30368

Good morning, Started bending the two tender side sheets. I use a short piece of dowel and odd tools (drill bits, scriber etc) of a circular type to bend the sheet. I took it very slowly dividing the tender side into three area. The bottom closes to the side frames, this has a gentle tumblehome. Then the mid section which also has a similar tumblehome and then quite a pronounced curve into the coal space. Lastly the roof over the tender footplate. It was tricky but not too bad. I am quite happy with the results. One side done. Both completed. They fit quite well. The previous owner has located the tender front divider (tool boxes etc) too far back but I shall leave this simply because if I try to remove it I might as well build a new tender! Kind regards and happy bending, Richard B

Tony, Yes I'm sorry I got my A2 variations in a twist - A2/2 and A2/3, still what do you expect from a Southern man! Kind regards and keep up the good work, Richard

Hi David, I have perhaps asked before, but has your fantastic layout travelled to any exhibitions? If so lets hope post Covid-19 you exhibit again. Really great work on my favourite aspect of our hobby - locomotives and loco depots. I assume you have placed orders for A2/1,2 and 3 from Hornby? Although by the looks of it you have enough already. Perhaps you could justify (to yourself) 60700? Kind regards, Richard B

Now to the tender and retrofitting the original (nearly) side sheets and raves. I used the excellent series of drawings in R J Harvey's "Locomotives in Detail Bulleid 4-6-2 Merchant Navy Class" - recommended. From this I was able to measure and mark out a thick paper template for the tender sides making additional allowances for curvature. The tender together with the paper template and the 5 thou brass sheet for the tender sides. The template profile marked onto the brass sheet which needs careful handling to avoid dents etc. Come to think of it the original tender bodies were made of thin steel sheet and deformed quite quickly so choose how far you wish to take the "prototype look". The sheet cuts very easily with very sharp snips or scissors, I used the latter. Gentle filing to finish and remove all burrs! Final picture shows completed tender side sheets. Bending to profile is next so much cursing likely! Kind regards, Richard B

35003 waiting for its nameplates etc and some Markits sprung buffers so that I can complete the buffer beam. I just chacked back on how much I paid for the part finished kit and it was not very much at all. I will now have to retrofit the tender with its high sided "raves" so that it is in period. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Jeff, Smashing idea! I'm assuming that you propose to build the train formation and loco so far as is possible with kits/modified kits? If so what a great idea as a lockdown cooperative venture across this website. I am not an 0 gauge modeller but have been thinking for some time that I would like to have a go. There are many issues to resolve and I am sure you are thinking about these. To give things a wee push I would be happy to donate one of the SR vehicles assembled (assuming a kit is available) to the proposed project. I guess ownership could be invested in a group of trustees?? Forgive me if you feel I am butting in. Kind regards, Richard B

Jack can speak for himself but I would be in. Kind regards, Richard B

Whilst my pictures are usually fairly poor, these two are uncharacteristically a bit better. Kind regards, Richard B

Please accept my humble apologies, why are you all so "low mood" is something going on? Are you not robust enough to deal with the darker side of life as well as the "Bright Side"...... I'm so sorry.... I'm so, so sorry, I'm so f.....g sorry... I think this thread is really excellent, where else can you have such a wonderfully pointless discussion? Clive how is the railway modelling going? I am currently building an original Merchant Navy Pacific - well kit bashing a Millholme product that someone gave up on and sold to Hattons. If it wasn't for railway modelling I would go quite mad.......ah well, back to reality. Kind regards, and all please stay safe, Richard B

Lining completed on the loco. Decided to model 35003 "Royal Mail" as a small tribute to our local postwoman and postman that have done such a great job in recient months, indeed to all our postmen and women. Markings will blend in when I polish the bodysides. Still a fair bit to do. Have a few minor repairs to do at the front and finish buffer beam. Kind regards, Richard B

Wonderful! enjoy St Enodoc, its rather a special year for Beethoven is it not? Kind regards, Richard B PS Sorry Clive - bit of a diversion ? But what a diversion!

Hello Gibbo, Misery? I don't think so just thought provoking......like the Bowie number though. How about this for an uplifting experience, sorry it takes a while but really worth it..... Truly not weird now but it was in 1824 when first performed. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Jack, The S11 had smaller wheels (6ft rather than 6ft 7inches) than their L12 sisters so that they could cope with the switchbacks of the LSWR line to the west. I don't think that they were restricted to west of Salisbury and certainly not in BR days. As you know, I would also buy an S11 kit! Stay safe and kind regards, Richard B

Have been busy in the spray booth. Masking, for once, went well. The works painters have been busy touching up on one or two spots! When the paint is propery dry - a day or two - and lining completed I will start to polish the surface with Pledge floor polish. I can't really show you the other side because the ashpan casting and smoke deflectors fell off! A few little handling problems during spray booth time! I have decided to build the Crownlines (now PDK) A1/1 "Great Northern" next and have ordered a big Mashima, two stage gearbox and Markits wheels from Branchlines. Chris from HighLevel Kits then 'phoned returning my call, and so I ordered one of his highflier gearboxes, as I used in the K2/2 build, and one of his coreless motors which I have never used before. This lot will be used to build the A2/3 "Sun Castle". I already have a set of Markits drivers from the Merchant Navy (fitted with Bulleid wheel covers) that I can re-use after I have skimmed the flanges. Kind regards, Richard B

Sorry guys, or this I'll be off now then. RB

Hi Clive, In no way obscure but still great! Kind regards, Richard B

If I may. Jason, Why is it that having a view that nurses are poorly paid is somehow due to the views of "...certain newspapers and politicians.." rather than facts based on knowledge and experience? To look at it another way, are your views influenced by certain newspapers and politicians too? Recruitment in the NHS has really suffered over the last 5-10 years due to a number of factors but extended pay freezes and the removal of nurse training burseries in 2016 has had a significant impact. Without all the brilliant EU and other oversea's clinicians the NHS would have found it almoust impossible to cope with the last few months. I can confirm that from direct experience and knowledge. Hopefully the Covid-19 crises will remind us all that we all rely on key people for those things that really matter and nurses and others will receive the remuneration that is appropriate. Kind regards, Richard B

Nothing much to report today - all work focused on the front end electric lighting etc. Just thinking about my next build and I have a number of choices including A2/3, A1/1, Urie S15, Urie N15, W 2-6-4T, M7, SECR 01 0-6-0, WC/BB, exGCR B9 ?? I'm thinking an LNER Pacific perhaps? Kind regards, Richard B

Smoke deflectors are now fitted and a start made on the elctrical conduits to supply the electric marker lamps. Coming along nicely - beading soldered to the leading edge of the deflectors. Close up. Just make out the conduits in this snap. Kind regards, Richard B

Back to the Merchant Navy. Named after all those British and Allied shipping lines that had done so much to keep the supply of food, military materiel and military personnel flowing in WW2 across the Atlantic, in the Med to our ally the USSR and throughout the then British Empire. It was a huge effort by the men and women of the merchant marine and they deserved all the praise heaped upon them after the war. Shame that if their ship was sunk and they survived they were no longer paid until they crewed another ship. Anyway back to bashing the Millholme kit. Injector pipework rather fiddly and difficult to exactly reproduce the prototype and allow the pony truck some movement. I have used soft brass on this side. And copper this side. Ally useful again for pipe brackets. Moving on to the body "roof" I have drilled out the five wash-out plug holes to 0.5mm and then countersunk with 1mm or so and then fixed 0.5mm wire plugs. The whistle and safety valves (have purchased some Markits MN safety valves, superb) since I will fit these afetr painting. I thought that the kit smoke deflectors supplied with the kit too thick so I made some from thin brass sheeting. Front curve of deflectors will be blended into curve of the footplate/buffer beam later. Lastly a picture of the cut down tender that came with the kit. This will need to be sheeted with the same thin brass sheeting to "unmodify" it but more of this later. Kind regards, Richard B

Many thanks 60022 will contact if needed. Kind regards, Richard B

A slight diversion for a bit. A friend of mine (Dave Baker) from the Bentley Model Railway Group asked me to re-number and weather his Bachmann ex Midland 4F 0-6-0 to 44255 since this loco was allocated to Fort William shed on which the club layout "Kannotburn" is based. 44255 was an LMS built 4F with LH drive and other differences from the Midland version on which the excellent Bachmann model is based. To cut a long story short I managed to locate a Hornby LMS 4F body from Peter's Spares (Excellent service) and thought surely it should be an easy fit....how wrong can you be! The Hornby body needed significant surgery to fit the massive Backmann motor assembly as well as new mounting points. Anyway, its worked and here is a quick picture story in case it is useful to others. Hornby body in the foreground. The Bachmann model is quite excellent, the Hornby good. Having hacked away a lot of boiler a made a brass insert to fill the void. Lots of serious chopping! the brass insert in place and the two new mounting points fitted. A tight fit (as is the Bachmann body) but everything lines up. Suitably weathered - the tender should have a sliding cover over it but perhaps a step too far for this quicky! I couldnt find any drawings either. Also I must tone down some of the weathering. Not too bad though for a days work for the club. There it is, hope Dave likes it he has not seen it yet. Kind regards, Richard B

Yes that makes sense given the route and destination. I'm just pleased that my recollection of my first trip to Eastleigh as an apprentice was correct! I can recall the DN&S line on the outskirts of Winchester (this would be 1962/3) being full of withdrawn coaches allthough I think the line was not connected! Unless the coaches were scrapped on site or taken back along the DN&S it suggests that my memory is mistaken and the line was still connected. Kind regards, Richard B

So having completed most of the chassis work I moved on to the body assembly starting at the cab end. The main body sections had already been assembled. I decided to remove the cast cab windows which seemed too small and besides I had some lovely cab window frets left over from my PDK MN so I filed the window apertures to the drawing and fitted the window frets. The roof details was mostly filed away and very thin aluminium sheet used to fabricate the roof detail. The aluminium sheet used are the cut offs from a downsized Venetian blind, really useful material! The Original Bulleid Pacifics sheeting sections are very pronounced as are the rivets and set screws that kept it all together. The cab sides are no exception being made of a number of sections and removable covers. The white metal can be easily scored with a scriber and knife to reproduce the panels. There has been some discussion about reproducing revit/screw heads with White Metal kits (IN respect of a Q1 kit if I recall). You can drill holes in the body shell and insert wire to reproduce the rivet head but frankly life is too short! Besides many of the Bullieds sheeting was held together with set screws that pulled the sheet in creating a depression in the sheeting. Therefore I use a scriber to produce the rivet/bolt heads! All looks a bit rough at more than twice actual size! Next I moved on to the distinctive grate/ashpan area. Again I filed away all cast detail and then made much of the bracketing and dampers out of aluminium sheeting and thin wire. The operating levers are brass. All very fiddly (picture not very good I'm afraid) but worth the effort. In position. Kind regards, Richard B

Many thanks Peter that's really great. Kind regards, Richard B