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MAY 2015 UPDATE
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KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KEITH TRUEMAN *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KARL CROWTHER It was a great pity to hear that the Stockport Show (May 9th/10th) had to be cancelled at such short notice
and no doubt a huge disappointment to all the lads in the Stockport Club. This has meant a re-focussing on efforts
with the layout to try and get the 03 completed in time for Halifax (September 26th/27th) and also getting the
rolling stock suitably weathered.
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GREG BROOKES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
JUNE 2015 UPDATE
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PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KEITH TRUEMAN *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GREG BROOKES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
JULY 2015 UPDATE
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GREG BROOKES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PAUL JAMES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KARL CROWTHER *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
AUGUST 2015 UPDATE
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HYWEL THOMAS *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
25102 is held at the signals just north of the station with a freight bound for
Healey Mills, as 47527 departs with a service to Bradford on the last leg of its journey from London.
Wibdenshaw appeared at 2 shows during May - Expo EM at Bracknell, and DEMU Showcase at Burton upon Trent.
Before the debut showing at York Class 08 D3988 was weathered to a typical early 1960s appearance.
The loco was a solid performer in several of the show sequences.
The Friday before York and the load-up is in progress……Being able to avoid the complexities of a
hire van make for lower travelling expenses for the layout.
This V-Dub is definitely ‘fully loaded’……in the original meaning of the phrase!!
Set up and ready to go, York 2015 - before doors opened on the Saturday morning.
The public reaction to the dockside scene was wonderful, and more than I’d ever imagined. Overall
the layout and stock ran well, and it made for a very enjoyable first outing.
The icing on the cake was a visitor who had actually worked within the R&W Paul building many years
ago – and was able to confirm the operation of the dockside unloading gantry.
As the show draws to a close, 03 069 shuffles a couple of scrap wagons in the closing ‘Birkenhead 1978’
sequence. Thank you for all the comments and feedback if you were at the show and spoke to the operating team – it is
part of what we love about exhibiting layouts. Approaches were made by several other exhibitions up and down the country,
so keep a check on the ‘Exhibitions’ section of the website for new dates being added.
With the layout tucked away until the Autumn, work has resumed on various rolling stock projects.
Heljan Class 15 ‘D8202’ is being finished in 1961 condition to work with Barclay Class 01 ‘D2954’ at the Wigan show.
DTTHW #1 (doing things the hard way!) A second Class 15 (D8239) was bought as a bargain bare shell
from the Heljan stand at the Warley show several years ago…..it is now being finished as an un-powered dummy to either
double head with D8229, or form a scrapyard drag in the same sequence. A set of Alexander Models sideframe castings are
being used to match D8229, fitted on Roxey sub-frames and Gibson wheelsets…..although I will admit to wondering whether
buying a fully-finished Heljan model might have been easier!?
DTTHW #2…….A new Class 73/1 is also taking shape, combining pieces from an old Lima model and spares
for the re-worked Hornby version. This view shows the footsteps and conduit added to the rather basic Lima bogie……of
course the all-new Dapol model will probably have exquisite detail, and a fully functioning DCC arcing pick-up shoe,
but my old-style modelling will better match 73 004 already in the Canada Street fleet…
Interior of the Heljan class 15 cab now fitted with crew members. I have removed and cut the
drivers control pedestals upper sections, relocating the tops closer into the middle area of the cab where they
should be instead of immediately behind the cab side walls as per the model straight out of the box.
Heljan Class 15 - D8236 (renumbered) on test through Lesney Park. Some weathering still to
be done to finish it off.
A very recent purchase is this Hornby ex SR Bogie B for the parcels traffic. Weathering was
done by both airbrush, and by hand brushing using Acrylic paints.
Rail built Buffer Stops from Peco.
For the far end of the layout, a Furniture Factory was always planned, and this building is
now in the build progress. I have chosen to rely mainly on components from two of the same building kits from
Walthers. An entire scratch build was also part of the plan, but finding a supply of enough suitable model
windows is problematic to say the least, in my part of the world. The H0 scale structure therefore, is it. The
model has had its height increased so that it will fit better into the 4mm scale scene. The goods dock and
awning are made from scratch using plasticard materials.
Cosmetic work on the body of 03371 is now just about complete. The rear steps will be fitted
after the glazing (Extreme Etchings Laserglaze) has been added – this being the next job. Transfers came from a
combination of Fox and HMRS Methfix and have been placed to match contemporary photos of the loco as closely as possible.
I’ve also made a start on weathering the goods stock (Humbrol enamels). This pair of Vanwides
is the Parkside kit, but with replacement buffers (Wizard/51L, I think), coupling hooks (Lanarkshire Models), and
brake safety loops from brass wire. Weathering has mainly involved a wash of thinned ‘grime’ colour (Matt black
and Leather, No 62), with the underframes being painted a similar mix of shades.
This pair of BR standard 12T box vans again uses the Parkside kit as a starting point. One has
been modelled with a replacement plywood door, built up from styrene sheet. The underframes have been extensively
re-worked using a combination of Mike Clark and ABS parts, whilst the wheels run in EMGS compensation units. The
original chalk boards on the wagon ends were removed and new ones of the correct size were repositioned slightly
lower down in what seems to have been the more usual location on these vans. Further embellishments include lamp
irons (0.8mm brass wire filed flat) and vac pipes (more brass wire) on the headstocks, representations of the door
catches and also the body-solebar mounting brackets.
This is a pretty straight build of the Parkside Pipe wagon, the only additions being the door
springs from brass strip, vacuum pipes from brass wire and etched hooks (Ambis probably). Hopefully more progress
to show next month.
I had a couple of hours by the lineside with Kier, and he snapped one of my favourites D1005
Western Venturer heading north from the station.
A quick trip over to BSC Shenston Road sees a class 40 about to depart with a train of steel coil.
I've made a deliberate attempt with a pair of pliers on the rail to give that typical ropey siding look.
On the way back to the station we were fortunate to catch a glimpse of D5901 in charge of a Derby
RTC train.
A closer look at D1005.
A tidy-up of the storage cupboard has seen a few salvage wagon kit projects get on the workbench.
A bit of mix-and-match between kits has also been used to produce some BR-built underframe variations. First up is
an LMS 12T Van from the Ratio kit.
This BR Dia 1/044 LMS-pattern open is from the early Ian Kirk kit, but on a J-hanger style
clasp-brake underframe from a more recent Parkside. A steel repair patch and top-edge guard-strip straps made using
5 thou plastic add character to the model.
Amongst the oldest wagons in my fleet was a BR Dia 1/002 Lowfit, scratchbuilt around an Airfix
meat van kit in the early 80s. Comparison with later kits of the type showed the deck width to be several millimetre
under scale, so a new deck has been fitted using the Red Panda kit. This excellent kit misses off the 8 chain rings
around the edge of the floor so these have been added.
The chain rings have also been added to my other Lowfit of the same type.
This LNER 6-plank open wagon has been adapted to be the 10’ wheelbase version, and is made using an
old 3H kit. The use of a timber underframe saw them miss out on the vacuum brake conversions done to many inherited
wagons by BR in the 1950s.
The LNER open is shown again after the first stage of painting is complete. The wood colour for the
unpainted planks has been applied thinly using an old stiff brush so that the black plastic beneath gives some
impression of the woodgrain.
The finished model, E197686, with a general coating of grime added, and then selectively cleaned away
from the grey-painted replacement timbers. The final stage has been to add rusting to the metalwork using Revell matt 84.
B452181, the finished re-decked Lowfit, in typical early 1970s fettle.
B494696, the LMS-pattern Highfit, again in a typical 70s appearance
B850758 is an early Dia 1/209 12T Shockvan, with LNER-style clasp-brake rigging, a combination of
parts from two different Parkside kits.
The bodyshell of Class 15 D8202 has also made progress, with door handles and grab rails added using
nickel silver wire and strip.
Progress with the furniture factory has moved forward slightly compared with last months May update.
There are still a few details to add, but the exterior brick walls have been painted and the concrete lintels and
trim picked out in cream after which a light weathering of grime was added.
The window frames were then painted and glazed, then installed. Black-out sheets were fixed inside
the structure to prevent unwanted light filtering between floors, or from other selected areas.
The rear of the factory building, clearly shows its double use of hiding the single
track behind it. This track is for a shuttle service to, and fro using an EMU / DMU working. This hidden
siding is capable of holding a four coach set.
Wibdenshaw appeared at 2 shows during May - Expo EM at
Bracknell, and DEMU Showcase at Burton upon Trent. Here's a selection of
snaps captured by Pete Johnson at Expo EM starting with an unidentified
class 25 held at the Up Leeds signal.
Heading north on the Leeds route is a 2-car class 101 DMU - a heavily modified Lima based model.
Two-tone green liveried D7629 is held in the Up Loop with a train of vans.
A closer look at D7629, showing signs of engine coolant loss on the roof and bodyside..
Following on from the inset picture of Baby Deltic featured last month, requests for information
were made as to the Derby RTC liveried coach accompanying it - being one of the Modelzone exclusive twin pack mark 1
coaches. This and the following images show a small collection of RTC vehicles converted from Lima & Hornby stock.
Although no longer part of the Shenston Road fleet after having been sold on, this seemed like a
good opportunity to delve into the archives and show these 3 vehicles.
Laboratory 11, Tribology Section, Research & Development Division, Derby.
Converted from a Hornby VDA is RDB993500.
Converted from Lima mark 1 stock - Derby RTC Auto Trailer.
Finishing off this archive selection is the original D5901 - a Silver Fox resin body on a modified
Lima class 20 chassis.
Wibdenshaw on tour - End view of the Town Hall at Burton upon Trent.
Providing the shuttle between the 2 venues is ex-London Routemaster.
A new addition into one of the departmental trains, provided by Mike Whitchurch.
Deep in concentration!
A futuristic looking visitor - APT-E by Rapido UK.
And now a few pictures taken by Karl Crowther at DEMU Showcase showing his
03371 in ex-works condition on Pudsey Jcn Stabling Point.
With luck in the coming weeks the weathering will be complete, and the
sound decoder/speaker fitted in time for the Halifax show.
The demolition crew turn up with a plan to change the landscape. A Kibri HO excavator and
trailer, with a Oxford 00 Diecast tractor unit. The derelict building was constructed by
Pete Johnson and is based on those which once stood at Holyhead Breakwater.
These Dinky Atlanteans were highly sought after a number of years ago, but are now relegated to
bulking up the depot yard, along with other repainted EFE models and MTS kits.
Metro-Buses receiving attention in the garage. The bus garage was built and detailed from a Peco
engine shed kit by Steve Adcock, and finished off with a couple of obselete models that you can't see too much of.
Newspaper stand situated on the corner of Station Approach, poulated by mainly Preiser figures.
An MTS plastic kit of a Bristol FS in West Yorkshire RCC livery.
D1054 Western Governor hauls a rake of freightliner vehicles through the station at Shenston Road,
the 'flats' having recently arrived from Colin Craig's wagon workshops.
Built from etched brass kits, these 10 wagons have just been painted & lettered since delivery.
Just some light weathering required and a tail lamp to finish off.
A new 30 inch baseboard has been built from plywood at the Kings Cross end of the layout, and slots
in off-scene to allow the reversal of units and light locomotives back towards the station area at Hornsey Broadway.
The middle of the 5 tracks is the Up Slow line (coming towards the camera) and continues around the end curve. Track
construction is copperclad paxolin strip with bulhead rail soldered to gauge, and will be fitted with 2 point motors
controlled from the main panel.
An almost identical baseboard has been constructed at the rear of the layout between the end curve
and the storage yard, and shows the end of the Up Slow line terminating just short of the point motor in the distance.
With the trackwork now complete, and slide switches fitted for blade position and frog polarity, the end of
the middle track is just long enough to stable a 3-car unit. The single slip and cross-over allows access from the Up
Slow track to the storage yard sidings 1 to 8, with all control on this board being local. The arrangement of these
2 additional baseboards will allow for continuous running of EMUs on the scenic 3rd rail tracks, or to shuttle between
here and the station via the flyover. This also allows stock to be easily transferred from one side of the storage
yard to the other.
Showing underside of the baseboard, with the ends of the longitudinal stretcher shaped for access to
the central fixing bolts.
The boards assembled in order.
The bodyshell of Class 15 D8202 has had glazing and cab detail added, and is now ready for
refitting onto the chassis. Shawplan ‘Laserglaze’ made the glazing easy, with a perfect fit of every panel.
An ‘Open AB’ (TOPS code ‘OAA’) to Diagram 1/191 is a wagon I’ve planned to model for a few
years now. Introduced amongst the vanguard of the BR air-braked fleet, they first saw service in 1971. The
model uses sides from the Hornby version, chopped up into flat panels so that internal plank detail could be
scribed before fitting hinge features. The underframe uses pieces from Cambrian and MJT amongst others.
This Diagram 1/219 ‘Shocvan Palvan’ has been adapted from the Parkside bodyshell with a
Red Panda underframe. The mouthful of a brand required a special enlarged upper box on the datapanel!
Although many Palvans of the offset door style lasted only a short while in service, some of this shock
absorbing variant were still running in the late 1970s.
Andy Morris of the Wibdenshaw crew suggested ‘Canada Street’ badly needed some steel coil
traffic. This has inspired a short string of ‘Coil J’ wagons, made by cutting down kits of Iron Ore Tipplers,
in a similar way to the real thing. Coil Js were among the last non-fitted wagons in regular traffic on BR,
and will suit a South Wales sequence featuring 1200 ‘Falcon’ on the layout.
A detail view of the wooden cradles in the Coil J, made using pieces of balsa to get some woodgrain effect.
The following sequence of pictures are in response to a visitor to the York show who wanted
more details of how I had added some compensation to the Hornby 08 model. The two springs to be used
(6mm long, 2.4mm diameter, 0.20mm wire) are pictured in front of the chassis block.
I use a hand-drill to create two spring sockets at the non-driven axles. Piloting the holes
at around 1.5mm, and then opening out to 2.5/2.6.
A close-up view of one of the finished sockets. They are about 4 to 4.5mm deep, leaving
enough spring action to give downforce to the axle, but not so much as to stop the axles riding on the up
stops on a level surface. To drill the middle axle socket the pick-up strips have to be carefully lifted up out of the way.
The pick-up strips have to be thinned across the middle axle to allow the axle bushes to
move downwards. For this I use a slitting disc on a minidrill. The insulating plastic beneath still needs
to be trimmed to match (using a sharp knife) when I took this view.
The plastic cover plate also needs to be adapted to allow downward movement of the two
axles. Clearance slots for the four bushes have been drilled and filed to shape.
…and the raised edge has been filed flush in a half moon shape in four places.
With these changes made, the wheelsets – Gibsons on this loco - can be fitted (once the
footplate moulding is back in position). I also skim the faces the moulded hornblocks for the centre axle
on the outside frame moulding before re-fitting to assist side-to-side movement of the EM wheelset.
A view showing the lifted position of the re-fitted axles caused by the added springs.
It is important to ensure that all the brass axle bushes are able to slide freely in the cast slots so
that the low spring force is always able to move the axles downwards.
With the cover plate refitted the slots allow the bushes enough downward movement to
let the wheelsets follow any uneven trackwork.
The proof of the pudding! With the rigid driving axle lifted on a 1mm plastic block the
two sprung axles remain in contact with the surface. Maybe not true compensation, but I certainly believe
it assists good running over baseboard joints and suchlike.
The re-assembled loco is pictured ready for numbers and badges to be applied…..
Following a request for front end views of the Airfix class 31, here's a few views of
31272 from the Eastwell loco fleet.
It's still a reasonable bodyshell by today's standards, but the old
Airfix chassis & motor are high maintenance.
For good running, this model utilises a double motored Lima chassis.
Comparison photograph showing 5552 (Lima) from the Hornsey fleet, alongside 31272.
Other rolling stock projects include making up some destination and headcode blinds for
Kier's class 501 EMU. These are just draft printed to confirm the correct size required.
One of the jobs I’ve been working on recently is detailing & weathering some of the road
vehicles. After dismantling, the bodies were sprayed with matt varnish and the interiors then painted. This
pair is Oxford Diecast and on the Marina I also made up some windscreen wipers from nickel-silver wire
(the blue Cortina has them pre-moulded on the windscreen). I had regular use of my Mum’s example (GUG 237N)
around this time, and it was in the same colours (although the blue was a bit paler I seem to recall, and it
wasn’t a Ghia as in the model).
Next in the series of updated road vehicles is this Corgi Trackside British Rail Mark 1
Ford Transit Van. In addition to the windscreen wipers, I’ve also made an attempt at modelling the very
distinctive wing mirrors. As supplied, there’s no registration number, so I’ve made up a generic example
using some 1mm tall Railtec transfers, representing a Leeds-registered vehicle from 1979, thus quite late
in my intended period. No doubt someone will now come forward with details of the BR-allocated Transit fleet
of West Yorkshire in the late 1970s!
This final example is another Corgi Trackside, this time the ubiquitous Bedford HA Van.
Again, wing mirrors have been added (note, the earlier style), again with windscreen wipers. This time I went
for a fictitious Huddersfield-registered example from 1977. Possibly this is a bit too much of a ‘local’
identity for West-Riding BR, but you never know…..
After the thrill of Kier allowing the Class 03 to make a brief appearance on Wibdenshaw at
DEMU Showcase, it now has its sound decoder fitted and is fully operational on Hebble Vale. Windscreen wipers
have also been fashioned and fitted, and a start has been made on weathering it. The match truck needs some
‘clutter’ fitted onto it, but otherwise the pairing is just about completed and I’m looking forward to the 03
seeing service at Halifax show in September.
Another view of 03 371 and match truck (Parkside kit).
03 371 and match truck again (must have been round Greetland triangle since last photo as
it’s now facing the other way round!).
A start has also been made on some weathering of the wagon fleet. This is a Parkside 21T
hopper that has been painted and weathered using enamel paints – mainly Humbrol, but the dark rust colour is
Revell Matt 84. Painting the intricate rust patterns on these vehicles is proving to be something of an
artistic challenge, but I’m fairly happy with this first example.
This Chivers Finelines 21T mineral was more simply weathered by a dark wash applied over
and then wiped away with cotton buds. Altogether quicker to do than the hoppers, but subtly effective nonetheless.
The Michigan 125 wheel loader is required to operate as a shunter on a quayside siding, but will
actually running on hidden rail wheels. It won’t be running over any points, just about 18 inches of track, partly
on the feeder canal quay and then under the bridge at the end of the main yard / scrap yard where a loco will take
over. I also have found a sound file of one working and hope to have a speaker under the board to give it an added dimension.
The chassis was built from plastic with brass top-hat bearings, a small Mashima
motor with 25:1 gearing and a flywheel. The motor sits in a cradle, held by a bar (that forms the driver’s seat!).
The wheels came from a Wiking model of a tractor loader, which were the right size to sit in front of the rail
wheels that came off a Heljan Falcon after re-wheeling with Ultrascales!
The underside showing the gearing, bearings and pick-up arrangement, all packed into a very small space!
Here we see the rather complex lines of the body starting to take shape. The motor sits within the
loader frame, beneath the driver’s cab. Extensive use was made of Evergreen plastic strip - easy to work with and accurate.
After a few more days work the machine is basically complete with the motor/flywheel partially hidden
by ‘engine bits’. Hydraulics are jeweller’s wire and cored solder. The only other survivors from the Wiking loader are
the green bits! The frame at the front would normally hold the bucket but on this version a buffing plate will replace it.
Here’s the Michigan on the first section of quay (made from carved Das modelling clay) up against an
out-of-the-box Bachmann mineral wagon. The driver is leaning forward to clear the low bridge - not much Health and
Safety in 1972! The Monty’s casting was once drinking a cuppa but will soon have a steering wheel to contend with. From
the normal viewing angle the rail wheels are hidden.
And here it is painted and weathered except for the flywheel. The buffing plate of wood and steel was
welded to the front loader arm assembly. The stone sets will continue beneath the bridge (off to the right) and the
feeder canal bank is in the foreground. I haven’t painted the tyres yet - waiting until I’ve levelled the Das clay
along the quay by pushing them through it before I get the paint on!
