New Road. An update and something else new.

Another week has gone racing by. I have to be honest, I got slightly waylayed this week.

A friend of mine got talking about Class 74s, in reflection this has caused me to turn my attentions to something else. Not a great deal has been done to New Road, in fact this is the total of a week's worth of modelling on the layout.

No, it's not for a wind generator ( Not sure why they call them that, they don't actually generate wind, do they.) It's for a possible Art-deco awning for the platform.

What has he done this week? Going back to Class 74s ( did I say in a previous post about being given a rather nice photo of one in Poole yard?)

I bought one didn't I. One of those offerings from Silver Fox Models no less.

http://silverfoxmodels.co.uk/class-74-bo-bo-british-rail-crewe-new-2/

It arrived and bearing in mind it's rather an old model now, and the upgrade I did with Lima's old Class 31 well, It couldn't be that difficult could it.

I have set about improving it somewhat. 

This is as it comes out of the box.....

.......the other side

Handrails, grills, roof vents, jumper cables, air horns, buffers, draw hooks are all cast as a big lump.

Of course, me being me, what did I do? I stripped it. I had a lot less body than I started with, gone were all the moulded detailing bits. I even cut out all the grills on the sides and roof.

Sorry, forgot to take a photo.

Hay-ho.

So, there was no going back now. In fact, my Class 74 is looking, well I think rather good.

I can't recommend Colin J. Marsdens' book enough, The Electro-diesels classes 73 and 74. It has a wealth of photos and details on both classes.

The one thing missing on the model is it's 'nose' as can be seen from the patch of filler I have tried to replicate it. Not sure that it shows up in the photos to well.

 Replacing the mesh grills with something better was another priority.

Where to find mesh so fine?

Hannant's came up trumps with there variety of etch meshes (you have to give it to these model tank builders) S-09 etch seem to look right.

https://www.hannants.co.uk/search/index.php?search=mesh&pricer=1¤cy_id=2

Some wonderful turned brass air horns from Markitts.

You may also have noticed that I have removed the buffer beams, these will be replaced with some from DCC Supplies ie; ones for a Class 73, for the life of me I couldn't find buffers, they are huge.

Some of the parts still to use

Replacement wheels from Alan Gibson, jumper cables, even managed to get hold of a cab interior.

It's going to keep me busy for a while yet and we don't even possess a chassis for it.

Annoying really as A1 models are out of stock on etched roof grill and fan sets well, the one I need anyway, otherwise she would have been in primer by now grrrrr.

That's it for this week, hopefully a roof grill will turn up and we can send her for paint.

New Road. Another update and something new.

Another one of those updates when you feel you haven't really done a great deal but actually, things have progressed quite a bit.

Firstly, the 'new thing' well it's something that we all need and deffinatly gets well used so, I treated myself to a new one.

We have a blue one this time, a nice new cutting Matt supplied by Hannants.

https://www.hannants.co.uk/

Something else supplied by them was these.

Why has he bought those I hear you cry, you will have to wait till next week's post and all will be revealed.

Let's get back to New Road.

I have been concentrating on the Station Building, it has been sitting around for far to long.

It now possesses front doors, front steps and an approach road leading to it.

Kerbs, storm drains and main hole covers have been added. The latter was obtained from Langley Models as an etch, I have had these for some time even back to Pine Road days.

Next was the platforms, again, these have been plain white for far to long.

Thinking I have described these in a previous post, they are from peco topped with  https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/lx317-oo-network-rail-platform-coping-1008mm---oo4mm176-9144-p.asp

Is it just me but I had a real problem getting paint to take to these. A spray of Halfords Etch primer did the trick.

The edging is painted with Humbrol No 28 Matt and weathered using Humbrol No113 and weathering powders.

Next of course, is the tops. Made from card but kept a few millimetre below the surface, topped off with fine tile grout from Wickes.

Painted over with a mix of grey and white acrylic paint with some 'Black sand' sprinkled in. This was aquired from Geek Gaming

It's slightly courser than talc.

You just have to add a manhole cover. If one looks closely I have added cracks in the tarmac just by using a fine Black Sharpie pen.

That's it for this week.

Thanks for viewing and don't forget to comment.

New Road, a bit more done and a new edition to the fleet.

It's been a strange old week.

Covid jab sorted. I also had a phone call at the beginning of the week, could I attend New Milton railway exhibition ? That, I wasn't expecting but it looks like we may be attending with Parkstone Goods at the end of July.

New Road has progressed slightly. We have fitted fishplates to the lower section, a job I so love, the result is definitely worth while tho.

The trackwork has been painted and the railsides have been rusted up.

The station building for New Road has progressed. I'm not sure about this.

On a different subject.

Going back to my exploits in pre-grouping stock, I was given this by a good friend of mine.

Could it be used for my LSWR H13 railmotor kit ? The wheelbase needs shortening by 3mm, looking at it I think it maybe just possible.

Another friend of mine (Yes, one does have more than one) has put a big spanner in the works. He sent me a photo of a Class 74 sitting in Poole yard during 1976. Feeling that i now have an excuse to run one on Parkstone Goods, i was looking around for one. Silverfox have just re-released there's.

Silver fox Class 74

In the process of thinking about it. 

In the mean time and me being a sucker for anything Southern, I found this on good old eBay.

Ordered on Friday, I couldn't believe it when it turned up on Saturday morning. I realise that Hornby do one as well but I couldn't resist. You also have to remember and I think I am right in saying this. It's the first Crowed funded model ever produced in the UK. Only 200 were produced.

Without turning to the Google's have you guessed what it is yet ? I have been 100% Garunteed that it has never been run or even been out of its box. The problem with this is tho, I am now very reluctant to take it out of its box, let alone weather it and put a coupling bar on it.

Should I put you out of your misery now and tell you what it is.

It's like one of this Cliffhinger films isn't it, will she, won't she, he didn't, he bloody did you know.

No that's not possible, that would happen, but it did.

I have also just been informed that Bournemouth West has just won BRM 2020 best layout Compitition. 

Congrats guys.

Ok,ok will tell you what it is.

Self explanatory really, it's DJ Models Class 71.

And look all I did was lift the lid.

It says "please STOP!" so I did.

Don't forget to comment, follow etc.

What have we done this week

What have we been up to? Not a lot really, just remedial stuff.

I have cleaned up the modelling room from what it was before. I like to have a clean up between projects otherwise it just becomes a mess.

Next project should be the station building for New Road.

Or it could be to fit these, I have already done the upper level.

Ones fitted on the upper level.

I am still debating whether there should be a catch point here.

We could build some wagon kits.

A pair of gates to be fitted here.

Also, still need to fit the control panel in properly.

Plenty to be getting on with.

But first, one if these I think.

I must thank the 40 odd thousand people that have viewed my blog, I must be doing something right.

Don't forget to click the 'follow' button, you never know what you might be missing out on.

Oh yes, one more thing, I bought my little girl a present.

I think she quite likes her 'intercity 125' scarf.