David Holman

Class - pure and simple. Beautiful work.

Very impressive.

Personally, I'd stick to one of Glenderg's plans. Especially like the second one, but then have always preferred the 'less is more' approach to track as it leaves better scope for scenics. Keeping things simple means you will have a layout up and running in less time too. Treat it as part of the learning process. It is unlikely to be your 'forever' layout, though it might be possible to incorporate it into something larger at a later date. A good trick with layout design is to avoid track running parallel to the edge of the baseboad, while having the main run going diagonally across the boards increases the length of run slightly too. Try sketching it out on your board, or a piece of wallpaper.

Excellent benchwork, will make a fine foundation. Looks like you are using set track - fine, but it significantly reduces the 'flow' of Glenderg's fine track plan. Well worth considering, to avoid too many straight lines. Only a very small amount of extra work, but the result will be far more realistic.

High quality workmanship! My 0-6-0 feels like a piece of cake by comparison, while getting all the pieces to sit together and look right is quite a task in itself. Reminds of the the Wrightlines Baldwin 4-6-0T (0n16.5) I built years ago. It was mostly white metal, so was assembled in sections, but when brought together everything was at odds with the next piece. Fortunately, the sum of the parts was greater than the whole, plus the Baldwin's were prototypically wonky anyway. The Jeep however, already has a real presence.

MGWR 12 ton Glasshouse Brake Another new project already! I seem to have got into a bit of a groove at the moment, while the downturn in the weather has made the workshop more habitable of late. Many thanks to those who have offered advice on the prototype & I've managed to produce a basic line drawing from photos and sketches. The model is being built from plastic sheet and strip, with white metal fittings, following ideas in the late David Jenkinson's book, 'Carriage Modelling Made Easy'. Basically, you make an inner shell from 40 thou plastic sheet [with larger holes for glazing], then overlay the detail with 20 thou, which is much easier to work with. A couple of pictures show initial progress.

Back to the H and something new Thanks to those who recommended the Archer's transfer rivets, which eventually arrived the other day. The first picture shows what you get - a small sheet, but plenty packed in there. Time wise, I don't think they will be any quicker than a rivet press, but if you need to retro fit rivets, or put them on thicker material, then I'd say they beat cutting 0.5mm cubes and floating them on with solvent any day. You'd be hard pressed to see them on my H, but they are there on the brass chassis. After that, it was a quick clean up, then spray with rattle can primer, followed by Humbrol 64 brush painted on. Lettering is mostly by hand, using white ink and a dipping pen, though the circle in the flying snail is a 'zero' from a methfix transfer sheet that I found in my box. The fact that some of the transfers have a 'Home of 0 Gauge' sticker on them gives some idea of their age, but [mostly] they still work ok. The van has been finished off with a dilute weathering mix [Humbrol gunmetal, bauxite and matt black] on the chassis and weathering powders on the body. I like the look of the H vans, and if anything as utilitarian can be described as handsome, then they are in my book. So, on to something new, which am sure Galteemore will recognise. It is a Tyrconnel etched brass kit of the MGWR 4 wheel hearse van. This is a very nice little kit, though as the other David found, the etches for the sole bar channel demand care and I was glad I read his postings before I started! Solebars apart, it only took a couple of sessions to build the kit, but am sure that painting and weathering are going to take longer. However, for those of you like bright shiny brass, a picture of progress thus far is included.The ice lolly sticks, by the way [see the parts photo], are for thickening up the buffer beams!

Thanks George, and indeed everyone. Just checked and only started the model on 29th May, so has taken just a month. What with lockdown and the domestic authority going easy on decorating and chores (did most of that stuff early on), probably averaged at least a couple of hours a day, say 70 hours overall. Not bad for a tender engine and very much down to it being a well thought out and interesting kit to build.

Tasty! Am sure I won't be the only one salivating over these!

Simple, but so very effective. Just goes to show you don't need masses of track to produce convincing scenes, though a large fiddle yard is useful to keep a parade of trains like these going!

Nearly there The J19 is almost finished, with just a few things like cab window glazing and wiring the tender pickups to the motor. It will also need some lead weights in the boiler and some running in. Was tempted to give it a heavy weathering job, but the in the colour photos I have, it seems fairly clean, if a bit dusty in some areas. Hence has mainly been worked on with weathering powders. The numbers are HMRS pressfix from their LSWR/SR sheet, while the coal continues to be that from a couple of lumps I liberated from a traction engine rally many years ago! As I've hinted at elsewhere, 603 needs a train and given that it has to be for my 1950s period, am thinking that some sort of mixed might be fun. I have a kit of the MGWR 'hearse' van, which later got used for fish traffic, so will add some 'semis' to that [as they seemed to also be used for fish]. Bringing up the rear will be a MGWR 'glasshouse' brake van. As you can see in the Questions section, one was used on the Achill branch, so my theory is it got used on a 'mixed fish' train to Westport. Tenuous at best, but there you go. The final picture attempts to show three of Mr Atcock's finest on shed at Belmullet.

Proper boys' toys - though girls can play too, of course!

Fascinating, thanks JB. Especially pleased to hear that at least one van worked on the Achill branch. In my fiction for Belmullet, not only does the SLNCR and WL&WR combine to build a line west from Ballina, but the MGW also decided to get in on the act by building one of the lines suggested in your book, north from Achill. Therefore, I have a tenuous excuse for a mixed train from Belmullet to Westport, carrying fish and other stuff, with the MGW 4w hearse at one end and the glasshouse brake at the other, with of course some 'semis' in between. It's my railway...

Thank you! Some interesting details there - though I think it is the six wheel, 20ton version, but very useful nonetheless. The dimensions on the drawing I have are quite difficult to read, so these should help. What I've done so far is to use a standard dimension, in this case the 6'3 between buffer centres, to rescale it on the printer/copier. Turns out the body is 9' wide, though maybe the 9'7 quoted is over the extremities?

Nice!

Am interested in building one of these. Have a drawing, which according to the wheels, seems 7mm scale. However, the dimensions in this article suggest otherwise, particularly with width, which you can see is given as 9'7" - generous, even by Irish standards. Also, cannot find any info on how long they lasted, though clearly at least up to 1932. Likewise, they seem a little camera shy. Essentially, am thinking that one of these, as part of a fish train (using the MGW hearse van), would make a nice consist for my new J19 to pull. 1950s period, would that be appropriate? Thanks as ever.

That looks an interesting bit of kit - tell us more!

You say it may not be perfect David, but it has the look - that almost indefinable something of proportion and colour which says it is right. Placed in the setting of Rosses Point, which also has all these qualities, then it all adds up to very fine modelling! Already looking forward to seeing what comes next.

They look very good indeed and as nobody has been on holiday much, what a splendid way to spend your hard earned. My only criticism is the ugly front coupling, which is pretty much unnecessary and spoils the otherwise handsome front end. Indeed, when not being run, both models merit being on display as fine examples of the model maker's craft. Enjoy!

Already capturing the feel of the loco and no doubt will be quite an impressive beast when finished. Then you'll need another one and a spoil train, or maybe a tender for those long runs south...

Fine setting for a fine model.

Thanks JB, and everyone. My chosen loco is 603 and have a rear three quarter colour picture of it in Keith Pirt's Colour Portfolio. It is at Sligo in 1961 and in black. Cleanish too and the buffer beam looks newly painted, so maybe it hadn't been black for long.

The J19 has become very, well... black. Must confess that I don't actually like this bit of loco construction much, as it is really more of a necessary evil, for me. You go from a gleaming brass model, through a grey one, with lots of filler, before eventually giving it the top coat - Halford's 'go faster' matt black in this case. It is however, very black, though a small positive in this case is that the model seems to wear it well, especially from the front three quarter view. On the other hand, one of the next jobs - painting the buffer beams red, is always a bit of a pain because Humbrol red really doesn't cover well and needs at least three coats. Another issue at this stage of the model is that, though it feels like it is nearly finished, it is anything but. I made a 'to do list' yesterday and it's grown to at least 18 separate items, ranging from making some mock inside motion, through fitting couplings, painting the back head, adding crew, numbers, vacuum pipes, cab glazing, coal, tender pickups and the all essential weathering in order to soften the overpowering blackness. First stage of the latter has been to put a coat of Humbrol 27004 [metalcote gunmetal] on the smokebox. Unfortunately, it probably a bit too grey - but would make a fair representation for GSR battleship methinks. Still, getting there.

Wish my first coach was that good!

A really interesting and enjoyable project to follow. Nice one, Ken.