Hornby class 50, Bachmann class 03 and some DCC musings

After a hectic week and even busier weekend, very little modelling has been done. However, what a weekend, with a brilliant stag do for one of my best mates. But back in the world of modelling, I did manage to clean out my modelling room and get some projects in order, ready for the workbench. Two of the upcoming projects are detailing and weathering a Bachmann class 03 shunter and a Hornby class 50. To this end I did get over to The Model Shop at Exeter, and had a discussion with the owner regards DCC decoders.


The Hornby Class 50. This upcoming project is going to have both PH Designs packs added, as well as weathering.

After running in the locomotives on dc, I added a six pin chip to the 03 and an 8 pin chip to the 50. Both of the locomotives on the Amberleigh DCC track performed poorly. The Hornby Class 50 in particular, but the performance of the 03 was not what I had expected either. After speaking to young man at The Exeter Model Shop, it was apparent that the poor running of the class 50 is well known, due to the cv settings. He gave me some advice on how to change these.


Another of the upcoming detailing projects, a Bachmann class 03

As I only have a Bachmann EZ system at present I can not program decoders. So after doing a lot of reading on the net, and also discussing with several modelling experts I have decided to purchase an NCE powercab, for the development of my Watergate layout. This will allow me to program decoders to optimise running and I hope to be able to significantly improve the running of these two locos.

One other thing I achieved at the weekend was sorting out of the wood to build the baseboards for Watergate Halt. This has got me really excited about building my next layout. I hope to get the baseboards built and track wired ready for the long winter of modelling. Other than this, there has been no other progress on any of the model projects. However, I have a free weekend coming up, so I hope to make some inroads into the my current workbench projects.

Wagons, wagons and more wagons (CCT, PMV, Whale and POA)

Over the last two weeks or so, what little spare modelling time I had has been spent building the PMV, whale and converting the POA wagon. It has not been the most productive of weeks but these models are now nearing the paint shop. The POA sides were gentle melted with a blow torch and then the sides were filed. This is trying to recreate the look of the battering these wagons used to get when being loaded with scrap. The couplings have been added, so this is ready for some transfers this week.


The battered sides of the POA wagon

The whale wagon has been constructed over a few months. I never seemed to get enough time to really sit down and get on with the build. I was originally thinking this was ready for the paint shop, but the second photograph shows a slight mismatch on the canopy on the end, where it joins the body. Overall, I feel that my modelling of the canopies was not great and I am considering redoing them. The model is nearly there, but not quite, I think another evening with those canopies is required.


The nearly finished whale wagon


This photograph shows the slight mismatch between the canopy and the body handrail.

The PMV is the standard Parkside kit, with just some proper handrails added from 0.5mm brass wire. This one is ready for the paint shop. I have the other CCT painted, now requiring some transfers. I am hoping for a couple of spare evenings this week to get these models finished. Ultimately I am trying to build a small engineering train, supposedly for carrying spare parts between depots. It will consist of the PMV, the CCT and the 12ton van. Each will be finished in Engineering olive green. Each will be weathered to a different state.


PMV nearing the paintshop

BCK coach lighting (ptII), a vanfit and some OTA timber wagons

The BCK with working lights, at last!

Another week flies by and this week has been a good one in modelling terms. I managed a couple of evenings of modelling and made good progress on several projects. One thing that has been finished recently is the the lighting on the mk1 BCK, which I fitted with an Express Models lighting kit. When I posted about this last time, there was a significant light bleed between the roof and the coach sides.


BCK on the evening service into Amberleigh

I started off with a solution of taping black insulation tape across the gap in the roof. I waited a few days and really should have known better, but yes it unravelled. After a few more days general pondering on how to fix this I came up with the following solution. Cut a thin strip of plasticard to the length of the coach sides. Then sparingly glue the coach sides back to the roof. Then place the strip of plasticard between the roof and the side and sparing glue down. The trick was then to cover the top of the plasticard and the gap between the roof and the side with glue and glaze. Once this had dried I simply painted it black and hey presto, no light bleeding!!


And this is how I solved it. Glued plasticard into the join between the coach sides and roof, and filled wth glue and glaze before painting black



Is that guy really wearing sunglasses? It's dark outside

As with all projects, you live and learn. I could now add this sort of lighting unit in much quicker time - and I am about to start on a mk1 SK soon. However, there is still one thing which I am not satisfied with, but I am going to live with. When you look through the coach on a close up, you can see the glue marks, which Bachmann used when fitting the glazing. Not Bachmanns fault for sure. But had I realised I would have painted over these. Also I realised the passenger I glued in the seat had sunglasses on, not probably the most realistic thing for a coach that will mainly run at night!!!! Overall though I would highly, highly recommend the Express Models lighting kit and advise anyone to add these to at least some of their coaches. You will not be disappointed with the result.


New 12T engineering wagon to run with an olive green CCT and PMV in departmental use

I also purchased a couple of new wagons this week. Work is slow at the moment and I really want some sound units for some of my DMUs, class 47s and 33s, so I am trying to save not spend money. However, the Hornby OTA is now available and the Model Rail limited edition 12T engineering wagon has been on my list for ages. I am currently building a PMV and CCT, both of which will run in an engineers train on Amberleigh, with the 12T vanfit. This is probably a fictitious train formation, but I think it will look pretty good. The CCT is almost painted and the PMV is almost built, so hopefully this project will not be long until fruition.


The new Hornby OTA wagon

My other significant purchase was the Hornby OTA wagon. I have been keen to get my hands on the Hornby and Bachmann wagons since they were announced, not least since I have been building this wagon from the Cambrian kits every so often for a few years (I have only made 3 though!!). Lapford handled a lot of timber traffic in the 1980s and I have been building these wagons for a train on my layout. Looking at the Hornby version, it just does not look quite right to me, although I am not sure I can really put my finger on why.


A kit built Cambrian OTA A

Part of it is undoubtedly the very light blue livery it is painted in (presumably it is OTA-C), with the underframe all blue as well. It looks very plasticky compared to the Cambrian offering. I am going to take it apart and detail it alongside the second POA wagon and see if it will come up trumps. But I do wonder if it is like the Flangeways mermaid: - a wagon that you wait for ages on, and then are just a little disappointed when it arrives. These are only my views and I wait to be proved wrong. With a bit of detailing it might just turn out well, but I am waiting to be convinced....I might just stick with building the Cambrian kits instead.


A very poor photograph of three Camrbian OTA kits

Other than that all is going well on other projects. The class 121 project is almost ready to properly start, although I am considering a new chassis. The PMV and whale are within touching distance of being built. The large logo 47 is ready for detailing. The CCT is almost ready for transfers and the POA and OTA are hovering above the workdesk, just waiting to be started.......

Half term, the tarka trail and a video

This week my son came to stay for half term and we spent a lot of time cycling on the tarka trail. We visited both Yarde Halt and Watergate Halt, two concrete southern stations in the heart of Devon. We cycled 24 miles on friday and also stopped off at Torrington and Bideford. Bideford is an excellent station to stop at, with a southern PMV and 20t brake van parked up there, two of my future projects. This is why we live in Devon, beautiful countryside, great access to the outdoors and very few real railways left!


East Yarde Halt

In the evening my son and I have been started building some Parkside kits. He is building a southern CCT and I am building a southern PMV. Both of these wagons should see some service on Amberleigh, or on the forthcoming Watergate Halt. I will put up a post later in the week on the actual modelling we have done.


Watergate Halt

Now my son is becoming a very clever young man and he decided we should make a video of Amberleigh trains. Just using his ipod he made a little film, with me just keeping quiet and driving the trains (badly) behind the scenes. This is his little effort and I think quite fun. One little problem was 47035 would not run over the points, so some laborious track and wheel cleaning is in order.


The PMV at Bideford

Other than that a few projects are very close to being finished and the lighting for the BCK is sorted out - the coach looks great now. I will put up a post of this later in the week