Whale wagon nears completion

A huge amount of time has elapsed since my last update - so apologies. My railway modelling activities have ground to halt in the last few months. This has been caused by a variety of factors, but mainly work related. A few changes have happened recently professionally, all of which have been positive and welcomed. However, this has left no time for anything else, so playing with models has been firmly on the back-burner.

Anyhow, today I managed to take a couple of snaps of the almost completed whale wagon. I can't remember how far I got with this one, but I think I have to varnish it still. The bearings are a bit gunked up, so they need a light oiling, but it is pretty close to the finished article. This project was held up for months by not being able to source suitable transfers. However, I managed to get hold of some from Appleby Engineering - a hearty endorsement for them. The wagon is finished in engineering olive, with a heart coating of rust. I am pleased with how it has turned out. I have another one or two of these to build along with some walruses.

The photos were taken on the small diorama my son made. This is partly due to fact that Potting Quay, my new layout, is still miles away from getting the tracks soldered up properly. This means I am not running any trains and I think that must be part of the reason for my lack of general modelling enthusiasm at the moment. I am away now for another month, so it will be even longer until regular updates start happening again. However, I am hoping that life will settle down again come autumn and I will have more time for modelling again.

GWR tunny

Sometimes it can be really hard to find time to do any modelling, and this certainly describes me at the moment. I guess my desire to model is at a bit of a low, the layout is still not soldered up properly and work is just all consuming (a product of working for yourself).

Anyhow, a few weeks ago I managed to finish off the GWR tunny wagon, which has sat in a box on my workbench until now. So here it is, a completed tunny. The transfers are from CCT and applied with microsol/microset they have gone on perfectly. This wagon has been on the workbench for ages but is now finally finished. A hearty recommendation for Chivers Finelines and CCT transfers. Now I just need to find a little motivation and inspiration.....

Intercity liveried class 37/4

A very quick project has been completed recently, which is the Intercity liveried class 37/4, which has been kicking around my railway room for a while. The model was taken apart with the bogies and the body shell removed from the chassis. The various parts were masked off and then treated to a light weathering. The weathering is an attempt to mimic and almost clean locomotive, just with a bit of grime around the bogies and underframe. The various detailing parts that are supplied with the loco were duely applied and painted. Then the model was weathered using railmatch enamels, applied with an airbrush.

The bogies were weathered with the snowploughs attached. However, I was amazed to find that these were completely incompatible with the various bufferbeam detailing parts supplied with the locomotive. Hence the snow ploughs were left off. However, as this locomotive is converted for 3 link couplings (as all my locos are) I still have a large hole in the bogie for the coupling/snowplough attachment. If I had of known the snowplough would not have fitted, then I would have filled this hole.

Anyhow, another one on the layout ready to do some work....now I really must get those points soldered up......

A bachmann brake van

Having just got hold of a SR 25t pill box brake van, I have spent a few evenings weathering this model. I built the cambrian kit a few years ago, which I still think is a pretty good model. However, the Bachmann brake van is also very good, with lovely fitted handrails, and separate underframe detailing parts. With a little bit of work I think this model really comes up well.

As ever the model was fitted with 3 link couplings, which on this Bachmann model is not too arduous a job. The model was given a wash of mixed framed dirt and weathered black from a paint brush. Then a number of shades were applied from the airbrush. Weathered balck was first applied on all the upstanding details and then sleeper grime applied to the van sides and frame dirt applied to the underframe. All in all a lovely little project and quickly finished.

I have been doing odds and sods of modelling recently, not really cracking on with anything substantial, but bits and bobs here and there. I still have not soldered up electrofrog points though - a task I keep putting off. However, the tunny wagon and whale wagon are very close to completion, so hopefully some pics of these to follow soon....

Potting Quay buildings

Not much time for modelling at the moment, but I have been attempting to get the buildings constructed for Pottington Quay. Two of these are well known Wills kits, one being the timber yard and the other being the goods shed. The timber yard has been modified a little a will hopefully represent some form of merchant trader on some land at the quay edge. This is placed at the front of the layout on the Ilfracombe side. The goods shed will be placed with a platform, on the Barnstaple side of the layout. This will be close the to the warehouse building, both of which are hiding exits to the fiddleyards. Both the goods shed and warehouse are an attempt to depict steam age infrastructure still present but derelict in the diesel age.

Barnstaple side of the layout, with goods shed and warehoue disguisng the fiddleyards.

I still have not solved the issue of disguising the fiddle yard to Ilfracombe. A few thoughts have come and gone, but I am not sure. It might be a disused platform and building. However, I still have the main platform to build, a signal box and have two partially constructed knightwing portacabin kits. I think it will be a few weeks until these buildings are all made and glued down. Until then, I have three electrofrogs to solder up. Soldering and making buildings are two things I am not particularly proficient at, and consequently progress has been slow. I am really looking forward to getting the whole thing soldered up and all the buildings down so I can start running trains.

The Ilfracombe end of the layout

Pottington Quay micro layout - further progress

It has been a while since my last post, mainly due to working away the last few weeks. I have been doing bits and pieces of modelling, but none of my current projects has really significantly moved forward. One thing I have been trying is to position buildings around Pottington Quay to disguise the holes in the backscene for the entry/exit of the trains. Originally I had planned to only have two exits on the Barnstaple side of the layout, but added a third on the Ilfracombe side of the layout to allow through-running passenger trains. This has complicated the layout a little bit as I had originally constructed one building to disguise the Barnstaple side, but I now need something else for the Ilfracombe side. I am thinking of using the Bachmann maintenance depot as per the picture, but this will remove the use of the siding for goods vehicles - which is something I want on this layout. So for now I am stuck for ideas - I have purchased a double portacabin kit from Knightwing to see if this will fit between the mainline and the siding. Otherwise, I am a bit stuck on how to disguise this break.....

Barnstaple side - this end will also have a goods shed between the railway and the quayside

And the Ilfracombe side - this exit needs disguising but I am not sure how....

Vitrains class 37

Finished Vitrains class 37

This week I managed to finish the detailing of a Vitrains class 37 in BR blue. I got this loco at a bargain price and I was keen to see the quality of the Vitrains models against Bachmann and Hornby locomotives. Having read on several internet forums conflicting reports on the Vitrains models, I have been pleasantly surprised by the model. Out of the box the model does look a little 'toy like', but with a bit of work I think it really comes up well.

The body during painting

The class 37 was separated into the chassis, bogies, body and buffer beams. I have read several comments by others on the fitting on the various detailing components to the Vitrains models, with some moaning about having to add these parts. For my two pence worth, I think the detailing parts that come with the Vitrains models are fantastic. They are comprehensive and well made. I remember buying the craftsmen detailing parts for Lima locomotives, so I think having all the components supplied for fitting on the locomotive is a great idea and most welcome.

Trundling around Pottington Quay

With the bufferbeams separated I added the various pipes and a shortened three link coupling. The full length 3 link coupling fouled the bogies so a half length coupling was installed. The NEM coupling was cut off and the bogies were weathered separately to body and chassis. The body had the glazing removed and the various detailing parts added such as handrails, etc. The body then had a diluted wash of weathered back and frame-dirt hand brushed over it, using vertical streaks. Then a number of passes of sleeper grime, weathered black and frame-dirt were airbrushed over the body and chassis. The whole lot was sealed with a spray of Railmatch matt varnish.

Shortened 3 link coupling

The full length fouled the bodies when reassembled

The model was reassembled and the glazing was added with the windscreen wipers (thanks George Dent for the advice on these). Some MU cables were added to the body/bufferbeam (I nicked the MU cables from another Bachmann class 37). Overall I think this is a pretty decent model and having run it on the Pottington Quay the running characteristics on DCC are superb; every bit as good as a Bachmann or Hornby model.

End view, with a dutch liveried class 37 for company

However, there is also room for improvement with this model. One of the worst aspects of the model is the poor glazing. This glazing really does let the model down and with hindsight I wish I had replaced it. Another issue are poor working lights, with dim lights and both the rear and headlights visible at the same time due to light bleed. The last issue is the nose join to the body, which has a slight gap and again allows light bleed. Again with hindsight I wish I had tidied this join up, but it was something I only noticed once reassembled and running. However, with these minor niggles aside, in my opinion, this is a great model which with some work really looks the part. I think a lot of the Vitrains bashing I read online was completely unjustified and to anyone thinking about getting this model I would definitely recommend it.