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Everything posted by M.I.B

  1. Hand starting a diesel engine !!!!! Thanks for that info- all helps with the etch which is coming along. Three squared off roof scoops - one is definitely for the generator room. The other two just to ventilate the battery rooms?
  2. I have finally unpacked my books and immediatley found a few pages on Stroes vans and GWR Stores (Swindon) in "All In A Day's Work" by Tim Bryan. There is a shot of a Toplight brake based stores van, so I am assuming that as well as bespoke vans, some were based on lightly adapted available stock. That opens up the scope quite a bit.
  3. There is a very recent and outstanding 3D printed RTR Dyson ROTANK available in either twin or tri-axle format on a six-wheel railwagon. Amandalee on here produces it along with many other "hard to find" GWR oddities like AERO, MOREL, CROCODILE L, and the 9 tank CORDON They come with NEM coupling pockets and wheels. https://www.bygone-wagons.com/ I'm voting for: 1 2 3 4 8 9 and 11 Reasons: 1-4 The current RTR fruit vans (with the exception of Dapol's recent FRUIT D), are in the "Railroad" level of detail and accuraccy. 8&9 You can never have enough milk tankers of all varieties, especially on a London layout. 11 - I have to put up with Wrenn MICAs until something better comes along...... Suggestion: TEVAN please.
  4. L22 L23 and L24 for me please. L22 because they were as explained above "everywhere" for a long period. L23 & L24 just to add some variety. Take all 3, add a long SIPHON or two and a full brake trailing - perfect mail train. Or drop any of them into a mis matched consist = adding variety into a stock move for works etc.
  5. Dublo has been packed away after a good noisy session. With hard floors and plasterboard walls, the not inconsiderable noise generated when running Dublo was accentuated. Instead, and in between Zoom calls I have managed a sort out of kits and work in the projects boxes, and then got stuck into chip fitting and programming. I have one more "plug and play" engine left to chip - 3031. After that the soldering iron needs to come out. There are about 15 to do. Some have plenty of space inside (Parcels Railcar) and some are incredibly tight on space (panniers and Airfix/GMR Castles), but by selecting the easier ones first, confidence and ability will grow. Scotland are playing England at the "other game" tonight, and the weather certainly favours us - I don't ever remember turning out for school rugby practice when it was dry or sunny - unless there was a frost involved. There was no football played at my High School until you got to 6th form, and by then most footy folk had been converted to rugby (: On Monday the nights start drawing in............ Regards from North Essex.........
  6. Worsley can adapt the etch for the K15 to make this diagram. I have been corresponding with Allen. It would seem that it had two distinctly different appearances after what could be estimated as a "major" shop in 57 when it seems the sides (might) have been heavily plated. So who would be interested in an "early" (1944 - 1957) semi-plated version, and who would like a "late" post 57 heavily plated version? PM me please - I need fairly firm "yes" numbers before anything further gets done. Obviously if we get to critical mass and the etch (es) go (es) into production/catalogue, the "Maybe's" can then commit on their own later. I'm going for an "early"
  7. Thank you - I may have to subscribe.
  8. This seems to be one of a very small pool of long parcels vans which had a weekly route. But what were they delivering on such a routine basis; (taken with full credit to the Penrhos site): Stores Van No.2 - West of England 1946/7 route - Monday: Swindon, Didcot, Reading, Slough, Paddington (Old Oak Common overnight). Tuesday: Paddington, Plymouth, Penzance, Truro. Wednesday: Truro, Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton. Thursday: Taunton, Weston-super-Mare, Yatton, Bristol, Westbury, Weymouth. Friday: Weymouth, Westbury, Chippenham, Swindon. Saturday: Loading at Swindon. No doubt one did the Midlands and perhaps up to Chester and Liverpool, another doing Wales....? Please can anyone add detail on routes and what they were delivering. Was it Company goods - stationary, uniforms, new/repaired tarps from Wolverhampton, office furniture, Station Master's new chair, new clocks?????????
  9. I have the Roxey Mouldings K15 etch in front of me. It would take some serious modelling to turn it into that later van - all the panelling would have to be covered in with filler and smoothed, then a number of doors filled with louvre vents. That would also make for quite a weighty van - a brass kit with sides full of filler. Even the earlier version of it with less panelling would be a challenging model to make. But not impossible. The louvre doors are challenging me at the moment....... Or I might just build the K29 I was planning...........
  10. I take back my words - 7.5 KVA is not very big at all. Add a fuel tank and some space for a radiator unit of sorts, and you would still have 2/3 of that van free. Steam generator unit has been suggested, so I go along with the ALIVE train proposal.
  11. There won't be a small site generator in there, so I'm thinking it would be big enough to power up a medium sized station or a large signal box, or a goods shed while major repair works or builds were ongoing.
  12. When I type "I hope that you are all happy and healthy" I do genuinely mean it. Sorry to hear that one of our bretheren in Canada has not been well. I wish John Dew a speedy recovery - his building making skills are very much envied here in Nth Cranford at the opposite diagonal to Granby.
  13. The LMS coach behind the two pre-war teak ones, is a brake compo from the same period. Its a bit of a "friday afternoon job" because it has two identical sides on it - the Guard's compartment is always on the right hand side whichever way you see it. I have bought a couple of items over the years - mainly in the early days of car boot sales, when people didn't ask a fortune for everything they sold. I definitely bought 2 more NE Brick bogie opens, and a WELTROL I think. I'm sure I picked up a Dublo Mail coach as well, but it doesn't seem to be here. Not to worry - my local model shop has a couple on the "pre-loved" shelf for reasonable money.
  14. I still don't understand frogs and point reversing polarity etc........ but I worked out by the age of 8 that you can't put in an odd number of diamonds in a Dublo layout. Something goes wrong with the current. There is a set of motor points to be fitted and some light signals. Might get round to that this week. I have put a board over that doorway so the stuff can be left out all week. The pair of motorized points were a good way to change running lines on the far side of the room or under a bed........
  15. I promised to do this, and now that ceilings are up upstairs, and floors are reasonably clear........... This is where NC and I got started on the inevitable hobby: MIB Snr like most lads of his generation has trains, spotted trains, visited sheds, and he continued modelling right up until we brats spoiled and absorbed all of his free time. So it was a certainty that I too would become interested... After a little dabble with a 4th hand and very broken Triang trainset of sorts, the loft was opened and some brown boxes came down.. I got the use of Bristol Castle and Sir Nigel Gresley, the WR coaches and some goods wagons. With the aid of a Triang "converter" horsebox, I also ran modern (late 70s and early 80s) stock. Along the way I managed to convert a coal wagon and a van so that the Triang horsebox didn't have to appear in every train. Time went on, 80s Hornby took over than these items were put away for safe keeping. A couple of years ago I had all three engines sent for "remag" and they all work beautifully. There are quite a few pre War items: the tank engine, some GW goods stock, some oil tanks, and the Sir Nigel Gresley train. All packed in those light blue boxes. Lots of dark blue boxes for post war tinplate, and some cast 16t minerals, and a few red boxed plastic later Dublo/early Wrenn items like the UD 6 wheeler, the SR luggage van. It was great to see it all out and brought back lots of happy memories. The buildings and structures have outlived the Airfix engine shed and SuperQuick structures by a long time. Some of these items are pushing on 70 years old. And they still but a huge smile on my face as I think they would have to MIB Snr. Dublo is a world away from rivet counters - you can't do that with tinplate ironically. It's a land where facing points don't matter - you build as much as you can with whatever track you have, Engines of all eras and company branding run side by side - you can't pick and choose. I hope you are all healthy and happy.
  16. Rich Loving the O13 work. Mine is sat in the box waiting...... Someone does lettering for the O13 in GW branding. I have a set. I have a feeling it is the same people who do the J12 sleeping car etches............ If it comes to me I'll let you know.
  17. Shivering Sands (this one above) was home to the very famous and quite good Radio City - and previously home of Screaming Lord Sutch when he DJ'd, and a famous shoot out involving a retired Major and a disgruntled alleged owner of a transmitter.....this is believed to have been the last straw and the Marine Offenses Act was brought in and pirate radio (by then based on ships) became illegal.
  18. Dealing with a dead dobbin, especially one in a stable or stable block complex is not a pleasant task. Due to the sheer size and rigor-mortis, removal in many cases would only be possible if the animal was made into manageable sized pieces. There would be a larger "market" for raw horse flesh in those days than now. Many more hunts about each with dog packs, zoos would take such meat, as well as police dog kennels, and dubious meat pie makers........
  19. Stunning modelling and writing as usual Mikkel. A few "pointers" and responses to queries: Horses usually repeat their location for dropping manure: whether it be the same place in a stable, field or even a regular route. Seeing/smelling another horse droppings can sometimes cause a horse to produce, but of course only when it's ready - but that explains the postcard of the mews with the long line. Having the horse "produce" in the mews would be preferable to doing it en-route. You are correct on colour caused by input, and it does darken off quite quickly. Horse manure should not be used on gardens when it's fresh - it needs to age for 6 months or go into compost heaps. Manure has no discernible smell for at least a few days, unless it is mixed with urine. It is also quite a dry product, unlike cows'......... Straw is not popular with gardeners in compost because it doesn't break down very quickly: If straw is used as bedding, "skipping out" will only produce manure - the waxy nature of straw means that it doesn't really absorb anything, and a good yard hand will only remove the muck not the bedding. Some horses eat their bedding (which doesn't do them any good) so they would have a bed of wood shavings (in those days) or nowadays chopped flax stems or linseed stems. These beds are very absorbent and skipping out produces some very wet caustic product, that smells and rots everything. As Mikkel has beautifully modelled, a good stables has a drain system for removal of liquids. If left (or absorbed into absorbant bedding), that is what makes stables smell, attracts flies and can be the start point for equine diseases.
  20. Hope you are all well - it's been a while.......... I'm digging wooden fence posts in (20 of them to do this weekend - 6 foot x 4"....) so I need distractions to get a break. There are another 60 posts to do over the next few years..... So I headed off to my "local" modelling shop: John Dutfield in Chelmsford. There is a Hornby re-seller much closer to me, but it is literally a toy shop. It was so good to go into a model shop, have a social interaction with the great staff (Ken and Heather) and as usual walk out with something which wasn't on my list. One impulse buy once saw me leave on my motorbike with a boxed 38XX stuffed down the front of my leathers.... I am as guilty as others of buying from shifters and resellers and sometimes forgetting my "local". The often do have deals better than the interweb prices, and if I don't use them, just like pubs and Woolies, they will be gone. Found a lovely LNER Banana van from Dapol which I couldn't resist. (It needs a heavy weather.) I haven't seen it elsewhere. Plus a couple of open wagons from Hornby. Both will get "replacement planks", and one will get coal. I hope that you are all happy and healthy.
  21. M.I.B


    I have no idea how I ever missed this wonderful layout! I am only halfway through the posts and totally in awe of the buildings, weathering and figures. Did you hand make the cleaners' platforms and steps for the shed?
  22. I never planned on living in Essex either John, but it sort of "happened" (: I hope your man sorts it - sadly we can't get to North America at the moment. Stay safe and thanks again for the inspiration. Posts on here and on Robin's ANTB definitely keep the spirits and hope up. Regards,
  23. The little scenarios and vignettes are wonderful John. Is the turntable to be replaced with something from Heljan? Thank you for continuing to inspire. Regards,
  24. For those of you watching in black and white, the grey is behind the black..........
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