Darius43

Arrived today Cheers Darius

Architectural model makers typically charge £1,000 to £2,500 for a model of size 200x200x250mm. Those are professional rates for businesses with overheads etc. but do not underestimate the time taken to produce a model of the quality that you exemplify in your work, which is superb by the way. In determining a total fee you will need to account for the time taken researching the station building(s), gathering whatever photos and drawings are available and then planning how the model will be constructed even before building commences. Based on your experience of the time taken to complete your models and a suitable hourly rate you would be surprised at how quickly the fee mounts up. Add to that the model topography issues and the shipping box etc. As to a suitable hourly rate I would suggest no less than £75/hr (or the equivalent in Euros) and, as you are clearly a talented modeller, probably more than that. At the end of the day the fee may be more than your prospective client is prepared to pay but I would advise you stick to your guns, so to speak. Another facet to building models to order is that it may cease to be “fun”, especially if the client wants to set a deadline or orders further models. This can leave you with little time for your own modelling and lead to stress, especially if the client wants changes or is not happy with something. I have built a few models to order and it was not a pleasant experience. Consequently, I now decline all requests to do so and only build the occasional model for friends for free. Cheers Darius

I ordered two and they are on my order along with six green ones. Cheers Darius

No algal blooms here. Cheers Darius

The flight path to Denver from Dublin took us due north so I was able to get a few snaps of places visited many years ago… Carlingford Lough. Lough Neagh foreground With Aldergrove Airport centre - just below the cloud. You can also see the former Langford Lodge airfield. North coast - Portstewart and Portrush. Cheers Darius

I'm now in Dublin en route to Denver having cleared US immigration. In the lounge in time for lunch Cheers Darius

Cheers Darius

Back to the B Class locomotive. I fitted a resin Sulzer powerplant to remove the see through effect and squeezed in DCC sound courtesy of Roads and Rails. Cheers Darius

Centre coach given the same treatment. Cheers Darius

Improved another Limby Class 101 DMU… Cheers Darius

Built over the past few days using the Silver Fox resin body and a cut down Hornby Railroad Class 55 chassis. Cheers Darius

Wipers, cab ladders and light weathering to chassis. Cheers Darius

I pre cut the curves on pieces of Tamiya masking tape and apply them to suit. Cheers Darius

Window glazing fitted. All those side windows make the inside look rather empty so I have ordered a resin engine to fill the space. Cheers Darius

I guess paint dries quicker down here on the south coast. Cheers Darius

Decals applied and an overall Matt varnish coat sprayed on. Cheers Darius

Primary painting completed. Cheers Darius

Primer coat on body and tanks installed using plasticard. Cheers Darius

Silver Fox models B Class started. Hornby Railroad Class 55 chassis (as recommended by Silver Fox) modified to fit. I had to thin* the inside faces of the Silver Fix resin body with a Dremel so that the chassis would actually fit. The tablet catcher recesses below the cabside windows were a bit shallow so I drilled out the lower parts and re-made them using plasticard sheet. I cut away the Deltic bogie sides and glued in place the Silver Fox replacements. I sanded* the rear faces of the replacement sides to provide a decent surface for glueing. I glued strips of plasticard to the inside faces of the resin body to act as chassis supports. Body fitted to chassis - it’s an interference fit at the moment. Next tasks are further cleaning of the body and scratch building the tanks that sit between the bogies - the Silver fox ones aren’t that good. Cheers Darius * I always wear a respirator when sanding resin and keep it on until all the resin dust has been cleaned up.

Do the on train announcements say that “we are now arriving into” whatever the station is rather than “arriving at” the station. The former suggests to me that the train will be hitting part of the station. Cheers Darius

Obtained an unboxed Hornby Class 101 centre coach from eBay in blue/grey livery. I detached the coach body from the chassis and removed the interior. The window glazing was carefully removed and the body masked for painting into Regional Railways livery. The first class logos were removed from the window glazing using the end of a cocktail stick dipped in white spirit. The wooden cocktail stick is abrasive enough to remove the painted on sign but soft enough not to scratch the clear plastic. Fox Transfers lining decals applied and glazing re-fitted. Coach interior upholstered and gangways fitted. Light weathering of chassis to finish. Cheers Darius

Cheers Darius

Buffer beam hosiery and light weathering to finish. Cheers Darius

Funky Cheers Darius