john dew

I agree.....apart from anything else the crew are under scale. I took crew and chair out using needle nose pliers...like extracting teeth....and replaced them with standard airfix/Monty's crew Regards

I guessed as much hence my carefully worded post. I don't know why I should worry about the rights and wrongs of 14xx when I am eagerly awaiting Kernows 1361 saddle tank. I will be amazed if there are any photos of them ever in North Wales John

That's good to know......I have the plates ready for mine when it arrives but I am renumbering mine to 1407.......unless I am mistaken the 48xx were used for the Hall oil firing experiment in 1947/8 so the 0-4-2s were renumbered to 14xx Cheers John

I went through three or four Dapol/Hornby 14xx before I got one to run acceptably but that included being permanently hooked up to an autocoach with pickups on both bogies and an amazingly expensive decoder plus stay alive.........fingers crossed it's about to become redundant. Cheers John

Congratulations Rob.........super photos of a what appears to be a great model........another 2-3 weeks before mine arrive in North America. I have had the decoders since December and the plates to renumber to 1407 since January.......just need the locos! So glad yours runs well.......that's my principal concern.....with RR&Co I have to have ultra reliable consistent running otherwise they just stay in the siding. Best wishes John

Yes please! Mine have been picked and hopefully are now on their way but they won't be here for Easter. I am on tenterhooks about their performance......never sent anything back yet......hope this will not be a first. Having waited so long it will be very disappointing if either are duff Regards John

Just a bit frustrating that the very noticeable route/power disk is not immediately above the number plate as it should be post-war, but not the most difficult thing to fix even if you're like me and wince at taking wet and dry paper and a toothpick to a £100+ loco. I wonder why they do this........its so small but stands out like a sore thumb I have just bitten the bullet and moved and corrected the discs on my panniers. Take the tiniest drop of brake fluid on the tip of a cocktail stick and allow it to drop on to the disc and leave overnight........works a treat....... no scraping and no residual marks Lovely loco Robin.......yet again you have me tempted! Regards John

Bit repetitive I am afraid nevertheless my very best wishes Phil Kindest Regards John

You may be right. I will have to give it some more thought. I may shortly have to dispose of a pre owned low mileage girder bridge Regards John

I see what you getting at now. It was never intended to look as though it connected directly with the Mill.......I had hoped to create the illusion from the doorway that the line ran behind the Mill.........it can only be seen from there and is actually 6' away from that viewpoint. I guess I shouldnt have shown that close up I was so pleased with. Regards

Good Morning John Thats a bit enigmatic......a bridge too far perhaps? Nevertheless glad you like the scene as a whole Best wishes John

Thanks for the likes etc guys......all very encouraging Thanks Tinker...........I still have two empty building sites both on the other side of the room! The most significant is the space by the station building which is earmarked for a General Post Office and Hotel. The space is currently in constant use as a vital landing pad for cups of coffee and glasses of wine (depending on time of day) delivered over the duck under......I have yet to find a suitable alternative so I keep deferring the build...........maybe this fall Meantime I want to focus on my loco weathering and Hall rebadging.......and run some trains at long last! Best wishes John

Last night we watched the final episode of the Scandi Noir thriller "The Bridge" . So it seems rather appropriate that I should start the final post of this project with a shot of crude butchery on a bridge An inexpensive clip and glue Atlas HO girder bridge being cut to size then painted and weathered. In place behind the mill going from nowhere to nowhere........but providing a further visual block. A 14xx pushes a wagon towards Courtaulds Castle Worksl. On the main lines below the Ruabon pilot shunts a 4 coach set into the carriage siding Surprise surprise........its a Courtaulds wagon. The last piece of the jigsaw involved filling in an awkard spot just in front the Mill. Its at the junction of two baseboards complete with a nasty change of level. A signal box seemed to be a likely solution For those who dont recognise it......a Ratio GWR hipped roof signal box.......its a brilliant model. Super easy to assemble........The building itself was all done in a couple of days. Mind you the stairs and pesky fire buckets took about the same amount of time! I must have built at least four of those Ratio staircase and they always turn out to be a severe test of my character. The base with the coal store doesnt come with the kit ......it was built from card to fit the awkward shape and to accommodate the change in level Not sure why I modelled the front in such detail......you can just catch a glimpse of the nameboard if you stand in the doorway and crane your neck. I guess having to name it did force me to apply a little more precision to Granby's location.Granby is loosely (very loosely) based on Wrexham but I am afraid I have been guilty of moving it 20 or so miles north and south! http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_eek.gif. Now at least we know Ruabon is south of Granby. So its all done and dusted........here is the before, posted in January And the after......three months later........sorry about the light.....spring is a bit late here! and finally......... Best wishes from Vancouver

I suspect the eye test for air crew would be somewhat more rigorous than that needed to become a PBI.....I only needed to remember the first three rows......actually I could even read the the first row! Moving on......for the second stage of the scenic block I had to devise a new backscene When I removed the 3 way point the exit track was moved closer to the wall and displaced the low relief back scene .....an elderly Bilteezi tenement block. I did think about extending the Townscene card cutouts that constitute most of the backscene but I am very attached to the Bilteezi kit. I bought it on a UK holiday from Norman Wisenden's shop in Saddleworth nearly thirty years ago. Its featured (perhaps a rather flattering description) on Granby I, II and III . To accommodate this piece of nostalgia I had to build a platform over both the the entry and exit turntable tracks The track layout forces the wedge shape and I was more than a little concerned that the finished structure might end up looking contrived and unrealistic. There is still stuff to be done but here are some work in progress shots The new warehouse means that this section of backscene can only be viewed, sideways on, from the entrance way.....about 4 feet away. Not much point in adding a lot of detail .....more about creating a general impression .. Scruffy back street wth a milk man delivering.........I have to paint some Langley child figures who will be playing on the waste land and that should do it........oh and straighten the wall......the kink is clear and obvious at 4 feet! The retaining walls are Langley plastic moulds which look great from the front.....but not so good from the back. i discovered Scalescene have extended their building papers range. "Squared rubble" paper , mounted on 2mm card, is great for filling in the void at the back of the parapet wall and assoerted other match ups. I hadnt anticipated that the tunnel wall in combination with the Soap Factory would "frame" the turntable /coal stage scene so effectively. I find ones eye is drawn to all the activity around the TT and the tenement street fades into the background. I am told a Manor seldom offends The same has also been said of a Grange.........so this last shot has to be considered very inoffensive Bradlley Manor, now turned, backs off the turntable as Hardwick Grange hauls the Down Milk towards Granby and Birkenhead Next week I hope I can show you the third and final component in the scenic block Regards from a sunny (yes sunny!) Vancouver

A Grange never offends........go for it! I think they were one of the best locos Hornby produced. Both mine are super runners and have far better hauling capacity than either the Hornby or Bachmann Halls Having seen Rich's shot I am very tempted to look out for a black one Cheers John

Thanks Tinker That was why I bought my Hawksworth Brakes although I am very happy with the K40 Mallard helped me build......I should really try another one on my own this time. I think the reason my Hawksworths stand out is that they are the longest vans in any of my trains and are too pristine........I need to do more weathering and I am tempted to add a Great Western decal. I am in two minds about the brass on the Black Hall......it seems so obvious as a WWII measure......and yet Rich's Grange does look rather nice with the trim......as does a splendid shot of a Black Manor with brass trim and war time GWR on the GWR org site. I read somewhere that some of the more traditional GWR crew accidentally polished the paint off thus exposing the original surface. Lot of ex servicemen at Granby shed....maybe I will invent a similar legend. Whatever the trim my Black Hall (ex Hornby railroad bargain) will now be renamed Barton Hall built 1928 and the Fillongley Hall plates can go on Kinlet Hall which has just lost its lining.........almost screwed up there.....thank you. Cheers John

Decisions Decisions! Granby started in early 1947 but over the years got edged back to April/May 1948 which is now pretty much set in stone (light and dark!). The Hawksworth coaches just squeeze in (although not the van)........not sure about the 94xx. I believe I only need a couple of locos in the provisional "British Railways" logo.......I think it establishes a noticeable time stamp . I do agree, having a defined date certainly helps when renumberiing/renaming locos. I have just started painting the Black Hall that is essential for both out time periods. I may have asked you this before......should the Safety valve cover and splasher trims be painted black? I had intended to rename her 6941 Fillongley Hall ......built un-named 1942 and named 1946 .....shedded at Chester 1950...... but as I typed this I had a nasty sinking feeling that when the unnamed Halls were named after the war it would probably coincide with a repaint to all over green? I may have to shuffle the name plates I have just bought! Cheers John

As always thanks for the likes etc gentlemen Tinker...thank you for the kind comments and good wishes. I have to admit that I am quite pleased with the way the view block has developed.......the chimney incident was a bit embarrassing though ......wasn't helped by Mrs D observing she thought it would be too big! I have worn glasses since I was 7 so now, at my age, having 20/20 distance vision in the left eye is pretty amazing (I cheated to get into the infantry....idealistic youth that I was)........ hopefully the right gets done April 13 Best wishes John

I am sorry for the lack of updates on this thread. I am in the middle (literally) of getting my eyes sorted. I now have 20/20 distance vision in my left eye ......this would have been great when I was shooting and sailing but for modelling I would prefer 20/20 in the range 12"-36"........after all I do apply the 3' rule rather frequently. Hopefully my right eye will be sorted mid April then I can get new glasses for reading/computor/modelling. In the interim, using my old glasses I can read and do broad brush modelling but computor work produces some interesting visual effects.....my apologies for the numerous typos. I really should have done a wrap on this project in my last post because the building itself is complete The finishing touch was supposed to be the chimney. I downloaded the new chimney kit and actually built one...... its a distinct improvement on the the old model but ................................... its huge: Normally I crop out the background rack of Chateau Plonk .....not possible in this case When I took it downstairs I realised that I had forgotten about the overhang in the Railway room So for once I applied " less is more" on Granby........no chimney At the end of a project I do like before and after shots This was the start point in January The objective being to provide a scenic block to the storage yard that worked through 90o covering the entrance to the room and the main view points within Aesthetically, I think it may have looked more pleasing with one less floor.Having said that, the relationship between the milll and the surrounding terraced houses is exactly as I remember it.....if anything the mill was even more dominant. The milll is only the first component of the scenic block. You may recall I relaid the Turntable roads to eliminate a 3 way point back in November Here is a view from the entrance to the room showing the mill cantilevered out and the start of the new backscene which wil cover the TT roads More next week from a very wet Vancouver (normal weather service now resumed!)

Frontier Brand seems a rather appropriate name for you! Cheers

If a Grange rarely offends a Manor such as this can never offend! That is a brilliant shot of a stunning model.......when you right click on the image the depth of field is amazing. Made my day....Thank you Robin Is it remotely possible that Bachmann (or anyone else) will ever get around to making some more?

I guess these dont count as definitive proof......but I got a like from Mike.......mind you he was probably just being kind

A Grange never offends!

Many thanks Bob that was exactly the info I wanted.....I will email Dave..........and thank you Robin (a) for inspiring me to do something about my Moguls and (b) for letting me use your thread yet again to ask OT questions Best wishes

Thanks Bob.........I like the idea of upgrading the pony truck in addition to changing the wheels. I googled to find a source without success........could you suggest a possible supplier? Secondly I am embarrassed to confess I am uncertain what wheel size I should order. Useless in Vancouver John