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APRIL 2025 UPDATE
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STEVE HARROD
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ANDY LEE
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KIER HARDY
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MIKE WHITCHURCH
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JONNY DUFFETT
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ALAN DEWEY
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STEVE CARTER
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GREG BROOKES
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MATT OWEN
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Ive managed to complete the weathering on D1015 Western Champion based on images I have
of her in 1965, using air & dry brush techniques using solely enamel paints.
Showing the scratchbuilt tripometer which can be seen on the inner wheelset of the bogie.
Also the correct headcodes have been installed for the Cheltenham to Paddington trains using the 1965 WTT.
I've always wanted to make a long low-relief factory cum works building since seeing the
Crimpsall building at Doncaster Works for the first time in the late 70s. I went and
photographed it just before it was demolished, with a view to scratch building it one day.
At this year's Doncaster exhibition I came across some Skytrex low-relief castings, so
decided to finally have a go at making something vaguely in that style.
Four Skytrex castings were used sprayed with Supadec red primer, then multiple IPA washes
of light grey & white for the mortar lines, followed by a few different tones of brick red,
layers of grime and dark grey. Eye shadow by Tecnic Gothica has many earth tones useful for
weathering, which you can get from the Pound shop, and then different tones over the top
including a moss green to show algae growth on the bricks. It's ended up looking nothing
like the Crimpsall Building but evokes that feeling for me.
Now for some more 1:1 model making in the form of a cabside number of a two tone Deltic
with correct style D numbers and full size lion and wheel emblem. The numerals are drawn
using 'Indesign' on a Mac computer over real size Hymek metal numbers to get the correct
hand drawn style and size, as they're not a generic font from a website. I have an original
1960 lion and wheel decal which I acquired at Crewe Works open day in 1980, and has been
scanned at high resolution to make up this 90cm x 90cm panel which the client wanted 'as new'.
An Iron Fairy crane is seen parked in Ashley Street next to the bus garage, awaiting the go
ahead for its next lifting job.
Manufactured by Matchbox, the Iron Fairy diecast model was produced between 1969 and 1971
to a scale of 1:80 - close enough as a candidate for a 4mm scale model. Shown
in a 'playworn' condition and dismantled into its component parts. The rear window was cut
out using a slitting disc and burr - probably the hardest work required for this project.
A cab interior was constructed onto the chassis, featuring a driver and dashboard with 4
levers for the crane operation to raise & lower the hook, extend boom, rotate turret,
and lift & lower gib. Once stripped of factory paint, the body was painted yellow and
the windows glazed. A protection guard was constructed from brass wire ready for fitting.
With a few additional detail parts and replacement wheels from a EFE model, this shows
the rear view of the crane with front wheel drive and rear wheel steering.
A relatively quick and easy conversion from a toy into a scale model.
Here's Porge - a fat black cat sitting on a wall next to The Broadway pub, and later
observing two mothers conversing on Hornsey Road. Another 3D print from Jonny Duffet.
The big news this month is the appearance of the fiddle storage yard, this time
in it's final incarnation which gives a decent capacity easily accessed.
This arrangement allows movement around the rest of the layout, although the addition
of 2 more duck-unders may be a double edged sword in the long run.
Protective barriers have been installed on the spirals, having already committed a
Parkside LNER long CCT and a Bachmann sleeper to the tiled floor, drastic action was
needed to prevent further death and destruction.
Commensurate with the installation of the fiddle yard was the wiring of it, and the
attendant wiring of the back roads, platforms 1 & 2 in actuality, on the main layout
boards. Subsequent playing trains testing of the wiring gave the situation of
trains available on every platform road, and led to some frantic activity on the stabling point.
Also a bit of scenic work has been undertaken, the station wall has been reinstated and
Airfix footbridge components adapted to form the access from the footpath to the road bridge.
Additional pic showing the Tam Valley Hex Frog juicer controlling the fiddle yard points.
I've also been dabbling with various rolling stock projects, and quite a considerable amount of
re-wheeling has been going on. Generally a quick skim of the wheels in the lathe and the
relevant easing of the brake blocks. One slightly more involved project is to re-engineer
the Bachmann FFA & FGA freightliner bogies. My original method of turning down the backs
of the existing wheels wasn't fantastically successful due to the way Bachmann have made
the disc and stub axle assembly as a one piece moulding, and wasn't very conducive to good
running. The flange profile was a bit iffy due to turning down a small diameter wheel and
removing a disproportionate amount of the actual flange. My solution was to junk the original
wheels and use DCC concepts 10.5mm ones, having first separated the brake disc from the original
moulding and colouring it silver using a chrome metallic marker.
Sentinel oil fired 200hp steam engine. Built in the 1950s they had a vertical boiler in
the rear bonnet. Oil and water tanks in the middle of the body and the engine in the
front of the locomotive driving the middle wheels. Examples were used by Dorman Long and GKN.
They had a short life as dieselisation expanded and the chassis was used as the basis for
the diesel Sentinel DH 0-6-0s.
The model is 3D printed and is designed to fit on the Hornby
Sentinel DH 0-6-0 chassis.
Work has continued on moving Whitley from trainset to exhibition layout. The line to
Haverhill did end abruptly at this end. Through running on a single track line is
essential for sequence operation and has been the recent focus.
This is the mark 2 fiddlestick developed to acheive realistic passing of trains through
the scenic section. Standard baseboard hinge type connections have been used to assure
constant lining up and rail height. It will be protected by an operator sitting in front
of it! The tongue slots through a tight fit opening in the board ends. Fortunately stock
is protected from a fall by the platform and high ground.
The sides are 4mm plywood slotted out to enable visual checks on uncoupling and to correct
any derailments during a sequnce move. An overrun cushion is fitted. 3mm S&W delay couplings
are now standard on stock, with staples as droppers. These have been painted with Citadel
colour base corvus black.
Acheiving passing trains and a run round has been a challenge with a single track non-turning
fiddle area at the Halstead end. Taking stock off is fine at home but with little storage
available on the single road platform itself, exhibiting would be a challenge. The everyday
railway services modelled have the advantage of limited length but not variety and has
potentially electrical wiring challenges. All motive power has now been DCC retro-fitted
easily using this fiddle area for 2 trains. Driving trains is now an added dimension and
brings the scene to life. Sequence operation is now being practiced.
After a protracted and difficult house move, things are finally becoming a little more
normal which means that a gradual return to the work bench has been possible. During my
period of enforced inactivity I had browsed through the various galleries on this site
and Kier's rendition of an LT breakdown tender using an Oxford Diecast AEC Matador
Wrecker as its basis struck a chord with me. Sheppycroft's bus services are envisaged to
have been provided by the Ribble bus company and Corgi do just such a vehicle, the
prototypes being converted from ex service Leyland PS2 vehicles, but unfortunately these
were introduced in 1965 so a little too late for my set year of 1961. However the Corgi
box did carry a note to say that they had replaced earlier ones which had been created
using Leyland TS8s so I set about trying to glean more details for these earlier ones.
I struck lucky and found two online images for one of these and consulting a PSV Circle
guide for Ribble Motor Services Ltd established that it had been created in 1951 by
using a shortened wheelbase chassis from CK 4880, a Leyland TD3 of 1934 (Ribble fleet
no. 1410) married to the front portion of a Burlingham body from RN 8766, a former 1939
Leyland TS8 (Ribble fleet no. 2201)and which ran on 131 CK trade plates. A suitable (i.e.
cheap!) candidate for my rendition was then sought and procured in the form of an EFE
Leyland Tiger TS8 BET half cab as operated by East Midland Motors Services (EFE 18305DL -
as a limited edition deluxe version I have helped to make all other owners of such models
a little bit richer!).
After first disassembling the model and then stripping the paint from the diecast bits,
the body was marked up and cut into four pieces with the cab and rear middle section
retained (this results in the loss of the fuel tank filler but as this is to the opposite
side on the breakdown version then it is of no consequence). The cuts were organised by
using the window bays as a measured guide.
Consulting the two online images, each of the resulting two sections were modified by
removal of original material or the addition of shaped brass components to give a more
accurate portrayal of 131 CK (the biggest area for this being the roof section). To join
the two sections together a piece of 60 thou plasticard was first stuck to the floor of
one section using Araldite epoxy adhesive and after this had cured the second section
was similarly attached to it using the same method with the addition of a small amount
of adhesive being used between their adjoining edges. The joints were then filled using
Isopon Metal Fix 2 part filler (this also being used on the roof section).
Not all of the additional detailing is brass based as such items as the fuel filler,
steps and rear platform have been done using plasticard. The next step is to add the
rear hoist / crane but as in real life these were transferred from the older vehicles
to their newer replacements then it may be easier to source the same type of Oxford
Diecast vehicle Kier used for his version and use the one from it or I may bite the
bullet and scratch build one.
Not quite in the same league as the breakdown tender, a decrepit Matchbox Morris J2
pick-up truck dating from my toy box of youth has also appeared on the workbench. The
prototypes for these were introduced by Morris in 1956 and came in a van, pick-up or
minibus format (they also appeared with Austin badges and branded as 'Omnitruck'
vehicles). Matchbox saw fit to introduce them into their 1958 catalogue as their number
sixty and two versions are known, one with a rear cab window and one without. At 1:75
scale the casting has had limited work done on it, mainly in the form of added quarter
lights, a frame as used by builders for over cab loads, wheels donated by a Classix
Pocketbond EM76623 Ford E38W and an indentation on the cab roof rectified using Isopon
filler. Incidentally for anyone considering using Matchbox diecast vehicles the
following are appropriate for 4mm scale model railway use; No.2B Muir-Hill dumper truck
(1:75), No.4 Massey Harris tractor (1:75), No.21 Commer bottle float (1:74), No.24
Weatherhill hydraulic excavator (1:75), No.29 Bedford milk van (1:75), No.34 VW Microvan
(1:75), No.36 Austin A50 (1:75), No.66 Citreon DS19 (1:74) and No.70 Thames estate car (1:76).
The J2 is intended to represent a builders pick-up truck and so a start has been made to
create suitable loads for use by my would-be Bob the Builder; wooden beams created from
a very thin off-cut of wood, a scratch built wheelbarrow, some bags of cement which were
originally military sandbags and a two piece extending ladder from off cuts of MSE etched brass laddering.
Following on from last month's collection of footplate uniforms and caps, here is a
selection of British Railways badges, starting with Southern Region green cap badges.
Eastern Region dark blue.
Scottish Region light blue.
North Eastern Region tangerine.
Western Region brown.
Midland Region maroon.
Reserved occupation badges for wartime railway service, with stamped numbers on the back.
British Railways staff lapel badges issued in 1951.
Lion & wheel cap badges from the 1950s.
A selection of other badges issued for freight sector organisations to include Mainline,
Transrail and Freightliner, with other BR double arrow lapel badges and Express for
Sprinter drivers. ASLE&F 1955 union badge.
New into the Shenston Road fleet is Brush type 2 number 5674, seen here emerging from
Shenston tunnel with a southbound rake of Shell 45t tank wagons.
5674 is spotted again at Hornsey Broadway with a mixed freight.
A long distance shot of HS4000 Kestrel hauling a rake of MGR wagons.
And finally from Shenston Road is my Heljan DP2 on a Pullman service, having recently
been fitted with a Howes sound chip.
Following on from last month, work has continued on the Penbits bogies for the Bachmann
Class 37/5. They really are a work of art, but you do have to read the instructions and
make sure you take your time. Care and effort is rewarded though, even though progress
can be slow at times. Soldering is still a relatively new skill for me, so most of the
last few weeks have been spent constructing the two bogies. These bogies are designed
to use the Bachmann drive train mouldings, and these will fit within the bogie frames.
I have utilised some Accurascale wheels fitted with the original Bachmann gears.
There isn't too much more work to do with these now. The next stage will involve reassembling
the drive trains, adding pickups and then moving on to the cosmetic sideframes. Despite
saying last month that this loco wouldn't feature on the layout, I've subsequently changed my
mind and it will now be either 37505 or 510 in Intercity livery.
Canada Street appeared at the Abingdon model railway exhibition on the 1st & 2nd of
March. Here are a few snaps taken by operator Tim Cobb during the weekend. Paused
under the bridge at the yard throat, D3381 was one of those interim Class 08s that
combined new-look pressed-steel body panels with old-school wooden-framed cab doors.
Whatever Accurascale come up with for their forthcoming 08 project, they’ll be hard
pressed to equal the finesse of the all-metal Modern Outline Kits version seen here,
which dates from 1984.
Four-coupled Barclay D2954 biffs around a clutch of grain wagons. This Pete Johnson
scratchbuild was a revelation when it first hit the scene some 40 years ago. Subtle
details such as the gangplank underpin the dockside setting,
The thin, cheap paintwork was no protection from corrosion on many steel-bodied BR
wagons. The LNER wooden-bodied grain hopper alongside was much older but in far better
external condition. Pete Johnson was the undisputed master of the rustbucket – with
its subtle purple tinge, Revell No 84 was his magic ingredient.
A Bachmann Class 03 still minus wasp stripes squeals round the tight curve between the
‘new’ and ‘old’ parts of the layout. Note the full point after the D and the steam-type
Gill Sans numbers – a feature of some early BR shunters.
A fine kit to begin with, Airfix’s venerable class B tank wagon dates back to the early
1960s and has long been a target for upgrading and refinement. This pair has been
carrying bunker fuel for ships berthing at the docks.
This anchor-mounted 12T tank harks back to an earlier era. By the late 1960s such stock
was rapidly being phased out in favour of vacuum-braked long-wheelbase designs.
Close-up of a Bachmann Class 03 that has received much-needed improvement to the handrails
and cab glazing. Hard to imagine that this staple model has been around for well over 40
years without much by way of retooling. D2027 was an Immingham engine but not many people
know that celebrated EM modeller Geoffrey Brian Kent was Controller of Immingham Docks in
the ‘noughties' – A title that suggests epaulettes and plenty of gold braid says Geoff.
More Eastern Region shunting power from the late 1960s. As recently as 2011 it was possible
to see the identical classes in identical liveries working Boston docks side by side,
albeit hired in by the operator.
We don’t see many kettles on EM70s – 47406 is a 'Jinty' six-coupled tank, the ubiquitous
shunting tank used throughout the LMS system and, in BR days, occasionally beyond. As an
Edge Hill engine in its latter days, not being withdrawn until early 1967, 47406 would
have been entirely at home on trip freights and yard duties on Merseyside but the type
could also be seen working in dockland yards and sidings at any of the west coast ports
from Gloucester to Gourock.
Class 08s began to appear in BR blue in the summer of 1966 and there were still working
‘Jinties’ around at the end of the year at places such as Birkenhead and Preston. Were
they ever pictured together?
Also at the Abingdon show was Hartburn, and although there was little chance to take many
snaps, we managed to capture D8041 passing through with a freight.
This month's update wouldn't be complete without mention of Andy York who passed away in
late March 2025. As well as being a friend and the founder of RMweb, Andy was also a
talented model railway photographer, and a few years ago was instrumental in keeping this
website running. He will be sorely missed and our condolences go out to his family. The
above images show his OO gauge layout 'Keyhaven' - Rest in Peace Andy.
