Adam

For the first time in weeks I've picked up the soldering iron and added a few bits to the Peckett. Mostly these are cosmetic things, putting off the point where I reach mechanical fit out (there's a High Level gearbox, too). Starting from the bottom up: Having made up the rods, I've fitted hornguides and bearings, one set from High Level, another scratched up from scrap brass, L section and what I think are Perseverance square bearings - this part of a batch I did ages ago - and fitted a dummy firebox bottom between the frames. All this does is to serve a view block hiding the gearbox. The body really should be at the final detailing stage and is, more or less, but I wasn't in the mood for pipework so I fitted the steps which are nice bits of design with a supplied triangular bracket located in half etched grooves. Being in thick nickel silver, they are extremely robust! Adam

Going on the pictures in the Baker and Civil volume, I would agree that said supports and slide bars are features of the Bagnall development of the Moss Bay design of which Hawarden is the only survivor (I think?). Which it is, however, I've no idea. Adam

I reckon the loco in your posted picture is a Bagnall, perhaps one of those built for the Butterley Company - examples included 2607 of 1939 (Denby Colliery) or 2619 of 1940 (Ollerton Colliery) - the features check out and resemble the preserved Hawarden though that had cut down boiler fittings: note the shape of the buffer beams, coupling hook pocket and cab cut outs for example. The smokebox door is presumably a replacement? Adam

Another project in the bogie bolster line is this Warwell. Why the Oxford version? Well, while the Hattons one is more accurately liveried, has better detail below the frames (where you can't really see it), and a greater range of options for the subsequent conversions into bogie bolsters, flats, etc. As it happens, it's a Bogie Bolster B conversion that I'm after which Oxford don't do. Partly I chose this one because the buffers of the Liverpudlian product are naff, and partly it's because the bolsters aren't very well-defined and aren't correctly mounted - they were riveted to the frames on the real thing rather than bolted on top of the deck planks (so yes, I reckon I can do better) and also that there's a reasonable price differential, increased by not having to buy replacement buffers... For a straight Warwell, the Hattons product is probably the better model, however. The livery on this example is utterly bizarre and may - charitably - be replicating something seen in preservation. The white buffer heads are especially interesting but since I'm going to repaint the thing completely, no matter. So here's the basic conversion. Both the Hatton's and the Oxford have bogies which are too narrow and I have attended to this in a rather ugly way which I wouldn't recommend and thus won't explain in detail. The frames have been re-spaced by an ugly arrangement which relies on epoxy rather too much for my liking. It'll be fine, but it's not reliable enough to use as an example to anyone! The wheels are the originals reduced on the minidrill and placed on spare 26mm pinpoint axles because the real wagons have 'lowmac'-size wheels and I had none in stock. Now we come to the butchery. I wasn't happy with the thickness of the planks on this and since I'm planning on the bolster conversion I needed to provide spaces around the bolster supports and so: The way this model breaks down is that the running gear is mounted on a separate floor pan which, once levered out (it's secured by a pair of screws amidships) allows the centre to be hacked out and the planks to be trimmed and filed back to frame top level. A new sub-floor will be added between the frames and a layer of scribed 40 thou' with cutouts for the bolster bases which will sit on said floor. Planks also need to be laid a little way up the ramps, too so the remaining plank has gained an overlay to bring it up to height. Meanwhile, at the ends, vac' pipes and couplings have appeared. So far so good. Adam

Hi Tim, I like the lettering variation (I don't think we modellers pay this sort of thing enough attention). I'm absolutely certain that these were signwritten rather marked up than stencils or transfers and quite a lot of early BR practise, in many areas of rolling stock had the print of Derby which perhaps explains the lettering. Swindon, of course, did their own thing as did Ashford, but it was almost all signwritten. Adam

The first substantive work on my Cambrian SR Borail for quite some time; the shackles are from a 51L etch (I didn't buy enough; there's 16 each side so I'm 8 short...) which are much finer and hopefully more durable than the mouldings Cambrian supply. These are mounted on the ends of spare etched links from Masokits screw couplings - I have loads of these and they're exceptionally useful - superglued into 0.5mm holes. The shackles were squeezed into place and soldered in place ready for the finished wagon to have its load chained on. Those axleboxes need a bit of fettling to better match the real thing, I think. Up top, I've replaced the bolsters themselves with something that better-matches the drawings in SR Wagons IV - several different thicknesses of plastic strip - the rubbing strips on the outer edges are 5 thou', the sockets 10 thou'. There's some useful prototype pictures from the example at the Bluebell (which has gained a plank floor in preservation) here: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/cw_news/s57949_repairs.html Adam

Dan-y-Graig, Swansea, I think. I dare say you could invent suitable duties for your own purposes. Adam

Very impressive Dave, though I wonder whether 0.7mm nickel silver might prove a bit stiff for the purpose? Once adjusted, however, they'll certainly stay that way! Adam

Thanks Andrew. A purposeful beast. Adam

The chimney doesn't look that far off, but then, I'm not over-familiar with the real thing. I'd be much more bothered by the cab handrails if it were me (though I accept it'll be a lot less obvious when painted). The injectors look pleasingly busy - it's a job I've been avoiding on the Peckett which does at least mean that the chassis is coming on! Adam

The landscaping works are now more or less complete though the fencing isn't. Getting there, however... Adam

High Level axleboxes, too, I note - I assembled a set for my Peckett tank last night - I'd forgotten how easy they were to put together! Adam

They look really good, Tim - you're much better at hiding solder than I am! Not that these underframes require very much, for the most part. As you say, they're superb bits of design and excellent value for money. Among my current projects are a selection of tank wagons, two of which use Justin's chassis as a basis; I wouldn't have contemplated either without them. Here's one, a GW milk tank, complicated by the fact that it's designed to work with David Geen's kit (and hence his solebars, headstocks and sundry bits of brakegear). Mine will be cross-bred with a LIMA tank and fittings... Adam

After a bit of a gap - and a week or two after the event - the civil engineers have been working for S&T at the Canal Junction end of South Junction and are making one heck of a mess. Before they arrived, all was quiet, even though a train seems to be due. Such appearances may be misleading since not five minutes later: A little later still, a chunk of plywood, some bits of mounting board to the good, some improvement may be discerned. Holes and gaps filled with DAS which turns out to be somewhat premature; another couple of layers of board proved to be necessary. At close of play on day one, however, some sense of the eventual scene is visible. Come day two, S&T have declared themselves satisfied, the coal bunker has been located, and all are waiting on the civil's team to sort out the landscaping. There is a need for a bit more walling (and a path/some access steps down the bank) but that's down to dad... Adam

And slightly longer. The frames of the 16" also come up above the footplate. Note that there are two versions of tank on the 16" - one lower than the other (the CPC has one, the lined black version the taller, and therefore larger, tank). Adam

Yes please, Chris. I'll only end up scratchbuilding if you don't. Adam

Proper job. Have you any thoughts about adding some sort of bracing for the top edge of the frames or don't you think it will be necessary? Adam

I'm coming to the view that 'standard' and Manning, Wardle, are concepts that don't necessarily belong together! I think most of the apparently 'lost' length must be at the cab end which looks a mite short (assuming the tank is the correct length as drawn). How are you doing the wheels? L&Y Pug? Or something more creative? Adam

Since Justin's website says £3.50, I'd say 'no'. Adam

Hi Andrew, I'm certain you have more information to hand than I do - and photographs of drawings stretch them in all sorts of directions - but I wonder whether as drawn there isn't a bit of foreshortening of the wheelbase and thus the centre section of the loco? There are some quoted dimensions of MW L class here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96588-manning-wardle-l-class-drawings/?p=2765911 It may simply be that the wheels there are a smidge big? Whatever, ugly though the thing was, I like it! Adam

Gordon, I'm not sure that this is the critical dimension since depending on the width over the outside of the frames (and the prototype) it will vary. EM back to back is 16.5, so absolute maximum width over frames would be a smidge over 15mm. Surely the width over wheel faces is the thing that is likely to be a limiting factor? Practically, that will be the width over wheel boss plus the depth of rod/fixing and this will depend on the wheels being used. The choice would seem to be the Hornby wheels recycled/bushed/longer axles, whatever), Gibson wheels (which do you have in mind?) or Markits. I have no idea about the former or latter, but could work out the Gibson option assuming you're thinking of 4839G (intended for the industrial Garratt) since I have a set of this in stock, somewhere. From that I should be able to fathom out what workable piston rod centres would be if you can tell me how wide the slidebars/crossheads are. So, 1. what's the width over frames of this 'P4' version? 2. with that, what are the piston centres? And, finally, 3. How wide are the crossheads? Adam

Another building now, albeit rather smaller. This modest breezeblock building is based on a similar structure at Yandles sawmill in Martock, Somerset. I've hand-scribed the blocks (yes, really - it's a tiny building) onto 1.5mm plastic sheet. This is also meant for South Junction, and will be a petrol store for a lineside sawmill. This function is currently performed by a grounded van body (Ratio SR uneven plank van). As with most such 'modelerisms' this is fine in theory but unlikely in practice - a van new in the '40s shouldn't be decrepit on the lineside a decade later. On the lineside, perhaps, just, but not decrepit. Yes, there was a BR meat van, too at one point (but that's been replaced by an early GW van - this wants a new roof...). So, here's the real thing: Stage one (if I could have laid hands on some Will's breezeblocks, I'd have used those): Moving on to the more or less complete structure with a couple of holes cut to represent the vent bricks - to get the correct relief I'll cut a couple of squares of 40 thou'. The roof is a bit of AMBIS corrugated copper sheet secured on with epoxy. Adam

Here we go. Weathered - using washes of thinned enamels, mostly cleaned away almost immediately with a clean brush loaded with more thinners - and ready in a week or two, for installation. Most people will only get to see the back... Adam

Hi Tim, It should resemble Blea Moor because it's the same type of 'box - though Blea Moor has a brick base and is half a bay longer - and it's an LMS design which was more of less the Midland design, but with a pitched roof favoured by the LNWR rather than the hipped gable of the Midland -hence the use of Ratio's kit for the Midland box as a starting point. There's a very useful collection of these on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/2079274@N20/pool/page1 These shortish versions were rare, but not unknown and mine owes much to Claydon L&NE Junction 'box which is shown in one of the first posts on this build up the thread somewhere. Here, in fact: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonhazan/3263344107/ Adam

Thanks Gerry! The hammered glass is simply the textured surface of the back of the CD case: I've used it smooth side out. Not that anyone will see it, but that's not the point. I'm looking forward to getting it installed. Adam