On The Workbench Today...

The End of The Line…

Well for the current MGR project anyways. I've really enjoyed putting this rake of wagons together and have to say I'm pretty pleased with how they've turned out considering they are based around Hornby's original hopper design. I'm sure that their newer versions are far more accurate, but they are also far more expensive - commanding ridiculous prices on some of the popular bidding/buying websites - so the fact I used what I already had and have detailed and painted them myself has meant I've saved a heap of money (even taking into account the bits n bobs I've purchased) and also a rake of wagons that no one else will have.

So the final 6 have gone through the Cradley Bridge Works, been weathered and couplings fitted - all that remains is to fit the real coal loads and that'll be another long term project finished and put to bed.

I'm in the process of building of building a photo plank so as to have somewhere a little less cluttered than my workbench to photograph my finished projects on. Once its ready, this rake and a weather worn Heljan Class 58 should look the business!

On The Workbench Today...

Going Retro contd.,

A quick update on one of my more recent projects - The Bachmann Bogie Bolsters continue to go thru the workshop, although progress has been hampered a little by another urgent project, work and a house move!! Still I'd rather take my time and do a decent job rather than rush it through just for the sake of saying its done. All the transfers have been applied and really make a difference to the look and feel of the model. 

Now that they have had time to dry out the next stage will be to seal them with another coat of Johnson's Klear before starting to weather the main bodies. Once this is done I will move on to the decks of the bolsters themselves which should hopefully bring out the detail on them and really lift them to the next level.

I've also been working a little more on the loads for them - the girders/rail will be finished in a quite rusty and untreated way and once attached will be finished off with fine scale chain and shackles securing them on to the wagons.

Fingers crossed that when finished this little rake will look great as a local heritage freight working. I've also found an old BR brake van that I'm going to repaint/renumber which should finish these off a treat - just have to decide what loco will haul the train - Answers and ideas gratefully received!! So, short and sweet this posting, but hopefully once all the above is finished (I'm thinking end of next week sometime) I'll post up the results and start the next project which will be on far more up-to-date stock.

Distraction Therapy...

A case of DVT

No not deep vein thrombosis but the other type of DVT - in this case the Hornby W&S version. I purchased this quite a while ago and its just sat on the shelf waiting for me to get to it. A recent trip down to London Marylebone however, with one of these at the front (or rear depending on how you look at it) sparked up the interest in working on it again and so I used it as a bit of a break from finishing off the final MGR wagons - at last!

The Hornby DVT is quite a nice model with a few really nice features - one of which is its already fitted with lights. These however, do need a bit of work on them to make them more practical and more to the point, prototypical. To start with the outer edge marker lights need to have a warmer/yellower tint than they do as fitted as standard. I sorted this by taking out the light guides and dipping the outer ends in Tamiya Clear Yellow X24. Once refitted the difference between marker and headlights is far more obvious and accurate. What I do intend to do is also fit a small bright white micro LED behind the daytime marker light as the standard Hornby LED loses its brightness through the light guides. Other than that I also relocated the orange cab light to the rear guards area.

The under fame was given its usual coat of frame dirt and I intend to add buffer grease and subtle weathering powder tones along the sides. The wheels were fitted with Mk3 brake discs and make so much difference in my mind.

I missed out on getting the later silver/grey W&S stock to make up the train I wanted, but I do have the earlier Hornby blue/grey stock to work with, so coupled to a Class 67 can run my own W&S train hopefully. The only remaining thing to do on the DVT was fit a function only DCC chip to control the directional lighting/cab lighting. I also tagged the bottom of the coach with its DCC address (normally use digits from its actual running number) just for easiness of finding stuff and the fact I'm not getting any younger or my memory (and come to think of it eyesight) any better.

So with that done, a break from the MGR stock, normal service can be resumed whilst I plod through some of the more mundane jobs I need to finish off. Thankfully little quick win projects like these not only keep the modelling mojo going, but they also enable you to tick another one off the ever increasing 'things to model and detail' list.

On The Workbench Today...

Going Retro:

When I first started with railway modelling, being a young chap at the time, patience wasn't my best virtue and in the name of practising my painting and detailing I pretty much attacked anything I could. After a bit of time my 'eye' for detailing and standard of finish became far better - the only limiting fact (at that time) was the lack of models around to represent the wagons I wanted to run. Yes, I could have kit built, or even scratch built, but at that time in my modelling 'career' I was more than happy to just repaint what was available in the shops to give me my quick fix.

Case in point were these Bachmann bogie bolsters. At the time they were available in grey only - but I wanted some in EWS colours! Now of course they didn't and wouldn't exist but that didn't stop me repainting and decaling them up to represent a rake of steel carrying bolster wagons. Have to say I did a pretty good job - even if they were based on pure fiction!

Skip forward quite a few years and not only are we now blessed with models of almost (and I say that with my tongue in my cheek) all the rolling stock varieties we could want, but my taste has become a little more discerning and shall we say more accurate. I found these packed away in a filing box after not seeing them for a while. Now theres nothing wrong with them at all (apart from the livery) and so I thought rather than waste them, I'll retro paint them back into almost the livery they were when they were purchased - a nice little project and also a quick (and cheap) way of furnishing and filling up my roster of stock for my earlier models to haul.

I'd already done a pretty good job of fitting them with scale instanter link couplings so basically it was just a repaint and weather project, but I thought I'd add some nice scale steel girder loads too, to bring them in line with the detailing on the rest of my stock.

Firstly the bogies and under fame were repainted with my stock base weathering colour of Phoenix Frame Dirt. I find this is a great base to start with - once you've added subtle hues with weathering powders it really lifts the detail on the model. Next up was the main bodywork of the bogie bolsters. Had a look through my many tins of paint and would you believe it I didn't carry any BR Grey in stock! However I did have a tin of  Matt Humbrol Grey 64, which looked damn close to me and anyways, with a fair bit of weathering to be added it didn't need to be exact. Like most light colours it'll need a couple of thin coats to get the best colour depth but not so thick as to loose detail. The decks of the wagons will be painted with Tamiya Deck Tan XF-55 (again 2 coats) and when thoroughly dry I tend to give these a well thinned wash with my 'dirt' mix which really weathers and brings out the detail on the deck. The loads are simply bits of plastruct H section cut and glued and painted Dark Rust. These again will be weathered with dry brushing and powders, all held onto the wagon with fine chain and shackles. As you can see all the painting is being done by hand with a brush - didn't seem worth using my airbrush for this.

Of course painting is only one part of the project - they need the correct decals too. Thankfully Railtec Transfers do a pack perfect for both the type and number of wagons I've got, so one of these was ordered - intact I ordered it early in the afternoon, had a delivery email a couple of hours later and it came through my door the following morning - now that is service!

So hopefully in the next few days this little rake will be finished and I can post up the results. I'm happy that these wagons didn't go to waste after all and now they can earn their keep in a different role.

Keep On Rolling...

Where does the time go? (Part 2)

If you ask my partner how many models I've collected and projects I've started she'd probably answer 'more than he knows what to do with' and to some extent she's correct. I have slowed down though on the model purchasing front - not only from a financial perspective but also from the point of being slightly more realistic in how long it would take me to get through and detail all of my stock - let alone build the layout and run it. However, every now and then the little modelling demon on my shoulder wins and I end up with a new purchase and these are a few items that have sneaked into the Cradley Bridges vault recently.

First off some Limited Edition Model Rail Satlink wagons.

I'm a late starter to the idea of limited edition models - to be honest I always thought they were overpriced and 9 times out of 10 they weren't of interest to me anyways as they were either wrong era or wrong livery, so kept clear of them full stop. Maybe I was a bit harsh with that decision and have probably (well I know I have for sure) missed out on some useful and unique models.  Skip forward a few years and I was at a model show and quietly watching the trains go by, when a short rake of wagons came past that caught my eye. After a quick chat with the operator it turns out that they were Satlink wagons from Model Rail magazine and they had been produced for a number of years. I'd obviously missed out on a few of the releases (and refuse to pay the inflated eBay prices that Ltd Editions attract) but managed to acquire a number of different wagons -  and pre order a further one, to enable me to make up a small rake. Despite them being Limited Editions, I'm a modeller first off, not a collector, so in time all of these will be weathered and detailed (I can hear the collectors out there screaming out now NOOOOOO!)

The only non limited edition Satlink wagon is Hornby's old 6 wheel milk tanker, which under the Satlink guise is used as a water bowser - not a bad model, but again can be made so much more realistic with a bit of detailing and weathering. Might go the whole hog with this one too and redo the side ladders as Hornby's are a little too 'toy like' for me - we'll have to see. Watch this space for updates on these models!!

Whilst still on the subject of Limited Editions, I also managed to secure some examples of a pair of Bachmann RTC MK1 coaches and a Bachmann RTC CCT from Invicta Models. This relatively new company seems to have taken over a lot of the preplanned Modelzone spec livery releases and rather nice that are too.

Again all will go through the Cradley Bridge workshops, get detail added and come out considerably grubbier but hopefully more realistic at the other end.

New in on the loco haulage front is this rather nice Hornby Sentinel shunter. Despite being in the rather fetching red Esso livery, I intend to strip and repaint this model into the typical work stained yellow examples you see dotted around yards/factories in this country. 

Hopefully I can also fit it with high intensity lights, flashing amber warning beacon and sound - no mean feat considering the size of the thing!! I may be tempted to buy another but for now lets see how I get on with this one. This photo shows the look I'm going to aim for…

I have a love hate relationship with Hornbys HST models… The old ones just didn't cut the mustard for me - I had one and intended to upgrade it, then Lima bought out their's so I ran one of those then finally the new ones were released - at last a detailed pretty accurate model could be had - admittedly for a price. I purchased a Virgin liveried example when they first came out but that was the start of a very slippery slope. I left it for a few months before I started to acquire Mk3 coaches to go with it and never finished the rake - they just seemed to disappear overnight - and Hornby's latest release of debranded overweathered poor examples just rubs salt in the wounds. So for now the Virgin HST set sits in a box with a couple of coaches not knowing if it will ever become a finished rake or will succumb to being eBay'd (and judging by the money some of these HST sets fetch that's probably what I'll do) as a non starter. I just wish that Hornby would plan their release policy of models so as to enable modellers to at least have a chance of building up a rake of likely coaches without either having to buy them all in one go or pay 3 times the price on internet sites!! However, its not all bad news for my HST experience. For a while I wanted to find the Hornby Network Rail HST version and after a couple of months I finally tracked one down, complete with extra coach pack so grabbed the chance to get it. 

Coupled with a recent Hornby release of 2 further NR Mk3's I can finally have an HST set to run that looks pretty prototypical (all be it the roof colours need changing on a couple of coaches) without too much hassle. Really looking forward to starting this project soon which will involve weathering (obviously) super detailing the coaches with lights and brake discs, detailing the power units and improving the lighting and (if i sell the Virgin branded HST) I think I'll fit both the power cars with DCC sound. 

Another recent acquisition has been Bachmann's Observation coach. This has been a much anticipated model if any of the internet forums are anything to go by. The first batch sold out quite quickly with pre ordered models. I managed to get one of the second batch but by then there had been a bit of a price increase - but then thats happened pretty much all over the Bachmann range (another reason to slow down buying models). I purchased the blue grey version and it has already entered the works to start being detailed.

At the moment it has had all its end detail added and painted, the panels over the door drop lights have been repainted rail blue, hand rails at either end have been painted warning yellow and the under fame has been given a weathering coat of frame dirt. The next stage will be weathering the roof, sides and ends to tie everything together. I'd love to get another one at some point and repaint it as the EWS observation coach.

Finally - well on the new purchase front anyway - every now and then something comes along which changes the game in 'out of the box' models and modelling. Step forward the Bachmann RTC test train coach pack. 

Considering this is factory weathering it is a superb representation of not only the real thing but actually most of the blue grey Mk1 stock I remember. Some lovely touches on the sides but the most impressive area is the roof. I will definitely be trying to copy this style on some of my other Mk1 coaches. Hope they bring out some other versions so as to enable a scale length train of these to be made up. No doubt I will add my own weathering and detail to these, but as a starting point they are just superb!!

Back On Track (Excuse the pun)

Where does the time go? (Part 1)

For some reason or another, I don't know why, but I haven't posted on here for so long. It's not like my modelling has stopped - far from it, but being my own boss and a freelancer (a euphemism for being frequently without work) I tend to find I have large parts of my time booked out for work, other times nothing on at all (then I have to go looking for more work) until finally life reverts to a happy medium again and I can get back to enjoying some quality modelling time. Happily we seem to be there again now, so hopefully as things settle back to normal, I can post up some of the projects I've been working on, finishing off, starting and maybe thinking of - something for everyone you could say…

So to start with - the ongoing Hornby MGR project. Well almost finished my complete rake and have to say I'm really pleased with the results. Had some good feedback from fellow modellers too - which is always nice as you do start to wonder if anyone ever reads your blog sometimes - so hopefully these newer photos will answer some of the questions asked.

The photos above show my rather crude but effective wire coupling method and attachment points. Both parts of the connector are fixed to the middle of the axle - this helps with keeping the axle aligned and reduces the 'wobble' that many of these wagons suffer from. The length of the wires is determined by how much slack or the gap you want between wagons and also the minimum radius of any of your layout curves.

Started working on a small rake of wagons to depict a Loadhaul engineers working. The consist is a couple of heavily weathered ballast wagons, a BDA bogie bolster, couple of limpets and a shark brake van bringing up the rear. Tried to depict them as a rake of well work-worn wagons (try saying that after a drink) but with full loads and some careful weathering rather than just spraying them with an all-over dirt application. I'm probably 90% satisfied with them now and they just need some minor tweaks to get them finished. Applied some graffiti transfers to the one ballast wagon as it seems in real life these are a popular target for 'tagging'. Sadly more and more rolling stock seems to be covered by this form of 'artwork' now - so I will add more to some of my models no doubt, however, I don't want my layout to look like a state of anarchy has swept thru it!!

A rather cruel close up showing the first stages of applying the graffiti transfer. This still needs to be bedded in and obviously weathered too.

Despite being interested in modern day rolling stock (well anything over the last 20 years) I still have an interest in models and rolling stock from earlier times and so decided that I'd also like to produce some models of earlier rolling stock that caught my eye. The purists will say that its not prototypical to run old and new models together and I'd agree to a point, but at the end of the day it's only a model railway (can't believe I've just said that) and I love making, detailing and running different types of rolling stock. The way I weather them is different too, as obviously the steam era threw out slightly different 'muck and dirt' to what diesels do - so slightly different paints and shades have been used to hopefully replicate this. 

One of the first trains I wanted to model was the old 'Condor' (so called as it stood for Container Door to Door) Express container train and was the forerunner of today's Freightliner block trains. Usually hauled by either a Class 24 or more frequently a couple of MetroVic Class 28's and consisting of BR Conflat wagons, it was one of the premier container trains to travel between London and Scotland. I figured it should be pretty easy to model using Bachmann or Heljan for the loco and Bachmann Conflat wagons (25 needed to be prototypical) for the rest of the train. 

The actual Condor freight train - here referred to as Night Freight was captured in all its glory in this painting by Terence Cuneo.

Over time I'd already collected a number of the Bachmann versions - different running numbers and various containers - and so set to work building my very own Condor Express. The wagons themselves had the NEM couplings removed and were then fitted with Smiths 3-link instanter couplings and vac pipes from Dart Castings. The wagons were then weathered with Tamiya XF10 Brown for the underfame and sides, whilst the deck used Tamiya XF55 Deck Tan which then had a couple of dirt washes to tone it all down and bring out the relief detail on the deck itself. 

The containers were treated to the same wash on the sides whereas the roof was painted with Tamiya XF69 Nato Black which is proving a very useful shade for me. The containers were then attached to the deck and then the fine detailing could begin. The way these containers were attached was to use chain and shackles on each corner which tethered the whole assembly together. To simulate this I used ultra fine brass chain and Roxey Mouldings brass shackle etchings. Once mocked up each length (4 per wagon) was dipped in a brass blackening solution and when it was dry I glued each one individually to the containers and wagons - painfully slow, yes, but gives just that little bit more extra detail.

So with 25 to do I'm roughly 25% way done at the moment and most containers have at least one chain attached. The loco has been sourced - a Heljan Class 28 - but unlike the real thing I'm using a single unit rather than double heading!!

Back to more up to date stuff now. I've finished my rake of Dapol KQA container rake and have fitted all of them with their relevant containers. Originally I was going to leave one empty but had a change of heart as I'd already got containers for them. If I pick up another one cheap then I will use that as the empty one.

Still on container rakes (honestly I have got other types) I've started to weather and detail some Hornby KFA wagons. Its a really nice wagon and once detailed and weathered looks far more realistic than when it comes out of the box. I have all 5 versions that were released and will probably get another couple of duplicates and just swap the containers over. Whilst on the subject of the containers, Hornby's aren't brilliant, but again with some subtle detailing and weathering they really do come to life. 

The wagons themselves were weathered using my stock base colour of Precision Paints Frame Dirt, with additional hints of rust, brake dust and black. Detail wise I added the air pipes that were supplied, changed the couplings over to the Bachmann Intermodal bars and also added brass lamp brackets. I also painted additional markings on the wagon sides which Hornby had left off. Again, once all these were done I was pretty much happy with the way they looked - just need to keep my eye open for the additional ones now!! More pictures will follow...

And my last comment for now, re containers, is regards my rake of Dapol Megafrets which when finished should represent a nice (but considerably shortened) rake of Stobart wagons.  Don't think I'll ever have the room to run a scale length train of this type. I did collect the Dapol Stobart liveried containers, but only have a few. Luckily I think Oxford are about to introduce a range of containers which should hopefully fill the gap - if not, may well leave a couple of wagons unloaded just for variety.

On The Workbench Today...

Catch Up Time Again!!

I really must make more of an effort to write about what I'm working on for this blog - the trouble is when you work on a computer all day the last thing you want to do is spend your evening doing the same thing and very occasionally some modelling gets in the way and I get carried away in the moment and forget to record what I'm doing - don't know wether that's my age or just sheer enthusiasm!! Anyway, enough excuses lets get this blog back on track (no pun intended)!

My rake of original Hornby MGR hoppers is coming on in leaps and bounds and I'm really pleased with how they've come out - just shows you that with a little work even outdated basic models can be made to look good. After my first initial trial with a few wagons I finally hit on the right 'ingredients' needed to make them look good enough and more importantly run well enough so as I can use them on Cradley Bridge. Firstly the undernourished buffers are removed and replaced with white metal Oleo versions. The versions I chose to use are shown below.

Next the oversize couplings are removed, a scale coupling hook and air pipe are installed and I add my own little adaptation to Hornby's self centering wheels. The wagons are then fitted with a small wire hook one end, hoop the other so as to enable a close coupled rake to be assembled very quickly.

Once painted, the hook and loop are almost invisible and seem to work very well at keeping the wagons inline and steady. I've renumbered the wagons using data panels and overhead wire flashes from Fox Transfers and once these were sealed with Klear floor polish the wagons were airbrushed with frame dirt and black.

This shows the first batch of 6 MGR's that I worked on - all with various levels of weathering and hopefully looking a lot better and more realistic than they did when they started out? I'm now working on the next batch of 6 with another 12 to do. The final rake of 24 is probably a good deal shorter than in real life but will be more than long enough for a rake on my layout and will look great being pulled by a work stained Heljan Class 58 or Hornby Class 56.

Of course MGR wagons would not be complete without a load of coal - a search through some of my modelling boxes turned up some plastic 'coal effect' inserts made by Parkside specifically for the Hornby MGR wagon. Although a perfect fit, the plastic coal looked awful and so i decided to use real fine grade coal to cover them. 

The plastic loads were inserted into the wagons, coated with matt varnish and then sprinkled with the coal - simple, effective and I think it looks great.

To finish off the wagons and tie everything together, black weathering powder was used on the sides and underframe to simulate coal dust and give the whole wagon a dirty 'in use' look. The last wagon in the rake was also fitted with a 3 link instanter coupling and a tail lamp for effect. Can't wait to see the whole rake of wagons together - whenever that will be!!

I've also started on another wagon rake - this time round its a container train - one of many I intend to model for Cradley Bridge. To start off with I have 5 of the Dapol KQA intermodal pocket wagons to work on. I intend to run 4 loaded and have 1 empty - which is the one I am working on first.

This has been given an initial weathering wash using my base pigment of Phoenix P960 frame dirt. The railings and hand wheels have been repainted white, 3 link instanter couplings fitted as well as brake pipes. Next thing to do will to be to add rust shading and damage/scraping marks to inside of wagon. Once I'm happy with the results I will roll the same set of techniques over to the other 4 wagons plus start on the containers themselves.

On The Workbench Today...

Its a Dirty Business

Whilst waiting for other finishing bits and bobs for other projects, I thought I'd get on and start working my way through weathering the rake of Dapol IOA's that I have. The wagons are initially treated to a wash of frame dirt which is then removed with cotton buds to create a wash down effect. I intend to add a few scratches and scrapes here and there and also to give them a good dusting of ballast/cement weathering powders to tone everything down. The interiors have been painted with a streaky effect using a wide brush loaded with dark rust, but will also get a wash of light grey followed by the ballast/cement weathering powder mix mentioned before.

I've also added some graffiti tags to a few of the wagons as these seem to be a feature of many items of rolling stock I've seen just lately. Once all 14 wagons have been given this level of weathering I'll then go over each in turn and just tidy them up so that all the different elements work together, once I'm at that level I can then think about producing the ballast loads for them, before finally finishing them off with buffer grease spots and a little more dry brushing on the bogies to bring out all the detail.

Time Flies...

...Unfortunately too fast sometimes!

Can't believe that its been a couple of months since I posted anything here. To be honest January was very busy with work commitments - for a change - and February has sort of come and gone without me even noticing it. Still hopefully the modelling mojo has now returned to a more regular rate and I can catch up (and more to the point finish off) some of the existing projects before moving on to the next batch.

So to get us bang up to date this is where we stand at the moment:

The rake of Bachmann BBA/BZA's are almost finished now. I'm just waiting on getting some more Humbrol Metalcote paint to finish off the coils and then they are ready to go. Once thats done I will post up some final photos of them. Have to say I'm really pleased with the way they've turned out and they make up a really nice rake. I've altered the detailing on the coils slightly and they look far better than they did - you'll see the difference when i post up some photo's.

The Hornby MGR rake is progressing slowly. I have to wait for a load of new white metal replacement OLEO buffers to arrive before I can finish off all the subframes, but all the cradles have been painted and decaled up, plus I've all the new data panels ready to apply to the hopper bodies themselves. Again I'm really pleased how these are progressing and they will look great fully loaded behind a Class 56 or 58, but that might be a while yet.

Having said all that, I haven't been totally idle - what I have started on is my collection of Dapol IOA ballast wagons. Untouched I have to admit they do look a bit plasticky, but with a bit of work they soon start to look like the real thing. I've a rake of 14 that I want to make up into a typical ballast train.

First thing I did was to paint all the bogies and wheels with frame dirt and paint all the axle covers yellow. I also changed all the couplings - the main wagon couplings were changed to Bachmann short tension link couplings, the first wagon that connects to the locomotive has been fitted with a Kadee No.19 coupling and the end wagon has had a scale coupling and pipe fitted. I've also fitted a scale warning light at the end too. The plan is to model the wagons as full so I'm working on modelling scale ballast loads for them as well.

After an initial wash of frame dirt to generally grime up everything my attention will turn to the interior. I mentioned that they will be modelled as loaded wagons, but you will still see the sides of the interior at the top, so they will be treated to a build up of rust and ballast (grey) colours. The frame dirt wash takes away the thin plastic feel of these straight away and so I'm sure they are going to look great when complete.

The wagons are only half the story for this project as you also need a locomotive to pull them. I'd already pretty much decided that this train would use one of my Class 66 models but having been out and about recently I'd noticed that more often than not Class 70's were the haulage power of choice for these trains. I'd got a couple of models of the Bachmann Class 70 when they came out and so decided to use one to make up this train.

The loco was taken apart and cleaned thoroughly - recent Bachmann models seem to suffer from being 'over greased' and the stuff seems to ooze out and find its way all over the body if you're not careful. I ended up completely stripping both bogies and got tons of the stuff out. The parts were then cleaned/degreased in methylated spirit and reassembled. At this point I painted the frame and bogies with my usual frame dirt wash to tone everything down. Whilst the body was off I also repainted the driver, complete with hi viz jacket. I also took the opportunity to fit a 21pin Loksound chip and duly purchased a legomannbiffo chip from DC kits with an upgraded speaker and sound box. These were fitted and tested and are great for the added 'play' value they bring, not to mention the accuracy and realism - don't think I could afford to do that for every locomotive I own though.