gibbo675

Hi Folks, With the exception of the GNRI V class all of the Irish stock is now in Sligo with its new owner. He took two of the coaches unpainted and he says that he thinks he will finish them in CIE green. I especially wished to finish the V class so I shall send that on by post another day. Today's work has been undercoat for the underframes of my mail coach set and the masking off and first coat of BR Rail Blue for the coach bodies. Above shews how I marked a line on the side of the coach bodies so that the masking would go on straight. The top of the blue is 9mm from the lower edge of the body side and so I cut a piece of scrap plasticard 8.5mm to use as a guide for a pencil line when the lower edge was set upon a datum surface, I used my mitre box as it allows the ends of the coaches to overhang suitably. The pencil is a .5mm lead and so when the tape is applied so that the pencil line is just visible then the edge of the tape is at 9mm, or near enough that makes no difference, and the edge is also very straight. Gibbo.

Hi Darius, Looking through your past work it seems we think somewhat alike in some ways, here is my version of an LNER POS diagram 165. My version is a somewhat hacked about Hornby LMS mail coach which was suitably lengthened. It is shewn on BR B1 bogies as it was sent on to a friend who had some LNER Gresley bogies and he painted it maroon also. Net side. Sorting side. Gibbo.

Thank You! That is most kind of you to say. I have to say the conversions are at the same time both difficult and easy in a way that is hard to describe. It is difficult in that I don't know the prototypes that well for I'm Lancastrian (Brigantes, should you know your tribe) and have always modelled British prototypes previously and yet easy because it is the application compounded knowledge from previous projects that guides me. I wish that my work spurs others on to similar works or by all means copy what I have done exactly for that will save the thinking bit ! Gibbo.

Hi Chaps, I've fitted glazing to the AEC railcar the power units have had 12mm by suitably long pieces fitted into the recesses created by the body structure. The lengths of the windows were measured as I was cutting them to ensure a snug fit with the large windows being 19mm long and the door windows bein approximately 9mm and the shorter windows about 12mm. Once I had cut and fitted windows for each side I used PVA glue to secure them into place as this is easy to do with a small fine paint brush and also that should any glue get onto the window it may be removed and wiped clean and the refitted. Any small amount of over application dries clear in any case and is difficult to see. The cab front windows were squares cut approximately 14mm X 14mm and held in with a good fillet of glue. Side windows fitted and glued into place. Cab front windows fitted and glued into place. This shows the AEC Railcar as far as I shall take it. Thomas will have to fit his own buffers as I don't have any suitable and I have run out of time to sort any out although I have drilled out pilot holes for them. The windows for the centre car were done in the same way as the GNRI coaches utilising the Hornby glazing that came with the original LMS coaches. Unfortunately I didn't have time to fit the top lights to the power cars, my plan was to use strips of Tamiya masking tape as the colour is very close to that of the cream colour. The bogies were similarly glued into position using PVA glue so that if Thomas wishes to fit seating the glue may be easily cracked off to remove them however it will give a strong enough hold to be handleably robust. Gibbo,

Hi Chaps, The V Class is now in works grey ready for top coat for which I shall use Humbrol number 48 on the recommendation of @murrayec, he also advised Humbrol 109 and Ford Wedgewood Blue for the locomotive in preserved livery as did @Galteemore, thanks to both of them for that. I shall use Humbrol 48 as I didn't think a whole can of spray paint for just one locomotive was justified on a cost basis. As may be seen there are some minor areas that the primer have picked up for remedial filling and sanding before final coat is to be applied. I'm meeting up with Thomas who will get this locomotive as a present and so it might be the last wee see of it however, I would prefer to take it back to finish paint it for him and send it on by post another time. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Thanks for the information Eoin @murrayec, and @Galteemore I shall get on and paint the V class as soon as reasonable. Gibbo.

Hi Chaps, It's been sunny today so I've been applying spray paint to my LMS/BR postal coaches, all ten of them. I first use Halfords grey primer and then a coat of RAL 7038 agate grey which is good for BR Rail Grey, I use gloss so that the transfers don't silver which is always useful. For BR Rail Blue I use RAL 5020 ocean blue. Gibbo's outdoor spray booth with the postal coaches and the GNRI V class in undercoat. if you look closely there is a bit of overspray on the top of the wall which Fiona will moan about because it won't wash off in the rain, which is more usual in these parts than sunshine. I'm more bothered about the loose render but Fiona doesn't seem to have noticed that minor detail ! The question I require answered from you lot is, what shade of BLUE for the V class ? Gibbo.

My Dear Noel, In answer to your question and by way of provoking positive free thought generally: Should you study Adam Smith's quote below and have a good think about the effect of usurious interest upon money upon economics, and also find out which countries in the world provide free electricity to their populations after introducing state run banks that do not levy usurious interest upon the bonds that they issue rather than privately owned central banks that do. You might then work out why there are wars that require things to be blown up. "Labour was the first price, the original purchase - money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or by silver, but by labour, that all wealth of the world was originally purchased." The law has been inverted, subverted and perverted in ways that have become normal to the point that creative labour is no longer valued but instead the currency that is created out of thin air is and worse still we have to work to credit interest to it. You know the system we are living it The realisation of what I have written above really ought to lighten everyone's mood world wide should such a shift in the paradigm take place. Gibbo.

To follow on with the condom theme, Q: What do you do with 365 used condoms ? A: Recycle them in to a tyre and call it a Goodyear !

Hi Darius, Its alright for you down south, its blustery with showers in a part of England that used be almost nearly Scotland and so no spray painting for me today ! The B 101 class looks grand considering it has quite a busy livery to mask up. You have done very well with the curves, do you place a square of tape o and then cut it back to shape with a scalpel or do you use thin tape and curve it around ? Gibbo.

Joy Ride ?!? Candles out girls !?!

Hi Patrick, Did the Nuns fill in a suitable repair card regarding the seized trailing axle of the leading bogie of T2 No. 62 ? The wheel set may have to visit the lathe for reprofiling. Watch at 2:41 in the video. Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Here is the WT class with six on. It took a while to sort this locomotive out because I didn't realise that by altering the position of the cab the back head moulding fouled the tops of the rear driving wheels as it is 3mm further forward. DSCF2447.MOV Gibbo.

Hi Folks, Here is the W class with six on. DSCF2446.MOV Gibbo.

Hi Darius, It doesn't help that I do my spraying outside which there was not chance of this last week ! Gibbo.