Passenger service at Amberleigh

Another week flies by and yet another week of no modelling. Went to a family wedding in London which was excellent, but other than that I have not managed to go near any projects I have on the go. I have been doing a little bit of web based reading to look up which dcc control unit to use on my next layout. Bachmann dyamis seems reasonable, although from what I have read you cannot set cv values, and the infra red is a bit temperamental. Other than this, it has been a really unproductive month of model making, but the weather has been stunning!! So instead of showing some non existent progress thought I would post one of several little videos I have made of Amberleigh recently. The video shows Amberleigh with a class 108 running into the little halt. This 108 is a detailed bachman model, but this is about to go back onto my bench for further work. Primarily, there is light bleeding through the plastic, were there are light colours such as white and yellow. The other point is the body requires some subtle weathering, such as door frames and a driver needs to be sat down!! The other train is 33/1 hauled mk1 stock. The lack of carriage lighting is glaring and this is another key project to be started asap.

Whale, CCT, Class 121 DMU and a POA wagon

Well the heading pretty much describes my current projects, as far as I have got with them. Various interruptions meant that I did not achieve as much modelling as I wanted to at the weekend, but projects certainly moved forward.


New rolling stock for Amberleigh in the shape of a class 121 dmu

I purchased a class 121 dmu for a regular passenger service on Amberleigh. I have got some Express Models interior lights, some Blackcat Technologies head/tail lights and a Craftsman detailing kit to add onto it. It is a slightly daunting project, but one I am looking forward to getting stuck into over the next two weeks. The biggest issue I have is very average soldering skills, so I think a new and better soldering iron is in order. This project got underway at the weekend, with the couplings being cut off and the body dismantled. Test running on Amberleigh with a Bachmann back emf decoder resulted in a very noisy engine and not brilliant performance. I wonder if anyone out there has a recommended decoder for the hornby model??


Parkside southern CCT, ready for painting

The Parkside CCT is done. This is going to the Amberleigh engineering department in olive green. One thing I noticed is that engineering vans tend to have LPG cylinders slung underneath - I presume for a stove (but I have no idea really!!). I had an old one lying around from an unfinished Southern Pride kit and stuck this on the underframe. The kit is all washed now ready for painting...but alas I failed to get the air brush started this weekend.


Dismantled SSA wagon

The other little project I am dabbling with is converting a couple of Bachmann SSA wagons to POA wagons. This is literally just the removal of the factory finished enamel and replacement with Modelmaster Decals. The first wagon has also been converted for use with 3 link couplings. As with normal Bachmann wagons this was a little bit of a fight, with three pretty substantial mounting blocks for the tension lock coupler. Anyway, one down and one to go!! The next POA is going to have very battered sides, I am looking forward to hacking it up!!


POA wagon with offending transfers removed and 3 link couplings added in a slightly unorthodox way, utilising a fair amount of araldite!

Another project that received some attention was the construction of my whale wagon. I am still waiting on my buffers from MG sharp models, but have started fitting the body together. The chute was added last night and it is really starting to shape up. I am looking forward to finishing the build on this over the next week or so. I have another one of these to build, which I think I might start almost straight away....and I might have to have one more bash at a walrus!!! The kit for the whale is similar to the walrus. Normally when I am putting a kit together I have an idea if it is going to look good when finished, but I am unsure with this first whale, I guess time will tell.


Progression of the whale wagon

Other projects I have kicking about is adding some lights into some mk1 and mk2 lighting stock. Not all my coaches, just a handful for night running. I am also going to have a bash at updating a bachmann class 47 and 37 and I have another heljan 33 (a 33/2 this time) to weather. I still have a lighting kit and decoder waiting to be installed in a bachmann 08. Lots to do and absolutely no time to do it in!! Maybe, just maybe I should get the CCT painted this week...

Watergate Halt

I have spent the best part of two weeks up the East Midlands recently, hence my lack of blogging and complete lack of progress with many of my modelling projects. I do like the East Midlands, mainly due to some research I conducted on the Trent some years ago now. Being stuck away from home has been frustrating at times, not allowing me to progress with projects I want to get on with. The work I am managing in the East Midlands is a borehole survey and as a result there is a lot of downtime. This has led to me thinking about my next layout project and sketching designs in my work notepad. The other outcome has been spending money on the internet in the evenings buying some new rolling stock.


Three coach passenger service pulls into Amberleigh Halt

The picture posted above shows a 3 coach train on Amberleigh. It comes to a shade just over 4ft I think. One of my key objectives with Watergate is to run 'scale' length west country branchline trains. These will be normally around 3/4 coaches on the tarka trail plus an engine. In the mid eighties some of the trains during summer were around 5/6 coaches, and this on a branchline!!

Bearing in mind the wheel base of my van (in case I ever take a layout to exhibition) I am going to construct a running length of 8ft, with a 2ft depth. This will allow two single lines to run through a halt (shades of Crediton here) with a freight line and a passenger line. A siding will be put in for a timber yard and a level crossing to test my modelling skills!! The scenic section will be one 6ft board and one 2ft board leading to a fiddle yard. There will be a fiddle yard on the other end of the halt as well, to allow through running of trains. Amberleigh has been a great learning experience, but I am feeling the bug bite again to construct the next layout.

Regional Railways BSK, a whale ballast wagon and engineering CCT

Lightly weathered BSK mk1 in Regional Railways livery

Following some glorious days working in the lovely city of York, I am back home in Devon and having a bit of spare time to undertake some modelling. I got out the camera and took some photos of the regional railways mk1 BSK that I recently gave a very light weathering to. I am really pleased with the result. The underframe looks great with a very clean body. It makes a great comparison to the scruffy looking mk1 NEA intercity brake it is now coupled up with. This is a fixed short rake that is currently trundling up and down Amberleigh behind a class 37 in a dutch livery. Short trains like this were common on the tarka line in the mid to late 1980's, although only 2 coaches is probably pushing it a little. However, in my mind it makes a model of something that might of happened...


Some passengers on their way to Torrington

Incidentally, all the photographs taken on this post I set in a rather low light (ok lights dimmed, etc), trying to recreate a dusk-like atmosphere. I think it works pretty well, although I am sure there is much I could do to better my virtually non existent photography skills (I just point and shoot).


Class 37 heading the local passenger service. It must be a summer Sunday

On another point I have now got round to finishing quite a few coaches for Amberleigh and the next Watergate Halt layout. In got my mind round to thinking about whether to weather a batch of coaches at once. Having thought about it I am going to stick to doing it in ones and twos. I feel this will give greater variation to rakes, even it is subtle. Thus every coach will be a one off, which should create a variety of different weathering states, from near ex-works, through to neglected.


View of the local passenger service

Another point that has struck me twice recently, is internet shops claiming to have things in stock, only to find out when you order that it is not the case. I am putting together the first of two Cambrian whale wagons, and ordered some nice A1 brass buffers from MG Sharp. The website listed the parts as in stock. After my card was debited it is revealed that the product is actually out of stock. I also ordered a Hornby blue grey class 121 from Hereford Model Centre this week. This was to be a little DMU unit dedicated to the passenger service for the good people of Amberleigh. Again my order goes through, only to receive an e-mail later that the item is in fact out of stock. I am not someone who generally moans, but in both cases I feel a little hard done by, being misled by the information supplied. It is a little frustrating.


The main body of the whale wagon, plus the assembled hopper shute

However, to finish on a positive, the parkside CCT is just about finished (a few odds and ends to tidy up). A lovely simple little kit to build. I hope to get this painted and finished this weekend. I think that I should also be able to finish the whale this weekend, except for buffers. However, like always I have big plans but have the feeling I might not get as much modelling time as I would like.


Nearly finished Parkside CCT

More on Amberleigh Halt

This week has been mainly spent playing trains in the evening after work. Working for myself means I do not get as much evening time as I used to, and modelling output has certainly declined a bit. This has also coincided with my little test track of Amberleigh being fully operational. As this is my first layout I have spent a lot of time just running stock on it. I have been building wagons for the layout for about 11 years, so it is great to finally see the rolling stock trundling about.


Class 37/0 hauls a two coach passenger service into Amberleigh Halt.

Two projects that have finished are re-weathering my engineers grey class 37/0. This was my first proper locomotive weathering. Although at the time I was happy with it, more practice on the airbrush suggested I could do better. So I had another bash and am much happier with the result now. It is now a permanant feature on Amberleigh!!

Another project that also finished was the weathering of a Mk1 BSK in regional railways livery. This had a light weathering applied to contrast with a heavy weathering on a mk1 NEA in intercity livery. This forms a fixed rake for the Amberleigh micro-layout. Currently being dragged around by the 37/0 for a bit of fun!! I will take a photo or two of this next week.


Class 47 taking a fertiliser wagon down to Torrington

Two other projects that are progressing nicely are the build of the Whale ballast wagon and the cct. The cct is almost finished and the whale is progressing nicely. Both of these should be finished around next weekend. Both wagons will be finished in engineering olive.

Wagons: a CCT, SPA and ECC wagon

Well last week saw little progress in the railway, but this week has been a different story. A very tolerant and lovely girlfriend has let me 'play trains' all sat and again today!! This has let me make progress on some of the projects I had on the go.


The SPA as built several years ago.

First up was an SPA wagon I built around 2000. I was living in Exeter at the time and it brings back some good memories. However, the buffers were plastic and the weathering was done with some powders. So I drilled out the buffer bodies and super glued in some turned brass buffer heads, much more suitable for using 3 link couplings. After this a quick scrub down in the sink was followed by some air brushing for weathering. The railfreight red has faded over the last 10 years or so, in an almost prototypical way!! The SPA build was the excellent cambrian kit and this is now ready to enter service in one of my air braked freight trains. I have a Bachmann OBA and Hornby OAA to convert, as well as some of the Cambrian OTA timber wagons. These were all prototypically used along the tarka trail in the 1980's, working wood and fertiliser loads.


Updated SPA with brass buffers and new weathering

The other main freight along along the Torrington line was ECC china clay, being mined out near Halwill (the exact name of the quarry escapes me now). So last year I purchased the ready weathered Bachmann offering and this week I started the conversion of the first to 3 link couplings. What should have been a simple task was actually a bit of a nightmare. Firstly, 2 out of the 3 screw mounts had to be cut off and filed flat at the end of the wagon. Then the coupling hook had to have its bar shortened and a new hole re-drilled. An improvised spring was made from the pin, and the ends of the pin glued into place. As I had cut off the screw mounts for 2 of the crews the wagon was secured back together with araldite. All in all a lot of effort for a simply conversion. 1 down, about 9 to go!!!!


On taking the agon apart it is evident that the mounts for the screws will have to be removed at either end of the wagon.


The two halves of the wagon body with the offending items removed with a combination of drill, knife and file. The couplings are then added.


The finished wagon with the couplings converted

The other main project I have on the go is the Parkside CCT. I will finish the construction of this today. This wagon is going into a smart engineering olive repainted livery, with a southern PMV of the same colour. Then I plan to build another two CCTs, one LMS, one southern, both in faded and battered rail blue. I want to add the masokits detailing set to these wagons, but this almost doubles the cost of the project, so I am currently undecided about whether to add this cost to each wagon. I also noticed that buffers supplied with the Parkside kit were different to the ones I was modelling from photographs I have of an engineering CCT. So these buffers were swapped for a set of whitemetal ones I had lying about (heaven knows who manufactured them). Other than this the build is per instructions and is very straight forward. I am looking forward to seeing it painted.


Nearly finished build of parkside CCT

Some limited progress

Each week I manage to put up a post or two of the weeks progress. This week has been a shocker in modelling terms, with next to no modelling. What little time I have had I have spent running some trains on Amberleigh, which has been really enjoyable. To finally having a working test track/scenic plinth/micro layout is fantastic. It is my first serious attempt and a real step forward for me. However, current or new modelling projects are non existent. I am planning to have a bash at a southern PMV, two southern CCTs and a whale wagon next weekend, part of which are finished. Until then am going to go back to running trains on Amberleigh!!


Railfreight sound DCC class 37 on an ECC train through Amberleigh