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Sunday 29 April 2012

More on Georgeham Halt

A few more pictures of the developing scene at Georgeham Halt. The static grassing has been completed. There is a slightly 'hairy' tunnel entrance and hedges have been added behind the Halt. A halt name-board is required, as are a couple of trees behind the halt and a building of some form at the rear of the car park. I think that a couple of additions in the distance behind the halt will help force the perspective. All in all its getting there. I think it is starting to look like an abandoned branchline in the early 1980s, which somehow BR has been forced to keep open. If only that had happened in real life to North Devon line from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe....

Grubby class 25 at Georgeham halt


A very grassy tunnel mouth!

Class 25 running light through Georgeham, maybe BR are checking the viability of reopening the branch??....


Note the mini in the car park




Saturday 28 April 2012

Odds and ends

I decided to get a wriggle on with Georgeham this week. Overall I am losing enthusiam for the project. The scene is too small to get real depth on the photographs. It is serving its purpose as a DCC test track and also to experiment with static grass and in the future scenic water. However, with such limited operating potential, I want to get the layout finished and then crack on with Pottington Quay, with a few new skills learnt on the building of Georgeham.

Derelict signal box.

So these photographs are a few odds and ends of the developing scene at Georgeham. I put a light behind the platform (wonky of course, well this is Devon) and have also added some ivy to the signal box and put the static grass at the front of the layout. The cocktail sticks denote where the fence posts will be.

The static grass at the front of the layout - the rushes will be trimmed.

First of all I put a layer of flock down on the baseboard/plaster bandage, after painting the paster/board dark earth. Then I experimented with some static grass. First I started with 2.5mm static grass, but think that the best results I have so far got are using 4.5mm and 6mm static grass. I am sure with a bit of practice I can get some good results on Pottington Quay.

View into the platform from behind the signal box.

There are a few hedges to add, a couple of trees and some static grass around the tunnel. However, I am hoping to finish it this weekend and then get the track laid on Pottington Quay. It is another good learning curve, but with such limited operating potential I would rather have my main layout as the test track.

Class 25 hauling a short goods train through Amberleigh- pretty please with this locomotive!

Sunday 22 April 2012

Class 25 BR blues

Finished class 25

With working lights!!

Well, after a fantastic wedding last night and a raging hangover today - I finally got round to finishing the class 25. The final reassemble took ages to finish, not least because I could not get the lights to work when reassembled, probably a result of the hangover!!


The class 25 has been a project that has literally dragged on for months. A lack of transfers from modelmaster caused a delay, which meant the project lost momentum. The body shell was stripped of the Bachmann finish. The base layer of the livery was a mix of faded rail blue and normal rail blue. Over the top of this about 10 layers of weathering were applied, using lifecolour acryclic paints, being frame dirt, sleeper grime, track dirt and weathered black. Final varnishing used Railmatch matt varnish thinned with Humbrol thinners.


Overall I am pretty happy with this one. There are one or two things I would do differently. I would definitely added etched windscreen wipers and take more care with the masking. The biggest issue I had was using some 10 year old modelmaster transfers for the double arrows, which did not adhere properly. I did consider replacing them, but in the end tried to blend them in with the weathering. There is also a little light bleed around the headlights, which needs to be blocked out with some black paint. I also think the glazing is a little weak, but I am not sure if someone produces a replacement option. However, these minor points aside, the overall effect I am happy with - and it is all a learning process.


The weathering is loosely based on a photograph of a class 25 at Lapford station, in 1977. Class 25s were regular traction on the southern branch lines in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In general they were kept in a terrible state and many of the photographs show them in a faded, grimey condition. This is the first of several I want to model, all will be turned out in a similar state!!


On a slight tanget, I also wanted to finish the whale wagon off this weekend. Looking at modelmaster's website, the transfers for the whale will not be ready for at least another couple of months. So the whale and the tunny wagon will remain in the modelling boxes waiting for transfers and finishing.





Friday 20 April 2012

Some more engineering wagons

3 wagon projects this week

Recent modelling this week has centred on finishing off the weathering job on the class 25 and detailing/building some wagons. The weathering of the class 25 can wait for another post, as it has been a beast of job. It is loosely based on some of the the class 25s working the tarka line in the very late 1970's/early 1980's but I think for some it is a little over the top.....anyway that is for another day.

Diag1/47 open wagon about to be given a second lease of life in the Southern engineering section

Other modelling has focused on detailing three wagons, being a parkside 13t open wagon (diag 1/47). This has been built as per the instructions and will fit into the engineering section on my layout. This is the first of three 13t wagons I aim to build for the layout - the other two kits are lost in the post somewhere.....This one will be finished in overall black, with a lot of rust - typical of these wagons in the 70s/80s. 3 link couplings and steel buffers finish the build, with Modelmaster decals to be added once painted.

Stripped down and dismantled dogfish

The next wagon on the bench is a stripped down Heljan dogfish. I have become a little bit obssessed with superstrip recently, having put through an old Lima class 37 body shell and the Hornby class 121. I also added (for good measure) the hopper from a heljan dogfish - one of several from a bargain buy. This is going to be finished in engineering weathered back, also with a good deal of rust added. A little refinement goes a long way with these wagons, not least getting rid of the coupling and its mounting.

Out of focus china clay wagon!!!

Last but by no means least is the second of the ECC china clay wagons. Fitting 3 link couplings into these is painful. This is only the second one I have done (of about 10!!). This will have some weathering added and be added to the fleet. Although it is only a small change to put the coupling in, relatively it requires a lot of hacking up of the underframe and some araldite! The best investment for these wagons was the dremel, it certainly speeds up the process.

And the eagle eyed readers might also notice some ballast down on Georgeham. Gluing it in place is a job for tomorrow,alongside finishing the class 25.

Friday 13 April 2012

Developing scene at Georgeham Platform


Class 121 DMU into Georgeham.

Our 'what if' pointless DCC test track has progressed further, and is starting to resemble what the finished layout will look like. This week the shelter got glued to the platform and the platform has been glued in place. I was originally planning to build the Wills ground level signal box for the break through the back scene. However, a lack of time has meant this was swapped for a ready to plant Bachmann derelict signal box -jolly good it is too. The operational interest of the layout is extremely limited - just a shuttle service too and fro, by a class 121, 153 or possibly a two car 108. So I am keen to get this little project wrapped up. However, it is still great as a test-track and I have started to play with programming cvs, so it is fulfilling its purpose.


The shelter on the platform


The view from behind the signal box

Sunday 8 April 2012

Class 121 ready for service


Finished DMU ready for service, on a rather barren Georgeham layout

Following on from the previous post, the class 121 is now ready to enter service on my various layouts. The fit of the underframe onto the body is not perfect, but it is acceptable for now. Trying to get the underframe/body to fit exactly, was causing handling damage to the weathering job, etc, so I have cut my losses. I am pretty happy with the result. The end with the exhaust pipes I am particularly pleased with.


Heading back to Exeter

The interior of the DMU has been painted and an Express Models lighting kit has been added. The body has been detailed and a light weathering applied to the body shell. Detailing touches include destination blinds for the local area, A1 etched brass windscreen wipers, footsteps and detailing pipes, buffers, etc, on the buffer beam.



All in all an enjoyable project. However, the one let down on the finished model is the lighting kit makes the body fit back slightly too high on one end. Without some major cosmetic underframe surgery that will have too do. It is a real shame, just probably 1mm in it. I have a second one of these to do, and I will cut the floors out before fitting the lighting kit at each end. However, the Express Models lighting kit is well worth the money. I should have checked the fit of it all before reassembling the chassis - I know for next time though!


Interior detailing

There is some light bleed which I need to sort out at each end, probably using a drop of glue (glue and glaze) painted black. It will mean getting in and out of the unit will be difficult, but after the hassle of getting the underframe and body back together I do not think this will be problem. One other shortcoming is the lack of passengers and a driver. This was a lack of materials to hand, but the next DMU will feature both. Anyhow, this whole project has been a good learning experience and I have another DMU ready for the local passenger service at Georgeham.

Class 121 nears completion


Nearly finished DMU, note the Ilfracombe destination

My class 121 detailing project is nearing completion and I got around to reassembling the whole model yesterday. I learnt a valuable lesson with this project, in that, with all the underframe and body painted and lighting kit soldered in and assembled, the body did not fit back onto the underframe!!! Why I did not check this before painting the body and adding on various fiddly and damageable parts I do not know.
Anyway, today will be spent trying to get all this fit together. Hopefully, a more successful update later today with a successfully reassembled DMU.....


Note the bad fit of the body onto the underframe and the light bleed

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Georgeham platform - construction update and a class 70 at Swindon

The progress on all modelling fronts has been slow over the last few weeks, primarily due to working to deadlines before the break for Easter. The blistering on the paint on the class 25 provided certain headaches, so I parked this to one side and have concentrated on moving the platform for Georgeham close to completion.


Georgeham platform completed

Using some thin plastic rod I have attempted to recreate some ramshackle fencing, fitting with a station in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The wire fencing is frequently bent and missing and the whole thing looks a little dilapidated. This is only a 'might have been', so I am only attempting a passable model of something that might have existed. This is the entire sum of progress over the last two weeks, but with Easter off I hope to get some projects finished off. I also think I have cured the paint issues on the class 25 - but this will save for another update!!


Note the broken fencing

Anyway, for work this week I had to go to Swindon. Catching the train with my son lead to a very pleasant 30 mins sitting on the platform in the sun. An endless procession of HSTs and block container freights. The highlight was one of the new class 70s, but give me a class 37, 47 or 50 any day of the week.


Class 70 at Swindon