Time to build a railway...but where?

[Peter Butler]

Well, another year has gone by and it was time to hold our annual 'Open Day' on behalf of the Modellers Club. The weather forecast for Wales, (and most other places too) was terrible but we were determined to continue, so precautions were taken....




Inside we had displays of various models including Cardboard locomotives, sailing boats, railway dioramas, street scene, etc...
Even a suit of armour.....










The beef-burgers were delicious and the day was warm. About thirty people attended, including Big Jim, (of this Forum) and steamers and battery electric locomotives made a short appearance. I managed to run several of my 'Emetts' too.

[bazzer42]

Fair play Peter, you don't do things by halves! Looks like you had a good day.

Not sure I need the armour as Mrs B is quite forgiving but I do love that platform. I have minor regrets on using the pool tiles for edging and not slate and may have gone down that route if I had seen this picture first.

Is your ballast stone that colour naturally or has it come straight from the bag? Mine looks that colour on first and then washes to a more granite hue. Just wondered whether any dust would be a hinderance or a bonus to glue.

Yogurt is nice, especially if your a Westie so I've left it to nature. They lick at it off as I can put it down!

[Peter Butler]

Hi Bazzer, gald you enjoyed (most) of my pictures. Despite the weather we did have a good day and according to the news reports, we were not as badly hit as many other areas. Nearby Cardiff was so wet the local area group ran no trains at all on their garden railway.
The armour is a one-off made by my younger son from something he has found on the internet!
Ballast is straight from the bag and is horticultural grit from a garden centre. I have had some down (stuck with SBR) for several weeks and it shows no sign of changing colour.

[jim@NAL]

lovly pictures peter looks like a fun day I loved all the model boats and other models

[Peter Butler]

Having been to Llanfair exhibition this weekend I now have the bits and pieces to fit RC and accessorise my Billy from those wonderful people at 'Roundhouse'.
This is Billy in his current state..... anyone of a sensitive disposition, look away now!
.
This is what a naked Billy looks like.

The body panels had been painted black so before I can repaint a different colour they all had to be stripped

The RC kit of parts, along with overlays for the buffer beams and cylinders

and finally a Busybodies driver,

There seem to be a whole load of bits in the boxes but I do have the build instructions which came with Billy when I bought him from a friend.
This would be a good time for anyone to offer advice about things I should, or should not, do!

[Big Jim]

Oooer, a noody steam loco! I take it roundhouse answered all you queries.

[DickH]

Hi Peter, in the R/C kit is there a square plate with two ears on it to cover the receiver etc underneath the back of the frame?

[Peter Butler]

Oooer, a noody steam loco! I take it roundhouse answered all you queries.

Yes Jim, Roundhouse were extremely helpful and obliging. They answered my gas filler problem and exchanged parts without question.
In comparison to them several of the other traders were less than enthusiastic and did not add to the 'visitor experience' which is essential if they want to stay in business.
I doubt I will be going again!

[kandnwlr]

Oooer, a noody steam loco! I take it roundhouse answered all you queries.

 Yes Jim,  Roundhouse were extremely helpful and obliging.  They answered my gas filler problem and exchanged parts without question.  
 In comparison to them several of the other traders were less than enthusiastic and did not add to the 'visitor experience' which is essential if they want to stay in business.
 I doubt I will be going again!

I arrived late on Saturday, and sadly didn´t see many people around an hour before closing. But I did talk to RH, and they were very friendly and helpful. And that big Hunslet is awfully nice ....

[Peter Butler]

Hi Peter, in the R/C kit is there a square plate with two ears on it to cover the receiver etc underneath the back of the frame?

I have so many loose bits on my bench I have been reluctant to open yet another bag! However, to answer your question I have had to do so and I am so impressed with the way it is supplied. There is a clear plastic wrapper with each section sealed separately from the next so every part is clearly visible, but contained so nothing can get lost. And yes!.... there is a plate as you described included.

[Andrew]

Ah, that was the only advice I could offer - I couldn't tell you anything mechanical, but I do know what it's like to take a loco apart for repainting and detailing and then lose half the screws, nuts and bolts for putting it back together again! I suspect few modellers are as disorganised as me, but that'd be my advice - put everything in carefully labelled bags/boxes/jars...

Have you seen the nice Billy bits that Locoworks offer by the way? http://www.locoworks.co.uk/locoworks-de ... ouse-billy

Might be worth a look before painting? Any thoughts on colour/lining yet? Looking forward to pics...

All the best,

Andrew.

[Peter Butler]

Andrew, thanks for the info.... I hadn't seen the site before but am interested in some of the items available.
As for colour?????? Henry Ford had the right idea.... otherwise just too much choice.

[Keith S]

Hi Peter, it looks like your cab wasn't soldered properly, or else maybe it was glued (?) rather than soldered, I don't know. It shouldn't have come apart like that when you stripped the paint. It's very easy to solder back together though. I'm just mentioning it because maybe you should take a look at the other joints before taking a torch to it... and the tank "lids" should come off before any soldering, they will melt being only white metal.

I apologize if I'm being pedantic.

The "loco works" details are very nice, I have the full suite on my "Billy" other than the air pump. They fit well and really dress it up. I see he is offering glazed spectacles and inner tank sides now, I suppose I shall have to order a set of those...

[Andrew]

Henry Ford had the right idea.... otherwise just too much choice.

Ah, but I suspect Henry Ford had never seen SECR, LBSCR, or GER liveries, or fully lined Midland red, or S&D Prussian Blue...

Actually, maybe you're right about the choice thing...

[kandnwlr]

Henry Ford had the right idea.... otherwise just too much choice.

Ah, but I suspect Henry Ford had never seen SECR, LBSCR, or GER liveries, or fully lined Midland red, or S&D Prussian Blue...

Actually, maybe you're right about the choice thing...

If you knew how much Henry Ford was "learning by doing" on his production line then you wouldn´t worry about what colour the product was.
Prof. Andrew @ K&NWLR

[Andrew]

If you knew how much Henry Ford was "learning by doing" on his production line then you wouldn´t worry about what colour the product was.
Prof. Andrew @ K&NWLR

I'm intrigued, what are you Prof. of Andrew? I had it down as something linguistic (the Alsace location I suppose, and 'cos you seem to know about that stuff), but now you've gone all historical. Or could be business studies maybe?

Old Henry Ford may have been learning about mechanics, but he didn't find out much about colour theory...

[Peter Butler]

Hi Peter, it looks like your cab wasn't soldered properly, or else maybe it was glued (?) rather than soldered, I don't know.

Originally it had been soldered, but not too well! I have already sorted the issue by re-soldering and it is much tidier now.
I have also decided on a colour which will match my 3 coach passenger stock. This is Ford Burgundy Red, not too bright and not quite maroon..... a rich, warm colour. (Red wine drinkers know immediately!!!)
Today the rebuild began with the addition of leaf springs to cover the ones on the chassis, fixing of the battery box inside the roof and the cosmetic 'sun roof' on top.
Additional bracing has been soldered to the inside of the cab steps as I noticed they always tended to be pushed in and by constant bending they were likely to fall off eventually.
The glazed spectacles are a must.
I will post pictures as I progress.

[Peter Butler]

Just a few pics of the rebuild/repaint....
First the new springs which look so much better than the original ones simply cut from the steel side frame...


All the parts were stripped of old paint and given a primer before painting...


The cab has been re-soldered and sprayed Ford Burgundy Red which looks quite close to this picture....

The smokebox has also been repainted matt black, so too has the roof. However, I have given the whole chassis a coat of dark, matt grey which improves the appearance no end over the original gloss black!

[Peter Butler]

More progress..... as I have never put a steam loco together before and I have to alternate between the original instructions (which were written for the manual version) and the RC installation instructions, there have been one or two errors of sequence resulting in stripping and trying again.
However, the situation as of today is that all parts are painted, assembly has reached the stage where I can't continue without the servos, which should arrive early next week .
I am very pleased with the colour, and the lining transfer sheet from Roy Fitzsimmonds should complete the finish nicely (if I can make a tidy job of it!).

[Big Jim]

Looking good Peter.
Did you manage to change the gas valve?