Andrew Young

Thanks John, I don't remember you being in my way, if it was, I apologise for not saying hello. I can only thank you for selling me the MW, that and my Fowler are sat on the shelf awaiting their turn in the Paintshop once I've finally decided what colour to paint them! I do have the plates now for both from Narrowplanet so shouldn't be long. Hope you're enjoying your Fowler? It's a cracking model and well suited to your new layout. Cheers, Andrew

I've had a love/hate relationship with resin over the years. But, when the kits are well manufactured with good quality patterns then they can be a joy to build and this is one of those. Far removed from the early open top cast resin kits with a wobbly top surface! Thanks Edwardian. Sure we can't tempt you up into 7mm scale....? Cheers, Andrew

Thanks Neil, my temptation has been an Isle of Wight style Minories layout with Terriers, an E1, an O2 and other oddities, Ryde St Minories anyone? But I digress.... My intention is to leave the Terrier alone until I'm building the kit version and then finish the pair off together. I've only a small Paintshop and there's three carriages and a wagon to finish first before starting anything else to have space on my workbench.... Then there's an attic and a layout to work on! Cheers, Andrew

Back at work on silly o'clock early shifts from today. An afternoon modelling session lubricated by plenty of tea seemed a suitable antidote. With the main construction phase completed on the Rother Valley coach, I made a start on the Saloon carriage. The recipe stand from the kitchen being very handy for the instructions downloaded onto the tablet. A short while later, after drilling all the holes required on the parts and with my fingers only stuck together once, the main body was secured together. Couldn't resist putting the wheels under and the roof on. Must say I'm impressed with the quality of the resin castings, with interior detail cast onto the rear of the main body sides and ends. Starting to get a feel for what the passenger set on the MVR will look like now. Cheers, Andrew

You are correct, the Terrier is on the shelf above the workbench with my Hudswell Clarke as well for comparison purposes of course! Will have to order some plates of course too. Thanks for the reminder about pva and lead, you can't have too many reminders of such things! I used "Super 'Phatic! Glue' which I'm told is safe to use with lead which I purchased from Eileen's with the liquid lead. Cheers, Andrew

Most definitely, I'm lucky to still have one and only a couple of minutes walk away. Whilst it's mostly OO boxed stuff, there's occasionally some secondhand to interest me alongside the usual paints and potions etc. Cheers, Andrew

You wondered correctly, was only a matter of time! A have a plan for the colour, will be one of the fifty shades of green I tend to paint locos in, though shall resist the temptation to start on it just yet. Regarding the Rother coach, thank you, with the glue set, got home from work and took it up to the attic for a basic digital test run, pleased to report it sailed through the pointwork including the 1:4 angle points. Cheers, Andrew

Having resisted for so long, a combination of a friend sending me a photo of his A1X converted for his light railway project and my local model shop stocking them at a reasonable price meant that I succumbed to one. Shall still build the Vulcan kit I have as an A1, now there will just be an A1X version to run alongside. But first some research.... Cheers, Andrew

Been my long weekend off and spent it at the flat in Tywyn. Originally planned as a brake maintenance session, this was deferred as the carriage shed we usually inhabit is being re-roofed. Nevertheless, after all that decorating, we opted for a restful weekend by the seaside. Our intention on Saturday was to spend the day up the coast, but the latest storm put paid to that with strong winds and heavy rain. However, having packed a suitable contingency plan, this was built whilst watching the rugby... At least the rain stopped on Sunday to be blown down the promenade. Back home, the Rother carriage has seen work on the chassis, with some semblance of brake gear and a brake actuator from Grandt line fitted. Pleasingly, the chassis sits square and level (well it impressed me!) and I've fitted plenty of liquid lead to make it roll more easily through my less than perfect track work. Visited my local model shop here in Tutbury yesterday for some paint to touch up the Tonfanau wagon and came home with more than I expected... Having resisted the urge for so long, I relented, partly through one of my Talyllyn friends having turned the Southern A1X into a very pleasing Colonel Stephens inspired loco and come to the conclusion that an A1 and an A1X would look rather nice on the layout. I do rather like the Terriers after all! Had some suitable research material to hand too... The price in my local model shop was reasonably comparable to some of the big stores, certainly less than I'd be paying postage for paint and other modelling sundries without it! I was also able to look the model over before buying and comes damage free. Next up is the saloon carriage. Cheers, Andrew

Regarding chimneys... I've (so far) resisted the lure of the Dapol Terrier because I managed to find second hand one of the nice Vulcan kits for one and it seemed pointless to sell it and buy a Dapol one only to strip it down into a kit of parts for repainting when I already have a kit of parts! The talk of chimneys made me unearth the box and see what was in the kit, seeing as Vulcan kits are now owned by ABS, thought it might help those who will be asking Adrian for a chimney to see what he does. The kit has two, a Stroudley one (left) and a Drummond one (right), one slender and one rather chunky! Hope this helps and good luck in your purchases. Back to resisting the lure of having a pair of Terriers........ Resist, resist, resist.... Cheers, Andrew

Having the study just off the hall in the house helps keep my modelling mojo going and upped my productivity greatly. Helped also by not devorating at the moment. A couple of sessions with the styrene and Evergreen strip and the carriage is on its wheels. Think it looks the part with 'Fair Isle' and the Selsey carriage. For the third vehicle, have gone for some antique opulence for first class. Inspired by Stephens' LSWR royal saloons. See this for more info: http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/rolling-stock/stephens-royal-saloons this kit will be the next one on the bench. Cheers, Andrew

Thank you Edwardian for your kind words and the likewise. Likewise I've enjoyed discovering your layout thread, particularly like your buildings. Cheers, Andrew

Thanks for the suggestion, a very good one. As it happens, I have a pair of the W&U coach kits picked up at Guildex a while back and in a safe place for 'ron' (as in later on), but didn't get the van. Expect that they will be built one day as an alternative set of carriages, but in the meantime I intend building enough to operate the layout, then progress the layout to be followed by luxuries such as extra carriages later otherwise I'll never complete anything or have anything to run them on! The kit for the third carriage of the train arrived the other day, just waiting for the wheels to arrive. A start will be made once the major structural work is complete on this one and I'll write more on that when I make a start. Thanks, Andrew

With the goods wagons complete and an hour or so free today before going to work this evening, I've started the next project. Those with long memories might remember a Selsey carriage being built before the move. It's safe and sound in the paint shop for now and will be completed once the rest of the passenger carriages (both of them) have been built and they can be finished at the same time. One benefit of a home layout rather than an exhibition layout is that I can be more prototypical in that a railway like the MVR would only have one passenger set, and one set of carriages it shall have! Rather than the need for several sets to keep exhibition visitors happy. Nice as the Connoisseur NER and Slaters GWR & MR carriages are, they appear a lot and I fancied something a little different. The solution to carriage No 2 was found in a visit to fellow 7mm NGA TVAG member Phil Traxson (Port Wynnstay Models) workshop where I spied some Rother Valley Carriage sides and ends which were a private commission, of which I was able to purloin a couple of test castings. Added to this, I'd been fortunate a while back to find some ancient issues of Model Railway News containing drawings for Light Railway prototypes, including this carriage and there are some photos in John Scotf-Morgan's book on the KESR. For the running gear, I will be using parts from a Slaters MR wagon chassis kit, plus Phil came up with some suitable axle boxes and brake gear. Not having had great success at drilling out axle boxes in the past and preferring the robustness of the Slaters design, the photo below shows the resin carriage springs spliced into the Slaters axle box. Next step is to get the styrene out and build the chassis and the main body parts. Cheers, Andrew

Had an enjoyable day at our TVAG Members Day at Mickleover on Saturday. Lots of chatting and tea drinking, plus beer and a curry! Having had our usual delivery method disrupted by the decorating (using one of my employer's tin rockets to take me to the York Tap and back), I took delivery of my Minerva Peckett on Saturday and very nice it is too! I spent a happy hour driving EDM's demonstration one up and down the test track whilst chewing the cud. As someone who drives the real thing, I'm very impressed with the new style DCC set up and expect I will be calling on Paul to re-programme my other Locos to suit. Here's my Peckett dwarfing a fellow member of the Quarry Company's fleet: The Peckett is a bit of a luxury as its a tad too large for my means, however, as Tutbury Plaster Mill, the site of which is a stones throw from here had a pair of Pecketts into the 1960s, one was on my wants list and this seemed far more practical a proposition than building an etched kit of one. I resisted the temptation of a shiny brass done from Paul, as my loco will end up too dirty for such things. However, whilst looking at them, I spotted that EDM sell very nice brass castings of L&B style headlamps, a packet duly purchased. The MVR is a law abiding (ish) line and has Westinghouse fitted locos and passenger stock, so no reason not to include head and tail lamps. I find lamps on models in the wrong places as annoying as not having any lamps at all (I know I'm a pedant) so this morning, a couple of holes drilled in the casting and a loop of .45mm wire inserted and 'Fair Isle' now has a head lamp. The last few days has also seen the coal waggons finished off. Think it was four coats of Weatherall ahd then my usual dry brushing approach to weathering and they're finished, there's almost enough for a goods train now. I'm particularly pleased with the Poppy's Woodtech interiors and the way the Weathering potion and some dry brushing has brought out the detail. Apologies about the less than perfect photos, they were taken on my iPhone and the lighting is less than ideal up there at the moment. Eagle eyed viewers will notice that I've retrieved the layout from storage and set it up in the attic, even though I haven't insulated the attic yet. This was to see how it fits and firm up some of the ideas I've been having for how to progress. The layout giving a far better idea than my elastic tape measure! Though I'm not going to progress the layout until I've insulated the attic, but it has given me a good idea of what I want to achieve. The original idea was for this layout to be portable and exhibitable. Now though, it will form part of a home based layout and be extended in stages at both ends. My reasoning for this is that I prefer operating at home than exhibitions, with working shifts and having other interests and commitments, I hardly have any free complete weekends to attend exhibitions for more than a part day visit and also, you can't fit much layout in my VW Golf! Having said that, I'm not ruling out the possibility that some parts of the layout may be built so they can be exhibited, it will be built so it's relatively easy to dismantle rather than being completely fixed. Home operation is my priority, though I'm never saying never to exhibiting if it's feasible. There is a plus side. My modelling interests are varied and include industrial, narrow gauge and ex-Cambrian, Central Wales division Western as well as light railways. There's a distinct probability that as the stages unfold, I should be able to incorporate elements of all four... Cheers, Andrew

Good to see your layout on Saturday, I particularly like the job you've done on your Terrier. Didn't get chance to say hello as you were always talking to someone each time I came for a look. Cheers, Andrew

Lotions and Potions. One bonus of moving house is finding things you'd forgotten you had. In my case it was a bottle of 'Weatherall' potion for ageing wood which I've had for years but not used, until now... The Foxfield wagon is built and spent an enjoyable couple of hours this afternoon applying the Weatherall to the wooden interiors on all three wagons, touching up paintwork and blackening the couplings and buffers with Birchwood Casey Gun Blue. Getting towards the finishing stage now. Cheers, Andrew

And on the seventh day..... Yesterday saw the decorating finished and the end of a week of late shifts, off work today ahead of a week of early morning shifts so today has been a day of 'rest'. If you can call clearing up the decorating detritus, a tip run, shopping for some light fittings and building three flat pack book cases rest?!! However, now is time to put my feet up with the latest issue of the Review which landed this week and the new MRJ found in Smiths reading room on Derby station yesterday. Eagle eyed observers will spot that some modelling has taken place too, building another POWsides / Slaters wagon. I do find these a joy to build, fitting together very nicely indeed. The choice is an apt one as not only is Foxfield just down the A50 from here, but also, in his 'Private Owner Wagons on the Cambrian' book, Mike Lloyd said that there was evidence that at least one Foxfield wagon made it to Towyn in Cambrian days. The brightly coloured private owner wagons is what enticed me into standard gauge modelling, though after these are finished, think I ought to build something else. Cheers, Andrew

Afraid not, no covering New St for me tonight... 420ish mile Derby-Newcastle-New St-CZ running turn. With an extra return run over the South Staffs thrown in due to a fatality at Tamworth. After five days decorating, that's a rest for a Derby man!! Comfy seat and plenty of tea. Cheers, AYDD

After five days off work when we've broken the back of the decorating thanks to help from my parents, it's back to work this afternoon for a rest. To keep the modelling ticking along, I'm trying to do a little bit each day, rather than leaving big gaps between sessions. So after a small amount of decorating, there was chance to fit an interior to my Pugh coal wagon before work. Poppy's Wood tech don't make an interior for the Gloucester 5pl, however, after a bit of modification with a scalpel, the 6pl version was made to fit. Cheers, Andrew

Thanks Don, good luck with your move! One advantage of getting the study decorated first is that it means that an hour's modelling can happen once it's too dark for decorating. We're also lucky in that all that's needed is a few / several coats of paint rather than anything more constructional. Jotting it up, by the time this room is finished, we'll have applied something like 55 litres of paint since moving in! After the lounge is finished, the attic / model railway room is next.... :-) Cheers, Andrew

Happy New Year all, trust your festive season was like mine? Ate too much and drank just enough! Also, spent Boxing Day having an enjoyable drive in the Welsh countryside on this wee beastie. By Christmas, the Study was all sorted out, our desks are in place and my modelling desk all set up. The new year has seen our lounge / dining room getting a makeover and plenty of space in the study has got storage in, albeit temporarily. However, I'm still able to get to my modelling desk. Decided to break myself back in to modelling gently with a spot of wagon bashing. After my disappoint with the resin kit I last built, opted for a very Welsh sounding Slaters kit which went together like a dream. I've added some liquid lead weight to the underframe of the wagon and added an interior from Poppy's wood tech which makes all the difference. So much, that I'm adding both to my other coal wagon. It's good to be back. Cheers, Andrew

I hope Jon doesn't get as wound up by people spelling his name John as certain retailers do about spelling Kadee 'Kaydee'...? Cracking thread Brian, really like the weathering effect on the Prestwin, hadn't heard of the manufacturer of the lime stain product before, very useful. Cheers, Andrew

Will do, see you there. Cheers, Andrew

Very nice job on your Terrier there, brought out the best of the blue livery there. Look forward to seeing it at Mickleover. Cheers, Andrew