Adam

Very neat indeed - but isn't that the Mainly Trains lamp iron etch (just about scale for O...)? A good use for it, nonetheless. Adam

That is interesting, thank you. I thought that - way back when - I'd seen footage of a train ferry being loaded and I guess it must have been that. There seems to be a lot of abuse of BTF copyright on Youtube, but not that, so far as I can tell... Next job, I think, is the roof proper. Adam

While the ferry van inches forwards or, being a continental prototype, perhaps that should be 'progresses by mm'? Those wheels should be plain discs... Work has concentrated on the Terrier. That said, this work has mostly involved lopping bits off and filling in holes. So the chimney has gone, which is a shame but it wasn't right for the prototype and a whitemetal replacement has been procured (when Gordon Gravett did his 7mm version of this loco and documented it back in MRJ 62 he built up the size of his Stroudley chimney with filler primer - a good Brighton colour...). The ring Hornby supply to extend the smokebox to A1X dimensions has been fitted, and the boiler filled with lead, but the rather feeble smokebox door has gone and quite a lot of Milliput has been deployed because well, Dapol put the filler caps in the wrong place, the handrail knobs are enormous, and in the case of those on the tank, in the wrong place (they should be mounted perpendicular to the tank top). The weird splasher/gear cover inside the cab has gone too but gradually, parts are going back on, starting with the smokebox saddle. Just a bit of 30 thou' for the base and 20 thou', cut over length and curved, then clipped in a ring with a clothes peg and left on the radiator for a few minutes. Once cool it was trimmed to length and solvent welded in place; I've got to work out the way of making the curved edge... Meanwhile, the chassis looks a bit more colourful - I wanted to get the wheels painted before pick ups and brake pull rods go on. This is just stage one, the rims need to be green as, I think, do the axle ends. Oh, and the sandpipes/guard irons will be bright red. Fiddly, these pre-grouping liveries... The motor fitted and the, er, motor mount (lead sheet, epoxied in place, they'll be a spot of blu-tack later!). Adam

That's really splendid Dave and, dare I say it, a dramatic improvement in its 'Hunslet-ness'. All the key Hunslet styling elements are present (though the shape of the cab cut out and the chimney were there already, if course). I'm looking forward to seeing it, and the layout, next week. Adam

After such a colourful interlude (and it'll be back, I promise), we return to the monochrome world of plastic sheet, leavened to some extent by brass and whitemetal. This, then, is the further adventures in the Italian food industry. What should be visible, just about, are the scribed centre doors (a real trial) and the small hatches in the top corners which I decided to cut out because I find it easier to form a nice radiused corner (or by means of a drill), cut one than to scribe one tidily. Looking at pictures, I think the hatch doors should be flush so it's a case of cutting the hatch doors from 20 thou'. As you can also see, I've had to make some adjustment to the axleguards since I made them too deep; setting the ride height with reference to the guide line etched in the front face should be reasonably simple I hope. Buffers are by Lanarkshire Model Supplies, couplings by Masokits. Still, it does look like a wagon now and once it's on its wheels, I can crack on with it, but probably via two or three other projects first... Adam

Runs nice and smooth - much to my relief! We'll see how it goes with motor and pick ups. I've already fretted the splasher fronts from brass sheet (a penny is pretty much bob on for diameter as a template) so we'll see how forming the tops goes. The saddle will be plastic and Milliput as I reckon that's easier in this scale. There's lots of plastic work to do. Lots and lots... Adam PS - No rush on the axles, plenty of other stuff to do.

I suspect the splash of colour and its regular presence at Brighton are the reason that good photos are easy to come by. It also did a few railtours which is handy, for this is about the only way I can justify a model of it, and some of the Southern coaches I want to do. The wire seems to be soft brass about 0.27mm (according to the digital calipers), which makes it good for 1" scale pipes which might be a bit too flexible in copper fuse wire. Adam

Way back when, I had plans, and even some steps towards, a model of one of my favourite prototypes, a Brighton Terrier. It all looked quite good, but led me a merry dance trying to get it to actually run. So, bullet bitten, I've striped it down and started again using conventional compensation (click here to see Mark Forrest's thread for what that looks like) and some Comet frames. These are dimensionally sound but have some strange features. The brakegear is designed for a much larger engine using the same dimensions so the pull rods and brake shoes are still on the etch and I reused the Branchlines versions which while not perfect are at least of appropriate proportions... I also recycled all the additional detail and added a bit more. No sandboxes are supplied with either the Comet or Branchlines etches so I sourced some from Perserverance Kits - http://www.perseverancekits.co.uk/- and a Marsh chimney to go with them (I could have had a chassis too, I suppose). Steam lines for the sandpipes also went on, something that was surprisingly straightforward using the wire that comes wrapped round some bottles of rioja (the rioja itself having been safely and enjoyably disposed of) and the next stage is to add the brake pull rods and pick ups but it rolls nicely - though one of the wheels needed pinning to its axle - so that shouldn't prove too traumatic. So, why have I painted the chassis such a fetching shade of maroon? Well, this should answer that: A start has been made on reworking the body to better represent 'Brighton Works' which means lopping off the front splashers, scratchbuilding a new saddle for the smokebox (which will have the extension ring fitted with a new smokebox door), carving off the clack valves and that lovely chimney has to go as well since Brighton Works had a slightly less delicate replacement under Marsh. The full list of body modifications currently runs to a side of A4 but none of them will affect the tank or cab sides so that lovely paintjob will remain. Yes, the boiler will have to be repainted which isn't a great problem since the Hornby rendition is a good match for the Precision version of Stroudley 'Improved Engine Green'. The valance will also have to get a repaint as well to match the chassis as opposed to the buffer beams. And before you ask, yes, I have the lining in hand in the form of transfers from Eric Gates. Thank you Eric. Adam

That sounds a very sensible idea though it's not as though there isn't space to mount them on the chassis acting on the treads. If you did choose to use the brakes, how are you planning to insulate the cross shaft (assuming that these vans didn't have independent brakes? I genuinely don't know - my version of this kit is presented as a component of an NCB 'paddy train', not that I've built the rest of it...)? A bit of cable insulation or plastic tube epoxied the hole in the tumbler, suitably opened out, might work - making the brakes live but the cross shaft dead. Alternatively, perhaps shorting the wheels to the frame - making that live - and fitting the brakes/pick ups on one side only on a piece of PCB? Adam PS - You could make that work with whitemetal brakegear too but you'd have to be nifty with the iron.

More plastic bashing has pushed my little Italian ferry van forward a little. The extent is limited: just bracing and internal reinforcement - the vehicle now consists of a 60 thou' carcass with a 40 thou' outer layer. I'd have been better off using 40 thou' for the ends and 60 thou' for the sides since this would have saved a fair bit of plastic for no discernible loss of rigidity, but never mind. Just behind the basic body you can see the false ceiling that will go on top preventing the sides from bowing inwards - the holes are to allow the solvent fumes to evaporate off and there are similar ones in the floor. Having reached this stage, it will be allowed to harden off for a week or two. Adam

The Bachmann chassis has a sprung centre axle, as I recall, so compensation is built in - there should be a minimum of 5 wheels on the rail at all times. Mine's happier with a decent train behind it (it's good for 30 odd wagons), but it's a perfectly decent, controllable, shunting machine if the mood takes me that way. If converting one to EM you'll need to replace the brake pull rods but since they're a bit chunky it's probably worthwhile in any event. Adam

The Collett cab is the giveaway: Mainline never produced one. My example of the Bachmann pannier runs well (with EM wheels) and with cosmetic overlays gives a nice impression of the relief of ashpan detail and so on. The wheels look better than Romfords too. Even the brake shoes are quite nice, so unless it's a dud (possible), I'd leave well alone. A Mainline on the other hand, I'd re-chassis without a second thought, even in OO. Nevertheless, good luck with it. I must dig out my Terrier and get that chassis working properly. Adam

Meanwhile, at the Southampton show (which was excellent - if you're free tomorrow and were wavering, waver no more, it's well worth it), a Lowmac escaped the box, briefly. For some reason, the shed foreman initially put it next to the coal stage before moving it somewhere more convenient (and visible): Thanks to Andrew (Ullypug) for his hospitality and forbearance. Perhaps someone else captured the trestrol as it passed through? Adam

Just fettling the side sheets on one of my Palbricks and I couldn't resist propping one in position. Just like this: And also, courtesy of this picture taken at Hove in 1966 and found on Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/31890193@N08/14399216598/in/album-72157635467172110/ and some extremely useful gen from Jonathan Wealleans, an Italian ferry van, or at least, the birthpangs of one in sheet plastic. Reshaping the Bill Bedford W irons took longer than the plastic work, the joy of working in 60 thou' sheet. Detail overlays to follow. Adam

Thanks Gerry. The Bachmann Modified Hall is far from their finest hour, but it is a prototype I rather like - GW but not quite reading from the Churchwardian script. I was surprised - and dissappointed - by the thick edges to the tender top and really can't understand how they managed to screw up the front end. Brassmasters will come to the rescue with the latter and I've tidied up the former. The other areas I'm intending to look at are the front bogie (wholesale replacement), crossheads and slidebars and obviously the wheels and rods. That's an awful lot of work, isn't it? Adam

Well, I am moving house shortly. Watch this space... (Not that current plans would necessarily accommodate a Modified Hall!). Adam

Andrew has a pair of WC&P layouts. Clevedon, above and Weston, shown here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/album/45-weston-super-mare-wcpr/

Strikes me that getting the heights matched is the easy bit! Through running - one way or another - strikes me as a must Andrew. Adam

Back to the Fordson ambulances. One area where cast resin can be a weakness is in elements made of thin sheet metal, such as mudguards/wheel arches. In the case of these vehicles, I reckon that the arches are a little too far back on the body mouldings and, in order to resolve both issues, I'm going to replace them with new ones made from brass shim - though paper or thin card might work in this instance. So, before: The new mudguard, scored and folded from shim and reinforced with solder. I've made a bending jig as it happens but that isn't in the pictures... Finally, the mudguard in place, stuck with cyanocrylate and located with scraps of styrene. Resin really likes cyano' but I might reinforce the joins with epoxy later. This way of making mudguards seems to work quite nicely and I have some curved ones to do so... Adam

So, another wagon towing machine... Plodding along in the background to all these wagons is the reworking of a Bachmann Modified Hall with a Hawksworth tender, 6999, Capel Dewi Hall. One of the few mainline steam runs I've had was behind Burton Agnes Hall between Salisbury and Yeovil in the late '80s and Halls were nicely balanced locos. Here's a shot of my chosen prototype when it was shedded at Westbury, working away from Yeovil Town (not Pen Mill) towards Yeovil South Junction and thence Dorchester or Yeovil Junction. https://www.flickr.com/photos/48862732@N02/6953377133/ The loco can wait until Brassmasters get their detailing kit out - http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/modified_hall.htm- but the tender has been receiving some gentle titivation as and when I'm in the mood. Work done thus far includes: Taking the 'weathering' off and giving the paintwork a bit of a polish. Thinning the side sheets of the tender platework - the tender is clearly quite an old moulding, recent Bachmann tenders don't seem to suffer this. Replacing handrails, on the water filler and on the rear corners (front corners still to do). Reworking the bed for the coal load - a great use for spare Milliput - what Bachmann supplied seemed to have a 'coal cliff' at the front end. Rewheeling for EM. Part of the work of re-wheeling was to remove the brake shoes moulded as part of the frames. New ones will be added from a Mainly Trains etch but I'll reuse the Bachmann brake rigging: it's excellent. As can be seen, the vac' pipe and lamp irons - the latter are good for O scale - have also gone, together with the dummy hook - Masokits screw couplings will appear here shortly. Wheels old and new. Although the old could have been turned down and re-spaced, using Gibson's products was easier, albeit with new axles made from 2mm OD x 1.5 inside brass tube (21.5mm long) and some 1.5mm steel rod cut to the same length as the existing stub axles (c.23mm). The one has been stuck to the other with Loctite (a grade intended for metal to metal bonds). The wheels were opened out with a cutting broach a smidge and are a nice snug fit. The inner frames require some material to be removed - sufficient that the inner frames are flush - and the resulting tender rolls nicely and has now gone back in the box until next time the Milliput is out... Adam

Yes, that almost certainly would - unless the vac' pipe packing was on both, of course? That, however, only applied to Palbrick Cs, so I'm told and so the photos I've seen suggest. These had narrower bodies so any question of them being out of gauge would not have arisen. Pity, it would have been a fun thing to model. Adam

And so for the first of the slightly more complex bits, the sides. These were quite thin and had edges and handholds/lifting holes edged with, I think, some sort of metal sheet. The edges were similarly treated. Here's a real one, courtesy of Paul Bartlett: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/palbrick/h2bee321d#h2bee321d Obviously if someone is daft enough to make a batch of four of the things, it makes sense to mark them all out at the same time on a strip of 20 thou' (probably too thick). Of course, I had to make life difficult at this stage by making one Palbrick A which had a slightly different sort of centre stanchion... The holes required a new scalpel blade and a bit of care, but even so I've marked out a couple of spares. Note that I've done one where the sheet has been replaced upside down. This seems to have been quite common (indeed, I have pictures with both panels upside down - ) but I may or may not use it. I then made the liners for the handhold which even on a loaded wagon are visible on the inside too. I cut these from 5 thou', slightly oversize, and have solvent welded them in place. These will be left to harden up for a few days before tidying up and adding the edge strips. No, I'm in no hurry to do any more, but since I've started, I may as well carry on. Adam

Ha! Crownline did do a kit, a long time back as, I think, did Genesis. Even before that, Keyser produced one and we've got one of those, I think. It's rather crude, to put it politely... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/102418-palbrick-wagons-from-ks-kits/ Being serious for a moment, they aren't inherently difficult for the most part, apart from the end with the clamps which is. I'm not looking forward to that bit - even Geoff Kent found it tricky, though having had a close look at his models, he has used a couple of interesting dodges which I fully intend on 'borrowing'. We'll come to these in due course. Unusually for me, these wagons will also have permanent loads which will be structural. Adam

Thanks Mark. I'm rather surprised that I got away with the plastic plate frames on this and if I ever do another, I'd be inclined to do the structural frames in metal sheet but basically, it's an open top box and thus relatively simple. Having got the taste for scratchbuilding, it can be quite addictive since it opens up the path to all kinds of things that are too much trouble to convert. Lowmacs - possibly among BR's most varied fleets allowing for the very limited numbers built - are a case in point and there is at least one more that I'd like to do, though without a military load. Well, probably... What I'd really like someone to produce, however, is a Warwell and, as it happens, there's a nice picture of warwells, loaded with Commer-cabbed Fordsons and bona fide Commers at Hove on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/31890193@N08/14593038963/ Now, if only someone did a diecast Bedford RL that wasn't a fire appliance... EDIT: Arrgh! wishlisting! Adam

A couple of project updates, one from a slow-burning construction programme and another showing one in paint. First, the Lowmac, with load: And without: The chassis has been painted matt black from a spraycan - I'm after a fairly tidy finish for this - with a wash of thinned Humbrol matt chocolate. I'll work back into this is due course. The deck was treated to a coat of brownish grey - a mix of metalcote gunmetal, matt leather and some matt light grey. Once that had dried thoroughly, I worked back into that base coat with the same colours in a lighter mix, watercolour fashion with several very thin coats. The metal elements on the deck were picked out in matt chocolate at the same time. I left the result for a couple of days before working back in with washes of heavily thinned metalcote gunmetal with more, or less matt red orange (Humbrol no. 100), worked along the grain and in light streaks down the ramps from the metal panels which were treated to thicker versions of that mix. The effect could be a bit more subtle, but there will be an army ambulance parked on top... The Palbricks, meanwhile are causing a certain amount of head scratching while I work out the best construction sequence. These are quite complicated and, in 4mm, relatively flimsy, which is why they'll be modelled with the pallet brick loads as fixtures. Four at a time is hard work... Adam