Saturday 26 March 2022

00 Gauge EFE Southern Vectis Bristol LS.


A lucky find at a very competative price at Shillingstone Station shop was this EFE Bristol LS.

Branded Southern Vectis this will be an excuse for another era on Watershoot Bay which, incidentally has received it's first exhibition invite.

The thing that really attracted me was the advertising for Mew Langton Ales.

A very long time I remember sitting on the quayside at Lymington watching the Mew Langton open boat from the Isle of Wight being unloaded of it's barrels.




 

Friday 25 March 2022

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust Limited Edition Wagons in 00 and 0 Gauge.

A couple of new wagons have arrived from the S&D Railway Trust. The 00 wagon, by Dapol, is this time finished in S&DJR grey.

https://www.sdrt.org/product-category/limited-edition-oo-gauge-wagons/

This one is limited to 133 examples and I have been told they are selling fast!


The 0 Gauge example is all but identical and also produced for the Trust by Dapol.

The 0 gauge model is limited to 40 examples.

https://www.sdrt.org/product-category/limited-edition-o-gauge-wagons/


 

Thursday 24 March 2022

Mechanical Horse by Scammell- Full Size!

 

 

No visit to Shillingstone would be complete without viewing the progress on the Mechanical Horse.

This is the 3 ton vehicle- there was a five tonner with a larger engine.

At present the doors are being made and fitted- this is an excellent restoration and a credit  to all those involved.


 

 

 

This is my replica from an Oxford Diecast 1/76 the model.

Does need a numberplate to finish.

I have repainted a similar model into Southern Railway livery for use on my Isle of Wight layout 'Watershoot Bay'.


Shillingstone Station March 2022 visit.

  A visit to Shillingstone Station, home of the North Dorset Railway on 23rd March 2022.

The site is very tidy- a credit to the volunteers who carry outthe work.

Since my last visit a lot has changed- the work to re-align the foot trail has been realised before the bird nesting season prevents further tree work.

Movement of the Hudswell Diesel is evidence that driver training is well advanced. 

As usual the cafe was serving excellent snacks and cake.


 

 

The CCT has seen better days but is in use constantly.

There are several wagons around the site all restored - a couple are from the S&D trust at Washford.


 


  One of the pair of Polish built USA Tanks- the other has been dismantled and slowly being restored. 

The cab and tanks have been painted and await fitment but that may be a while yet.

A view of the down line towards Blandford.

The signal box has been restored for some time and is ready for use.






 

 

A final picture looking north towards Sturminster Newton.

Stur is the  goal for the railway which is progressing towards the viduct, spoil being used beyond to restore alignment.

Monday 21 March 2022

More 1/87th trams!

More Trams!

A couple more Atlas Editions offerings which will negotiate Cody Streets sharp curves- one other I have is just too long.

The green one is powered by a Kato 33-105 bogie whilst the red one has a 33-103 fitted.

The bogie tram is slightly longer which needs the extra throw whilst the red trams 4 wheel unit copes well with the lesser length.




 

00 Gauge Dapol A1X Terrier Conversion.


 By chance I aquired a Dapol Terrier at a very reasonable price. Usually these are fairly noisy but this one hadn't been  used. A good run in on the rolling road and it is really quiet.

I had a bunker conversion from Golden Arrow which is basically a resin casting that slides on to the existing body after removal of some plastic.

It fits really well needing the minimum of filling. This one will, hopefully be in Red which was one of the islands railway liveries before the grouping.



Friday 18 March 2022

Ballasting Watershoot Bay.


The part I least enjoy as here it could all go badly wrong. This is one part of layout construction which needs time and patience!

The ballast, cream this time, was gently eased into place avoiding the immediate area around the points.

The sticks were added to keep the blades away from other rails- last thing you need is these stuck together.

Once satisfied with the loose ballast, I give the whole area a gentle mist- from an atomiser (remove smell of fragrance first) which contains water and a spot of washing up liquid. This 

aids the spread of the adhesive. A mix of 50/50 water and PVA glue is mixed in a jar and again a spot of washing up liquid.

I use a cheap polythene pippette to apply the mix to the ballast- others use an eye dropper.

Once the whole area has been saturated with the glue mix it is time to wait for it all to dry thoroughly- don't try and cut corners now or it will all end in tears!
 

Once dry the missed areas and the points can carefully be ballasted. Small amounts at a time and lots of patience.

00 Gauge Smallbrook Studio van kit.

Once the pieces were glued together, handrails fitted  and weight added inside the van, the roof was affixed.

There are instructions that the roof plasticard supplied appears undersized but, in fact, the roof didn't overlap the sides and ends as is usual. Apparently rain channels were atop the sides and ends. There is supposed to be a groove in the end castings for the roof to sit in but it is somewhat inconspicuous!

However, a reasonable fist was made of fitting the roof but doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.

Once the paint has fully cured it will be time for transfers and then a coat of matt varnish.