LBSCR Stroudley Brake 3rd

A further photo update.  This is the Etched Pixels Stroudley Brake 3rd kit which I made a start on on Friday last.  Still need to get some bits and work out how to glaze and fit the roof.  I also have to work out what to do about an interior.  Amity is supposed to be building the 4 coach rake but decided I should do one to see how it goes before she does the rest.  Might have to get a second solder station so we can solder together as I don't think she will be interested in using the old kit (assuming we can find it - it got sacked when the new one arrived!).

The kit is pretty straightforward and a simple entry kit enabling those LBSCR liveried Terriers to get trains - we got these for Boxhill.  (Stepney will get something else I think - possibly a well wagon with an Austin 7 on it and a brake van full of cricketers...)  There are a few niggles I have - mostly to do with the sticking on of the roof (which I would rather solder) and the effect this has on being able to glaze the coach - but I think it is fair to say they are amongst the earlier Etched Pixels designs and I suspect like most things, learning curves tend to be steepest at the start.

Rather than putting it on a Peco chassis I suspect these will end up on the replacements from the 2mm SA for no other reason than being able to have better wheels and buffers than the Peco offerings.  There will also be the opportunity to do different couplings as well.

LNWR Signal Box - part 2

Here is a picture of progress on the LNWR Signal Box for St Alban's Abbey.  I had a look at the pictures I have of the box and discovered that the effort I had gone to with making sure the "convenience" fitted was in vain as this wasn't fitted until at least the late 1950's and I am intending on modelling the station in LNWR days.  So off it had to go.  The end wall as seen in the first photo further down the blog has been used to fill the hole in the etch - not sure why there was one to be honest as having it as an add on surely would have been easier.

I have also shortened the roof to be a push fit to the building - again the pictures show there was no over hang at each end.

Interior wise the 25 levers of the frame have been fitted as has a table and chair - there are two chairs on the etch so another one to go.  I am presently trying to work out how to fit the stove (which is white metal so will be put on last with some glue prior to painting) and a ledge near the stairs for a couple of fire buckets or similar.

As mentioned in the original post, the kit isn't 100% accurate for St Alban's Abbey - the windows being too deep being the chief fault.  As such, I am not worrying too much about the slightly more ornate ends either and may modify the paint job as shown in the only colour photo I have.  As this has a green DMU passing the box - with a different type of convenience hanging on next to the door than the one in the kit - I am not too worried.

The box is nearly complete.  I am going to fit some bits to help locate the floor so I can have it as a drop in piece - making it easier to paint.  The roof is also going to be separate so the interior can be seen from time to time.

Friday Night Update - 26 November

So back at it tonight.  No real project - just bits and pieces.

The replacement jig from the 2mm SA arrived today but I will leave it until tomorrow to give it a go. 

Tonight's main effort was making the Etched Pixels Stroudley 26ft Brake Third.  Pretty straight forward although the duckets are a little tricky.  I don't have the bits for the roof and I am a little disappointed that I won't be able to sloder the roof on - either that or I will have to come up with a different way of glazing. 

I also did a bit more on the LNWR signal box, MR Meat Wagon and LNWR Horsebox.  Photos tomorrow (hopefully) or Sunday.

Track again

After a bit of fettling of the jig I think I have cracked it.  The four lengths above are the work of an evening - about 2 hours which I am pretty pleased with.  Tinning everything first was a key to getting the neatness.  The length on the right doesn't have chairplates fitted - it was the first length in the "fixed" jig and since it worked, I did the other three with chairplates.

Now to work out how much I need and to get some ply for the frame I have...  School holidays soon so I am hoping for a 2mm Christmas - but will have to organise one more Cl 24 axle so I have a loco.

Mavis and Elm Road

As mentioned months ago, Amity and I are planning on building a model of Elm Road on the W&U (pages 27 and 28 in the Wild Swan Book by Hawkins and Reeve). To help with planning we acquired some time back two boxes of "Elm Trees" from the Bachmann Scenic range. With Mavis now passed for duty - and a start made on her train of stone wagons (inspiration for livery from the front of Tramway Engines by Rev. W. Awdry) while she was running on the kids Kato uni-track oval, I got the trees out and set them up. Looks pretty good - and Mavis looks good gliding around with the fully enclosed motion. So inspiration has returned (in fact at one point the 4 converted Farish Fruit Vans were trailing around - 2mm axles do fit Kato track although not the points if you are interested in a quick and dirty test track. Can't vouch for anything over 10' wheel base but!) but the hassles of construction of a baseboard have not changed so not sure what will happen.

Photo update

So this is what I have done this weekend. Weather definitely no good for spray painting (in fact the roads out of town to the north and south are closed to all traffic, the one heading east is open to 4WDs and trucks only and I suspect it is only a matter of time before the one heading west is likewise) so will leave it alone!

As mentioned, I have finished the two 8' LNWR bogies from the 2mmSA and fitted same to the Ultima LNWR 6 Comp Brake 3rd. I have also shorted a Farish LMS Suburban roof to fit - next thing to do is clean the roof up and start fitting vents and what not!

The piece of track under the coach is from the first round of fettling on the rouge jig I got - almost fixed it to my satisfaction and a few more passes with the rule and 180 grit paper (as suggested by Henk) should sort it. As it happens, the guys in the UK are far too organised and a replacement is already heading my way - thanks Owen (Shop 1) and the previously mentioned Alan, Jim and Geoff.

Friday Night Update

Well the planned track building session hit a snag. The jig for putting chairplates on the sleepers works well. The jig for putting rail on the chairplates once they are on the sleepers does not. Readers of the 2mm VAG will know the whole saga. Thanks to Geoff, Alan and Jim the wheels are in motion already to sort. Also thanks to Henk for a suggestion which may be the quickest and easiest solution. Stay tuned.

Rather than wasting the evening, I made a start on the pair of LNWR 8' bogies which turned up with all the track stuff for fitting under the Ultima coach mentioned previously. I have done the bogie for the guard's end - footboards etc. Just the other to go. Will probably knock it over tomorrow and, assuming the weather fines up, paint them on Sunday afternoon - in between doing the first round of reports for the end of the school year. Photos then - hopefully the weather will at least be kind enough for that, if not the painting.

Track

A parcel arrived today containing the bits for the next step - track building. I had thought about Easitrac and indeed have quite a few bits and pieces for making track to this system, however the downside (which may surprise some that there is) to me is the webbing meaning the part of model railways which I like the least - ballasting - still requires a lot of fiddle faddle. With this in mind, solder track for the scenic sections appeals more and as such the jigs to produce straight track to the Versaline system arrived courtesy of the Central Shop today (along with a couple of other bits and pieces).

I still plan on using Easitrac for the non-scenicked parts of layouts (along with any bits of soldered track which work, but don't look too flash!).

First lengths hopefully later this week.

IoSR

Many, many moons ago, I was given the book pictured above (may have been for my second birthday, may have been for Christmas, but it was many, many moons ago!). I ended up being a bit of an expert on the contents of the original 26 books (I am still spot on with titles and numbers, colour of covers and pretty good with which stories are in which books even now). It was almost inevitable that I would find out that the late Rev. W. Awdry was a train nut - and there is a "real" story behind the ones in the books - not just the real incidences on which the stories are based, but the "real" locomotives which inspired the tales.

Naturally readers of this blog will know this - Toby the tram engine being a great influence on my move to 2mm modelling.

The above photo shows the "fleet" soon after Dapol released "Stepney". While I am not a fan of the Dapol Mk 1s, as "Stepney" was one of them I made an exception - to date all is well but it hasn't been out of the box for almost a year so who knows...

The model of Thomas is a Langley E2/1 kit with the side tank extensions made from pasticard. Naturally they have now released the E2/2 so building the side tanks is no longer a problem. The "real" Thomas is a LBSCR E2/2 so this was easy. The Toby above is the BHE/Thameshead over scale one - until I get a move on and finish the 2mm Eveleigh etch, it will have to do. As for the rest - RTR in every case. Since this line up, Mavis has had a name put on.

Further progress was achieved last year with a Farish Compound being turning into an inside cylinder loco and painted blue. Since this photo the coal has been fixed, footplate painted grey and lined red and a 2 put on the tender. I still have to do the rest of the lining.

The most recent addition has been this repaint of an old Farish Black 5. The Fowler tender top was obtained via eBay and some progress has been made. Still need to do some work on the red, put a number on it and there is the odd touch up to do.

While I appreciate most of this will offend purists - and there are those who do turn their nose up at Thomas and co - the appearance of a 57xx or 14xx at a show will often elicit cries from small children of "look mum/dad - Duck!" (or Oliver depending!). I was most impressed at one show, soon after I purchased my first black Cl 04 shunter to have a small boy say to his mum "that looks like Mavis - but without the side plates". He would have been 5 maybe. So these engines are for the kids - the next generation of modellers. I know 2 who think they are great already.

The next task will be trains. I think I know what my old Farish Mk 1s might be doing soon...