David Holman

Looking at photos, it seems there are a fair few variations in the H vans and especially compared to the drawings I have. Not surprising I suppose given the number built and period involved. For example, see that the fitted versions have a brake wheel, rather than a handle, while the variation of plates and rivets on the body sides is considerable too. For example, the picture of one being constructed at Inchicore in the Great Southern Railway album seems to have no rivets in the body, only on the strapping. Indeed, I wonder what the former were for - internal strapping maybe? Either way, there are masses of them and building a model is proving far more challenging than a wooden van! If I was building more than one, then resin casting would be essential. Mine is going to be an early, unfitted version, so any excuses to limit the number of rivets will be gratefully received.

You are indeed correct Mark. The line to the exchange sidings comes off the loop and wagons have to then reverse off that into the front siding. Fairly sure I supplied the correct plan, but these things happen and am certainly more than happy with the article as a whole, especially Andrew's photos. RM and CM have come on a long way in recent years - some of my first articles, back in the '90s had only small pictures, with no colour either. The fee is very generous too. £35 for each page, which considering I only supplied a sketch plan and the text, to me ain't half bad and is already reinvested in a new loco kit!

Looks rather good to me. Can't have been easy trying to sand such a tiny item but the primer/witness coat says it was a success, especially as it is just 60mm long! Major blemishes will stick out like a sore thumb in anything that size, so very well done. If be interested to know how long it takes to get a 3D print to this stage, compared with building a kit (assuming one exists), or indeed a scratch build. Either way though, can't help thinking that a rake of these is going to look splendid.

Many thanks, it has been a fascinating and valuable thread.

It's a bit of a hybrid, Angus. A Tim Cramer drawing, given to me by Andy Cundick, was the basis. Changed the wheel base to 9'6 then used a combination of Richard Chown's model, photos and the posts about Leslie's kit to make a drawing. Hence can't vouch for total fidelity, but hopefully it captures the look of the prototype. Will post my drawing later. Next project is an H van, using a Tyrconnel chassis to get the soldering skills (such as they are), up and running, prior to making a start on my new J18/19 kit. Managed to source wheels and axles from Slaters without any problems, plus one of Premier Models excellent motor gear boxes too. However, now waiting for a new tip for my 100 watt iron. Come on Eileen's!

GSWR 10 ton brake After many months of layout building - scenics, electrics, buildings, back scenes and the like - I finally decided to turn my hand to some rolling stock. In an ideal world, I should be making some signals, but parts are not available at the moment. However, in the world of model railways, there is always something else to do. It must be months since I last made any broad gauge rolling stock, so a brake van seemed a good place to start. Having spent so long doing other stuff, perhaps unsurprisingly the hardest bit was knowing where to start. A simple box van would have been easier - a floor, two sides, two ends and some strapping - but the GSWR 10 ton brake also has a veranda each end, so working out how to incorporate these led to a fair bit of head scratching. Salvation came in the posts covering Leslie's 4mm scale resin kits and I largely followed the way the parts are arranged. Construction was fairly conventional: a base of 80thou Plastikard, with sides of 40 thou sheet, scribed for 7" planks Strapping is all 80thou square strip W irons are white metal castings, but with the springs filed away and replaced with longer plastic ones - though they are still probably a bit too short. Buffers also white metal, while brakes are Slater's plastic blocks on nickel silver wire. Roof is 20thou plastic sheet The model was initially sprayed in Halford's grey primer, then hand lettered in white ink using a fine nibbed dipping pen. Once this was dry, the GSWR lettering was scrubbed away with a fibreglass brush. After weathering was applied, first with a dilute wash of Humbrol gunmetal, matt black and bauxite, followed by judicious use of weathering powders. Wheels and brakes got an undiluted weathering mix, while the roof is 'roof dirt' from Precision. Guess the whole project has taken about 15 - 20 hours over the last week. Have included pics of a GSWR 12 ton van from Castle Rackrent for comparison.

Just discovered I have a drawing after all! Wasn't labelled and somehow got into my MGW file... All the same, many thanks for the help, it really is what this forum is about.

Airbrush masks look the ideal protection against the dreaded Myley Cyrus (Covid 19). Re acrylic paints, Omen Miniatures now have a range out which are becoming highly regarded. Gorden Gravett recommended them to me as an alternative to Tamiya. Start up cost is quite high though - £80 for the complete set, but would be much the same (if not more) were I to ditch all my Humbrol enamels and start again. Still thinking about it!

A fine model! See what you mean about the rivets, while an order to Eileen's will be needed as my store of microstrip is getting patchy and not likely to pick up supplies at exhibitions any time soon ...

Just had me scuttling into the workshop to check! The fiddle yard is slightly different as the line to the exchange sidings doesn't go on to the turntable now. Tried it, stock was liable to fall off when being turned at shows. My fault, as that was on the sketch I gave them. The only other thing I can see is that the track from the turntable goes straight into the shed, which is therefore at an angle to the platform. There again, it is not unknown for me to miss the glaringly obvious!

Further proof, if needed, that Warb is a master at turning a plain, utilitarian prototype into a fantastic model!

3D printed baseboards a new one on me. Given the size of the project, would have thought that a 6mm ply or MDF top, with softwood framing would be fine. If you mean laser cut baseboards, these are rather splendid, but very expensive compared to making your own.

Thank you kind sir!

Thank you both! Seven feet seems to be a standard height for post war vans both sides of the water. The width of the doors would be helpful, as everything else can be worked out from that, so yes please.

Lots of pictures, but can't seem to find any dimensions for the classic H. Have the Alphagraphix Bulleid underframe, so know length and width, while presume height of body was seven feet? Anyone got a basic drawing, please?

Really interesting and certainly reflects what I have seen of 3D printed models. Indeed, the only smooth finish I've witnessed have been those done by Mark Clark. He advertises in Narrow Lines (7mm NG Society Magazine) and as a Chatham Club member has given several demonstrations to us. Mark has experimented widely with different 3D printers as they have come on to the market. However - and this remains the big caveat with 3D - even a small item can take half an hour to print and this grows exponentially with size, while the start up cost for something like a loco body is around the thousand pounds mark from a commercial point of view. Am sure there are others out there doing just as well too. For me, batch building in plasticard, or resin casting from my own masters are still preferable. Indeed, done carefully, the finish I've got from resin is excellent, you just have to make sure the air bubbles come to the surface and are pricked out with a fine reamer. Resin picks up the finest surface details, including putting in wood grain with a glass fibre brush. It is cheap too. £40 worth of resin makes a lot of wagon sides and ends. Check my CVR brake vans on Fintonagh. Note, this is not a sales plug, I only make stuff for myself, I mention it merely to suggest there are homespun alternatives worth looking into. At the end of the day, we choose what we want to do and all power to the 3D and CAD modellers, who are opening up new avenues to explore. Likewise laser cutters and the like. Etched and laser cut kits are light years ahead of hand drawn stuff of the last century and I for one am very grateful. Enjoy what you do, including solving problems along the way - the latter is a given in our hobby methinks!

Know a professional modeller who gets good results with rattle can primers sold in Poundland stores. Erratic supplies apparantly, but worth seeking out.

Lovely!

Some fabulous stuff on show here!

Excellent!

The Bishops Castle Railway always has me salivating, not least because it was SO decrepit, while the track plan at Lydham Heath is another favourite and superbly done by Barry Norman in S, of course. As for the beautiful Carlisle, was there a prettier 0-6-0? Shannon comes close for me, but then I'm somewhat biased. Meanwhile, those MGW vans were quite something. Shame there are not many photos of them.

Was going to add this to my workbench thread, but decided it might be interesting to open it out, not least because there have been so many interesting contributions during Lockdown. Essentially, I need at least a couple of new brake vans for Belmullet, mainly because I mostly have SLNCR types from Arigna Town. That said, I was fortunate to acquire three goods brakes from Castle Rackrent and these will form the start of my 1900s period. However, for my 1950s scene, I could do with something non-SLNCR as well, especially as Belmullet is deemed to be a blend of the latter, plus WL&W, MGW and GSR/CIE. So, what have I got? Well, as you can see from the photos, it is a slightly eclectic collection. First, there are examples of all the SLNCR types - two of the drovers' vans [2 & 3], plus road van number 5 and the more conventional double balconied No 6 - the latter with a badly warped roof you will no doubt see... I will probably split these so that two get used in the 1950s and two back dated to the early 1900s. One of Richard Chown's vans is a GS&WR 12 tonner. Its a bit battered, with pieces missing from the roof and balcony, plus a couple of broken steps. It is also rather dirty, so needs a fair bit of TLC. It is interesting though, in being mostly made from wood. The other two vans are decidedly exotic in their maroon livery and salmon pink ends. As far as I can tell, they are ex Dublin & Meath. This railway was leased to the MGW in 1869 & absorbed in 1888, according to my Railway Atlas of Ireland by S. Maxwell Hajducki. Richard seems to have used both vans on Castle Rackrent as part of the 'mail goods', often with WL&W 0-6-0 Shannon in charge, so this is something I'd like to perpetuate. Quite how he saw the two D&M brakes getting to Castle Rackrent is another matter and would certainly be interested to know a little more about them, both the models and the prototype. They are certainly broad of beam, being a scale 9'4" wide over the body. As for my own latest effort, this is an ex GS&WR ten ton brake. Had been hoping to do a MGW one, but don't currently have a drawing of any, apart from the 20 ton version and the curious drovers' types, which seem to be an enlarged version of the Sligo ones - or vice versa perhaps? Anyway, my 10 tonner comes from the old Model Railways article by Tim Cramer. This shows the 12 ton version, which Tim suggests is easily converted to the lighter type simply by reducing the wheelbase from 11' to 9'6.However, as Leslie's 4mm scale kit shows in our Irish Models section, the 10 tonner is substantially wood panelled, rather than the metal T section framing of its heavier sibling. You can see progress thus far in the final picture. However, and more questions yet, what livery should it be for the 1950s? Photos of the model show it as clean, pale grey, with both GSWR and CIE insignia, which can't be right, can it? As for other types of goods brake, while the GNRI ones seem fairly well documented, it seems to me that information is a bit thin on the ground for the rest. For example, I have photo of one on the Courtmacsherry tramway, while as for WL&W types or indeed MGW, Ernie Shepherd's books aren't terribly forthcoming - just two paragraphs for the latter is all we get. So, will await replies with interest and especially the D&Ms and my GSWR ten tonner!

Looking good

Snap off blade knives have been my go to for years. Apparantly, it is the tip that does all the work and soon gets dulled, so snapping off for a new one is easier than sharpening. Foam board for some reason a real villain here. That said, I often use one of my Exacto blades on foamboard - the long, triangular sort seem to work especially well.

A case of cleanliness before godliness where model railways are concerned! Know what you mean as have been slowly going through all my stock too and not just the locos. Wagon and coach wheels were all dirty enough to blacken a cotton bud soaked in meths - one per wagon required. They run much better now too and are not spreading fresh dirt around. Then I looked at my GS&WR brake van from Castle Rackrent. At first, I thought the wheels had been blackened, but it was a coat of grime getting on for half a millimetre thick - no doubt the result of many years hard work!