The Afternoon Goods from Evercreech

With Combwich all ready for RAILEX, a last chance to knock up a quick video of Ex-Midland Railway 0-6-0 4F No. 44417 arriving at Combwich with the afternoon goods from Evercreech Junction. August 1961.

After arrival, the engine runs around its train, then shunts the short rake of old wooden wagons into the goods yard.

And for the smart asses out there, yup, I know that the vacuum pipe on the the loco is missing;-)
This short was simply shot using the video capture facility on my point and shoot Canon G9

Combwich at RAILEX!

nevard_101106_wycrail_IMG_8338_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Combwich will be having a rare outing at RAILEX this weekend (28 & 29 May 2011). Tim Maddocks' excellent SDJR Enginewood will be right next door, and the intention is to run occasional trains between the two layouts.


To add to the excitement of this rare operational marriage of layouts, it will also be a chance to see Model Rail's specially commission Sentinel in action - at least 2 months before the production models appear in the UK.

• Find out more about Combwich here!
• Find out more about Enginewood here! 
• Find out about RAILEX here! 
• Find out about the Sentinel here!

RAILEX 2011 Model Railway Exhibition  

Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Harvey Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 9PP

Saturday 28^th May 10.30-5.30
Sunday 29^th May 10.00-5.00
Adults £7.00, Child £4.00, Family(2+2) £16.00
Sunday only - up to 2 children admitted free with an accompanying paying adult.

10 inches in 2 Minutes

Model Rail Magazine's Sentinel, taking around 2  minutes to traverse a mere 10 inches (that 25cm in new money) in the sidings at Combwich.

• Order now http://www.modelrailoffers.co.uk/
• See this loco running 28/29 May at Railex!

Model Rail Sentinel at RAILEX!

An announcement from Model Rail's Chris Leigh...

The proprietors of Combwich and Engine Wood are pleased to announce that it is planned to operate a service between their two layouts at Railex at Stoke Mandeville, May 28/9. Following successful negotiations with the manufacturer, a Model Rail Sentinel demonstrator is expected to operate this service. This is a rare opportunity for those who would like to see the Sentinel in operation.

At the time of writing we understand that the models are in production and we hope to have delivery in August.

CHRIS LEIGH  (Model Rail Mag)

• Order now www.modelrailoffers.co.uk 
• See this loco running at Railex!

Above is a video shot on Combwich demonstrates the very good slow speed performance over hand built track. Any juddery movement here will simply be the You Tube compression which tends to drop frames here and there - not the loco performance which is exemplary!

Grubby Green Planet

nevard_110523_planet_IMG_9983_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

This evening saw the completion of the little Roxey Mouldings 0-4-0 Planet diesel. Brewhouse Quay has been put away for a few days while I prepare Combwich for this weekend's RAILEX, so makes as ideal background to pose the little beast on. The wagon in tow is an ex-LBSCR wagon from a Smallbrook Studios kit knocked up a couple of weekends ago.


Here is a more close up view of  the little loco
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/5752986418/in/photostream

• RAILEX
• Combwich
• LBSCR Van
• Planet
• Brewhouse Quay

Green Planet

nevard_110522_planet_DSC_2188_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

The Roxey Mouldings Planet 0-4-0 Diesel has now been painted and is ready for weathering and glazing. There is plenty of scope really to go to town with rust spots and patched up paintwork. The nameplate from Narrow Planet is possibly a little large, but there again it's a very small loco. My excuse is that it is second hand!

Named 'Fleur', here it is parked on the canal edge at Brewhouse Quay.

Click here for a bigger view http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

This Planet is a little star!

nevard_110516_planet_IMG_9904_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Currently on the work bench, a Planet 0-4-0 Diesel from Roxey Mouldings. And here is the white metal kit after basic assembly. A little filling and cleaning up will be required before painting as well as some extra details. The body is just sitting on the chassis, and will be screwed properly into place once painted. It sits on a Tenshodo WB 24.5 'Spud' which makes it ideal entry to white metal loco construction because of the ready to whizz chassis.


This is a small loco, length over buffers is just under 3 inches, and because of this ideal for Brewhouse Quay with its short sidings and tight curves. It will however be as just at home on some of my other industrial layouts. The plan is to paint in the same livery at my recent Austerity tank. I'll be naming this little loco 'Fleur' using plates from Narrow Planet.

Improved Pipe-work

nevard_110510_J94_DSC_2172_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

After seeing Paul aka 'Halfwit's' post on RM web about further improving the Hornby J94 Austerity by filing away the large lump of supporting plastic which sits behind the pipework extending down from the footplate below the cab, the little loco was pulled back into the workshops for a quick fettle to follow suit.

This view here of the loco midway through its detail and repaint a week of two ago shows the block of plastic reasonably well - OK, I should have taken a closer photo, but it's too late now. The above shows off the opened up pipework, and yes those flanges need a good polish!

At first I thought this little job might be tricky as well as weakening the area, but this was not the case. Sitting outside in last week's wonderful weather did help to ensure than I could see what I was doing properly which the aid of a 1mm hand-drill and fresh Swann Morton blade. Total time? About as long as it took for my cup of tea to get tepid, no fear, I wanted a beer anyway!

Whilst it's possible to do the same with the lower pipe which bends around under the steps, I decided to cut off the plastic pipe and replace it with some wire - an office paper clip in this instance! To finish off, the remodelled pipework was given a splash of 'gunmetal' coloured enamel after the paperclip was chemically blackened. I'm a fairly recent convert to 'gunmetal', having found it's great for representing oily metal, and it has the bonus of dry-brushing to a lovely sheen - thank you Darren Rees of Torrington for that tip!

• For more views of this loco go here.

A Cheeky Minky

nevard_110510_minkD_DSC_2168_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

A  Parkside Dundas kit of a GWR 'Mink D' Goods Van after assembly and a  coat of BR Carmine courtesy of Halfords Ford Venetian Red. Obviously  this wagon is not yet finished should anyone ask, the roof needs  painting grey, the underframe black, then numbering, couplings and the  all important weathering.

Parkside  Dundas kits are mostly a joy to assemble, with little flash and carving  required to get them to fit together, with the basic assembly taking  about an hour. However in this kit for some reason the brake shoe legs  or arms or whatever they're called are about 3mm too short, so a little  shim of plastic card was bonded to the underside of the chassis behind  the solebars so the shoes hang at the correct height in relation to the  wheels. Some of the chassis detail is supplied as thin plastic rod which  will last about 3 minutes in the real world, so that was replaced with  some suitable brass wire for added strength and fidelity.

Historically  to be totally accurate, it's touch and go as to whether this type of  GWR Mink D lasted into the BR era, though the similar looking later designs did. Of course in Nevardland I don't worry about bending time ever so slightly, and anyway, the only people that might get upset probably have squeaky voices and are generally not the sort I'd be comfortable introducing to my wife or 'normal'  friends .......

Something for the Weekend - LBSCR 8 Ton Van

nevard_110511_LBSCR-8-tons-van-DSC_2157_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

I've had this kit of a LBSCR 8 Ton Van in the 'kits to be done one day before I die box' since ExpoNG 2010, having bought it direct from the manufacturer Smallbrook Studios who are more well known for delightful resin based narrow gauge kits. However, in addition to their more well known items, they also produce a small range of ex-LSWR and LBSCR prototypes in 4mm scale designed around the Dapol 10ft wheel base ready to run chassis, the kit prototypes being wagons that ended up on the Isle of Wight in their later years.

Without going into too much detail, after all that's what the supplied instruction are for, here is the completed wagon after an afternoon's work. My depiction here, is a 'what if' should one of these wagons ended back on the main land in private ownership after finally running out of puff in the engineering section of the Southern Region.


The numbering might horrify the purists, but they were simply home printed out onto self-adhesive label and stuck on rather than messing about with transfers (what is all this 'decal thing'? I'm English so 'transfers' it is - so there!). In real life, which will not be nearly as big as you see on your screen here, the paper numbering looks quite respectable. For the neurotics which I'm sure there are plenty, I'll just tell them that the wood was so rotten that some plywood was used as a base for the numbering.


The wagon here is in quite a heavily weathered state, after its last overhaul it would have been pale grey or possibly even bare wood with the white numbering on black. A few colour washes and much dry-brushing has produced the excessive exposed to the elements look I wanted.

Update 10 May

Here could be a shot of the van a few years later, shortly before the brewery owners decided to use the wagon and a fire lighter for the boiling coppers http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/wagons/lbsc_box2.html

Something I didn't mention is the roof, some some time I've been soaking a single sheet of bog-roll with polystyrene solvent and bonding it to the plastic roof. Once painted and dry-brushed the effect is quite nice. There 1024 res version of the snap at the top of this page might show it off a little better http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/5696088317/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Brewhouse Quay: 5 Months On

For want of a BLOG post, rather than dwell on pretty photos and blarney, this one is about the journey so far, for Brewhouse Quay has to be one of the quickest layouts I've been able to get together. There is quite a bit more to do, but I think that layout at a push has reached the stage where I'd be happy to take it to a show. That however won't be until September at Model Rail Live in Barrow Hill Roundhouse. Any spare time over the next few weeks will be taken up tweaking Combwich for RAILEX, for that layout is 30 years old now and is a bit like running a classic MG or having a high maintenance wife - constant TLC required!

I digress.....

Whilst the track is handbuilt, the buildings are 50/50 ready to plop/scratchbuilt, that definitely is has a speed advantage. Whether I'd use such a large ratio in the future is debatable - I prefer a more individual approach. However I was offered the brewery buildings as a freebee, and with these latest Scenecraft releases being extraordinarily good and above an beyond what I could achieve with the time I have available (model making is only a small fraction of my involvement within the hobby).

Click on the images to enlarge....

December: planning




January: woodwork and soldering!


February: wiring, the running of the first train


March: groundwork


April: colouring


May: enjoying

Beer Express!

 

Ivatt Class 4 No. 43017 of Bath Green Park arrives at Brewhouse Quay with the empty return beer train from London on a hot summers day in 1952. The following year, this same working would be fully fitted and given the nick-name 'The Beer Express'.

The wagons are in fact parked on the headshunt, the backscene (actually there, not cgi) marks the end of the siding. After taking this shot, I'm tempted to punch a hole through the backscene and add a cassette yard for occasional use to allow trains to arrive like this.

Cornish Pump / Model Rail 156

nevard_101015_cornish_pump_IMG_8138_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

The Cornish Engine that's popped up on this blog from time to time now has its full construction revealed in the May issue of Model Rail Mag. In there I go into a lot more detail about the way the various textures and colouring where achieved.

Also in this issue:

• News section including launch of the exclusive Model Rail Sentinel locomotive.
• Big Picture x 2!
• Model of the Month - Heljan 'Lion'
• Reviews
• Model Mail
• Torrington 'OO' layout
• Carry on Camping
• Crockherbtown 'OO' layout 
• Masterplan - ironstone quarry
• How to solder a wire
• Cartazzi Upgrade (george)
• Install telegraph wires
• Build N gauge canal basin
• Supertest Track Cleaners
• Make Buildings - Building a Cornish Engine
• Make better road vehicles
• Q&A
• Show & Tell
• Model Rail shop
• Competition
• Exhibition Diary

The Spaniards Are Coming!

Catcott Burtle is in the May 2011 issue of the Spanish model railway magazine 'Maquetren'.

It would appear that there is a demand in Spain to see models of bucolic English backwaters. This is quite refreshing because I frequently thought like many that Britain is only known for slobbish behavior, deep fried food, bad dress sense and really dreadful football.

So a few months ago it was a very nice surprise when a couple of members of the Maquetren editorial team got in touch wanting to feature an alternative and different view of England -albeit in miniature.

http://www.revistasprofesionales.com/sumario.php?id_revista=6&id_num=612

"ello ello"

nevard_110428_J94_DSC_2049_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Brewhouse Quay update: "ello, ello, what's goin on 'ere?". What would appear to be a special contract brew for the Black Rat Brewery is under guard courtesy the long arm of the law, or old bill. A few of those casks appear the have already had their liquid bounty racked off if the holes are anything to go by!

Out of curiosity, the type of huge wooden cask on the far left are rumoured to be known as a 'butt', this being correct means that they each carry 108 gallions of intoxicating liquor, or possibly just air in this case!

Meadow Green & Bungalows

nevard_110427_J94_DSC_2034_web1280, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Well, I was all set to leave this loco black, then whilst going through one of my colour industrial steam books noticed that very few industrial locos were plain black. By chance in the garage I had this aerosol of Halfords Ford Meadow Green kicking about for scenic work, and after the hasty the application of some masking tape the loco was given a blast of this wishy-washy green colour. I really cannot believe that anyone would have chosen this colour for a new car in the showroom, but there again metallic beige has always been popular with the blue rinse brigade, accountants and people who live in bungalows, so who am I to judge?

Here is the result, after a little weathering and the application of a bespoke etched name plate from Narrow Planet. Why Radstock? Well, the primary reason for doing this loco is for Mendip Colliery and this former industrial town used to be the North Somerset centre of coal mining until the early 1970's.

Austerity Progress

nevard_110427_j94-hunslet_IMG_9846_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Here we have the J94 Austerity mid-way through a super detail and repaint (See earlier post here.)
Originally all I was going to keep the lined maroon colour, but due to the amount of filling and filing I have abandoned that move. Currently the loco is in black, and I'm tempted to keep this 'colour' and paint the nameplate red. I don't really go for pretty twee colour schemes.

Alternative angle can be seen here http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/5659394274/in/set-72157625418433737/

The slight gap running along the base of the saddle tank will sadly have to stay, filling it would make any future maintenance very tricky - separation being required to access the motor and worm. As usual, such things tend to look worse in photographs.


Work so far has been as follows...

• Remove the silly moulded handrail loop midway along the base of the boiler.
• Fill small cutaway below the above.
• Replace the moulded smokebox door handles with brass.
• Remove moulded lamp-irons and replace with brass.
• File away and replace the cab entry grab rails and replace with brass.
• File away mould lines on the chimney.
• Remove moulded coal.
• Repaint the whole loco in matt black.

Work still to do...

• Replace the moulded pipework below the cab (this can be done at a later stage when I source something suitable - suggestions of a supplier greatfully received).
• Add 3 link couplings.
• Add slightly larger diameter buffers. 
• Blacken wheels - this makes a huge improvement, short of actually replacing them.
• Add etched bespoke name plate 'RADSTOCK' from Narrow Planet. See earlier post here.
• Add coal load to bunker. 
• Weather.
• Add a crew.

My Palette

nevard_110406_BQ_colours_IMG_9599_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

I frequently get asked what colours I use. The trick I think is to avoid anything too bright and certainly don't use manufactured 'railway colours', they're always too bright and lurid.
Here are the colours used on Brewhouse Quay and Catcott Burtle - they're all Humbrol or Revell matt enamel. I tend to dry brush them onto a grey/brown undercoat (Halfords aerosol primers). You'll notice I also use enamel rather than acrylic, enamel is easier to 'work' and can still be manipulated when almost dry.

Humbrol Matt Enamel

• 34  White (for window frames)
• 62  Leather (rust and iron staining and some brickwork)
• 101 Mid Green (for newish BR Southern Region building green)
• 120 Light Green (for sun bleached BR Southern Region building green)
• 121 Pale Stone (for stonework)
• 147 Light Grey (for stonework)
• 250 Desert Pink/Sand (for stonework)

Revell Matt Enamel

• 32116 Sandy Yellow (for stonework)
• 32174 Gunship Grey (for stonework/cobbles and slate roofs)
• 32187 Earth Brown (for stonework and general weathering)
• 32188 Ochre Brown (for stonework, particularly Bath stone) 

The stone colours tend to be blended randomly using the dry-brush technique. Real stone is a mix of many colours, feather the colours rather than use different blocks of solid colour which will tend to create a crappy 'painting by numbers' effect. As with everything, there are no rules, also be sure to look at the real world rather than other people's models for inspiration.


I also have a couple of bottles of emulsion based colour washes, one dark (browny/grey) and one light (sandy/beige), these are used as washes after all other painting. They add further patina, and being water based will not react with the enamel underneath.

Trio or Medley?

 Here we have a 'trio' (gosh, that's so very BBC Masterchef) of wagons posed on the brewery. Of course I could have used 'medley' instead but that sounds more like a microwave meal.

Ok, to the point,  I have a huge collection of second hand wagons that I'm slowly refurbishing. I acquired them about 10 years ago, but they probably date back to the 1970's and 1980's. Most of them I can identify, but these defy me, so I'm turning to you the as ever informed reader.

Armchair modellers will be ideally suited to reply to this post with all their experience of over-analysing and pontification (aka excuse for not doing any model making). I'm only pulling your legs of course (or foot stools in your case), some of my closest friends are armchair modellers.

Wagon 1 (click to enlarge): The sprung plastic suspension would suggest that it might be a Peco 'Wonderful Wagon'. The transfers look like they've been applied to matt paintwork. Tip; always gloss any areas that are going to have waterslide transfers applied (or should I say 'decal', the model makers' version of 'train station') and then apply matt varnish after. I quite like this wagon and if I was a proper modeller I'd replace the ladder with a brass one.

Wagon 2 (click to enlarge): This one is a plastic kit what what would appear to be an LMS 3 plank open (obviously). The beer casks are not part of the wagon.

Wagon (click to enlarge) 3. These delightful of white metal kit built ones defy identification. Do you know who produced them?

Get outside - it's a lovely day....

nevard_110422_brewhouseQ_IMG_9812_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Before I take advantage of the nice weather outside (probably doing dull things like gardening which I hate; Astroturf and plastic shrubs would be ideal - actually full sized static grass would get my vote too), here's another quick snap of the overgrown rails on the wharf after a zap of the Grasmaster. The lightly laid (code 55 flatbottomed) section here being inlaid in ash and clinker between the cobbles, so after a little rain ideal for grass and weeds to propagate. 

Someone who also should really be outside will no doubt want to know about the single wooden cask next to the disused crane, why it's there and what make it is. I have no idea, maybe it was pinched from the pub next to the loco after closing time? I can tell you that it's a pukka wooden one and comes from the Black Rat Brewery in Saltash, but apart from that, can tell you no more I'm afraid - so get out for some sun!

• Click here to follow this thread.
• Click here for more photos of this project.
• This micro is most likely to have its first expo at Model Rail Live in September
  

No Buffer stops

nevard_110422_brewhouseQ_IMG_9816_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.


Brewhouse Quay Update: Rather than end the sidings here with buffer stops, a gate suggesting the rest of the world and large sliding doors to another warehouse/workshop has made a more interesting 'end'. Hopefully the effect will suggest that this is only a tiny section of a much bigger brewery complex. The temporary lack of casks give the effect of a closed brewery - maybe Whitbreads have bought it out and shut the brewery here as part of the their infamous 'Tour of Destruction'?


This afternoon in the garden I got out the Grasmaster and some static grass to finish off the ground cover. The colour is a blend of various static grasses saved from previous static grass applications on other layouts. I always empty the hoover (or bag-less Dyson in the this case) and save the surplus fibres for re-use. Colour wise I can tell you that here is a blend of winter and autumn 4.5mm and 6mm grasses from Noch and Mini-Natur.  


This shot was taken in natural daylight in the garden shortly after the sun went over the horizon.

• Click here to follow this thread.
• Click here for more photos of this project.
• This micro is most likely to have its first expo at Model Rail Live in September

A Fresh Consignment of Casks

nevard_110421_brewhouseQ_IMG_9786_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Brewhouse Quay: A recent consignment of ales casks litters the end of the yard near the cooperage. Many of these have come from the Black Rat Brewery in Saltash near Plymouth for refurbishment courtesy of Mr Sullivan MD of the brewery. Note the two rather large Hogsheads next to the building on the the right.  

The follow this thread - take this LINK.

Busy Quayside

nevard_110416_brewhouseQ_IMG_9722_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Brewhouse Quay: Bristol Barrow Road's 'Pug' 51202 propels a few casks along the brewery quay.

For the sceptics who think this malarkey is all cgi - the only addition is the fake smoke.

Neoprene Rubber

nevard_110416_brewhouseQ_IMG_9735_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Brewhouse Quay: to the right, the latest scratchbuilt warehouse in the BQ saga (think of it as satellite telly, you can tune to another channel if you're as bored as I am).

I had to photograph a rather nice china clay works earlier today for the popular press and needed to dig out a small diesel loco in the form of this Bachmann 03 (or is it an 04?). With hindsight, it actually looks rather good here on the wharf.

I bought this loco about 10 years ago and after seeing a real one at the Bucks Railway Centre decided to repaint and renumber this loco loco to reflect the trip there at the the time.

The shiny blue outfit of the driver is simply down to the fact that he is a tad kinky and decided to get a set of engineer's attire in shiny 99.98% waterproof neoprene rubber. Well, that's my excuse for that fact that I cannot be bothered to repaint or replace the saucy little chap.

If you haven't a clue what this thread is all about, follow this link for the whole story (and select 'older posts') .