North Cranford

[M.I.B]

Some opens - the Weymouth Coop one with the sacks as posted earlier

and a PO open from the Wargrave area, with what looks ot be scaffolding tubes, or galv pipe,

and the Fireworks wagon, complete with sheeted crate load.  I think this is a an RTR load from Hornby.  Ready weathered - it looks great.

A couple of 5 plank company wagons - both Dapol I think, with the RTR wood load in one,

and brewery beer crates and kegs in the other. 

I think these loads were Preiser or some other continental supplier.

And the newer version of the gaudy RONUK chemicals tanker - I think Bachmann(?) - just as gaudy as the earlier version by (Hornby?) and just as gaudy as the real things were.  This got given the "overflowed manlid" treatment followed by some grubby.

And a pair of Huntly and Palmers' vans from Reading - biscuits for the World to enjoy.  

and the latest egg van, on an SR chassis.  The previous version was "Westmoreland" eggs.  I weathered this and sent it away via Ebay when the Devonshire version came on the scene from Dapol (?).  Not too heavy a weather on the egg van, but slightly more onthe biscuits.

 

That should be it for the weathering pics fromthe last stint at Home.  I will try and get the N13s rusted up with some dry brush when i am next in Kabul, and then I shall make a start on the sleeper carrier.

 

And inspired by somethong on Rob's great ANTB - I have orderered a pair of LOWMACs which will come out here and become LORIOTS ( of a sort....)

Edited December 29, 2016 by M.I.B

[County of Yorkshire]

A recent Hornby Collett given the all over dull brown treatment.   Now weathered.

IMG_1482.JPG

IMG_1483.JPG

 

Splendid! I think this is the first time I've seen a new Collett go into WWII austerity brown - what a great job you've done. I think The Great Bear of this parish did this with old Colletts but not the new ones. Can I ask which livery you used as the donor? Your roof grey looks a similar shade to the Blood and Custard factory finish - would I be correct?

 

How easy was the coach to disassemble and how agreeable was the glazing to being removed? 

 

How did you mask off the door handles, or, infact, did you not bother and touch them up with brass paint later? 

 

Finally, I know where to source all of the transfers bar the 'GWR' at the waist - pray tell which transfer set includes these? 

 

As you can tell from the 99 questions, I'm about to attempt the very same exercise on 3 blood and custard Colletts that I got from the Hawkins fire sale. This livery does something to me...

 

Cheers, 

 

CoY

[M.I.B]

Thank you.

 

These were done in July I think.   April 16.     This was definitely C&C with white roof - the mottled grey is a grey roof with soot weathering.

 

The roof got painted, that I remember.  So I am pretty sure that these were chocolate and Cream - I bought them almost as soon as they had come out from a local dealer (John Dutson Chelmsford)  - they were way cheaper than the best price on Ebay.  Unthinkable now - B&C are the cheapest version as you say.

 

The do come apart very easily like all Hornby coaches.  Start with "bogies off", then some very obvious tabs and the body and roof ( 1 piece) comes off.  The interior falls out and I think the glazing may have meeded a prod with a fine blunt screwdriver.

 

Logos are all HMRS -  orange lining is from the coach lining sheet and the GWR is from the Goods vehicle sheet. Coats of arms are from the misc sheet for engines and carriages.

 

Handles - I just paint the whole thing and go back with a very fine brush and a pot of humbrol brass.  This is invariable followed by a repeat with a fine brush and a pot of "body colour"  to sort the run off from the handles, whch happens once or twice per coach.

 

I have a few "dull browns"  and "Austerity" browns now - clerestory brake, Collett, A C71 and a full brake.      Breaks up the C&C a little as per the higgledy piggledy rakes which we have come to appreciate from the GWR.

Edited December 31, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

(addition)  I think these are like earlier Hornby  coaches in that the ends slip out downwards once the body is off the chassis.

[M.I.B]

Happy New Year to anyone passing through North Cranford, either headed West or next stop Paddington.

 

Nothing in the New Years Honours again, but having seen what people did ( or didn't do) to get one in the Army in my 24 years, I keep my concience intact.

 

But I would like a knighthood- Knight of St Patrick to be formal.  Come on Hornby.........

 

Happy Hogmanay, of for those of us having a drop with the Bunderwehr tonight - Frohes Silvester und Guten Rutsch.

 

I hope you are happy and healthy.

Edited December 31, 2016 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

Santa Claus doesn't come here because of the lack of sherry, and the local religion, which doesn't lack any sherry.  My local advisor knows more about single malts than I do.......

 

so to compensate for a lack of visit by the bearded one, I decided to visit the post Christmas dump    Ebay sales.........

 

This was all inspired by a headcount of NC motive power, which is quite lopsided compared to OOC in the late 1940s.  Sadly NC shed and traffic records are not available, so in proportion to the main shed at OOC, and traffic into and out of Paddington,  NC needed another Castle and another Saint.

 

But not a Saint at Mr Gostude's prices!!!!!

 

Hornby have provided Earl Cairns with the late tender (in BR colours) , to become the Churchward squashing Berkely Castle,in unlined green as she was in 1948 +/- ish.  And following the success of updating St David without going as far as the required new body and a kit chassis, the same treatment, plus removal of steam pipes, will become Saint Andrew, who only lasted out until 1949.

 

Then it's sit and wait for the 94XX, 47XX, St Pat and Bachmann crane.  Given up waiting for the Bachmann SR CCT, and gone off the LNET "LongVan".

 

I was delighted to struggle though the download and streaming of some lovely OOC footage via Robin's ANTB pages.  A filthy mogul putting the breakdown train together......I need to re do one of my OPEN Cs to accompany the Baccy crane, and ditch/repaint the two black 5 plank coals I had put aside for accompanying the cranes I used to own.   Job for doing out here perhaps......

 

Trying to find time to finish off the N13s.  28 Jan is the target.  At this rate and with the programmed paying work, the sleeper carriers will have to wait until March........

 

It's Day 3 of 2017 and no dead celebrities yet?????

 

I hope you are happy and healthy.

[M.I.B]

And a thank you is due to our very own Castle, expert upon matters 4073 onwards.......and Castle author to boot.

 

He provided the neccessary confirmation which allowed me to cut out the later Mks of Castle and select as accurate a base model as I could to suit the choice of name.

 

Or was it the other way around?

 

Credit is due to Castle.

[The Fatadder]

I did my Berkeley Castle from the Tintagnal release along with the tender from my first Wellington.

 

How are you planning to re do the cab side lining?

It's always put me off using lined BR locos.

[Castle]

Hi MIB,

 

I think we might have our wires crossed somewhere here as Berkley Castle is numbered 4085. This means it was from the same batch as Nos. 4073 and 4079. This means that the only Hornby loco you can use to represent this loco would be the No. 4073 release (sorry Rich!) Berkley Castle had the narrow front end and thus the narrow inside valve cover. Tintagel Castle has the wide version of this, making it unsuitable too. Engines that you can represent from Earl Cairns that had a H/W tender comfortably in the WWII - 1948 period are as follows:

 

5016, 5022, 5023 & 5038

 

There are a few that had H/W tenders in 1948 but as this is a bit of a grey area for your collection, I left them off the list. The Earl Cairns model will need the valve cover rounding off as it has the later modified square top front edge to the inside valve cover.

 

As to unlined green - that I don't know, I'm not one for the liveries! I hope this helps.

 

All the best,

 

Castle

 

Edit: I have just seen the second PM MIB sent me that had the same topic title so this misunderstanding might be my fault - sorry!

Edited January 3, 2017 by Castle

[The Fatadder]

Blast!

 

I must have just looked at the body compared with the rest, seen the curved cutouts on the box forward of the smokebox relative to the other Releades and thought that must be OK. One day if Hornby do another early model (or I find a scrap 4073) I will have to correct it, but for the mean time I will have to live with my error!

[M.I.B]

I did my Berkeley Castle from the Tintagnal release along with the tender from my first Wellington.

 

How are you planning to re do the cab side lining?

 

A 24 hour session in the brake fluid bath. That sorts out any lining and decal removal.  Doesn't shift all of the bufferbeam red for some reason.  

 

Then followed by some primer and an air brush top coat, or a Railmatch rattle can - if I have any left.   Then it may be left unlined - depends what photos come to light.  This period was chock full of lining, no lining, black engines, black engines with lined green tenders, or unlined green tenders......

 

If I need to line I use HMRS pressfix lining.

 

As for the naming - Berkely is out, so Morlais it is - 5038 from OOC - good job I didn't order the plates just yet.......Changed my mind - Montgomery 5016.  OOC I beleive, and then became a Swansea engine.

Edited January 4, 2017 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

Does anyone have a realistic looking method of making ash piles?  I need some ash piles for my N13s and will need some for my shed when the time comes.

[Mallard60022]

Does anyone have a realistic looking method of making ash piles?  I need some ash piles for my N13s and will need some for my shed when the time comes.

Find somewhere (when you return to Blighty) that has a wood pellet boiler. Caretaker or Site manger will probably be the contact. Local School or newish build might have this type of boiler.  The ash is quite fine if they will let you take some. I would then make a 'pile' and allow hairspray to drop onto it initially and then do a couple more sprays for 'shape and hold'. If it is too fine, some ordinary coal ash crushed as required could be used or added to the above for the 'clinkery bits'? Do you have a Heritage Railway nearby?

Philth

P.S. I looked at a box of Comet parts this morning.......................

Edited January 7, 2017 by Mallard60022

[M.I.B]

 

 

P.S. I looked at a box of Comet parts this morning.......................

 That's all I can do - look at the bits.    So are you going to turn it into something nice    ?

 

 

Heritage railways - yes there's one at Earls Colne/White Colne and another at Heddingham.

 

Time to fire up the Indian then.....unless it's raining in which case i will use a car.

[Mallard60022]

 That's all I can do - look at the bits.    So are you going to turn it into something nice    ?

 

 

Heritage railways - yes there's one at Earls Colne/White Colne and another at Heddingham.

 

Time to fire up the Indian then.....unless it's raining in which case i will use a car.

I'm thinking about it............................quite a lot. I have even got some books ready with suitable pics. Just got to find where the three or four boxes of stuff I use to 'play' have been dumped over Christmas. I'm fairly sure I know where one is....................................

Bodgit Andscarper.

[M.I.B]

allow hairspray to drop onto it initially and then do a couple more sprays for 'shape and hold'.

 

Sounds like a Harmony advert from the 70s.............or was it Ellenet?

[Mallard60022]

Sounds like a Harmony advert from the 70s.............or was it Ellenet?

I am ashamed to admit that I once was a Contractor for a 'hair products' Company. It involved a lot of daft exhibitions and competitions to and from which I had to drive a bloo#y great wagon full of gear. However I did get to see quite a good bit of the Irish landscape as well as visiting many plces in GB that I would otherwise never have seen.

Cambridge Corn Exchange and the Albert Hall come to mind

Money was good at the time.....................

P

[M.I.B]

A couple of "not quite so good" photos: this is the camera which I used when I first did posts here.  The Canon IXUS survived most of 2009 in my pocket all over Helmand, in probably the hardest year we had over here in the River Valley.  So hence the photo quality is now suspect. Apologies.

 

These are about as far as I can take the N13s here in Aghanistan. They were finished in New year week.

The brushed on rust, in many mixed hues, does not look as "brushed on rust" in real life - the camera can be a bit harsh.  I will do a little more around the edges of the hatches where the rusty acidic  coal-ash rain water mix would have destroyed paint.

But these will look a whole pile better with some track dirt grot on the underframes and running gear, and a fine misting of rust over the whole of the body and the insides. 

And then thanks to the posts about ash and ash piles, I will fill them up.

 

I also made a start on the three of these:

In one evening (one spare hour)  I managed to have all of the parts separated off the sprues,

and re-bagged. 

The side frames were de-flashed and had the axle bearing pots squeezed into them.  No glue - just a tight press fit using the business end of some needle nose pliers.

I might get some more time on these on saturday night.......

 

I hope you are all happy and healthy.

Edited January 9, 2017 by M.I.B

[M.I.B]

I do love the camera for critiquing work -  it sees stuff that the naked eye has missed.

 

Those N13 wheels need sorting/painting.  There is a tiny hair from a brush stuck in a join, the couplings need nipping together a little better,  and a couple of other things.

 

So my attitude to poor photos is now very "glass half full" rather than the other way round.

 

Talking of rounds, if mine's half full, so it must be your's.......

[M.I.B]

A zillion thanks to Jon (COY) who has unearthed a Bachmann SR PLV at a realistic price, courtesy of the Model Centre.  Finally gotten holdof one for less than mortgage payment prices.

 

I have ordered brass sides fior a J12 sleeper, inspired by a post recalling a newspaper train of post-war times, which was a few SIPHONS, a full brake or two, and a J12 sleeper in the middle.  That can also be rostered for the return trip so one sleeper coach and some SIPHONs and BKs will get to roll in a  different formation soon.  Brass side from CPL will be shoehorned onto a Centenary composite from Airfix.

 

I hope that you are healthy and happy - I am.

Edited January 22, 2017 by M.I.B

[The Fatadder]

I look forward to seeing the J12 parts, it should have a lot of influence as to how I go about doing the 3 that I need.

 

At the moment I am erring towards etching my own (as I think I can probably get the lot done for not much more than the CPL sides. But if the already available product is of sufficient quality to match the price tag I am likely to change my mind.

[Mallard60022]

Update. I have today found most of my kit building tool boxes! I've also just looked in the kit box again just to check it is still there.  All I have to do now is get motivated.......

Kick up ar$e required.

Phil

[M.I.B]

Sorry for the lack of replies - i went home, went to Dubai for work and then went home again.  Then on my penultimate day of leave, I went to London to be told that I had been promoted and would be living in Dubai as of two days later.

 

So here I am, in the city of Hell.  New job, same firm, but could be anywhere tomorrow for a day or 3 months.  Either in a suit to chase up a business lead, or in boots and cargo pants dealing with a problem.   I am even scheduled to go to Timbuktu!     I went to Kabul for the day yesterday, but it was a pleasant trip to collect 2 truncks of all my gear.

 

I am now unpacked, settled (ish) and hopefully tomorrow night I will be able to catch up with a month's reading on Brent (ANTB), Granby, Little Didcot and the other Brent.

 

I may get around to posting pics of my two modelling efforts acheived whilst being at home as well.

 

I hope you are all happy and healthy,  and filling your faces with leeks on this day of St David - there's lovely!  Bang Tidy that is!

 

 

I went to the doctor's last week.  Every time I farted I heard "The Green Green Grass of Home". Doc said that I had "Tomjonesitis",

 

I was concerned and asked how rare it was in case there was no cure.  Doc said "It's not unusual..."

[john dew]

Great to hear from you......loved the St Davids day joke.

 

Your team are doing well......a week on Saturday should be interesting

 

Best wishess

[M.I.B]

Hello John,

 

Our best season for a very long time.    1988 was it or 89?   Not going to Google it.    I stood on the tank park in Sennelager and bet the Regimental 2IC a bottle of champagne that we would win the 4 Nations, and we did.       And he coughed up - Veuve Cliquot.