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JUNE 2025 UPDATE
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ANDY LEE
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KARL CROWTHER
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MIKE WHITCHURCH
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KIER HARDY
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It's been another very busy month, with so many model commisions on the go for clients....
Flat out 7 days a week madness, so I've got very little done this month for Johnson Road.
The only railway related stuff completed were two replica flame cut panels for 33013 and
37373 (privatisation). Hopefully next month I can get the Class 56s and Deltics weathered.
A consequence of making a start on landforms is that various structures are required to sit
over where some of the baseboard-mounted servos are sited – basically holes in the scenery!
For a previous project I had some parts laser-cut in 3mm MDF to make a model of the little
goods shed that still survives at Arnside. Unfortunately, this model has no obvious use on
the layout, but it seemed about the right size to conceal a pair of the servos. Luckily, I
had several spare sets of parts for the structure and it occurred to me it could be adapted
to make a field barn. Here is the basic carcass with various openings having been filled
with card, and some new openings created.
The original (as seen here by comparison) was clad using Slaters embossed stonework and the
same has now been used on the barn. Hopefully more to follow on this next month….
Those walls – well they’re now completed at long last. Actually, not too protracted a job in
the end. What I didn’t say last month was that on the first length made, despite making sure
it was absolutely straight in the horizontal plane, once the individual stones had been glued
(with Mek Pak) into place on top, the thing curled up quite significantly. This I managed to
sort, basically by bending it back down - and some breaking up into shorter section). For
the subsequent lengths, Limonene was used instead and there was no distortion at all! Here
you should just be able to make out where I’ve been re-working some of the stone courses
and adding Milliput filler etc.
And the walls now weathered and fitted onto the layout – I thought it would be nice to include
some actual trains. Ex-LMS 4F 44431 is a Kentside MK 1 original (Airfix loco body / scratchbuilt
tender) but now running on a new chassis for both loco and tender and is hauling an early
morning train of coke empties heading back to Tebay & Barnard Castle. The unpainted papier
mache makes it look rather like a snow scene! Oh, and the platelayers’ hut hides another servo…..
44431 approaching Kentside signal box, boundary walling again now completed.
And passing the Kentside station building. One of the ‘upgrades’ I did on the 4F for use on the
new layout was to replace the over-sized original splashers (Brassmasters). It’s great to see
this on the layout as it worked extensively on Kentside MK 1 across a total of 35 shows.
OK you’ve probably now seen enough of the 4F but here we can see it passing the down section
signal, with more boundary walling in evidence. The Platelayers’ hut behind is another work in
progress and based loosely on a structure from Arnside viaduct. Hopefully more on this next month.
A view to the quarry with Ruston 165 DS ‘on shed’ (Judith Edge kit – very nice). Again, the van
body hides a servo.
And in the opposite direction WD 2-8-0 90157 heads an early morning loaded coke working bound
for Barrow-in-Furness. A Bachmann loco, converted to EM with Gibson wheels (2.5mm axles) and a
Lanarkshire Models CSB sprung tender chassis. There wasn’t really space to fit a speaker in the
smokebox, so there’s a large one in the tender, which seems fine unless you get really close.
However, the mechanism is a tad noisy relevant to the sound output, otherwise a very good performer.
90157 again passing Kentside Signal Box. This particular loco was based at Tebay in early 1962
to work stone trains from Sandside in connection with the construction of Kingmoor marshalling
yard, so it was an obvious choice for the layout. These were apparently the last trains to work
the Sandside-Hincaster Junction section of the branch before it was abandoned.
After consultations, the oil terminal has now become a PW / Engineering yard. Pictures
show the work in progress and the ultimate manifestation.
English Electric type 4 number 215 Aquitania is seen here with a rake of loaded 16t
mineral wagons. This visiting Bachmann model is the latest into Paul's Eastwell fleet.
The main focus of this photograph is the Lansing Bagnall FRER 5-45 taken in
1980 at the Wall's ice cream factory in Gloucester. This forklift reach truck was new in
1974 and was to cold store specification with a modified overhead guard for drive-in
racking. In the background there are a number of Scania 111s and 30ft single axle box
trailers, which was the catalyst for my next project.... maybe I'll save the FRER 5
for another day.
A bargain Oxford diecast Scania 110 tractor unit was acquired (BRS red one), stripped of
all its paint, and modified to represent the change in the headlamp arrangement for the
later 111s. After a coat of orange, detail parts added to include deflectors, window discs,
and brilliants for the headlamps. After the Embisco trailer is finished, I have plans for
a Wall's twin axle 27ft insulated box trailer with a yellow Scania to go with it (inset).
The Oxford diecast model behind has a 40ft trailer - very mid 1980s with side
protection bars. They're easily removable and the box could be shortened by a scale 10ft.
Unfortunately the yellow is too light, so it may be better to start from scratch. The
yellow 110s would have been withdrawn by the time it would have been seen with
a trailer like this.... maybe as a yard shunter.
Embisco was a joint venture between Wall's and Lyons Maid, producing cones and wafers
in a dedicated wafer factory built in the early 1960s at the north corner of the factory
site in Gloucester. The Scania 111s and the 30ft single axle box trailers bring back
fond memories for me when working there in the 1970s.
There were slight variations in the trailer liveries, the earlier ones sporting a 'Wafers'
logo in place of 'Embisco', with some swirls facing different ways, and others with
more sweeping orange curves. After the artwork was drawn up it was printed onto paper, cut
out and wrapped around a modified 30ft container, then the rear doors fitted and detailed
with locking bars and hinges. The rear axle and mudguards were from a surplus Basetoys
trailer, with the chassis and rear end made up from Evergreen strip.
The Thames Trader tree lopping lorry has been back on the workbench for some extra detailing,
to include ladder brackets and ladders, roof hatch, glazing and a refresh after the initial build.
Showing the inside of the drop down platforms and a railing across the
disposal area. The rear doors were only used during the unloading of branches and clippings.
One of the latest 3D designs by Jonny Duffett (IronMink on Thingiverse) is of the Flatrol
SB, which I've finished with a weathered finish and the addition of timber baulks. The
very small British Railways 20t B900030 and Fatrol SB panels are printed on paper.
After last month's report on a traction motor failure, D6702 is now back in service. A
replacement motor was supplied by Accurascale and fitted at the Hornsey workshops.
The old motor was wired up to a stable 6 volt DC supply, resulting in it constantly
speeding up and slowing down by itself and the motor casing getting very hot. The
brushgear and commutator were found to be in good order, so the armature windings were
removed to look for clues as to the erratic behaviour, showing that some of the lacquered
insulation had broken down and the windings fused together on some of the poles.
Brush type 2 D5613 is captured on the fuelling point at Hornsey depot. As well as the
customary wheel job and finishing off with weathering, some surgery has been carried out
on this Accurascale model. Originally acquired as 5674 with tablet catcher, the incorrect
drop down door window would only be seen with a smooth sided door, so the bottom half was
cut out on both sides and replacements fitted from a Lima 31 bodyshell, thus making it
more suitable for a Finsbury Park trip cock fitted locomotive... and with a horizontal
door handle!
This model was missing 3 of its windscreen wipers and a bogie footstep etched mesh when
delivered, so thank you to Accurascale for supplying the parts for the Class 31 and the
Class 37. It's comforting to know that when bits fail or fall off, replacements are easily
obtainable. Both D5613, 5610 and D6702 can be seen in action on the layout in the latest
video. Please click on the image below.
