*********************************************************************************************************************************************
JANUARY 2025 UPDATE
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
STEVE HARROD
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
KARL CROWTHER
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
ANDY LEE
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
ALAN DEWEY
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
Returning to the Newton Abbot works building, I have applied different shades of paint to
build up the brick definition, with still a few more shades to add, along with reducing the
height of the domed areas above the access doors. These were originally arched windows that
got filled in when the building was converted to maintain diesel locomotives.
In the works yard in 1971 was this yellow painted vehicle AL203 stored off the rails. Has anyone
got any details of this vehicle, or a clue as to what it was? Photograph by N.E. Preedy.
Rob Mabbett kindly lent me his slides from the time we went around Newton Abbot back in the
early 1990s, and thankfully he had taken a good image of the storage tanks. It has a
3x2x2 combination of panels, unlike my smaller 2x2x2 attempt.
After a trip to my local model centre, I then had all the parts available to extend the tank
(Wills Braithwaite tank kit and plastruct for the blocks). First of all I decided to remove
both top and bottom of the tanks, leaving just the panels for me to easily extend. Next job on
the list is to make the extra 90 breeze blocks, then painting and weathering.
Stop Press - I have managed to cut out and glue the extra breeze blocks in the support wall for
the storage tank. Next to do is prime, paint then weather.
Firstly, a Happy New Year to everyone! The last few weeks have seen progress on several
fronts (can’t seem to stick to one task!). Here is the Kendal turntable now with its
handrails and a representation of winding apparatus fitted.
The basis for the handrails were some etched stanchions that I drew up around a year ago.
Amazingly they folded up perfectly as intended!
Next I drew out an outline on paper of where the stanchions should be placed, attaching
them with spots of superglue, after which the handrails of 0.4mm nickel-silver wire could
be soldered in. Also, at the bottom end of the stanchions, short lengths of the wire were
attached for fitting to the turntable deck. With a little more forethought, I could possibly
have made these a contiguous part of the etches…….
There were mounting holes for the stanchions already in the turntable deck and the handrails
fitted very nicely into these. At one end of the deck, an extension piece was fashioned from
styrene, scribed to represent wooden planking. The basic idea of what this should look like
was worked up from various photos of prototype turntables I was able to locate. The little
winding cabinet was also from styrene, with a wire handle. Hopefully I’ve come up with
something that’s at least believable…
Close-up of the ‘winding platform’ if that’s what it’s called. Maybe there should be a hose
for vacuum drive from the loco but I’m not sure if all turntables had this….
And finally, a view of the completed fittings now all painted, plus a Modelu fireman figure
looking on. Overall, I’m happy with how it’s turned out.
On the same batch of etches I prepared windows for the Kentside platform shelter, seen here
with the beginnings of the walls – all styrene. The prototype is of course Greenodd and I
was fortunate to have good photographs and drawings via the Cumbrian Railways Association.
Now with the brick plinths along the base attached. Getting the Slaters Plasticard brick
courses lined up with the building and window opening corners was the main challenge here.
I did have potential issues of the walls warping inwards but hope to have cured this by
making the roof slot inside the walls to keep everything square.
Assembly now almost complete, just the downpipes to add and slates to the roof, before
painting and fitting the glazing. Typical of the Furness, even a humble structure like this
has a refined elegance about it, something that always attracted me in the first place.
Hopefully once painted the final result will do the real thing justice (sadly long gone of course)!
Now the tale of Clan Stewart. A year or so ago someone brought along a Clan which ran on
Kentside and I thought “sounds great, I want one!”. Having tracked down a second-hand model
at a reasonable price (some minor cosmetic damage), I set about converting to EM using
Markits driving wheels, plus a replacement Comet bogie with Gibsons. A set of Lanarkshire
Models coupling rods was deployed and I had to fashion new return cranks from nickel-silver
sheet. Needs properly weathering of course.
It ran very nicely apart from the tender. Normally, I’d spring the tender using a Lanarkshire
Models chassis but deploying one of these seemed a bit of a big job (read on!), so initially
I’d just used replacement wheels in the existing chassis. Then, having decided I was unhappy
with the running I decided to persevere and adapt the RTR chassis for the sprung option –
which did indeed turn out to be quite a big job! Here you see the dismantled bits and all
that remains of the Mazak casting that forms the basis of the running plate (most of it
being cut away!). Incidentally the tender had a broken rear buffer beam minus a buffer,
so this has here been rectified.
Here’s the completed, re-assembled chassis unit, complete with socket for electrical
connections to the locomotive. The decoder and stay alive will be in the tender, but I
managed to find space for a speaker in the loco boiler – hence six connections required.
To make room for the wires I left out the kit’s vacuum cylinder and associated levers.
On top of what remained of the Mazak floor casting, I fitted a rectangle of styrene onto
which was then glued a piece copperclad sheet, suitably gapped for hard-wiring the decoder.
This and the chassis, due to the wires, now effectively form a single sub-assembly, while
inside the tender body can be seen the arrangement I came up with to unite the two together
via a pair of self-tapping screws (the lower part of the coal space was also removed to make
more room for the decoder). So yes, quite a big job and maybe for my Britannia (which has
the same tender) I might use a Comet frames kit instead. Also my model had most of the
tender steps missing, so again are Comet replacements.
The final challenge was the rear pony truck. On the original model the wheels are unflanged
and just move sideways inside the casting visible in this view. I did manage to fit flanged
EM wheels into this and there did seem to be just enough lateral sideplay. But for some
reason these wheels wouldn’t rotate when the model was running. So, in the end I adapted a
Comet pony truck, making the distinctive framing from brass sheet. To clear the axle, quite
a bit of the original chassis block had to be ground away – I will know to remove this at
an earlier stage when it comes to the Britannia! Anyway it’s now hopefully ready for final
test running on the layout after which I can get the decoder installed……
I wanted to add a Girder Bridge to Johnson Road and remembered I had an HO Playart Santa Fe
train set from the 1970s. Yes a trainset! It comes in 3 pieces and has nice rivet detail, so
decided to use it on the layout. It was primed with Supadec Grey primer, and thinly coated
with two tones of teal from Vallejo and AK . Inspired by a real girder bridge in the same
colour in Northwich I used to drive over during the 1970s. I then painted a thin light grey
IPA 50% wash over it all and that bleached the teal and knocked it back to look worn. The
rust was painted with 5 browns and oranges by Revell, Archive X, Tamiya and Vellejo.
Latest additions to the fleet are 3 Hornby TTA tank wagons just repainted and re-decaled
with Railtec transfers. Weathered, fitted with Gibson wheels and added and 3 link couplings.
Yes it's another large logo Class 37 commissioned Andy Clayton at Javmar to repaint for me,
re-decal and weather from a spare Vitrains model. It's totally different to how I paint
and weather and I wanted a loco that didn't look like the others I had done myself, as
sometimes you can end up with them all looking like they went through the same puddle!
The body was painted with Railmatch enamel paints, giving it a totally different look to
the acrylics I use - it's alot more matt. Fitted with replacement Class 37 sprung buffers
and EM wheelsets, both from Accurascale, replacing the gear with the original Vitrains ones.
Next up will be the snow ploughs, pipes and couplings. More pics when that's all done.
Some more 1:1 scale model making.... a 'what if' 4472 was cut up - shock horror! I hand
painted the numerals with a lot of patience and a very steady hand using the right type of
long hair brushes used by signwriters. Next was Deltic 55013 The Black Watch replica flame
cut panel with the correct York depot crest. This is how I saw alot of the Deltics as I
chased them up and down the ECML, copping them all before they got withdrawn. The York
crest was such a distinctive feature above the number. Its been a busy month as they are popular.
Santa has brought some free time this year so I have started moving Whitley up from a home
trainset to an exhibition layout for this next year. Three wagons are ready, all
compensated and now with 3mm S&W delay couplings. A 16t mineral built to the article
'The two bob Airfix kit' in MRJ many years back. Compensated and lightly weathered with enamels.
Stelfox 10t Open. A 7-plank GER design with unusual door arrangement and double diagonal bracing.
Compensated and finished in well worn end of service grey.
16t standard Airfix kit. Compensated and heavily weathered using enamels and matt varnish.
Here's a selection of comparison pictures taken 10 years ago in early 2015, followed by
today's view from around the same vantage point.
The Underground section of the layout has moved further north in this view after the
station extension was constructed in 2020, now just showing the walled footpath running
along the back of the bus garage.
This time looking north near the loop exit onto the main line, showing the original
location of the station building and road overbridge.
Now showing the current view with the station building further away, and the addition of
the Hornsey Midland Junction signalbox.
In this 2015 view of the station scenic break, the track still requires ballasting and
the first Class 501 EMUs are well underway.
Now the scenic break is reunited with the Underground tracks, and the platforms have
buildings and canopies.
Planning of the motive power depot is coming along ....
..... and the current view of the depot and surrounding buildings.
A later 2015 snap showing completion of the nearest tracks to the viewing side, with
aerosol can props acting as fuel storage tanks.
And a current view of the depot, showing the fuel storage tanks. Incidently, the tanks at
Finsbury Park weren't bunded until the late 1970s.
A recent project on the layout is a yard with corrugated workshop for Sykes plant hire
business (with gates and further detail yet to be added), adjoining the remains of a
row of terraced shops now in industrial use.
The buildings are constructed from a modified Walthers Cornerstone kit, located next to
a demolition site and featuring the remains of a long gone neighbour's wallpaper. The
workshop is made from Wills corrugated panels.
A trio of battery electric tow tractors having just been painted and glazed with additional
added detail, produced from 3D prints by Jonny Duffett (available as a free download from
Thingiverse ).
Now a selection of snaps starting off with a 6-car Western Pullman on the fuelling road at
Hornsey Road depot. I'll hopefully get around to weathering this set this year.
Suburban services featuring northbound and southbound locomotive hauled coaching stock and
a Class 104 DMU captured at the north end of the station.
Visitors from the Eastwell fleet - SLW Sulzer type 2s (Class 24) 5081 & 5000 at the head of
a unfitted coal train made up of 16 ton mineral wagons.
And another one - 5105 from the Shenston Road fleet passing through with a short freight train.
Also from Shenston Road is this Cravens Class 129 DPU with CCT tail load.
Recently refurbished by Greg, this parcels unit is made from a DC Kits body on a modified
Bachmann Class 105 chassis, to replace the previous Hornby Ringfield motored chassis.
The latest video from Hornsey Broadway - A driver's eye view of the branch line and depot.
Please click on the above image to view the latest videos.
