Chippenham - The Work Bench

[AlfaZagato]

Probably the best use of an online meeting I'm aware of.

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Scrap box challenge, well not really just using some left overs from the build and crapped out glazing. waste not want not.

 

Rough simulation of the brake gear type things to stash under the chassis and only to give an indication of, rather than highly detailed. Brake linages will be added to the swivel thingy once it is all painted in and in place.

 

 

Probably the roughest looking and built under parts ever certainly in my stock.

[MrWolf]

Better to have some suggestion that something is beneath the underframe than to have it completely obvious by its absence I think.

The swivel thingy is the fulcrum arm of a "Z Linkage" (Standard mechanical movements)

[Bluemonkey presents....]

10 hours ago, MrWolf said:

The swivel thingy is the fulcrum arm of a "Z Linkage" (Standard mechanical movements)

Thank you appreciate it, I seem to have a mental block on anything merely mechanical.

[57xx]

21 hours ago, Bluemonkey presents.... said:

Almost forgot the handrails for the step end of the coach so quickly bent a couple during an online meeting 😏 

 

Bonus points if you left the camera on 😁

[Bluemonkey presents....]

2 hours ago, 57xx said:

Bonus points if you left the camera on 😁

 

Sadly I didn't but I have a presentation to deliver next week as part of my training, on a topic of my choice. Possibly a quick demo 

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Splash of black and you wouldn't know it was just scrap plastic, probably.

 

 

Now for the bogies! Might be tempted to add the off centre step under the guard's door as pictured on coach #933. We'll see, I'm lazy after all.

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Bogies have been butchered appropriately. Just need to shorten one of the lengths to marry the spikey bits on the side.

 

 

I will be adding the small step in the middle of the coach each side as it does add a little extra and the overall finished coach may need it 😏

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Bogies shortened and re-shortened to fit. Paint touched up. All done, coach numbers and GWR lettering on order from railtech, so should be finished by the weekend.

 

    

 

 

Oooops no it isn't I have forgotten the additional guards step each side. Something to do before the trannies arrive! That little detail could be left out as it seem many didn't have it but number 933 does have the step and it will make it that bit different from the original kit.

[MrWolf]

That looks very good, another relic rescued. I'm tempted to dig mine out and sort it out properly, but the layout needs to take precedence for now. 🤔

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Last lot of pictures for the K15, I promise! It is finished or at least as far as I will be going.

 

Having bent up and soldered some scrap to for the guard steps these were painted and located by drilling the chassis frame and gluing in place.

 

 

The GWR coach transfers arrived in double quick time from @railtec-models and are just the ticket.

 

Ready for the storage box. Managed to sneak a couple of PO wagon builds in whilst completing the little jobs as well, always a bous.

 

    

 

    

 

 

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Well my friends it appears the Black Dog has been very busy or at least the pack have. I am a stalker of many familiar threads of this parish and there seems to be a little bit of a pandemic, is it the weather? I too have had some serious battles recently. What with a change of job and professional redirection that seems to have not paid off to numerous $%£%$ ups with building projects and having to chase morons and imbeciles constantly, I can honestly say, hand on heart, modelling (albeit very little) has kept me a float. That and a crate or two of scrumpy 😏

 

A few of my favoured Cambrian, Powsides and Slaters pre-printed wagon kits have been bodged out from stash to completed storage. I won't post pics as they are basically a generic plastic wagon kit with pre-print sides. The only skill involved is that not to destroy the printing whilst gluing everything together and to get the blasted bearings to sit nicely.

 

I also had this little number in the stash for a transfer project, creating local PO wagon liveries, I dont have the knowledge or skills for this so will have to do the odd one using HMRS PO letters and numbers. My initial thoughts were to clean up and glue together possibly soldering the bearings to the W-irons. That went out the window and I ended up soldering the entire lot as it kept saying "Give me heat and molten metal!"

 

    

 

 

A real nice kit to put together. Needed an hour to clean the parts and then a decent afternoon soldering. Finishing off a couple of details parts in plastic this afternoon. I swapped the whitemetal brake lever of a plastic one in the bits box as this seemed more robust. The brakes and associated brake gear needs a lot of manipulation with a file and knife but turn out ok. After priming it was clear that the corner strapping required a filer to give the appearance of a solid unit and not one of separate parts. That is the benefit of priming a model with a critical eye and the expectation of extra work. Here's the filler picture, re-primed and the strapping is passable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

The metaphorical black dog does seem to be haunting many of us. Which is odd because: The black dog is meant to be a spirit guide for lost souls and every real dog I have owned has been mostly black and I do miss owning a dog!

Well, you don't really own them, they're actually a flatmate who doesn't get stoned and pinch all your bread to make cheese on toast.

I have been a bit down of late, the past has been trying to force it's way into the present, but Miss Riding Hood, who perhaps knows the doom better than I, has done a marvelous job of distracting me..

I'm currently helping manage a very strange night, An audience with Bez, ex Happy Mondays and SWMBO is running the bar, quite an entertaining night, but your post is making me think that I should pick up a pizza for two on the way home (only about 500 yards!) and get those GWR T3 signal wagons finished. 😎

[Tim Dubya]

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

The metaphorical black dog does seem to be haunting many of us. Which is odd because: The black dog is meant to be a spirit guide for lost souls and every real dog I have owned has been mostly black and I do miss owning a dog!

 

Me too ATM but I do fortunately get to see my dad's dog a couple of times a week.  Extra mirtazapine for tea has also helped but has dried up the creative juices.  Perhaps cheese on toast and a bong might help.

 

[Bluemonkey presents....]

With the loft works slowly coming to an end and there being a very distant green light at the end of Box tunnel for my Chippenham layout it appears my modelling mind and direction is somewhat meandering towards a military influence. This will not change the proposed station track plan (I spent too long agonising over which decade as the station had a few changes over the years) but more of what I build.

Due to the ongoing loft upgrade I have been 'forced' to visualise stock levels (both R-T-R and kits) as everything has been located together for the first time. I think it could be time to make some tough decisions!

I have the breakdown train to complete with an inspection coach and a few ballast wagons to finish the permanent way stock (I think). I certainly have a full mail train to build as this went through Bristol and on to London via Chippenham (from memory). I am a slow modeller and I have enough PO wagons to be able to make one a week for a couple of years not to mention all the other 'none standard' freight kits along with a layout which will need complete scratch builds for all buildings.

I find myself looking at all the kit boxes and packets (daily) wondering, when and how? I feel a cull is desperately due especially of the loco kits, as these will take me even longer than the brass freight. I need to sit down and have a very long rational thinking session, if I am to be able to realistically engage in this long awaited layout build.

Firstly I feel I need to decide; What is hoped for? What is achievable? What is obviously excess and what is probably excess? More importantly; What can I manage? What can I realistically complete in order to enjoy a layout? 

 

Is it too early for a whisky?!!!!

[Mikkel]

Hi Matt, just been catching up. I recognise your sentiments in the above posts. The modelling helps give us peace, but at the same can seem overwhelming when you look at all the work ahead. Small layouts are one answer, but don't please everyone.

 

Could you delimit in other ways. E.g do you need a full timetable of trains for the proposed station? Or even all types of train? Not necessarily, maybe?

 

Hope you enjoyed the whisky; I'm going to have one now 🙂

 

[Bluemonkey presents....]

2 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Hi Matt, just been catching up. I recognise your sentiments in the above posts. The modelling helps give us peace, but at the same can seem overwhelming when you look at all the work ahead. Small layouts are one answer, but don't please everyone.

 

Could you delimit in other ways. E.g do you need a full timetable of trains for the proposed station? Or even all types of train? Not necessarily, maybe?

 

Hope you enjoyed the whisky; I'm going to have one now 🙂

 

 

Cheers, my friend. I am currently enjoying a drop of Jura 10 years. I think the cheapest of the range but nonetheless I am enjoying it and not educated in such things it will do me. Also enjoy a drop of the Irish Tullamore Dew, again a cheap one but I like it. 🍻

 

Unfortunately my stock ranges from late 1800s to 1940s, I have my red range all the way to my WWII tank train special for the Calne branch. Luckily I don't have plans for time tabled trains I just see a train and think yes I can have a go at that. As I have had a long time in waiting for this layout I have seen a lot of things and had a lot of thoughts but finally I have come to realise I must be rational. My original idea was to slowly replace RTR locos with the equivalent kit built ones but this is now not realistic. I think I must have about 30 loco kits alone waiting to be bodged. I have come to really enjoy simply building kits. This I think has led to the military element. I am completely ignorant on pretty much everything military so I have a little freedom when building them for loads.

 

I may have to create a 'pop up' railway model shop for a while 🤣

[Mikkel]

I'm with you on the cheap whisky. Sometimes it's convenient not to know better 🙂

 

Also agree on the RTR, it can help make things possible while giving more time for special interests on the kit front.

 

I hope you get it all sorted, or at least enough to move on happily.

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Mikkel
Typos

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Thanks @Mikkel 

I really think I am at peace with the dissolving my my collection. Weird really it only took a couple of evenings looking at the amassed collection of boxes. My modelling keeps coming back to include military items and as daft as it sounds I enjoy making up the Airfix and equivalent kits but of course they need railway wagons.

It took some time to get the components together for the Mail/Ocean Mail train so that is definitely something to stay and challenge. I also have a strong interest in milk traffic, especially tankers, so those kits are also of high importance to me. So my main focus will be one those kits I have to finish the permanent way trains, the mail and any milk traffic.

 

I have a few 'specialist' complete loco kits like the De Glehn. These are the ones that will prove most difficult as there is not an RTR equivalent but realistically do I need them? How are they to improve my layout? So I must have a major sort through. I will of course keep a few especially things such as a Gibson Buffalo and my recent Armstrong purchase. I have to also complete the diesel twin set I started years ago! Releasing the kits to others will, I am sure, release a lot of build pressure and burden from me. I do like collecting railway kits though but that is a habit that needs stopping! New mantra will have to be "If time will not allow you, then neither should your wallet". Although that does not apply to everyone else especially if you are a likely customer of said kits🤣

[The Fatadder]

What’s your plan for the Mail train? Hammond kits?

While they certainly take a lot more time than a normal coach kit, it’s such a distinctive rake when built 

[Bluemonkey presents....]

6 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

What’s your plan for the Mail train? Hammond kits?

While they certainly take a lot more time than a normal coach kit, it’s such a distinctive rake when built 

Hi @The Fatadder Rich, 

I have a couple of BSL Ocean Mail vans and Hayes slips as well as a parcels van and Hayes Newspaper van. A Bettabitz mail van and finally a couple of TPOS from Chris Whitehead.

The last three I think are for clerestory cut'n shut.

This should make up a decent formation, which I am looking forward to creating but that will be in a couple if years time, no doubt.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Bluemonkey presents....

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Found some nice looking barbed wire in 4mm for military modelling, thought ideal for an open wagon load. On reducing the length to smaller coils and gluing them into the wagon I thought it best to see if I could find a War Dept picture example of an open wagon. Well that confirmed that I had indeed finished it in the wrong colour (black) and it should be a grey. Load carefully removed and repainted. Wagon now prepped for repaint but this did give me the opportunity to upgrade the brake gear as this originally had been modelled for an earlier wagon with single side brake. Scrap box challenge complete the wagon now has full set of double sided brakes. Paint tomorrow and then hopefully more wire will available to complete the load.  

[Bluemonkey presents....]

After reading and viewing @Mikkel's fantastic start to Newbury Station I really to pull my finger out, organise my rolling stock builds and to make a start on Chippenham and resurrect my layout build thread; 

 

Keeping the stock and layout threads separate. Not sure if this is a good idea but I guess we'll see.

[Bluemonkey presents....]

As it is for many this time of year, it has been rather hectic. Tree pruning, roof window installations, roof insulation and boarding, rewiring interior ceiling lights, new combined TV aerials and chimney pointing checks. Oh yes and some modelling, of sorts.

 

Whilst waiting for the Royal Mail to make a delivery of extra wire the WD open was repainted with the interior now being painted as well. the barbed wire load carefully removed to do this. The load need further coils so this will form the base.

 

 I kinda like these.

 

I also set about the long awaited bastardisation of a Dapol CWS tanker and a Hornby MMB tanker with GWR chassis. Combining the best of both appeals to me rather than bodging the Ks chassis to the tank, as previously planned. Only 'alien' addition are 3-link couplings and new weights as unfortunately neither could be used. I also have a UD tanker to familiarise myself with.

 

 

Another delayed delivery, seems the Royal Mail are flat out at the moment (well in this case, flat on their backs, napping). It appears I have been a very good boy this year and Mr St Nicholls (yes you read correctly) AKA @chuffinghell left me a present a few days in advance of the big one.

The is his latest offering in super fine detail wagon design and build. A real beauty if you ask me and I'm not just saying that because Chuffinghell was good enough to make me one. It really is packed full of excellent and fine details. The design along has taken some serious thought as due to the complexities of the semi open frame and wooden planked deck. There is a risk of the wagon chassis and/or deck warping due to the opposing tension from varying depth of materials in construction. This has been overcome using some clever design work and breaking the wagon into separate components. As you can see there are a number of parts to build this wagon the added bonus (apart from not have the chassis bow as I have seen others do) painting the deck, chassis and trestles separately can easily be achieved making life somewhat easier. As you can see the trestles have even been designed with locating pins for the small holes in the deck and the crates have a hidden hole to allow a cocktail stick to support it and to hold whilst painting/drying. More to follow once primed to highlight those details. 

 

 

 

I have decided that once the layout and boards are being attacked I will start a new 'layout build' thread with a linked ref to the previous attempts, rather than continuing with the false starts on the old thread.

[AlfaZagato]

Oh, and Aero!  I have one in N.   Real proud of it, though I only managed 'G W' on the solebars.   Neat wagons.