Downendian

Ok Spring nearly here (?). Seems a long way off, but a prize to the first RMwebber that posts this year's first sighting of an orange tip. Here's one from 18 April 2014 in the balmy South Hams, not really that long to wait. Neil

I've been quietly accruing Hornby Hawksworth BGs that are in the process of being sprayed blue, gangways and rains strips removed etc. Picked one up earlier for £21, the cheapest I've had so far. Neil

Ah so you bought it Robert - I did see it, but it was £40 plus at the time but didn't bid in the end. I agree a very rare beast and congratulations. Neil

Certainly not Goldfinches Phil - I saw a solitary long tailed tit flying toward the tree, so it might have been a flock of them. If it was it would be the largest I've ever seen. Neil

Spring just around the corner here in South Devon, just about light on returning from work and some daylight in the morning. Yesterday watched with great interest a tiny goldcrest flitting around in next door neighbours tree. Beautiful tiny birds, often heard but seldom seen in my opinion. Today I had a cock pheasant in the garden under the bird feeder. Also there was a large flock of small songbirds in a distant tree. I couldn't get close enough to see what they were, and didn't recognise their song, but were high in the branches in what seemed to be a search for insects. Give it a month or two and the migrants will start arriving in the South Hams. Neil

Some project updates with pictures to follow following weekend spraying/detailing over the last two weeks Class 09 09 024 - sprayed new cabinet and blended green, still touches needed to door hinges and blue backed TOPS panels ordered from railtec transfers. Class 13 13 002 - sprayed RT models bits green/yellow, coupling rods now all yellow. Need to add buffers/handrails, decals and to weather to blend down the yellow mismatch to the wasp stripes. Then to hardwire the twin Bachy 08s with DCC chips and test run. Class 44 D6 Whernside - a new project - full yellow ends and economy green livery. Ends sprayed and rubbing off bodyside banding (with thumbnail!). Class 44 44 009 Snowdon - Resprayed headcode end a much more pleasing yellow. Lamp irons and hand rails needed still. Class 52 D1065 Western Consort - still more filler added to valance area, but tweaks being made to fit to the Dapol chassis, nearly done. Large boilered SDJR 7F - large MR smokebox door ordered from 247 developments - more surgery needed. Golden arrow Decrostied 9F - now in primer but needing extra pipework and better clack valves. Neil

It was great to meet you Rob on Saturday, and to see Peaford yard in the flesh. A perfect little window on the past, and so esoteric of the sidings North of Temple Meads in 1977. Just three years earlier than that I fondly remember the Hymeks in their last summer growling away whilst shunting various wagons in the same location. Sorry I couldn't chat longer, my grandson's first model railway exhibition (and won't be his last), and my darling wife had important shopping errands. Neil

Just noticed on eBay new 73s have dipped below the £100 mark. I saw a few in the flesh at the Yate show on Saturday, and the blue was not as bad as I thought. After taking on board everyone's comments re problems, I'll still wait a bit, but wobbling on getting one now. Neil

I should be coming to the Yate show tomorrow Rob, I'll say hello! Neil

Terrific stuff Phil, as I've remarked to you before my maternal grandparents were brought up in Highbridge, and I used to visit other relatives in the area that lived alongside the station in Walrow, so fine memories, especially the Royal Mail apparatus. Neil

What a wonderful thread this continues to be Alan. Really loved the shot of D1040 it oozes Kingswear to me, and the buildings are very Kingsbridge, there's a good curry takeaway just round the corner from your harbour shots . Very much a model of the South Hams. Neil

For those of us with a dry January will appreciate this now it's February Neil

A small coffee break whilst working at home, just enough time to post yesterday's little project. In the summer of 1974 we were delighted whilst sitting on the embankments East of Bristol Parkway to see a peak arrive hauling what we thought were three class 08s. We assumed this to be a "reallocation train" as all had recently been moved from the LMR to the WR, one going to St Blazey, another to Laira, and my first sighting of a class 09, 09024 still in green on its way to Bath road. I'd picked up two of the excellent Hornby 08s last year, and one became the candidate for this mini-conversion. The extra cabinet on the LHS of the 09 was built from styrene sheet and fixed in place. I had to bisect a length of 0.010" microstrip for the hinges, and still to add some archers rivets, a bit of filler and remove the swarf from existing grilles where I'd filed the lower grille set away. The Hornby model is really excellent and does require minimal work to get right. Just hope the new cabinet takes paint well. Neil

Progress to date on 44009 Still a fair bit of work to do, and helpful here (for me at least) to list what needs doing (1) respray headcode end in a more realistic warning panel yellow, the Bachmann end shown here is perhaps too much of an orange shade but the mismatched ends look odd. I'll expose the other end when I'm happier with it (2) wire handrails and cabside handrails need adding and or modification (3) will need to "spot weld" certain parts of the grilles which have become slightly detached during the extensive handling last weekend during painting (4) weather down/remove some yellow that strayed onto the bodyside (5) add data panels, electrification flashes and Derby works plates (6) more varnish to disguise the carrier film on the numerals. (7) weather chassis, bufferbeams were repainted black, although 44009 was dolled up for a railtour in 1977 and given red bufferbeams. I wanted a less glamorous pose for my model 8. Give consideration to other details, for example the naff plastic fan may go, and at the very least lifting brackets will be fitted. 9. Engine room work, the grilles are so good the bland grey Bachmann mazak block is in full view. Does anyone make Sulzer 12LDA28-A and associated electrical kit models they would need to be modelled in "low relief). Overall a pleasing project during which I've certainly made mistakes but have learnt a lot. If I was starting again I'd transplant the entire class 46 cab instead of just the nose section. It was a pig to fill and get right, plus the yellow ends would be the same shade. Neil

Ah yes Phil, nose and cab side handrails still to do on the centre box end. Trying to take time and care on them as the cab end rails are tiny and need to be tiny holes drilled perfectly. I'd also noticed an error with Pete's etch, the smallest grille has 3 horizontal slats etched, there should only be two, but I won't tell anyone when I show them the model. Will still need to respray the headcode box end to get a better match of the warning panel yellow, railmatch acrylic looks too pale, even when adding a splash of red to the mix before airbrushing. My two year old Iwata has really had some road testing the last couple of weeks. Neil

Well done, I tried but failed on all of them- well over average that batch, but the quality looked pretty good. Rare ones too D1000, D1002 and D1014 in blue. Neil

Yes saw those!! A Hymek went for over £70 a couple of weeks ago, D7069. D1002 pics are quite rare, but D1005 and D1070 are not as they lasted quite late. I'm not bidding at those prices! Neil

Yes of course Andy . That end needs handrails and headcode fixing, now to look up a Toton-STJ reporting code. Neil

End of a hard afternoon's spraying, 44 009 Snowdon taking shape. Pete Harvey's excellent etched grilles for 44009/010 sprayed up very well. Resprayed the Bachmann blue and a touch of roof grime weathering, decals and touch ups to the headcode end tomorrow but I'm pleased with it. Quick iPad photo, I'll get the SLR out to get better pics when finished. Neil

About to prime it Pete, small tweaks to the grilles as one needs fixing in the corner, but the various peak projects are next after these two. Neil

Golden arrow only do the large boilered 7F as a resin moulding, it's a shame that this big difference wasn't incorporated. I used the golden arrow moulding effectively as a boiler donor, so still have the firebox, which may already be minus the washout plugs, will dig it out an have a look when I resume work this weekend. Neil

Ah yes indeed it has Jonny, a spot of filling and more respraying, but the big one to me is the smokebox. There's still work to do here, so any other "spots" like that gratefully received. Neil

I'd lined up my large boiler 7F earlier with one of my DJH small boilered models to do some comparison shots. Something about the front end of the large boiler version jarred with me, it just didn't look right. Comparison with this photo http://railphotoprints.Zenfolio.com/p932360234/h15B11C3F#h15b11c3f Revealed the problem. The Golden Arrow smoke box door is too small. Cue a web search for a bigger MR pattern smokebox door to rectify, and I think 247 developments do an appropriate replacement, plus I need some Bath Green park shedplates, so order will be placed soon. If anyone knows of other alternative, please shout. Just a little bit disappointed with the Golden arrow casting. Neil

Good grief Dave, you've started the New Year with a bang. Love them one and all, (well especially the Deltics and the two tone green brush 4s). Thanks Neil