Masterclass Models LNER Quad Art - Part I

I obtained the kit for this last year following the return from Longreach - in fact it was the first parcel of train goodies to be delivered to home.  The kit had been advertised in a flyer (I think) in the 2mm Association Magazine - I can't find it now going through the mags.   In anycase, being as it was something different and potentially useful for St Alban's (Abbey or Priory or even both) I obtained one.  It has sat in the gloat box for some months, fished out from time to time and then put back.  At the Brisbane Model Train Show I decided to fish it out again and get the bogies sorted - naturally I had left the couple of pages of instructions Chris had supplied at home! 

The bogies were straight forward, following the same method of assembly which I had put together some GWR and LNWR bogies.  Construction of the 5 bogies took 5 hours - although I am pretty certain I would have done it quicker had I been at home, even with the attendant distractions of wife, children and football!

On the Monday, I figured I should plug on with the kit - and having found the notes, discovered that, like pretty well all the etched kits, it is simply a matter of taking your time, being methodical and using as little solder and flux as possible.  The note suggest photos (which is excellent advice for all kits to be honest) and all I had at the show was my iPhone which isn't the best at a) searching (yes it has Internet access and yes, I tried more than Google!) and b) then displaying what it has found in comparison to a PC, which proved by the second weekend of the build to have been a nuisance!  More anon when I work out what I am going to do!

Pictures:

The four body shells - all thirds

Four chassis - no buffers as I don't have any! (Nor do I have any 10BA bolts so not joined either!)

Two of the five bogies - not finished owing to the no bolts issue mentioned above.

All in all, a very satisfying build to date.  The kit goes together well and I particularly liked the provision of a piece to solder in at the top of the sides to give extra strength and rigidity.  Very much looking forward to getting the remaining bits and pieces and putting it all together.  Then there will be the matter of painting (LNER Teak) and transfers - it will be an awful lot of 3s to put on doors!!!  Hopefully roofs will have sorted themselves out by then too - I am hoping to have it finished in time for the BRMA(Q) Annual Model Making Competition which is being held in November (I think) and entering it in the Kit or Scratch Built Rolling Stock category.

Brisbane Model Train Show 2012

For the first time in 4 years I got to my local show, which is held on the May Day long weekend.  This was the 35th year it has been held and, sadly in some ways, the last at the Brisbane RNA Grounds at Bowen Hills.  Next year it is moving to on of the racecourses owing to redevelopment of the RNA.  I was glad to make it to the last one as I have fond memories of going as a child and then participating as an exhibitor, firstly with a fellow club members layout, then our club layout and finally my own (which managed to win a prize in 2007 for Signalling fidelity - very excited about that.)  49 layouts (according to the advertising - I didn't count as I walked around on the three days) and a fair whack of traders (again, I didn't count and I can't find the flyer now which had the numbers) but I felt a little bit disappointed both with the general standard of layouts and the offerings of the traders.  Suffice to say, I didn't spend much money - bought the kids a wagon each and ended up with a Hold N Fold but that was it.  Cheap weekend!

The layouts, as I think I implied, weren't up to much.  I discussed this with my fellow BRMA members on our display stand and we weren't able to reach a conclusion about it.  I think quite possibly as my modelling has developed, so have my personal standards and what was once something to aspire to 20 years ago as a teenager, is not something which floats my boat now.  I do know, first hand, how much effort goes into a layout and realise that what excites one, won't necessarily enthrall another and all the operators seemed to be enjoying themselves and 10,000 people came so hats off the the AMRA boys for a successful show, regardless of personal opinions.

I took some photos of what did inspire me - but stupidly without taking photos of the layout number to aid in identifying them all.  If I have included your layout without appropriate acknowledgement, please get in touch so I can edit the post!

As an N gauge modeller, and a British prototype modeller, there wasn't anything which ticked both boxes - although there was a British N layout.  I did have a look - and my kids told me about it (Thomas and Percy being mentioned in the report from DD1 and DD3!) but I was a little underwhelmed by the Lima 4F on the turntable when I had a chance to look for myself.

The highlight was Queen's Wharf - O Gauge Australian with my personal favourite Australian diesel - the NSWGR Class 44 Alco unit.  This was in out of the shops Tuscan with sound and all the current fun stuff.

Quiet scene on "Queen's Wharf"

Disturbed by the arrival of 4411!

Ground level view of 4411 - definitely has a "presence" about it!

Well modelled country hall on "Roseville" (I think!)

Station footbridge on "Roseville"

The centre piece of "Two Up, Two Down" - British OO four track mainline

Girder bridge on the Coffs Harbour MRC layout

Another bridge from the CHMRC

Industrial visitor on Queen's Wharf late on Monday

It would be nice if this was N (or something like it) don't you think?

Back in the saddle

Well, the footy season is now at Round 6 and despite what I thought when I posted last (back in Round 1), the mojo hasn't really returned.  I have done some stuff - pictures to follow - but until today, I haven't really been that inspired to do much modelling although I have done things for my hobby in general such as cutting up the bits and pieces to make some new stock boxes a couple of weekends ago. (There was also a comment from one of the students at my new school about the lack of updates so I thought I better - now to see if he actually reads the blog!)

Today was a little bit different.  It was the first day of the major model railway show in Queensland - the Brisbane Model Train Show (here) and the first train show I have been to since taking "St Alban's Priory" to the 2008 show.  I spent the morning building a 2mmSA replacement chassis for a Peco 15' wagon - not for a Peco wagon, but for an Etched Pixels LBSCR Stroudley Coach.  It was nice to get back in the saddle as such and so I thought I would share some of the bits and pieces I have done over the last 6 weeks:

 I've had this version of the Farish Std 4 2-6-0 since it came out and I was very disappointed with the "short" connector between the loco and tender - so much so, I had to double check that it was the short one, since the gap didn't seem that smaller once I had fitted it.  I have since made a new connector using some PCB (frame spacer actually from the 2mmSA) which has closed it up nicely but still allows the loco to travel around my curves - smallest radius on St Alban's Priory is 14.5".

Long time readers will know I was not happy with the first attempt at scenicing Swallow's End, my first attempt at a 2mm Finescale layout.  So much so I ripped up all the track and the board came back from Longreach bare.  I have since repainted it brown on the basis that I wouldn't need quite so heavy a layer of scatter material over a brown base, but I still wasn't convinced so I have cut the track formation out of 4mm ply.  This I am going to paint grey to provide a base colour for my ballasting attempts.  I am not sure that a scale 2 feet of permanent way would be correct for such a sleepy terminus so I plan on building the surrounding countryside up using 2 or 3mm board (Masonite probably) and fitting the pieces together (such as the cattle dock, coal merchant etc) like a jigsaw as I go.  I will be able to do the bits separately - so if I don't like the result I just bin the offending section rather than having to attack the layout - and then put it all together later.

Last but not least, I have built these 4 etches from a Langley etch - garden shed, dove cote, green house and a conservatory extension.  Not sure where they will be used yet, but they were in my to do box so I did them!

Friday Night Update - 23 March

Footy comes back tomorrow night (that is Australian Rules - the Rugby League has been going for a while but I don't follow the code) and with Amity (aka the Shop 1 Groupie and purchaser of great Christmas Presents) out playing scrapbooking I took the opportunity to get back into Friday night work sessions.

This isn't to say stuff hasn't been happening - stuff has, just not something which is photogenic!

Tonight's effort for example was to get out of the track I took off Swallow's End when I decided it needed to be lifted and re-done as I wasn't satisfied.  Now this was some months ago - August last year I think from memory (known to be faulty) but with the last term of my Year 12s last year, followed by the move from Longreach to Brisbane and setting up the Train Shed and other priorities (unpacking and doing jobs for SWMBO!) I haven't gotten around to it.  Tonight I did.  Essentially it involved making sure all pieces of track had the appropriate amount of sleepers and all sleepers were soldered properly - some hadn't been done as well as I thought when I pulled it all up.  Now this is a necessary, but time consuming job when making hand made track.  I think I am about half way though.  To be honest, I think making new pieces may have been a bit quicker but I am learning quite a lot so not a total loss!  No photos - nothing worth photographing. 

Another session tomorrow - and being a bit sick of track, I think I may do some stuff for the back yards I am wanting to put in behind my Kestral (Kestrel?) semi-detached houses.  The inspiration for what I am going to do with these can be found in Nspirations 3 for those with a copy.

South East Queensland Area Group

I am very pleased to announce that, having had two successful meetings, a combined N Gauge Society, 2mm Scale Association and British Railway Modellers of Australia group has been established, meeting on the second Saturday of the month in my train shed.

The initial meeting was held in February and attracted 7 modellers (with 2 apologies from the invitations sent out) with a plan being made for a soldering demonstration for March.  Only 6 gathered for March (again with apologies so not too worried!) and the demonstration was judged a success with some confidence being gained and light being shone on the dark art.

The April meeting is going to investigate the thorny issue of couplings and, more specifically, hands off shunting.  My layout is equipped with electromagnets for use with the Peco system which I have used to good effect for over 10 years, but this does tend to mean all wagons need to have a Peco chassis (or the coupling replaced with a Peco one).  I have some MicroTrains fitted US stock but haven't explored this option.  The discussion will most likely centre around the fitting and operation of DG couplings as one member uses these, one has built these and two expressed an interest in learning more.

Naturally, members of the aforementioned Associations are very welcome to get in touch if they happen to be in South East Queensland for dates and times, along with contact phone and address info.  Public transport is handy too.

Royal Train

I mentioned in my blog from February (the one and only - work and family seem to have slowed progress more than I anticipated!) that I was building the present day Royal Train using the ERG vinyls.  Pictures have now been taken following the painting of the corridor connectors black (they having been caught up in the spraying of the ends grey).  I have not gotten around to changing the couplings over to close couple the set.  While it is headed by 67005, this is the dummy Royal Locomotive Dapol produced.  I am hoping to get 60163 later this year and this train was obtained for Tornado to haul.

Typically from the photo session this afternoon, only a few are worth putting up.  I will hopefully get a decent shot of one of the Mk 3s tomorrow and add it then.

Back to Modelling

After quite a long break - some of it because of moving, some of it because of sorting out my train shed - I finally managed to spend some time last night and this evening doing some modelling.  The project at hand was the "shiny train" aka The Grove or Royal Train.

For the project I had obtained from the excellent service of Electra Railway Graphics the full set of Royal Train coaches and from the equally excellent service of those purveyors of parcels wrapped in brown paper (and sometimes tied with string) Hatton's for Liverpool 7 of their cheapest Mk 3s (which happened to be GNER TGSs) and a brace of their cheapest Mk 2s (which were something in Blue and Grey - can't remember).

Adam recommends Brasso - I found this a) tedious and b) time consuming and c) not working as well as I had hoped.  Perhaps the Australian formulation of Brasso is different to the UK one - although the tin says they are appointed to HM for stuff.  In any case I made up a solution of Caustic Acid (caustic soda mixed into some water) which I poured into a handily spare Dapol box and, at two at a time, the rest of the coaches were done quite quickly - soak for about an hour and rinse off with the aid of a toothbrush (old) and make sure you wear a pair of those latex disposable gloves, just in case.

During this afternoon I then painted the roofs, under gear and bogies with a tin of grey primer - this is slightly darker than my usual choice and looked pretty good compared with the photos of the train so that was that. 

This evenings work consisted of painting the springs on the Mk3 coaches bogies yellow and some leaver things on the Mk 2 coaches bogies blue - matching the pictures I have of these coaches in BR Coaching Stock in Colour since 1960. 

I have put the sides on the Mk2s and the Prince of Wales' saloon and very nice they look with my dummy Class 67.  I still have to paint the corridor connectors black and find some door boards.  I also plan on fitting Scale Scenes curtains on the insides of the coaches for the more authentic look - particularly as I can't be fussed making interiors and in any case, all of the pictures I have found both in books and on line have the curtains drawn.

Photos tomorrow when a) the camera battery is charged and b) I can do it out doors with natural light!

It is good to have something OMWB again!

"St Alban's Priory" - some more pictures

A couple more:

The view along the street over the tunnel at the Stage Right end.  This is a row of Kestral terrace houses to the right of the photo and a single shop unit to the left with Langley post box and telephone box.  This area needs a bit more - I am thinking of a a sign on the shop and maybe a for sale/for lease sign on one of the houses.  A car or maybe two parked along the street but as the layout is nominally set in the late 1950s the amount of cars around would be small.

Stage Left exit - the branch line at St Alban's Abbey goes left, towards the ECML (since it was an ex-GNR branch) but mine climbs and goes right, over the main line.  The main line (ex-LNWR line to Watford Junction and thence Euston) should be single track but part of the modifications to make life a bit easier for exhibitions had it doubled.  The Autotrain, being Western Region is on test!

"St Alban's Priory" - some pictures

As promised some photos of StAP now that it is installed.  I am very pleased to report that having connected all the bits which needed connecting (it comes in 3 parts so needs to be bolted together and then the connection plugs coupled up along with some track put in place over one of the joins) and the track was cleaned (and it was not too bad considering 2008 was the last time a wheel turned) everything I have tried to do so far has worked.  I haven't plugged in the 16vAC power pack for the points yet so....

Anyway, the photos:

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I had posted previously a picture of the outside of my shed.  This is an average sized shed by Australian standards (or at least it is amongst those I know who have backyard sheds) at 6m wide by 7.5m long.  Basically you can put two cars in, with room for a trailer and a bit of a work shop.  I don't.  I put a layout in!  StAP fits across the back with room at the RH end (as you look at the photo) to walk around the back.  Layout is over 5.5m long so I better not put on too much more weight!

First of the detail shots. This is a row of Kestral Semi-detached houses (KD32) which overlooks the head shunt and the London end of the layout.  The triple bracket signal in view is the Down Home with the left bracket taking trains into the yard and the right bracket into the bay platform on the up side of the station.  These houses have been individualised to a point, but having read the article in N'spirations 3 on detailing these, more will be done in due course.  I believe N'spirations 3 is out of print so I will take some photos of mine as I do it and up load them in due course.

The current goods shed - a painted Peco kit.  I do have a card model of the actual goods shed at St Alban's Abbey (on which StAP is based) and in the fullness of time I will replace this with that.  As I am hoping to build a model of StAA in 2mmFS, this model will be built with the dual purpose in mind - hopefully I won't have to fudge it too much to fit on both layouts.  The yard crane is a white metal one - Langley I think but maybe PD Marsh.  It needs some TLC as the hook is missing.

Wildly out of place Ratio Cattle dock.  It is important to remember the bulk of this was done in 1999/2000, well before my modelling skills were at the level of thinking about scratch building, let alone giving it a go.  This model was a bit of a leap for me at the time as it had the etch brass fence.  The middle lamp is a casualty of a gecko or something as the lamp is off the post in the four foot.  I am thinking about replacing the lamps with working examples but the dock will stay - far too firmly glued down with liquid nails to attempt to remove it I fear.  The signs along the platform fence are my own - I took photos of metal signs at preserved railways on one of my infrequent trips to the UK and these are the results.  Unfortunately, they too are casualties as the ink jet printer I used has resulted in colour loss - possibly from washing the platform!   Easy to fix.

Last one for today - this is the more serious casualty ward.  The loading gauge (white metal) is an easy fix as are the 6 telegraph poles.  The Up Starter bracket (left for the bay, tall middle for the main line and right to take trains over the Down and into the head shunt - the crossing is just in front of the Farish LNWR signalbox - handy since StAP is based on an LNWR location and better than the assortment of 'boxes which have stood in this position over the years) is almost certainly destined for replacement - not sure if it will be colour light with some feathers or what yet.

More tomorrow possibly - as it is, I am enjoying the sound of trains running rather than worrying about taking photos or faffing about but I shall have to get stuck in, as there is a group coming on Saturday!

"St Alban's Priory" comes home

8 weeks ago my family and I did the long drive from Longreach for the last time and moved back to our family home in SE Queensland.  Since then, Christmas and New Year have come and gone, our fourth daughter has had her first birthday and we have been to Melbourne and celebrated Amity's birthday.  While this has been going on, I have found time to work in my train shed, building book cases to house my collection of reference books and magazine and prepare it for the home coming of my layout, which has been in storage suspended from my parents garage roof since 2008.

Well today was the day.  Weather not the greatest (although wetter I think than 2011 it has been slower and more widespread and there hasn't been the flooding that there was this time last year) but we managed to jag it for the space, both at my parents house and here at home.

The layout has survived rather well.  There are no signs of damage due to insect infestation and while a few telegraph poles need straightening and some signals need a bit of TLC, on the whole it is in pretty good shape.  Mind you, I look and parts and shudder to think I thought they were pretty good!  They probably were at the time (the layout celebrated it 12 birthday over the New Year period!) given my skill and abilities when I did it.  Now I am not sure I would have done what I did had I known what I do.

Pictures tomorrow - even the ugly bits - once I finish bolting it together this evening.