john dew

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

Glad you like the Dairy.......I look forward to seeing your complex when "the garage warms up"........hadnt realised it was so cold in the uk......its a balmy 70o here! Like MIB I am pretty comfortable that the way I am operating my milk train with a coupe of tankers from one branch dairy joining an existing milk train is prototypically correct for 1947.........http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gansg/7-fops/fo-milk.htm........ I may be on less certain ground regarding the mixed Dairy Company liveries........you would certainly expect to see different liveries on the same train in 1947 because the Milk Marketing Board took over responsibility for Milk collection in 1942 and they changed their livery a couple of times in addition to continuing to use the Dairy Companies liveried tankers........I wonder how that worked with the rail company owning the "wheels" and the dairy company the actual tank? I probably do have to invoke Rule 1 for having my dairy independently owned.......but I rather like the habit of naming Granby's buildings after internet friends! Kind regards from Vancouver John

Indeed...... .......Bit embarrassing really....I should have just checked my rule book. Rule 120 is pretty unequivocal.

Delighted I brightened your day..........I guess its pretty hot there right now? Pity we are not in the same country....you do the rolling stock and I do the buildings! Have a safe trip John

Thanks Rob Are the side lamps on both sides or just the off side (that cant be the correct term!)

Hi Rob You and Mike had a conversation a couple of days ago about Toad BV lamping in 1947 and 1957. In todays (1947 era) photo your toad has a white rear lamp and a black (two way?) side lamp........is that what I should be doing on Granby......right now I just have rear lamps Kind regards John

Thank you once again James......that is indeed very kind of you. I think you are too hard on yourself regarding your Scalescene coping stones. To my eye they look totally convincing, particularly when one remembers the building is just a relatively minor component of Castle Aching For those of you unfamiliar with James's "Castle Aching" thread I can thoroughly recommend it. A delightful meandering thread through the by ways and country lanes of Norfolk in Edwardian (naturally) times Kind Regards John

Thank you for all the likes etc ......as always much appreciated. I am getting behind with my updates......the older I get the faster time seems to fly by. So this is a brief progress report.....no loco shots today..... not even a pannier The dairy building is pretty much finished. It just needs a bit more weathering and the site preparing on the layout Bargeboards, guttering and drainpipes have been added using Evergreen plastics. Hopefully no dairy expert will question too closely the exact purpose of the various chimneys and ventilators! Here is the rear view.......one would need to be a contortionist to see this side on the layout and from the lineside The lean-to was quite a common feature. It was designed to shield the tanker loading bay from the steam wash and coal store on the adjacent siding. Talking of which........the next stage in the project: A rather unimposing collection.....reminds me of those reality TV shows Mrs D insists on watching; when the contestants are handed assorted tacky objects and given 15 minutes to turn them into a model of the Taj Mahal From the left a really really old Metcalfe factory chimney and boiler house from Granby I which I hope to clad with Slaters Brick sheets In the foreground some Wills plate girders rescued from a road bridge on Granby II which will be converted into a water tank. To the right Ratio's very useful timber merchant kit, also from Granby II. This will be modified to make the steam wash shed. Definitely not the Taj Mahal but hopefully some useful ancillary buildings to complete the project Regards from another sunny day in Vancouver John

Hi James .....thank you. The coping stones are from one of Wills building packs.....On one sprue there are drain pipes,gutters,barge boards,coping stones, chimney pots etc........very useful I have been a Scalescene convert for some years now but I still have all these bits and pieces left from my plastic period. Having said that, I do think that there are some plastic elements that will always enhance a card model Kind Regards John

You can tell from the light on the photos below that we have had gorgeous weather here for the last two weeks...... so modeling progress has been somewhat glacial http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif A sub roof gives further rigidity and additional support gables have been added........plus a couple of Monty's Models figures This guy is of course intended to be a porter but I have changed the livery to make him look more like one of the lorry drivers. I now understand that his pose is absolutely realistic. Apparently the top of each churn was opened on delivery and the contents sniffed by the equivalent of a tea taster. The churn could have survived a two hour journey on the back of a lorry. On a hot summers day even a siphon on a slow branch train would have been less than ideal. 10 gallons of "off milk" would ruin the days work Now I want to make it clear that this rather portly gentleman is definitely not intended to represent Mr McPeter! Montys describe him as an Insurance agent......but to me he has the self satisfied look of "the man from the ministry". http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif Now to the roof. I know there is a widely held convention that one shouldnt mix media. By and large I adhere to this, but not when it comes to roofing. Wills sheets are amazingly hard to join in a convincing manner and although I have used Slaters sheet tiling I dont think they are outstanding (rather more to the point I dont have any left!). So its the tried and tested Scalescene routine: A not unpleasant job on a hot and sunny day. It takes a fair bit of time though. I could paste the sheet on direct but I prefer to cut each strip of tiling and blacken the cut edge with a felt tip All the tools of the trade are set out below I am going to insert some industrial chimneys/ventilators so I have precut apertures and added flashing. Operationally I left you with the Milk Train from Shrewsbury approaching Granby over the viaduct. The train has now arrived on the principal Down platform Here you can see the locomotive 6818 Hardwick Grange preparing to uncouple and draw clear so that the two loaded tankers from Cynwyd can be added to the train. This is, perhaps, not very prototypical but, as I explained last post, this makes it far easier to drop the empty tankers from the tail on the return trip. I am still contemplating a loco xchange to the Down train and this would make a head of train attachment more credible. I guess this would involve the tankers from the branch being attached to the relief loco rather than the station pilot......decisions,decisions This is one of my photo stacking experiments...still on the free trial!...I still have a lot to learn but I am relatively pleased with all three of these loco shots. Comments are always welcome For now, here is the Station Pilot with the two loaded tankers waiting in the main head shunt with the Goods Warehouse in the background Finally a close up I have always been fond of Collets........I think they are perhaps the most elegant of the 0-6-0 work horses. Although in fairness this particular horse required a great deal of encouragement to work properly.....tender pick ups and added weight in the cab and boiler wherever I could find room! Regards from Vancouver where we are still bathed in brilliant sunshine. John

Hi Rob Stephen Williams GW Branch line modelling Part Two Page 92 has quite a good shot of a pair of Bristol Div B sets at Wells If you can't access the book let me know and I will scan it for you Regards John

Thought I would give this a bump.....would quite like to know the answer myself!

Good Morning All So glad you got it sorted Phil. As I said before the big disadvantage living here, 8 hours behind, is that all the excitement happens when I am in bed .......let me rephrase that......asleep. Even when I am awake I am not much help.......I should have suggested checking the switch wiring yesterday afternoon Its also the time taken checking all the other possible sources of error before finally realising the switch blade contact has failed. In my experience it is definitely well worth the time soldering feeds to the stock rails......particularly now Peco pre gap the webbing. Regards from a sunny Vancouver John

Hi Phil I am so glad CBs are in the spec for SOS........I shudder to think how many dollars I have saved by avoiding puffs of blue smoke. I have 4 mounted where I can see them.....if a loco stops unexpectedly the CBs are first thing I look at. I am sure analogue multimeters are brilliant for people who know what they are doing .......I just dont find them user friendly.....even with crocodile clips I find it difficult to set them up so I can read them quickly particularly as I need to sort out whether I have my bifocals or computor specs or whatever. They usually have some power saver system. So I take forever to set it up.....start looking for the fault (and my specs) by which time the power saver has kicked in......or the battery has died! The beauty of the Rrampmeter (no connection disclaimer) is that it has this big bright digital display which is super easy to spot out of the corner of your eye showing both power and usage. Plug over......whatever you decide you should find some reliable measurement tool you are comfortable with to quickly locate the fault area Cheers John

Good Morning Phil This is your Canadian Lurker calling. When I started my DCC layout 8 years ago I was a total, absolute novice.......I dont claim to be an expert now.....ohms and amps are still a mystery to me.......I have numerous Multimeters which I still cant get to work.......but I am able to identify the, now happily, occasional fault using a rrampmeter http://tonystrains.com/product-category/products/ddc-current-measuring-meters/ Its made in the US but I believe there are UK suppliers. Its a brilliant tool for people like you (I suspect) and me. Dont worry about all the fancy information you can get......the key thing is the ability to get an instant read out enabling you by a process of elimination to quickly determine which feed is suspect. While I am in preaching mode.......when you set up your DCC system will you be installing a circuit breaker? Its undoubtedly the best insurance policy I ever bought. Kind Regards from a damp Vancouver John

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I revisited the relevant pages on New Cranford and I am afraid they confirmed my fears.......I dont have the skill or patience to do all that cutting and shutting to a standard that will prevent the finished article standing out like a sore thumb amongt my RTR stock. I did a search on EBay but it was mostly merry junk apart from some eye watering examples of Larry's craftsmanship.......at even more eye watering prices. I guess I will have to keep looking ........I am a little more confident about the Ratio/Shirescenes four wheeler after your endorsement MIB.....you are a gentleman sir! I guess if you want to really wind me up Rob you can post a picture on ANTB of your stunning brake (its even featured in GWR org) in a train with double headed prairies

Thanks Rob......I was afraid that might be the case.......I guess there is a first time for everything.....even at my age! Cheers John

Thanks John.......I should have made it clearer that the creamery is not in Granby itself, rather it is on the lower level branch line at Cynwyd which is supposed to be in the verdant Vale of Clwyd. In fairness urban creep has rather obscured the verdant bit More progress with the dairy.........but I do hope the GWR experts who frequent ANTB will not be too bored and persevere to the train bit at the end.......I need some help with brake vans All the dairy wall components have now been glued together This is the rail side frontage Churns with fresh milk from the farms are on the receiving bay........a guy moving them is just being painted. Very little of the despatch area to the right will be visible because it will be screened off.......but 3 plastic wine corks sprayed silver will hopefully suggest whats going on The reverse side..........the cut line ( mis-measurementhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif] will eventually be hidden by a drain pipe. I find it is quite tricky getting sharp corners using Slaters plasticard . I did think of using Wills ingenious corner quoins but felt that they wouldnt suit the character of the building. My solution is to mount the plastic flush on the backing card on one wall and leave it a few mm proud on the other........once the building is set up I carve the surplus off with a scalpel blade and then paint out the raw edges.......these shots show the corners still unfinishedhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif Here is the gable end At first sight McPeters may sound an unlikely name for a dairy in North Wales. Any resemblance between the fictional owner of this dairy and a a good friend on another forum (YMR) is entirely coincidental.http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_cool.gif To be serious....for a moment .......I would really appreciate advice/comment on the font I am using for the dairy signs. The signs have yet to be weathered. The intent is to have them look as though they were installed no later then the mid thirties and have not yet been repainted. I originally looked at more elaborate fonts like Century but when I googled "Nineteen Thirties Fonts" the fonts displayed were far more simplified........the intro credits to Poirot or the GWR shirt button are good examples. So I selected HP simplified from Office Libre. Seeing it on the building I am not entirely convinced, so any comments/suggestions will be most appreciated Now moving on to railway operations. The last post had the two milk tankers from the dairy arriving at Granby to await the arrival of the daily 2.30pm milk train from Shrewsbury Here we see the train hauled by 6818 Hardwick Grange approaching Granby Junction. My Milk train routine will not be a roundy roundy. The down train, seen above, will stop at Granby and two filled tankers added to the head of the train. It will then proceed to Birkehead ( the storage sidings ) where a loco exchange will take place. Thus a different loco will take the empty up train back in the reverse direction. The two empty tankers from the dairy will now be in the rear of the train and easily dropped off into a trailing siding at Granby. Fortunately, I believe it was common practice for the Brake Van not to be situated at the very end of the train. Automatically changing the loco in the storage siding is tricky enough ......changing the location of the Brake Van would be too much! I do have a problem however with the brake van that I use and again suggestions comments would be very much appreciated. There are no GWR RTR brake vans available other than the fictional Hawksworth which somehow does not look right anyway.......too long I have tried Sunshine and Celestory Brake thirds but again wasnt too happy Currently I am using a Ratio 4 wheel coach with Shirescenes sides. It runs well but somehow it seems a little flimsy with a rake of up to 10 x 6 wheel tankers. I have LMS Stanier brakes and a 6 wheel stove pipe. The Shrewsbury-Birkenhead line is wholly or at least in part a joint GWR LMS line......would it be wholly out of the question to have a GWR loco and an LMS Brake Van? While I wait patiently for Hornby to produce a Collet Bow End full brake.........what is the least unlikely van I can use in the meantime? Best wishes from a rather wet Vancouver John

Thanks Rob.......virtually all my stock is RTR. I was looking for a suitable brake van for my Milk Train......hence the question. My two new Bow ends are committed but I guess I could use one of my newly surplus Bachmann Sunshines Cheers

Thanks for the advice Gentlemen, much appreciated........I think I will opt for Dark Brown lettering and although Larry's post was on a WR rather than GWR thread I think I will try and get as near as I can to his font on Office Libre John

Slightly off topic..........is the lettering on the coach boards black or dark brown? Secondly any suggestions about the font used? John

Hi Rob What are you using as a brake van on the van train? I love your prairie shots but they are, sadly, a constant reminder of my failure to find an effective way of mounting kadees on the body rather than the bogie.......I havent entirely given up because they are real favourites of mine ...such iconic branch locos Best Wishes from a very sunny Vancouver John