The Bigbee Line

Nice. I like the whistle, is that a function? I have also done some little video's and the sound is a bit tinny on the video clips compared with the real side. Do you find the same?

Hastings https://mapstreetview.com/#ua1yf_ccjv_p0_a_5i43

There are probably numerous examples, the panels would have each sat horizontal and stepped down the match the gradient. Now someone will post a picture of a slope with sloping panels....... The Southern Concrete Book is available again and is a huge source of information http://irwellpress.com/acatalog/SOUTHERN_RAILWAY.html#a816 I will have a browse tonight and see what turns up

Have you googled the dioramas by Jack Nelson. They were LNWR based, I think. You could have viewing though a small hole. Like a child's peep show.

Most old fashioned schemes had dark at the bottom and light at the top. For good practical reasons. Dark to hide dirt and boot marks. Light to keep it brighter.

Jim, Thanks for the feedback. I just wanted to see how they went on, the number was a bit of a random choice I don't think the 9 and 8 were squashed together. I'm away at the moment but will check the other one on the same sheet, to see how the 9 and 8 are spaced. If they are close like in the picture, it's not a big job to cut and spread them out, likewise to close up the B to the numbers. The real ones would have been sign written I'm sure for the most part. Stencils coming on scene later. Regards Ernie

UIC drawgear Looking at some Mineral Wagons I note that a number have UIC couplings. The UIC drawgear these days mostly has a tail pin with the rubbers fitted and that is connected by a big pin to the drawhook. In the 'old days' wagons had a volute spring in the middle of the wagon with long rods to provide a continuous path for the traction force... I need to look at more pictures of the older wagons to see how the hooks are arranged.. The UIC hook is a fatter beast with a hole to take the pin that supports the coupling. Here in comparison with the RCH hook. Note these are not to the same scale... The coupling nowadays tends to be supported on a 'letterbox'. The big hole in the front of the headstock often seen is a UIC attempt to make wagons able to take a 'draw only' auto coupler i.e. the buffers were to remain. Here is the letterbox on an early twin... More trivia facts later....

Numbers... Today was the usual Friday madhouse at work. Just a few minutes to try some letters. Parkside waterslide. Not sure about the size or font. COMMENTS PLEASE.. Then a couple of pictures without flash. This one before the letters were added.. Here with the numbers applied

Tonight Matthew I am Weathering.. I thought I'd got some mineral wagon decals already on a black background... wrong I only had M and P prefix numbers.... I had a couple of sets of Parkside ones just in white, so out came the black paint. I'd started a go at weathering yesterday, so thought that while the brush was out I'd do a bit more. At the same time the underframe needed painting in places, so I mixed black and dark grey and set about painting the underframe, trying to avoid the colour looking too even, dipping first in a darker bit on the palette, then adding a bit more grey. At this stage it's just a base. I'm thinking of using 1200 grit wet and dry to cut down anything too harsh. The black panels will get squared off and the numbers applied. I need to find a couple of colour pictures to use as models for the final weathering. The pictures were taken with flash and that makes it all look quite shocking.... Here is something not quite so harsh... My Lionheart Mineral with the final rinse of the brush, worked into it...

Nice range but the hooks do not have the RCH gedges slot of the prototype, just a hole.

RCH Hook Please see the image of a Stenson Models RCH drawhook. I tinned the sides of the hook during assembly to represent the shape of the prototype hook. With a reasonable blob of solder on the iron and a bottom to top motion the molten solder naturally forms the required shape... The point of the hook will get dressed off slightly. That stops it having any tendency to catch the links during coupling. The link shown is an ebay purchase of some lost wax screw couplings. The brass is quite hard and needs a little fettling to swing nicely in the hook. Here is the link to the Stensons models Website, my connection is that Phil responded to my request to produce the hook. Well done Phil... http://www.stensonmodels.co.uk/product/rch-coupling-hooks-4-pairs-7mm-sm33d/

Tipping the scales... I hope Linda is not planning any baking as I've got the scales in the workshop. A Parkside SNCF Mineral weighs in at 1.9 ounces... With trimmed pieces of lead flashing between the underframe members I've got it up to 4 ounces. I was trying for 5 ounces, so maybe 4 ounces as an empty and 5 ounces as a load. Here is the Hill of Beans, I mean Lead that will bring the cut and shut mineral to 4 ounces... Recycling.. I was thinking about a source of springs for drawbars and thought of the springs from old biro's. In a box of rubbish was one that had dried up, out came the spring and it looked like 1/2 the length would be fine. Cut easily with pliers and here it is on a test run. Weathering. Again another thought put into practice, stencilling the white stripe using masking tape.. Then a little first stage weathering.... The Lionheart Mineral is being weathered when I clean my brushes, the brush is slightly wetted with thinners and then used to brush and stipple over, wiping with a finger in a downward motion.

The 3 versions of the twin van have 3 variations on the offset / alternate buffer arrangement The first batch as fitted to 238029290133. This wagon had been derailed and the air pipes that you see are normally under the buffers / coupling. Note the plunger has a small end and the opposing face plate stands proud of the headstock. The 3rd batch as fitted to 238029292006, since renumbered... Note the plunger has a fat end and the opposing faceplate is much closer to the headstock. If you need any additional information let me know (These wagons are part of my 'day job'). Various pictures on Flickr (you can download mine, I'm not a tight ar8e, I believe in sharing.....) https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=55938574%40N03&view_all=1&text=iza Thanks Ernie

Jim, Thanks for the tip. I'll have a rake through my evergreen section tomorrow. The fine marker tip will also get a go, Best regards, Ernie

O gauge. More bang for your buck... When doing my lunchtime modelling I picked up the 00 gauge steel high fit, compared with the O gauge Van it looked like TT scale.... Tonight I fixed two outer brake hangers to a cross piece. I might need to make a U shaped base to allow room for the drawgear. The last 2 hangers trimmed ready for tomorrow. Finally I had a trial at glueing bolts on. These are just test pieces. Quite easy really, just need to find a piece of square section Evergreen to cube up into nuts and bolts

Good afternoon I had a bit of lunch break modelling today. The last inner brake hanger in position and added bits of wire in the locations of the truss bars or A bars, depending on where you come from. The outer hangers next, then the linkage from the centre cross shaft out to the various levers and rods at each end. Just need to think what each part will hang from and still allowing it to come apart if required...

Not much modelling today. Just had time to fit a brake hanger from the 'second side'. Looks like the wheels need a good dusting.... There is a sliver of plasticard giving the required I also added some white to my grey matt paint, gave if a good mix, then gave the 2 Big Big conversions another coat. The colour is getting there. Also shown if the Lionheart model for comparison

The first set of brake hangers were fitted to one side. I had a couple of goes to get the drop right. When the other side are fitted I will use the long piece of brass wire as a guide through the holes for the truss bars, to get it all nice and square. I'd had an idea to make the safety loops out of wire and by magic I found a roll of small diameter garden wire on the bench.. So I straightened a section and bent a piece to shape. The piece of wire forms the loops on one side of the wagon with a joining piece that will be trapped under some scrap plastic onto the main brakework mounting plate. The outer brake beams will each be on a small sub-base. This could be fitted after the centre plate and also secure the outer ends of the safety loops. The garden wire is just to test my idea for fitting, I have some brass wire being delivered next week, so that should be better. This shows the safety loop to catch the rod between the 2 V hangers. Pictures of the real thing are a triangular loop, so might make one from thin wire.

Mineral Wagon Door Bangers I'd been thinking that the mineral wagons needed finishing off. One job was the door bangers. Looking around for some brass section I looked at the parkside etch for the coupling hooks. A section was cut from the side of the etch and the small foot reduced with a file to give the necessary length. Here getting compared to the Lionheart banger To give strength they will be mounted from inside the body. A hole was drilled. The brass can then be 'let into' the floor with a soldering iron.. The gaps being filled to give a solid mounting. Here are a couple of views of it roughly in position. The door needs some filler before the topcoat of paint is applied...

The last bit on the van tonight was to add the brakes to the other side. This was made easier by the use of some brass rod threaded through the holes. You can see if the rod is level and at right angles to the wagon side. Luckily the piece trimmed from the bottom of the V hanger when cemented to the plate wedging it nicely together.

Monkey see, Monkey do. Using my OO model as a guide I have started building up the brakework... Using this to get the basic dimensions (using a divide by 4 and multiply by 7 rule). I am not worrying about the odd millimetre, going mainly on looks. If your not careful you can give yourself a hard time looking for measurements then beating yourself us if you're a millimetre out. Luckily I'm beyond that, I think... So far I have added the brake cylinder, then removed the 2 V hangers from the jig, trimmed some material off the bottoms of each hanger. The off cuts are used to locate the hanger on the plate. All then cemented and centralised between the axleguards. Note the clear film to stop the different elements getting glued together. Additional small blocks of scrap plasticard are then added to reinforce the joints. The brake cylinder was reduced in height by 3mm and cemented straight onto the plate. The kit had 2 cylinders, so there is one spare and the ring removed will have a use I'm sure... Here is a cruel close up from the side. These close ups show the 'warts and all' of the model, but are useful as they show things I find difficult to see in normal conditions. I'm thinking of attaching the brake levers and their slides to the solebars, then letting the pivot end of the lever sit on the end of a brass cross shaft. The brakework plate can then be removed if required by taking the screw out and springing out the levers.

They say you shouldn't model a model.... I looked through various books and could not find a drawing showing the LNER style V hangers. So I resorted to getting some basic dimensions from a 4mm Bachmann wagon... I then glued in a pad to support the plate that will tale the brakework. I've used my simple jig to align the 2 vee hangers and to add the joining levers. Just need to wait until the cement dries...

Pressing on with the idea of having the brake work on the Fruit Van as a separate assembly. A piece of scrap plasticard was cut to be a snug fit between the solebars. It will be secured by a single self tapping screw. I looked at the brakework as supplied in the kit. Positioning of the components is a bit hit and miss. I need to work out the distance of the centre line of the brake shafts across the wagon from the solebar. I can then make a jig to allow the V hangers to be set correctly. I've already made a rough jig for the centres of the 2 shafts. This is based on one of the mouldings in the kit... Is there a dimensional drawing in the public domain with some dimensions on?

Hattons have emailed to say the R3539 BR late crest will arrive November 2017....

Not at all. They've only just arrived. I'm sure they'll be listed very shortly.