Delayed by the postal strike, I must say that the wait was worth it!
Withe a die-cast metal frame and added detail the result is stunning.
This- yet again- provides impetus to dispose of vast amounts of 00 gauge stock and concentrate on the five layouts that I have or are proposed.
New Year resolutions are great- aren't they?
Harwin & Co supplied the embryonic Mid-Hants Railway with coal until their cessation of trading in 2002.
A fitting momento for a great day out.
.JPG)
Once other projects are complete then another 0 Gauge layout is in planning- I have the points and just need a few more lengths of bullhead track and it can be started. Still have to think of a name for operation around Bath with S&DJR, Southern and GWR locos together with a bit of BR!
This post shows the rolling stock that will be used on the layout. Motive power will mostly be 0-6-0 ex LB&SCR Terriers. Most are in Maunsell Olive livery but there are also a couple of others, one in Sunshine Malachite and one, as yet ,devoid of markings.
The Olive coaches are now 4 wheelers- the centre axle having been removed. The teak 4 wheelers are re-branded GNR stock.
The first picture shows the station building sat atop the platform base- this needs some work before it can be glued to rest- hopefully in the right place!
After a quick rub down they were painted into Southern Goods Stock Brown-Precision Paints version.
A search in the transfers box found some suitably sized decals and a couple of sets of spurious numbers.
A set of Gibson spoked wheels were fitted together with Sprat & Winkle couplings.
The Smallbrook Studio, with supplied Dapol chassis, Isle of Wight goods van has also been completed.
It has been numbered in the Southern Railway Goods van numbering range but i'm not sure if this is correct due to insufficient info to hand.
So, just the couplings to fit and another , unusual van is ready for Watershoot bay.
Just have to complete the layout!!
The smaller onewill be rebranded as Midland Railway or S&DJR whilst the large wagon will become BR.
The small wagon has been built from a 3H kit- so fairly elderly. The large version appears to be a Slaters offering.
Must see if the roofs can be removed so cattle can be added.
A recent aquisition was this elderly ex North British van.
It has a vague likeness to a S&D van so it will be branded accordingly.
Why it looks green in the pictures is a bit of a mystery but in daylight is dark grey.
Spratt & Winkle couplings have been fitted, hook on one end only, so just the need for S&DJR lettering and some numbersbefore it gets a coat of varnish and can be towed around by my blue Jinty.
https://www.railtec-models.com/index.php
After looking at and area where S&DJR, Southern and GWR could be found (just renewed modellers licence!). I also wanted a branded Toad to accompany my Minerva BR 57XX Pannier Tank.
Very pleased with the result, just needs Sprat and Winkles fitted and its ready for service.
Further news is that I now have sufficient 0 gauge points to construct a new 0 gauge layout. Slightly larger than Cringle Street Goods but still a manageable size.
Three wagons to add to the S&DJR fleet.
A couple of Dapol offerings, one 5 plank and a 7 plank. Although somewhat fanciful they were repaints- one poorly- which I already posessed so no need to purchase more.
The third is a Slaters Midland Van which has been re-branded.
All have spurious numbers gleaned from transfer sheets from previous builds.
All with Sprat & Winkle couplings.
This one will be branded as a S&DJR wagon to accompany the Jinty and wagons.
This kit is a Parkside by PECO offering and goes together well. However, the brake mechanism instruction is not particularly , to me, clear. However, help is at hand as the construction of this kit is covered in PECO'S Into to 0 Gauge bookazine.
Again handrails are brass wire formed to fit holes drilled where indentations are moulded.
Twelve holes each side and it is very easy to get the side handrails to bow if slightly too long!
It is to accompany 5764 the Minerva 57XX Pannier Tank in BR early crest livery.
There is also a small rake of wagons in BR livery but, to date, no brake van was posessed.
Until now! The kit is straight forward to construct, parts fitting together well. Instructions are sparse but sufficient if time is taken.
The time consuming part, except for waiting for adhesive to dry, is the handrails.
17 holes have to be drilled out for half a millimetre wire to be fitted- then the wire has to be shaped to size.
The start of fitting shown here- not my finest but a used feel to them.
The effect is really quite pleasing after a coat of grey primer which will also be the finish.
The buffers , draw gear and glazing are still to be fitted. These will be added once the transfers are fitted and the whole varnished.
A location must be decided upon as the name can be obtained from Railtec.
A guard is also waiting for completion.
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 model is limited to 40 examples.
https://www.sdrt.org/product-category/limited-edition-o-gauge-wagons/
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.
The provenance is amply explained in the heading picture so I won't repeat.
The resin cast kit comes with a Dapol RTR chassis which requires a small amount of modification before assembly.
So far the mod's to the chassis have been carried out and one side and end glued together with superglue. A thin viscosity type is recommended so it penetrates the butt joints.
A standard Dapol 7 plank end door wagon nicely finished with crisp lettering.
Another for the burgeoning collection!
The open wagons are simple repaints of Dapol 4 planks whilst the covered vans needed a little more work.
All of the van bodies are the Tri-ang Hornby/ Hornby Hull and Barnsley type of moulding.
Whilst they are not exact replicas they do, to my mind, give a fair representation of those that ran on the Isle of Wight.
These are fitted with Gibson wheels- Dapol and Hornby ones aren't suitable for the chassis.
The bodies were all rubbed down with a fibreglass pencil to remove most of the heat printed detail on the body as supplied. Then undercoated in bauxite primer and then hand brushed with Railmatch Southern Freight Brown.
Once set the wagons and vans had a waft of matt varnish just to keep all in place.
A satisfying result which completes the rolling stock, coaches and wagons, although another Teak coach needs an identity change.
I haven't seen this particular example before and was unaware of the company.
The Great Beam Clay Co. was established in 1849 with their head off in St Austell.
A limited edition of 164, this is number 20.
