also matches the coaching stock, being simply higher-mounted as it doesn't include a clerestory. Perhaps if I lower the body by about 1mm on the chassis (by providing an overhang) that might work. Anyway, all this will have to wait until after Christmas, as I'm away from home, with only less-messy modelling projects. On which note...

 

A very merry and peaceful Christmas to all, and a very happy New Year. May both come with plenty of time for modelling and spending time with loved ones.

Linny

 

[P.S. apologies for the incorrect number on the D class - 178, of course, being a P-class 0-6-0 tank engine!]

[Annie]

Merry Christmas Linny and all the very best for the new year.

[sem34090]

Have a good one my friend!

[Skinnylinny]

First of all, I'd like to open by saying that I hope everyone's had a peaceful and relaxing Christmas. Today is a day of relaxing modelling (although, given I'm staying away from home, I'll be avoiding the more noxious-smelling solvents), and it's given me some time to think about the lasering business. Given that I don't know when (or if) I'll be able to access the laser cutter within reasonable hours, and I don't even know if I'll be based in Edinburgh in a month's time(!), I've taken the decision to stop taking in new orders or commissions. I'll probably still take orders from folk I know, on the basis that they may take a lot longer than usual to get finished, but I'm already quite a way behind where I should be in terms of commissions, and it's getting disheartening.

I'm also finding it hard to focus on writing instructions at the moment - I'm currently waiting to hear back from the NHS mental health department I've been referred to. The black dog is one thing, but my ability to concentrate (and my memory) have been getting worse and worse, both at work and home, and my energy levels (which usually dip in the winter) have been lower even than usual for this time of year. As a child, I had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder, and was medicated for it. I know this is a contentious condition, but I will say that without that medication, I would probably never even have got into high school, let alone university and beyond. I came off the medication about 7 years ago, and when I spoke to my doctor earlier this month about potentially returning to it, I was informed that generally adults over 20 are not prescribed the same medication that helped me so much, with more emphasis being placed on coping mechanisms and working within ones limits. I've been referred to a local specialist, but was given no expected waiting time beyond "some time next year" (2019). This is, as I'm sure you can imagine, somewhat frustrating.
 

I'll definitely be continuing with the GSR projects, and the laser-cutting for myself, and I'll probably be ok to do small runs for folks I know (if you're reading this and have chatted on this thread, that means you!) but I don't know when (or if) the business will return. A big thank you to all who have supported it.

[Ian Simpson]

Hang on in there, Linny! I do hope the NHS steps up with something useful soon; having to wait months with such a crippling condition would be appalling. 

 

You're absolutely right to avoid stressing about kits for us at the moment. Selfishly I hope you'll want to return to the kits one day, because you have such a gift for making brilliant models. I'm really looking forward to reading about progress on the GSR. 

 

Wishing you (and in fact, all of us) a much better New Year!  

[Annie]

Coping with any kind of debilitating condition is no fun Linny and my heart goes out to you.  Hopefully it won't be too long before you can be seen by the specialist, though as I know myself sometimes the wait can be longer than what's ideal.  You are doing the right thing though with cutting back on obligations and keeping things as simple as possible.

[stephennicholson]

Linny, I thought I would share this pic of a diorama I am building for a club competition featuring your box van kit. May I also join with others on this thread wishing you all our best wishes.

(Sem3409 - how are you getting on with your diorama, now you have had a sneak preview of the competition! Not long now)

[RedGemAlchemist]

Speaking as someone who has had more than his fair share of mental health issues, I fully sympathise with what you're going through. I wish you all the best as always, and always remember that we're here for you if things start getting to you.

 

Hang in there mate. We're all in this life together.