The Return

Like Lazarus rising, I have come back to this blog as a means to keep track of what I am doing modelling wise and, having also returned to the setup for modelling and photographing which I started with back in Longreach in 2010, I think it is going to be a lot easier to maintain the posting – always a key part of having a blog!

So what has been happening?  Well bits and pieces – 2017 was supposed to be the year of making a significant dent in the UFO pile and moving as many models as possible into the FO pile.  Alas what actually happened was I generally did bits and pieces but didn’t get anything finished.  Some of this was due to work commitments, other family (tidy up the modelling area and when modelling resumed start on a different one to the one previously being worked on).  Other reasons were the lack of bits to actually finish things.  The considerable changes of the N Gauge Society Shop has, at least for this overseas member, meant that much of what appealed in being a member has been lost – and frustratingly, the news dropped in the renewal Journal having coughed up for three years.  Ho hum. 

The other, and probably most significant issue, was my eyesight.  I was trying to solder some axle boxes on back in September 17 and realised I just could no longer focus where I used to be able to.  A trip to the optician resulted in the previous one set of glasses (for distance vision) becoming three – sunglasses for distance (they live in the car), tri-focal for distance, computer screens and a bit of modelling and dedicated modelling glasses.  The latter enable me to see my finger prints clearly on a glass at 9 inches and don’t let me see my hand at the end of my arm!  I took a model with me to the optician to show him what I was doing and he was very helpful.  The prescription enables me to read the calibration message for his equipment so money well spent.

So the modelling – most recently I have renumbered the pair of Farish Std 4 2-6-4Ts I received for Christmas.  80027 with early crest became 80037 – which for a few years early in is career was allocated to Watford Junction and may have been (although no definitive evidence has appeared) being used on the branch to St Alban’s Abbey.  The other went from being 80119 to 80103 – which had the unfortunate distinction of being the first of the 999 Standards to be condemned having suffered cracked frames in 1962 – a mere 2 years after 92220 came out of Swindon.

To renumber them I tried something new.  I got some Simply Green cleaner from my local Bunnings Hardware (incidentally Bunnings is in St Alban’s and would, if I were modelling the station today, manage to make it onto the corner of the layout!) as I had seen some posts on various forums as to its worth as a gentle paint and decal stripper.  A bit painted on the transfers and left for about a minute then a cocktail stick and the numbers removed quickly and easily with no damage to the paint underneath.  New numbers from Fox transfers and sides done.  I was able to do the smoke box door number plate on 80037 but 80103 needs the “wrong” right hand crest applied as the pictures I have of it after its only Heavy General overhaul show it having the wrong facing lion.  Order sent to Fox and hopefully it will be sorted fairly shortly. 

While I was on the transfer roll, my inadvertent eBay purchase of a 46521 – inadvertent as I thought I had a black one, not a green so ended up with two the same – became 46512 which was also a Swindon built example finished in lined Brunswick Green.

So that’s it for this week.  I’ve a few more things to show so will be making the effort to post weekly for the next few to clear the backlog. 

DCC conversion

I had a go at converting a loco to DCC last night.  In this case, I started small converting my model of 45 114 following the pretty straightforward explanation (with pictures - I like pictures!) found here Farish Diesel DCC Fitting.  I had to remove quite a chunk of the metal from the end with the chip and socket (I decided to put the socket in so I can put a blanking plug in to run on DC - it also meant if I did any dodgy soldering, I wouldn't be damaging a chip) and it still isn't fitting quite right so I will probably have to unsolder it all, pull the whole loco apart and remove some more metal.  The blog which I followed suggested a milling machine would be best but I found using a file just as good - if a bit time consuming.  The best part was, having put it all together it worked - and has been programmed using my NCE ProCab.   So now to the next - a Class 33.  The grand plan is to do all the blue diesels in DCC and having done this one, it should be a doddle - although I will have to work up to the 03, 04, 08 and 14 I think.

 

 

EDIT - a couple of hours later and I have removed some more of the metal under the chip and it all fits perfectly.  I had to sacrifice the cab moulding at that end, but I am thinking of detailing the buffer beam at the other end in any case so the end with the cab in it will be leading.  It isn't noticeable unless you look, but knowing it is missing, I will see it every time that end leads if I don't make it a one way loco.  Not sure what train it will get - possibly a Freightliner container set when I get around to sorting the collection I got on eBay a couple of months back.

Deltic Downunder

Blogger has enabled the upload of video and I thought my most recent arrival would make a good test subject (sorry for the poor quality - I will see if I can do a better job and edit it later).  This is Deltic, still running in.  I didn't realise it came with directional lights (probably should have since this seems to be standard on all new diesels these days) and to be honest, I am a little bit disappointed.  I don't know that it will be operational with no train all that often so the red will have to go.  The white is quite bright and there will need to be something done to remove the inner glow in front of the cab.  At the slowest speed I could run it at on pure DC the lights were out.  Once it has run in for the hour each way, and I have checked the lubrication, I will stick a chip in it and see how slow it will go on DCC.

As one of those "it doesn't really fit my plans but gee whiz" locos I am very pleased with it.  I do model LMR so it is appropriate (which tends to boggle the mind a little as I always associated Deltics with the ECML) and I have seen the real beast so it was snapped up when it was announced.  And here for Christmas too.

Stock for Elm Road

The weather improved today so spraying was a go.

As promised yesterday, here are the three Parkwood LNER Fruit vans. They are running on LNER 8 clasp brake chassis from the 2mm FSA and have been transferred using MMT089 - Ex LNER Fruit vans from the NGS Shop. I used Precision BR Bauxite for the bodies, Humbrol 32 for the roof and whatever the cheapest can of flat black spray I could find for the chassis.

There is still a couple of things to finish off - vacuum cylinders and weathering. Then there is the issue of couplings. At this point in time, there will be 6 of these (note the three are all different - one with roof vents and one without in the planked side variety) and they will be joined by 4 Bacfar BR Fruit vans (hopefully I "win" enough axles in the Shop 2 Lottery on the weekend!) in a train which will probably have a J70 in BR Early crest at the front. For Elm Road there will be no need to shunt so I am thinking of using the Matherson Models 3 links (I know these would be joined by screwlinks but finding working ones in 2mm is proving a little hard!) and having this rake permanently coupled. The longer term plan for Outwell Basin would see some being shunted but only 3 or 4 from a train so they would be new builds for the new layout I guess.

Renumbering a loco.

Last weekend a question was asked on the N Gauge Yahoo Group of which I am a member about changing the details on locos - numbers, crests etc. I thought a series of photos and a longer explanation may be of use.

This is the kit I use to renumber a loco. Normally it isn't as neat as this :-))

Going clockwise from the right: Fowler Locomotives by Brian Haresnape. The loco at the bottom of the dust cover is the subject I am planning on modeling. The white lid to the bottom left is from one of the girls baby jelly jars. 5mls of water goes nicely into this (using a syringe) and it is here the transfers are soaked prior to affixing to the model. Swiss Army pocket knife. I use the scissors (and although it is currently MIA, the toothpick is handy for poking transfers around on models to position them). Small (00) paint brush. Bamboo kebab stick. Bottle of nail polish remover (Coles Persona for Australians reading this - non-acetone variety). Bachfar Jinty purchased from Ebay (needs fettling to get it to work properly but was purchased with a view to putting a 2mm chassis under it from Fencehouses) and under the Jinty some Fox 10inch numbers (FRH 2004) and some small Late Crest transfers from Modelmaster via the NGS shop (can't tell you the code for those).

The more knowledgeable engine pickers of Jinties will have spotted the anomaly on this one already. The Darlington style number position. Apparently, according to the caption for the same photo inside the book, it was shopped at Darlington in 1964 and appeared ex-works with its number painted on the tankside instead of the bunker. As the loco was withdrawn in 1966 I suspect it looked like this until then. I thought, as it was something different, I would model it. A bit late for my normal steam operations but Rule 1 and all that.

As an aside, it is easier to work from a photo - I changed a Dapol Ivatt from 41271 to 41220 on the basis I have a photo of this loco at St Alban's Abbey. Another destined for 2mm work.

I put the nail polish remover on with the paint brush over the bits I want to remove. Works really well on plastic (like the smokebox door) and not so well on the metal bits of Farish locos. Works fine on diesels (having done 60078 out of Mainline freight into "something secret") as these are plastic bodies as are the Dapol ones. No dramas on Farish tenders to date either. You can see where the number (47338 if memory serves) and crest were.

The renumbering in progress. The photo shows the first 4 just above the access to the center sandbox (I assume) so this gave me a starting point. The skewer, having been used to gently scrape the old number and crest off is now being used as a poker to get the new one aligned.



The finished job. Took about 30 mins from start to finish. If there are any dramas with taking paint off this is easily fixed with a bit of Humbrol No 33 (Matt Black). Obviously doing something like a Jinty or 4F (which are unlined) is a good place to start as any mistakes are more easily rectified. With a bit of practice and confidence... See Victoria earlier on this month.

It Moves!!!!

Toby - the prototype J70 - moved for the first time under his own power today.

The little chassis has been filed to fit - I will take a couple of photos of it later when I pull it out to do a bit more work and add some weight - and it was given a spin around Hollie, Jessica and Hannah's train set (Kato Unitrack).

As it happened the latest Brown Paper Package, Tied Up with String (cue music...) turned up from Hatton's today and it contained 4 BR Fruit vans which will be converted to 2mm FS and used to supplement the stock on Elm Road. Toby was given these to push and managed 3 of the four quite well. A bit of fettling of the axles on the vans and some weight in the loco in the right spots and all should be well. Not bad for only one powered axle!!!

Purchases

I haven't really done much modelling since the last update - I have made a start on converting a Dapol Autocoach to 2mm Standards by making some bogies for it. Still working out what else to do to it (fixing the vents on the roof is high on the list - and I am thinking of putting it in the last GWR coach livery rather than the late 20's/early 30's livery it currently is in).

What I have been doing is getting packages almost every day (the flood waters are down and the mail is getting through). Today's was from the Alton Model Center with a rake of Dapol Collett's in GWR livery - the first batch years ago sold out in a flash and even this run (NC041-NC03) vanished from the likes of Rails and Hatton's fairly quickly. Fortunately AMC had enough for me to get a rake of 8 - and a BR Blue CCT (NB008) from quite a long time ago. Very happy to have been given the tip from a fellow modeller in the ACT.

Other arrivals include a BHE Royal Scot and a Farish Jubilee - the latter for my wife. Hopefully the nameplates for the Jub turn up soon - 5566 to go with my 45565 so we have our States of Origin running on our layouts.

Last night I ordered the chassis for the J70/Y6 locos which we hope to start building in a week or so - although following the arrival of the NGS Journal one is going in my PD Marsh Sentinal kit - which will be numbered for the W&U Y4.