Tullygrainey

A big thank you to everyone for all the positive feedback. The enthusiasm and support on this forum is just brilliant. Alan

Some progress with former fluffy loco No.29, at last. I considered trying to build an anti-gravity device in case I dropped it again but decided in the end to just be more careful. Another black base coat sealed the brass, then the rivets were added. Again. Two coats of green enamel blended the rivets in. The boiler didn't get intimate with the carpet during the Butterfingers Affair so it wasn't stripped back. Next, the lining transfers (from Fox Transfers). As I've said before, the lining is over-scale but I can live with that. Challenging stuff, this. Frustrating and satisfying in equal measure. The little jig made of card and cocktail sticks suspends the thing above the work surface so the transfers on one side one don't get accidentally abraded or rubbed off whilst working on the other side. Another lesson learned the hard way. Lining finished and sealed with a coat of enamel satin varnish. I'll give the finish a few days to harden before re-fitting all the detail bits and re-uniting body and chassis. Onwards with a great sense of relief Alan

I use this Gaugemaster power supply together with a Capacitor Discharge Unit from the same manufacturer to power the Peco solenoid turnout motors on my small (6ft x 2ft) layout. Together, they do the job well and turnouts can be switched in pairs without any problems. https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/gaugemaster-gmc-m1-16v-ac-cased-transformer.html https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/seep-gmc-cdu-capacitor-discharge-unit.html Alan

I forgot about the O/16.5 narrow gauge Peckett which I actually started at the same time as No 29. I spent an enjoyable morning at Cultra climbing over their example with a tape measure. I got as far as a compensated chassis and a set of rods before No 29 elbowed its way to the front. No cylinders or bodywork yet. So that probably needs finishing sometime. If I can remember where I put the bits

That's very kind of you to say so LC. Thank you. No 29 is inching towards completion. I'm taking my time with it and trying not to drop it again! Hope to have something to post in the next day or so. As to what's next, I'm not really sure. Patrick Davey gifted me some Bill Bedford BCDR coach etches which I'd like to have a go at. I also have a couple of Provincial GNR(I) wagon kits to build. Then there's my drawer full of assorted diesel shunters which cry out for an industrial layout to run on. As to another BCDR loco, I haven't really given that much thought. Maybe a bogie tank? Too many projects! Alan

Very fine job indeed, David. The lining looks really well. I know how challenging (and frustrating) that can be!

No 4 Loch, Port Erin station, 26/08/2021 Loch.MOV Loch2.MOV Loch3.MOV

Locos at Groudle Glen and Sutherland in the railway museum at Port Erin, August 2021.

Very true John. I was able to just scrub away at it till all the paint was gone. Amazingly, a lot of the rivet transfers clung on longer than the paint before finally peeling off.

Well I fiddled and faffed with the fluffy loco, even tried another coat of green, but I knew I’d never be happy with it so out came the cellulose thinners. Hello again brass. Thought we’d seen the last of you! Must remember not to have my muesli from that bowl again. Onwards with nary a backward glance Alan

That is a nifty tool. I could probably do a fair bit of damage with one of those

It was just the cab/tank/bunker section David but when it hit the carpet it rolled! Nice even coverage

Finally got all the rivets in place. Then another coat of black to blend them in…. Put the first green top coat on. Then, while examining the finish (and this is going to sound familiar David) I dropped it. On the carpet. Before the paint was dry. Enter the BCDR’s first fluffy locomotive. No photos. It’s too depressing. I picked the worst bits off with tweezers but I’m not sure it’s saveable. The disadvantage of rivet transfers is that they can’t be sanded and it’s difficult to sand round them. Stripping the paint will remove them. Bu**er! Seeking counselling Alan

Absolutely beautiful!

That’s praise indeed! Thank you Leslie

It does Leslie but it leaves you with nothing to blame

I think my learning curve mirrors yours David. I can remember not that long ago thinking that, even though the idea really appealed, building etched kits would be beyond me. And I still have the first Branchlines chassis I ever assembled. It never ran properly, and has defied subsequent attempts to make it work, but I learned a lot from it, not least that it was worth trying again. So Patrick, I have a spare soldering iron if you want to borrow it Postscript: Reading this back, I need to add that the failure of my Branchlines chassis was nothing to do with the design of the chassis and all to do with the cack- handed actions of a beginner-builder! Alan

Never say never Patrick. We’re all on learning curves here. That’s part of the pleasure

Bye bye brass Managed to get away with not too much filling. It's very grey isn't it! Actually it's now black to give a good dark base for the green topcoats when we get to them. But before that.... More Little Things Sent To Try Us: Rivet transfers My first use of Railtec's 3D rivet waterslide transfers. They come in a range of sizes and spacings and are beautifully crisp but extremely delicate so they need very careful handling. Moulded in white, they're easy to see against a dark background. By the same token, any irregularities in applying them are horribly apparent in photographs, especially in long runs. Witness some of the wobbly lines above. This should be less apparent once the paint goes on and the rivets are the same colour as the background. I hope. The larger black rivets on the smokebox are from my remaining stock of Archer transfers. Putting black rivets onto a black base was a laugh. Alan

Out of adversity comes innovation! Nice work with the buffers and couplings David. Fly is looking pristine again. I get the same feeling about that first paint coat - too bright and too shiny too in my experience. Toy-like. But it soon comes in, as you say. Looking forward to seeing Fly gather a little road dust. Probably best not to think too much about the cost. It’s a small price to pay for the pleasure of building something and then looking with a bit of pride at what you’ve achieved. I think Fly has come in at a very reasonable cost. One of the advantages of taking as long as I do to make anything is that the cost is well spread out and less noticeable Incidentally, my most recent 4mm rtr loco purchase cost £325 including postage. I don’t do that very often. More power to your soldering iron. And your Black & Decker Alan

Last chance to see: No.29 in all its brassy brassiness before the great Halfords coverup. Or should that be the great Halfords show-up-all-the-flaws-I-didn't-notice? Bit of both I think. Onwards with rattle cans Alan

Just wonderful! And imaginative use of 'found' materials. I like that very much!

More bad luck than you deserve David. Hang in there. It will definitely be worth it. The rolling stock looks great.

Ingenious. And lovely neat work too. If that was me trying that, the roof edges would remain unstuck but my fingers would be securely glued together and probably also to the roof Alan

Stop, Patrick!