Resolutions!

Just chat today! 2012 was a year which I had my number one and two wish come true.
 My granddaughter, who some will know, drove the first train (and several subsequent one's) on the straightened out Teignford, this was made possible by the new loft ladder. Jazzy is epileptic and suffers from autism which is a much misunderstood condition.  An event like this is so important to me and such an achievement for Jasmine- that's who the Inn is named after. Grandson Thomas will not be forgotten with road name-Thomas St. You don't need ideas when grandchildren are around, their simplistic logic brings one to earth.
Secondly, I have always wanted a layout of mine in Railway Modeller- not only that but Steve Flint asked me!The quality of the article, not to mention the photos by Jolyon Sergeant, gave immense satisfaction. 
Heres what I hope to achieve next year.

The locos I have at present for starting/finishing which are really needed for current and future projects:-
Hymek- finish painting body- make chassis to attach motor bogie to.
Worsley Works 04 Diesel shunter- remake chassis and construct body.
Complete the Worsley M7.
Refit the bogie on the ex LSWR 02-wont go through points.
More Pannier Tanks from Rapid Prototype process.
Worsley Chassis for ex-Tri-ang Merchant Navy.

Rolling Stock:-
Complete Pullman Car 'Fingal'
Make a start on the Pull-Push set for the M7
A myriad of flat pack ex-GWR brass coach kits which I need for Teignford.

And last but by no means least to complete Teignford in time for its first outing, in it's straightened out form, to the Wessex 3mm Open meeting at Winterbourne Gunner in April. Oh- and repair accident damage to signal box-don't ask!

Oh and refix detached window sill on Hennock's Signal Box!

Think thats all- but I doubt if it is!

At last- Barn Complete!

At long last I hear you say!
Ridge tiles painted, door painted- ready to plonk on the layout and bed in. Don't think this will take place this year! Still I hope this blow by blow account has been of interest- let me know please either way.
This is something I hope to do in the future with loco mechanisms as well as buildings and rolling stock.

Even though I say it myself- that is one handsome barn!-bedding in will improve it!

Barn 5.

The whole lot has now been painted matt black, which on card gives a slight sheen. Matt black also covers up slight imperfections and glue overspill!
Not long to go now as the finish line is in sight.
Soon I must make some resolutions for the New Year so I must start listing the priorities for next year.
Don't forget to look at the Dorset Group page which has our schedule for next year- I hope to arrange some teach-ins which going on past experience have been popular.

Barn 4.

The saga continues- modelling time at our house is almost non existant. Sharp knives and young grandchildren definitely don't mix!
So this build has been extended to death over the festive season until more projects are started in the New Year.
Todays note see's the wooden supports in place. These are-yes you've guessed it -Coffee stirrers. This time two have been glued and clamped together and the cut and shaped to size.
The top ends are rounded off and fitted into holes drilled in the roof- this gives a mechanical joint which also means they don't fall off!

Barn 3.

 The roof has been covered with Superquick paper
slates, don't think they look too bad, the ridges are just thin card, folded and stuck on the apexes.
The lower photo shows the cladding complete and doors and windows in place.
I used wood from our old friend the coffee stirer for the door surrounds as it is difficult to get card to cut that thinly without de-laminating.
I backed the aperature of the doorway with some black card as the doors are not quite shut and gives the dark appearance one would get entering such a building.

Recommend Jeff Waynes 'War of the Worlds' for listening whilst cladding !

Hope you all had a good one.

I hope you all had a good day with not too much excess - Boxing day is a busy one in this household with the entire family gathering together so I will give you all a day off from my ramblings- hope yesterdays card didn't upset too many. There has to be a light side to our hobby!
If you recieved 3mm items- why are you reading this and not making them.
I remember when young, Airfix or Frog kits were the order of the day and Boxing Day saw kit, glue and general mess take over the dining room table and most of the male members of the family took a keen interest and tried to help with the construction. I wonder how many kids do this today?
I have been saving all those card kits given away with various mags until my grandson is old enough- he already has a vast Brio Train Set and fights for my mug which happens to have Flying Scotsman on it- a future modeller in the making? He will be if I have anything to do with it!!!

Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho!

Lets all have a considerate and Happy Christmas- keep your rucksack under control at exhibitions!

All best wishes from Dorset 3mm!

Cladding the Barn.

400th post today!
Right- the carcass has been completed and the base brick paper is in place. Simple to just measure and cut -then adhere around the base making sure it is square.
Next the tedious bit! Strips of card, postcard thickness is fine, are cut roughly from a sheet. Then they are layed on, shiplap style, to overlap the previous plank working from the bottom upwards.
The desired effect is shown in cruel enlargement in the lower photo. I warn you, this takes an age to do so patience and Brandy are the requisites.

Anotherbarn bites the dust!

The next item on the agenda is a barn for the farmyard which will be beside the bridge leading to the fiddle yard.
I have made good use of the drawings, as can be seen, by Allan Downes.
This is going to go on for a few days as I hope to show how the building was completed.
As seen, the main shell has been cut out and glued together- with my trusty Elmers Glue. The whole thing has a brick base with a rough sawn wood planking built on top.

Flock, Flock,Flock and more Flock!

The remaining length of the third board has now been covered in Woodland Scenics finest.
The usual method of covering the dried Papir Mache with a liberal coating of Eggshell Emulsion followed by an equally generous covering of flock, then a couple of coats of spray adhesive interspersed with yet more flock.
This builds up a good depth and allows clumps to be formed . Some bushes have been adhered with drops of neat PVA and I am happy with the result.
The fence is loosely placed - this neds a bit of paint before it is finally fixed in place.
More pictures http://3mmscalestocklist.blogspot.com/

Cottage roofs.

I am not sure if I have done the right thing here. I have used some self adhesive labels. These I think I obtained from 3SMR- see link- and are labeled NR02-Roof Slates, Old Red, Weathered.
Thes I showed to some group members who think they are too pink, difficult to show in a photo.
I have two options:-
1. To recover the lot with individual slates or tiles and paint the result.
2. To try, on a piece of spare sticker to use weathering  and see if it tones down the pink- could try a darker red on individual slates I suppose.
Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.

More Buildings.

 These Bilteeze papers are proving extremely useful. The top picture is actually the rear of the row of cottages that have been built to back onto the backscene. The lower is two pieces from the Forge sheet, cut and butted up together to form one building which again is in low relief.
This time I mounted them on black mounting card which cuts out the painting of the window recesses.

Don't throw that away!

A poor photo today- taken in haste before it got disposed of.
This plastic bottle is a smaller version of that which Woodland Scenics supply the bulk flock powders in.
Forget where it was purchased but as can be seen it used to contain Crunchy Topping.
This one will replace one of the glass bottles containing ballast- one less thing to break, nothing worse than broken glass in ballast!
Keep your eyes open when in Sainsmorwaitdaco.
More flavours are available but DO remember to well wash and air as the contents could be fairly pungent!

Wallpapering almost done.

 The third board is the last to be covered with the lineside scenery. Wit the two bridges in place (must build another bus) and what seemed sheets of card the majority of the area is now covered in papier mache.
At the same time I filled in the cess with very fine chippings and, while the paper was wet, the area flooded with dilute PVA,
With cold damp days ahead according to the forecasters this will probably take a few days to completely dry so it might all be done at the same time. Once dry then out with the eggshell brown paint and this board will start to look like a railway.

Bilteeze Cottages.

This has been made from one of the sheets I picked up at the Society West Byfleet meeting in November.
Braced with artists mounting card, the window aperatures were removed and reapplied after the rebates had been painted Matt Black. This gives some depth and relief over an otherwise flat surface. However, I should have used thinner card behind the windows on the upper storey as it is making the roof more difficult to apply than it should.
So that thinner card can be used for the roof I have inserted some beams to support the roof.
Doesn't look too bad though, I have another to build plus some interlinking single story abodes.

Inspiration.

Allan Downes, years ago produced some articles for the model railway press. One of these that sticks in my mind is one entitled 'One Barn thing after another'.
Three booklets were produced, two of which are extremely useful for those needing some ideas for buildings. These two deal with the non-railway infrastucture and, whilst scaled for 4mm are easily scaled down by the formula divide by four and multiply by three giving correct 3mm size.
Whilst not adhering faithfully to the plans, basic sizes and spaces given save an awful lot of time.
So out with the card, ruler, knife and brick paper!

Kitmasters set the scene.

I am pleased with the two finished coaches-I think they capture the prototype well.
When one considers that they only cost me a few pounds then the result is more pleasing.
Sorry about the slightly out of focus picture today but this was taken in haste.
Must get on with planting those fences after they are painted.

Slowly Does It.

 I had the idea to create a stony lane in front of the Jasmine Inn.
What I should have done was to do this with the board the other way round.
Ironically I had just finished hoovering the track to remove some green flock. However, it wasn't a good idea to do it the way I did. I now have stone chippings in the grass area which hopefully will come of with some Henry power (other vacuum cleaners are available).
Must wait for it to dry before I see if the experiment succeeded.

Too Busy to Post!

If any of you were wondering why there was a lapse in posts over the last couple of days, then its because I have installed new access to the railway room.
My wife treated me to a new loft ladder which replaces the collapsible step ladder which has been used for a good few years now.
This is a Youngman Three Section Loft Ladder and is quite a nifty bit of kit. After resizing the hatch cover and installing a lock it was time to assemble.
I must say that once installed it is the business. However, installing it by yourself caused a few bad words and some deviation from the instructions. How do you get into a loft with access barred by an obstacle ? Or for that matter how do you get out? This is really a two person job- it's done now so I think I will put it down to experience! 

Hennock at Warley.

Hennock has been invited to Warley next year 2013.
Two 3mm scale layouts have been invited as well as The 3MM Society having been given space for demonstrations.
Thanks must go to our Publicity Officer, Peter Stratford, who has been instrumental in the invite and works tirelessly to further the success of the Premier Scale.

Railway Scenics.

Had a nice note the other day from Steve at Railway Scenics who I mentioned after exhibiting at the Gillingham , Dorset show.
Looking at the site now shows not only Texture Building sheets and a Platform as downloads but also a range of  Railway Sineage all in 3mm Scale.
Please take time to look at the site  www.railwayscenics.com/3mm-ft-tt-scale-texture-sheets-c-42_22.html
Having seen Steve's products, I am sure the latest produced for the Premier Scale, will be to the same excellent standard.
Don't forget that these items can be downloaded or available when Railway Scenics attend shows.
No connection other than a satisfied customer.

Worsley Works 04 Diesel Shunter.

When at West byfleet I discussed the problem I had with several people.
Geoff Helliwell reminded me that the Society axles were 1/8th in diameter but the spigots were 2mm.
The bonus to this is that when fitted the wheels are the correct distance apart- one less problem to deal with.
As can be seen, the wheels are a snug fit and the wheels run true.
I will fit the counterbalance weights to the rear axle as these need to be stuck or soldered in place bearing in mind that they need to be the same face distance as the wheels. Then fit the rest as normal one axle at a time.

Searching Questions.

It never ceases to amaze me at the number of visits this blog recieves. Indeed, last month was the second highest numerically visited. The spread of visitors range from the expected Great Britain, USA, France ,Germany and Benelux coutries to those one wouldn't readily expect such as Chile or occasionally Iran! Ther is also a regular following from Russia, Slovenia and other ex- eastern bloc countries. There is much TT scale albeit to a different scale available in Eastern Europe, I myself used to have a Berlinner TT Bahnen factory built layout which I exhibited a few times. Sadly due to lack of space I had to sell it which has been a big regret of mine as the quality of models was so good and the range extensive.
I can only surmise that these odditys are perhaps servicemen or ex-pats with a Railway Modelling interest that have a few precious moments and wish to just wind down and relax.
The Asian counties are often well represented, India and the Phillipines as well as China are regular viewers. One could be cynical and wonder if ideas are being gleaned for their own commercial use or does this hobby of ours really spread that far?
I know of several from the Antipodes who actually model in 3mm Scale as I do of other parts of the world.
There are the searches which also give me an idea of what interests people have. These range from the obvious 3mm wagon to general Zvezda models.Construction installments of locos and coaches seem popular. Wether the new releases or possible adaptations are as popular is unclear, thats where some comment or feedback would be helpful.
 Some blanket search engines have an occasional blitz at the blog which can lead to widely variable search results.Phishing I think this is called. Most searching is specific or is looking for specific wording- all are welcome.
I think the most bizarre of these is a search which was- ikea bachmann model.Am I missing something or will flat packed trainsets be coming soon?

Worsley Works Drewry 04 Diesel.

When I was at West Byfleet I had an idea.
First thing to do was purchase another chassis for the 04 from Alan of Worsley Works.
This etch is superb- crisply etched and you know all is going to be where it is supposed to be.
Right- I have a new chassis- why?
Well the original had 2mm bushes soldered in place and rather than risk taking them out and replacing with 1/8th bushes- for a meagre sum I might as well build a new one.

Worsley Works Drewry 04 Diesel Shunter

Housten we have a problem!
When I recieved the wheels and motor to make the chassis for this model, I didn't check the measurements as the wheels were already fitted on one end.
As you can see they are not all the same length.
This was a little frustrating as a source of 2mm rod would have to be found and cut to length.
Is there another way?
The saga will continue.

Kitmaster Mk1 Coaches.

 At long last these two are finished.
I had been considering wether to make interiors for them but haste has gotten the best of me and so no interior.
Altogether I'm quite pleased with them. The undercoat on the windows and some of the lining not the best but overall I think they capture the real thing so once couplings are fitted they can join the rest of the fleet.
That's a point- is there room in the stockbox?
There may have to be a couple of 'B' Set coaches for sale- any one interested?

This picture reminds me of the one Hornby Dublo did when introducing their Dining Car- but that was on a plate- maybe think of that once the full brake is made.

Finney and Smith Lister Stationary Engine.

 Research is a wonderful thing!
Mentioned before, I have now delved into this prototype some more. It would seem that this is a model of a Lister CS Diesel, single cylinder 3HP Engine.
Designed in the 1920's it was designed to run at 600RPM and was continuously in production from the 1930's up to the 1980's.
Copies are still being produced in India to this day I believe.
I have a 12inch to the foot Bamford EG1 engine with solid flywheels made in the late 40's and the paint of the Lister is a much darker green which I will have to find a match.

Yeoman Models RAC Box.

This is the fourth casting to have been painted and it really is a cruel enlargement- it really highlights my painting skills with a brush.
From normal viewing distance it doesn't look too bad!
Cleanly cast this really does capture the prototype of the boxes so familiar in the halcyon days before mobile phones which, I suppose was the main reason for their dissappearance from the roadside.
I thoroughly recommend this manufacturer who also produces similar models in other scales.
P.S. There are more photos of Teignford-click on link on left.