A Landy for Corona Quay

 

This is the Airfix 1:43 scale Land Rover Series 1 kit released 4th quarter of 2023. The Series 1 was manufactured by Land Rover from 1948 to 1958 so, I thought it would be a nice addition to my Corona Quay layout, set in the early 1960s.

I did not intend this to be a kit review but there were some issues that you may wish to consider if wanting one. Never the less it is an easily assembled kit delivering a fine looking model.

This Airfix kit, whilst highly detailed in parts, has some notable exceptions. Being a 'Starter' kit for novice constructors this may be excusable but there is one glaring omission that is highly visible on the prototype. More on that latter.

The components are weakly mounted on the sprues and can be easily knocked off and lost. This happened to me as after washing in soapy water, as instructed, I noticed one component was missing from the sprue. The front axle is a two part assembly, I only had the lower part that does not have the axle stubs for fitting wheels. I can only assume the missing part containing the axle stubs was sent down the sink plug hole! I remade the missing part from a wooden cocktail stick.

I used the paints from the kit. The body colour provided looked white to my eye. It should be light grey so, I added a small amount of black to the pot. By the way, red for the rear lights is not provided.

About the kit omissions, I'll start with the cabin.

The three gear levers are not included in the kit and the footwell moulding has no foot pedals. The later, if it was provided, cannot be seen after assembly so its absence is of trivial concern, except for the purist modeller of course! I decided not to fabricate pedals.

The gear levers I did make but, even these are not noticeable unless the cabin is lit with LED or sun. All levers are made from 0.5 mm diameter wire. The knob on the longest lever was fettled from kit sprue and the two smaller ones were made from a drop of superglue on the wire end and then dipped into bicarbonate of soda to solidify and bulk up. (Note: The 'yellow' lever was a later addition to Land Rover's range).

Next is the exhaust pipe.

This really should be part of the kit as it is highly visible on the prototype. There are a couple of holes in the chassis frame that look as though they are for a pipe to feed through since they serve no purpose in the standard kit. If they are for an exhaust pipe then one is in the wrong place because the pipe bends to the side of the landy in photos I have seen and not out the rear. That hole can be seen in the photo.

I made the pipe from sleeved solid wire with the wire pulled back a bit to reveal the open end of the sleeve. The two silencer boxes were provided by slipping over a sleeve taken from thicker wire.

Finally the wing mirror.

A brochure from the period shows a single wing mirror on the drivers side. It may be that not all landys of the period had wing mirror(s). The prototype in the photo on the Airfix box does not have one.

But, since I was having fun making the previous missing parts I decided to continue to make a wing mirror, fabricated from wire and kit sprue. The mirror itself being silver paint.

0 Gauge Vanwide Box Van

This box van was chosen because I have a dimensioned drawing from a magazine. It is an interesting wagon because it was probably the last 10' wheelbase box van to be made by British Railways (in 1962).

Given the name Vanwide because the open doors reveal a large access space 9 feet wide. The doors close flush with the body. When opening the doors pull outward and slide over the van sides being guided by top and bottom runners. The prototype is also noted for its flush plywood sides and lack of angle iron bracing. The end panels are corrugated from pressed steel.

Bizarrely, the two page article in the reference magazine (see below) only showed dimensions of the side panel. The chassis, end panel and roof had to be scaled from photographs.

For the model the doors are not operational, being embedded in  the side panels.

I was able to use some chassis components designed for previous models but this van still required much time over a two week period to design, 3D print and build.

Components were glued together using Super Glue, Added strength to joins was achieved by sprinkling sodium bicarbonate powder into the wet glue, a tip give by Monty's Matchbox Makeovers on YouTube.

This van is considered new for the modelled period so, it is finished in ex works condition. The red bauxite was mixed from Humbrol 100, 20 and 160. Two of these are matte. The gloss finish was applied from gloss cork tile sealer diluted with white spirit. All the above was chosen from what I had in stock The roof is Halford's grey primer and black pastel scrapes brushed over.the dry paint.

Compensated chassis uses the rocking yoke method previously explained and sprung buffers use an adaption of the Peco method, also previously explained.

References:

Another BR Box Van - Railway Modeller February 1968 (drawing)
Wagon Page BR Box Vans - Railway Modeller August 1971
Paul Bartlett's Photographs

Cost:

Plastic: £1.48
Wheelset: £8.75 (including postage) Peartree Engineering bought on Ebay.
Extras: pennies
Total: <£10.50

Also available from the trade: Kit £38 (Slaters Plastikard) or RTR £52.50 (Dapol).

0 Gauge Conflat Container Type A

The A container is half the size of the B container. I have 00 gauge models of the B container so, to model the smaller one for 0 gauge provided greater motivation. and it requires less plastic, thus cost.

I found a drawing and example on the web (see references below).

The box shape should be simple to make but I saw difficulties ahead due to the extensive detail of the panels. I tried to 3D print the panels with their narrow boarding twice but the print quality was very poor. On the verge of giving up and making it in paper and board I discovered that a small number of the prototypes had panels made from plywood with a pressed steel end. This was easy for the 3D printer to fabricate.

The livery is my own 'faded bauxite' mix of Humbrol 100 with a little 160 and then weathered with black and white pastel scrapes.

As with the wagon the chain securing hoops were made functional using phosphor bronze wire.

The decals were designed and printed onto sticky paper.

The large information panel required extensive research to identify data that could be read in a photograph.

I gave the container the same identification number (A3705B) as that in the reference below.

The shackles were very fiddly to make from 0.5mm galvanised wire and are rather crude compared to proprietary offerings. They can be applied and removed from container and wagon to operate the wagon with or without a container but they are delicate and I can see I may need to permanently fix the container and shackles to the wagon if they break due to handling.

References:

Container A3705B photos
Container A photos and drawing

Cost:

Plastic: £0.42
extras: pennies

Total: < £0.50

A variant of the container type A is available in kit form (Slaters Plastikard, about £13) and shackles (CPL Products, about £8.75)

Next up is a BR Box Van.

0 Gauge Conflat A Wagon

There are variants of the Conflat all looking the same except for component style details like buffers and brakes. I did not have a drawing of it but found one here that is a modified version for 'speed freight' containers. It is not the speed freight version that I modelled but the chassis is identical (me thinks) and the scale drawing was most useful in setting dimensions for the model. Photographs on the web also helped in the model design.




It should be a simple construction but I made a rod for my back by installing the more complex Clasp Brake (dummy) mechanics and functioning chain securing loops (photo left).

This macro photo also shows up the plastic layering of my 3D print. It could have been smoothed with sandpaper to represent the metal construction of the prototype. But, it is not noticeable at normal viewing distance so I left it. For wooden structures it is passable as wood grain!

Sprung buffers use an adaption of the simplistic Peco method. Springy steel wire locates in a notch at the end of the buffer shank and passes through a hole in the coupling hook back end. Outward travel limiter is 1mm wire sealed in a hole in the shank with both ends extending beyond the shank (just about see it in the photo behind the headstock).

Chassis compensation uses the rocking yoke method explained here.

This time I used a wheel set made by Peartree Engineering bought off an ebay seller. It is IMHO better than the Peco offering because it is black all over, weightier and cheaper. In fact, additional weight for wagon stability need not be added to the chassis, which is a blessing for this low profile wagon.


Cost

Plastic : £1.20
Wheel set : £8.75 (including postage)
extras: pennies

Total: <£10

Also available from the trade: Peco Parkside Kit: About £33.

Design References

See links in text above.

Next up is a container load for this wagon.

0 Gauge ICI Chlorine Tank Wagon

Not such an unusual wagon as you might think. There are plenty of photos on the web and there is a vintage 00 gauge model by Hornby Dublo.

I came to model the ICI chlorine tank wagon because I have a drawing of it scaled at 1cm : 1 ft (see reference below).  A large drawing like this is best to realise all the details because it is a complex wagon to make, certainly the most difficult of the six wagons I have made to date.

The parts are designed and 3D printed by me with the addition of the Peco wheelset RO-7. About 60 plastic parts were designed and assembled plus other bits of wire, paper and 4 nails!

Sprung buffers operate like the prototype. For the model the buffer shank is a nail with plastic buffer disk glued to the end. The spring end nearest the headstock is glued to the shank a few mm away  from the headstock. It acts as a buffer movement limiter with the other end bearing against a chassis beam.

Decals are designed and printed on sticky back paper. There should be a second plate of information (safety information I think) positioned at the other end of the solebar but I don't know the words so will leave it off until I know. The yellow plate has two of the four lines of text unreadable in photos so I used lorem ipsum.

I have only seen black and white photos of this livery that show the small star. It looked lighter than black. I assumed other models that I have seen have got it right - yellow.

The white finish has been lightly weathered using black pastel scrapes. The white filler cap colour is also questionable as some models depict orange or yellow. The only colour photo I have seen of this livery suggests it was very dirty white.

The four tank straps are paper strengthened with a coating of Superglue after fitting. The RCH coupling hooks and instanter links are left over options from the Peco chassis kit that I used on other models. The axle box hangers are the plate variety, given as options in the Peco kit. I cut these into the correct W hangers.

I adopted the Peco method of sprung axles. The axleboxes slide in the W hanger and the leaf spring provides compression. However, my plastic (PLA) is not pliable like the Peco plastic so springiness is non existent, which is just as well because when I glued the tie bars in place the glue seeped into the axlebox - hanger join!

Extra weight is proved by a sheet of steel buried in the lower part of the tank.

When it comes to a model railway layout there should be a reason for freight arrivals. In this case chlorine was once used to bleach paper. This calls for a paper mill.


Wagon Design Reference:

Model Railways Magazine August 1990 - Tank Wagons Part2.

Model Cost:

Plastic: £1.33
Peco wheel set R07: £9.24 (discounted price including postage)
extras: pennies

Total: < £11
Not available from the trade but other tank wagons are available. Prices are about £66 (Dapol RTR) or £58 (Slaters kit).

Next up is a Conflat with container load.

0 Gauge SR 8 Plank Open Wagon

For a bit more character and functionality I wanted to make the wagon with a tarpaulin rail. My research for this resulted in a couple of false starts. Some time ago I made an N gauge model of an early LSWR railed wagon for a LSWR period layout, So, I began by gathering dimensions for my 0 gauge version. Then I realised that it never lasted into the BR period that I am modelling.

I remember seeing a photo of a BR shock wagon with tarpaulin rail so changed tack to research this instead. These wagons had a floating sprung body to protect vulnerable merchandise. But the body does not extend to the end of the chassis. The area behind the bufferstocks is open and would would show the unrealistic (yet novel and effective) buffer spring mechanism of the Peco mineral wagon chassis that I intended to use.

Beginning to think that I might have to abandon this wagon style I stumbled upon a SR development of the LSWR wagon. In fact the LSWR wagon went through several developments into the SR period and a variant without tarpaulin rail made it into the BR period. I still wanted the tarpaulin rail and choose to model the earlier SR variant from the 1930s even though it probably did not last into BR days.

There are plenty of photographs of the non rail SR wagon (the body of which is nearly the same as the railed version) and a drawing of the railed version can be found on the HMRS website. The dimensions are unreadable unless the full size drawing is purchased.

The railed variant is a 12 ton, 8 plank, 9 foot wheelbase, 17 feet 6 inches overall, fitted with a.v.b and built to diagram 1385. SR numbers 36951 - 37050.

The 9 foot wheelbase is important because I could use the Peco 9 foot mineral wagon chassis kit. It needed to be extended in the same manner as my box van previously built and the brake mechanics modified.

Being a.v.b. a vacuum cylinder had to be built and its location in the chassis results in the V hanger being offset from centre and it is asymmetric! This meant more work than I anticipated to modify the Peco model. The manual brake lever also needed modification to fit. The drawing and photograph did not show the arrangement on the other side of the wagon so, it is assumed to be a mirror image, except I know the brake lever is reversed there.


A delight of working in 0 gauge is that the tarpaulin rail can be made to work like the prototype with its roller guide mechanics. Difficult to achieve in 4 mm scale and impossible in 2 mm scale.

The pivot point is a dressmaking pin and the roller is a Hornby track pin that does not roll but retains the rail in the guide as the rail is rotated.

The vacuum pipe was very quick and easy to make being simply a length of 1 mm wire with the hose represented by winding around very thin phosphor bronze wire.

The addition of a tarpaulin gives two wagons for the price of one meaning the wagon can be run with or without it. One idea I have is for part of a goods shed to be positioned close to the edge of the baseboard with the remaining part 'in the backscene'. The wagon would be propelled into the goods shed and through the back scene to the fiddle yard where the tarpaulin would be applied. The wagon is then pulled out of the fiddle yard through the goods shed fully loaded with tarpaulin covering.

The tarpaulin is a canvas texture designed in my graphics editing application and printed on sticky back paper. It is stuck to kitchen aluminium foil, which seems to give it a bit more strength and helps to hold the folds in place.

The eyelets were found among the beads at Hobbycraft, labelled CR SP crimp, 12 in a pack. Pin and needle were used to pierce and enlarge the hole in the tarpaulin and the eyelet superglued into place. The 'rope' is elasticated thread, which aids easy removal and application of the tarpaulin.

References:

https://hmrs.org.uk/
paul bartlett 

Cost:

Peco chassis kit and spoked wheels: £25.40 (incl. postage)
Plastic: £0.5
extras: pennies
Total:  <£27

This wagon is not available from the trade. A Slaters 5 plank shock wagon with tarpaulin bar kit is available at about £32 and a Dapol ready to run 5 plank wagon with tarpaulin bar for about £40.

Next up is a tank wagon.

0 Gauge SR 12T Box Van

The Peco chassis kit for a mineral wagon is a close match to the early 9ft wheelbase SR box van. To be more accurate it needs to be extended from 114mm to 122.5mm and the bufferstocks extended to the floor width.

The extensions were fabricated and glued to the solebar, bufferstock and floor at both ends. The 8 wagon side supports on the floor (one shown circled red) are removed since the van body sits on top of the floor and not on these.

Body sides and roof were designed in CAD and 3D printed. The complex curve of the roof was an interesting design challenge. I design in 3D modelling mode that uses geometric blocks rather than a 2D drawing. The curves were measured from a plan of the van (see references below) and then "drawn" using a variety of cubes and cylinders that are added or subtracted to make the shape.

The body angled iron is formed from paper strips. After fixing they are covered in superglue to stiffen.

I intended to use waterslide transfers for the wagon numbering but found that printing on sticky back paper is unobtrusive for 0 gauge and easier to use.

My goods train is getting longer!

Cost:

Peco chassis and spoked wheels: £25.75 (Discounted RRP incl. postage)
Plastic: £0.58
Extras: pennies.
Total: <£27.

This wagon is available as a proprietary kit (Parkside about £33)

References:

Wagons of the Southern Standard Box Van - Railway Modeller December 1970.
Wagon Page Southern Vans - Railway Modeller March 1971.


Next up is an open wagon.

0 Gauge Southern 25T Brake Van

I thought I saw an 0 gauge brake van chassis kit at Peco but, it was for N gauge. So, I needed to design and make a chassis as well as the body and it all turned out to be the most complex and time consuming of the three wagons built to date. This experience changed my attitude somewhat about the high price of proprietary 0 gauge kit and RTR products. For those who gain pleasure from scratch building and don't care about the time factor then that is fine but if you want to get trains up and running on a layout in short time or prefer the operational side of the hobby then dig deep into your pockets and buy the kits or RTR products.

I have a magazine article about the prototype brake van with basic drawing, notes and photos (see reference at end of posting) but virtually no details of the brake mechanics beneath the chassis. I resorted to the Bachmann 00 gauge model for this detail, which I also have (and hope Bachmann got it right),  although I left some parts off that are not readily seen.

I wanted to adopt the simple yet effective Peco method for sprung buffers but the Southern 25T brake van chassis is very narrow with no room behind the buffers  for any bulk. So, I adapted the method I used on the hut carrier wagon.

Referring to the photo of the buffer parts, the limiter (panel pin) passes through the headstock, buffer and spring and is glued into a hole in the end of the buffer shank (cut from a big round nail). This limits the outward travel of the buffer shank and occupies very little space behind the headstock. The phosphor bronze spring proved ineffective. I think because it is short, compared to its use in the hut carrier wagon arrangement where it works fine. I replaced it with a spring made up from a broken E guitar string, which is springier and performs very well in this arrangement. The plastic parts are 3D printed, as is the entire wagon kit, apart from wheels, 3-link couplings and grab handles.

I wanted a weathered appearance so, painted the chassis using the same method as for the other wagons. For the body I made up a mix of paints that I had to hand to give a faded bauxite finish, with reference to prototype photographs.

The two black lamps in the photo indicate a train with unfitted (non vacuum brake) wagons running on a single line.

I am pleased with the finish on the roof. The weathered look happened almost by chance. It was first painted with Halfords grey primer (off wagon) and then the roof ends over sprayed with the bauxite mix. In doing this some of the bauxite droplets ended up on the roof and torpedo vents giving an impression of rust. I decided to leave this as is and weather the grey roof using black pastel scrapes, which darkened the grey in a blotchy way and covered the spots there. I left the vents as is with their rusty look.

With the brake van I now have my first authentic goods train formation.

Cost 

Plastic: £1.33
Peco wheel set: £8.03 (discounted RRP incl, postage)
Extras: Pennies

Total: Less than £10.

This brake van is also available as a proprietary kit (Parkside: about £43) and RTR model (Dapol: about £68)

References:
Railway Modeller January 1971: Wagons of the Southern 4 - Standard Goods Brake Van.

Next up is a Southern 12T box van.

0 Gauge 16T Mineral Wagon

This time I opted for a Peco chassis R0-8 since it is designed for the 16T mineral wagon. The body is 3D designed and printed by me. The framing around the doors came out a bit ragged compared to crisp injection moulded parts. Nevertheless it adds to the worn weathered finish.

I am very pleased with the Peco chassis because it has sprung buffers and compensation. Both utilising innovative and simple mechanics with compensation provided by working leaf springs no less! Very impressive. It went together quickly but thought needed to be given to assembly of a couple of parts as the instructions were unclear to me and a referenced diagram was missing from them.

There are many variants of the prototype wagon. I opted for that built to diagram 1/108 - a welded body with double brake arrangement. This avoided the need to show rivets!

It may be of interest to elaborate on the paint finishes that I applied.

Chassis

Referring to prototype photographs of weathered wagons the underlying colour appears greyish, arguably with a touch of blue. I sprayed the entire chassis (not wheels) with Humbrol matte enamel 144 followed by sponge painting dabs of Humbrol matte 62 for rust here and there.

Body

The weathered look was achieved using the salt chipping technique. Here is a video tutorial. People use rock or table salt. I found table salt worked best for larger areas in particular.

The body was first sprayed overall using Halfords grey primer followed by brush painting Humbrol matte 100 with a splash of matte 160 to give an aged rust look. When dry, masking tape cut to the size of the white diagonal lines was applied. Each body side was then painted with clean water and salt sprinkled on in key areas where rust is to show, with reference to prototype photographs. Quite a deep patch of salt was applied to the large areas of rust. The body was then set aside to dry thoroughly overnight.

I am undecided what payload to fill the wagon with so, left the inside empty and a rust colour. When  I design the model railway layout the most likely mineral payload needed for the scene will be realised.

The wagon (and salt overlay) was sprayed with Humbrol 128 mixed with a large amount of matte white to lighten ('cos that's the only grey I had). When nearly dry the salt was brushed away with a toothbrush except it was hard to remove in places so, scraping gently with a small flat blade screw driver worked well. To my dismay the process had lightened  the dark rust colour,  either due to salt erosion of the paint or, leeching of the thinned grey spray paint. Thinking it was leeching grey paint I used thinners and gently rubbed the rust patches with cotton bud to no avail. Maybe it is not so bad considering it would appear lighter from normal viewing distance. Some miniscule salt particles are embedded in the grey paint here and there giving a nice textured finish.

The masking tape was removed and new tape laid either side of the white lines to be. The white lines were added by lightly sponge painting matte white.

Finally, wagon numbering was designed, printed and placed.

Cost 

Peco chassis: £16.56 (discounted RRP incl postage)
Peco wheel set: £8.03 (discounted RRP incl postage)
Plastic body: £0.3
Extras: pennies

Total: Less than £25

RTR from the trade then probably around £45 or in kit form £35.

References

Mineral Wagon Variety: The Model Railway Journal #54
Mineral Wagons: Railway Modeller November 1980.


Next up is a brake van.

0 Gauge 15T Ballast Wagon Hut Carrier

I have trodden the sad road to rivet counting, which I swore I would never entertain because life is too short!

This is my first attempt at scratch building 0 gauge wagons. What can be said about it is yes, greater attention to detail is required than for 00 gauge; I had to remind myself of this being used to 00 gauge modelling. In so doing there are small parts revealed in the analysis that are just as fiddly to create as in 00 gauge! Nevertheless, it has been a rewarding experience since it stretched my design and modelling skills and given insight to another aspect of historical railway practise and vehicles.

The Result (ignore the track. I have not invested in 0 gauge track yet)

Design and build of the huts was posted here.

Historical Facts

The hut carrying wagon is a SR 15T Ballast Wagon (Diagram 1773) with the drop side doors removed. A few of these converted wagons were deployed by the SR Exmouth Junction concrete works for the conveyance of huts. Most did not carry identification, apart from the number plate fixed to the solebar.

I did not have a drawing of 1773 but I did have a drawing of the steel plated door variant. This has the same overall dimensions and similar chassis. The main differences being buffer style, brake arrangement and four door stops instead of six. This together with several photos of 1773 on the web enabled me to design the wagon. The web photos were of aged wagons showing a distinctly grey weathered finish. I adopted same.

Design (also see modelling references at end of posting)

The wagon was deigned as a kit of parts in 3D CAD (FreeCad Application). The image shows the parts for the chassis. Other parts not shown are axle box, buffer, brake mechanics, door stopper and hut cradle. The parts were 3D printed on my own printer

Buffers

Since my Terrier locomotive has sprung buffers I decided that the wagon would have them to.

The buffer shank is a panel pin and the spring is made of phosphor bronze wire netting from a wine bottle. I wound the wire around the nail to make the spring!

The photo shows the assembly. The buffer head is glued to the pin head. The buffer is glued to the wagon headstock. The shank passes through both and the travel limiter glued to the shank in a position that gives the outward travel required . The spring is placed over the shank and the container passed over this and glued to the rear of the headstock. The shank passes through the end of the container.

These photos show the operation. (top - closed, bottom - open)

Compensation 

Having gone to that effort I decided to include chassis compensation as well. This employs a cradle with a central rocker that gives 1 mm clearance between cradle and wagon floor. There is also 1mm gap between leaf springs and solebar. The rocker also serves to keep the wheels square to chassis. The central hole was only used for position alignment with the floor. (These macro photos reveal the roughness of the 3D print, Not noticeable at normal viewing distance.)

 Below: Normal alignment and compensating for obstruction.

The tie bar is flattened 0.5mm wire loosely held in the axle box frame to allow independent compensation of fore and aft wheels.

Rivets and Coupling

And so to rivet counting, or how to make them. I tried several "fluids' and found the acrylic matte medium gave the best result (yet another use for this versatile substance). Poke a cocktail stick into the medium to pick some up. Offer the stick vertically to the model and twist about half a turn,  lift off to leave a nice round deposit.

Each link of the 3-link coupling was made by wrapping 1mm wire several times around a rectangular bar and then cutting along the set with a razor saw. The coupling hook is a spare from a proprietary chassis kit (presented in next posting). 

I am not sure if I will get on with this authentic wagon coupling method and will need to devise a shunting pole for easy of manipulating the couplings. If that becomes too difficult/tedious I may install the Alex Jackson coupling method across all the rolling stock.

By the way, angle brackets less than 0.5mm thick, like those on the wooden end panel, were made up from thin card and after applying to the model, coated in cyanoacrylate glue to stiffen the pliable card.

Hut Cradle

There is speculation from an obscure photograph that cement bags were used to protect the corners of the concrete huts from the cradle compression. I choose 'Blue Circle' bags and applied the logo that was in use before 1967.

Cost

I suppose I should talk about the cost to make the wagon since 0 gauge proprietary products are notoriously expensive.


Plastic: £0.62
Peco wheel set: £8.03 (discounted RRP)
Extras: pennies

Total: Less than £9.

If such an 0 gauge wagon was available RTR from the trade then probably around £50 or in kit form £35.

What I have not accounted for is the hours and hours gone into the design and build of my model and the overhead costs. Perhaps that can be negated by the pleasure derived from the hobby.

Mistakes

The width of the wagon is about 1.5mm too wide because I used the dimension from the outside of the (unfitted) side doors instead of the inside.

The brake lever is partially on instead of fully off for a moving vehicle.

References

Concrete PW Huts: The Model Railway Journal #62
Non Hoppered Steel Ballast Wagons: Model Railway Constructor, December 1984
Compensation for 0 Gauge Wagons: Railway Modeller: June 1984
Paul Bartlett's Photographs.

Postscript

When I get around to a making a model railway layout I have a vision of some prepared ground with a couple of workers peering into the distance awaiting  arrival of the huts. And when they do arrive they will still be peering into the distance awaiting arrival of a travelling crane to lift and position the huts, which may never arrive!

Next up is a Mineral Wagon.

0 Gauge BR(S) Lineside Huts

The first wagon I want to make is a 15T ballast wagon with the drop sides removed as this was used by BR to transport its concrete permanent way and tool huts from their concrete works at Exmouth Junction to all parts of the Souther Region network.

Whilst waiting for some parts to arrive for the wagon I set about designing and building the huts. These were designed in CAD and 3D printed on my own printer. Each hut consists of three parts, these being the main body shell, roof and door.

The PW hut was fitted with window blinds and the chimney placed inside during transportation. Being ex works the finish is pristine. My best guess at the concrete colour is a greyish white, judging from the monochrome photos I have seen.

The 3D print reveals the vertical layers of plastic resulting from the process. These were smoothed to some degree with sand paper for large areas and smaller areas given a coating of acrylic matte medium, which has a gel like consistency. Any imperfections left in the plastic has enhanced the concrete look. The hut is spray painted with Halfords Primer and artist acrylic top coat sponged on, which gives better control than a brush to allow a little of the grey primer to show through (did not want the setup/cleanup time and mess of an air brush). The acrylic top coat was mixed 50:50 with the matte medium to reduce gloss. (Matte medium is proving very versatile and can even be used as a paper glue.)

The plastic model wagon will need some weighty ballast for stability. Rather than weight the wagon I have glued into each hut floor a 1 mm steel sheet. The two huts together weigh 140gms, which I hope will be adequate ballast for the wagon.

The photo shows a 00 gauge hut alongside for scale comparison.

I've Only Gone and Done It!

I have always looked upon 0 gauge (7mm) rolling stock and layouts with a degree of envy. Can't put my finger on it, perhaps it's the sheer size that appeals to my masculinity. The reason I never worked in this scale is the cost of items and the space required, both being about twice as much as 00 gauge. (More than twice the cost if wanting a tender locomotive and rake of coaches.)

Having seen Arun Quay at the recent Basingstoke show my concerns about space requirements were quashed because here was a 7mm scale layout in only about 7 feet that gives an authentic looking scene with operating potential. I became hooked.

Arun Quay is a shunting layout using the LB&SCR  'Terrier' tank engine and a few wagons. The 'Terrier', or A1x to give it its class name, is an attractive locomotive to the eye. I set about browsing eBay for similar and came across the highly detailed Dapol RTR offering (Arun Quay's is kit construction).

The RRP of the Dapol is £225 but I found and bid on a second hand model (32661) that had a couple of minor cosmetic issues. I won the auction for a price considerably less than the RRP. On its arrival it looked as good as new with very little evidence of use and I quickly fixed the cosmetic problems.

I have no other 7mm items, not even track but, I set up two lengths side by side of old Triang Hornby 00 Series 4 to test the loco, which ran perfectly. (The 2p in the photo is to indicate the scale and not the price I paid!)

The prototype 32661 was allocated to the Hayling Island Branch Line from the 1930s until withdrawl in 1963 and the shed code on the model indicates the home shed to be Eastleigh.

My plan initially is to acquire a small range of wagons. In order to minimise cost they will probably be scratch built. In fact when it comes to track and scenic items then scratch building must be the norm to save on cost.

I have in mind a 16T mineral wagon with coal load, a 15T ballast wagon converted to carry new SR line side huts (Ref: The Model Railway Journal #62), a SR box van and a goods brake van. I expect a few more will follow and maybe a Brake 3rd coach. It all depends on how good my scratch building is.

When I have sufficient to operate a shunting yard I'll turn my attention to a layout. To accommodate this in the railway room one of my other layouts will need to go to make space. The layout location is likely to be fictitious but, influenced by Southern practise and landscape.

I have to admit that it all sounds a bit daunting for me. When I moved from 00 to N I had no qualms but moving up to 0 gauge requires greater emphasis on detailing in order to create an authentic scene like Arun Quay. I'll be disappointed if I cannot achieve that benchmark.