john dew

Thanks for the encouragement MIB........thats very civil of you.....where do I send the tab? Without tempting fate I hope I will be enjoying another Islay or two on Saturday! A question for all but particularly you, Gwrrob and Mr Duck........the sides are marked out for door stops.........all 42 of them........should I bother? How obvious will their omission be when painted up? Hope the trip is going well Best wishes

For a variety of reasons progress has been painfully slow......a snail would have every right to feel disappointed . All the original ventilators had already been removed by Mr Duck........too many and in the wrong places. Comet provide excellent instructions and their roof diagram showed eight roof ribs but spaced differently from the donor coach. For a brief moment I contemplated sanding them down and putting microstrip in the correct locationhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_eek.gif. I then quickly decided that ineptly applied microstrip could easily look worse than incorrect spacing! The K40 Brake Van was not fitted with ATC gear so the moulding representing that had to be removed. The moulding of the jumper cables were also removed because the bag of little bits contained more realistic white metal castings along with proper Brake Van buffers. Finally, unlike the B Set donor this is corridor stock so I have to fit the supplied corridor connectors. The diagram for the hanging detail looks fiendishly difficult........cant waithttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif Comet ventilators in place as per the diagram along with side grab rails. I placed them exactly as per the template but to me they look a little low in relation to the sides.....particularly when I compare them with the Collet Bow Ended Stock The sharp eyed will note a number of filled pin holes at both ends of the coach. One end of the coach has steps to allow roof access the holes were for the safety rail running alongside the steps.........why both ends then I hear you ask? I drilled one set at the wrong endhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif Why are both sets filled then? To my embarrassment I realised that I had failed to order a stepped end unit http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif Andrew at Comet got the pack to Canada remarkably quickly but for whatever reason I had assumed it would be brass which I could overlay on the existing end. In fact it was a rather chunky white metal casting and far too thick to overlayhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_twisted.gif. All this called for a period of quiet contemplation and a small malt to calm my shattered nerves. The following day, never drink and cut, I took a deep breath and carved out the existing end http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_eek.gif........sadly no photographs......and then after a fair amount of fettling inserted the white metal end Mr Duck you may wish to avert your eyes! Its a bit more bow ended than when it started and the roof is flush rather than overhanging but I am hoping the corridor connector will obscure that. Work has now come to a standstill while I await the arrival of drill bits and .45mm wire from Eileen's Emporium........just got a bit concerned that my drill holes are over large........I am hand drilling so maybe I should drill smaller pilots first Finally I refuse to tempt fate by referring to next Saturdays Australia v England match, other than to observe that I am looking forward to it a great dealhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif

Hi Tony Having seen examples of your craftsmanship.....you ain't going to learn much from me.....a few chuckles perhaps! Cheers John Edited.....You didnt mention the rugby? After my abysmal World Cup predictions I am not making any predictions......but looking forward to the game.......it's on at 3 am pacific time.....fortunately I can record it

I need the K40 in the middle......I am trying to do an auto out and back with tankers being detached and attached at Granby and a loco exchange in the storage sidings......adding a BV at the end would make life very complicated! On the other hand using the 4 wheeler BV with my horse boxes is a brilliant idea......I know its not exactly what you suggested but it would work really well creating a smallish train doing a roundy roundy. England v Australia on saturday and its actually on TV here

Are you meeting John Dew of the parish whilst you are there. He has a boat I believe. Phil Hopefully we can meet for a drink and Photo op......Eagle Island is 20 minutes drive from here. Have sent Colin a PM Cheers John Sadly we no longer have a boat......old age and all that.....first time in 40 years without one.

In my last update I promised something new but retaining some connection with Milk. This is a shot of the daily Milk train from Shrewsbury to Birkenhead, approaching Granby where it will pick up two more tankers from the Cynwyd creamery. It was previously in Black and White but this version has been cropped a bit and represents my first attempt at Sepia tones. (Thank you Rob and Colin!) When I first posted the shot I muttered about the absence of suitable Ready to run GWR Brake Vans. In this train I was using a Ratio 4 Wheel Coach modified with Shirescene sides But it just doesnt seem right with all those 6 wheel tankers. What I really needed was this: This splendid K42 van was built by Gwrrob of ANTB fame using Comet parts. Rather than building the entire kit from scratch (far beyond my skill level http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif) Rob suggested I build the K40 bow ended version which would enable me to apply Comet brass sides to a suitable (surplus) donor coach.....an ex airfix/Dapol/Hornby BSet being perfect............great idea but on reflection still beyond my skill level. The problem I find is that the standard of RTR coaches is so good nowadays that any of my home made efforts tend to look very amateurish in comparison. The four wheeler above being a case in point.http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif So I reconciled myself to having to make do with the four wheeler until Hornby released a Brake Van to go with their Collet Bow Ended range*. Then someone else flew to my rescue............Mallard (or Mr Duck) of SOSJ fame......another must read thread. For me ANTB and SOSJ are required morning reading.....useful information alternating with hilarious one liners. Mr Duck suggested that if I supplied the parts and the donor coach he would do the heavy lifting .....all the plastic surgery and then grafting the brass sides on http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif.....leaving me to do the fiddly bits and the paintinghttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif. There was an element of horsetrading involved but it was an extremely generous offer. Little details like he lives in Nottingham UK and I live in Vancouver where swiftly swept aside courtesy of Canada Post, the Royal Mail and Andrew at Wizard Models (now owners of Comet). The brass sides and assorted detail packs were mailed direct from Comet to Nottingham to await the arrival of the donor coach.. Last seen on Granby before acquiring an award for the most air miles ever achieved by an 00 coach Hong Kong-North Wales (Dapol) North Wales-Liverpool (Hattons) Liverpool-Vancouver Vancouver-Nottingham......and return I know there was probably an easier solution.....but it was surplus! Safely arrived in Nottingham.... Here are some progress shots supplied by Phil (Mr Duck) The first of the plastic surgery Brass coach sides offered up and (I am told) almost a perfect match.....very litte fettling Bolecticons soldered in place We had some discussion about hinges and as Comet didnt bother we decided to do the same. Ever the perfectionist Phil decided it didnt look right Hinges ......all 42 of them.....individually soldered in place Abracadabra and here she is back home in Vancouver I have already acknowledged Phil's kindness and craftmanship on ANTB but I wanted to use Granby to record the build from start to finish so my apologies for some repetition. The next few posts will track whether I am capable of turning his cygnet into a swan.....time will tell Cheers from a very sunny Vancouver * PS The bookmakers are no longer taking bets on the next Hornby coach release

Late as usual I am afraid......East or West?

I am fond of black and white shots but I think your sepia versions are even better........what software do you use? I use photoshop elements but ave failed to find a sepia button Regards

I assumed that the plates were removed after the war and the loco not always repainted?

Thank you for all the comments and likes guys......my apologies for not responding sooner......some old friends from the UK are about to visit us and Mrs D has initiated a frenzy of gardening and house cleaning.......there are even rumours of vacuuming the railway room floor......shock horror.......all those vital bits I might eventually find will be lost forever! I see I now have 50 "followers" which pales in comparison with John Flann's Hintock and GWRrobs ANTB but for an elderly solitary modeller in Vancouver it is very gratifying.......thank you! Thanks MIB.....I guess you mean the guys in Phil's reply below? They are both Monty's models......I particularly like the leaning guy.....he has a mug of tea in the other hand and a newspaper stuffed in his jacket pocket......probably the Mirror open at the racing pages. I must try and get a close up Hi Phil I hadnt realised that you were on here. Pen y Bryn has a new follower! Comments like those above from a modeller of your standard make my day! Regards to all from a very wet Vancouver (at least that put paid to the gardening detail!) John

The dairy is now completed. The buildings in position, the yard paved, grass laid and assorted detailing added. By way of an introduction here is an overall view of the railway room To the left are glimpses of the main station building and Newyd Engine shed. On the right are the storage sheds and the viaduct leading to Granby. On the lower level is the Cynwyd branch which serves the dairy......the chimney of which can just be seen beyond the viaduct. Here is the empty site in February Aerial view of the canal and dairy buildings The yard is paved with Wills granite setts.........they are more difficult to handle and lay but so much more realistic than printed setts. Some Montys models workers and a coal pile added alongside the boilerhouse. There is a concrete infill and drainage for the steamwash but it is barely visible. Here is a reminder of how narrow and awkward the site was The buildings make it look even narrower! Its probably a bit too crowded ......but it does fit into the cramped Victorian industrial look that I have created around the canal. The GWR have re asserted their ownership of the surrounding land with boundary fencing, siding gates and legal notices I have previously spent a lot of time discussing how the the processed milk got shipped to the bottling plant in Birkenhead........two 3,000 gallon tankers daily. A not untypical output for a branch creamery like this.......an out put of 6000 gallons requires a matching input or actually something in excess of that because of wastage and the assorted by products..........I have guessed (and it is a sheer guess) at 10% more.....6,600 gallons.......thats a lot of 10 gallon churns each day! http://modelrailcommand.com/images/emoticons/rolleyes.gif Some will arrive by rail . This venerable Siphon C will trundle around the branch once a day collecting churns from the local stations, halts and even lineside loading platforms. The siphons were built with slatted sides to provide rudimentary ventilation. This version was built in 1906 and continued to operate for the next 45 years I still havent worked out the capacity of the Siphon......I am guessing about 100 churns......1000 gallons Churns also came in by road Bedford drop side lorries were quite typical. There is a splendid photo of the dairy at Seaton showing row after row of these vehicles.......initially I couldnt understand why there were so many.....it was only after doing the input calculations that the penny dropped......a single lorries capacity would be about 30 churns.....300 gallons Unfortunately there are no suitable RTR models available. I hit on the happy compromise of using Oxford Models Royal Navy Bedford........I deliberately painted out the RN rather crudely....what could be more realistic in 1947 than the dairy owner a canny Scot from Yorkshire buying some Admiralty surplus from Birkenhead? I couldnt come up with quite such a convincing legend for the Leeds Corporation Scammel you can see in this shot......so I stuck a mechanic in front of the logo! If you have been doing any mental arithmetic you will know I am a long way short of my daily input target! Problem solved........ By 1947 more and more road tankers were being used to collect milk from the farms and delivering the unprocessed milk to local creameries Well thats it.......I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings about Milk Distribution immediately after WWII Next time something completely different albeit with a faint milk connection! Regards to all from Vancouver

Good Morning All I would just like to take a moment, if I may, to acknowledge the generosity and skill of of one of the senior members of ANTB..........drum roll.......Mr Duck But why here on ANTB I hear you ask...............well my own thread has too small a following and even vaguely on topic posts about railway matters are now not to appear on SOSJ until 2017! In any event Rob started it all I had been ranting on Granby about the absence of RTR GWR Passenger Brake Vans and expressing envy for Rob's stunning model of a K42. To which he replied There then followed a flurry of PMs with Mr Duck which, after some horse trading *, resulted in him offering to put the said sides on a donor coach to be provided by me. * I dont think there is any question that I got the best of the deal. So here is a shot of the rather lonely sister of the B Set donor The other half must now qualify for the title of most travelled coach.......apart from its original journey from Hong Kong to North Wales (Dapol) Liverpool and finally Vancouver.....it has now shuttled back and forth across the Atlantic between Vancouver and Nottingham Andrew at Wizard Models (Comet) did a great job dispatching my order of the sides and assorted bits and pieces to Mr Duck's abode Finally the postman delivered this on Friday Hasnt Mr Duck done a brilliant job? Way beyond my skill level. All I have to do now are the little fiddly bits......really looking forward to the T handles......oh and the painting. I will record the build on Granby but I hope that I may ask for advice here if when I run into difficulties By a happy coincidence it is my birthday today and my daughters are about to take me out to lunch........hopefully there will be many toasts.......one for sure will be to you Phil for your kindness and craftsmanship Kind Regards to all from Vancouver John

But where is your little tank?

Another of those shots were the "like" button is totally inadequate Brilliant Rob!

Thanks MIB.........I have feeling I learned that bit when I took CCF Certificate A Fieldcraft.........knew it would come in handy eventually Cheers John

Thank you James........your continued presence on this thread is amazingly good for morale! Best Wishes John

How did that work Rob?.........to me it looks as though the tanker NEM box needs to be shimmed down. I suspect your track work is much better than mine but on Granby I find that if I dont get the knuckles at pretty much the same height I get unplanned/unexpected uncoupling! A high percentage of my stock is Kadee coupled but until one of your posts I economised by just topping and tailing my my fixed carriage rakes, using the Hornby alternate close coupling unit for the intermediate coaches. After your post I converted my Bow End rake all to #19 Kadees......you are absolutely correct.......they look so much better......I guess I will have to consider a bulk purchase of #19s for the other rakes now! Best wishes John

The boiler house,water tank and chimney are finished, so all the buildings are now ready to place on the site I forgot to to take progress shotshttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif but this gives some idea of the process The walls are made from two layers of medium card laminated to create rebates for the corners with Slaters Brick plasticard glued to the exterior. The door is made from Wills Clapboard and the window came from a Wills kit. Plastic strip for the Door Frame and Lintel This is how I clad the Metcalfe Chimney and the finished result The water tank is scratch built from Wills Girder units.....another really versatile kit The corrugated roof is from their Asbestos sheet......although it is transparent it paints up easily and is extremly flexible......I have used it a lot for corrugated roofing on Granby Some rather cruel close ups I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get the weathering consistent on all sides.........then took a moment off to look at real life! http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif Weathering is never consistent it depends on exposure to sun and prevailing wind and rain...........so thats it for now.....I will probably add a bit more when in position. So there it is......ready to plonk .......all I have to do is put some cobblestones down and add some detail! Next post should be the Dairy wrap..........not before time some may say! Best wishes from a cloudy but warm Vancouver John

Congratulations Nick......alls well that ends well!

Hi James Thank you for the kind words.....once the dairy buildings are in place I intended to take some "placing" shots......I will take some more general views at the same time Kind regards John

Hi MIB I did wonder where the water would go and actually contemplated an infill but it some how fell off the list! You are are absolutely correct though......its exactly what I should do. I suspect you are correct about the way the steam lance would be rigged........I will need to see exactly how much can be seen once the unit is in place. Thanks again for nudging me in the right direction....much appreciated Hope the trip is going well Best Wishes John

A quick update on the ancillary buildings for the Dairy You may recall that the plan was to convert this Ratio Timber Merchants into a steam clean shed for the returning empty milk tankers This is quite a versatile kit......I used it on both Granby II and III before I decided to have a dairy rather than a timber yard......operational traffic is far more interesting with a dairy/creamery! Its a useful building but I dont need the road side platform and it is both too wide and too long I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to strip it down Saw the girders down a bit and close the road side bay with some Will's cladding and Bob's your uncle I am very uncertain about how the interior of a steam wash shed should actually look.........fortunately my ignorance will not be too obvious because this lineside view will almost always have a tanker in front of the platform. ..........and its pretty dark anywayhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif The side you can see will be adjacent to the Boilerhouse......I may connect the two buildings with a pipe. Here is a view of the other side I deliberately chose to weather theses ancillary buildings more heavily than the main dairy building. It seemed quite plausible that in late 1947 the main building could have been repainted and whitewashed and the other buildings left until more materials became available and cash flow improved. (Not sure if they had cashflow in 1947 but the principle would still hold true) So I used the same paint shade, French Blue, but mixed in some pale grey to give a sunbleached look and then added some light dirt washes. Not sure if Dai Thomas the regular shunting driver always observes the sign reading "STOP No Engine beyond this point "http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif This is the rear of the building......continuing to use up leftovers........ the ventilator is a spare from an old Ratio Engine shed kit. This will be the most obvious view as it will back directly on to the branch line. Perhaps a word about my weathering philosophy.......I think its a balancing act to avoid it being garish and overdone but at the same time recognising its going to be viewed from three feet in an artificially lit room......there has to be an element of theatrical make up in the composition These closeups were taken outdoors in very bright sunlight.........a bit like seeing the stars of Downton Abbey off set! Next week the boiler house and water tank......... which are turning out to be not quite so simple!

Hi MIB glad the trip is going well The Celestory looks really good.....remind me is that a bog standard Hornby repainted and reliveried? Best wishes John

Afraid I can't help.....much as I would love to! We are undergoing a not dis-similar family health crisis, so I have some understanding of what you are having to cope with. You have my sympathy and good wishes John

I wondered about spring in the UK this year.........some of the photographs seemed to show the trees way behind us. In the past it seemed our seasons were quite closely aligned even though we are further south than Paris. If it's any consolation we have had a great spring here.....looks like we will have a bumper crop of soft fruit......it's touching 80o right now Regards from Vancouver