David Holman

I think the RCH tank wagon, of Irish Shell and others was one of the very few types to make it across the water. I made one from the Slater's kit for Northport Quay, but it is a static model at the moment because clearances for 36.75mm gauge are too tight for its very prototypical chassis.

Finely crafted, from start to finish. Fantastic modelling.

Coming to life!

Back in the 1950s when BR was still a 'common carrier', there was a lady living somewhere in East Anglia who made high end posh hats for the toffs for Royal Ascot. BR had to put on a 'hat special' to transport her products and there is a picture in one of Dr Ian Allen's albums showing said train. A ninety ton loco, one 12 tom box can and a brake - all for a few pounds of posh hats! Today, I believe we still have Eddie Stobart trains and Tesco ones too, but you have to wonder at the concept of lorries from Ireland to Europe taking the ferry to England, then driving to a Channel port instead of just sending goods direct by ship.

Do you have a model railway club nearby? If so, worth contacting them to see if they can help. Another thought is to visit a local model show. There will usually be a stand where you could ask for help and some even do a soldering clinic where you can learn the 'dark art'. It really isn't difficult. If not, worth separating body from chassis (usually only a couple of screws) to see if anything has come adrift.

A very decent first step and one to be proud of. Everything else is an extension of this - including moving to 7mm scale/36.75mm gauge.

Yep - love it!

Well done Leslie - quite a task. Do the slightly wavy canopy lines matter? Suspect this happens all the time on the real thing as it is all part of the aging process.

Clever stuff and well outside my pay grade!

The Swilly tank engine is now approaching what might be described as the 'ex works' stage. The cab still needs glazing, while roof is still to be fixed, vacuum pipes added, plus coal for the bunker. When adding the finishing touches to a model, I am always surprised at both how many of them there are and how long it can take. For example, buffer beam red is a colour that does not seem to cover well. Three coats in this case, each needing to dry overnight before the next. Even painting the rods as well, it is little more than a ten minute job, but ends up being spread over several days. Painting the crew can be similarly fiddly, but at least acrylic paint dries quickly. Buffer beam lettering is pressfix. I was going to use some Fox transfers black lining for the buffer beam surrounds, but it was easier to use a fine black marker pen. Looking at colour photos of No 10, I felt I'd painted the smokebox too grey. This was easily remedied with a coat of Metalcote gunmetal [27004]. The footplate and cab floor were done with a mixture of ordinary gunmetal [53] and a dark rust [70]. Martyn Welch's Art of Weathering suggests bauxite [133] but this is no longer available. On the chassis, the same mix is used as for the footplate. Actual weathering comes next, for which I need to gird up my loins and get out the airbrush. Martyn suggests a light spray with a mix of metalcote gunmetal and tarmac [or roof slate] in a ratio of 2:1, with leather [62] as an option. After all the efforts so far, I'm not about to risk this on the model without a bit of practice, so have sprayed a couple of bits of card with the dark green, so I can gauge the effects, so wish me luck! Finally, for now, a couple of pictures of the loco on the layout, with its Barclay sister. The Barclays, though well cared form, seemed to get a bit grubby in their daily lives, whereas the Kerr Stuart generally seemed well polished - albeit with the oily rag somewhat darkening things. Note again how the shade of green varies under different lighting.

Well said. Like it or not, pretty much everything in our hobby is about compromise - starting with track gauge and wheel profiles. The etched brass route for some items is a great idea. Before CAD, there was little option other than scratchbuilding things like gates from microstrip - not always successful either, for the same reasons mentioned. Yes, you can buy ready made, but the right thing is not always available. For me, 3D printing is the ideal medium for such items if you have the CAD skills. From what little I know, the time needed to draw out (almost) 2D items is much less than more complex stuff - plus you are developing skills as you go along. I think we are entering a new era of scratchbuilding, where CAD, laser cutting, 3D printing etc are much more accessible in terms of cost and availability of the key tools. Don't forget the "three foot" viewing rule (though should be 900mm these days!), nor the effect of a coat of paint. What you have shown us is great, can only get better and is very much the way forward in terms of opening up new opportunities for enhancing our layouts.

Thanks Patrick - there's some fine stuff here. Did make it all the way to Burtonport once myself. Must have been an amazing journey back in the day.

Sounds like a great project Dane - and if it essentially freelance, so what? Looks like it is more about the journey than the destination and what a fine way to have some fun & gain experience. I did much the same thing in 0n16.5 a few years ago and it was really worthwhile in terms of how my skills developed.

That is very good to know. Thanks JB, and indeed everyone.

They are all nominally 6ft, Paul. However, being hand built (by me) wouldn't like to say for sure. Plus they have been rebuilt a couple of times to address tight spots. The two points on the quay side are both Ys. Based on earlier custom made ones by Marcway, for Arigna Town, they are only 12 inches long from toe to clearance and are a good six inches shorter than a standard left or right, so great space savers.