Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[Neal Ball]

14 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Thanks for the substantially better photos Mike and sorry for getting your name wrong, I'd be useless with name dropping at upmarket gatherings!

 

Also thanks for the invite to Pontefract! All I will say is that there's a reason for the buffer stops on Aston being made of metal and secured with epoxy resin!

 

So what else have I been up to? 

 

Well, @Compound2632 posted that he had accidentally created a seven compartment third out of Tri-ang clerestory brake thirds due to a "computational error". (Eloquently put if I may say so.) 

 

I had a couple more rough old coaches, so I decided to make a seven compartment third to diagram C4.

(Pages 67-68, A Pictorial Record of Great Western Coaches Part 1 (1838-1913) J.H.Russell.)

 

Rough? But VERY firmly glued in "seats". I had to rip them out with pliers.

 

 

Sawn off, draw filed and ready for assembly

 

 

Bogie rivet heads drilled off, bodies glued squarely together and reinforced with a piece of.030" styrene that also covers the holes left by the Triang gas cylinder / truss assembly.

 

 

I've been sawing up lots and lots and lots and lots of Ratio coach seating, well maybe not that much, but it's tedious, especially when I have an almost equal number of partitions to cut, but it will stop me from being able to see right through the coach.

 

Once I have the rooves made and the bodies painted, I might just take @Winslow Boy's advice and finish off the six ton crane which has also been languishing, before we have to install rubber wallpaper...

 

 

 

 

Interesting project there Rob - what underframe details and bogies are you adding? 

 

Typically the full-size carriages had a very basic trussing - or at least when compared tp later stock.

 

 

[MrWolf]

13 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

 

Interesting project there Rob - what underframe details and bogies are you adding? 

 

Typically the full-size carriages had a very basic trussing - or at least when compared tp later stock.

 

 

 

You're right there Neal, the underframe details are minimal, longitudinal gas tanks and the brake reservoir. Much of the footboards were removed in later years.

 

J.H.Russell, A Pictorial Record of Great Western Coaches Part 1.

 

The drawing is rather basic as regards underframe details, but the bogies are Dean 6'4" which I'm either going to have to make or modify from something else. 

I need to make those for several of the vans which is one reason why they've been sitting around for ages. I've got several sets of 8'6" destined for other coaches, but 6'4" seem to be unobtainable since the white metal ones ceased to be manufactured.

 

J.H.Russell A Pictorial Record of Great Western Coaches Part 1.

 

The brake ends of the old clerestories haven't gone to waste. 

They have become a V5 PBV body as per gwrmodelling.org 

I already have one of those, built onto a Ratio chassis and using the Ratio roof.

This one will be mounted on a wooden frame as a parcels store like the ones at Shipston on Stour.

 

 

I have only put it together loosely, because if I think that it crowds the goods yard at Aston, it will end up with a chassis beneath it.

 

Or maybe in another goods yard?? 🤐

[Neal Ball]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

You're right there Neal, the underframe details are minimal, longitudinal gas tanks and the brake reservoir. Much of the footboards were removed in later years.

 

J.H.Russell, A Pictorial Record of Great Western Coaches Part 1.

 

The drawing is rather basic as regards underframe details, but the bogies are Dean 6'4" which I'm either going to have to make or modify from something else. 

I need to make those for several of the vans which is one reason why they've been sitting around for ages. I've got several sets of 8'6" destined for other coaches, but 6'4" seem to be unobtainable since the white metal ones ceased to be manufactured.

 

J.H.Russell A Pictorial Record of Great Western Coaches Part 1.

 

The brake ends of the old clerestories haven't gone to waste. 

They have become a V5 PBV body as per gwrmodelling.org 

I already have one of those, built onto a Ratio chassis and using the Ratio roof.

This one will be mounted on a wooden frame as a parcels store like the ones at Shipston on Stour.

 

 

I have only put it together loosely, because if I think that it crowds the goods yard at Aston, it will end up with a chassis beneath it.

 

Or maybe in another goods yard?? 🤐

I wonder if you could get the bogies 3D printed?

[Northroader]

There’s Shapeways/ Stafford Road Works do them in 3D, (not for me, guv, I’m senior scale)

[durham light infantry]

As promised the ground frame hut with fire buckets and stovepipe chimney.

 

Also for Rob, one of the many things we were discussing was layout heights. Currently Sheep Lane is on top of a layout in gestation, Hornbeam Limestone.  The height to rail is 5'4 3/4", which places loco footplates right in my eyeline.

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

Limestone works? An essay in subtle variations of grey and rust!

 

Which leads me into asking my next question:

The layout of Aston on Clun is actually based on Shipston on Stour, somewhere I was interested in modelling until I found that someone else has made a much better job of it than I could and called it Little Muddle or something....

 

But I was always interested in the old passenger brake vans flanking the goods shed. I decided that as I'd scaled back the goods shed in a big way, then only one grounded van would be the way to go.

 

I found a couple of pictures via Gloucester Warwickshire Railways, but obviously they're black and white.

 

 

Obviously once out of revenue earning stock the original livery would have been painted out.

 

Does anyone know what colour it would have been painted? 

[durham light infantry]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

Limestone works? An essay in subtle variations of grey and rust!

 

Which leads me into asking my next question:

The layout of Aston on Clun is actually based on Shipston on Stour, somewhere I was interested in modelling until I found that someone else has made a much better job of it than I could and called it Little Muddle or something....

 

But I was always interested in the old passenger brake vans flanking the goods shed. I decided that as I'd scaled back the goods shed in a big way, then only one grounded van would be the way to go.

 

I found a couple of pictures via Gloucester Warwickshire Railways, but obviously they're black and white.

 

 

Obviously once out of revenue earning stock the original livery would have been painted out.

 

Does anyone know what colour it would have been painted? 

 

Back in the distant past (1980 onwards) I worked for a local builder and then a roofing merchant which had a contract division. All the dregs of paint were kept for rainy day use. Timber for future projects were undercoated in a mix of all this, and it was known locally as mudge. The foremen/supervisors would say "give that bare timber a coat of mudge".

 

[Winslow Boy]

Rob I have no idea on colour but my gut is saying whatever paint they had to hand as they wouldn't be wanting to spend too much. So mudge sounds good to me.

[MrWolf]

19 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Rob I have no idea on colour but my gut is saying whatever paint they had to hand as they wouldn't be wanting to spend too much. So mudge sounds good to me.

 

I'm thinking that it would probably have been condemned and grounded somewhere around the end of the 1920s, so a weathered maroon brown and the roof felted over as per the prototype pictures.

 

 

[MrWolf]

I've managed to combine a bit of bodging with watching the late film.

 

I've probably shown it before, but here's my method of converting a Triang clerestory roof into a three arc roof:

 

Cut a strip of.030" about 15mm wide and fix it centrally under the clerestory.

 

Saw off the clerestory and tidy up the edges.

 

Cut two strips of .030" or one of .060" 12.5 wide and drop into the hole left by the clerestory.

 

These should now be flush with the top of the existing roof.

 

A little car filler will fill these gaps, or you can cover the area with a strip of .005" and feather the edges.

 

 

Loosely in place on the body which is sitting on my bogus Cambrian Railways bogies, actually Ratio LNWR items

 

Whilst things were drying, I put a base coat of grey brown inside the T3 signal wagons, onto which I will be painting various greys and browns, a kind of mudge I guess!

 

[St Enodoc]

54 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

watching the late film

That's a lovely old-fashioned concept. What was it? Casablanca? Brief Encounter? As long as it was in black-and-white...

Edited September 2, 2023 by St Enodoc

[NHY 581]

14 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Limestone works? An essay in subtle variations of grey and rust!

 

Which leads me into asking my next question:

The layout of Aston on Clun is actually based on Shipston on Stour, somewhere I was interested in modelling until I found that someone else has made a much better job of it than I could and called it Little Muddle or something....

 

But I was always interested in the old passenger brake vans flanking the goods shed. I decided that as I'd scaled back the goods shed in a big way, then only one grounded van would be the way to go.

 

I found a couple of pictures via Gloucester Warwickshire Railways, but obviously they're black and white.

 

 

Obviously once out of revenue earning stock the original livery would have been painted out.

 

Does anyone know what colour it would have been painted? 

 

 

Morning Rob, 

 

I'm thinking weathered black ? 

 

Certainly from the nosing through various Southern wagon books recently, the images of pre grouping vans used as stores indicates the pre-grouping liveries poking through a top coat of sorts...

 

Time to get the books out and come back with a few alternatives. I can think of a few images of Southern passenger brake vans so used but can't remember where I've seen them..........

 

Rob

[ChrisN]

I hesitate to say this, but I have a Silhouette cutter file for a Dean 6ft bogie.  I hesitate as I am not sure how good it is really.  If you, or anyone else would like a copy of that file then please PM me.  (I do not want to put it up for anyone to download asI would like to know where it has gone.)  I could also possibly cut a limited number of them.

 

I have made on on my thread if you wish to see how I did it, although I will need to check that the images are there or have been replaced.  As yet I have only cut two and built one and they have not been put under anything yet, so no idea how robust they are although I have followed a method of bogie construction from other people..  (GWR coaches are not my priority.)

[KNP]

18 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Limestone works? An essay in subtle variations of grey and rust!

 

Which leads me into asking my next question:

The layout of Aston on Clun is actually based on Shipston on Stour, somewhere I was interested in modelling until I found that someone else has made a much better job of it than I could and called it Little Muddle or something....

 

But I was always interested in the old passenger brake vans flanking the goods shed. I decided that as I'd scaled back the goods shed in a big way, then only one grounded van would be the way to go.

 

I found a couple of pictures via Gloucester Warwickshire Railways, but obviously they're black and white.

 

 

Obviously once out of revenue earning stock the original livery would have been painted out.

 

Does anyone know what colour it would have been painted? 

Sorry about that but this pictures does remind me I need to replace the broken loading gauge. I can't blame my grandson for this as I was moving some wagons about for a picture shoot and my jumper caught it and that was that as they say....!

Regarding the colour I would say anything that was to hand and very faded, very worn and probably a lot of bare wood with the hint of flaking paint to boot.

 

[MrWolf]

7 minutes ago, KNP said:

Sorry about that but this pictures does remind me I need to replace the broken loading gauge. I can't blame my grandson for this as I was moving some wagons about for a picture shoot and my jumper caught it and that was that as they say....!

Regarding the colour I would say anything that was to hand and very faded, very worn and probably a lot of bare wood with the hint of flaking paint to boot.

 

 

No need to apologise Kevin, I was originally (20 odd years ago!) going to use Shipston as the basis for the terminus at Clun, although it would have been viewed from the back of the station building. 

It was the family connection with Aston on Clun that made me decide to convert the track plan to a through station.

 

It was the photos of your layout, specifically the goods shed, that inspired my interest in modelling again and more importantly, got both approval and encouragement from she who must be obeyed.

 

In a nutshell, no Little Muddle = no Aston on Clun.

 

PS, I need to raise my loading gauge. I suspect that it was designed for scale trackwork, as some of my locos hit the bow.

[St Enodoc]

31 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I need to raise my loading gauge. I suspect that it was designed for scale trackwork, as some of my locos hit the bow.

This might help:

 

https://www.cplproducts.net/lineside.html

[MrWolf]

On 02/09/2023 at 12:27, St Enodoc said:

This might help:

 

https://www.cplproducts.net/lineside.html

 

Thanks for that, it looks like I need to raise the existing base of the loading gauge post up to the level of the rail head.

 

There's been zero progress to report. I had arranged to spend a fair bit of time over the weekend progressing the coaches as I'm wanting to get back to the actual layout building, but fate has conspired against me.

 

Saturday afternoon my left eye felt a bit uncomfortable, by Saturday night it had all gone red and I could hardly see.

I don't take chances with that sort of thing so I decided to walk up to the local A&E to have it checked over. 

Miss R wanted to come with, I told her thanks but I'll be fine. In truth I didn't want her stuck in the waiting room along with the Saturday night subhumans.

Fortunately I only saw a couple of bloodied morons and they were accompanied by the police.

I got back home at 04:37. 

Fortunately it's just an infection, but it's a good one. Eye drops four times a day for two weeks.

[MrWolf]

On 02/09/2023 at 10:52, ChrisN said:

I hesitate to say this, but I have a Silhouette cutter file for a Dean 6ft bogie.  I hesitate as I am not sure how good it is really.  If you, or anyone else would like a copy of that file then please PM me.  (I do not want to put it up for anyone to download asI would like to know where it has gone.)  I could also possibly cut a limited number of them.

 

I have made on on my thread if you wish to see how I did it, although I will need to check that the images are there or have been replaced.  As yet I have only cut two and built one and they have not been put under anything yet, so no idea how robust they are although I have followed a method of bogie construction from other people..  (GWR coaches are not my priority.)

 

That's interesting, are the solebars laminated in some way?

[MrWolf]

It's been a week and I can see properly again, thanks to a visit to the eye specialist on Monday. It was a nasty infection, possibly caused by the fact that the last place a friend and I cleared out in the search for motorcycle parts, car parts and associated goodies was well and truly pigeon infested.

 

If I ever get rich I'll stick with painting...

 

But I think that I might have been blind for more than a week.

 

There's a bus by the crossing. I know who has put it there, but I don't know how long it has been there...

 

 

Which is perhaps a hint that I haven't done anything much at the layout for quite a while.

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

It's been a week and I can see properly again, thanks to a visit to the eye specialist on Monday. It was a nasty infection, possibly caused by the fact that the last place a friend and I cleared out in the search for motorcycle parts, car parts and associated goodies was well and truly pigeon infested.

 

If I ever get rich I'll stick with painting...

 

But I think that I might have been blind for more than a week.

 

There's a bus by the crossing. I know who has put it there, but I don't know how long it has been there...

 

 

Which is perhaps a hint that I haven't done anything much at the layout for quite a while.

Don't know how it got round that corner though Rob - levitation?

 

Glad to learn you are back on the mend. Seems to be a thing with eyes going askew at the moment first sheep bloke now you. But glad you went to the docs and got it sorted. Can't be too careful with eyes. Many people take them for granted, but without them or even with them impaired your up the old proverbial. I say this as my old mum, god rest her soul, lost one of hers when she was seven and missed out on quite a few things growing up as a result.

[NHY 581]

 

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

 

It's obviously going to a bridge somewhere.....

 

[MrWolf]

4 minutes ago, NHY 581 said:

 

 

It's obviously going to a bridge somewhere.....

 

 

The only bridge on that road takes it under the LNW/GW line at Craven Arms, which is a little worrying, the target could be anywhere...

 

Very nice Mediterranean campaign paint job though, Ideal for the weather we're having. 😎

[MrWolf]

40 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Don't know how it got round that corner though Rob - levitation?

 

I've been putting off altering the backscene at that point. In reality the road swings to the right behind the crossing and climbs very slightly.

A bit of arty stuff called for, same thing with the river.

 

40 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

Glad to learn you are back on the mend. Seems to be a thing with eyes going askew at the moment first sheep bloke now you. But glad you went to the docs and got it sorted. Can't be too careful with eyes. Many people take them for granted, but without them or even with them impaired your up the old proverbial. I say this as my old mum, god rest her soul, lost one of hers when she was seven and missed out on quite a few things growing up as a result.

 

You're right and I don't take chances with my eyesight, although I've had a couple of near misses and it makes me cringe seeing people using angle grinders etc without safety glasses.

Losing an eye at such an early age as your mum did must be horrible. A friend of mine lost his right arm at nineteen (he's now 55) and he says that although you work around it, you never get used to it.

[Hesperus]

56 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

The only bridge on that road takes it under the LNW/GW line at Craven Arms, which is a little worrying, the target could be anywhere...

 

 

I suspect it'll feature in the bridge bashing thread if it trys that.

[MrWolf]

7 minutes ago, Hesperus said:

 

I suspect it'll feature in the bridge bashing thread if it trys that.

 

Nice one, even got the driver's eye view coming from the Aston direction. 🤣